Abyss JOAL Review

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Sound – General

For this section I used the JOAL with a multitude of desktop amplifiers. JOAL was always connected in balanced mode, with the Violectric V850 as DAC.

Abyss has always managed to tune their headphones with an expansive sound stage and an airy, spacious presentation. This is no different here and you get excellent extension in all possible directions. The stereo imaging is excellent, as is the left-right balance.

I find the JOAL to be a balanced headphone, with a natural amount of body from top to bottom. The overall presentation is to the softer and smoother side, but it’s closer to the neutral side than it is to the warm side.

The bass section is weighty and punchy, but the main focus is on mid bass. That said, the sub bass presence is there when needed. Bass is engaging, deep, textured and well-layered. Bass perfectly connects to the mids.

The mid perhaps are the most impressive part of JOAL’s tuning. The mid timbre is a pleasure to the ear. As said the spaciousness, airiness and layering here are at a high level. Vocals blend in perfectly and they sound natural. Depending on the amplifier used, the vocals can come a bit more to the front but they in general all well positioned.

The top end is energetic, yet smooth. The top end extends well but it never is harsh or sharp in any way. You get a lively, extended top end that is musical an engaging and easy to the ear.

All-in-all the JOAL has a very natural and musical, engaging tuning with a smooth velvety presentation. I find JOAL’s tuning to be coherent and balanced. When compared to the higher end Abyss models, the note extension and decay are more limited, but still excellent.

The JOAL absolutely delivers what you expect a $2k headphone to do, and it really is a headphone that you can use for all genres. To me especially the mids, vocals and piano renderings seriously impress.

Sound – Amplification

The Abyss JOAL is designed to pair with both entry-level electronics and the finest high-end source gear. Following Abyss, JOAL delivers stunning performance at every level.

With an Impedance of 30 ohms and a sensitivity of 93 dB/mw, it on paper doesn’t look like the easiest to drive headphone but it in reality actually quite is. While there do is a difference in sound (quality) depending on the amplification used, JOAL actually, easily sounds great.

For this section I have chosen to pair JOAL with the AK SP3000T, the EarMen L-AMP and the Mojo 2 for portable amplification. For the desktop section I selected the ZMF Aegis, Niimbus US4+ and Hifiman GA-10.

Mobile

With the Astell&Kern SP3000T you have the advantage to listen to tube, hybrid and solid state mode. I personally with the JOAL prefer the hybrid and tube mode and especially the latter. In ss mode you get an energetic, fast but lighter sounding JOAL. While it technically is very strong, I am missing the mid and low presence here as it just has less body.

With the hybrid and tube the JOAL sounds fuller but it’s still very much on the neutral side. If you like the full, lush, natural presentation of JOAL, I wouldn’t recommend the SP3000T, as it clearly focuses on technicalities. What you do get a is a fast and precise sound, which is highly dynamic and engaging.

With EarMen’s newest L-AMP tube driven DAC/AMP dongle, the JOAL get’s fuller, bigger and weightier. Bass has good impact and punch, but it is tight and controlled. The mids are fuller but smooth and natural. The vocals blend in perfectly here.

Overall we get a high dynamic level, a very pleasing musical delivery and a soft, easy on the ear kind of top-end. I prefer this presentation with the JOAL, as it’s just so fun and easy to listen to. You get a good technical level, with tube warmth, smoothness and fullness.

There is no background noise. This is a perfect combo for on the go, or to take with you when traveling/working. Highly recommended.

As the AK DAP didn’t offer the best synergy to me, I wasn’t sure how it would perform with the Chord Electronics Mojo 2. The combo however immediately proved me wrong, delivering a sound signature somewhere in between that of the AK and L-Amp.

You get the excellent technical level of the Chord, combined with an overall fuller presentation. Everything is balanced and in control, and of course with a more solid state reference tuning, but it works.

If the typical tube characteristics are not for you, then you will for sure like this engaging, dynamic, yet precise and musical presentation. Neutrally but fuller bodied, precise, balanced and controlled. It works nicely and is recommended

Desktop

Switching to desktop gear, I am using the Violectric V850 DAC, and the first up is the ZMF Aegis. Reviewed a couple of months ago, it is now being used for a tube roll article and it at the moment is running a full set of PSVane power and input tubes from the Horizon series, combined with a 5UG4 Raytheon NOS black plate rectifier.

Here the JOAL steps up a level, and you get an even higher technical level, more presence and a more spoken out character (presence). To be honest, if you have the possibility to use a desktop amp with JOAL, by all means do so. The JOAL and Aegis synergy with this tube set is excellent, delivering good weight and impact, as well as very good control and precision.

Bass is tight and punch, and reaches deep when needed. The layering is also very nice in this section. The mids are airy and spacious, and have good presence as well as a natural presentation. Vocals blend in perfectly. The upper section is refined yet soft. Overall you get a good amount of tube smoothness and warmth, but it’s not overly present, The combo sounds dynamic, smooth, natural, engaging and very musical. This is highly recommended.

Switching to the warmer sounding solid state Niimbus US4+, JOAL again feels perfectly at home. Here you get a littles less body compared to the AEGIS, but there still is a nicely weighty presence and warmth present. The Combo sounds natural and realistic, even if less spacious and layered than with the AEGIS. Vocals here are staged a little more to the front but it’s still very natural. The US4+ and JOAL combo sounds musical and technically strong and if you like the typical Violectric and Niimbus house sound, you will like how the JOAL works with it.

Last but not least is the Hifiman or Goldenwave GA-10 amplifier. Even though it is a tube amp, it is quite solid state and fast sounding with the JOAL. The clarity and cleanness here are remarkable. You get an excellent separation, livelier top end an sublimes stereo image with more forward placed vocals, but it works nicely. The amount of weight is neutral and balanced, delivering a linear sound with plenty of energy, detail and dynamics. It’s not the fullest sounding combo, but it is sparkling and engaging. If you prefer a more neutral, musical presentation with a high technical level and top level dynamics, this will put a smile on your face. Also highly recommended.

TL;DR: While the JOAL easily sounds good on portable devices, it does scale up nicely with the better, desktop amplification. I myself prefer the JOAL on tubes, but it also impresses on solid state setups. To get the best sound quality, I do recommend desktop gear, that’s for sure. My two personal favorites for the JOAL are the GA-10 and the Aegis, but the HA2-SE+ also does an excellent job.

Sound – Vs. Competition

For this section I am using the SAEQ PDA-1b amplifier in balanced mode, in combination with the Violectric V850 DAC.

As the JOAL is considerably lower priced than its Diana siblings, I decided to focus on two popular option around the same price range. And that brings us to the newly released Meze Audio POET and the Hifiman HE1000 Unveiled.

The Meze POET is more or less at the same price level ($2k). These are very different headphones from a design point of view and they look and feel very different. They are both comfy but the Meze’s pads and headband do an even better job in weight and side pressure distribution.

From a sound perspective I actually find these similarly tuned with a fuller presentation, bigger bass and a focus on mid bass and mids. The POET is the biggest/fullest one though, and the JOAL is the cleanest. The Meze’s bass is tighter and fuller, it has more impact but less precision.

The mids of the JOAL are more spacious and I do find the JOAL to be the widest and deepest, layered sounding of both. The JOAL is the most revealing and technically strongest. The POET’s vocals are more forward and have more presence.

The top end in the JOAL is more lively and energetic than the calmer tuned Meze. The latter is the easier one to listen to, but it also has a safer tuning. The JOAL is more natural, has better 3-dimensionality while the POET is more in your face. My personal choice is the JOAL, easily.

With the Hifiman HE1000 Unveiled ($2,699 USD) you get a different tuning. Where the JOAL is more natural and relaxed, the HE1000U is more energetic an upfront sounding, I wouldn’t call the HE1000 aggressive sounding, but that it how you can compare both headphones.

The Hifiman has more forward vocals, a less spacious mid-section, and a more spikey top end. While the Hifiman is faster, the JOAL is softer on the ears and easier to listen to. JOAL also sounds clearer and more controlled, than the more hectic sounding HE1000U.

Don’t get me wrong, the HE1000 Unveiled is a great headphone (and Recommended Buy Award winner), but it is very different than the JOAL. JOAL is warmer, smoother and slower. The HE1kU is more energetic, in your face and it has a tighter and punchier sound.

While both headphones have a good technical level, it just is more audible on the Hifiman. The JOAL on the other hand sounds wider and more open and more natural. Both great headphones, both very different. These are very complementary in a collection.

Let us know in the comments section if you want to see the JOAL compared to a specific headphone and then we’ll see if we can make that happen for you.

Conclusion

I so far like all of Abyss’ headphones, and it is no different this time. The Abyss JOAL is a well-built, cool looking stealthy headphone with an excellent build quality.

While it is the cheapest Abyss in the company’s line-up, it doesn’t sacrifice on build quality, design and performance. The JOAL is the kind of headphone that makes listening to music fun, no matter what genre it is you prefer.

While the unit can be driven by almost everything, I do find it to perform best with desktop amplification. It just scales up so nicely with better amplification and it is transparent in this regard.

If the Diana units were always out of your league, the JOAL might be the one that finally lets you taste Abyss’ magic. Seeing the price/quality ratio of the JOAL is excellent for the US audience, I can safely give it our Recommended Buy Award, and add it to our list of Recommended headphones. For EU customers the price/quality ratio is a little lower, but it’s still a great headphone.

Summary

Pro:

• Design & Comfort
• Sound Quality
• Overall performance
• Highly enjoyable

Con:

• Price for EU
• Desktop amplification needed for best performance