Designing AB1266
Designing AB1266
Designing AB1266
The AB1266 is all about the sound. Our goal was to capture the sound of the finest speaker systems and music rooms in the world. Most importantly, they had to convey music as naturally as if you were sitting in the room with the band. This was a huge undertaking for a small company.
The first thing you notice when you hear the Abyss AB1266 Phi headphone is what the human brain is so good at recognizing, natural musical sounds, freedom to the music. The headphone is not producing weird sounds that tell the brain it’s a headphone. Instead, you hear cymbals ring out in time without hard metallic sounds, guitar strings resonate inside the guitar body, not some tubby or tin box. Drums have real impact, you hear the rolling of the drum skin, not a thump and it’s over.
Let’s start with the most important component, the speaker or driver. The AB1266 driver must transform an amplified signal to motion so your ears hear only music, not some vibrating plastics or metallics. Getting it right here is most critical, and most difficult.
Мы начали с нуля с открытым сердцем и потратили почти 5 лет своей жизни на создание уникальных материалов, магнитов и акустического дизайна, которые никогда ранее не использовались ни в одном полнодиапазонном динамике для наушников. Этот запатентованный дизайн динамиков уникален для всего мира, и слушать их в действии никогда не скучно.
Next up was the structure or frame upon where to mount these fabulous drivers. Our extensive knowledge of high-end loudspeaker design and materials told us the finest loudspeakers have minimal cabinet resonances, meaning they do not vibrate and produce a sound of their own that would interfere with the beautiful clarity of our drivers. Typically with loudspeakers this equates to a very heavy multi-layered cabinet, not something you can wear as a headphone.
Headphones tend to be riddled with lots of plastic, moving parts, all sorts of loose fitting components that translate into rattles and noises not part of the music. There was no way we were going to let that happen here.
The AB1266 was designed with a lightweight rigid frame, machined from solid aluminum. Dozens of prototypes were built, and at each level greater intricacy was obtained in it’s anti-resonant construction and artistic detail.
Обработка деталей такого уровня - не что иное, как искусство программирования и изготовления инструментов, поэтому мы приобрели собственные станки с ЧПУ и более года обучались этому самостоятельно в Западном Нью-Йорке, США. Это был единственный способ контролировать качество готовой продукции, которая должна была стать лучшими в мире наушниками.
Once we engineered the main frame components, adjustability was necessary, every persons head is different. Trouble is adjustments mean vibration, noise, and points where failure ultimately occurs. We wanted the AB1266 frame to withstand most any abuse, never requiring maintenance or repairs due to broken parts; durability was key.
Engineering boiled it down to a single pivot point on the top of the headband. It took another 6 months designing just this pivot point, ultimately machining our own unique screw and slot design that allows not only width adjustment, but also height, toe in or out, and clamping force. Simpler is better.
So now we have the speaker drivers, anti-resonant structure, and ability to adjust for fit. Next up is how to rest the AB1266 on top of various head shapes as comfortably as possible. In essence it had to float and act as a suspension system isolating head motion from the music. and what’s more comfortable than a hammock. We worked toward perfecting this shape, adjusting leather and foam thickness, suspension, so many small details so this relatively large headphone sits on any head feeling light and comfortable. We studied the forces at play using statics and physics to tweak right down to the way the leathers were stitched.
И последнее, но не менее важное - акустика, как создать практически идеальное миниатюрное акустическое пространство, как если бы вы слушали свою любимую группу в открытой комнате. Ушные вкладыши, пена, формы и размеры поверхности - все это было экспериментально выведено в течение многих сотен часов прослушивания музыки разных жанров. Цель заключалась в том, чтобы пройти тонкую грань между предельным разрешением и музыкальностью и при этом как можно лучше воссоздать оригинальное акустическое пространство в правильной перспективе.
В итоге все, что слышно, - это прекрасная волна музыки от динамиков, соединенных непосредственно с вашими ушами в акустически точно настроенном пространстве с тончайшими деталями инструментов, голосов и помещения, которые микрофоны уловили во время записи - Музыка в вашем личном пространстве в Бездне.
