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.
我們以開放的心態從零開始，用了近5年的生命來創造獨特的材料，磁性元件和聲學設計，這是任何全系列耳機驅動器從未想過的。這種獲得專利的揚聲器設計是世界獨一無二的，在行動中聽到它們永遠不會無聊。
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.
在程式設計和模具方面，加工到這種細節水平簡直就是藝術，因此我們購買了自己的CNC機床，並接受了一年多的培訓，以便在美國紐約西部自己動手。這是控制世界上最好的耳機成品品質的唯一方法。
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.
最後但並非最不重要的一點是聲學，如何創造一個近乎完美的微型聲學空間，就好像你在一個開放的房間里聽你最喜歡的樂隊一樣。耳墊、泡沫、表面形狀和尺寸都必須通過實驗推導出來，經過數百個小時的聆聽，聆聽許多不同類型的音樂。目標是在終極解析度和音樂性之間劃一條細線，同時以適當的視角盡可能地重建原始的聲學空間。
最後，聽到的只是來自驅動器的美妙音樂浪潮，在聲學微調空間中直接耦合到您的耳朵，具有樂器，聲音和麥克風在錄製過程中拾取的房間的微妙細節 - 音樂在深淵中您自己的私人空間中。
