Marcus reviews the ABYSS JOAL, a set of circumaural open-back custom 63mm planar driver headphones designed to be a “Jack Of All Listening”. It is currently priced at $1895.
Disclaimer: This sample was sent to me in exchange for my honest opinion. Headfonics is an independent website with no affiliate links or status. I thank ABYSS for their support.
Click here to read more about ABYSS Headphones products we have previously reviewed on Headfonics.
This article follows our current scoring guidelines, which you can find in more detail here.
ABYSS has released some killer planar headphones over the last 12 years, from the flagship AB-1266 down to their more compact DIANA series, including their latest DZ and MR models.
For many, however, the lofty price points of their range have been slightly out of reach, with the cheapest model priced at $2995.
Not that this is a very high price in today’s audiophile market, but rather, there is nothing below it that could open up the brand to a wider audience. An issue that many of their competitors, such as HIFIMAN, Audeze, and Dan Clark Audio, have addressed through the years.
Enter the JOAL, priced at $1895. A similarly themed ‘DIANA’ type compact planar magnetic driver headphone offering what you could describe as their most accessible sound signature to date.
Now we have ABYSS competing in POET territory, dangling just above DCA’s highly praised NOIRE XO‘s price point, and providing the company with a potential gateway to larger audiences than before.
But is that enough, and are there too many compromises made to get to that lower price point? You can decide for yourself after reading my full review and comparisons below.
Features
Despite having a new name, the JOAL has a strong overlap with the higher-end DIANA series of open-back planar headphones.
The most important of which is the custom 63mm planar magnetic driver, most likely from the DIANA V2, MR lineage. This version has a slightly thicker diaphragm and a longer excursion compared to the ultra-low mass, tighter AB-1266 TC and DZ diaphragms in their higher-end models.
Considering the JOAL driver is rated the same low 30Ω as the DIANA MR, I would presume it closely follows a similar optimization path for trace pattern work to the magnetic field to produce a competitive level of resolution.
The JOAL is as efficient as the MR at 93 dB/mW. That might not seem like a sensitive rating, but my real-world results in the synergy section of this review suggest it’s an easier-to-drive planar headphone than you might have expected.
Design
The ABYSS JOAL design language is still the familiar ultra-flexible, ultra-robust form factor taken from the DIANA series.
A visual that I think is one of the coolest-looking headphones in the business, but also one that is immediately recognizable within the audiophile community due to its compact and portable design.
At 390g, the JOAL is the same weight as the DIANA MR, which means it’s not going to weigh your head down too much either.
Alcantara and leather have been swapped out for cactus leather and vegan suede. However, the JOAL detachable pad system is compatible with other DIANA series pads, so you are not restricted to the stock vegan suede pads.
The clever mix of materials has always been one of ABYSS’s skill traits with this headphone design. However, there have been a few nuanced and obvious changes aimed at maintaining the memorable styling while still meeting the lower price point of the JOAL.
The most obvious design switch-up is the cup finishing, which I actually quite like. The wavy-grill aesthetic, interlaced with an underlying silver tone from the driver, looks more dramatic and aggressive than the softer wood-themed veneers of the MR.
The more nuanced changes include switching out the branded aluminum adjustment sliders for plastic, which are hard to notice immediately unless you are specifically inspecting the part.
Moving from a polymer ceramic coating to a powder coat finish on the cups and frame is not something most people will notice unless you run your finger across the surface and then immediately compare it to the smoother DIANA MR alternative.
As an FYI, the JOAL only comes in this satin-black variety for color, unlike the varied options available for the DIANA series.
Comfort
The JOAL is a very comfortable headphone to wear. That might not seem a particularly significant statement; however, if you have been following the DIANA series from inception, you will know that comfort levels were an issue with users and something that the company has been working on for a while now.
Various areas have been upgraded, including the shape and density of the detachable fluted pads and some tweaks on the padding around the headband arch.
Perhaps the most significant change was the introduction of the headband pressure strap on all of the DIAN models with the launch of the DZ last year, a feature that I am pleased to see continued on the JOAL.
I have been using $10 Sennheiser wraps from Amazon on the older non-strap models to good effect, but they do not dissipate the pressure quite as well as the wider JOAL straps, and are not as comfortable over longer periods of use.
The JOAL also retains the MR’s reworked headband spring steel design. Although older DIANA users won’t see the recalibrated shape since it is wrapped in leather, it is a lot more flexible than previous iterations, and you can feel that difference when wearing the JOAL.
Ear Pads
The JOAL comes with non-bass ported Vegan Ultrasuede pads called ‘pillow-tops’.
These pads are interchangeable with any DIANA series pad and are one of several pad options available (for an additional fee) should you wish to experiment with the sound.
They have a mildly fluted finish on the inner wall and a decent, wide contact surface with memory foam, which provides a very comfortable fit around your ear rather than pressing on top of the lobe.
All the current lineup of ABYSS DIANA and JOAL pads have the same shape and structure, but the Pillow Tops offer the best comfort and feel on the side of the head that some might prefer for longer listening sessions.
Stock Cable
The stock cable from the JOAL is quite a different affair from the usual DIANA cables. It appears to be a bespoke partnership with an as-yet-unidentified company, exclusive to the JOAL, so it’s not available for sale separately on the ABYSS website.
The aesthetics are very different from the rubber-jacketed DIANA version. It has an almost IEM cable-like appearance, complete with a tightly braided PVC jacket, old-school aluminum splitter and barrel, and carbon fiber accents.
The wire length is fixed at 2m, with a 16-core OFC (Oxygen Free Copper) alloy geometry and terminated with a 4.4mm pentaconn plug. The cable connectors are the Abyss time-honored, uniquely shaped 2.5mm pin barrels that fit and lock into the base of the JOAL cups.
The JOAL cable is very light, pliant, and a joy to handle, at least when compared to heavier and bulkier competing headphone cables.
Should you find the 4.4mm termination does not meet your needs, ABYSS also sells a few ‘pig-tail’ adaptor options at $50 a pop, including 3.5mm, 6.35mm, and 4-pin XLR.
The good news is that it is constructed from the same wire as the main cable, which helps keep the signal conductivity consistent.
Packaging & Accessories
The ABYSS JOAL comes with the company’s latest ‘fresh white’ packaging, including the recently updated semi-hard case finished in black fabric.
I still miss the old retro-70s wash bag styling from the Phi and Diana V2. They have a bit more character than these new Geekria-type headphone cases, but I do recognize that they are more durable and easier to insert and take out the headphones during daily use.
You still get a subtle nod to the previous color schemes with the little tags attached to the zipper, which is a nice touch.
Aside from the case and headphones, you get the stock cable in a vacuum-sealed bag inside a long cardboard accessories box, along with a quick start guide with instructions on how to safely connect the cables.
Click on page 2 below for my sound impressions and recommended pairings.
