Review Pathos tubes LCD-3F vs Abyss Abyss more comfortable and feel much lighter, less clamping pressure Amperex USN 7308 Pathos Stock tubes + kimber + Chord + stock tubes 6922EH + Tidal Hip-Hop/Rap Mike Will (ft. Miley Cyrus, Wiz Khalifa, Juicy J) - 23, LCD-3F Mids more forward Decent detail in the bass Sounds a bit veiled compared to Abyss Dark for sure Good bass response/atmosphere, vibrants in the space Abyss Super clean Tight bass, stays in its place unless LCD-3F...but not necessarily a good thing. Black background More transparent Sounds thinner For hip-hop, I think the LCD-3F are better for this song. The bass is more fitting. Abyss is just tighter and more transparent. Atmosphere - Sunshine LCD-3F Midrange is clean/smooth. Sounds pretty good Not as much depth Vocals more forward Abyss Crazy sub-bass Beats doesn't smear with the vocals LCD-3F bass impact harder but sub-bass on Abyss is amazing. I think for hip-hop most would prefer the LCD-3. If you want more separation and more tonal balance, Abyss is better. I think this amp is great for the LCD-3. Rock/Alternative Avril Lavigne - What the Hell LCD-3F The bass response is great. Easy to listen to. Treble extension isn't as good. Vocals are smooth are a bit veiled, almost muffled in comparison. Sounds muffled with the backup singers. Bass impact is better on LCD-3 Abyss Just crisper/tighter Vocals and completely separate from the instruments Sounds much thinner? Extension on both ends better than LCD-3. But I like the impact on the LCD-3. Dynamics are better. The chorus sounds muffled on the LCD-3 Abyss more tonally balanced For busier rock music, Abyss is effortless. Every player in the song has its own space. I like the Abyss much more for this track. Linkin Park - Numb LCD-3F Vocals are so nice. Sounds more like there's a pillow in front Hard to pick out the instruments when it gets busy, but easy to listen to. Bass overtone, overpowers the vocals...not as dynamic. Abyss May find it more fatiguing Your could hear the piano, guitars, separately. More transparent, so fast LCD-3 is less fatiguing but not as transparent. Chester voice is much better on the Abyss, on the LCD-3 it sounds lost in the instruments. Abyss more tonal balance, sounds more live, black background. Reggae Bob Marley - Johnny Was LCD-3 Soothing Sounds more slightly congested. amples amount of reverb bass, blankets the sound Abyss Bob's voice so lifelike. A lot more air in the song. More transprent, better extension Imaging is great, pinpoint Bass decays faster. Sounds thin in comparison to LCD-3. Abyss is simply more transparent. This is a toss up, I think for this type of music, the bass response of the LCD-3 is appreciated. The vocals are more accurate and not veild on the Abyss. Both enjoyable. Jazz What are you doing new year's eve - Mindy Smith LCD-3F Vocals silky smooth. Sweet. warm. great for kicking back near a fireplace. Piano presence, almost unrealistic placement. vocals are a lot more forward. Sounds more like the other instruments are mixed in. Easy listening. Abyss 10khz kicks in pretty good but wow. requires EQ. sparkle. crystal clear, black background. humans playing. more depth. vocals more lifelike, more like a live performance. more realistic imaging Abyss sounds a lot more like a speaker. Great imaging. These headphones serve different purposes. Techincally Abyss is much better. I would be happy with either but prefer the transparency of the Abyss. It takes me away. teleports me to the jazz club near the front row. Syngery with amp is great for LCD-3. Lee Morgan - Sidewinder LCD-3 Sounds a bit veiled Not as much sparkle Weighty bass Cymbals sound realistic. Abyss Tonally balanced More accurate with EQ on the 10khz. Sounds more like a live performance Organic For this track is prefer the Abyss. It's clean and the performers have their own space. LCD-3 sounds more like they're crowded in a room. Classical Bill Evans - Waltz for Debby LCD-3 Cozy but not as involving. Not a lot of life to the instruments. Piano and bass isn't as textured. Abyss Plucking of the bass, texture is great. Black background, sounds very wide. Abyss wins on all fronts. Blues Miles Davis - So What LCD-3 Bass has a lot of presence, covers the performers sometimes. Not as much texture on the brass. Can't really hear the chest movements. Warmer overtone. Blurry around the edges. Kicking back but lacks the texture I like. too much body. Abyss Wider More orgnaic, like a human is playing trumpet super fast, so beautiful Abyss is the winner. I think the LCD-3 misses out on the organics that make up the piece. Pop Sam Smith - Money On My Mind (fast, good vocals) LCD-3 Midrange is sily smooth as always. Sounds veiled to the Abyss Dynamics and rhythm isn't as good as Abyss. Abyss Sounds more controlled, accurate. Players are invovling and beautiful. More human like. The song sound completely different from the two. Abyss kills it with it's dynamics and controlled balance. LCD-3 just sounds congested in comparison. One of my favorites songs on the Abyss. Acoustic Jack Johnson - Banana Pancakes (A lot of dimension) LCD-3 Not as much sparkle. Rain isn't as apparent. Bass impact is nice. Silky smooth vocals. Instruments are a bit grouped to the vocals. Abyss Going back and forth between the lcd-3, it always feels like the lcd-3 is missing detail. Sounds like he's playing with a rain in the background. Bass tighter and doesn't overwhelm Jack. Super fast and fantastic texture. I enjoyed the Abyss much more as I found the LCD-3 to be too warm. Not not a lot of delineation with vocals. R&B Monica - Right Here Waiting LCD-3 Vocals more forward Multiple singers aren't as well delinted Sounds muffled in comparisn to the Abyss Almost lifeless, too warm/dark? Abyss Crystal clear More engaging Recessed mids Monica's voice doesn't sound muffled at all. All vocalists are separatedly effortlessly. LCD-3 had more grouping. Sounds like a completely different song on the Abyss. 7308: Helps enormously. Gives it that bit of much needed clarity and removes some of the veil. Latin Selma Hayek - Siente Mi Amor LCD-3 No sparkle or clarity. Just a warmer dark sound. Abyss Sounds beautiful, every hit of the spanish drum or pluck of guitar. Abyss kills it. 7308: Abyss doesn't sound good with these tubes. Lose bass and treble sparkle. The LCD-3 benefits greatly IMO. More sparkle. Brighter? EDM Tiesto - Red Light LCD-3 Warm overtone helps this song i think Probably mastered with bassier setup. The busy build ups with bass overtones sounded really good. Doesn't have the clarity of the Abyss but doesn't need it for this song. Abyss Sounds a bit thin compared to the LCD-3. Too clean? Accurate when it doesn't have to be. EDM seems to be more enjoyable with the LCD-3s. The weight, lowend response helps a lot. The LCD-3 worked incredibly well with this track. Female Vocal Lenka - Don't Let Me Fall, One of my favorite vocals. LCD-3 her voice is a bit veiled, calm vocal still silk smooth sound like a pillow in front in comparison Abyss So lifelike crystal clear LCD-3 are fantastic. Cozy, easy to kick back to. Misses a bit of that treble extension and poor imaging. Two difference purposes. Abyss more controlled, better texturing. most might find the lcd-3 much easier to listen to. prefer Black background. lcd-3 warm, dark bass overtone. some songs sound completely different (better) on the abyss.