“After being completely smitten with Cabasse’s Murano Altos, I couldn’t help but wonder if this Abyss amplifier – with its Cabasse speaker-specific tailoring – could make them sound even better than my Audiolab 6000A & Emotiva XPA power amp, components known for punching well above their price points. I was particularly curious if I could hear the (supposed) phase distortion correction. (Spoiler alert: I couldn’t) Still, NOT disappointed! Compared to the familiarity of my Audiolab’s delicate sweetness, the Abyss sounds a bit more resolving, and yes – there’s a notable difference in the “Murano Alto” setting vs. “other speaker” setting. The Abyss also drives my efficient Tekton Lore-S (and sub) easily, pairing well with their punchy, lively & articulate nature. As Kevin notes in his video, I suspect this little Class D amp can bring out the best in a number of speakers -- and I also suspect that the lesser the speaker, the greater the improvement. The Abyss’s big advantage is the ability to tailor the sound. A little EQ here, some DFE/DEAP there, and you can “move” the speakers and listening position to help account for a room’s bass characteristics. It’s surprising just how much versatility these digital customizations can add to the overall enjoyment without having to fiddle with placement, subwoofer integration, etc. Sure, a lot of us might LIKE to fiddle with our components, but the Abyss takes most of that away, making it almost too easy…. Two demerits: Pandora isn’t supported (don’t judge). And the power cord is waay too short & uncharacteristically chintzy. It’s only 3ft long and does not fit confidently into the back of the unit at all. And for some reason, you get two of those cords, but they can’t connect to make one 6-footer. This head-scratching power cord blunder mars an otherwise complete, quality package (I cannibalized a stock power cord from another amplifier). A note on bass: With just a little EQ, the Abyss really hits the Alto’s 7.7lb woofer magnets right in their sweet spot! I love (love!) my REL subs... but the Abyss driving the Murano Altos sounds tighter & better integrated compared to the Audiolab/Emotiva with a pair of T5i’s. There, I said it. Purists might consider all this digital manipulation as sacrilege, but the fact is that this little tissue-box-sized amp is powerful, playful and oh-so versatile. It’s opened options for impromptu set-ups, even on the patio for a backyard party, and it’s easy to make a system sound as good as it possibly can. A humble tip of the chapeaux to Cabasse; I have the Abyss, the Murano Altos and Rialto and they are ALL spectacular.”

3 Helpful Report

Posted 9 months ago

Michael Wright

Unverified Reviewer

“I'm sitting here listening to my Cabasse Abyss right now, driving a pair of the Cabasse Murano bookshelf speakers with a little REL T-Zero MKIII subwoofer. If you are a Roon fanboy like myself, it is finally Roon Ready! Roon and the Abyss were made for each other, taking it to another level. Now, let's talk Abyss! The Abyss amplifier. This has to be one of the best sounding Class D amplifiers I have owned or even heard in this price range. It is not dry or sterile in the least like so many are, a very natural and airy holographic sound to it, more akin to a more expensive Class A/B amplifier. With the built in DSP, the Abyss is so easy to dial in. The Abyss DAC... I have owned a lot of DACs, from $79 to $6000 and I have no desire to mess with the Abyss by adding an external DAC, it is rock solid just the way it is, Cabasse really nailed it with this internal DAC. The Cabasse app, it is solid and easy to use. The streamer, I have no clue what Cabasse did here either, this streamer section will easily compete with $1000+ stand alone network bridge streamers. Kudos to the Cabasse Abyss engineering team, they really came through in spades with this unit. If you are short on space, or just want some seriously gorgeous sound for so little money, you would be a fool to not consider purchasing the Abyss. And it works flawlessly with other speakers, like the Cabasse Minorca, Fyne Audio F500SP, the Zu DW6 Supremes and even the Maggie LRS+, I own all and the Abyss works wonderfully with all of them. Hope this helps, give the Abyss a serious look, I believe you will be pleasantly surprised. I will add one Con, the Abyss really should have came with a remote, I would knock 1/2 star off for that if I could. ;-)”

2 Helpful Report

Posted 11 months ago

Michael Wright

Unverified Reviewer

“From 3 stars to 5 stars. I bought the Abyss a few months ago from Upscale Audio, and was getting ready to pass it on to someone else on the used market. I was struggling to like it, much less use it. So, what changed my mind? It is FINALLY Roon Ready. I turned it on the other day to take a listen, software update in progress, and there it was! Roon! I also bought the Cabasse Pearl Keshi 2.1, I fired that up, and again, Roon! That was the game changer for me, now both of these units seamlessly work in my whole house audio system. Both units are incredible sounding for the money, I would not hesitate recommending either of these units, especially now that they are truly Roon Ready. With Roon, I am able to run my entire household audio with one simple app. If you are looking for a solid all in one streaming amplifier, look no further. The streamer and the DAC in the Abyss sounds incredibly good. I have no desire to use a separate DAC with either the Abyss or Keshi. These units are worth the price of entry, especially now with being truly Roon Ready. ;-)”

2 Helpful Report

Posted 11 months ago

Mark Hershberger

Verified Reviewer

“For an all-in-one solution to be used with select Cabasse speakers my guess is that you could not do better for the money. For anyone interested I would recommend Robert Greene' review on the Abyss from Absolute Sound...the review is technical but highly relevant to why the Abyss performs so well with select Cabasse speakers like the Muranos which I also purchased from Upscale. Once connected to WiFi I have found the streaming with Tidal Connect very good. Recording quality varies on Tidal like it does universally and always will in reality. Land on a good recording, and I find the streaming fidelity of the Abyss excellent with no discernible noise, and the Abyss's DSP parameters allowing tweaking of the presentation are very effective and useful. This Class D amp sounds good across the frequency spectrum and especially notable is the Abyss bass gut punch this amp can throw with the Cabasse Muranos...tight, with immense weight and inertia. Kevin's and Jordon's YouTube review at Upscale is spot on. I have no regrets for taking my first plunge into the abyss of the streaming universe with the Abyss! ***** !!!!!”

2 Helpful Report

Posted 1 year ago

Thomas Tidwell

Verified Reviewer

“This is truly the best amplifier I've ever heard or owned period. I've never been a fan of Ice based class D amps. That was until I've heard this one.. Perfect tonality from top to bottom. Not bright or harsh. No mid range glare. Bass is full and tight. The streamer works perfectly fine without hangups or frozen software. I've been on vacation from work and left this on 24/9 and it hasn't given me any issues at all. I don't know what DAC is inside of this Abyss but it's a damn good one. I've owned many from sigma delta to R2R and this one beats them all. Soundstage is huge and natural both depth and width. I'm using this with a pair of Cabasse Minorca MC40's with outstanding results. Those speakers are excellent as well as my review of them dictates. I don't know why Cabasse products don't have many reviews in this country. From their unique designs to their excellent sound quality, they need to be heard. They've won me over. Time to start selling off all of my other equipment.. The Cabasse are staying.”

2 Helpful Report

Posted 1 year ago

Thomas Tidwell

Unverified Reviewer

“This has got to be the best sounding class D amplifier I've ever heard. Extremely balanced from top to bottom. I'm using it with a pair of Cabasse Minorca MC40's. Seeing this amp has all of the preset parameters for their passive speakers, why not use them.. Right? Well, I am and not turning them off. It even makes my cheapo, Sony subwoofers sound much better than they should. Huge soundstage is a must for me and this amp delivers. This amp sounds like a true high-end amplifier without spending a fortune on one. The app works fine but could use a little work. Even radio stations in the built in VTuner radio sound better than I've ever heard on any other streamer. All in all, this is a fantastic amplifier that should be reviewed more.”

2 Helpful Report

Posted 1 year ago

Cabasse ABYSS Wireless Amplifier Reviews