Cain & Cain Abby , placement ,care and phase plugs

IMO the Abbeys are just getting listenable at 400 hrs! I would say 1500 hrs is more like it. I use lemon oil on the finish, Terry Cain recommends bowling alley oil. I haven't tried a phase plug but you could experiment with some hard paper or ? I've tried light foam or cotton around the outside of the "wizzer" with positive results. Placement is critical, if you use a sub, bring the Abbeys out into the room for better imaging and detail and they are not as boomy that way, also damping the cabinet by just putting something in the port seems to tighten up the bass if you don't go overboard. I think the reason a lot of people are turned off by the Abbeys is they have not heard them set up and broke in right. Hook em up to an old receiver tuned to a classic rock or hip hop channel on the tuner, wire them out of phase, face them towards each other, put a blanket over them and let them play at med loud level for a couple weeks straight, turning them off every couple of days for 8 hrs and then back at it. They will sound a lot different then. Try a 2A3 or 300B amp or the Almarro 205(800.) if you really want to hear what they are supposed to sound like. It will be a lot smoother sounding with a set amp. My Tripath chip amp with tube pre also sounds excellent with the Abbeys. Be patient, give em some time and then start enjoying. Have fun