[FullBright1]

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Abyss Diana TC : Mini Review.

1-27-2022


The Diana TC will arrive to you : shipped overnight, via UPS Air (saver) : included in the price, in a 3- box delivery system.
Shipping box, + Double Box + Diana TC Box.
Nicely packaged. No bells and whistles.

Headphones themselves are located inside a plastic bag, inside the Abyss zipper case.

I ordered mine with the 4.4mm PTGN cable.

Im powering them with :

TEAC UD-505

Quesstyle Master 12

Ferrum OOR Amplifier

-
There is a lot of Audiophile buzz surrounding and regarding this most recent Abyss release.
Its touted by Abyss as a Diana styled "1266 Tech".

The music im using to evaluate it, includes. :

Bluegrass : Billy String...Molly Tuttle....Sarah Jarosz....Nickel Creek ....Tony Rice
Acoustic Finger Style Guitar : Michael Hedges.... Jimmy Wahlsteen.... Phil Keaggy
Jazz : Andrea Motis... Chet Baker.... Bob James.... Eliane Elias .... George Benson
Classical/Opera : Pergolesi Stabat Mater.... Brahms Violin Concerto ... Vladimir Horowitz... Yuja Wang
Electronic : Metric .... L'imperatrice ..... Tom Misch
Dance Pop : Echosmith.... Madonna.... Katy Perry
Choral : BYU Vocal Point .... Voces8
Female Vocal : Adele... Kandace Springs....Montserrat Cabelle.... Birdy .... Katie Melua ... Kate Rusby
Male Vocal : Tom Chaplin....Freddie Mercury .... .....Elton John.... Andrea Bocelli
Rock : Queen....Boston ..... Foreigner .... Winger....
Prog Rock : Yes....Rush ..... Steven Wilson ....The Lickerish Quartet... Ozric Tentacles
Electric Guitar : Guthrie Govan.... The Aristocrats ..... Lari Basilio....Bireli Lagrene.....Eric Johnson
Middle Eastern : Azam Ali ... Yasmine Hamdan
Country : Keith Urban... Vince Gill .... Sarah Evans
Live Music : Sting : "Live At The Olympia" . ELO/Jeff Lynne : "Live In Hyde Park" & "Wembley Or Bust"
Tidal - Master Tracks
Spotify - Highest Rez Tracks
-
-
So....Just like you, i have my standby Flac test tracks and my Audiophile go-to's, as well as all my saved albums and tracks on Spotify and Tidal....ready to go.
Now...Before i dive in and tell you how the Diana TC sounds to my ears, let me talk about the DTC's design.

The look and feel of the DTC is impressive. Its the most impressive Diana ive ever owned.
Mine are Gray & Black.
The machining of the headband is superior to previous Diana's, which creates the ease of band/cup adjustment to be smooth and perfect.
I dont currently have a D-V2, but as memory serves me, i'd say the DTC is lighter.
The DTC's Headband is also more comfortable, and the ear-cups are the best of the entire series. They are comfortable.
This is the first Abyss gear i've owed that is so comfortable that is just allows you to put it on, dive into the music, and get lost in it without always noticing something about the feel of the Abyss headphones that keeps pulling you out of the musical experience bliss.
The designers of the DTC have achieved nearly perfect ideal comfort with this latest Abyss.
The DTC Abyss is truly plug in, play, and happy listening to you.

Sound :

This Abyss is indeed the sonically mature Son of the Big Daddy 1266.
Inside the DTC's comfortable cups i can hear the 1266, refined, dialed in, and perfected....... regarding how the Abyss House Sound is being presented by the DTC.

Abyss Headphones, are a forward and quite present sounding tonality, and the TC-Diana is all of this, and happily so.
The first thing i noticed about the gear, once i was strapped in and it played the first Tidal Master Track, was a wider soundstage than presented by the previous Diana's id heard and a genuine sense of lifelike openness and sonic immersion.

The DTC's instill a feeling of being in the room with the people who are making the music as its being tracked and mastered.
Its an involving cohesive illumination musical experience, a real aural contact with the lifelike 1266 Abyss house sound that is very enjoyable.
The DTC's sound has obviously been refined and refined, and is going to please all lovers of past Abyss Gear.

The next thing i noticed was the Bass response..... as the DTC's Low end has been remodeled towards power and fullness as compared to previous incarnations of the Diana series. The DTC-s Bass is full and generous without being dominate. Its impactful and balanced without interfering with the midrange, and it digs quite deep.

I'll define this Diana again, as Son of 1266. And this Son has a more refined sound, a more pleasing sound, and a equally revealing sound.
If you like the Abyss House Sound, then this version, this headphone, the DTC, is going to give you all you need.

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Comfort : The most comfortable Abyss Headphones. The DTC is light and the cups are larger then previous Diana incarnations, and feel very good.

Treble : Its extended yet not sibilant or etched. Its sonically very clean and detailed. Its Sparkly and a bit analytical, yet its not aggressive. It has nice air, yet not thin or clinical.

Midrange : This is Abyss 1266 midrange.. Its authoritative and v and very detailed yet more refined than the 1266 mids, which, to my ears, makes this the best midrange Abyss House Sound yet created. There is a sense of hyper realism and dynamic presence regarding the way the DTC produces its mids that is what makes an Abyss sound like an Abyss. ITs all here in the Son of 1266, fully formed, fully evolved as the DTC.

Bass : Plentiful, textured, balanced. This is the best Bass for my money that Abyss offers, because its perfect with regards to how is supports the rest of the DTC FR. ITs not dominate yet its full.. Its a very very good Abyss Bass.

Instrument Separation : This is of course a trademark of the Abyss sound, and the TC allows for pinpoint accuracy and careful examination.

Sound Stage : For me this was the downside of the Diana V2. It's Soundstage is completely in the head. The TC has much better soundstage.. This is easily the widest and more immersive SS of all the Diana's.. Its not HD800s immersive, and its not Hifiman HE1000 series immersive, but it is noticeably wider than all previous Diana incarnations. It has reasonable depth and height.. I hear it as mostly around the head. Quite satisfying.

Timbre : Wide Open Abyss Insight

Textual Nuance : The entire sound of the TCD is all about Textual Nuance. All parts of the DTC's FR are micro detailed, layered, and resolving.


Final Analysis :

This is the Abyss Magic. The TCD offers what is most enjoyable about the 1266, in a smaller form factor with the overall comfort level dialed in totally. The sound quality, the overall QC and workmanship, and the comfort level...is all supplied by this gear in generous spades.

Sound-wise :
This is perhaps the best sounding Abyss House Sound combined with a refined headband and comfort level..
It is absolutely the most comfortable Abyss gear ever created.
Ultimately, the DTC is special in the most important way, and that is.....the gear mostly disappears and allows the music to come alive..... always in Abyss fashion, sonically speaking.

This Abyss is best paired with a warmer toned amp/dac combo, and it absolutely needs some Juice to run at full speed. Use a Topping A90 or similar : @watts.
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[BLacklWf]

Great review!

 

[FullBright1]

Great review!

Thanks.

They are very nice headphones.
Ive been comparing them to my LCD-5 & Susvara,
its interesting, that ive discovered that tonally, sound signature wise........the Susy, the LCD-5, and the Abyss TC,......are very similar.
The difference is mainly in comfort and soundstage.
And regarding sound stage, ... the LCD and the DTC, present a more up front, close to you, perspective of the music, so, its not that they are tonally completely different than the Susvara, but because they present the sound field more near your head, vs the Susy, which widens it more, and deepens it more....
So, all are very good., very similar in tone and sound signature, with the Susy widening and deepening the sound stage more.
A case could also be made that the Susy, is one step warmer across the entire FR.

 

[BLacklWf]

Thanks.

They are very nice headphones.
Ive been comparing them to my LCD-5 & Susvara,
its interesting, that ive discovered that tonally, sound signature wise........the Susy, the LCD-5, and the Abyss TC,......are very similar.
The difference is mainly in comfort and soundstage.
And regarding sound stage, ... the LCD and the DTC, present a more up front, close to you, perspective of the music, so, its not that they are tonally completely different than the Susvara, but because they present the sound field more near your head, vs the Susy, which widens it more, and deepens it more....
So, all are very good., very similar in tone and sound signature, with the Susy widening the sound stage more.

There used to be a single vendor who provided high-end planar diaphragms to all companies (could be more these days). The legal term may be leasing the manufacturing capacity, so each company can say it's made by themselves. Anyway, no company can actually produce the nano diaphragm, so they just buy different variations from a single company. Then, they use the housing and electronics to tune the sounds. This may contribute to why you find all high-end planars sound more similar than not.

 

[FullBright1]

There can be more companies these days. But, there used to be a single vendor who provided all the high-end planar diaphragms to all companies. The legal term may be leasing the manufacturing capacity. This way each company can say it's made by themselves. But, none of these companies can actually produce the nano diaphragm themselves. None has the machinery to produce it. They buy different variations from the same company and use the housing and electronics in order to tune the sounds to their liking. The reason the top-of-the-line planar costs around 5-6K is also because this vendor charges like $200-700 per diaphragm. The landscape may have changed a bit these days, yet this may contribute to why you find many high-end planar headphones sound similar.

Yes, its like all Flat Screen TV panels are made in China......one company.......i think it is........"LG".
And its the same with Apple, and Microsoft. They make very little from scratch, certainly not their screens.

Its all coming in from abroad, and these companies assemble it and tune it and rebox it and make cables and brand it : "New" "Flagship".
THe LCD-5 and the Abyss DTC, sound very similar........I think that the LCD-5, is tuned a touch warmer, but that could be because burn in has softened it, whereas the 1266 DTC, is "right out of the Box" raw, when i reviewed it. Not a second of burn in....prior to the review...>I was burning them in on my ears while i was writing the review.
i do this, vs, 150 hrs of burn in first , as most buyers will get them NEW, and so, if i review them pre-burn in, i can tell you exactly what im hearing, that is the same situation most will encounter as "right out of the box" listening.

And for the viewers who are wondering if any of this is worth the money.......well, of course it is.......as no matter the process that is used to get parts and then reconfigure......these companies spend a lot of time trying to perfect these raw materials.
They DO obsess...believe it.
Another is DCA......Dan Clark, might me the LEGIT ..>"makes it mostly in house".....
I can't prove it, but his Tech, seems to be much less "gray area" and much more DCA specialized.
Certainly the DCA Stealth is totally unique sounding, as are the Meze Empy and Elite.......tho all EARS per person will have to decide this for themselves........however, the Stealth is a new creation, far more so then shrinking the LCD-4..........yet, this gear has some new Tech installed.....same with the Abyss TC.
I personally have no issue with paying bigger money for what these companies are doing......same with paying for expensive Hifiman .... whose product is the most unique of all.

 

[AlfeedE]

I own the ZMF Verite Closed - is the Diana TC really this much superior? Is an upgrade worth the pric?

 

[FullBright1]

I own the ZMF Verite Closed - is the Diana TC really this much superior? Is an upgrade worth the pric?

The Abby TC to the Verite Closed, is ....... like a Susvara to a LCD-5.

Its apples to oranges, and both taste really good.
Which do you prefer?

What i mean is....... the Verite C, as a dynamic Driver is playing ball with high end Tot'l Planar Headphones, and yet, its tech sounds nothing like a Abyss, and nothing like a Susvara, and nothing like a D8000 Pro., and nothing like a LCD-5.

Would skilled Headphone reviewers agree that the Abyss offers more resolution and more detail retrieval than a ZMF? = Yes.

Would common sense ask....>"how much is enough".....And the Susvara and the Abyss and the LCD-5, and even the D8000 Pro, all say......come and find out. $$$$$$$$

Would skilled reviewers agree that the Abyss TC sounds better thAn the VC ? = Maybe...Perhaps..........and that is because how something sounds to you, vs, to me.....is merited as individual taste, only.
Yet, an increase in detail retrieval, textual nuance, resolution, micro dynamics, are what you are paying for when you pay more for a Susvara, or an Abyss TC.... or an LCD-5 or a D8000 Pro.

Now.......Here is what money can't buy......not ever.
Money can't buy you a 100% guarantee that you will like the way a headphone sounds TO YOU < no matter how much you spend on it.
BUT, if you hate it, these ultra flagships are pretty easy to sell to someone who will love it., and then you can try all the others till you find the one that you can't let go..
And...
If you dont like any of them...then you know you can go back Home to your ZMF Verite Closed.
You can always do that, as this ZMF gear is always being sold in the Classified Section.

 

[AlfeedE]

The Abby TC to the Verite Closed, is ....... like a Susvara to a LCD-5.

Its apples to oranges, and both taste really good.
Which do you prefer?

What i mean is....... the Verite C, as a dynamic Driver is playing ball with high end Tot'l Planar Headphones, and yet, its tech sounds nothing like a Abyss, and nothing like a Susvara, and nothing like a D8000 Pro., and nothing like a LCD-5.

Would skilled Headphone reviewers agree that the Abyss offers more resolution and more detail retrieval than a ZMF? = Yes.

Would common sense ask....>"how much is enough".....And the Susvara and the Abyss and the LCD-5, and even the D8000 Pro, all say......come and find out. $$$$$$$$

Would skilled reviewers agree that the Abyss TC sounds better thAn the VC ? = Maybe...Perhaps..........and that is because how something sounds to you, vs, to me.....is merited as individual taste, only.
Yet, an increase in detail retrieval, textual nuance, resolution, micro dynamics, are what you are paying for when you pay more for a Susvara, or an Abyss TC.... or an LCD-5 or a D8000 Pro.

Now.......Here is what money can't buy......not ever.
Money can't buy you a 100% guarantee that you will like the way a headphone sounds TO YOU < no matter how much you spend on it.
BUT, if you hate it, these ultra flagships are pretty easy to sell to someone who will love it., and then you can try all the others till you find the one that you can't let go..
And...
If you dont like any of them...then you know you can go back Home to your ZMF Verite Closed.
You can always do that, as this ZMF gear is always being sold in the Classified Section.

Thank you very much for your detailled analysis

 

[dubsondubs]

-
-
Abyss Diana TC : Mini Review.

1-27-2022


The Diana TC will arrive to you : shipped overnight, via UPS Air (saver) : included in the price, in a 3- box delivery system.
Shipping box, + Double Box + Diana TC Box.
Nicely packaged. No bells and whistles.

Headphones themselves are located inside a plastic bag, inside the Abyss zipper case.

I ordered mine with the 4.4mm PTGN cable.

Im powering them with :

TEAC UD-505

Quesstyle Master 12

Ferrum OOR Amplifier

-
There is a lot of Audiophile buzz surrounding and regarding this most recent Abyss release.
Its touted by Abyss as a Diana styled "1266 Tech".

The music im using to evaluate it, includes. :

Bluegrass : Billy String...Molly Tuttle....Sarah Jarosz....Nickel Creek ....Tony Rice
Acoustic Finger Style Guitar : Michael Hedges.... Jimmy Wahlsteen.... Phil Keaggy
Jazz : Andrea Motis... Chet Baker.... Bob James.... Eliane Elias .... George Benson
Classical/Opera : Pergolesi Stabat Mater.... Brahms Violin Concerto ... Vladimir Horowitz... Yuja Wang
Electronic : Metric .... L'imperatrice ..... Tom Misch
Dance Pop : Echosmith.... Madonna.... Katy Perry
Choral : BYU Vocal Point .... Voces8
Female Vocal : Adele... Kandace Springs....Montserrat Cabelle.... Birdy .... Katie Melua ... Kate Rusby
Male Vocal : Tom Chaplin....Freddie Mercury .... .....Elton John.... Andrea Bocelli
Rock : Queen....Boston ..... Foreigner .... Winger....
Prog Rock : Yes....Rush ..... Steven Wilson ....The Lickerish Quartet... Ozric Tentacles
Electric Guitar : Guthrie Govan.... The Aristocrats ..... Lari Basilio....Bireli Lagrene.....Eric Johnson
Middle Eastern : Azam Ali ... Yasmine Hamdan
Country : Keith Urban... Vince Gill .... Sarah Evans
Live Music : Sting : "Live At The Olympia" . ELO/Jeff Lynne : "Live In Hyde Park" & "Wembley Or Bust"
Tidal - Master Tracks
Spotify - Highest Rez Tracks
-
-
So....Just like you, i have my standby Flac test tracks and my Audiophile go-to's, as well as all my saved albums and tracks on Spotify and Tidal....ready to go.
Now...Before i dive in and tell you how the Diana TC sounds to my ears, let me talk about the DTC's design.

The look and feel of the DTC is impressive. Its the most impressive Diana ive ever owned.
Mine are Gray & Black.
The machining of the headband is superior to previous Diana's, which creates the ease of band/cup adjustment to be smooth and perfect.
I dont currently have a D-V2, but as memory serves me, i'd say the DTC is lighter.
The DTC's Headband is also more comfortable, and the ear-cups are the best of the entire series. They are comfortable.
This is the first Abyss gear i've owed that is so comfortable that is just allows you to put it on, dive into the music, and get lost in it without always noticing something about the feel of the Abyss headphones that keeps pulling you out of the musical experience bliss.
The designers of the DTC have achieved nearly perfect ideal comfort with this latest Abyss.
The DTC Abyss is truly plug in, play, and happy listening to you.

Sound :

This Abyss is indeed the sonically mature Son of the Big Daddy 1266.
Inside the DTC's comfortable cups i can hear the 1266, refined, dialed in, and perfected....... regarding how the Abyss House Sound is being presented by the DTC.

Abyss Headphones, are a forward and quite present sounding tonality, and the TC-Diana is all of this, and happily so.
The first thing i noticed about the gear, once i was strapped in and it played the first Tidal Master Track, was a wider soundstage than presented by the previous Diana's id heard and a genuine sense of lifelike openness and sonic immersion.

The DTC's instill a feeling of being in the room with the people who are making the music as its being tracked and mastered.
Its an involving cohesive illumination musical experience, a real aural contact with the lifelike 1266 Abyss house sound that is very enjoyable.
The DTC's sound has obviously been refined and refined, and is going to please all lovers of past Abyss Gear.

The next thing i noticed was the Bass response..... as the DTC's Low end has been remodeled towards power and fullness as compared to previous incarnations of the Diana series. The DTC-s Bass is full and generous without being dominate. Its impactful and balanced without interfering with the midrange, and it digs quite deep.

I'll define this Diana again, as Son of 1266. And this Son has a more refined sound, a more pleasing sound, and a equally revealing sound.
If you like the Abyss House Sound, then this version, this headphone, the DTC, is going to give you all you need.

-

Comfort : The most comfortable Abyss Headphones. The DTC is light and the cups are larger then previous Diana incarnations, and feel very good.

Treble : Its extended yet not sibilant or etched. Its sonically very clean and detailed. Its Sparkly and a bit analytical, yet its not aggressive. It has nice air, yet not thin or clinical.

Midrange : This is Abyss 1266 midrange.. Its authoritative and v and very detailed yet more refined than the 1266 mids, which, to my ears, makes this the best midrange Abyss House Sound yet created. There is a sense of hyper realism and dynamic presence regarding the way the DTC produces its mids that is what makes an Abyss sound like an Abyss. ITs all here in the Son of 1266, fully formed, fully evolved as the DTC.

Bass : Plentiful, textured, balanced. This is the best Bass for my money that Abyss offers, because its perfect with regards to how is supports the rest of the DTC FR. ITs not dominate yet its full.. Its a very very good Abyss Bass.

Instrument Separation : This is of course a trademark of the Abyss sound, and the TC allows for pinpoint accuracy and careful examination.

Sound Stage : For me this was the downside of the Diana V2. It's Soundstage is completely in the head. The TC has much better soundstage.. This is easily the widest and more immersive SS of all the Diana's.. Its not HD800s immersive, and its not Hifiman HE1000 series immersive, but it is noticeably wider than all previous Diana incarnations. It has reasonable depth and height.. I hear it as mostly around the head. Quite satisfying.

Timbre : Wide Open Abyss Insight

Textual Nuance : The entire sound of the TCD is all about Textual Nuance. All parts of the DTC's FR are micro detailed, layered, and resolving.


Final Analysis :

This is the Abyss Magic. The TCD offers what is most enjoyable about the 1266, in a smaller form factor with the overall comfort level dialed in totally. The sound quality, the overall QC and workmanship, and the comfort level...is all supplied by this gear in generous spades.

Sound-wise :
This is perhaps the best sounding Abyss House Sound combined with a refined headband and comfort level..
It is absolutely the most comfortable Abyss gear ever created.
Ultimately, the DTC is special in the most important way, and that is.....the gear mostly disappears and allows the music to come alive..... always in Abyss fashion, sonically speaking.

This Abyss is best paired with a warmer toned amp/dac combo, and it absolutely needs some Juice to run at full speed. Use a Topping A90 or similar : @watts.
-
-

Awesome review! I own the DTC, Dv2 and AB 1266 TC with my formula s and sagra. I just think the DTC cannot even come close to the hit and depth of bass, but overall, The DTC is a smoother sound and makes for long enjoyable listening sessions and does the highs better. Thoughts?

 

[dubsondubs]

Awesome review! I own the DTC, Dv2 and AB 1266 TC with my formula s and sagra. I just think the DTC cannot even come close to the hit and depth of bass, but overall, The DTC is a smoother sound and makes for long enjoyable listening sessions and does the highs better. Thoughts?

*Compared to the AB1266TC

 

[AlfeedE]

I am planning on investing in the DTC. As DAC at the moment I use the Ifi Diablo. Would this combination work well?

 

[Volote]

I am looking forward to either the Susvara or the DTC next year. I'm leaning super close to the DTC the more I hear about it. I think the LCD-5 is doing great at what it does for critiquing my tracks and i'm looking for a pair that does a different sound altogether.

 

[FullBright1]

Awesome review! I own the DTC, Dv2 and AB 1266 TC with my formula s and sagra. I just think the DTC cannot even come close to the hit and depth of bass, but overall, The DTC is a smoother sound and makes for long enjoyable listening sessions and does the highs better. Thoughts?

Yes, i agree.

Also, deeper cups give you more bass, and often wider soundstage as well.
It would be interesting to listen to any of the Diana's with deeper cups like you find on a Audeze or the Rosso Rad-0.

The DTC is a good listen........ I was listening to it today...........some Piano Jazz ........Bob James.
Lots of detail retrieval, lots of insight into the music being offered by the Abyss.

 

[FullBright1]

I am planning on investing in the DTC. As DAC at the moment I use the Ifi Diablo. Would this combination work well?

I can't verify that for you, as i dont own it.
There are people who talk online about the Diablo powering the Susvara very well, so, maybe it would be a good match for the DCT.

 

[FullBright1]

I am looking forward to either the Susvara or the DTC next year. I'm leaning super close to the DTC the more I hear about it. I think the LCD-5 is doing great at what it does for critiquing my tracks and i'm looking for a pair that does a different sound altogether.

The DTC and the LCD-5 are somewhat similar in sound and sonic profile, and also, in soundstage.

The Susvara would be the option if you want to get a much different headphone experience, as compared to the LCD-5, vs the DTC.