[Shoulon]

ZMF universe perforated hybrid pads, my favorite so far.

What's the padding your using for the top headband?

 

[Tsunzo]

What's the padding your using for the top headband?

This is the one I am using

https://www.amazon.com/Replacement-...s=headband+padding+akg&qid=1622991399&sr=8-11

 

[Orlok]

Took the Diana Phi and WA11 (along with the 1266 TC and the full Chord stack) with me on a family RV vacation trip to south Utah and, I have to say, the Diana Phi is amazing. No, it's certainly not like my full-blown TC setup but the Phi/WA11 setup holds its own just fine and I never find it "lacking".

It's different and it doesn't sound hugely expansive and hyper-detailed like my TC setup does but, once I start listening to it, I don't want to stop. I'm very happy with the SQ it provides and it also has the portability and comfort factor that the 1266 can't match - especially for my wife, who doesn't want to strap on the 1266 at all.

I got the Phi/WA11 for my wife as much as I did for myself (for office and occasional business travel use). One of the reasons I got the TT2 was due to the multiple HP outputs and being able to listen through nice HPs together but, obviously, things are not that simple with all these high-end HPs having different impedances and different sensitivity levels.

And she abhors heavy HPs so I decided the next best thing to do is have her use the Phi/WA11 while I use the TC/Chord setup and we play the same albums or playlists at the same time. Not quite the same as listening to the same thing at the same time but it's close enough!

Anyway, extremely happy with the Diana Phi. I sometimes listen to it connected to my Chord rig (including the TToby speaker amp) and it sounds amazing. Obviously, it doesn't need to be pushed as hard as the TC but the extra power reserves of the TToby does a lot to expand the soundstage in all directions as well as sounding noticeably clearer, fuller, and bigger with much better imaging than through the WA11. But, then, the Chord rig costs about 13 times as much so that's not a fair comparison. Overall, I'm quite happy with the Phi with WA11 as is my wife. It has certainly exceeded my expectations.

 

[ufospls2]

Took the Diana Phi and WA11 (along with the 1266 TC and the full Chord stack) with me on a family RV vacation trip to south Utah and, I have to say, the Diana Phi is amazing. No, it's certainly not like my full-blown TC setup but the Phi/WA11 setup holds its own just fine and I never find it "lacking".

It's different and it doesn't sound hugely expansive and hyper-detailed like my TC setup does but, once I start listening to it, I don't want to stop. I'm very happy with the SQ it provides and it also has the portability and comfort factor that the 1266 can't match - especially for my wife, who doesn't want to strap on the 1266 at all.

I got the Phi/WA11 for my wife as much as I did for myself (for office and occasional business travel use). One of the reasons I got the TT2 was due to the multiple HP outputs and being able to listen through nice HPs together but, obviously, things are not that simple with all these high-end HPs having different impedances and different sensitivity levels.

And she abhors heavy HPs so I decided the next best thing to do is have her use the Phi/WA11 while I use the TC/Chord setup and we play the same albums or playlists at the same time. Not quite the same as listening to the same thing at the same time but it's close enough!

Anyway, extremely happy with the Diana Phi. I sometimes listen to it connected to my Chord rig (including the TToby speaker amp) and it sounds amazing. Obviously, it doesn't need to be pushed as hard as the TC but the extra power reserves of the TToby does a lot to expand the soundstage in all directions as well as sounding noticeably clearer, fuller, and bigger with much better imaging than through the WA11. But, then, the Chord rig costs about 13 times as much so that's not a fair comparison. Overall, I'm quite happy with the Phi with WA11 as is my wife. It has certainly exceeded my expectations.

I like your style my man.

 

[MaggotBrain]

Great impressions on the wa11 and Diana Phi pairing. Have that as one of my portable setups as well. I recently piked up a source that takes the combo to a whole new level: the Shanling M8. I used to use my phone to drive the Wa11 but became frustrated by the intermittent hiccups inherent with a lightning connection and since I mostly stream with a Wi-Fi signal then the lack of LTE capabilities (compared to a phone) makes it less of a nuisance. The Wa11 is a wonderful portable amp but I find the DAC capabilities lacking particularly since I’ve been spoiled by offerings from Chord and dCS.

The M8 adds some warmth to the party, and it’s DAC is up the lofty standards of the Wa11 Amp and the Phi headphone. It’s the closest I’ve had to a desktop sound from a chunky portable setup. About the only complaint is that I’ve yet to find a fanny pack beefy enough to handle the portly pair. I have some outdoor repairs to do this summer, and will probably think of some more just for the opportunity to listen to the m8/Wa11/Phi combo. And when those chores are done I can hardly think of a better hammock accoutrement!

 

[marcus2704]

I would be interested to hear opinion from anyone who has been able to compare the Diana Phi to the Susvara?

 

[jlbrach]

Diana phi is to abyss TC as the he-1000se is to the susvara...

 

[marcus2704]

Diana phi is to abyss TC as the he-1000se is to the susvara...

Thank you, pretty much decides it for me then

 

[dcguy73]

I'm not willing to shell out $1,500 for a JPS Superconductor 2m cable, so I picked up a more affordable Norne Audio Drausk Clear copper cable from Trevor. It's a beautiful piece of work, much more substantial than the default JPS cable that comes with the DianaV2. I'm burning it in on my office setup.

 

[dcguy73]

I'm not willing to shell out $1,500 for a JPS Superconductor 2m cable, so I picked up a more affordable Norne Audio Drausk Clear copper cable from Trevor. It's a beautiful piece of work, much more substantial than the default JPS cable that comes with the DianaV2. I'm burning it in on my office setup.

Since I got the Norne Audio cable, the Diana V2 has become my primary headphone. The cable smoothed out the Diana a bit and firmed up the bass. I’ve temporarily retired the HE-1000SE and do all my listening with the Diana.

I see a lot of Dianas up for sale lately. Is it a comfort thing? I’m glad I have a small head, as these are not cans for people with big noggins.

 

[lucasratmundo]

Since I got the Norne Audio cable, the Diana V2 has become my primary headphone. The cable smoothed out the Diana a bit and firmed up the bass. I’ve temporarily retired the HE-1000SE and do all my listening with the Diana.

I see a lot of Dianas up for sale lately. Is it a comfort thing? I’m glad I have a small head, as these are not cans for people with big noggins.

I have a Diana v2 and I’m considering selling it due to comfort/fit. This is the weakest thing about the Abyss stuff in my opinion. I’m personally not a fan of how the sound signature is dependent on how you place them on your ears. Abyss should really consider offering a new pad for the Diana to address the continuous feedback they’ve been getting around comfort.

 

[mammal]

I have a Diana v2 and I’m considering selling it due to comfort/fit. This is the weakest thing about the Abyss stuff in my opinion. I’m personally not a fan of how the sound signature is dependent on how you place them on your ears. Abyss should really consider offering a new pad for the Diana to address the continuous feedback they’ve been getting around comfort.

I had the same issue, did not like the fit of Diana V2 and the most recent revision made it worse (I had both models). Now, AB-1266's comfort on my particular head is much better, can wear it for 8 hours straight, but I agree with your comment about the sound signature changing (amount of bass) depending on position.

 

[Ficcion2]

I must have smaller head then cause my Diana aren't the best in comfort since the top part of my right ear slightly comes in contact with the mesh.
Other than that they're light and I could wear them for hours but I can imagine larger noggins not having so much ease.

I also wear my LCD2 Closed for hours so idk if I just forgo comfort for the sound I'm after.
After selling off my Verite open these definitely qualify for that sound.

 

[mammal]

I also wear my LCD2 Closed for hours so idk if I just forgo comfort for the sound I'm after.

I don’t know why but Audeze’s TOTL lineup models were too uncomfortable for me when I used to own them. For exactly this reason I was worried about AB-1266 and assumed that Diana would be perfect, yet, the reality was exact opposite.

 

[Ficcion2]

I don’t know why but Audeze’s TOTL lineup models were too uncomfortable for me when I used to own them. For exactly this reason I was worried about AB-1266 and assumed that Diana would be perfect, yet, the reality was exact opposite.

Was it the weight? The other comfort issue I hear a lot is the clamp but the closed backs also cause that plugged ear effect. Idk if it went away or I got used to it.

How do LCDs compare to the weight of the 1266? Is it true you can't really move/bob your head with them?