[Slim1970]

Maybe, but curious non the less.

And sound stage to you would be edged out by susvara as well ?

There was a susvara for sale the other day for 3500 and I would of snagged it, but it sold too quickly. I'm not willing to pay that price for a used PHI though since you can get them cheaper than that.

I wish Diana had better rear dust protection. I love the front though, it so easy to clean. I tuck mine in every night with a cover . The susvara back looks pretty open too, I see a mesh, but is that all there is for dust protection ?

The Phi’s definitely go cheaper used than a used Susvara, but a used Susvara is more than worth it. The Susvara does have a slight edge over the Diana Phi‘s in soundstage. With that said, the Diana V2‘s are a nice complementary headphone to the Susvara’s if you’re planning on adding them.

The V2’s have better dust protection than the Susvara’s which has Hifiman’s “widow shade” openings on its driver. So there isn’t much you can to keep dust off the drivers unless you store them every night.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

The Phi’s definitely go cheaper used than a used Susvara, but a used Susvara is more than worth it. The Susvara does have a slight edge over the Diana Phi‘s in soundstage. With that said, the Diana V2‘s are a nice complementary headphone to the Susvara’s if you’re planning on adding them.

The V2’s have better dust protection than the Susvara’s which has Hifiman’s “widow shade” openings on its driver. So there isn’t much you can to keep dust off the drivers unless you store them every night.

what changes in your set up that make you plan go back to phi?

 

[Slim1970]

what changes in your set up that make you plan go back to phi?

Getting the Chord Dave . I listened to the Diana V2’s yesterday and they are good enough honestly. It’s actually a good thing that the Diana V2’s are not as resolving as the Diana Phi‘s in this case. Pairing them with a DAC like the Chord Dave wouldn’t be ideal.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

Getting the Chord Dave . I listened to the Diana V2’s yesterday and they are good enough honestly. It’s actually a good thing that the Diana V2’s are not as resolving as the Diana Phi‘s in this case. Pairing them with a DAC like the Chord Dave wouldn’t be ideal.

Haha, yeah worth the Phi indeed!

Agree, Diana V2 is such a nice headphone to taste the abyss house sound. With today's market, I can easily recommend V2 with budget DAC/Amp from Topping or SMSL to make a solid set up.

Even something like topping combo D30Pro/A30Pro sound good on Diana V2!

 

[mammal]

Getting the Chord Dave . I listened to the Diana V2’s yesterday and they are good enough honestly. It’s actually a good thing that the Diana V2’s are not as resolving as the Diana Phi‘s in this case. Pairing them with a DAC like the Chord Dave wouldn’t be ideal.

Haha, yeah worth the Phi indeed!

Agree, Diana V2 is such a nice headphone to taste the abyss house sound. With today's market, I can easily recommend V2 with budget DAC/Amp from Topping or SMSL to make a solid set up.

Even something like topping combo D30Pro/A30Pro sound good on Diana V2!

Diana V2 is very good “starter” headphone for TOTL aspiring audio-phile beginner, I just wish Hugo 2 was powerful enough to drive them, as that would make it a beatiful combo for around 5k.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

Diana V2 is very good “starter” headphone for TOTL aspiring audio-phile beginner, I just wish Hugo 2 was powerful enough to drive them, as that would make it a beatiful combo for around 5k.

For the price of Hugo 2, I'd prefer Qutest + Singxer amp. Of course by losing the transportable set up in expense.

 

[Delta9K]

Diana V2 is very good “starter” headphone for TOTL aspiring audio-phile beginner, I just wish Hugo 2 was powerful enough to drive them, as that would make it a beatiful combo for around 5k.

What other headphones would you classify as "starter", or what is the reference base line and crossover from "starter" to Mid-range, to TOTL?
I am looking at auditioning Diana V2, LCD24 and D8K pro is why I ask, and I am curious.

 

[Tachyon88]

What other headphones would you classify as "starter", or what is the reference base line and crossover from "starter" to Mid-range, to TOTL?
I am looking at auditioning Diana V2, LCD24 and D8K pro is why I ask, and I am curious.

TOTL is just a price barrier. Doesnt mean you will like V2 over other things that are less expensive. Also, consider the fact that some will never stop spending on this stuff because of new toy syndrome.

 

[Delta9K]

TOTL is just a price barrier. Doesnt mean you will like V2 over other things that are less expensive. Also, consider the fact that some will never stop spending on this stuff because of new toy syndrome.

Thanks -
I see from your signature that you are working a Diana V2 and that you have had TH900mk2 (I assume since it is for sale). I have a passion for the Foster Biodynamics most notably the TH9xx's. They scale wonderfully with better gear.

How would you compare the two (Diana V2/Th900mk2)? I mean I guess if your selling your TH900 I could just presume...

 

[mammal]

What other headphones would you classify as "starter", or what is the reference base line and crossover from "starter" to Mid-range, to TOTL?
I am looking at auditioning Diana V2, LCD24 and D8K pro is why I ask, and I am curious.

I apologise for my misleading messaging, I was definitely referring to the Abyss lineup, where Diana V2 is their "starter" headphone, Phi is mid and 1266 TC would be their TOTL. If it helps, I had DCA Ether CX, Focal Clear and Hifiman Arya, all next to Diana V2 and Abyss won hands down, because I valued "resolution" the most. Diana felt a step above all the other headphones, and was only surpassed by Susvara, Valkyria and 1266 (I never heard Phi). And for LCD lineup, I owned (years ago) LCD-2f and LCD-3, and I would say that LCD-3 had very nice mids (better than 2f or V2) but in any case, what I liked about Diana V2 the most was its resolution, and it was the reason why I ultimately ended up upgrading to 1266, as I wanted to work with (and around) Abyss' sound signature.

 

[Tachyon88]

Thanks -
I see from your signature that you are working a Diana V2 and that you have had TH900mk2 (I assume since it is for sale). I have a passion for the Foster Biodynamics most notably the TH9xx's. They scale wonderfully with better gear.

How would you compare the two (Diana V2/Th900mk2)? I mean I guess if your selling your TH900 I could just presume...

I bought the TH900 mainly for isolation from outside noise, but it was more open than I thought it was going to be. I ended up buying a set of used bose qc2 that do a better job at the intended purpose...drowning out chatter/noise from other rooms. I don't want more than three headphones either so I have no use for a closed back.

Hmm, I think they are both good and it comes down to form factor and other nuances that you may or may not prefer. I think the V2 probably does sound "clearer", despite having more distortion, but it most likely just comes down to the way the music is "presented" to you via the difference in the physical construction. I have a theory that if you used a fostex planar driver in the same diana housing and tuned them both to the same FR they would most likely sound the same.

 

[walakalulu]

Does the Phi have the soundstage width of the Senns hd800S? I’m thinking of treating myself but love a wide ‘stage. Using a Manley Absolute.

 

[StarlightDawn]

Does the Phi have the soundstage width of the Senns hd800S? I’m thinking of treating myself but love a wide ‘stage. Using a Manley Absolute.

I find the Diana V2 & Phi to have a quite small and intimate soundstage. The Phi is slightly wider and more holographic than the V2. However, the Phi is very dependent on the gear you are pairing it with, but still not as wide as the HD800s.

 

[mammal]

Does the Phi have the soundstage width of the Senns hd800S? I’m thinking of treating myself but love a wide ‘stage. Using a Manley Absolute.

HD800's soundstage with is unparalleled, good luck finding it in another headphone. This being said, its imaging (precision and resolution) is not as good as Abyss headphones, you could call it "smeared" in comparison. What's more important to you, (perhaps artificial) width, or naturalness (if we can call it that way)?

 

[treebug]

Does the Phi have the soundstage width of the Senns hd800S? I’m thinking of treating myself but love a wide ‘stage. Using a Manley Absolute.

I owned the HD800 (original) for many years and enjoyed it's wide soundstage. I found the Diana Phi was as wide, if not wider on my system (Luxman D-03X and P-750U). Sold the HD800 after hearing the Phi. I now own the Diana V2 as I found it more forgiving of harsher recorded material than the Phi, although the soundstage is not as wide.