[marcus2704]

I have a Powerman coming along with the Formula S. I will give the cable some thought, like I say I wouldn't buy a new one but were I to see a reasonably priced used one I might consider it.

 

[eskamobob1]

DTC with vents added between earcup and driver adds a significant amount of bass strength but also adds shoutiness to mids. Been messing with EQ to reduce the shout with some success. Wondering if anyone else has tried mods. This also worked to a lesser degree on my DV2.

I find the emphasis changes depdnding on vent size and location. I ended up prefering a smaller vent near the jacks personaly. Something else is the different pads will respond differently to the vent. IIRC the DMS pads (dont have them on hand anymore) got less shout when vented while the Current pads get the most. I was also a fan of OG pads + tiny tiny vent as well

I saw the YouTube video where they were discussing the new pads for the Diana. They mention it’s a comfort thing not a sound improvement. It’s this the sentiment of those that have tried both. I’m not having any discomfort from the pads but I do think larger pads would seal a bit better.

Something to keep in mind with diana is that they are designed to have a small air gap at some point. I find that V1, DMS, V2, and Current pads all sounds basically identical if this air gap is had in the same place. Dianas are also super fit dependent meaning how centered the can is over you ear will play a large roll as well. Ultimately i wouldn't worry about the pads changing sound too much and just use what is comfortable tbh

Are the new V2 ear pads the same as the DMS mod pads?

No they are not. There are 4 pad kinds

OG: These came on diana V1 and possible very eary V2s
V2 pads: much softer than V1 and sculpted
DMS: Modified V2 pads that remove some padding at the top of the ear pad to reduce temple pressure (a major issue for many on the V2 pads)
Current: Wide and largely scalloped. leather feels thicker than V2 and dms while being slightly less supple. Middle ground in terms of foam stiffness.

Ultimately which one fits you best is going to be super dependant on head shape. I find OG fit best with current being not far behind. V2 fit me worst and DMS pads are probabaly the most comfortable but they promote the forming of a full seal as the pads settle (takes 20 min or so in my experience) which messes with the sound of the cans

 

[SBranson]

I find the emphasis changes depdnding on vent size and location. I ended up prefering a smaller vent near the jacks personaly. Something else is the different pads will respond differently to the vent. IIRC the DMS pads (dont have them on hand anymore) got less shout when vented while the Current pads get the most. I was also a fan of OG pads + tiny tiny vent as well



Something to keep in mind with diana is that they are designed to have a small air gap at some point. I find that V1, DMS, V2, and Current pads all sounds basically identical if this air gap is had in the same place. Dianas are also super fit dependent meaning how centered the can is over you ear will play a large roll as well. Ultimately i wouldn't worry about the pads changing sound too much and just use what is comfortable tbh


No they are not. There are 4 pad kinds

OG: These came on diana V1 and possible very eary V2s
V2 pads: much softer than V1 and sculpted
DMS: Modified V2 pads that remove some padding at the top of the ear pad to reduce temple pressure (a major issue for many on the V2 pads)
Current: Wide and largely scalloped. leather feels thicker than V2 and dms while being slightly less supple. Middle ground in terms of foam stiffness.

Ultimately which one fits you best is going to be super dependant on head shape. I find OG fit best with current being not far behind. V2 fit me worst and DMS pads are probabaly the most comfortable but they promote the forming of a full seal as the pads settle (takes 20 min or so in my experience) which messes with the sound of the cans

Thanks for the reply. I have some reading to do. I’ve been looking for information on the pads but either I’m looking wrong or there’s not great comparison photos. I’d spring for the new ones just to see but it’s kind of a pricey gamble..
I just got in my Woo Audio WA7 and with my NOS Amperex Bugle Boy 7316’s the Diana Phi are sounding great. I do notice the bass rolls off worse than some iems I’ve heard recent so maybe I have to experiment with the vent idea just to see. Most of my music is mid centric though so it’s not a big issue.

 

[eskamobob1]

Thanks for the reply. I have some reading to do. I’ve been looking for information on the pads but either I’m looking wrong or there’s not great comparison photos.

Honestly, I just havent seen any great comparison pics tbh. That said, I wouldnt realy worry about pad rolling

 

[jieranli]

I just brought a brand new pair of Diana TC, it was shipped to me from Abyss today. Without going into sound quality, I need to rant about a thing or two.

Pic:

I know Joe prefers the U.S and European-made things, he said it in one of his videos. But your packaging is not exactly inspiring if this is what U.S manufactured goods stand for.

Like this is actually kind of offensive to customers for the careless packaging. Pretty much you don't even care enough to order some new boxes. God forbid new products to come with new boxes right? How much more could it possibly cost?

In the above picture, it may not be obvious, but the glue between the earpad and the magnetic base is visible, and a light pull can make a visible separation between them. The other pad is fine comparatively.

Am I picky for noticing these things the first 10 mins of owning them?

 

[kumar402]

I just brought a brand new pair of Diana TC, it was shipped to me from Abyss today. Without going into sound quality, I need to rant about a thing or two.

Pic:


I know Joe prefers the U.S and European-made things, he said it in one of his videos. But your packaging is not exactly inspiring if this is what U.S manufactured goods stand for.

Like this is actually kind of offensive to customers for the careless packaging. Pretty much you don't even care enough to order some new boxes. God forbid new products to come with new boxes right? How much more could it possibly cost?



In the above picture, it may not be obvious, but the glue between the earpad and the magnetic base is visible, and a light pull can make a visible separation between them. The other pad is fine comparatively.

Am I picky for noticing these things the first 10 mins of owning them?

If you have spent like $4k on a pair of headphones that needs world class and non obsolete hardware to run then you are entitled to complain for imperfection

 

[DJJEZ]

I just brought a brand new pair of Diana TC, it was shipped to me from Abyss today. Without going into sound quality, I need to rant about a thing or two.

Pic:


I know Joe prefers the U.S and European-made things, he said it in one of his videos. But your packaging is not exactly inspiring if this is what U.S manufactured goods stand for.

Like this is actually kind of offensive to customers for the careless packaging. Pretty much you don't even care enough to order some new boxes. God forbid new products to come with new boxes right? How much more could it possibly cost?



In the above picture, it may not be obvious, but the glue between the earpad and the magnetic base is visible, and a light pull can make a visible separation between them. The other pad is fine comparatively.

Am I picky for noticing these things the first 10 mins of owning them?

Complain to dealer/abyss. Should be perfect for what you paid for them.

 

[SonnyMarrow]

@WaveTheory
You're running what we would consider obsolete gear.

The Berkley S2 DAC is an old design, DAC's have come a long way since circa 2012. This is most likely the largest flaw in your system, the source, no getting around it.

The V281 amp was not exactly designed with low efficiency planars in mind. It's a current limited high voltage amp by design, that was their schtick back in 2014. The power supply is all voltage, not current, when it runs out of current, it runs out hard. It's why when you go down in impedance, the amp outputs less power. It's a wimpy power supply as current goes. It's definitely not an amp you see ABYSS AB1266 Phi TC or Diana TC owners using.

Here in lies the issue. If you're trying to review headphones at this level, experience aside, you must have proper ancillary gear for the job. Otherwise, all that video bandwidth is nothing but useless blabber describing the sound of an incompetent system being called out by the headphone. This, and you've never really explored the headphone's capabilities beyond another. There's no learning curve here.

On another note, had you done some homework and spoken to anyone in the community prior to publishing your dilemma with negative reviews, someone if not I would have steered you straight. There are plenty of ABYSS owners here, threads devoted to each model to easily see what gear people are currently using. These are targets you should aim for, and if that fails you, companies such as ours have email, social media, and a telephone number where you can communicate with extremely knowledgeable and passionate people.
Try it sometime.

Maybe they should try a $4,000+ amp from Abyss that uses fake case heatsinks…

 

[Svstem]

Maybe they should try a $4,000+ amp from Abyss that uses fake case heatsinks…

... but... but it made LinusTechTips cry!

 

[chocomel167]

Maybe they should try a $4,000+ amp from Abyss that uses fake case heatsinks…

Or one that is specifically recommend and sold by abyss for Diana headphones

https://eu.abyss-headphones.com/col...io-fully-balanced-battery-headphone-amplifier

"Excellent with ABYSS Diana headphone models."

But only has like half the power of a V281 at 32ohm....

 

[eskamobob1]

Or one that is specifically recommend and sold by abyss for Diana headphones

https://eu.abyss-headphones.com/col...io-fully-balanced-battery-headphone-amplifier

"Excellent with ABYSS Diana headphone models."

But only has like half the power of a V281 at 32ohm....

@Joe Skubinski any comment on why the Broadway is fine but v281 isn't in terms of power?

 

[Svstem]

@Joe Skubinski any comment on why the Broadway is fine but v281 isn't in terms of power?

Because in Joe's words, it has a "wimpy power supply".
A great power supply would be the $2700 engineering marvel that is the Xi Audio Powerman.

 

[paradoxper]

Because in Joe's words, it has a "wimpy power supply".
A great power supply would be the $2700 engineering marvel that is the Xi Audio Powerman.

I should contract Abyss with the Gilmore community and they can put out a CFA3, an actual properly engineered amp. LOL

 

[ToroFiestaSol]

Which are the ear cavity dimensions of the latest earpads?

 

[Ficcion2]

Or one that is specifically recommend and sold by abyss for Diana headphones

https://eu.abyss-headphones.com/col...io-fully-balanced-battery-headphone-amplifier

"Excellent with ABYSS Diana headphone models."

But only has like half the power of a V281 at 32ohm....

Ok, what did you audition the Broadway with?

I was surprised how "only" 1.5w sound with all my planars. The only headphone that couldn't be powered off this was the Adorama HE6 and so far Ive had Arya Stealth, LCD XC and 2 closed, Sundara, Diana V2 and Phi. Its a great sounding amp.