[Blitzula]

 

[Music Alchemist]

Ya know...I wonder how uncomfortable the AB-1266 would get for me during extended listening sessions. It's heavy in the hand, but actually felt lighter and more comfortable when wearing it than, say, the Audeze LCD series, thanks to that suspension mechanism. Nevertheless, I'd imagine it would eventually make its weight obvious. This is more a potential problem for my back than my neck. (I'm on the smaller side.)

The Diana weighs a little more than half as much. On the other hand, it has a conventional fit, without the ability for the pads to rest away from the ears. This is an important factor for me because I wear glasses. Most headphones were far too uncomfortable to wear my glasses with them. I would normally either take them off or move the frames out from and over the pads. I'm nearsighted and have to lean towards the computer to see the screen with my naked eyes, and this puts great strain on my back when wearing headphones.

So basically, there's a trade-off: the AB-1266 is heavier, but enables one to wear glasses without the pads interfering, whereas the Diana is lighter, but the pads would press against the frames of glasses and could cause discomfort.

The reason I'm making this post is that I am considering getting back into high-end headphones earlier than anticipated, and perhaps postponing speaker upgrades until I live in a house I either rent or own and have a more stable life. I'm currently living in my brother's house, which he plans on selling. If I move to an apartment next, I may not be able to use speakers, making headphones a necessity.

(My floorstanding speakers can be heard throughout this large house. Smaller previously owned speakers weren't much better in terms of isolation. I would almost certainly get noise complaints in an apartment.)

I'm also very curious to hear the true capabilities of the Abyss, given its reputation of outperforming many high-end speakers, being the best headphone ever made, and so on. These are lofty claims, so I can't resist the urge to investigate further.

Although I spent a few hours with the original AB-1266 driven by the 430HAD in a quiet shop with my own test tracks in most genres, there were issues with the demo unit that prevented me from properly experiencing it. The bands did not stay taut, so it dug down on my ears, forcing me to hold it up with my hands. I tried every position I could, experimenting with the width and angle of the headband, rotating the pads, etc. It distorted badly at times (particularly in the bass) unless I pushed it against my head. I suspect it was simply defective.

@mulder01 (and anyone else who has spent time with both)

How would you say the long-term comfort of the AB-1266 is compared to the Diana?

How much more uncomfortable do you think the AB-1266 would be if you were lightweight like me?

I would like to stick with my original plan of going for the AB-1266 Phi when the time comes. (Especially since I have no problem gradually building an ultra-high-end system around it and future speakers.) However, if it turns out that I would be easily wounded by such a heavy device pushing down on my back for many hours every day, I may have no choice but to settle for another headphone such as the Diana.

 

[mulder01]

I think if you wear glasses then you would probably have to go for IEMs for all day comfort wouldn't you? - The 1266 and... what, K1000? Would be about your only options for minimal pressure on your head while wearing glasses. Or get contact lenses... Sounds like you had a pretty bad experience with the 1266 you tried - I suspect the demo models get a bit abused... Plus the elastics can stretch etc. Joe can supply headbands with smaller elastics if you need the headphone to sit up even higher.

Diana fits like a normal headphone. I have a bit of a sore head now, but only because I've been listening a lot more than usual. I don't know which headphone is to blame for that because I have been switching between them. Having said that - most headphones will start to give me a headache within minutes, so the Diana is definitely more tolerable comfort wise than a lot of other options on the market for me. If a sore neck/back is your issue, then I suppose it is more about sheer weight than anything else - no matter how well it's distributed on your head, it's still the same amount of downward pressure on your neck and back and the Diana is a fair bit lighter. Different beasts though. Depends what you're after. At one stage I got a desk mounted computer screen mount on an arm that allowed me to bring my computer screen closer to my face so I didn't have to hunch forward so maybe something like that would help with posture if you wanted to go for the phi? Also got a computer chair with an adjustable head rest on it which is a nice thing to have.

 

[VandyMan]

I think if you wear glasses then you would probably have to go for IEMs for all day comfort wouldn't you?

There are lots of over-ear headphones that are comfortable with glasses and quite a few that are not. It is dependent on how the glasses sit on your ears, how far they extend beyond your ears, and the shape of your head. The best solution is to try lots of headphones, but you can't go wrong with Mr. Speakers for comfort, in my experience. I could list others, but not here in the Diana thread.

 

[VisceriousZERO]

that is what I was really waiting for to do since they are in the same price range.

I had more time ABing the lcd 4 and Diana for a friend. Did a short listen to the mx4 too. I will try to AB them again on Monday (maybe sunday there).

for now,
Diana-needs a powerful amp
MX4-you can use it straight from your smartphone, laptop etc.
my laptop's volume level isn't even at half and it's loud already.

Hi friend. I know you want to do more ABing with the Dianas, but I'm keeping them this time..........

I haven't been this attached to a headphone since... my first foray with the LCD-3. The only problem I had with them was they were so heavy I couldn't last with them for more than an hour. On the Dianas I've been listening to them for the past few weeks, nonstop. Gaming and music. They've opened up a lot and I just love the combination of the portability + musicality. I do agree somewhat that the Diana needs a more powerful amp. I've been listening to them with several amps now, The Questyle CMA-800i (mostly for gaming), the Cavalli Liquid Gold (absolutely love it), and currently burning them in with the AK Acro L1000. On the CMA-800i my volume wheel is set at about 1 o' clock. On the Liquid Gold (out from a Chord Dave set to DAC (-2Db), its at about 11 o'clock. On the Acro its set to 4th from the highest volume setting at high gain filter. All of this thru Jriver for PC.

Portably I've used it with the Sony ZX300 (not enough juice) and the Astell SP1000. Volume on the SP1000 is set to 125. Decent but I'd like to feed it more power to be honest.

I haven't used the Hugo 2 on them because... well... I actually don't know why I haven't tried? Maybe because the Hugo sig wasn't my thing, but I admittedly like the small form factor power amp I can bring around. I'll try it later when @soullinker20 comes by for his daily AB testing.

First reactions: I love these headphones. Thanks to Joe for the listen back in Tokyo Headphone fest, and rekindling my love for portable headphones that don't sacrifice the musicality for portability.

There are lots of over-ear headphones that are comfortable with glasses and quite a few that are not. It is dependent on how the glasses sit on your ears, how far they extend beyond your ears, and the shape of your head. The best solution is to try lots of headphones, but you can't go wrong with Mr. Speakers for comfort, in my experience. I could list others, but not here in the Diana thread.

Or, you could start a kickstarter for frames that are friendly to headphones... just saying...

Headframes

 

[Beagle]

So I'm close to a month with the Diana, and I have to state that it's the first headphone not to let me down or lose its lustre after a couple of weeks. It stays consistent. As in neutral and displaying no character. You just keep enjoying music.

 

[mulder01]

They've definitely made a very nice headphone indeed! I have been in the process of trying to downsize my rig into something a little less elaborate than a full desktop 1266 Abyss setup and was hoping this was the answer.

I'm impressed with what they've managed to fit into such a tight little easy-to-drive package and feel like it's probably the closest I've been to pulling the trigger on something a little more 'normal' than the big daddy. Every time I've done a headphone shootout with the 1266 Abyss, the 1266 has been the clear and immediate winner, but I feel like these were as close as I've ever heard to the 1266 in a smaller (and cheaper) package which is quite the accomplishment. You don't get an appreciation of just how thin but solid they are at the same time until you're holding them in your hand. I listened exclusively to the Diana for quite a while and felt I'd be happy to have these as my only headphones - they really do have a world class sound. But going back to the 1266, I think I might miss that epicness - that huge kick-you-in-the-guts sort of sound that I've heard from no other headphone. I took these to a fellow 1266 owner's house yesterday for him to listen to and he agreed that while it does have it's advantages - lighter, normal looking, (trans)portable, (and he felt like the upper mids had been improved on the Diana over the 1266), we have been spoiled with having that huge powerful presentation that no other headphone on the market can deliver. Unfortunately I am cheap and can't really justify owning 2 pairs of very high-end headphones, so I think I'll stick with the beast for now, but if I couldn't own the 1266 (or didn't like the looks or weight or if I travelled around a lot etc), then Diana would definitely be my go-to.

I hope more people that are shopping around this price range get to hear these. They are quite special.

 

[LeoKane]

Does anyone have any comparisons between Diana and the other headphones in the same price range, I'm thinking the current flagships Utopia, LCD4?

I am currently using LCDX through Hugo 2 but am looking to upgrade and since hearing the Abyss Phi (out of my budget range and the form factor did't suit me) I absolutely love the Abyss sound. I'm just concerned that the 'Portable' element means a compromise somewhere in the sound quality. Hence the interest in a comparison with other headphones in the same price range.

 

[soullinker20]

Does anyone have any comparisons between Diana and the other headphones in the same price range, I'm thinking the current flagships Utopia, LCD4?

I am currently using LCDX through Hugo 2 but am looking to upgrade and since hearing the Abyss Phi (out of my budget range and the form factor did't suit me) I absolutely love the Abyss sound. I'm just concerned that the 'Portable' element means a compromise somewhere in the sound quality. Hence the interest in a comparison with other headphones in the same price range.

Hi, I've made comparisons on those you have mentioned. If you do really like the sound of the Abyss (which I do too)
Diana is to go.

 

[Beagle]

@soullinker20 would you say the Audeze LCD-MX4 would not be superior not inferior to the Diana, just a different sonic signature?

 

[soullinker20]

@soullinker20 would you say the Audeze LCD-MX4 would not be superior not inferior to the Diana, just a different sonic signature?

hi @Beagtroll
just to give you an idea about me, what my ears want is what sounds better to me and craves for it. So I end up countless hours ABing analytically before choosing.and leave the rest.

If we're talking about SQ only imho, it will not be superior but the other way around.

What the MX4 offers is that very easy to drive (20ohms) out of any smartphone or dap, tablet and laptop. Whether you amp it or not it still sounds good and never fatiguing.

 

[LeoKane]

hi @Beagtroll
just to give you an idea about me, what my ears want is what sounds better to me and craves for it. So I end up countless hours ABing analytically before choosing.and leave the rest.

If we're talking about SQ only imho, it will not be superior but the other way around.

What the MX4 offers is that very easy to drive (20ohms) out of any smartphone or dap, tablet and laptop. Whether you amp it or not it still sounds good and never fatiguing.

Would a Hugo 2 have enough juice to do the Diana justice? I have heard that it can struggle a bit with the LCD4 and some prefer to amp this as well.

 

[soullinker20]

Would a Hugo 2 have enough juice to do the Diana justice? I have heard that it can struggle a bit with the LCD4 and some prefer to amp this as well.

this is the volume level on the Hugo 2

 

[x RELIC x]

Would a Hugo 2 have enough juice to do the Diana justice? I have heard that it can struggle a bit with the LCD4 and some prefer to amp this as well.

Since Joe says the Diana (40 Ohm, 91dB SPL/mW) would do well with 200mW then the Hugo2 would have absolutely no issue from a power perspective. Hugo2 will output around 650-700mW@40 Ohm, and can deliver a max of 500mA (a lot) of Current. I’m considering the Dianna to lounge around the house with the Hugo2 myself.

Based on the Dianna specs this is what you actually need to drive them to different loudness levels (110dB dynamic peaks is plenty, for me at least):

http://www.digizoid.com/power.php

Diana is good with at least 200 mW, phones and laptops you would be lucky to get 30 mW, not to mention most computers are very noisy sources, will make the music sound hard and strip harmonic information so sounds flat, not 'alive'.

If laptop is your only source a simple USB headphone amp is beneficial, Apple Macbook Pro recommended.
Something like these...
https://ifi-audio.com/portfolio-view/nano-idsd-bl/
or Geek Out portable USB DAC

Diana will have her own matching accessories later this year

 

[LeoKane]

Thanks for the info everyone. Now I have to track down a dealer in the UK where they are in stock I can do some comparisons (with LCD4 and Utopia) and critical listening......