[CreditingKarma]

Why you would trade your HE1000SE for the Diana Phi ? neither sound or comfort is better , anyway if you still insist in the trade , i would say the Diana Phi should be demoed before buying , my brother had no problem wearing them (he has huge head) , but for me it was uncomfortable , i had to put some pads so the ear-pads match my ears , also the headband doesn't have any padding so even if it fit you perfectly you still need some pads under the headband for more comfort , size and weight was OK , but not outstanding , build quality was perfect and way better than the HE1000SE.

The diana phi is a great sound headphone. It is different than the he1000se. It has more resolution and way better build quality. It also gets you almost 90% to the sound of the 1266 phi and maybe 85% of the 1266 phi tc.

 

[GU1DO]

The diana phi is a great sound headphone. It is different than the he1000se. It has more resolution and way better build quality. It also gets you almost 90% to the sound of the 1266 phi and maybe 85% of the 1266 phi tc.

I have the original 1266 which is the best headphone i have ever owned or tried (i never tried the new 1266) ,, if the Diana Phi is 90% of the 1266 Phi or 85% of the TC then i think Abyss missed the ball with the new versions and i am so so so lucky to have the old version ,,

BECAUSE no other headphone even the Diana phi have the dynamics and the control over sound other than the original 1266 which is 100% better then the Diana Phi to my ears ,

Now i can understand why some members here call the original 1266 as the best version ever ,, i wasn't sure about that , but now you confirmed this fact. Thanks

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

The diana phi is a great sound headphone. It is different than the he1000se. It has more resolution and way better build quality. It also gets you almost 90% to the sound of the 1266 phi and maybe 85% of the 1266 phi tc.

I find this hard to believe. Of all of the characteristics of the He1000se, lack of resolution is definitely not a quality of it. As a former owner, I found it very highly resolving and extremely detailed. I’d venture to say you’d have to go electrostat to be more resolving.

 

[Law87]

I find this hard to believe. Of all of the characteristics of the He1000se, lack of resolution is definitely not a quality of it. As a former owner, I found it very highly resolving and extremely detailed. I’d venture to say you’d have to go electrostat to be more resolving.

careful with wordings, thats not what he said. He said it has more resolution than the HE1000se not the HE1000se lacking resolution.

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

careful with wordings, thats not what he said. He said it has more resolution than the HE1000se not the HE1000se lacking resolution.

And I’m still saying I highly doubt the Diana Phi has greater resolution than the SE.

 

[Law87]

And I’m still saying I highly doubt the Diana Phi has greater resolution than the SE.

do you own one?

 

[ra990]

And I’m still saying I highly doubt the Diana Phi has greater resolution than the SE.

In my experience, the eletrostatic-like resolution and speed is one of Abyss Phi's fortes. I've heard the HE1000 v1 and v2, but Abyss outshines both of those when it comes to resolution. I wouldn't doubt this claim unless the SE offers noticeably greater resolution than its predecessors.

 

[CreditingKarma]

I have the original 1266 which is the best headphone i have ever owned or tried (i never tried the new 1266) ,, if the Diana Phi is 90% of the 1266 Phi or 85% of the TC then i think Abyss missed the ball with the new versions and i am so so so lucky to have the old version ,,

BECAUSE no other headphone even the Diana phi have the dynamics and the control over sound other than the original 1266 which is 100% better then the Diana Phi to my ears ,

Now i can understand why some members here call the original 1266 as the best version ever ,, i wasn't sure about that , but now you confirmed this fact. Thanks

The percentages are not the best way I could describe the difference. I will say that there is no going back to the diana phi for me after hearing the 1266tc which is why I now own them instead of the diana phi.

I owned the lcd 4z and the diana phi for some time. I can say that the diana phi was much more resolving than the 4z. In regards to the 1266 phi tc it is the most resolving headphone I have ever heard and it is extremely fast as well. I would put it on the level with the stax sr009s in resolution and speed. It has better bass than the stax as well.

I have not heard the original 1266 but hav2 heard the phi version. The tc is a step up in resolution and the mids are greatly improved over the phi. The one thing that I can say is the the 1266 tc is the most speaker like listening experience I have had with a headphone sound stage wise it is a very large improvement over the he1000se or even susvara. I found the diana phi to have a better sound stage than the lcd 4z and he1000se. In the end it is all a matter of taste.

 

[MaggotBrain]

I absolutely love my original 1266 to such an extent that I crave having the signature Abyss sound when I’m out on the go - I have several wonderful portable devices including a Noble Kaiser CIEM and an Ultrasone Edition 8, but while they have their good qualities they’re simply not Abyss. It is for that reason I made the plunge this past week on Diana Phi (plus a superconductor cable to boot).

Having spent a pretty penny on my portable gear - I figure to use the headphones in a variety of settings. I have a stationary setup with an Mscaler and a Dave and Master 9, as well as transportable laptop option with an iFi Micro DSD BL - so I am set on those fronts. But the last thing I need to complete the setup is a truly portable source that’s worthy of being betrothed to Diana.

I would ideally like something around $500 or so unless there is something for a bit more that blows lower priced options out of the water. I have used my IPhone in the past, and have had good results with Chord Hugo and Chord Mojo until both of those devices died out on me. The concerns with amps dying out pretty quickly is the main reason I want to keep costs down - not the mention the fact that I plunked down for Diana and superconductor and, cough cough ATC SCM 100s earlier this year that Ms. MaggotBrain won’t let me forget about the purchase price. loved the sound of the Mojo and especially the Hugo, but was constantly let down my the sometimes it works/sometimes it doesn’t relationship with the IPhone connecting via the CCK. It’s why now I am open to using a DAP, albeit one that could serve also as a USB DAC for when I’m out of WiFi range and want to stream. The other requirement is that it would HAVE to stream Tidal +/- Qobuz.

Things I’ve looked into include the Fioo M11 and the AudioQuest Dragonfly Cobalt. Anybody with experience with these or least with any intuition given their specs? I hope to receive my headphones and cable later this week so any insight you fine folks would have would be great.


The way I see it, supermodels like Diana look best on the runway - but sometimes you just have to be practical, throw on some sweatpants and get out and about. I’m just looking for the right sweatpants, that’s all.

 

[jlbrach]

The Ifi Micro you mention having will drive the diana phi quite well....it isnt up to your home system obviously but it will do the trick....a hugo 2 will barely drive the diana but perhaps you could use the ifi as an external amp for the hugo 2?...possibilities

 

[rumina]

hard to find a good dap for the diana phi, i use the cayin n6ii, best match sound/power vs ak380/amp or dx200/amp8, hiby R6. try it if you can, the gentle sound of the cayin n6i has is a fine fit for the diana phi and price/quality ration is nice.

but as mentionend not as good as a desktop system, best transportable/off grid solution would be the dmp-z1 which is a dream team with the diana phi, near as good as my big desktop gear (in some parts even better), love this combo.

befor i used diana phi with the wm1z together with my smd dynalo (similar to the gsx mini) for holidays, not off grid but a good solution if battery power is not needed.

 

[Alarickc]

Astell and Kern Kann Cube, it's what it was made for. Lovely pairing too, it makes me not miss my home rig as much when I'm at work.

 

[MaggotBrain]

So knowing that Diana would be coming in next week, I did something this morning I always wanted to try but never had the chutzpah to do - I took the 1266 out for my morning hike/jog up the mountain here in Hawaii. I knew if I would never do this once Diana was here because, well, duh the Diana is like half the size and being portable if its reason for existence. I would be having my last chance to take the Original Gangster 1266 out for a stroll. Keep in mind - this was super early in the morning on a fairly isolated trail. I made sure I kept the 2 Live Crew’s greatest hits off the morning playlist as not to offend the little old ladies gardening on the way up the hilltop. All I had was my iPhone and the IFi micro DSD BL. And I’ll be damned if it didn’t drive the sucker pretty well on Turbo mode at least - I find the iFI is up to the task provided it’s fully charged. The bass was thumping, the percussion was popping and the vocals really came to the forefront compared to my usual portable gear. Comparing it to my desktop gear was kind of like comparing Paris to Rome. Is Rome a little tougher around the edges, for sure, but then you step into the Pantheon and see La Pietà and see that parts of Rome are as pretty as anywhere on this planet.

Because my Leonidas cable for my Kaiser K10 snapped off at the grommet I’d been using a Powerbeats Pro. That more than anything propelled me to go the route of the Diana. I am too much of a brute for IEMs. Ive has them shipped to China for reshelling and the cables went to Singapore for untangling and having the tips serviced. They’ve had way more miles in transit for repairs than miles spent on the trail so it’s time for a change! To compare the Powerbeats to the Abyss was a little like Little Beaver vs King Kong Bundy at WrestleMania III.

 

[MaggotBrain]

On the way up the trail I passed people toting backpacks carrying useless provisions like Water - amateurs. If I’m toting a heavy load, it will be 600 g of audio bliss on my noggin and cargo shorts chock full of amplifier gear, thank you very much.

A useful byproduct of the open headphones - there was nary of site of feral pigs. AC/DC was put on this planet for a higher purpose, and it was to scare the bejeezus out of feral pigs.

A funny thing happened on the way down the trail. I encountered a lovely presumably newlywed couple - holding hands, snapping selfies. Momentarily I forgot I was wearing the Abyss headphones blasting the snot out of some Iggy Pop, and I asked them if they wanted me to take a picture of them together. And the pale whites of girls eyes bespoke a fear “ummmm, no that’s okay.” as if I’d asked them if they would like their
puppy barbecued. And then I learned the OG is like the Gimp from Pulp Fiction - it’s a not meant to leave the dungeon.

 

[MaggotBrain]

Astell and Kern Kann Cube, it's what it was made for. Lovely pairing too, it makes me not miss my home rig as much when I'm at work.

That device looks really intriguing but does it allow for offline Tidal storage?