[XUPX]

I've never really listened to any Audeze. I almost did once, but picked them up, and they were so heavy I figured I'd never actually be able to use them so why bother?
lol. That said, I'm really tempted to get the PHI and do a V2 vs PHI comparison. See what happens.

 

[twoloszyn]

Aside from rotating the pads the DMS modded pads definitely alleviated clamping pressure for me compared to the stock V2 pads.

 

[XUPX]

Aside from rotating the pads the DMS modded pads definitely alleviated clamping pressure for me compared to the stock V2 pads.

Ok. I'll try rotating the pads. Thought that would only affect the sound. I might try the DMS pads. Thanks!

 

[Slim1970]

Are the black pads on the Abyss website the DMS pads for the Diana‘s?

 

[TheMiddleSky]

I've never really listened to any Audeze. I almost did once, but picked them up, and they were so heavy I figured I'd never actually be able to use them so why bother?
lol. That said, I'm really tempted to get the PHI and do a V2 vs PHI comparison. See what happens.

haha true, I don't think I could use heavyweight headphone anymore. Even MX4 is already too heavy for me. However, in term of sound LCD-4 is up there as one of the best planar, and I'm just her secret admirer

 

[Focux]

Are the black pads on the Abyss website the DMS pads for the Diana‘s?

the DMS option appears to be removed

i saw it there last month tho

 

[XUPX]

haha true, I don't think I could use heavyweight headphone anymore. Even MX4 is already too heavy for me. However, in term of sound LCD-4 is up there as one of the best planar, and I'm just her secret admirer

That's part of what I'm worried about. What if I love it and can't use it? Sometimes it's better not knowing...

 

[TheMiddleSky]

Abyss Diana V2 vs Audeze LCD-4

Playlist:

16/44.1
Elise Trouw - Make Believe
Pomplamoose - Something About Us
Cyn - I’ll Still Have Me
Blink 182 - All The Small Thing
Diana Panton - Everybody Sleeps

24/48
Grace Vanderwaal - City Song

24/88.2
Daft Punk - Give Life Back To Music

24/192
Hoff Ensemble - Stille, Stille Komer Vi

DSD 64
Norah Jones - Waiting
Emilie Claire Barlow - The Very Thought of You
Allan Taylor - Provence

Tested with Audirvana software from MacBook with Questyle CMA 12 Master in balance mode (XLR 4 pin) for both headphones. At most songs I never passed 12 o’clock volume dial, it’s already loud enough for me. Only two songs from above that made me need to dial at around 2 o’clock at Audeze (Both songs clearly has “lower gain” than most musics in general). LCD-4 need more power than Diana V2 in this case.

Treble
Diana produce a little more quantity and bite, especially at bright recording song, while at good recorded song the difference seems smaller. I would categorise both headphone neutral that slight to dark sounding, never bright or add harshness in this area.

Midrange
Diana is slight more mid centric headphone than LCD-4. Diana also more forward (like front row), while Audeze at second/third row. As expected, lower mid is fuller on Audeze with more romantic feels, especially male vocal. Upper mid slight more forward in Diana, give a little extra boost to focus more on female voice. Both really good to not create extra sibilant or harsh.

Overall midrange texture is easier to pick in Diana. Personally, I can take singer’s energy/emotion better in Diana. If I may borrow words from photography dictionary, it’s like Audeze put an extra “noise reduction” on midrange section, make it a bit overly smooth that remove slight textures and excitement. It’s nowhere near lifeless mid, but just not as exciting as Diana when convert energy inside music. Or to put it simpler, midrange on LCD-4 is a bit more relax, but in expense of slight resolution.

Bass
Sub-bass extension almost on par to each other and I can’t really decide which one better. Sometimes I want to take a nod for Audeze, but every time I back to Diana to re-check, everything in sub-bass area are simply there.

Upper and mid bass definitely bigger in Audeze. Audeze is more linear in bass section from upper bass to sub bass. Diana has leaner upper and mid bass, but almost same quantity in term of sub bass effect (or you can see it at the other way around, Diana is more linear, and Audeze has more quantity at mid bass and upper bass).

This matter create more euphonic bass in Audeze (but with slight “woolly effect”), and seems cleaner bass on Diana. I think it would be back to the each listener to decide which one suit them better. I can enjoy both. Unlike LCD-3F that upper bass may create acoustic guitar to sound too thick, on LCD-4 everything is more controlled and acoustic guitar sounds great.

Additional note: At Daft Punk track, while Audeze overall present it with amazing result, but I should take a note that the lowest bass frequency slight better definition on Diana V2. Visceral impact from Audeze definitely there, but not as dense as what Abyss has. There is a warmer aura on bass and midrange from LCD-4, but at the exact point of the deep bass itself, is more structured on Diana (I didn’t expect this to happen actually).

Micro Detail
Overall micro detail is better on LCD-4 through most spectrum like in treble area and upper bass to mid bass area (for cello and bass guitar). However, at the centre of midrange, I feel Diana present detail/texture that easier to pick up. So when I listen to Audeze, I feel that overall this should be a better headphone in term of detail, but every time the singer start to sing, there’s a slight degradation in detail/texture quality only in vocal area (and include snare drum sound too) compare to the rest of spectrum. That’s a bit weird effect for me.

Soundstage and imaging
LCD-4 definitely has bigger imaging from top to bottom and front to back area. Width are about the same. This expansive imaging of Audeze is really addictive for me, I only wish Diana can match up the size of the image. Especially the depth presentation. What surprise me, Diana is totally no slouch in term of pin point imaging. Somehow Abyss manage to put each instrument position at really well placed despite the imaging is smaller. Even at complex passage, every instrument from both headphones still able to show “sharp” imaging.

Additional note: Only in Hoff Ensemble song, I feel like Diana V2 has very slight sharper imaging than LCD-4. At other song like from Daft Punk, the 3D feel from Audeze really impress me.

Transient/Speed
Diana is slight faster In term of transient. Happen to all of songs I tested here. Both still sound natural to me, and I don’t have problem with both of their speed. But the agile feel from Diana is definitely noticeable on all songs.

Musicality
I guess Diana’s midrange effect bring musicality better for me. Everytime I try to listen for technical to test LCD-4, the Audeze will always let me inspect every detail, separation etc till the songs done. While in Diana, every few seconds the headphone try to pull me back to enjoy the song instead doing inspection. Perhaps because most of songs I listened are focus on midrange too (the ultimate section of Diana). However, both easily categorise as euphonic and highly musical headphone.

Forgiving level
Audeze is like 1 level even more forgiving at bad recording than Diana V2. The “noise reduction” effect from Audeze is helpful in this case. I still consider both at forgiving side of high end headphone though, unlike Focal Utopia or Stax 009 of course.

Comfort
At more than twice weight from Diana, LCD-4 is no joke. I love LCD-4 sound since years ago, but never think to pick them simply because of the weight. I know some people who don’t think it’s a problem though. I don't think I'll ever buy LCD-4 due to comfort on my head, however, I always how perfect "audeze house sound" on this headphone, and many times I use it as references to pick up high end equipment.

That's all from what I was experiencing while comparing them. I'm a person who believe different set-up, different songs, and different person (about how to perceive a sound) may lead to different opinion.

 

[astrostar59]

Nice review, thanks for that. My opinion is the Diana V2 is ahead as an overall winner. And factor in the lower price, less weight (LOT LESS) and the portability, you have to come back to the Diana IMO. It's a cliché, but I would say 'what's not to like' with the Diana V2.

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

No iteration of the Diana can touch the sound quality of the LCD 4. And even though the 4 is much heavier, it’s still more comfortable because of the good implementation of the suspension strap. Nothing about the Diana is comfortable. They have the most awkward headband I’ve ever tried. They’re definitely more portable than the 4 though and sound reasonably good, but not LCD 4 good.

 

[XUPX]

Abyss Diana V2 vs Audeze LCD-4

Great comparison! It tells me what I always did suspect, which is that I wouldn't like the LCD-4. The V2 is probably as "dark" as I can take.

It resonated with my thoughts of the V2 vs the HD800. There's more mid section when comparing the 2, the V2 has more body, which usually sounds like it should be "veiled" but it just isn't. The V2 is so clear and resolving yet has more body than the HD800.

Another thing I found interesting is that the HD800 sounds compressed in the highs. Snare and cymbals sound good, everything is there, but compared to the Diana's they sound compressed. The V2 just makes it sound real. Snare, especially hitting the rim, sounds so visceral and biting and with great attack, just so realistic. The cymbals sound very realistic too, and the decay is much better than the HD800.

I totally agree about the imaging being very accurate. I test that in video games, as it's easier to discern. Playing shooters and being able to "echolocate" opponents in an accurate way is crucial. V2 excels at that (I'm not sure how it compares to HD800, can't really swap in the middle of a game. Both perform really well in that aspect, just differently).

While I love the HD800, and will do some more listening today, IME, there's just no comparison at the end of the day.
Some recordings make the difference smaller, but it's still there.

I'll put it out there. I know that reading posts on HF tend to make it sound like differences are "night and day". They are not. These are both great headphones (as I'm sure the LCD-4 are), but there are differences. I'm sure a lot of people can't hear these differences. That's fine (and in a way, great for them, it's a much cheaper hobby that way). I'm also sure many would say that the differences are not worth the money. That's also fine. Diminishing returns and all.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

Nice review, thanks for that. My opinion is the Diana V2 is ahead as an overall winner. And factor in the lower price, less weight (LOT LESS) and the portability, you have to come back to the Diana IMO. It's a cliché, but I would say 'what's not to like' with the Diana V2.

I haven't think that much when get Diana, but now just like what you wrote, what's not to be like with this headphone.

No iteration of the Diana can touch the sound quality of the LCD 4. And even though the 4 is much heavier, it’s still more comfortable because of the good implementation of the suspension strap. Nothing about the Diana is comfortable. They have the most awkward headband I’ve ever tried. They’re definitely more portable than the 4 though and sound reasonably good, but not LCD 4 good.

Sorry, if I have to score Diana comfort at 10, I think LCD-4 around 5. I really felt the weight already on uncomfortable level.

Great comparison! It tells me what I always did suspect, which is that I wouldn't like the LCD-4. The V2 is probably as "dark" as I can take.

It resonated with my thoughts of the V2 vs the HD800. There's more mid section when comparing the 2, the V2 has more body, which usually sounds like it should be "veiled" but it just isn't. The V2 is so clear and resolving yet has more body than the HD800.

Another thing I found interesting is that the HD800 sounds compressed in the highs. Snare and cymbals sound good, everything is there, but compared to the Diana's they sound compressed. The V2 just makes it sound real. Snare, especially hitting the rim, sounds so visceral and biting and with great attack, just so realistic. The cymbals sound very realistic too, and the decay is much better than the HD800.

I totally agree about the imaging being very accurate. I test that in video games, as it's easier to discern. Playing shooters and being able to "echolocate" opponents in an accurate way is crucial. V2 excels at that (I'm not sure how it compares to HD800, can't really swap in the middle of a game. Both perform really well in that aspect, just differently).

While I love the HD800, and will do some more listening today, IME, there's just no comparison at the end of the day.
Some recordings make the difference smaller, but it's still there.

I'll put it out there. I know that reading posts on HF tend to make it sound like differences are "night and day". They are not. These are both great headphones (as I'm sure the LCD-4 are), but there are differences. I'm sure a lot of people can't hear these differences. That's fine (and in a way, great for them, it's a much cheaper hobby that way). I'm also sure many would say that the differences are not worth the money. That's also fine. Diminishing returns and all.

True, there is something on Diana's imaging that does surprise me after compare them side by side with other big boys.

Yeah, sometimes the difference could be significant, sometime it's slight. When I wrote slight, it really means slight, like, if you don't pay attention you might miss it. Sometimes I played the song 2-3 times (for each headphone) just to make sure I could gather more information.

 

[jlbrach]

Abyss Diana V2 vs Audeze LCD-4



Playlist:

16/44.1
Elise Trouw - Make Believe
Pomplamoose - Something About Us
Cyn - I’ll Still Have Me
Blink 182 - All The Small Thing
Diana Panton - Everybody Sleeps

24/48
Grace Vanderwaal - City Song

24/88.2
Daft Punk - Give Life Back To Music

24/192
Hoff Ensemble - Stille, Stille Komer Vi

DSD 64
Norah Jones - Waiting
Emilie Claire Barlow - The Very Thought of You
Allan Taylor - Provence

Tested with Audirvana software from MacBook with Questyle CMA 12 Master in balance mode (XLR 4 pin) for both headphones. At most songs I never passed 12 o’clock volume dial, it’s already loud enough for me. Only two songs from above that made me need to dial at around 2 o’clock at Audeze (Both songs clearly has “lower gain” than most musics in general). LCD-4 need more power than Diana V2 in this case.

Treble
Diana produce a little more quantity and bite, especially at bright recording song, while at good recorded song the difference seems smaller. I would categorise both headphone neutral that slight to dark sounding, never bright or add harshness in this area.

Midrange
Diana is slight more mid centric headphone than LCD-4. Diana also more forward (like front row), while Audeze at second/third row. As expected, lower mid is fuller on Audeze with more romantic feels, especially male vocal. Upper mid slight more forward in Diana, give a little extra boost to focus more on female voice. Both really good to not create extra sibilant or harsh.

Overall midrange texture is easier to pick in Diana. Personally, I can take singer’s energy/emotion better in Diana. If I may borrow words from photography dictionary, it’s like Audeze put an extra “noise reduction” on midrange section, make it a bit overly smooth that remove slight textures and excitement. It’s nowhere near lifeless mid, but just not as exciting as Diana when convert energy inside music. Or to put it simpler, midrange on LCD-4 is a bit more relax, but in expense of slight resolution.

Bass
Sub-bass extension almost on par to each other and I can’t really decide which one better. Sometimes I want to take a nod for Audeze, but every time I back to Diana to re-check, everything in sub-bass area are simply there.

Upper and mid bass definitely bigger in Audeze. Audeze is more linear in bass section from upper bass to sub bass. Diana has leaner upper and mid bass, but almost same quantity in term of sub bass effect (or you can see it at the other way around, Diana is more linear, and Audeze has more quantity at mid bass and upper bass).

This matter create more euphonic bass in Audeze (but with slight “woolly effect”), and seems cleaner bass on Diana. I think it would be back to the each listener to decide which one suit them better. I can enjoy both. Unlike LCD-3F that upper bass may create acoustic guitar to sound too thick, on LCD-4 everything is more controlled and acoustic guitar sounds great.

Additional note: At Daft Punk track, while Audeze overall present it with amazing result, but I should take a note that the lowest bass frequency slight better definition on Diana V2. Visceral impact from Audeze definitely there, but not as dense as what Abyss has. There is a warmer aura on bass and midrange from LCD-4, but at the exact point of the deep bass itself, is more structured on Diana (I didn’t expect this to happen actually).

Micro Detail
Overall micro detail is better on LCD-4 through most spectrum like in treble area and upper bass to mid bass area (for cello and bass guitar). However, at the centre of midrange, I feel Diana present detail/texture that easier to pick up. So when I listen to Audeze, I feel that overall this should be a better headphone in term of detail, but every time the singer start to sing, there’s a slight degradation in detail/texture quality only in vocal area (and include snare drum sound too) compare to the rest of spectrum. That’s a bit weird effect for me.

Soundstage and imaging
LCD-4 definitely has bigger imaging from top to bottom and front to back area. Width are about the same. This expansive imaging of Audeze is really addictive for me, I only wish Diana can match up the size of the image. Especially the depth presentation. What surprise me, Diana is totally no slouch in term of pin point imaging. Somehow Abyss manage to put each instrument position at really well placed despite the imaging is smaller. Even at complex passage, every instrument from both headphones still able to show “sharp” imaging.

Additional note: Only in Hoff Ensemble song, I feel like Diana V2 has very slight sharper imaging than LCD-4. At other song like from Daft Punk, the 3D feel from Audeze really impress me.

Transient/Speed
Diana is slight faster In term of transient. Happen to all of songs I tested here. Both still sound natural to me, and I don’t have problem with both of their speed. But the agile feel from Diana is definitely noticeable on all songs.

Musicality
I guess Diana’s midrange effect bring musicality better for me. Everytime I try to listen for technical to test LCD-4, the Audeze will always let me inspect every detail, separation etc till the songs done. While in Diana, every few seconds the headphone try to pull me back to enjoy the song instead doing inspection. Perhaps because most of songs I listened are focus on midrange too (the ultimate section of Diana). However, both easily categorise as euphonic and highly musical headphone.

Forgiving level
Audeze is like 1 level even more forgiving at bad recording than Diana V2. The “noise reduction” effect from Audeze is helpful in this case. I still consider both at forgiving side of high end headphone though, unlike Focal Utopia or Stax 009 of course.

Comfort
At more than twice weight from Diana, LCD-4 is no joke. I love LCD-4 sound since years ago, but never think to pick them simply because of the weight. I know some people who don’t think it’s a problem though. I don't think I'll ever buy LCD-4 due to comfort on my head, however, I always how perfect "audeze house sound" on this headphone, and many times I use it as references to pick up high end equipment.

That's all from what I was experiencing while comparing them. I'm a person who believe different set-up, different songs, and different person (about how to perceive a sound) may lead to different opinion.

the better comparison is the diana phi which is the same price as the lcd-4 and has as much if not more detail...I love the lcd-4 but do think the diana phi as a junior abyss TC betters it

 

[twoloszyn]

I think one of the best selling points of the Diana is the fact it’s lightweight in comparison to most other flagships. That’s certainly why I was interested in it. TETO but comfort is about 40% of why I purchase a headphone and sound quality the other 60%.

 

[XUPX]

For me, the Diana's are very comfortable except for the clamping force, and that is getting better (rotating the cups helped and just having it propped a bit wider so it's not getting back to its original state seems to be helping as well). So, for now comfort is around 7 but it's increasing and has the potential for me to hit 10 (light, no hot spot, and don't move on my head at all, which is great).