[Gayron]

Does everybody truly like it ? Where's the data to demonstrate that ?

Of course, I'm saying this in general about all popular headphones that ASR does not recommend

 

[Ficcion2]

I think the oddest part for me was when the glowing reviews for the DCA Aeon 2 still didn't address the concern about lack of dynamics.

Amir stated he heard no problems and “No lack of dynamics here.”
I just sold off my Aeon 2 for the second time since my Sundara have better dynamics.

No doubt Amir is a really well educated person and seems pleasant enough.
The crowd over there can be abrasive though.

And the V2 versus 650 is not even a fair comparison. I just sold off my 6XX also.

 

[Tachyon88]

I just smoothed it out a little bit.

That I don't understand, if everybody likes it, but it measures badly, does it mean these headphones are bad? Also, I don't think he measures with ears, he uses some head simulator. I can't relate to anything he said about V2 in his review. Diana is not dull, my V2 sound great and music feels almost palpable. I admit that I wasn't too impressed with V2 when I first got it, but when I bought another amp (Burson Conductor 3xr) my V2 became entirely different headphones, it was just another level. What apm does he use, I wonder? And how those distortions he reveales via his measurements feel in practice? So far, I find that ASR thing a bit weird. Next, he doesn't recommend Ananda, HD820 or V2, but at the same time HD650 pass with flying colors. But if you compare HD650 and V2, you can hear that V2 is another level. I can't see logic there so far. And on the other hand, Crinacle ranks Diana as B, and according to his description Diana V2 doesn't seem to be "not recommended".

Yes, but "smooth" does not tell me what you changed. Out of curiosity.

Perceptions of popularity whether real or not has no bearing on how they measured. Nor does anyone's list, rankings or opinion change that.

Its funny you bring the HD650 up because I do not feel the v2 is that much better than said headphone. It could be pricing bias leading me to edge out one over the other though. I think about this a lot actually. I eq them to orotary1990 settings, give it a try too.

 

[Gayron]

Yes, but "smooth" does not tell me what you changed. Out of curiosity.

Here is what it looked like after I fiddled with it. I wasn't using any method, I acted intuitively and just made it less extreme. Rock music sounds great with it.

Spoiler: my setting

I eq them to orotary1990 settings, give it a try too.

Where can I see it? Thanks!

 

[Tachyon88]

Here is what it looked like after I fiddled with it. I wasn't using any method, I acted intuitively and just made it less extreme. Rock music sounds great with it.

Spoiler: my setting

Where can I see it? Thanks!

So was the treble a bit too much stock ?

Here is his list of headphone presets he has made profiles for so far. Someone in the EU needs to send theirs to him so he can make a profile too.

 

[Gayron]

So was the treble a bit too much stock ?

Yes, the treble and perhaps upper midrange. It was a bit too fatiguing with metal music. Softer genres and well recorded music in general were okay in this regard, but with metal I felt that my ears got tired too fast, in contrast to my CA Solaris that isn't fatiguing at all. After I applied that EQ setting, V2 lost its fatigue factor with heavy music, and now it's absolutely amazing, very powerful and clear, and the rhythm section feels almost palpable.

Here is his list of headphone presets he has made profiles for so far. Someone in the EU needs to send theirs to him so he can make a profile too.

Thanks a lot, I'll look into it when I get home from work!

 

[Slim1970]

I’m enjoying the Diana V2’s with the iFi Zen stack. It’s surprisingly a very detailed and musical listen. I’m using the +12dB gain setting, with xBass and 3D engaged with plenty of headroom. There’s one more gain setting of +18dB, but it’s not needed. I’m somewhere around 1 o’clock on the volume dial and the sound is full-bodied and weighty. The Zen stack does a good job at maintaining the Diana’s resolution and speed, which is a plus. If anyone is looking for a budget stack that isn’t bright or overly neutral that can drive the Diana V2’s nicely should give this setup a go. I think you’ll be surprised .

 

[Benno1988]

Trying the Phi now. @CrocodileDundee lend them to me kindly. He mentioned he turns the pads 90 degrees so the thick corner sits at the back top. This creates a slight air gap along the bottom edge.

As with the weirdness of the 1266, it provides a nice boost to the bass regions. Side effect is a slight messing up of the immersion, the feeling of having your head inside a soundstage/scape of sound. It sort of feels like the drivers are being held away from your ears and you're hearing the left and right more, rather than just being inside.

Pads in stock position I feel I need more bass. Been playing with EQ. They certainly extend flat down to 20hz.

 

[Benno1988]

Had some old Brainwavz XL Suede pads sitting around from years ago. Think they used to fit the Beyer line.

Slip them over/around the back. Bam. Comfort for days. Headphone feels secure on the head. Bass up.

I maintain they have developed a driver that is exceptional, but haven't followed through with enough pad trail and error. Make a pad that clamps, secures the driver at the right distance and angle from the ear, and has the sufficient venting built in to get the optimal bass response. I.e. A pad that gives the same sound experience to all who wear it. Certainly isn't those V2 black square leathers.

 

[GiullianSN]

Interesting findings. I agree that Diana was designed by an engineer, just the smallest and lighter. Comfort comes last.

The guys here have tried big pads as well and looks like it works. But I’m really sure not many people would go and say “look at this Diana headphone how nice it looks…I really want one”. I would turn my head away from it really quick. LoL

 

[Benno1988]

Yes. But its using whats on the market best we can. They could build from scratch!

I think a ZMF pad would be my base pad. Glue to a spare magnet plastic ring ripped off an older V1 set of pads or something.

 

[GiullianSN]

Yes. But its using whats on the market best we can. They could build from scratch!

I think a ZMF pad would be my base pad. Glue to a spare magnet plastic ring ripped off an older V1 set of pads or something.

Maybe 3D print/cut the ring?

 

[Benno1988]

Yeah if you had 3D printer.

Prob cheapest to just get someones V1 pads for cheap and hack them up.

If you could be bothered.

 

[kaki023]

still only a couple months to the hifi scene but i've tried so far: senn hd 660s, beyer dt 1990 pro, grado sr325x, focal clear, and now the diana v2 (my first planar). i also started with a jds labs atom stack and have since upgraded to the el ii stack. so far the amp+dac change has made the biggest difference in sound, wish i had gotten it sooner. definitely an upgrade from my gaming headsets and my previous "premium" headphone being the sony mdr-v6 the clear is the winner so far, but still wanted to try the diana. will try to summarize using my limited knowledge and experience.

the sound of both are stellar, the main differences for me are the clear having fuller and more satisfying bass (like others have mentioned, i find the diana pads lacking in this regard). an overall narrower sound, also slower response than the diana (planar vs dynamic i assume). the diana has slightly more clarity that's mostly noticeable with vocals as well
as for build, i do really like the metal and leather design with the diana and the fact that it's lighter. the clear beats it in comfort with its traditional headphone shape and thicker pad, but i didn't have any issues wearing either for longer periods of time. pad swap might be required for the diana if i were to keep it
overall that being said, unfortunately (fortunate for my wallet?) the diana's superior sound does not seem to justify more than double the price to the clear (factoring in preowned too), and i'm sure to get its full mileage would require a much heftier amp/dac setup too. still this was a fun experiment, i will also be nabbing the clear mg to compare further cheers

 

[Shoulon]

Just wanted to share that I recently moved to a Topping D70s to run my equipment and it's an understatement to say that these headphones are phenominal.

I heard a few times from Joshua Valor on youtube that using a cheap DAC can ruin an experience and this is very true.

D70s > Gustard H16 > Diana V2.

I actually even use my DAC to now control my volume. I keep the Gustard at 90% volume and use the DAC dB volume as my volume.
I found that the H16 doesn't even shine until you peak past 61 on the volume. (this applies to even my simpler DT770s)

Singxer SA-1 Amp next!