[JLoud]

Well got my Dekoni nuggets today. Put two of them on the outside edge of the headband about an inch from the ends. Seems to work pretty well. Raised up the headphones and are pretty comfortable.

 

[donato]

Well got my Dekoni nuggets today. Put two of them on the outside edge of the headband about an inch from the ends. Seems to work pretty well. Raised up the headphones and are pretty comfortable.

I do the same. I needed for comfort (hot spot on top of head) and to better position them relative to my ear (small head).

 

[JLoud]

I got a hot spot as well with the headband. I’ll have to see if the nuggets fix it. Just a short test seamed pretty comfortable.

 

[Orlok]

So, I had been raving about the TC to my boss/owner/partner and good friend based in Sweden and he said he fancies getting a nice headphone as well but something more compact and portable. I advised him that the Diana Phi along with the WA11 will be perfect and he agreed. Well, this rig arrived today and I've had about a few hours with it so far and, as I expected, I'm going to want the exact same setup.

Pre-pandemic, I was traveling to Asia 3~4 times per year for 2~3 weeks at a time visiting suppliers and also all around the US every other month visiting dealers/customers. Eventually, I'll be doing this again when things return to normal and I know that I'm going to want to take the "Abyss House Sound" with me wherever I go. Heck, I can even take this little system on my daily 7-mile hikes around the local mountains. The Audeze LCDi4 is great for nature walks but it doesn't quite compare to this.

I'll be getting the Diana Phi and WA11 for myself very soon. But it means that I can't keep everything and I have parted with the LCD-4. It's a great HP but after I got the SC cables for the TC and my system, I found that I really wouldn't be listening with it much anymore. In a perfect world with unlimited budget, it would have stayed but that just isn't the reality. I can only have so many HPs around.

The Diana Phi with the WA11 will get a lot of my listening time when I'm away from home - at the office, during my nature walks and for travel (both for business and for pleasure). I'm going to break and burn in this little rig for my boss/friend over the weekend and then I'll be getting it for myself very soon. I have to prepare for the post-pandemic future.

 

[SonicFade]

So, I had been raving about the TC to my boss/owner/partner and good friend based in Sweden and he said he fancies getting a nice headphone as well but something more compact and portable. I advised him that the Diana Phi along with the WA11 will be perfect and he agreed. Well, this rig arrived today and I've had about a few hours with it so far and, as I expected, I'm going to want the exact same setup.

Pre-pandemic, I was traveling to Asia 3~4 times per year for 2~3 weeks at a time visiting suppliers and also all around the US every other month visiting dealers/customers. Eventually, I'll be doing this again when things return to normal and I know that I'm going to want to take the "Abyss House Sound" with me wherever I go. Heck, I can even take this little system on my daily 7-mile hikes around the local mountains. The Audeze LCDi4 is great for nature walks but it doesn't quite compare to this.

I'll be getting the Diana Phi and WA11 for myself very soon. But it means that I can't keep everything and I have parted with the LCD-4. It's a great HP but after I got the SC cables for the TC and my system, I found that I really wouldn't be listening with it much anymore. In a perfect world with unlimited budget, it would have stayed but that just isn't the reality. I can only have so many HPs around.

The Diana Phi with the WA11 will get a lot of my listening time when I'm away from home - at the office, during my nature walks and for travel (both for business and for pleasure). I'm going to break and burn in this little rig for my boss/friend over the weekend and then I'll be getting it for myself very soon. I have to prepare for the post-pandemic future.

can I ask why you didn’t go with a Android based dap? More bang for you buck?

it would seem awkward to change songs on the fly while you’re walking, pulling out your phone and trying not to disturb the amp and cables.

im always looking for portable situations

 

[Orlok]

can I ask why you didn’t go with a Android based dap? More bang for you buck?

it would seem awkward to change songs on the fly while you’re walking, pulling out your phone and trying not to disturb the amp and cables.

im always looking for portable situations

First and foremost, it was about the sound quality and the WA11 simply seemed like the best synergistic match for the Diana Phi, both in power and in tonality. I read as many reviews about the WA11 as I can and it also says says something that Abyss offers it on their own website as the ideal match for the Diana Phi and V2. Second, I'm an Apple guy and want to use the iPhone with Qobuz and Onkyo apps without having to set up a whole new DAP system. For walking and hiking, I'll play certain set playlists on shuffle and that's what I'll listen to. It would be very rare that I'll have to pull out the phone to skip a track. Of course, what I do won't apply to everyone.

My initial impression of the Diana Phi and WA11 combo is that it is indeed very synergistic. This is a little setup that I can be very happy with anywhere and at anytime. It is not quite as grand and over-the-top as the TC through my HMS/TT2/TToby setup but it's surprisingly close for such a compact and transportable setup. The WA11 is Class A with balanced input/output topology, after all, and I can already sense a certain character that this setup delivers that I don't hear in my full-blown TC setup. It is more intimate with a little more warmth and smoothness although it doesn't have the same huge epic soundstage and hyper detail retrieval that my TC setup does. And I'm totally fine with this. It really shouldn't sound like that or my investment in the full-blown home rig is wasted. Haha.

I don't have a way to hook up the Diana Phi to my home setup right now but I can certainly imagine. I already ordered the TC-to-Diana adapter set from Affinity Adapters to hook up to my setup. Then I will really be able to hear how the Diana Phi compares to the TC. This being said, I want the Diana Phi with WA11 setup for mobile usage and being able to enjoy the Abyss House Sound wherever I go. It really sounds great - just beautiful. I can enjoy it in its own right - not "TC Jr" or anything like that. Now I can really look forward to the "new normal" that will happen eventually.

 

[Orlok]

And... one more thing. For my ongoing front-end optimization of my setup. It shall be another very fun weekend.

 

[MatW]

So, I had been raving about the TC to my boss/owner/partner and good friend based in Sweden and he said he fancies getting a nice headphone as well but something more compact and portable. I advised him that the Diana Phi along with the WA11 will be perfect and he agreed. Well, this rig arrived today and I've had about a few hours with it so far and, as I expected, I'm going to want the exact same setup.

Pre-pandemic, I was traveling to Asia 3~4 times per year for 2~3 weeks at a time visiting suppliers and also all around the US every other month visiting dealers/customers. Eventually, I'll be doing this again when things return to normal and I know that I'm going to want to take the "Abyss House Sound" with me wherever I go. Heck, I can even take this little system on my daily 7-mile hikes around the local mountains. The Audeze LCDi4 is great for nature walks but it doesn't quite compare to this.

I'll be getting the Diana Phi and WA11 for myself very soon. But it means that I can't keep everything and I have parted with the LCD-4. It's a great HP but after I got the SC cables for the TC and my system, I found that I really wouldn't be listening with it much anymore. In a perfect world with unlimited budget, it would have stayed but that just isn't the reality. I can only have so many HPs around.

The Diana Phi with the WA11 will get a lot of my listening time when I'm away from home - at the office, during my nature walks and for travel (both for business and for pleasure). I'm going to break and burn in this little rig for my boss/friend over the weekend and then I'll be getting it for myself very soon. I have to prepare for the post-pandemic future.

I have gone the IEM route for that... Had a great journey and I think I've found my ideal collection of IEMs.

 

[Orlok]

I have gone the IEM route for that... Had a great journey and I think I've found my ideal collection of IEMs.

I have the LCDi4 that I've had for a few years and the JH Audio Layla CIEM for almost 5 years now and they are definitely keepers. The LCDi4 I am especially fond of. It really doesn't sound at all like the LCD-3 and LCD-4 I've owned. To me, it's like a cross between the HD800S and LCD-3 although it doesn't quite match the resolution of the LCD-4. I liked the LCDi4 so much that I got another one for my wife, which she cherishes.

This being said, the Diana Phi with the WA11 is at a different level altogether. It has the TC sound but in a different flavor. And it's compact enough to take on the road and even on nature hikes. I'm obviously very interested in the future Abyss IEM as well.

 

[3ggerhappy]

Been an Abyss owner for about a month and a half now, was happy with the overall presentation, but kind of find the mids to be a little dry(even with an el 34 tube setup). What would you guys suggest how to improve the mids? Also a susvara owner and I kind of miss the sweetness with the abyss. Would like to ask also for wa 33 owners, how do you find the sound with the abyss, does it gave it more emotion?



Another gripe also, as a female user not sure if its just me, but some stray hair always get inside the cups and create scratching noise. are the driver's safe inside hahah?

 

[Trance_Gott]

The mids on TC are meh. You can not do anything. No amp will brings the mids to front no sc. That's why I sold my TC and now have a Susvara which is also better in many other aspects especially bass quality and mids to die for.
Sure I have a Niimbus US4 so you need a really ready good amp to let Susvara shine.

 

[Trance_Gott]

I see you also have a Utopia which has great mids a lot better then the TC in this aspect.

 

[simorag]

Been an Abyss owner for about a month and a half now, was happy with the overall presentation, but kind of find the mids to be a little dry(even with an el 34 tube setup). What would you guys suggest how to improve the mids? Also a susvara owner and I kind of miss the sweetness with the abyss. Would like to ask also for wa 33 owners, how do you find the sound with the abyss, does it gave it more emotion?

Another gripe also, as a female user not sure if its just me, but some stray hair always get inside the cups and create scratching noise. are the driver's safe inside hahah?

Beautiful setup @3ggerhappy !

I had your first gripe as well (sadly my increasing baldness prevents your second one ), and the cure was: a) get the Superconductor cable and b) find a beatiful and rare NOS Mullard tube from their golden age.

Will not give you Susvara-like mids, but a decise increase of body and density of tone in the midrange, along with some nice forwardness of vocals which will bring more emotional attachment to (especially female) sang content.

 

[FLTWS]

Been an Abyss owner for about a month and a half now, was happy with the overall presentation, but kind of find the mids to be a little dry(even with an el 34 tube setup). What would you guys suggest how to improve the mids? Also a susvara owner and I kind of miss the sweetness with the abyss. Would like to ask also for wa 33 owners, how do you find the sound with the abyss, does it gave it more emotion?



Another gripe also, as a female user not sure if its just me, but some stray hair always get inside the cups and create scratching noise. are the driver's safe inside hahah?

I got a full head of hair but keep it short for comfort and ease. I've had 2 occasions of a hair stuck between the metal grate and diaphragm, mades a buzzing type noise in my case. A pair of tweezers fixed the problem. Just grab the visible end of the hair and out it comes. If I heard that noise and a hair was not noticeable because it was completely concealed under the grate not sure how I'd handle that.

 

[SonicFade]

First and foremost, it was about the sound quality and the WA11 simply seemed like the best synergistic match for the Diana Phi, both in power and in tonality. I read as many reviews about the WA11 as I can and it also says says something that Abyss offers it on their own website as the ideal match for the Diana Phi and V2. Second, I'm an Apple guy and want to use the iPhone with Qobuz and Onkyo apps without having to set up a whole new DAP system. For walking and hiking, I'll play certain set playlists on shuffle and that's what I'll listen to. It would be very rare that I'll have to pull out the phone to skip a track. Of course, what I do won't apply to everyone.

My initial impression of the Diana Phi and WA11 combo is that it is indeed very synergistic. This is a little setup that I can be very happy with anywhere and at anytime. It is not quite as grand and over-the-top as the TC through my HMS/TT2/TToby setup but it's surprisingly close for such a compact and transportable setup. The WA11 is Class A with balanced input/output topology, after all, and I can already sense a certain character that this setup delivers that I don't hear in my full-blown TC setup. It is more intimate with a little more warmth and smoothness although it doesn't have the same huge epic soundstage and hyper detail retrieval that my TC setup does. And I'm totally fine with this. It really shouldn't sound like that or my investment in the full-blown home rig is wasted. Haha.

I don't have a way to hook up the Diana Phi to my home setup right now but I can certainly imagine. I already ordered the TC-to-Diana adapter set from Affinity Adapters to hook up to my setup. Then I will really be able to hear how the Diana Phi compares to the TC. This being said, I want the Diana Phi with WA11 setup for mobile usage and being able to enjoy the Abyss House Sound wherever I go. It really sounds great - just beautiful. I can enjoy it in its own right - not "TC Jr" or anything like that. Now I can really look forward to the "new normal" that will happen eventually.

looking forward to see how the TC fits into the picture.
How much more “punch, slam, visceral mojo” does the TC have over the phi? Particularly in bass content. Assuming the TC has wayyyyy more bass going on