[OnlySoMany]

Personally bass ported earpad is a must fo Diana TC, better tonality, soundstage, and overall smoother presentation on top. Agree about 660S2. For me it is the most perfect incarnation of all HD6XX series so far.

TH900, HD700 and Arya, all of them are truly headphones that I always failed to enjoy lol.

I tried all the pads with Diana, and also superconductor cable. Just never had a sound I liked.

 

[Ficcion2]

I tried all the pads with Diana, and also superconductor cable. Just never had a sound I liked.

You’re not alone.

I tried Diana V2 and Phi with superconductor, full loom of JPS Labs including their stupid expensive Kaptovator, and the XI Broadway plus K DAC.

Nothing will transform or fix the sound of a headphone and much less cables.
Actually; after spending all that money I began to learn about how many scams exist in this audio industry with cables being the largest perpetrator.

 

[OneEyedHito]

I tried all the pads with Diana, and also superconductor cable. Just never had a sound I liked.

I can understand that, sometimes we just hear what we hear and it doesn’t align with others preferences.

You’re not alone.

I tried Diana V2 and Phi with superconductor, full loom of JPS Labs including their stupid expensive Kaptovator, and the XI Broadway plus K DAC.

Nothing will transform or fix the sound of a headphone and much less cables.
Actually; after spending all that money I began to learn about how many scams exist in this audio industry with cables being the largest perpetrator.

I disagree with this in regards to the TC line of headphones. Bass ported pads make a tremendous difference to my hearing on these cans. It is a necessity with the Diana TC and on the 1266 TC when wearing glasses where the arms actually put an air gap between the pad and my head made a huge difference in sound. Brings the bass upto club levels. Still not my cup of tea but there’s definite audible changes to my hearing at a high level there.

 

[Ficcion2]

I can understand that, sometimes we just hear what we hear and it doesn’t align with others preferences.


I disagree with this in regards to the TC line of headphones. Bass ported pads make a tremendous difference to my hearing on these cans. It is a necessity with the Diana TC and on the 1266 TC when wearing glasses where the arms actually put an air gap between the pad and my head made a huge difference in sound. Brings the bass upto club levels. Still not my cup of tea but there’s definite audible changes to my hearing at a high level there.

I don’t doubt that the new ported pads make a good difference in sound presentation. Rotating the pads affected the FR pretty noticeably especially the bass.

I had sold off my Diana’s and cables by then but remained with the XI Audio stuff and I enjoyed it with my Hifiman cans.

I still think the Diana’s are the best looking headphone around. I’m curious to try the MR.

 

[OneEyedHito]

I don’t doubt that the new ported pads make a good difference in sound presentation. Rotating the pads affected the FR pretty noticeably especially the bass.

I had sold off my Diana’s and cables by then but remained with the XI Audio stuff and I enjoyed it with my Hifiman cans.

I still think the Diana’s are the best looking headphone around. I’m curious to try the MR.

I forgot about rotating the pads, it was a necessity too. Thx for reminder. I always took the 1266 TC as a great “hey come listen to this headphone” headphone but for long sessions it wasn’t doable.

 

[Hitorijanae]

Mine is the Focal Clear Mg. They don't sound "bad" per se, just somewhat boring and average. Are they better than my Elex? Sure, but only marginally. When I put them up against anything else I own in their weight class, they just don't hold up. The soundstage is small, the imaging is lackluster - like a slightly better version of the HD600 three blob effect. The midrange doesn't wow me like my Atriums or my Auteur. The high end isn't as precise as my sticker modded 8XX. The subbass doesn't extend as far as my LCD-X, let alone my LCD-3, though the bass impact is definitely the real deal. In all honesty they just feel like a musical palette cleanser, and I do use them as such when I'm trying out a new pair of headphones, but for over a grand, I was hoping they'd stand out more than they do.

Part of me wants to get a Utopia just to see if it's just the Clear/Elear line or if Focal's house tuning really is that boring, but I'm not very enticed by the idea of spending another 2 or 3 grand just to experience another, marginally better version of the Clear, which is only marginally better than the Elex. I'll have to try em out at the next Canjam but for now I'm not a fan.

(Not to mention the headband issues, unit variance and clipping)

 

[JazzVinyl]

Mine is the Focal Clear Mg. They don't sound "bad" per se, just somewhat boring and average. Are they better than my Elex? Sure, but only marginally. When I put them up against anything else I own in their weight class, they just don't hold up. The soundstage is small, the imaging is lackluster - like a slightly better version of the HD600 three blob effect. The midrange doesn't wow me like my Atriums or my Auteur. The high end isn't as precise as my sticker modded 8XX. The subbass doesn't extend as far as my LCD-X, let alone my LCD-3, though the bass impact is definitely the real deal. In all honesty they just feel like a musical palette cleanser, and I do use them as such when I'm trying out a new pair of headphones, but for over a grand, I was hoping they'd stand out more than they do.

Part of me wants to get a Utopia just to see if it's just the Clear/Elear line or if Focal's house tuning really is that boring, but I'm not very enticed by the idea of spending another 2 or 3 grand just to experience another, marginally better version of the Clear, which is only marginally better than the Elex. I'll have to try em out at the next Canjam but for now I'm not a fan or

(Not to mention the headband issues, unit variance and clipping)

Curious as to what the amplifier was?

 

[Hitorijanae]

Curious as to what the amplifier was?

I tried them out of 4 different amps, the Magni Piety, Jot 2, Ibasso DX300 using the AMP12EX module, and my friend's Bottlehead Mainline after we finished building it, all to a similar result with the exception of the Piety and Mainline. Those were better but not by leagues or anything

 

[vonBaron]

Mine is the Focal Clear Mg. They don't sound "bad" per se, just somewhat boring and average. Are they better than my Elex? Sure, but only marginally. When I put them up against anything else I own in their weight class, they just don't hold up. The soundstage is small, the imaging is lackluster - like a slightly better version of the HD600 three blob effect. The midrange doesn't wow me like my Atriums or my Auteur. The high end isn't as precise as my sticker modded 8XX. The subbass doesn't extend as far as my LCD-X, let alone my LCD-3, though the bass impact is definitely the real deal. In all honesty they just feel like a musical palette cleanser, and I do use them as such when I'm trying out a new pair of headphones, but for over a grand, I was hoping they'd stand out more than they do.

Part of me wants to get a Utopia just to see if it's just the Clear/Elear line or if Focal's house tuning really is that boring, but I'm not very enticed by the idea of spending another 2 or 3 grand just to experience another, marginally better version of the Clear, which is only marginally better than the Elex. I'll have to try em out at the next Canjam but for now I'm not a fan.

(Not to mention the headband issues, unit variance and clipping)

This is because stock pads, try Dekoni Fenestrated Sheepskin. Much improved.

 

[OnlySoMany]

I forgot about rotating the pads, it was a necessity too. Thx for reminder. I always took the 1266 TC as a great “hey come listen to this headphone” headphone but for long sessions it wasn’t doable.

Kind of like Susvara and Utopia.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

You’re not alone.

I tried Diana V2 and Phi with superconductor, full loom of JPS Labs including their stupid expensive Kaptovator, and the XI Broadway plus K DAC.

Nothing will transform or fix the sound of a headphone and much less cables.
Actually; after spending all that money I began to learn about how many scams exist in this audio industry with cables being the largest perpetrator.

Have to admit, it was so hard for me to justified superconductor with Diana V2 and Diana Phi. The differences was so little, and definitely not worth the price asked. This statement come from a strong cable believer and try to synergise various power cables (from various brands) in my set up.

With AB1266 TC, Superconductor provide much more noticeable effect though. I haven't tried many (expensive) cables with it, but so far SC is the best for 1266 TC.

 

[hakunamakaka]

Mine is the Focal Clear Mg. They don't sound "bad" per se, just somewhat boring and average. Are they better than my Elex? Sure, but only marginally. When I put them up against anything else I own in their weight class, they just don't hold up. The soundstage is small, the imaging is lackluster - like a slightly better version of the HD600 three blob effect. The midrange doesn't wow me like my Atriums or my Auteur. The high end isn't as precise as my sticker modded 8XX. The subbass doesn't extend as far as my LCD-X, let alone my LCD-3, though the bass impact is definitely the real deal. In all honesty they just feel like a musical palette cleanser, and I do use them as such when I'm trying out a new pair of headphones, but for over a grand, I was hoping they'd stand out more than they do.

Part of me wants to get a Utopia just to see if it's just the Clear/Elear line or if Focal's house tuning really is that boring, but I'm not very enticed by the idea of spending another 2 or 3 grand just to experience another, marginally better version of the Clear, which is only marginally better than the Elex. I'll have to try em out at the next Canjam but for now I'm not a fan.

(Not to mention the headband issues, unit variance and clipping)

stock Clear MG is a straight forward downgrade from OG Clear to my ears. Utopia while being far more expensive is a different ball game, especially with good source. It outscales Clear plugged into anything, but carefully matched source will make Utopia shine. To me it's the best headphone so far, easy to drive, lightweight and can be even portable if needed.

 

[Hitorijanae]

stock Clear MG is a straight forward downgrade from OG Clear to my ears. Utopia while being far more expensive is a different ball game, especially with good source. It outscales Clear plugged into anything, but carefully matched source will make Utopia shine. To me it's the best headphone so far, easy to drive, lightweight and can be even portable if needed.

Yeah that's what I'd heard about the Utopia but the lack of clear (pun intended) improvement from the Elex to the Clear Mg really put me off. I'll have to get my hands on a pair and see. What sources do you think synergize best with the Utopia?

This is because stock pads, try Dekoni Fenestrated Sheepskin. Much improved.

Interesting, do they really make that much of a difference for the FR?

 

[hakunamakaka]

Yeah that's what I'd heard about the Utopia but the lack of clear (pun intended) improvement from the Elex to the Clear Mg really put me off. I'll have to get my hands on a pair and see. What sources do you think synergize best with the Utopia?


Interesting, do they really make that much of a difference for the FR?

Utopia will place nice out of anything really and would easily beat Clear fed by USB dongle. Source would depend on your end goals and how much you are willing to spend on it. For many years I've lived with qutest + luxman p1u combo which gave slight warmth to this HP and now after upgrading dac/amp it's a different tier sound, but may be overkill for many.

I did enjoyed Utopia more from SS amps than tubes, but my priority in music is mainly electronic so resolution comes in favor of timbre. You can easily stick with portable dac/amp and call it a day. I had Qudelix 5k and PEQ is nice, but it is outclassed by modern dongles as Caiyn RU7 or Luxury W4. from there diminishing returns starts kicking unless you are ready to spend much more to easily hear improvements.

Worth to notice Utopia 2022 is close to just plug&play, OG Utopia is leaner sounding and more source picky. Biggest advantage with these headphones is ease of drive, portability and comfort with flagship tier sound. When I had D8000 which had superior bass while Utopia being better in other areas I could never get by it's weight and how big it feels on my head. So I don't even bother with stuff like Abyss TC. To me headphone must be a headphone so I could listen to music in my living room/work room or take to the trips if I know I'll be in quiet environment

 

[Ficcion2]

Have to admit, it was so hard for me to justified superconductor with Diana V2 and Diana Phi. The differences was so little, and definitely not worth the price asked. This statement come from a strong cable believer and try to synergise various power cables (from various brands) in my set up.

With AB1266 TC, Superconductor provide much more noticeable effect though. I haven't tried many (expensive) cables with it, but so far SC is the best for 1266 TC.

Ive never tried the 1266. I was going to purchase one before getting the Diana but reading about the quirky fit made me stay away. I never had fit issues with Diana despite many complaints so maybe the 1266 wouldnt have been so bad after all but I've ultimately shied away from any more Abyss products especially after the distortion fiasco.

Despite me not agreeing that cables affect FR I still get the appeal of sexy cables.
I only own two expensive cables now which is the one that came with my D8KP and a Norne Vygarde which I bought because I found it at a fair price.