Finally was able to snag a pair after a long journey through Audeze, Focal, Dan Clark, and HIFIMAN. I’m impressed by its ability to deliver amazing detail without sounding analytical or too trebly. The detail comes through holistically as part of the overall musical fabric. Revelatory and very satisfying, to these ears at least.
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Agreed. I recently picked up a pair from The Evolution Of Sound (Abyss Factory Outlet). This pair is in Dark Bronze, has new pads, and looks brand new. Also has the headband mod, which helps out with comfort a lot. The price was too good to pass up.
I’ve read both good and not so good about the Diana TC headphones. I’ve owned a Diana V1 years ago, and it was a mixed bag. Some aspects of the headphone were quite noteworthy, but two things I had issues with was that my headphone amps at the time couldn’t drive them to their full potential. They also were a bit dark sounding with the OG pads.
Although I’m warming up to the idea of using EQ for some headphones, would much rather have have headphones that don’t need EQ to enjoy, especially if one has a lot of disc media. The Verum 2, Sennheiser HD 600/650 are the only headphones I’ve owned that really didn’t need EQ to enjoy. I can now safely add the Abyss Diana to this list. To me, it sounds very balanced from octave to octave. No headphone is perfect, but the TC is close enough for government work, as the saying goes.
I now own headphone amps that have plenty of power to drive pretty much any headphone without any issues (Topping A900, Canever ZeroUno, Topping DX9 Discrete). Contrary to some other opinions. my experience is that a given headphone’s ranking can and does change depending upon what playback hardware the headphone is connected to.
The Diana TC has the ability to present micro details with clarity that very few headphones I’ve heard can achieve. Vocals are almost spooky, both male and female vocals have a presence that sounds close to being live. The recording venue’s acoustics seem to come across in spades. The bass has excellent definition, sounds very natural without being overpowering. The midrange is among the best I’ve heard on headphones to date. Horns, woodwinds, and strings have a natural sound to them. The treble is extended, but not harsh, adding a bit of air to the playback.
In summary, this headphone is worthy of flagship level designation. I can listen to music of any genre for hours without fatigue with these headphones.
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