I was wrong… - Abyss Diana TC

Submitted by petethebeat14 t3_118hy26 in headphones

I posted here the other day about my recent purchase of the Diana TC’s complaining of how much I didn’t like them in comparison to my Sennheiser Momentum’s.

Boy was I wrong.

The Aybss Diana TC’s are incredible. Let me explain.

As a few of you mentioned in that thread, it is 100% in need of a powerful amp. The night I tested them and they sounded super quiet and devoid of bass, I was listening on a meh old Marantz.

Today I rented two amps to really test them out.

The first was the Ergo AMP1.

The other was the Fezz Audio Omega Lupi.

By god, the Omega Lupi made them sound INCREDIBLE. The bass is fantastic, the dynamics I complained about being absent are totally here. Mind you, this amp is expensive but it definetly brings the best out of these things.

The Ergo AMP1 was still a little distorted to me.

Sorry this was a little all over the place but would love to hear others thoughts about this. Has anyone who didn’t like these headphones try them on an amp equivalent to the Omega Lupi?

I’m truly shocked. A hilarious investment to get them to sound good but man, if you can… they’re worth it!

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attlo996 t1_j9hb2q4 wrote

I personally think that unless you like how a tube amp makes them sound, any cheaper class A amp, could drive them better than your original Marantz. Don't NEED to spend that much, unless you WANT to spend that much, in that case...

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petethebeat14 OP t1_j9hdhip wrote

Is the Ergo AMP1 in that class?

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attlo996 t1_j9herse wrote

I don't know that exact model, but it should, unless it is complete garbage. That's why I suggested that you might just like the way that tube amps sound. The main point is that you don't have to spend that much to achieve that sound.

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TRX808 t1_j9hcb66 wrote

mo money mo problems

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bbuky01 t1_j9hhyqp wrote

I commented on that thread and as others said probably not being driven well enough , as what you were hearing was definitely not what I’m hearing from my Diana TC’s.
I’m glad you didn’t give up on them as I listen to them much more than the other headphones I have and with the new bass ported pads gives them some added bass punch and also widens the soundstage a bit. I have not heard the Omega Lupi and 250 mW does seem a bit low but my Amps and Sound Kenzie only does 350 mW @ 32 ohms and the TC’s do sound fantastic with it as well. A lot of my listening is done thru my iFi iDSD Diablo as I like to sit out on the back patio with a brew or a bourbon or two when the weather is not too inhospitable.

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petethebeat14 OP t1_j9hqkfz wrote

Yeah, thanks for the info! Really glad I stuck with them.

How much are the pads? I definitely think the bass is pretty damn good now with this amp. Is it a super noticeable difference?

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bbuky01 t1_j9ks3sq wrote

They are expensive as well $269.

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hurtyewh t1_j9ihayu wrote

The headphone outputs on power amplifiers are often garbage. Like a $1-3k amp can have a headphone output that has nothing on an Apple dongle except maybe output power.

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phalanx2357 t1_j9k8qq3 wrote

Assume you didn't see my initial post from your original thread. Here's a copy about driving.

For driving the Diana TC: On the more analytical end, I would recommend the Topping A90 or A90 discrete. If you prefer warmer, I would recommend the Burson Soloist 3x. Of course you can go up to Ferrum Oor or other more expensive amps if that's what you want as well. The Diana TC has amazing clarity and highs that beautifully reproduce the sounds of string instruments or sibilance in female vocals. Some people may find these annoying - the Burson, being warmer, definitely damps those down a bit, and adds to even a stronger bass. However be warned, since the Diana TC has very strong bass to begin with, adding even greater percussive pressure could be a negative - it's really all a matter of personal taste.

Some commentary on head fi generally would recommend fairly high powered amps for low sensitivity planars due to transient spikes in dbs - for example one percussive strike could be many dbs above the average background volume of the music piece, and to hear that accurately reproduced, you would need MUCH greater power (since 2x power is needed for just a 3db increase). All the above recommendations generated several watts of power so there's no issue in power delivery.

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