Abyss Diana V2 Review (headphone)

[audio_noodle]

I thought totl planars have similar bass distortion to that of the stax?
This is off my memory from innerfidelity charts.
Many years ago, someone also measured an lcd-2 to have super low distortion, but this could have been a pre fazor unicorn.
The Lcd-x bass distortion measurements from Amir were quite good and had plenty of spl.
I've heard the older stax some of which do sub bass well

Ye the newer lambdas and 007 can't seal at all, you'd need to plug them up. Older ones have flat bass extension below audible

 

[amirm]

Looking at the Diana pads, it's hard to see how they would seal against a flat surface like on the microphone rig.

Why? They are super soft and flexible. They are supposed to mold to your head. Why do you think they won't mold to a flat surface? It is not like they are made out of stone or something.

 

[audio_noodle]

DMS from abyss also uses a flat surface measuring rig...

i've not tried he60 but apparently the stock energizer is very poor, in general a transformer setup should perform vastly better and from the people i know, every single one has preferred the performance of srd7 speaker amp combo

 

[Maki]

i've not tried he60 but apparently the stock energizer is very poor, in general a transformer setup should perform vastly better and from the people i know, every single one has preferred the performance of srd7 speaker amp combo

Did they blind test?

 

[MerlinGS]

Yet here you are, more or less a stranger to me. Some one I've never seen at any of the high end shows which maybe I just missed ya as I've no idea what you look like in real life, but your also some one who I haven't seen post any where but here

I don't know what to make of this post, you are the one visiting his website, yet you are stating "yet here you are". Why would he not be here? He created this forum to do exactly what he has been doing and has spent a lot of time explaining his purpose and his process (sometimes many times in a review thread).

Just intent focus on YOUR results... and resistance to have any discussion about how you came to get these results...I dunno there's just a lack of transparency

I'm not sure you have read his reviews with any level of critical scrutiny. If you bothered to just give this website (even this thread) a cursory reading with at least a reasonable level of intellectual rigour you would be able to see the incredible irony of your post. He is performing the tests with industry recognized instrumentation. He explained how he arrived at his measurements, he explained fairly clearly why he felt the measurement he posted reflected his listening experience (BTW, this approach is not a dismissal of measurements, but rather an attempt to correlate HP measurements and listening experience, this approach is consistent with the assumption that HP measurements are in a relatively nascent stage of development as compared to speaker measurements and research).

As to why his posts focus on his results and findings, what an odd question. Amirm knows how he arrived at his results, and he is pretty confident of his process and conclusions (especially since they correlate well with empirical evidence he has gathered). Have you been as critical of results that don't match Amirm's? If not, why not? His findings raise a number of questions that need to be answered (e.g. distortions and how the limit the user's ability to improve the HP experience through eq.). Lastly, in addition to totally misrepresenting much of Amirm's work (i.e. his many posts, reviews and descriptions of processes) you decide to aggravate matters by resorting to veiled ad hominem's.

I've no idea what you look like in real life, but your also some one who I haven't seen post any where but here...but you have your reasons I have no more desire or interest to question you

You have never seen him post before or knowingly met him at a trade show? Then I take it all back, if YOU have not ever read a post from him outside of this forum or met him at a trade show, then Amirm warrants no level of respect nor consideration.

Oh, wait. If you choose to ignore his credentials in the industry (btw, very easy to find out what they are), and want to know if he has ever posted elsewhere (since that is the true measure of a person's cred in the industry), he posted often and for many yrs at AVSForum and in the early stages of Whatsbestforum (btw, a mostly subjective forum). I have not always agreed with Amirm (have even question some of his speaker preferences at this site), but your misrepresentations and insinuations are totally unwarranted. Amirm must feel very flattered that you "have no more desire or interest to question [him]".

PS

Heck even Jude him self has made an extensive effort to discuss process the head honcho of THE headphone website

I expect you have been highly critical of Jude and his forum ("THE headphone website") for the high quotient of snake oil vs science.

 

[amirm]

Yet here you are, more or less a stranger to me. Some one I've never seen at any of the high end shows which maybe I just missed ya as I've no idea what you look like in real life, but your also some one who I haven't seen post any where but here...

I have been to ton of high-end audio shows -- I suspect far more than you have. You can see the sampling of them since I started this forum: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?categories/audio-shows.34/. I have post a ton in other fora like that before the inception of ASR.

There are full, suite by suite write-ups on equipment and even music played. I go there at the start and work night and day evaluating everything at the shows and then spend tons of time on prepping the images, looking up music and writing the reports.

You also have my full name, and my credentials in my signature: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/a-bit-about-your-host.1906/

So you not knowing who I am or what I have done is a problem with how much you looked which clearly is hardly at all to arrive at that conclusion.

In sharp contrast, I have no idea who you are, what qualifications you have, etc. So you not knowing me is neither here, nor there. It is not like I go to audio shows and introduce myself to every random person who is there.

 

[amirm]

So did the company post measurements as they promised? If not, why not? If they had already measured them, then posting would take minutes, not days. I like to see full protocol for any testing, including fixture and conditions used.

 

[Chocomel]

So did the company post measurements as they promised? If not, why not? If they had already measured them, then posting would take minutes, not days. I like to see full protocol for any testing, including fixture and conditions used.

They said they would prefer a third party to do it, they are currently looking into working something out. https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/kxgcun/_/gja6lp8
I'm also not sure if they have a suitable Measurement rig.

 

[the_brunx]

I hope they don't do a golden sample or any other funny business. because sooner or later people will just find out.
If they know the measurements are realistic, It would do them better to just promise to improve on a Diana V3 or something and move on.
we already know from the youtube videos they are not headed by an objectivist, So why would anyone expect their product/measurements to be that.

 

[amirm]

Well shoot. I wanted to see their measurements and internal protocols after they bragged about knowing more than me. And evidence thereof that such was used in development of the headphone. Having someone else test the headphone while useful, is not addressing the situation at hand.

 

[_thelaughingman]

They said they would prefer a third party to do it, they are currently looking into working something out. https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/kxgcun/_/gja6lp8
I'm also not sure if they have a suitable Measurement rig.

Sounds awful suspicious to me about the whole "we need a third party to test the viability of measurements provided here". Typical snakeoil salesman MO to hide the embarrassment of having being called out for ****** product.

 

[elira]

Maybe they'll just halt like Centrance and at the end just say: "you don't understand my product".

 

[_thelaughingman]

Yet here you are, more or less a stranger to me. Some one I've never seen at any of the high end shows which maybe I just missed ya as I've no idea what you look like in real life, but your also some one who I haven't seen post any where but here...

Before you go after people on the internet with inflammatory language and post, please fix your third grade grammar. Let me correct it for you "I've no idea what you look like in real life, but you're also some one" Yes its you are not your. And since you seem to be so butt hurt about scientific measurements proving the claims of a manufacturer to be bogus, maybe you should not go and seek out forums that have audiophiles that believe in scientific proof than some fluffed up pudding being sold with unicorn gold dust. (What I just typed, wouldn't make any sense to your level of English comprehension).

 

[xup]

Well shoot. I wanted to see their measurements and internal protocols after they bragged about knowing more than me. And evidence thereof that such was used in development of the headphone. Having someone else test the headphone while useful, is not addressing the situation at hand.

Apparently, DMS works for them now as marketing I believe? So, to a degree, his measurements are kind of semi sort of official?
Or we could just wait for a third party.
I would be interested in seeing maybe oratory90 do it. I know they have quite the following on reddit and they do that for a living if I understand correctly, so should be an expert that can have a meaningful and fruitful discussion that we could hopefully learn from.
From what I read, your process makes sense, but I'm no expert. I'd just want the truth. I think you're probably right, but if more, I'd like the community to learn why and how to improve. And if you are, another third party who's an expert to put some of the silly discussions to rest (I stopped engaging on headfi after someone was talking to me about common sense and gear behavior with different power cords when I was trying to explain that our senses cannot be trusted due to biases...).
I just wish people behaved like grown ups lol

 

[xup]

Before you go after people on the internet with inflammatory language and post, please fix your third grade grammar. Let me correct it for you "I've no idea what you look like in real life, but you're also some one" Yes its you are not your. And since you seem to be so butt hurt about scientific measurements proving the claims of a manufacturer to be bogus, maybe you should not go and seek out forums that have audiophiles that believe in scientific proof than some fluffed up pudding being sold with unicorn gold dust. (What I just typed, wouldn't make any sense to your level of English comprehension).

I think that's a bit uncalled for. Not everyone is a native English speaker. Even if they are, it's not part of the discussion, in my humble opinion

 

[amirm]

Apparently, DMS works for them now as marketing I believe?

Seems like it. What setup does he use for measurements? Is it documented some place?

 

[Rba1]

This is great! I just joined this forum because of this thread. Abyss got a 3rd party (Head-Fi) to test the Diana and guess what, they got different results. So how could that be? Were the units used here damaged? Old? I’m wondering why they sounded so bad to the tester here while all the other YouTube reviewers sing the Diana praises? Is it just bias on their part and this is the only honest site? How many tests have been conducted with this new setup? I saw a post from Dec about acquiring the setup that looks very professional but only 6 tests so far? So maybe the methodology isn’t fully dialed in?
Maybe headfi is just pandering to Abyss and developed a test to make the Diana look as good as possible?

 

[GoldenOne]

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/dia...byss-headphones.777618/page-224#post-16106695

Jude from head-fi has posted quite a comprehensive write-up on this now

 

[amirm]

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/dia...byss-headphones.777618/page-224#post-16106695

Jude from head-fi has posted quite a comprehensive write-up on this now

Gosh man, what has he posted there? Why would he post measurements using B&K 5128 which no one has? How is that supposed to relate to my measurements? There is not even a preference curve for that HATS so no way to verify anything produced using it as being valid.

And then everything else has its own scales, presentation instead of trying to replicate what I have and then showing his data agrees or disagrees with mine. As it is, it is a 100 graphs thrown at the wall, aiming to confuse the average person in thinking quantity means there is real information there. There isn't.

Anyway, if this is Abyss' answer, then it is a fail. I wanted to know what measurements they had used to design this equipment. If they don't have any, it means they did not use any and so distortion and frequency response could be all over the map.

 

[DocShade]

Gosh man, what has he posted there? Why would he post measurements using B&K 5128 which no one has? How is that supposed to relate to my measurements? There is not even a preference curve for that HATS so no way to verify anything produced using it as being valid.

And then everything else has its own scales, presentation instead of trying to replicate what I have and then showing his data agrees or disagrees with mine. As it is, it is a 100 graphs thrown at the wall, aiming to confuse the average person in thinking quantity means there is real information there. There isn't.

Anyway, if this is Abyss' answer, then it is a fail. I wanted to know what measurements they had used to design this equipment. If they don't have any, it means they did not use any and so distortion and frequency response could be all over the map.

He measured it on both B&K and GRAS rigs (the same one that you use). Please read his post fully.