ASR has saved many of us. It's amazing how much BS is thrown at people looking to buy audio gear. They try to make you believe even spending $20k is not enough to get 'good sound'
ASR has saved many of us. It's amazing how much BS is thrown at people looking to buy audio gear. They try to make you believe even spending $20k is not enough to get 'good sound'
Just got the truthears. Did some testing with it plugged into a simple Apple 9$ dongle. Holy crap, I can’t believe these things are 50$. This is an amazing reference point for comparing IEMs to. After listening to these for 50$ I can see the Diana TCs are crap tbh lol.
oh my godHello all,
I'm new to the audiophile world, I just started getting into audiophile gear in November.
I kinda jumped into this hobby head first, I started off with the HD6XX and a Topping DX3+ Pro. After hearing those I knew I wanted more. I started doing a ton of review watching + learning on Youtube. I mostly watched Joshua Valour to make my purchasing decisions as he seemed to have a wide range of headphone reviews.
After watching a bunch of his videos I decided to jump right in and buy the Topping A90/D90SE & Abyss Diana TC Headphones.
After reaching out to Abyss, I was convinced to go with the XIAudio Stack and cancel the topping stack. Here was the reasoning:
Here is my setup as it stands today:
- XIAudio K Dac
- XIAudio Broadway
- Superconductor HP Upgrade Cable for Diana
- Diana TC Bass Ported Ear Pads
- Superconductor V USB Cable
- 2x JPS Labs Digital AC-X Filtered AC Cord
- Aurender N150
- Abyss Diana TC Headphones
To be clear, I am very happy with the build quality & sound of the Diana's and my setup. However I am very new to audiophile gear, and I haven't heard many headphones. I've been reading a lot of negative reviews of Abyss products on this forum.
I wanted to see what everyone thought of this stack I have. Also, for the people who don't like the Diana TC's what headphones should I try? I’m looking for the best sounding setup I can get. I am thinking about ordering the Meze Elite's to compare to the Diana's.
Also, I couldn't find many reviews of the XIAudio K Dac + Broadway. What's your opinion of this DAC + AMP Combo? Does it outperform the Topping A90/D90SE?
Thanks all!
oh my god
oh my god
Much better choices overall, remember to always shop from places that have a good return policy. Headphones.com apparently has a 365-day return policy although I have had no experience with dealing with them, Apos audio is also good too if you're the US, otherwise there's amazon or even local shops. If money is no object I would personally have got the new RME ADI-2/4 Pro SE which is an improvement on the old one ($1000 more than the Topping stack and one single unit which I prefer, also has EQ and a lot of other useful features built in), but the Topping stack is still an exceptional top-tier choice overall. I guess this option is still on the table for you since you can always return to Apos.Hey guys,
Thank you all for the great options you proposed. Here’s where I’m at right now:
- Ordered the Topping A90/D90SE stack from Apos (I want a lot of power so I have a wide range of headphones I can purchase in the future)
- Exchanging the Diana’s for the Dan Clark Expanse
- Setup Volumio on a RBP that I’ll connect to the Topping DAC so I can do EQ, etc.. returned the Aurender
- Attempting to return the K DAC (Broadway is unreturnable)
- Contacted Abyss and asked if they would accept cable returns if I return in original packages, pay for shipping, and pay a huge restocking fee. Request was denied.
I’m going to try the DCA Expanse as they were highly recommended by Amir on his review. Really interested to try them. Also going to the Florida Audio Show so I can try a bunch of different stuff to get a feel for if there’s any other headphones I like.
Thank you all very much for all your help here, excited to try out the new stack!!
My old extremely heavy body can't even fit through the door to get in. I'd love a corvette but I have to lose 100 pounds. One of my cheeks will fit in the entire seat. So, it remains a dream. Glad to hear you have some stout rides. Nothing like lots of horsepower!And off topic on audio for your mention to cars: I'm more into german built cars personally. I have a BMW M8 Competition Gran Coupe as my daily and a Porsche 911 Turbo S as my weekender. I've driven the new C8 Corvette w/Z51 Package for a week and its an amazing car. If you get the chance to purchase one, I'd highly recommend it. You can't beat it for the price to performance, there just as fast as my M8 & are pretty well built compared to the C7.
Amazing thank you, going to try posting them on there. Recovering anything helps than just letting them sit around.
@amirm on a second thought, would you be interested in reviewing any of the following?
- XIAUDIO K DAC
- XIAUDIO Broadway
- JPS Labs Superconductor V USB Cable
- JPS Labs Digital Filtered Power Cable
- JPS Labs Superconductor 2 XLR cables
Can I just pop in to say how nice it is to have someone who doesn't argue that all of their previous purchases were good ideas and actually wants to learn?Yep I've been buying custom Paracord cables off a seller on Etsy. I haven't been able to pickup a difference in sound quality, they are super thin and flexible which is really nice.
agreed. OP took it pretty well - I felt bad for him initially but am happy for him and admire his attitude. if all "audiophiles" have that open mind, this industry would be a much better placeCan I just pop in to say how nice it is to have someone who doesn't argue that all of their previous purchases were good ideas and actually wants to learn?
Can I just pop in to say how nice it is to have someone who doesn't argue that all of their previous purchases were good ideas and actually wants to learn?
Cool. Which seller? Would be cool to have a look.Yep I've been buying custom Paracord cables off a seller on Etsy. I haven't been able to pickup a difference in sound quality, they are super thin and flexible which is really nice.
Since you dont have a budget and are interested in great sound, at the next meet or show you go to, give the hifiman susvara a try and see what ya think.![]()
FogCityAudio - Etsy
Shop Custom headphone cables without the wait by FogCityAudio located in San Francisco, California. Smooth shipping! Has a history of shipping on time with tracking. Speedy replies! Has a history of replying to messages quickly. Rave reviews! Average review rating is 4.8 or higherwww.etsy.com
He's awesome, I ordered a DCA Expanse cable, HD6XX cable, and XLR interconnects. He made & shipped them out in 1 day, and they arrived in 2. Super happy with them as they are really thin and flexible so they don't get in the way