I have not had a chance to try them.

Each person have different use cases and thats okay. More efficient headphones is something that is definitely more appealing, especially in cost so that not much has to be divested toward a powerful amp to drive an already expensive inefficient headphone.

Their headphones, snake oil allegations and all that aside, are really solid. Personally, they have my favorite house sound out of all the brands I've tried and the Diana offerings were my personal favorites. The 1266 I had some mixed feelings on, but I can admit that they're a very technically capable headphone, even if it wasn't a tuning I was as fond of as the Dianas. I can understand why there's a bandwagon regarding their business practices and whatnot, but as for their headphones? I think people should audition them first hand if they're able to. They're really a one of a kind planar headphone in my opinion 🤷

To be honest, with all the various different solid state and tube amps I tried that day, the headphones itself and their tuning would infinitely make a bigger impact on its sonic characteristics than an amp will. It was virtually impossible for me to judge any kind of amp without a proper a/b test and it would've entirely been dependant on possible placebo without it. I can't imagine the Diana Phi TC sounding all too different on a drastic level on an equivalent tier solid state amp as opposed to the tube amp it was hooked up to in the room. I understand your concerns though.

Every year they hold several canjams, and NYC is pretty much annually! Im sure you'll have some opportunities at some point to go there and try them for yourself. If you do, I hope you enjoy them as much as I did :P

You're welcome! With the time I spent with the 1266, the comfort was honestly not AS BAD as I thought it was. For my head at least, I wouldn't use it for more than like 2 hours maxiumum before taking a breather for a few minutes. The Diana is leagues better in comfort and honestly, even in sound. I think it would fit most people's heads just fine. I think the diana also has an accessory that allows you to fit some padding on the headband though which is supposed to add more comfort and alleviate any hotspots there!

Looks aren't everything you know! But I really loved the Susvaras as well. I just happen to prefer the tonality and sound signature of the Dianas a bit more.

Yeah I'd like to see a measurement too, but honestly, a graph is just a graph. The one thing you trust above all else is your own ears. If your ears enjoy what you hear, a graph means nothing as long as you enjoy the presentation of what you're hearing :)

Also yeah, I had the same impression of the HD800 prior to buying it, but it wasn't as bad either. It sounded EXTREMELY natural as well, timbre wise.

Haha I gotcha. Mad max's score was so bombastic, loved it. Junkie XL did a really solid job on that honestly.

Of course! I listened through Random Access Memories by Daft Punk and W:/2016ALBUM/ by Deadmau5, both of which played very very well on the TC. Genres I normally listen to most often is EDM, movie scoring, alternative rock, and hip hop.

Haven't done it with tubes yet, but later down the road I might!

The midrange is something special on these. I love the HD6x0's timbre, but the HD800/800S is like in a different league in terms of natural timbre.

Didn't need to use any spatial software because the HD800 just does its own thing which is kind of jaw dropping. For more competitive titles, honestly, the HD800/S just simply gives you the information you need, it all simply depends on you and how you choose to act on that information.

Haven't come across that problem. I'm sorry about that.

The treble is too hot at times I agree, and oratory's EQ fixes it for me when Im listening to brighter songs and genres and it's so amazing. The resolution really does make some recordings very unenjoyable, I forgot to add that in this review lol. But it's pretty brutal not gonna lie but, I think its worth it when you play beautifully mastered music through them.

It's a timeless classic that stands the test of time for sure!

Another fellow HD800 enjoyer :))