The real question: which planar is kinder to your amp?
This high-end headphone comparison looks at two luxury open-back planar magnetic headphones, the Abyss Diana MRx and HiFiMAN HE6 Remastered, focusing on amplifier power demands, bass behavior, and build refinements for reference-grade listeners in the USD 1,800–2,000 (approx. RM8,300–RM9,200) bracket. The blunt takeaway: both demand serious amplification, but the HE6 Remastered is far less forgiving of anything short of a muscular desktop amp, while the Diana MRx trades some efficiency for extended bass and comfort polish. If you want planar magnetic headphones that plug into anything, these are the wrong tools; if you want luxury audio equipment that exposes every strength and flaw in your chain, they are very much the point. The decision is less about price and more about how far you’re willing to go with power and ergonomics.
Amplifier demands: difficult vs ruthless
Both models sit in the same rarefied tier of open-back headphones designed for dedicated rigs, not casual sources. The Abyss Diana MRx is openly described as "not a very sensitive headphone" and is assumed to be paired with a good DAC/amp stack; a compact device like the Chord Mojo 2 can work, though a balanced desktop amplifier is suggested for best results. In practice, that means it is demanding, but not absurd, for a planar in this class.
The HiFiMAN HE6 Remastered, by contrast, is proudly uncompromising. With 83.5 dB sensitivity and 50-ohm impedance, it "is not a headphone for a modest dongle DAC or lightweight portable source" and pointedly "not a product for a phone, laptop jack, or feeble dongle DAC." It expects serious current from a capable desktop amplifier to unlock the speed and dynamics that made the original HE6 a legend. In the contest over which planar magnetic headphone demands less amplifier power, the Diana MRx wins by being strict rather than brutal.
Bass and frequency response: sub-bass authority vs full-range speed
If bass quality is your deciding factor, the Diana MRx has a clear, engineered mission. Its in-house planar magnetic drivers are designed for low distortion and a full-range response "beyond the limits of audibility," and the key Extended Bass Response (EBR) upgrade gives a flat bass response down to 10 Hz. This makes it a bass-reference open-back headphone: sub-bass has authority and reach, but within a controlled, reference-style tuning rather than a bloated curve.
The HE6 Remastered leans on a different strength: its ultra-thin Nanometer Thickness Diaphragm, less than one-millionth of a meter thick, was designed to deliver "extremely fast response, outstanding dynamic range and frequency characteristics, low distortion, high transient response, and comprehensive improvements in dynamics and detail." Its frequency response is rated at 8 Hz–65 kHz, which speaks to similar bandwidth on paper, but the story is more about speed and slam than about an explicitly bass-reference target. In short, the Diana MRx is the sub-bass precision instrument; the HE6 Remastered is the wideband, high-speed scalpel.
Comfort and build: luxury compactness vs heritage heft
Luxury audio equipment lives or dies on whether you want to keep it on your head for hours. The Diana MRx embraces that idea with a slim aircraft-grade aluminum frame, leather headband and ultra-suede suspension strap, and new pillow-top lambskin ear pads designed to fix past sealing problems. Clamp is tuned to keep the seal without pinch, and the headphone is described as light, stable, and comfortable for extended listening, with breathable pads that provide ample room. Add forged carbon or sapele wood finishes and you get a compact, fashion-forward open-back that wears like a piece of high-end jewelry as much as a tool.
The HE6 Remastered is more about honoring a classic than chasing minimalism. It keeps the original driver and open-back architecture but swaps in a composite headband that drops weight from 550 g to 522 g. "That is an improvement, certainly, but 522 grams is not exactly light by modern headphone standards." In other words, HiFiMAN has improved comfort without changing the fundamental character: this is still a large, heavy planar intended for seated, serious sessions in front of a desktop amplifier.
Who these planars are really for
Both headphones sit in the USD 1,800–2,000 (approx. RM8,300–RM9,200) open-back planar segment favored by reference-grade listeners who are willing to build a system around their transducers. The Diana MRx arrives as the latest addition to one of the most recognizable luxury headphone lines in high-end audio, aimed at audiophiles and professionals who want reference-level sub-bass extension, comfort, and immersive spatial presentation in a compact, luxurious form factor.
The HE6 Remastered targets a narrower but passionate audience: longtime fans of the HE6 and newcomers who understand that a demanding planar magnetic headphone can still be worth the trouble when tied to serious desktop listening. At USD 1,899 (approx. RM9,200), it "is not the obvious value play, nor is it the most convenient choice in this price range," but it keeps the sound signature that sets a benchmark for open-back planar models at its price point. The shared caveat is clear: neither model belongs anywhere near a laptop jack or dongle DAC. If you are not ready to invest in real amplification, both will feel like mistakes; if you are, they represent two very different visions of planar excellence.
