So, curious. If you love the helios so much why havenāt you tried out the dt 990 600 ohm, T1 gen 2, T5P, or definitely tried the dt 1990s? Seeing how the Helios is said to be a V signature perhaps you should look into these bud. You may love them. Definitely different than 880 which is a rather special headphone
Mate do the work itās in the thread somewhere lol
Very simple question. Sorry I asked.
LOLā¦a million characters lol
You need to change your bio page to mark he Helios as your fave, rather than the Arya lol
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This has been the big controversy of headphones fopps lol. Surprised you havenāt heard of it. Thats probably why your inquiry was met with such incredulity. A lot of people have been following it.
TIMELINE:
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We start hearing about a new headphone from ThieAudio the company that put out the Phantom headphone and Linsoul, big company in audio sales. They form a new company called Harmonicdyne, say their coming out with a new headphone that will amaze and thrill. Says they commissioned a new custom driver from the Germans. this headphone will cost only 200$. An early bird offer of 130$ is offered. Many doubt that the headphone is worth even 130$ and treat the offer with doubt.
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This causes a stir among audiophiles
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The headphone is given to reviewers. They get a lukewarm reception.
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Zeos gets one and says it competes with the Sundara. a sacred cow among audiophiles.
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Audiophiles became angry they loot and revolt setting the city on fire.
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M0N creates an Official thread on the Helios on Hifiguides. the hottest new forum dedicated to Audiophilia
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Forum member Ant and a few others take up the cause promoting objectivity and unbiasedness for the headphone until it is released to the public and we can actually hear it. They want to remain positive about the headphone hoping that what Zeos says has merit.
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The vast majority heap loads of skepticism upon Ant and others. Ant still fights for unbiasedness and open-mindedness about the new product. Who is this hero of the Helios?
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HarmonicDyne releases a new product for the Helios. Pads. 5 pads for 25$ and 10 for 50$. Many on hifiguides seize upon this offer and say its proof that Harmonicdyne does not know what they are doing. Otherwise why release so many pads for their product? Ant urges people to be open minded. many manufacturers have alternate pads for their headphones. ZMF for example. They laugh at him. Say far too many pads have been offered. This comes to be known as āPad-Gateā
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The Helios has been released! Perhaps through providence Ant is the first to get one. Expecting a decent headphone he tries it and at first cannot make sense of what hes hearing. Over time he begins to realize the promise of this headphone. It becomes his daily driver.
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Ant tells the hifiguides community about the headphone. Earnestly revealing to them the greatness of the headphone. This is met with astonishment and disbelief. Many accuse Ant of being a troll. Say heās telling lies. Ant argues with them telling them what heās saying is honest and true.
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Ant continues on his Helios journey rejecting the criticism and begins to a/b test this new headphone with others he has. He compares them to the Elex. to the Aiva and finally the Arya. The Helios continues to amaze him as he realizes he prefers them to these giants of Headphoneness.
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Ant reveals his findings to the Hifiguides community. Many start to consider that maybe they should try the headphone. Give it a shot. Maybe even learn to love it?
Ok so this timeline is a little tongue in cheek i admit. This headphone is a U shaped frequency response. its very detailed. speedy and has a closer soundstage. it also has this openess which i struggled at first to define. But i think it has a big driver like presentation. It does sound big. I dont know if this is what Harmonic Dyne was going for. but it works and this is my new favorite headphone. The Arya is a better headphone in most ways. but its a more neutral headphone with a large soundstage and it doesnt compare to the fun excitement i feel when i listen to the Helios.
But take my finding and preference with a grain of salt. Its true i just started getting into this hobby last year. Ive been into this about a year. Maybe the nuances of headphone sound are escaping me. but i know what i like. and i really do love this headphone.
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Well thatās the only thing that matters out of that entire long response you just made.
ok lol. meh, i like to write
I can kinda relate to this. I kept telling people that if you pad swap the shp9500 that it completely transforms the headphone into something better. A headphone that competed with the DT1990. Any new headphone I get I tend keep for about 2 months then I end up selling them and going back to the shps.
I guess we both got a magical set or something lol.
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I just got the DT770. But the thing i hear about the Beyerās is their bright nuetral. with a lot of soundstage. I like U shape and not a lot of soundstage
What pads did you swap on your shps?
Dekoni DT Series elite hybrids
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So, Iāll have to say Iāve found myself reaching for these more often than I anticipated just for listening enjoyment with standard pop stuff mostly. Iāve also noticed that it does seem to scale decently, and seems to require a bit of burn in, as it has definitely come more toward neutral from the extreme V/U initially experienced. The bass seems to have cleaned up a bit, and highs are more pleasant. Not sure how much to attribute to mental burn in vs actual burn in and use with the RNHP and IHA-6 vs the Hiby R5 I did my initial testing with.
However, pulling out the Elex to do some A/B testing with tonight, I came across this track https://tidal.com/browse/track/142444586 that really highlights a major difference, I think, in how the Helios presents vs something like the Elex. The hand claps on the Elex really make it sound like youāre in the space (large showerā¦like in a locker room or something). You can hear the claps ringing off of the walls of the shower with a certain hollowness. The vocals, claps, and sound of the water falling in the shower are all distinct and separate. On the Helios, while it still sounds good, the recreation of the claps come through a bit more dampened. The natural echo of the space isnāt quite as realistic. This may just be due to the narrowness of the stage relative to the Elex, but it was the most noticeable difference Iāve encountered thus far in comparing the two. Otherwise, the mids are more forward on the Elex, and soundstage is wider, with highs lacking a touch of air offered by the Helios that helps to create some separation around some of the treble detail thatās still there, but not as noticeable.
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One thing i noticed is the Helios sounded more open than the Elex. When i put on the elex after listening to the Helios for a while it sounded smaller, more closed it. did you experience that too?
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Which padsā¦funny enough for now the Helios and SHP 9500 are the only two in my arsenalā¦panda and argon mk III incoming
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Nvr mineā¦I continues reading
Iām not sure that more open is quite what Iām hearing, as I think the Helios is a little more isolating, but the Elex is pretty intimate as well. I think the Elex presents a larger space and presents a little more naturally. The Helios sounds slightly dampened, like listening to the recording in a treated room or on the other side of a sheet, where the Elex is a touch more clear, allowing more natural sounding reverb/echo. This is specific to some acoustic folk Iāve been listening to, and hasnāt necessarily been consistent across genres.
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niceeee, helios sound quite good. and good to hear that you naturally end up gravitating towards them, since there has been alot of controversy about where they fall in would you be able to say what it competes with directly? It would be great if you have heard the 58x because thatās one of my fav headphones in that price range
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Hard to say what it competes directly with, as I donāt think I have it, or have heard it. It seems like it may most directly compete with something like a Beyer open back, I just donāt have one to compare to and have only spent a short period listening in store to the 990 Pro.
Relative to the 58x, though, I may have to do some A/B listening. The 58x is a bit more balanced, and mid forward. The Helios has a bit more low end impact and more upper āairā. After my initial impressions of the Helios, listening exclusively to it for several days, I did switch to the 58x, and it was a very nice complement, like wrapping up in a warm blanket by the fire after having to work to stay warm out in the cold. Both headphones are again intimate, but the Helios is more aggressive in itās presentation, relative to the laid back approach of the 58x.
Hope that helpsā¦
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no, that definetly helps. i think i can imagine what you mean, thatnks for that comparison!