I depends what your looking for. For me the 58x is a great headphone, especially for the price. but i hate the veil on it, helios doesnt have that veil so its better for me. The Beyers dt880 and 990 and maybe even the 770 all sound thin and lack body. the Helios has that body and really nice bass, so imo its better.
I also love detail more than anything and this is where the Helios wows. It has great detail rivaling that of high end headphones. Usually to get that detail before you had to spend a lot. Now you can get it for 180$ lol. Thats the thing that blows me away about this headphone. Then theres the openness of it. It sounds big. but has a closer soundstage. thats probably the thing most that kills me about this driver.
But it has its drawbacks. The frequency response could be more refined. If they made a 600 ohm version of this headphone iād be first in line to buy it. The treble is a little harsh at times and i think i hear some grain sometimes. Thats why i wish Harmonicdyne would put out a higher end version of this headphone. I wonder how the headphone is doing sales wise. It was supposed to be 200$ and i see its 180$ so it doesnt look good that weāll get a higher end version.
So iām keeping me eye out for a headphone with the sound signature i like that the Helios duplicated perfectly. U shaped. Big sound presentation. close soundstage. high detail.
More burn in, more acclimation time, more comparing these to my Monoprice m570 and Takstar HF-580ā¦ and Iām pissed off!
Pissed off that I spent more on those planars than the Helios. The detail, the sparkle, they sound soā¦ āaliveā (for lack of a better word) that the planars almost sound dull in comparison. Also, the soundstage on the Helios feels like it has opened up since I first pulled them out of the box.
Absolutely thrilled with theseā¦ and that pains me to say as a rather devoted Takstar fan.
I got mine last week. I wish I can share the enthusiasm as some of you. I let the hype and being a part of the indiegogo get to me. I like the build and feel of the actual headphone itself, but that is about where most of my compliments end. I thought Iād eventually get used to the treble, but it really too sharp for me. I wish I took better care of them as Iāve dropped them a couple times, fortunately they work! Unfortunately, it did NOT fix the treble. So Iāll hold on to them and see if the resale gets better or if the actually do āsell outā, which I had some weird impression these will be the next big thing.
I blame myself and had I knew the things happening now, way back when I ordered these, I donāt think I would have done it. But we live and learn, and Iām not mad, Iām just venting since in a way, I it seemed like it would be a cool pair of headphones based on what has been said, but now I feel very foolish for having them.
Some of my old skool jamz like Planet Rock by Afrika Bambaata and the Soulsonic Force and almost anything from Cybotron, my ears asked me to stop the song immediately.
Even some of my conventional music pics like Stevie Nicks (Edge of 17) gets extremely sibilant. Putting on my girl Mariah Carey, I head something I didnāt expect. She didnāt sound good! I couldnāt play her with the Helios, was it just just a sweet fantasy bayybee? Nope! It was just the Helios. I seeked my 58x for comfort!
Iām also saddened that I couldnāt listen to entire albums in its entirety with the Helios. Joshua Tree (Remaster) was tough to sit through with some harsh unatural guitar. Iggy Popās Lust of Life didnāt take it easy either.
There are some songs that I did enjoy. Much of David Bowie was tolerable and some was actually really good. I didnāt think Sir. Elton John was going to get a play on the Helios, but to my suprise, it worked. I didnāt mind it.
Well that is the end of my thoughts. I might try again later when Iām in a better mood. Iām glad people enjoy these, I wish I can be a part of that club.
Sounds like Sennheiser or Audeze might be more your thing. also the Nighthawks have pretty reduced treble. I love treble and i love it on these. but they can be sibilant sometimes. though that doesnt bother me too much
I also find that they are fairly amp and song/genre picky and need some burn in (mental and physical). Bass was a bit boomy/bloomy at first with pretty harsh treble and just an overall more aggressive presentation than I cared for. With time on ear, theyāve gotten better, and Iāve enjoyed them for basic pop when itās not overly complex or busy. Things like cymbals can be especially harsh with rock. Itās something to contrast a more relaxed and warm can like the 58x, but not a daily driver or replacement for my higher end stuff.
whatever the verdict is so far, i guess there are people that love it and hate it so far. which is probably for the best, nice to hear both sides. btw, @OnyxSlam nighthawk gang might be up your alley lol
yeah no for sure, fair enough. the 770 and tint2 were pretty sibilant to me so i get it. Iām def getting a bit more treble sensetive than not nowadays
Someone suggested those to me a while back. I think Iām good for now.
I may be making a shallow statement, but I just donāt feel proud to wear the Helios. I see nice headphones that people have from Focal, Audeze, ZMF, and I figure that is the nice stuff.
I have a HarmonicDyne??? I think I am a person who can honestly say that they lost sleep because they were thinking about the HarmonicDyne headphone that they regret having it.
Iām sure people think it sounds really good. But to me, it goes beyond the sound, it just doesnāt make me happy.
Ah I see. Gotcha hey no itās fair man. Itās natural to kinda look at those headphones as the ones to have. Since I first started the elex was kinda THE headphone to get. Got it recently and honestly itās weird to say that I am proud of that lol. But itās all a journey, no problem. The helios is hot atm, Iām sure you could sell it at little to no loss and eventually move forward. Everyone has one headphone that they regret lol
I donāt understand this sentiment at all. Why do you have to feel āproudā to wear a set of headphones?
I wear headphones to enjoy music, first, last, and always. I couldnāt care less about the brand name, prestige or lack thereof, style factor, social implications, or any of that superficial nonsense. Itās about the musicā¦ period.
Or is this a language barrier/translation issue and what you mean isnāt what I inferred?
If it IS accurate, then I cannot relate on any level. It makes zero sense. It seems like a āBeats by Dreā-esque style over substance prioritization.
Yeah same here. I dont care about the branding i just care about the sound it gives. The headphones that has the signature i love is what i want. I dont care if Beats comes out with a bright pink headphone. if it sounds like the Helios and better im buying it! lol.
What i love about the Helios is how detailed, U shaped, close soundstage, big, and like someone here said, lively it sounds. I have those headphones you mentioned and im gonna sell them. Almost all of them since i found the Helios. and them iāll have the bank to buy new headphones that i hear match the sound im looking for.
