It’s an open-back dynamic driver headphone and the only thing that seemed unusual was the choice to lay the drive-off-center in the earcup. There isn’t much magic going on when you look at the specifications of the Helios headphones. Not audiophile-grade sound but a pleasant listen It adds to the design and isn’t over the top. I’m a sucker for the use of wood in headphones and Harmonicdyne has done it tastefully by using dark wooden inserts that are inlaid to the metal headband. The styling of the Helios is what will draw a lot of people to the headphone and for good reason, These are good-looking headphones in the pictures but even better in real life. Again not a bad thing because it’s best to have weight centered over ha headband as opposed to sitting in the earcups. It had to be as well because this is where the majority of the headphone weight sits. The headband padding was very nice and it’s a plush well-padded protein leather that we found to be very comfortable. The good news is that there seem to be 10 different aftermarket earpad options available for the Helios so if the stock pads don’t work for you they have a fairly easy way to alter them. They were comfortable for the first few hours but they should have used a more dense memory foam because due to the high clamping force of the Helios they start to press down on your head more than most would like. The earpads on our model were a soft suede-like material. The swivel points are smooth and without restriction meaning, they easily conform to the shape of your head. These rotate a full 180 degrees which allow you to lay the headphones down flat from both sides. it’s connected to a swivel and fold point to attach the earcups. You can pull it almost flat and it will spring back to its original position. The headband is extremely robust with a full-length metal band that had no issues in our bend test. When you pick them up for the first time you feel the heft of them, they are a sturdy and well-made piece of kit. It uses a combination of metal and high-quality plastics for its structural foundation and uses a few wood inlays for tasteful decorative touches. I would call this an almost premium-feeling headphone. In terms of comfort, they are good but do have a couple of areas where they can be improved. Usually heading north of the $200 mark can fix both of these issues but in the 100-200 dollar range, things just feel a little bit sub-par.ĭoes the HarmonicDyne Helios resolve that? Not completely but they are still a well made and good looking headphone that I think punches above its weight in aesthetics and materials. Either the build is annoyingly plasticky or the comfort is sub-par. The Design and Build is excellent valueĪt this price, I have been accustomed to two things. It’s well built and has a good design with a half cord half cable set up and very high-quality hardware at the jack points. On travel headphones, it’s good to see a carry case included but these are open-back headphones designed to be used at home so the omission of a case is acceptable. This is common with full-size headphones since they don’t require too much in the way of extras to get you set up and listening. All you get in the box are the headphones and the cable. There are no extras included with the Harmonicdyne Helios. In between the earcups, there is a small cutout in which a bag containing the cable sits. It’s a simple square top of the design and on the inside, there is some very thick packaging foam into which the headphones are inserted. On more expensive products it’s nice to have a bit of drama when unboxing but on an entry-level headphone such as this I would rather money isn’t wasted on something that is destined for the trash bag. I just want them to be well padded enough to secure the safe arrival of the headphones and with the generous internal padding that’s, not a problem here. I really don’t put a lot of thought into a box. The packaging for the Helios is nice and simple.
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