HarmonicDyne Zeus Elite is a good example of a top quality and top value product, but with a specific audience, so for this one it is important to know whether you’d like its specific sound. The detail, resolution, comfort and build quality all are excellent for the asking price of the Zeus Elite, but the signature being an acquired taste, you’ll either instantly fall in love with them or not feel the tuning all that much, so the value is great, but it has to be great for you to like them. Like a "class A" headphone sound... = Its lush, its sweet, its pretty, its wide, and its why Zeos and DMS love this Gear. Weighing in at just 380g, the Poseidon is about average compared to other full-sized dynamic driver headphones and lighter than most planars. The Poseidon has a more traditional headphone design, with the adjustment mechanism built into the headband itself. It’s a relatively no-frills affair inside the briefcase: the headphones are nestled in a headphone-shaped cutout, with the cables in a small box off to the side. It’s a standard formula, but one that works. The Helios weighs about 360g and the combination of too tight clamping force and minimal padding on the inside of the headband is minimal and only just sufficient to support the weight. The Zeus ups the ante, and weighs approximately 410g without cables.

HarmonicDyne Zeus Elite Flagship 50mm Suspension Diaphragm HarmonicDyne Zeus Elite Flagship 50mm Suspension Diaphragm

Its sort of like the difference between Digital photography, vs, a Film Camera and Film, specifically Kodachrome. So, here are the photos., and one more thing. Someone "out there" said this Gear is a '"V" shape. And that is absolutely not a fact... That is a fiction. Well, now friends, let's talk about the sound of these headphones, and I used the Topping G5 DAC when listening to them. The 50mm driver size allows the Poseidon to still have rigidity while remaining large enough to produce authoritative bass reaching down to 10Hz. This results in an experience similar to having a subwoofer in the room. After offering my full-blown subjective opinions, it is time to put them under a magnifying glass and see how they really perform. When it comes to measurements, my best friend is still the Benchmark HPA4 as it is as linear as headphone amplifiers could ever be and I resumed at using the Matrix Audio Element X as the main DAC for the job. The measurement rig was the MiniDSP E.A.R.S. calibrated with HPN (Original Headphone Compensation) files. Do note that MiniDSP E.A.R.S. is not following any IEC standards, meaning that my readings can’t be used as reference measurements or anything like that, I’m doing them only to get a general idea about their sound signature.The most obvious comparison would be with Ollo S4X which is a semi-open headphone that I’ve reviewed last year, it is a really good monitoring type of headphone that I’m enjoying immensely for quite some time. It was unusual seeing Zeus beating the S4X at pretty much any measurements: Zeus driver matching is much better, its THD is lower and its spectral decay is faster. I’ve also recorded a higher ringing of the driver on S4X especially in the bass, that wasn’t present on the Zeus. Its a special Gear that is designed by someone who understands how to make a Gear sound musical, as its #1 priority.

HarmonicDyne Zeus Review — Page 2 of 2 — Headfonics HarmonicDyne Zeus Review — Page 2 of 2 — Headfonics

I will briefly touch the subject of their sensitivity and how much power it is actually needed to fully drive these at maximum potential. According to the Benchmark HPA4 and to the microphones inside the MiniDSP EARS system, power requirements are by about ~12 dB higher compared to Kennerton Magni and Gjallarhorn, resulting in a sensitivity of around ~100 dB. Since these are as loud as a Fostex TH909 and Kennerton Vali, their sensitivity of 100 dB per 1mW of power mentioned in the manual is very accurate. Entry level planars like Audeze LCD-1, Hifiman HE400i are pretty much on the same level power wise, Quad ERA-1 is more of less the same also. It’s much easier to accept parts sharing when you buy the least expensive model than when you pay for the most expensive one. Zeus SoundSo, the Zeus is ALMOST the same pair of headphones as the Helios. It appears all that HarmonicDyne has changed are: You end up with a lengthy Frankenstein contraption that’s really long and rather cumbersome but I kinda like its quirkiness. Generally, it’s a high-quality cable although the handling could be better. Sound