If this is appealing to you, Subtonic Storm and Symphonium Helios have to be the 2 IEMs on your list. I was able to pick up varying tonality with source switching. The RS6 presents a very warm and tubey tonality, similar to my tube amp, while the M15 is more v shaped and punchy. I tested it with my Q5k, Hiby RS6, Questyle M15, Apple Dongle and Inspire IHA1 tube amp. Helios gets bonus points, because it’s not something I look for in IEMs, but was super fun to try. The magic of using it on my RS6 or my tube amp really makes this feel like a desktop experience. The staging, the texture and the overall tone of the IEM changed with the sources I was able to use. It sounds fine off most of the dongles I used but I had way more fun running it off of my tube amp or high gain on my RS6. For an IEM, Helios is pretty tough to drive. Rating: 9/10 (Detail Retrieval), 8.5 (Dynamics and speed), 8/10 (Timbre), 9/10 (imaging), 9/10 (Soundstage), 9/10 (Separation and transparency)įirst thing first, I want to go on a fun side journey. If you are planning to watch movies or play competitive shooters, Helios is going to be absolutely overkill, especially for gaming.

In fact, I think only the UM MEST MK2 and IER Z1R have larger soundstage than Helios in the sub $2000 range and both of them cost significantly more. Soundstage is above average in its price range. Separation and transparency is where Helios stands out the most in my opinion as far as technical performance is concerned but that comes at the expense of losing some note weight can’t have ‘em all I guess. Timbre is great although there are IEMs in a similar price range that have better timbre such as IE900 and M9 for example but Helios is not too far off. Imaging is extremely precise and warrants at least a 9/10 rating. However, almost all kilobucks in this range have very good detail retrieval anyway so I will not gush over it too much. If you are into raw details then Helios will not disappoint. Symphonium Helios is a technical powerhouse. If you are someone who likes classical music and listens to a lot of string/air instruments or a rock/metal fan particularly nitpicky about cymbals and high hats then you are going to absolutely love the Helios. There is some peak around the low mid treble frequencies but that rarely becomes bothersome. Every instrument in the treble region sounds sparkly and razor sharp without ever becoming hot or splashy. It is smooth and linear with brilliant extension all the way up to the air frequencies. Treble is where Helios absolutely nails it and trades blows with IEMs costing several times more. Overall though, I am quite satisfied with the midrange of Helios.

I have observed no significant upper midrange shout but female vocals can get a bit gritty/shimmery in rare instances. Male vocals are not bad or anything per se, they are still very good but I think the relatively leaner lower mids takes some grunt off them. I find the Helios to be favouring female vocals over male vocals though. The razor sharp notes give a sense of incisiveness and transparency to both male and female vocals. People coming from thick and overly smooth midrange might perceive the midrange as slightly thin initially. Midrange is clean and detailed as opposed to being lush and meaty. Helios exhibits almost non-existent BA behaviour when it comes to bass response and most people will have a hard time distinguishing the bass from single DD sets unless they get very clinical or have generally discerning ears. I want to draw attention to the bass response first because I think bass, especially sub bass, is actually one of the strongest points of Helios which is often overlooked/ not given enough attention in most reviews. In supercar terms, if Storm is the Porsche 911 GT3RS then Helios is Carrera T if that makes any sense. Helios actually has a lot in common with 5x expensive Subtonic storm. The people behind Symphonium are good friends with fellow Singaporean boutiques Subtonic and Nightjar acoustics and they share R&D. Symphonium Helios is something that I would describe as sub bass boosted neutral.

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