Symphonium Helios Review - Uniquely Excellent

The Symphonium Helios is an IEM that can be described succintly as 'Uniquely Excellent'. With immense, powerful dynamics, buckets of resolution, and a tasteful tuning that offers a unique perspective on many tracks.
Symphonium Helios: eliseaudio.com...
This unit was received as part of a review tour, it has now been sent on to the next reviewer.
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Testing Tracks:
Hollow (16 Bit Remix) - Bjork - song.link/gb/i...
The Phoenix - Pyramid - song.link/gb/i...
Puma - Andrew Bird - song.link/gb/i...
Ezio's Family - Grissini Project - song.link/gb/i...
Electric Sunrise - Plini - song.link/gb/i...
Next High - Mansionair - song.link/gb/i...
0:00 - Intro
2:15 - Packaging/Accessories
4:52 - Comfort/Size
7:15 - Amp requirements
9:01 - Sound Overview
11:35 - Bass
17:02 - Midrange
20:58 - Treble
25:00 - Summary
27:00 - Outro/Patrons
The GoldenSound youtube channel, and all content is created and owned by GoldenSound LTD

[@GadZookz]

You may have heard, when Resolve and the crew arrived at CanJam SoCal last year, they found Precogvision listening in isolation. This wasn’t due to Covid though. It was because Orecog had just discovered this IEM and he was totally inthralled. The rest is history.

[@GoldenSound]

I'm not surprised! It's a brilliant IEM

[@VickyLovesHeadphones]

I come here for the review and stay because of cool music recommendations. Thank you, Golden 🥰

[@amartyakumarsinha1494]

My current dream IEM. As a current Truthear Hexa user, I can only imagine how good these must sound!

[@TheRacingSlick]

Great review, thanks for the work and effort!

[@ToloyKeripinMunsang]

IEMS is a whole other universe that's worth exploring. Look forward to more iem reviews from you. Keep it up. And planar iems sounds good too.

[@jaroslavfricek7772]

Also thank you for the music mentioned...it's great, would love to see some of your playlists...✌️ 😁

[@carminedesanto6746]

Thank you for the review…very interesting. I pretty well have given up on headphones..yes they’re way more convenient to use as opposed to IEM’s I’ve gone iem exclusively..given 60 year old ears ( and decades on the competition shooting circuit) ..high frequency overtness isn’t a huge thing…but I do so enjoy my iem stable. Once again thank you 🥃

[@aceofspades6667]

Thanks for the review; pretty fun content! For me I'm waiting for the 7hz Timeless succssor.. give me a $500 - $750 single planar driver that provides TOTL technical performance at midfi price.

[@enjoshi-godrez8775]

Audeze did that, though at the cost of it being an open back and requiring massive amount of eq. Still they are far above any other planar iem when corrected (even the isine 10).

[@aceofspades6667]

@@enjoshi-godrez8775 there’s was terrible im talking about a 7hz killer.

[@mensrea1251]

… instead you get the Dioko. Sorry (really).

[@enjoshi-godrez8775]

@@aceofspades6667 they have the greatest technicalities of any planar iem. Nothing even comes close to the i3 or 4.

[@enjoshi-godrez8775]

@@views8962 if you want the best technical performance from an iem, its your only option.

[@farhanakhtar8252]

Love the reviews Golden! Please keep ‘em coming!! Btw I auditioned the ananda, arya and the 800s today. All were wonderful but the Arya Stealth is just something else! I cant wait to get them (when i’ll be able to afford them😝)

[@fez748]

I'm late to this party but I for sure want these iems and completly forgot about electronic sunrise. So much awesome in one video.

[@jaroslavfricek7772]

Thanks for great review ❗️...I want an pair too😉...I would love to see your review of Sennheiser IE600, Monarch mk2 and 64 audio U18s...✌️ 🙋‍♂️

[@jirihorsky9600]

Thanks for the review! Also seeing a statuette of a pink panther on an expensive audiophile isolation pad makes me chuckle.

[@maegnificant]

Have you tried the Monarch MK II and if so, how would you compare them with these Iems? Thanks for the review!

[@Hari-kx2er]

Hai, Will you review the 7hz Timeless? It would be interesting to hear your thoughts on them.

[@paulstubbs7678]

Wow, you cleaned the dust out of my sub, I didn't think that would work with IEM's, as most low bass is more felt by your body, obviously not an option for in ears.

[@aceofspades6667]

Symphonium Meteor is coming next month.. hopefully you can review it at some point.

[@dilbyjones]

Really nice

[@anatol1204]

Very nice review analytical and straight to the point.I m searching for a headphone or iem with sound signature like hd 600 in steroids..Which one you suggest I mostly hear classical but also many other genres..Now they made a new version of it Helios se better fit and e tad more soft tremble

[@pennfootball71]

I heard this on my ATC speakers ..I know youtube has compression and such but I did hear the dip in the midrange. It is fun and punchy and great bass not accurate BUT I think midrange is the most important part of the music.

[@mrjohnsuen]

Hello GoldenSound, thanks for the excellent review! I'm very interested in this IEM and you've mentioned in the vid that foam tips seem to fit/sound best. Could you pls let me know that are you using the Comply tips and if so, what series are you using on the IEM, as Comply sells their foam tips by diff series to fit diff makes / brands. TIA ..

[@carminedesanto6746]

Just got the Moondrop Variations. They’re spectacular 😋

[@johncheng9665]

Did you reverse the 2pin connector? I think the cutout on the 2pin connector should face outside?

[@ksy76]

Very interested after watching your review. Funnily enough, your review word for word is like describing the Fostex Th900ii. It's so fast, the sub-bass is strong, mid bass is light, the mid range is CLEAR, recessed in the sense your not missing out anything just it sits slightly behind. It's uncanny how similar you describe these iems to the Fostex. The treble however sounds better done on the Helios.

[@MikeDawson1]

but the treble on the 900Mk2 hurts :( I'm curious if the Dekoni Rings would save it though, as they do for the TR-X00

[@enjoshi-godrez8775]

On nested feedback topology like the topping stuff the th900 for some reason sound absolutely afwul and shrill. On amos that have no feedback like class a amps, its absolutely fine.

[@ksy76]

@@MikeDawson1 Personally, I don't think physical mods are the way to go. The TH900's are exceptionally transparent and great in resolution, you don't want to mess with it using pads/rings. Best is find a suitable dac amp combo. The headphones are really transparent, it'll reflect the smallest of changes in your system. For example, a Bifrost 2 almost eliminates all the treble harshness but the TH900's can scale way further in other areas, i.e. detail, resolution, imaging, separation etc. it's keeps getting better if you feed it with higher tier dacs.

[@ryantanchan1]

in your past videos i saw a benchmark ahb2 amp. are you gonna drop a review? thanks

[@mamotoo8999]

It would be nice if you could review the Cowon Plenue series. It's a company that makes stuff with crazy spec sheets, but I'm curious to see what it's like in actual measurement.

[@pfx2259]

Love Helios on audition, but fitting is a huge turn-off.

[@HagbardCeline23]

Another great review! Thanks. I was looking at getting the CA Andromeda but now I'm not sure. How does the Helios perform wihen using the EQ on the Mojo2?

[@nick_g]

Nice review

[@sc0or]

A fun thing is that everything you show sounds fantastic in my DT990 for 150 euros =)

[@Elm8n]

Hey Golden, Have you tried the IER-Z1R from Sony yet? If you have, what are your thoughts?

[@GoldenSound]

I have but only very briefly. Not long enough to give good impressions unfortunately

[@carminedesanto6746]

I’m re watching this again ….and I don’t know why……😵‍💫

[@kyron42]

It would have been nice to state how much it cost at the beginning of the video.

[@pfx2259]

Missing your inspirational reviews!

[@Jakepf]

I really can't decide what IEMs to get. I hear so many bad things about some and then good things and it's all so contradictory

[@JordansTake35]

When is the Zahl HM1 review coming!?

[@digitalnation2876]

Better than Mest Mk2 ?

[@kato2395]

Hi GoldenSound, I think Austrian Audio products will be interesting to check out. I have the Hi-65X and is very amazed by its sound quality. Not to mention they are built like a tank and will last for a lifetime. They are not that expensive and I think they punches above its price.

[@darrellross8609]

Iem case: l use an eye glasses case with a silicon pack; very unassuming. Best,D.

[@TheActualAltair]

The profile looks really similar than Sonys N3s, interesting 🤔

[@lanceuppercut2204]

My issue with IEMs is that they are almost universality very painful for me to use. Not a huge fan of the fully sealed effect of most either but that at least is not a universal feature.

[@lanceuppercut2204]

Platonics exercise earbuds are the only IEM design I found comfortable and I sure did not get them for the audio quality.

[@maegnificant]

@@lanceuppercut2204 you might wanna try out custom fits. I also have a friend who has this problem. I think you are missing out :s

[@kingjongun7295]

Helios do much brrrrr

[@shahkhan110]

how is its bass compared to something like variations or blessing 2?

[@mobcrusher4193]

can you make a video on all the high end offerings from hifiman.

[@markcondon7759]

Andrew Bird is plucking a violin on that song, he’s not playing a guitar.

[@mobcrusher4193]

Start uploading more lol

[@effendishahrol8698]

You should try the elysian annihilator. It's insanely resolving and it's Malaysian and I'm Malaysian 😂

[@markusschulzbro]

They maybe good, but comparing them to 200$ kato…

[@francois-xaviergonnet7216]

I love IEM... but IEM are just a technical non-sense... especialy expensive ones ! Ask yourself... what are IEM for ? Is it for high end listening at your desk ? In this case buy a headphone, because headphone do what IEM can't do. And well, you will not use high end IEM for high end listening in the street, in the train or in a plane... because these are just HORRIBLE noisy environnement. There you will make no differences between a $20 IEM and a $2000 IEM... And there, a headphone will cut the background noise far better that any IEM. It's just the true...

[@Hari-kx2er]

I have used top tier ANC headphones (Sony wh1000xm3) as well as IEMs on noisy trains. If an iem seals well, you get very good noise isolation and much better sound quality than the more expensive ANC headphones. With top tier ANC headphones, you get about 10% better noise isolation than iems but with a much more substantial reduction in audio quality. IEMs are my choice in this scenario.... As for other utilities of IEMs, I share Precog's opinion.

[@fahryst]

I don't want to call out anyone but it shows how shitty a certain someone's who relates punch to midbass, not to the tranducers technical capabilities, takes are . Let's not forget focals too.

[@Tsukino_u]

let me guess, an ASR simp

[@kyron42]

I EQed my 4XX, reduced midbass and increase sub-bass, increased 2K and reduced treble, and it has more punch than without EQ. With EQ it sounds so much better. I have a bass playlist, probably not everyone's cup of tea, but it's so enjoyable with my EQed 4XX.

[@Jakepf]

I seriously find it unreasonable to buy IEM's for this much.

[@kyron42]

Why spend $1,100 an IEM when you can get a highly resolving planar IEM for around $200.

[@GoldenSound]

Because the $200 iem isn't as resolving/overall high performanc as this. There's some good stuff at 200 now like the timeless or Kato but they're not in the same ballpark as something like this

[@kyron42]

@@GoldenSound so when are we going to see an objective test to measure resolution. Has anyone tried looking at the waveform from a 1kHz square wave for example.

[@kyron42]

@@GoldenSound also BAs are known to have higher odd harmonic distortion. Have you measured the distortion characteristics at various frequency and volume levels?

[@enjoshi-godrez8775]

@@kyron42 you got annihilated. Imagine thinking you have any authority on anything with a product were the one thing it is designed to do, to be listened to, doesn't happen. You are like Amir, you think their is a audible difference between 110 snr and 140. Utterly delusional.

[@maxcardif9879]

@@kyron42 i love he corrects you, yet you still screaming "PROVE IT PROVE IT". Sometimes the better product is the one you don't want to spend for. Thats not a bad thing

[@SkywhiteChannel]

Gawd I hate iem’s.