The HarmonicDyne Athena's dynamic driver handles demanding transient spikes with limited compression, aided by M-shaped venting openings that allow more air flow and displacement. It uses four separate strands to create its braid, which then split into two for the left and right earcups. Oriole is more warm in tonality, smoother in the treble and the upper midrange, and more relaxed in sound too. The ultra-fine voice coil features thinner strands wrapped more cohesively and tightly to better respond to the driver. questa Athena mi ricorda molto da vicino l'esperienza acquisita con una Sennehiser HD 660 S Mark 2 trovo delle analogie, delle similitudini fra le due.

HarmonicDyne has made its global success through several crowdfunding campaigns, including the Helios, Zeus, and Poseidon headphones. The evolution of the original irreverent and irrelevant and non-authoritative site for headphone measurements, i. These mostly work well in the grand scheme of how the Athena is tonally tuned, but there were a few moments where I thought the Athena was not perfectly neutral in the midrange game.

Overall, Athena is a different headphone, not an upgrade to Oriole, and Oriole is more beautiful, and also has a smoother sound, so if you’re easily fatigued Oriole is better, while Athena can be a bit more edgy and more resolute, at the cost of also being quite a bit more fatiguing. The HarmonicDyne Athena have been sent to me by Linsoul in exchange for the publication of this review. Fight misinformation from false prophets (objectivists who split decimal points in APx555 SINAD measurements or talk about double blind tests but never conduct them), sockpuppet reviewers who say everything is good and deserves an award, and religious fervor toward frequency response target curves that seem to change on yearly basis. The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products. The HarmonicDyne Athena launched alongside the Thieaudio Ghost , which was another dynamic driver headphone aimed at the mid-budget market.

Moving into the midbass, this sensation is less present (although there are still hints) and these regions have a hint of warmth to them without being overly exaggerated. Adjusting the angle of the headphones doesn’t result in any notable changes in the sense of directionality.The Athena is its most approachable yet, and I think it’s done a wonderful job of making this a compelling choice. HarmonicDyne also includes a velvet travel bag and a souvenir coin with your serial number in the box. I decided to cool off and listen for another two weeks, but so far I haven’t found anything to contradict the fact that the company has overachieved. The opening comfortable for my ears, but it is probably on the medium size, and perhaps larger ears may find it less comfortable. The two clips that hold the padded part of the headband on to the structure are the only part that looks a little “delicate” to me but I don’t think this is something you will be removing often anyway.

When I want a more intimate presentation, I find they present a full bodied sound that is pretty natural and doesn't stab your ears. Measurements​As usual, I encourage readers to carefully note several key points regarding my measurements. It was important to us that the listener could enjoy the Athena for long periods of time without fatigue.Athena sounds considerably more detailed and more crisp, making it a good update from B60, as long as you don’t mind the edge and it being a bit more fatiguing. It’s reflective, which looks very nice, but is also a fingerprint magnet, so take care with how you handle them. It's also not overly "airy" but I believe that to be more towards it being a semi-closed listen anyway. Take "Oster Peterson Meets Roy Hargrove" (1996) - the analytical presentation helps me easily follow the musical narrative, similar to some TOTL cans.

Athena’s bass is also great in micro stuff -- nothing to complain about articulation, delinearation, or texture. The Senn boasts superior midrange neutrality and accuracy but sounds thinner, drier, and less engaging. They’re more closed and isolating that most open-backs but have a more airy sound than a closed back. From signal to vibration to the lovely melody you enjoy, Athena is skillful in this conversion with utmost efficiency, all thanks to the ultra-fine voice coil and flux magnetic driver system.

Each of these launches achieved the combination of amazing acoustic performance, bespoke craftsmanship, and budget-friendly affordability. Ultimately, the definition across mids and highs especially punches far above its cost, yielding engaging musicality versus clinical reference.