HarmonicDyne has released some of the most exciting over-ear headphones over the last several years. The HarmonicDyne Zeus was one of the best value buys of 2021, and its successors, the Poseidon and G200, each impressed in their own way. At their very cheapest Super Early Bird prices, these headphones would set you back almost $300. At $179, the HarmonicDyne Athena the company’s most accessible over-ear headphone in years. Complete with massive 50mm ceramic-metallic drivers and a unique semi-closed back design, these headphones offer a lot for a reasonable price.
Specifications
- Current Price: $179 (Linsoul, Amazon)
- Type: Headphones
- Drivers: Φ50mm Dynamic Driver
- Acoustic Architecture: Semi-closed
- Impedance: 34Ω@1KHz
- Sensitivity: 116.5dB/Vrms@1KHz
- Frequency Response: 10-70KHz (Free Field)
- THD: 0.2%@1KHz 100dB SPL
- Cable Termination: 3.5mm Stereo Cable
- Headphone Connector: Dual 3.5mm
- Ear Pads: Suede Fabric
- Dimensions: 210x175x105 (mm)
- Weight: 320g
HarmonicDyne Athena - First Impressions and Key Features
The HarmonicDyne Athena is the fifth major headphone release from the company, and it has applied a number of lessons here. Most of its headphones have utilized dynamic drivers, and the Athena follows suit, but it applies a unique material composition with the drivers to deliver its sonic signature. It’s also the lowest cost of the bunch, available now for $179.
If all you’re looking for is whether they’re worth that price, the answer is yes. I really like these headphones at their current pricing. I wouldn’t necessarily take them over the HarmonicDyne Zeus at the same price, but at the sub-$200 mark, these are a good value.
While it’s clear that HarmonicDyne endeavored to keep the costs low, there isn’t a big sense of sacrifice present with their design. The biggest area is that these headphones make greater use of plastic in the headband than any of its other over-ear headphones. They’re lighter weight and feel less premium as a result of all of that plastic, but the upside is that they’re more comfortable to wear and don’t necessarily feel any less durable.
They also continue HarmonicDyne’s trend of embedding each of their earphones with some unique aesthetic quality to make them stand out. On its other headphones, it has taken the form of intricately milled grilles that look genuinely artistic with their patterning. Here, it’s much simpler: the ear cups and lower portions of the band are decorated with tempered glass. It’s reflective, which looks very nice, but is also a fingerprint magnet, so take care with how you handle them. Still, this is another unique-looking HarmonicDyne and that’s all the better.
Even though the headband is plastic, the headphones don’t feel poorly made or like they’ll break easily. The headband is reinforced with a metal adjustment band. The cups are still metal. The only design decision that gives me pause is that the yokes are plastic. If there’s a place where these headphones will fail over time, it’s likely going to be there. They don’t creak, rattle, or have other worrying noise, however, so I overall feel pretty good about their design.
Inside those cups are HarmonicDyne’s new 50mm dynamic drivers. They’re already larger than the 40mm (or smaller) drivers you’ll find populating most mainstream headphones from the United States, and can create a large, full-bodied sound. Unlike traditional coated drivers, these are composed of a “fully integrated amalgam of high purity metal alloys with ultra-dense ceramic carbon fibers.” While this may be a technique that has appeared elsewhere, it’s at least my first experience with drivers of this sort.
The rationale is the same as a metal-coated driver. Adding the ceramic increases the rigidity and strength of the driver. This allows it to operate faster, which improves bass performance and detail retrieval. This type of design, according to the company, also results in faster transients and less distortion, so the sound is more natural and clear overall.
The headphones utilize a semi-closed back design. Semi-open? It’s an odd choice of words, but I supposed semi-open might imply a bit too much in the realm of soundstage. Around the earcups are vents that allow sound to escape. The actual back is covered in class and is completely closed. They’re more closed and isolating that most open-backs but have a more airy sound than a closed back. It’s definitely a middle-ground, so if you like the idea of an open-back headphone for gaming or music but don’t like the sound leakage, these could be a good alternative to a completely closed set of cans.
The headphones don’t skimp when it comes to comfort. They use thick velour cushions that are soft and pillowy. The grip force is enough to create a complete seal (important for bass in particular) but isn’t so grippy as to be uncomfortable. The headband uses a much thinner padding but distributes its weight well. Another trade-off for affordability is that there’s only a single pair of cushions in the box, so you don’t get any alternatives to try like some of its other headphones.
Also included in the box is a rope-like braided cable. It uses four separate strands to create its braid, which then split into two for the left and right earcups. It’s a bit stiffer than a thinner cable might be, but it’s not bad and doesn’t tangle easily. It connects to the earphones with standard 3.5mm jacks, so is easily replaced if you’d like something a little low profile.
HarmonicDyne also includes a velvet travel bag and a souvenir coin with your serial number in the box.
HarmonicDyne Athena - Fit and Comfort
The HarmonicDyne Athena are very comfortable to wear. At only 320 grams, they’re already on the lighter side, but the company did a great job of balancing clamp force with distributing the weight across the headband. I tend to prefer suspension bands, but the Athena is a case where its more traditional design works well. The cushions are also exquisitely comfortable. The velour catches bits of dust and lint very easily, so it needs to be cleaned regularly, but literally feels like you’re wearing pillows on your ears.
HarmonicDyne Athena - Listening Impressions
The HarmonicDyne Athena launched alongside the Thieaudio Ghost, which was another dynamic driver headphone aimed at the mid-budget market. But while the Ghost clearly seemed to be emulating Sennheiser, the Athena is much more its own unique product and is better for it. The sound signature is more appealing to my tastes, too: balanced with a bit of a sub-bass and treble boost to deliver a fuller, more detail rich sound signature.
Bass: HarmonicDyne emphasized that they applied a +3dB boost to the sub-bass, which is clearly audible and works to the Athena’s benefit. Kick drums have presence and punch. Bass sounds wide and is able to be a true foundation for music here. The bass is quite fast too, starting and stopping on a dime to make sure that it doesn’t sound bloated or uncontrolled. The bass elevation isn’t overdone, however, and I didn’t pick up on any artificial warmth in the mids.
For gaming, this is a very good sound signature because it can make games sound full and impactful without impacting your sense of spatial awareness. Footsteps and positional details live in the mids, and the bass doesn’t impede on that.
Mids: The mids are a bit recessed, however. A bit. I still found vocals to sound quite smooth and natural, but this isn’t a set that’s going to make it sound like the singer is stepped forward and physically closer to you. Likewise, in games, footsteps aren’t going to jump out quite as clearly (though you should still be able to pick out positioning fairly easily). There is plenty of detail in this range, allowing you to pick up on small nuances in instruments. The tuning seems designed to draw this out a bit, as you’ll see in the treble tuning.
Treble: Highs on this set are certainly elevated, but HarmonicDyne stopped before making them sound sharp or grating. There’s a peak at about 9kHz that draws out percussion like hi-hats and adds a bit of extra air to the listening experience. Combined with the rise in the mids between 1.5-3K, you have a good sense of space and separation in the listening experience that brings out details and enhances the sense of clarity they’re able to provide.
Technical Performance, Soundstage, and Imaging: The Athena are surprisingly capable for their price. The drivers HarmonicDyne used seem to be quite good and draw out plenty of nuance and detail in the listening experience. There is clear separation between the layers in music and games so you can hear the different elements that make up your soundscape. They’re not the most detailed headphones you can buy (I would pay a bit more for a planar for that), but they do a very good job and have a sense of cohesiveness to the sound that only a good dynamic driver can provide.
Soundstage and imaging are good but not great. The soundstage is less constrained than a closed-back headphone, so the venting is doing its job to increase the sense of space. It is a middle-ground, however, so you can’t expect these to sound as wide as the Zeus. There’s greater width than depth to the sound and a sense that elements can move closer or nearer depending on the song or game. This makes imaging reasonably good as well, though it isn’t as pinpoint for individual instruments like you might find with a more expensive set. For the price, though, I think this is good.
Gaming: The HarmonicDyne Athena is a good choice for gaming, especially if you can’t invest in a full open-back pair of headphones. You trade a bit of soundstage for improved isolation with these, but the overall experience is much better than a similarly priced gaming headset. The tuning provides enough bass for a cinematic experience without sacrificing clarity or positionality. Dolby Atmos enhances imaging to the point that I even found these to be a good choice for competitive games, like Battlefield 2042. Even if it were a more constrained listening experience, these would still be a solid recommendation for their exceptional comfort, but since it’s not, this really is a great choice for a hifi headphone on a budget.
Overall Impressions and Final Thoughts
Over the years, HarmonicDyne’s headphones have really seemed to target particular audiences. The G200 had planar fans in its sights. The Zeus and Poseidon had audiophiles with expanded budgets. The Athena is its most approachable yet, and I think it’s done a wonderful job of making this a compelling choice. It’s comfortable, has a tuning that’s versatile and should appeal to a vast array of listeners, and can even make an excellent choice for gamers. At $179, it uses a touch too much plastic, but this remains an excellent choice that winds up feeling like a pleasant surprise at this cost of entry. It is well worth considering.
The product described in this article was provided by the manufacturer for evaluation purposes. Articles may include affiliate links from which we may earn a small commission to help support the site. Authors do not earn affiliate revenue or commissions.
