Introduction

Remember the Harmonic P.D.1? That was a set of in-ear monitors with a fairly unique driver configuration, but it unfortunately did not live up to the promise with poor tuning and technicalities letting down the excellent build quality and accessories. I had mentioned in that review that HarmonicDyne had started out with headphones, such as the now-discontinued Helios, before moving up the market with the Zeus, and recently launched the Poseidon. There's clearly a greed theme going on here, and I happen to have both the Zeus and Poseidon for review thanks to Linsoul.


Today, we are taking a look at the HarmonicDyne Zeus, an open-back over-ear set that has often been described as fun to listen to and appealing to many courtesy the aesthetics, build quality, and provided accessories. Looks like this run in the family, but the actual sound signature hopefully won't be a letdown this time around. The image above shows these headphones use a mix of different materials for a striking finish, but note that I had to color-correct both it and the thumbnail photo taken from the product page since the wood looked pink for whatever reason. Not the best of starts, but let's see how the product actually fares in our review which begins with a look at the product specifications in the table below.

Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

Readers of my reviews might remember my complaints about Audeze using branded tape and HIFIMAN adding an actual product sticker on the shipping box, which leaves little room for a stealthy approach to a box that might be waiting on your doorstep. HarmonicDyne ups the ante even further with a box that leaves no room to the imagination on what is inside, with massive labels proclaiming that this indeed contains a set of its Zeus headphones. On the plus side, it comes well protected with bubble wrap all around the hard steel case. I am a sucker for such cases since it makes a set of headphones appear premium for a fairly reasonable cost, but this case with a matte dimpled finish in black throughout and branding on the front is good functionally, too. The corners are protected against drops, the latches seem solid in use, and the carry handle is substantial as well. This is an excellent storage and transportation option for the HarmonicDyne Zeus inside, and it is lockable with keys as well.


The case is equally functional on the inside with precision-cut, thick foam on the inner lining and the case body. There are three primary compartments, one of which is dedicated solely to a metal badge with the serial number of these headphones confirming that HarmonicDyne had produced at least 1444 units of the Zeus when this shipped late last year. The rectangular compartment on the right houses a set of two keys to lock the case latches and a multi-language user manual that goes over the various features of the headphones, how to connect it all, and best maintenance practices. These were underneath a black cardboard box that clearly has the cables inside and employs a two-piece design with the inner box needing to be slid off the sleeve.


This is the latest packaging iteration for the HarmonicDyne Zeus and differs only in the stock cable. This one might be different from what you've see in reviews published last year, and is certainly an interesting choice as far as headphone cables go. Before discussing this in more detail on the next page, I will point you towards the separately packed adapters, both with knurled metal housings. The first goes from 4.4 mm female to 3.5 mm male, and the second from 3.5 mm female to 6.35 mm male. Neither are low in profile, but I will give HarmonicDyne credit for deviating from the norm in fit and finish.