HarmonicDyne Athena Over-Ear Dynamic Driver Headphones

[VSG]

The HarmonicDyne Athena is a rarely seen semi-closed set of over-ear headphones using side venting to get the best of both worlds. It uses a novel 50 mm dynamic driver fit into a well-designed chassis that is comfortable to wear and looks more expensive than it costs.

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[Space Lynx]

I am kind of glad I retired with my HD58X years ago on HD58X launched. Nothing else has really excited me since in this hobby. I'm quite content with them still.

 

[Scircura]

I am kind of glad I retired with my HD58X years ago on HD58X launched. Nothing else has really excited me since in this hobby. I'm quite content with them still.

I've also used HD580 as my main headphones for nearly 20 years. Every part has been replaced at least once, except for the grill covers. Sennheiser still sells replacement parts for it at reasonable prices. That's something I think about when reading every headphone review by VSG -- these relatively new companies will sell me something with a 1-year warranty, but what happens when that runs out? Will it be maintainable with cheap OEM parts, or will it be landfill?

 

[Space Lynx]

I've also used HD580 as my main headphones for nearly 20 years. Every part has been replaced at least once, except for the grill covers. Sennheiser still sells replacement parts for it at reasonable prices. That's something I think about when reading every headphone review by VSG -- these relatively new companies will sell me something with a 1-year warranty, but what happens when that runs out? Will it be maintainable with cheap OEM parts, or will it be landfill?

I never thought of this until now, a good point indeed. It is one reason I love my Steam Deck, when the battery starts to no longer hold a charge, I can just hop over to ifixit and buy any replacement part for it that I need at reasonable price. Something tells me the RoG Ally and other clones, won't be that easy to repair or cheap (with official parts).

Quite happy with my Deck for this very reason, plus I prefer this SteamOS over Windows... its quite refreshing.

 

[Fungi]

Bass looks good but those mids and highs... oof
My pick in this price range would be the HD560S.

 

[Aynsley]

Another authoritative review from @VSG. I was intrigued by the comparison with the Sennheiser HD 6XX and Moondrop VOID, both of which I own. I also have an ancient Audio-Technica ATH900 (long discontinued) and a HiFiMan Sundara. For some reason I find myself reaching for the ATH900 whenever I want to sit back and relax with an over-ear headphone. So when something like the Athena comes along, I read the reviews with interest but don't reach for my credit card. I can imagine how tough it must be marketing new products in a saturated market.

 

[Space Lynx]

Bass looks good but those mids and highs... oof
My pick in this price range would be the HD560S.

560S almost won me over, but I love the intimate vocals on my 58X

 

[Hablmet]

HarmonicDyne better get their game back up; the Athena is a little big of a "i sleep" moment for them. They look decent but that squig is just..yeah, no, I'll pass. There's better "closed" backs around. Rest in peace treble