HarmonicDyne Athena Headphones Review – War and Wisdom

HarmonicDyne Athena - Cable

Make Life Click is reader-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. More details

Current testing methodology is v1.2

Release Date
January 13, 2023
Price
Price not available
Weight
3.21 lb
Size
7.87 x 8.66 x 3.94 in

I recently got the HarmonicDyne Athena, which is a pair of semi-closed-back headphones released earlier this year. The brand HarmonicDyne originated in China and is known for the Zeus and the Poseidon, which are both highly-rated headphones in the $300 to $400 price range.

Priced at around $120 on Amazon, the Athena is the brand’s entry-level set. Let’s see how it does in this in-depth review.

Best Value

HarmonicDyne Athena

HarmonicDyne’s entry-level kid wonder – a nicely tuned warm-neutral headphone

5/5
Price Range: $$
Brand: HarmonicDyne
HarmonicDyne Athena on a headphone stand Cable

TL:DR;

The HarmonicDyne Athena features a 50mm dynamic driver with a novel metallic-ceramic composite diaphragm. This pair of headphones has a simplistic and stealthy black design that’s classy and modern, setting it apart from the brand’s other models.

Its signature features a warm-neutral tone with a satisfying bass shelf, accurate midrange, and a crispy treble tuning. Whether it’s for mixing or just listening to music, the HarmonicDyne Athena fills in the demand for budget-friendly headphones that are just as reliable as they’re enjoyable to use.

The Specs

  • Driver:  50mm Dynamic Driver
  • Frequency response:  10 – 70,000 Hz
  • Impedance:  34Ω
  • Sensitivity:  116.5dB/Vrms@1KHz

What’s in the Box?

  • Athena Headphones
  • Stereo cable
  • 3.5mm to 6.35mm adapter
  • Souvenir coin
  • Storage bag
  • User manual

Stuff I like

  • Great ergonomics and good-quality cable
  • Engaging grungy bass that stays clean
  • Natural portrayal of vocals in the midrange
  • Excellent instrument timbre
  • Excellent instrument timbre

Stuff I like less

  • Occasional lower treble spiciness makes volume control crucial

Comparable products to consider

RODE NTH-100
RODE NTH-100

Retailing for under $150, the RODE NTH-100 is a great pair of headphones with a solid build and decent sound quality.

First Impressions

The HarmonicDyne Athena comes in a simple blue cardboard box with the brand’s logo embossed in gold letters on the front. The unboxing experience is quite nice and inside the packaging, you’ll find the earphones snugly placed in a foam cutout. 

These headphones have a sleek and simple design, and their shell is made of mostly plastic, which makes them lightweight. 

In terms of sound, the Athena is advertised as something that’s a fleshed-out take on neutral tuning, both delivering bass and a flat response that can accommodate mixing requirements. My first test run confirmed this. Compared to other headphones with a neutral tuning, the Athena stands out. 

Its bass quality is textured and rumbly yet clean and unencumbering of other frequencies. Its midrange notes are light and detailed but with a weighted tone to its timbre that renders vocals and instruments realistic. The treble is lively and moves a good amount of air throughout the high frequencies, making playback sound open and expansive. 

Do I think it’s a proper monitor? I think it can be. What’s certain to me though is that it’s tuned pretty well so much so that I can listen through hours on end without any need to rest. I make it sound so diffused and ordinary but in truth, I’m pretty impressed with what HarmonicDyne achieved. 

HarmonicDyne Athena inside the box
Comes in a simple but nice packaging | Make Life Click

Coming from the Hifiman HE400SE, the Athena’s warmth and balance along with its stage and technicalities are a considerable step up in sound quality. 

With side-by-side testing, the HE400SE now seems a little bit thin and somewhat uninspiring with its timbre. On the other hand, there’s no correct signature that a specific set needs to fall into. Differences in tuning can almost always be reconciled through readjusting your ears for a few minutes of listening, but I digress. 

The Athena is perhaps to me the best entry into HarmonicDyne’s lineup if you’re on the fence with either the Zeus or Poseidon’s price tags. 

Build Quality 

As mentioned previously, the HarmonicDyne Athena is made up mostly of plastic but with some metal components. Although lightweight, it doesn’t feel like it would easily break. 

The design takes a more conspicuous route, brandishing the HarmonicDyne logo on the polished glass faceplates of the earcups. Apart from the striking white graphics of the logo though, everything from the earpads to the entirety of the Athena’s body presents itself in a chic black colorway. 

It’s pretty stealthy and I’m sure many will love the simplicity and modernness in the design. 

The earcups are semi-closed-back and have vent strips on the sides, allowing sound to escape through them instead of the conventional open-back design. The naming here is pretty odd as we’re used to seeing the term semi-open-back instead. It’s smart though as HarmonicDyne doesn’t imply anything with the soundstage that could mislead consumers.   

HarmonicDyne Athena
Sleek black design | Make Life Click

Fit and Comfort

The ergonomics of the HarmonicDyne Athena is spot on for me. For a small head like mine, its base headband setting feels very tailored. The earpads, thankfully, aren’t leather. These headphones follow the direction of mostBeyerdynamicc offerings and come with suede fabric earpads. 

They don’t accumulate heat and become humid, nor do they become sticky with sweat. They’re quite soft and are extremely comfortable to wear. The clamping force on the earpads is just right and I can just sit at my desk for hours without the impending feeling of being squeezed by a hydraulic press. 

As for the isolation, it’s pretty standard and by standard, I mean crappy. This isn’t really bad as it’s to be expected from open-back designs but ideally, the quieter the better. 

Sound Quality

It’s a little difficult switching back to some of my warmer-sounding IEMs after a listening session with the HarmonicDyneAthena. 

It could be because the bass shelf is done really well that the whole conception of rumble equals mud becomes true for me. The sub-bass extension isn’t mega visceral and yet I hear just as much texture and detail that it’s puzzling how there isn’t any kind of bloat on the low end. This is what makes it gain somewhat of a bias from me. 

Commonly, this kind of presentation in the low end would belong to a V-shaped headphone and yet here it is on something neutral. The contrast here though is that the Athena isn’t at all syrupy even though it’s warm-sounding. Its timbre remains light and open. 

A neutral tuning with surgically inserted sub-bass rumble, my mind urges. This puts me in some sort of a halo effect with HarmonicDyne that makes me think that they know what they’re doing. It’s a really fun take on neutral and with the majority of neutral-sounding headphones being synonymous with boring, I’m not so averse to this kind of neutral. 

HarmonicDyne Athena headphone jack port
Equipped with side vents that improve airflow across the whole driver | Make Life Click

Bass 

A low-end’s true nature is always revealed when “Starboy” goes through it. On my listening with the HarmonicDyne Athena, what once was a constant undulating sinewave now sounds like background ambiance. 

At first, I thought that the sub-bass sounded a little too light and the texture was a little too subtle. The weird thing is that the playback didn’t sound wonky. I realize then that I’ve only been listening to “Starboy” through very bass-heavy gear. 

Maybe this is how it’s supposed to sound, maybe not. One could normally tell. However, this was the first time that vocals were in the limelight instead of the bass. The mid-bass isn’t a focus in the low end with “Starboy” as most of the impact only comes from claps. 

On other songs like “Suspicious” by RJ Pasin, the mid-bass impact is delivered with power and exactness, while the kick drum comes in a little more heavy-handed with “Demons” by Joji. 

At the end of the day, I wouldn’t call the Athena a bass-head pair and I wouldn’t want it to be either. While HarmonicDyne achieved a satisfying bass shelf that many would still consider bass, to me, it’s simply a good serving of bass – something to enjoy the entire signature with. 

Midrange

The flatness of the midrange is admirable in the HarmonicDyne Athena. 

If there’s a hierarchy, the vocals would slightly take an edge over the instruments the way it does on “Angel” by Keshi. I don’t like it when instruments compete for attention, so I don’t mind this at all. If anything, this hierarchy isn’t that big of a difference for it to be noticeable. 

Relative to most gear that I’ve listened to, the instruments sounded a tad more mellow and the vocals were a tad more intimate. When I close my eyes, it feels like I’m three seats away from Keshi in a garden wedding concert. From the sense of proximity, the texture is excellent as rasp and breathiness are perfectly captured. 

If there’s anything that stands out from the Athena, it may be the timbre. It’s far too common how many who try to achieve flatness end up sacrificing tonality. For clarity, note weight is compromised. On the Athena, flat doesn’t mean lifeless – it means natural. 

HarmonicDyne Athena on a mans head
HarmonicDyne Athena fit | Make Life Click

Treble

Raising the volume is always tempting on any set of headphones as it closes the distance between you and the artist, making listening a little more intimate. 

On the HarmonicDyne Athena however, you may want to have a little restraint with the volume since it tends to get a little overexcited with its lower treble. I find my volume dialed to about 34% and that gives me enough bite and sizzle without getting any harshness but. of course, your mileage may vary.

The upper registers and instrumental harmonics come across as succinct, lending to a crisp and accurate tone. As for the upper air region, openness and dimensionality are presented adequately but not to a point of excess. 

I think the treble, while imperfect, ties off the excellent qualities of the rest of the signature, making for a cohesive and enjoyable listening experience.

Technicalities

For the price, the HarmonicDyne Athena’s technical ability is placed in the middle – not bad or excellent but just good. Although I could go on about my subjective takes on its attributes, I simply don’t want to jump into the hype. 

And while there’s always room for improvement, what the technology can achieve at a certain price range should always be considered. As such, the Athena isn’t a highly technical headphone that checks off every box but it’s a competent and reliable performer that’s well-rounded in every aspect.

HarmonicDyne Athena - Accessories
What’s in the box | Make Life Click

Conclusion

My introduction to HarmonicDyne was the Poseidon. What caught my eye was the level of craftsmanship and the fact that it came in a fancy-looking aluminum carrying case. The Athena is a far cry from the brand’s previous models, the Zeus and the Poseidon, lacking both the mosaic and intricate detailing that they have.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS ONE?
Linsoul HarmonicDyne Athena Semi-Closed Over-Ear Wired HiFi Headphone with 50mm Dynamic Driver, Glass Faceplate, Detachable OCC Cable for Audiophile Studio Musician
HarmonicDyne Athena

What it brings to the table, though, is a modern and stealthy design that reflects beauty in simplicity. It also fills up a demand for more affordable headphones below $150. 

For a guy who came from an HE400SE, I think this is the most logical upgrade path and I don’t see why many other people shouldn’t also own something that’s both novel and strays from the path of lifeless neutral tunings. 

The HarmonicDyne Athena is simply a good pair of headphones for the price and something that I’d consider blind-buy-safe. If you love warm-neutral, there’s no reason for you to not have it on your desk.

Gavin is a college student who has a lot going on. From collecting IEMs and modding mechanical keyboards, to different hobbies like digital drawing, music mastering and cooking. It is safe to say he is a complete multi-faceted geek (and he's kinda cool too)

This post was last updated on 2024-10-31 / Some images from Amazon Product API & some links may be affiliate links which may earn us a commission from purchases.


Helpful? Sign up and get more interesting posts like this. No Spam.

Get access to insights, deals, competitions and giveaways. Unsubscribe anytime.

* indicates required

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.