[gnomen]

I have taken the opportunity to play with the DSP on the 501 while waiting for my Helios. So far, so good. I have been able to assign the choices to the global presets and quickly select them on the remote control. The main ones I have been using:

• De-esser. Most useful for watching TV when actors are a bit "essy" or for over-bright recordings. Need to keep it very subtle. I initially chose a strong setting but that muffled things a bit.
• Loudness. Quite useful for late night, low volume listening. Takes me back to the loudness control on 80s amps.
• Vinyl. Thickens the sound somewhat, and gives the DAC a different voicing.

I would like to try room correction but I could not download the audio sine sweep file. Maybe I am doing something wrong.

When playing the TV sound through the Weiss/hi-fi, one unexpected benefit is that the stereo placement of sounds correlates with the visual position on screen. It's quite impressive. My Chord TT2 system did not do that.

 

[gnomen]

I also tried a couple of power cables. The PS Audio AC3 I already own made a small difference. The Shunyata Delta v.2 made a more significant difference and could be worth considering. I want to investigate further once the Helios is here.

 

[weiss2496]

I was wrong Bluebird Music the distributor for Weiss Engineering in North America is located in, New York. NOT Toronto, Canada.

Actually they are in both places.

 

[gnomen]

Well, my Weiss Helios has arrived and is now installed in the living room, driving ATC active loudspeakers and fed by Roon via Ethernet and an LG OLED TV via an optical link.

I have been using the 501 on loan while waiting. And it has been excellent. But once the Helios arrived ... wow! I have a 1948 mono recording of Sarah Vaughan -- one of her earliest -- and you would not believe how much detail the Helios can recover from that recording unless you sat down and listened with me. It's like you are there in the club with her, listening to the plucked double-bass and that velvety voice just 10' away. 76 years ago. You don't even notice it is mono. When watching the TV, you turn your head to look in the direction the sound came from -- it's that realistic. Speech is incredibly clear and easy to follow. Tiny background noises are clearly and cleanly recovered, preserving the ambience of the scene.

I have also transferred the DSP settings from the 501 to the Helios. I have DS sharp and smooth permanently assigned to function keys on the remote. And I sometimes use a gentle application of the Vinyl setting to make some tracks more mellow if they need it. The way Weiss does it is much more sophisticated than a simple HF cut. Last weekend I was listening to Paul McCreech conducting the St Matthew Passion. Some of the singers were a bit too closely miked, and a little application of the De-Esser cleaned it up nicely, without disturbing the overall quality at all.

Next step is the Room EQ. I plan to use an iOS app called Housecurve which was recommended in the Roon forum. Will update here once I have some results.

All you 501 users -- you owe it to yourself to audition the Helios -- or perhaps not!

 

[lowens]

Well, my Weiss Helios has arrived and is now installed in the living room, driving ATC active loudspeakers and fed by Roon via Ethernet and an LG OLED TV via an optical link.

I have been using the 501 on loan while waiting. And it has been excellent. But once the Helios arrived ... wow! I have a 1948 mono recording of Sarah Vaughan -- one of her earliest -- and you would not believe how much detail the Helios can recover from that recording unless you sat down and listened with me. It's like you are there in the club with her, listening to the plucked double-bass and that velvety voice just 10' away. 76 years ago. You don't even notice it is mono. When watching the TV, you turn your head to look in the direction the sound came from -- it's that realistic. Speech is incredibly clear and easy to follow. Tiny background noises are clearly and cleanly recovered, preserving the ambience of the scene.

I have also transferred the DSP settings from the 501 to the Helios. I have DS sharp and smooth permanently assigned to function keys on the remote. And I sometimes use a gentle application of the Vinyl setting to make some tracks more mellow if they need it. The way Weiss does it is much more sophisticated than a simple HF cut. Last weekend I was listening to Paul McCreech conducting the St Matthew Passion. Some of the singers were a bit too closely miked, and a little application of the De-Esser cleaned it up nicely, without disturbing the overall quality at all.

Next step is the Room EQ. I plan to use an iOS app called Housecurve which was recommended in the Roon forum. Will update here once I have some results.

All you 501 users -- you owe it to yourself to audition the Helios -- or perhaps not!

Good to see you are enjoying it. Weiss makes excellent products. What surprises me a bit is the simplicity of the box. I would have expected more from a dac costing USD22k. I know it’s the sonics that matter most but the looks lag behind the competition - Aqua, MSB, DCS, etc.

 

[Highfive99]

Good to see you are enjoying it. Weiss makes excellent products. What surprises me a bit is the simplicity of the box. I would have expected more from a dac costing USD22k. I know it’s the sonics that matter most but the looks lag behind the competition - Aqua, MSB, DCS, etc.

I felt a bit the same about my DAC 204. It looks so plain almost Heath Kit like with its toggle switches. But sonically it punches up there not far from the 501 2ch and others in that range so who cares what it looks like. My ears hear sound not looks.

 

[gnomen]

Agree about the looks. But all these devices are just boxes in the end. The attempts to tart them up can be a bit ludicrous — I always found the coloured balls and swoopy curves of the Chord inconvenient and annoying.

 

[Mister Crash]

The Helios does have a more substantial build than the lower cost offerings. Its exterior uses a much sturdier solid aluminum construction with a finish that's indicative of its price tier. The connectors on all the Weiss products are top-notch.

 

[Whazzzup]

Helios would be my choice if I was Weiss ing

 

[RobertSM]

Good to see you are enjoying it. Weiss makes excellent products. What surprises me a bit is the simplicity of the box. I would have expected more from a dac costing USD22k. I know it’s the sonics that matter most but the looks lag behind the competition - Aqua, MSB, DCS, etc.

I own a 1997 Land Rover Defender 90. A box of a vehicle. Many have come before and many will come in the future. But the point is if you judge the vehicle on its intended use and design. To be rugged, to be without limitations and to be absolutely dependable then I see not other competitors.

When I use my DAC501-MKII I don't stare at the chassis. But I respect what it does for its intended use above all.

 

[lowens]

I own a 1997 Land Rover Defender 90. A box of a vehicle. Many have come before and many will come on the future. But the point is off you judge the vehicle on its intended use and design. To be rugged, to be without limitations and to be absolutely dependable then I see not other competitors.

When I use my DAC501-MKII I don't stare at the chassis. But I respect what it does for its intended use above all.

Sure but that’s like saying people only buy a Rolex to tell the time

 

[RobertSM]

Ha! Well thats a good point.

To that end, I appreciate the simple style of the Weiss DACs.

 

[lowens]

Ha! Well thats a good point.

To that end, I appreciate the simple style of the Weiss DACs.

And there certainly isn’t any problem with that. I prefer a bit more luxury especially if I interact with the component. The feel and smoothness of the volume control for example. Happy listening regardless

 

[gnomen]

Ha, ha! Well, even some Land Rovers look better than others! But I quite like the clean, simple designs Weiss uses for the Helios and the 501/502. Discreet and functional rather than loud and showy.

 

[gnomen]

Just wondered if anyone has used the outputs at the back of their Helios or 501 to drive headphones? I would need to buy a cable to try it and I'm not sure I want to do that just for occasional use ...