Well, this is a quiet thread comared to the Chord threads, which are always churning along with tweaks, complaints and suggestions. I guess happy listeners have nothing to post about -- no news is good news, so to speak. Not much more to add re my experiences at the moment. I have settled on...

DSP options. I have just completed setting up the DSP options on the Helios and here is a follow up report. I used the buttons on the remote to store the global presets as follows: 1 Factory reset all. This restores the pristine state. 2 DS surgical -3dB. Useful for occasional "Essie"...

Thanks for the tip! I looked this up straight away and it is great, as you say. I really like piano on original instruments rather than the ubiquitous Steinway. There is so much more scope for expression.

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 ...

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.

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.

This is beneath you, Rob. What are you saying? "If you don't like my DACs you are no good at evaluating sound quality" Really? "Frankly deaf"! Oh dear. The world is full of people dedicated to producing better quality sound, and listening for it, writing about it, and sharing experiences...

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...

I quite understand the negative reactions. This thread is for champions of Chord's customised DAC code, so why wouldn't there be push back to anyone saying anything else. I'm no electronic engineer and I am not saying which chip is better. I'm just talking about what 'good' sounds like, and...

That's where my thinking is headed. I was planning to upgrade my M/TT2 to an M/Dave combo but decided to look around. There are a number of DACs which sound decidedly better for a similar investment. I zeroed in on dCS Apex and Weiss and eventually decided on the latter. I've shared some...

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.

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...

Just wondering if anyone drives their headphones direct from the Helios or find it is better to use a headphone amplifier? It's not clear from the documentation whether the design is meant to provide for that or for output to a headphone amplifier. I have Focal Utopias which are 80 ohm and...

Quick question: is there a way to turn off the display on the Weiss so that it is not glowing all the time, when not needed? (I have not had time to read the whole manual yet!)

Just plug your Roon core into the Weiss. Job done!

Yes, the 501 (and the Helios) are one-box solutions: Ethernet in, beautiful music out. I use Roon on iMac as a streamer, via ethernet to the Weiss, and manage my library using Roon, although there are other apps that work similarly. Good luck in Toronto. Beautiful city by the way!

Not me. I've just posted in the Weiss thread about upgrading to their Helios model. As part of the demo we tried a Shunyata mains power cable. Easy to hear the difference. And it is just as significant as you describe. The Helios was my preferred path rather than the Dave (going from an...

I always enjoyed the TT as in the 'sweet spot' of the original Chord Electronics range. I upgraded to a TT2 and M-Scaler combo which was better in many respects but brought its own new problems with it. If you do move on from the TT I would urge you to consider the Weiss 501 as the better...

Thanks Robert. To your earlier posts about power supply, the demonstrator had a Shunyata power cord, entry-level I think, which made a convincing difference to both devices! So I am already in deeper for that and possibly other additions, like better XLR cables. - Robert

A follow up to my earlier post above, cross-posted from the Weiss thread. Spent a long session today comparing the Weiss Helios to the Bartok Apex. It was a head-to-head struggle, with one DAC besting the other on some tracks and vice-versa. It is amazing that two similarly priced and specc'd...

Spent a long session today comparing the Weiss Helios to the Bartok Apex. It was a head-to-head struggle, with one DAC besting the other on some tracks and vice-versa. It is amazing that two similarly priced and specc'd devices still can be voiced so differently. And easy to see why some...

Just wondering if any of you Weiss users find you make good use of the DSP facilities available? Daniel Weiss talks quite positively about them, but the reviewers are virtually silent. I'm thinking of significant, permanent adjustments such as the Room Equaliser, rather than occasional tweaks.

Yes. The Rossini apex/clock has been recommended as the ultimate pairing for my speakers, but ups the ante another 100%. Do I want to listen? Have not had a chance yet to pitch the Helios against the Bartok Apex, maybe in the next week or two.

I just want to add to the above post that a day later I am still marvelling at the rock solid instrument placement the Helios achieved. When I replay some of the tunes in my memory I can still 'see' where the instruments were positioned. The degree of clarity this provided was extraordinary.

I posted this on the Weiss thread ... but cross-posting here as it also includes comments on the Bartok. Any thoughts/observations from Bartok users gratefully received: I had a short audition today of the Weiss 501 mk2 and the Helios. Also compared to the...