Weiss Helios Reference DAC
The new Helios DAC from Weiss Engineering represents the culmination of more than 40 years of leading-edge digital design.
Weiss DACs and DSP units can be found in recording and mastering studios worldwide, and Daniel Weiss’s innovative work was honored with the presentation of the Technical GRAMMY in 2021.
Helios’ sound quality and extraordinarily low noise are enhanced by the use of four D-to-A channels per channel, an internal high-precision / low jitter clock generator, and an analog output stage based around Weiss’s own OP2-BP discrete operational amplifiers.
What’s most significant, however, is the unit’s analog stage, whose new discrete operational amplifiers are of the utmost importance. These “discrete operational amplifiers” are called OP2-BP, and are designed and produced by Weiss. Their performance far exceeds commonly-available monolithic op-amp chips, and contribute to Helios’ extraordinary sound quality and unmatched signal to noise ratio of 128 dB.
Helios not only performs well on the test-bench, with s/n of 128 dB, but is also eminently listenable, taking the signature Weiss detail and transparency to a whole new level.
Helios can reproduce an extensive range of dynamics and micro-dynamics. It excels at reproducing natural timbre and harmonics resulting in a most engaging and authentic musical presentation.
More than just a DAC, Helios also functions as a preamp and UPnP/Roon streamer and includes the same professional-grade DSP algorithms that were used to mix and master the original recordings. An optional headphones adapter turns Helios into the ultimate headphone amp/DAC. 
Like all Weiss products, Helios is built to perform superbly for decades of rigorous, demanding use. It may well be the last DAC any audiophile will ever need.
The Weiss Helios is amongst the best digital converters I’ve heard, and it deserves my highest recommendation for those looking for a high-end statement DAC at any price. There is exceptional accuracy, but its accuracy done so smoothly and listenably that music still speaks to me emotionally.
Grover Neville, Part Time Audiophile, Reviewers Choice Award Winner, February 2024
The Weiss DAC502 retrieves more information than any other DAC I have auditioned, but its measured performance was exceeded by that of the Weiss Helios!
John Atkinson, Stereophile, March 2024
Helios echoed the DAC502's extraordinary clarity but with an enhanced sense of involvement with the music.
John Atkinson, Stereophile Class A+ Recommended Components, April 2024
I sat in near disbelief at how incredible the sonics sounded with the Weiss Helios in the loop. I cannot remember a time when I heard this level of detail, this level of specific image placement, this level of bass management, and this level of overall musicality. In short, the Weiss Helios DAC raised the bar on my system’s sonics, and not by a marginal amount.
Paul Wilson, Future Audiophile, July 2024
