The Helios is the 3rd DAC from Weiss I’ve reviewed in these pages along with the DAC501 and DAC204 and the one thing they have in common is they all sound great. In many ways, exceptional.

From the get go till the bitter end, I never once had any other reaction than, ‘Wow. That’s a great DAC.’ For me, the main thing that makes a DAC a great DAC is its ability to not sound like one and the Helios’ exceptional refinement, or transparency if you prefer, hit me in the ears from the first few notes heard through it, so real and refined I smiled out loud.

Before I dig into some music, I want to discuss a few ideas I see floating around the interwebs like dandelion seeds in spring. The first goes something like this: DACs that measure well sound sterile. This gets me back, in some ways, to a discussion about resolution in digital audio but the idea that accuracy and great measured performance equates to sterile sound is frankly outdated. I say this because the Grimm MU2 and the Weiss Helios both reside on my shortest of short lists of favorite streaming DACs and they both measure exceptionally well according to John Atkinson’s work on Stereophile.

Where the weirdness comes into play is when some people hold the extreme view that any DAC that measures well is as good a DAC as you can get so just buy the cheapest one and call it a day. Look no further than the Weiss lineup, as noted above, to easily dispel that reductive nonsense. If you believe that someone who has never designed and manufactured a DAC knows more about performance related to design choices than someone like Daniel Weiss because they bought some test equipment and kinda learned how to use it is some magical thinking masquerading as ‘science’.

I continually smiled with delight throughout the Helios’ stay, finding real joy in the sounds of music. All the percussive bits on A Danger to Ourselves snapped to life with life-like dynamics—silence to present instantaneously—along with deep bass that was well controlled and fully voiced, while the delicacy of this music danced in air with that spark of life feel that animates reproduction well beyond sound quality concerns, digging into the heart of the meaning in the music. I suppose a less wordy way to express something similar is to point out that the Helios is as transparent a DAC as I’ve heard but what fun is that?

I prefer to talk about where things like transparency get you, which is deeper into the music, and what that deeper connection elicits inside me. Call me romantic.

Here in an all acoustic environment the Weiss DAC was equally at home giving rich, full, and distinct voice to each player with its nearly uncanny clarity that doesn’t erase body, tone, or texture which is not an easy task for most DACs in my experience. The Helios, in this system context, allowed these varied sounds to emerge from pure silence in full voice making this music purely delightful in its mischievous herky-jerky movements.

Throughout the Weiss Helios’ Barn stay, every piece of music I played through it offered pure delight. One of the most compelling results coming from this level of refinement when listening to all manner of music was always feeling completely and totally relaxed. Nearly giddy at times in the presence of music that danced in air with an infectious realness and rightness that touched moods and meanings deep inside. Bravo!

There is no doubt the Weiss Helios Reference DAC is one of the finest streaming DACs I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing in Barn. Regular readers know of my affection for integrated amps and streaming DACs, less boxes, and the Helios may give up some things to more costly separates but I haven’t heard them. The Helios also offers a suite of DSP-based options that separates it, feature wise, from the competition.

If you’re looking for a streaming DAC that is feature-rich and superb sounding, the Weiss Helios belongs on your shortest of short lists and comes with my highest recommendation.

Michael Lavorgna, Twittering Machines, Favorite Digital Award,September 2025

Favorite Gear of 2025 Award, December 2025