Amphion Helium 520 Floor standing speakers
Clear lines and white coal-black finish look modern and at the same time classical, reminding the forty-year-old creations of the famous designer Dieter Rams for Braun. A pair of mid-woofers and the tweeter between them is the configuration of D'Appolito. Quite small LF/MF-drivers with paper diffusers allowed creating amazingly slim bodies, and as the main drivers are connected in parallel, their overall acoustic center coincides with the position of the tweeter.
A metallic dome of the tweeter is in the base of waveguide - a kind of a horn. At the same time, it became possible to reduce crossover frequency (to 1.6 kHz), to make acoustic sizes of LF/MF- and HF-drivers similar and also to improve the temporal compliance of bands due to shifting the tweeter to the back.
The weighted base of the body adds stability to Amphion Helium 520 and spikes are much more qualitative than in Prio. Perhaps, there is the sense to slightly deflect the loudspeakers backward, because the most focused sound is at the same distance from both mid-woofers to the listener. A pair of connectors is at the very floor, under the bass-reflex port, which foam plugs are provided for.
Prio 250 impressed us, but it is curious that less expensive model eclipsed them completely. Helium 520 has all the advantages of Prio, especially the highest fusion in the area of crossover frequency, but it can boast of more smooth sound in the whole range, including LF region, with which the previous model had problems.
Amphion Helium 520 loudspeakers work in free space and with the installed plugs - near the wall too. The lowest frequencies are slightly limited, but the overall tonal balance is neutral and the upper bass and lower middle (a problematic area for many competitors) impress by warmth.
Sound stage is accurate and focused, with good depth and space (if they are present in the source material). The recording of "Symphony No.5" by Sibelius of the mid-1960s remarkably showed this - brass wind instruments in the background sound in a reliable and convincing acoustic space.
Amphion Helium 520 are completely exceptional and thoughtful loudspeakers with rear combination of warmth, neutrality, sound fusion and accurate stereo picture. Perhaps, they are not ideal, but for such price it's hard to find better variant.
