Schiit Hel High-Power Gaming/Music/Communications DAC/Amp Reviewed

Schiit's step-up Hel gaming headphone amp and DAC delivers not only performance upgrades, but also some nice ergonomic touches that make it a wonderful desktop audio solution for headsets, headphones, and powered monitors alike.

Schiit Hel High-Power Gaming/Music/Communications DAC/Amp Reviewed

By Author: Dennis Burger

Dennis Burger is a native Alabamian whose passion for AV began sometime before the age of seven, when he dismantled his parents' brand new 25-inch solid-state Zenith console TV and exclaimed--to the amusement of no one except the delivery guy--that it was missing all of its vacuum tubes. He has since contributed to Home Theater Magazine, Wirecutter, Cineluxe, Electronic House, and more. His specialties include high-end audio, home theater receivers, advanced home automation, and video codecs.

hel-front-1920.jpgI said in my quick review of the Schiit Fulla 3 gaming DAC/amp that I would probably be completely happy letting that little device handle all of my desktop audio needs (for gaming headsets, headphones, and desktop monitors alike) if not for the existence of the company's step-up model, the $189 Hel.

Truth be told, I wish I'd had the luxury of time to spend a few weeks with the Fulla 3 on its own, judging it by its own merits, before comparing it with its bigger brother, because my first experience with Hel spoiled me rotten. Simply put, this little desktop DAC and amp has features and functionality I didn't even know I needed, and I speak as someone who has owned too many dedicated soundcards, DAWs, and gaming DACs to count.

hel-fulla3-comparison-1920.jpgCompared with the Fulla 3, the Hel is a big bigger in every dimension, although it's still quite compact given its capabilities. The main chassis measures 5 by 3.5 by 1-1/16 inches, with the volume knob atop adding another 7/16 of an inch or so. Within those relatively snug confines, Hel packs in 1200mW RMS into 16 ohms, 1000mW RMS into 32 ohms, 650mW RMS into 50 ohms, and an impressive 200mW RMS into 300-ohm loads.


It also sports a distinctive black and red color scheme similar to what we've seen on Schiit's Magni Heresy Headphone Amp and Preamp, and features all of the I/O options of the Fulla 3 and then some. In addition to its USB audio input, it features an analog audio input (3.5mm), a preamp output (3.5mm), a source selection switch (analog or USB), a gain select switch, and a USB power input.

The Hookup
Unlike with the Fulla 3, the USB power input on the Hel isn't optional. The USB data input alone can't draw enough power from your PC or console to power the amp, so you'll have to make two USB connections -- one of them attached to a supplied wall wart to feed the amp with juice.

hel-rear-1920.jpg

Other than that, setup is simple and straightforward if you have a modern desktop or laptop that supports UAC2. With Windows 10, the Hel is literally plug and play. For older operating systems, Schiit provides drivers on the product page.

Hel_board.jpgAs was the case with the Fulla 3, I ran the preamp output of the Hel into the aux input of my Prime Wireless speakers, giving me easy access to tactile volume control of my main desktop audio system when I wasn't wearing a gaming headset or headphones. Plugging in the latter overrides the preamp output, and the only fiddling I ever needed to do was to switch between gain settings if I was testing a hard-to-drive headset or headphones at the time.

It's worth mentioning here that the headphone output of the Hel is quarter-inch variety, not 3.5mm, so you'll need an adapter for most gaming headsets. Schiit does provide one in the box, along with all the cables you'll need to hook up the Hel, but I ended up replacing the quarter-inch-to-3.5mm adapter after a few days of use, for reasons I'll dig into in a bit.

Performance
Keeping things consistent between reviews, I mostly relied on the same gaming headsets and headphones for the bulk of my testing, including Kingston's HyperX Cloud, my Sennheiser G4me One open-back headset, my beyerdynamic Custom One Pro Plus with Custom Headset Gear, along with Sennheiser's newer GSP 600, as well as my Westone ES50 custom IEMs and my Audeze LCD-2 planar magnetic cans.


I also started my with the same game: Civilization VI, relying on my Sennheiser G4me One headset to deliver game's amazing music with all the extra air and detail I could squeeze out of it, with the amp set to High Gain mode to compensate for the headset's power hungriness. This time around, I opted for Gilgamesh as my leader (mostly for the rewards when fighting barbarians), but I stuck around for the melancholic score, which sounded absolutely captivating via the Hel/G4me One combo. The attack and decay of the lone woodwind, as well as the strings, gave the score both an immediacy and a sense of space that frankly almost distracted me from the game itself. I swapped in couple other headsets, mostly my HyperX Cloud, and all proved richer, more percussive, and more controlled than they did through the Fulla 3, but the G4me One kept calling my name. It was simply intoxicating when paired with this amp. Unlike with the Fulla 3, I also found that I could drive the G4me One to wholly satisfying listening levels with plenty of overhead left on the volume knob.

civ 6 Sumerian Gilgamesh Theme music Full


The same was true when I switch over to DOOM Eternal. Even with power-hungry G4me One headset, I could barely tolerate a volume level above 50 percent or so. But at that level, the Sennheiser open-backed headset delivered all of the visceral, shotgun-cocking, chainsaw-screaming, spine-ripping, heavy-metal rocking action with utter authority, wonderful tonal balance, and the ability to position myself and the demons around me in space with pinpoint accuracy.

A switch to my HyperX Cloud headset added even more oomph and impact (although a little less verisimilitude in terms of space), while also dialing back on the volume knob even more.

DOOM Eternal - All Glory Kills & Executions | No HUD

Simply put, every gaming headset and headphone that I threw at the Hel sounded better, and the adjustable gain allowed me to tailor the performance to the needs of each personal audio device. What's more, the performance between headsets was more consistent via the Hel, mostly because the amp is less a slave to the impedance curves of the headsets themselves thanks to its low output impedance of 0.25 ohms (vs. 0.5 ohms for the Fulla 3 and 1 ohm for competitive products like the Sound BlasterX G6).


One other thing that I want to harp on a bit that doesn't really fall under the metric of "Performance," but nonetheless affects ergonomics and usability, is the Hel's separate microphone volume adjustment knob on its front façade. I've recently gotten back into playing Guild Wars 2 with some friends (HomeTheaterReview's John Higgins, along with colleague Geoffrey Morrison), and having that mic adjustment has been a godsend. With it, I can tweak the output of my voice perfectly without having to dig into the setup menus of Discord, or without making my guildmates do the same.

You'd think this would be a set-it-and-forget-it sort of thing, but it's not. When I'm playing Guild Wars 2, I need a little more volume to my voice comms than I do with, say, Civilization VI. And when I'm playing Diablo III cooperatively online, I need even more vocal punch to cut through the mix. Honestly, this is a feature I didn't even know I needed, but now that I've lived with it via the Hel, there's no going back for me. It's now an essential element of any good gaming amp and DAC in my book.

Downsides


My biggest concern about the Schiit Hel is that the quarter-inch-to-3.5mm adapter that ships with the unit is pretty much useless. The female end of the adapter is too loose, and the spring inside doesn't grip a headphone or headset's 3.5mm connector firmly enough, resulting in constant dropouts and crackling. I replaced the adapter with a cheapo $10 adapter from Amazon, which fixed all of these problems, but I feel a $189 headset amp and DAC should ship with better accessories.

I also wish Schiit would label its switches and connections more clearly. It's pretty easy to remember that headphone plugs into the left and microphone into the right (especially given the need for an adapter), but if for some reason you can't remember that, you're gonna need a flashlight to figure out which connection is which, thanks to the low-contrast silk screening. What's more, Schiit's reliance on symbols instead of words does the unit no favors. Of the two switches on the front, I'm really only able to remember that the right one is for gain switching because I use it on a daily basis. And I had to consult the manual to remind me that the left one is for input switching.

hel-top-1920.jpgI also have one wholly subjective criticism that you can feel free to ignore if you want. But I wish the volume knob atop the Hel were metallic like that of the Fulla 3. I can adjust the volume of the Fulla 3 without taking my eyes off the screen, because the high contrast of the volume knob stands out in my peripheral vision. The black knob of the Hel means that it blends right in, so if I need to tweak the loudness level, I have to either paw around for it or look down at my desk.

Competition and Comparisons
Right now, the biggest competition for the Schiit Hel is probably Creative's Sound BlasterX G6, which offers many of the same input and output options, just without the separate volume control for the mic input, but with the addition of a few features like surround sound processing and a feature called Scout Mode designed to help you more accurately local opponents in multiplayer games.

I haven't auditioned the G6 myself yet, although I have for years used Creative's Sound Blaster E5 as my headset amp and gaming DAC of choice. The one big advantage the Schiit has over the Creative offerings, in my opinion, is that it doesn't require drivers or ancillary software, which always seem to cause me problems with my setup. What's more, even without surround sound processing, I found myself always immersed wonderfully in the space around me via the Hel.

Of course, if you have no need for a microphone input -- say, for instance, you use a USB mic for your gaming comms -- you might instead consider Schiit's Magni/Modi stack, which will run you $198, but which provides more than twice the power and is rated to drive 600-ohm loads.

Conclusion
hel-withheadphones-1920.jpg
As tired a cliché as this may be, if Schiit asks me to pack up the Hel High-Power Gaming/Music/Communications DAC/Amp tomorrow, I'm going to ask for accommodation pricing. If that's not available, I'm buying one at retail. This wonderful little amp and DAC covers all of my desktop audio needs, both for gaming and music alike. Its bountiful output is enough to drive even the greediest headphones and gaming headsets in my collection, and its sound quality is simply delicious.

I honestly kinda thought its preamp capabilities would be wasted on me, since I tend to feed my powered desktop speakers an optical audio signal. But having the volume control right within reach in a little device that sits just below my monitor on my desktop has proven incredibly convenient. And being able to plug in my headset and get to playing without fiddling with output options in Windows 10 (as easy as that may be) has been an added convenience that I never knew I was looking for.

The functionality alone would be enough to sell me on Hel. But combine that with rich, punchy, detailed audio output, and I honestly think I've found my perfect desktop audio solution for gaming and music alike.

Additional Resources
• Visit the Schiit website for more product information.
• Read Schiit Fulla 3 Gaming DAC/Amp Reviewed at HomeTheaterReview.com.
• Read What the AV Industry Could Learn from a Silly Bedding Company at HomeTheaterReview.com.

  • Anonymous
    2022-11-18 09:12:46

    I'm using a Shitt Hel at the moment in transit with my focal clear and its doing a great a job **** great value

  • Frustrated Customer
    2021-04-29 10:23:16

    Avoid it. Get the Rode AI-1 instead, better connections, better construction, and quite literally no difference in sound, phantom power, switchable monitor as well, all with no additional power needed. Plus better business practices. Schiit will charge a restocking fee(15%!), and shipping BOTH ways, if you decide its not for you, even if its its in 100% new condition. Egregious business practice in this day, with so much competition out there.

  • OrionsGhost
    2021-03-02 00:49:28

    Amen. Who cares what the name is so long as they offer solid products at great prices. Looks, performance, and cost are what really matters and this little schiit has 'em all! They could literally call it "garbage amp" and people would still buy because it constantly reviews well.

  • K ZH
    2021-02-25 21:34:29

    Growing up has nothing to do with that concern, when you say that name, you cannot tell me there is no hint of apprehension, if only for worry of being misconstrued by an uninformed listener. You'll be surprised how much a products name figures in the success or failure of its marketing campaign.

  • Rob Jennings
    2021-02-25 16:01:09

    Growing up would be a better choice.

  • K ZH
    2020-06-22 22:55:21

    I don't care what they offer, and I'm currently in the market for a stereo power amp and love the one they offer, but I'm sorry, unless they change their name, no way I'm buying anything called s(c)hit!

  • Dennis Burger
    2020-05-21 21:07:29

    @disqus_ETWJWNIbue:disqus: Apologies! "TL;DR" stands for "Too long; didn't read." It originated as a response from assholes on discussion forums and Reddit as a way of saying, "You may have a good point, but I'm not digging through this wall of text to determine that." So long-winded folks like me who participate in online discussions got into the habit of putting a preemptive "TL;DR" section at the bottom of our posts, to indicate that you can just just straight to that point if you simply want the bottom line without the longer explanation.

  • JOE
    2020-05-21 18:43:15

    Just out of curiosity what does TL;DR: mean??? Thanks for the reply, and we see what, why, when and if things happen??? PS. Certainly, no apologies needed here.

  • Dennis Burger
    2020-05-21 14:16:32

    @disqus_ETWJWNIbue:disqus, this is gonna seem like a long answer, and it's going to verge toward the political, so my apologies for both. But you asked, so... here goes. Home Theater Review is a publication written and edited by humans. And humans all have their biases and preferences. And those of us with either control over or a strong influence over what gets reviewed and when are, you could say, a little concerned about our economic entanglements with a country like China (despite the recognition that some of it can't be avoided in the short-term). Just speaking for myself here, I'm a strong proponent of the concept of economic patriotism, espoused by Senator Warren. So a company like Schiit, who designs and builds its products in my home country, the US, makes me happy. And as such, I want to put their products in front of my readers when it makes sense to do so. Does that mean I give their products a free pass when it comes to design, build quality, and performance? It does not. Does it mean I believe everything they build is great? It does not. But let's say we're looking over the editorial calendar and notice that, hey, we need to break up all these AVR or speaker or TV reviews with a DAC or HPA, and I'm looking at two potential review products -- one made in the USA and one made in China -- and the one made in the USA is competitive in terms of pricing, features, and potentially performance, I'm gonna lean hard toward picking the one made in the USA. That's not non-negotiable, by the way. If you readers are like, "Booo, give us the Chinese gear all day every day," we'll have to rethink things. But for now, that's what's driving what influence I have over selecting review gear. So, TL;DR: the chances are pretty good. I'll ask the staff if anyone is up for the review, and if not I'll take it myself. And I'll ask the folks at Schiit if they would be able to supply a review sample. If not, we might just buy the thing (assuming the math works out and we think we can sell enough via affiliate links to justify the expenditure). Sorry if that's a little too much honesty for you on a fine Thursday morning. I just believe in being direct and transparent about what goes on behind the curtain when you readers ask. And I hope none of my political ramblings offended you.

  • JOE
    2020-05-13 17:33:59

    Nice review. Speaking of Schiit , what are the chances of seeing a review of the new $200 bargain priced Asgard 3 in the not to distant future??? Just curious if it could/would/should happen??? Thanks

  • Martin vegas
    2020-05-11 12:43:22

    I like the odd game of Fortnite every now and then and need my surround sound to avoid that third party gang bang!

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