The name Austrian Audio may be new for many people but let me tell you that though the name is not so famous brains behind this name have more than 20 years of experience in the design and manufacturing of top-class audio gears. Who are they all? They are the former employees of AKG who founded the Austrian Audio after the acquisition of AKG by Samsung. Those who founded the Austrian Audio were the members of a core team of AKG who played a major role in the design and development of AKG audio gears and I knew this whole story. Actually, I read it somewhere so I was curious to review its Hi-X55. So without wasting the time let's jump towards the main topic and review Austrian Audio Hi-X55.
Pros:
Cons:
Sound
Build
Comfort
Value
Bottom Line:
Let's start with the positives. Build quality is awesome. Most of the construction is metal so you don't need to worry about its durability. The design is clean and highly portable. Just fold them and throw in the carrying case. The oval-shaped ear cups are comfortable and provide good isolation too. For the build and comfort, I would rate 9 out of 10.
Now let's talk about the sound. Sub-Bass and mid-Bass are great. Mids are flat and also have accurate imaging. Vocals are clean. I Just noticed a minor issue when the upper-frequency area started. But the most important thing that I felt. It's not for general listening. It's for those professionals who want to test the music Or should I say it's also for the Audiophile but as a general listener I didn't enjoy it.
How is the Design and Build Quality of Austrian Audio Hi-X55?
The build quality of the AUSTRIAN AUDIO HI-X55 is awesome. They look and feel sturdy. The headband structure is entirely metal and they have used the slider mechanism to adjust the fit. Slider could slide quite easily with minimal effort. The headband and earcups are joined with rotating hinges that rotate smoothly.
These hinges are also made up of metal. I could sense that AUSTRIAN AUDIO intentionally used metal for the parts like headbands and hinges to improve durability. Earcups are oval-shaped which gives better sound isolation and they are soft and highly comfortable for long listening sessions. The material has used for earpads is protein leather memory foam. earpads and headband padding are replaceable. At the bottom of the earcup, there is a connecter to connect the cable that slightly looks like Sennheiser style.
AUSTRIAN AUDIO HI-X55 is highly portable and the reason is its foldable design. I could easily pack it in the carrying case. Overall I am pretty satisfied with the build, design, and comfort of HI-X55. I would like to rate it 9 out of 10. Actually, I was thinking to give 8.5 out of 10 but those extra marks are for lightweight in spite of having mostly metal construction.
How is the Sound Performance of Austrian Audio Hi-X55?
Let me start with the technical specifications. Austrian Audio Hi-X55 is a professional headphone with 44mm High Excursion drivers. What is meant by High Excursion? Excursion means the movement of the speaker or driver from its resting position. The frequency response is 5Hz - 28 kHz with an impedance of 25 Ξ©. The whole design and technical specifications indicate that the strongest area of Hi-X55 would be Bass so let's start with the bass.
The bass response of Hi-X55 is pretty good. Especially Sub-Bass and mid-bass are deep and punchy. In the Bass frequency area though it's slightly boosted and punchy it's well balanced and doesn't feel weird and artificial. Instrument separation in this area except for high bass was quite impressive.
The mids are very controlled and balanced. Hi-X55 Produced surprisingly neutral sound. Vocals were crisp and clean. Imaging is pretty accurate. Instrument separation is quite good. but one area that needs some improvement that is treble. It's unnecessarily bright in this area. with All good and bad I want to say that it's less for the general listeners and more for the professionals.
Why Did I say that? because as a general listener you may want to boost some areas like boosted bass or too bright treble or you may hate too flat mids but I think they may disappoint you if you want all these things. I mean if you want to study the music you listen just go for it but if you want to enjoy the music you must be an audiophile to get the juice. For Audio Professionals a big thumb up! but for general listeners, I think you do have many options.
Whatβs in the box?
- Hi-X55 Headphones
- Carrying case
- Detachable cable
- 3.5mm (1/8 inch) to 6.3mm (1/4 inch) adapter
Who should get Austrian Audio Hi-X55?
- They are for professionals and not for general listeners
