Austrian Audio Hi-X20 review: wired over-ear headphones that sound so good, the price tag must be a misprint

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Austrian Audio Hi-X20: Two-minute review

The institution hasn’t been astir each that long, but this is not Austrian Audio’s first rodeo astatine nan introduction constituent of nan wired over-ear headphones market. Its capacity credentials are established, but pinch nan Hi-X20 it seems to person decided that it would for illustration its headphones to look arsenic coherent arsenic they sound to beryllium among nan best wired headphones retired there. Which tin only beryllium a bully thing.

The ‘Hi-X’ spot of nan exemplary number intends ‘high excursion’, and nan Hi-X20 usage nan aforesaid 44mm full-range move driver assembly arsenic each nan different ‘Hi-X’ models successful nan Austrian Audio line-up. This, too, counts arsenic an uncomplicatedly bully thing.

And erstwhile it comes to ‘performance’, nan Hi-X20 are each business. From item retrieval to dynamics, and soundstaging to tonal balance, they’re a assured and very accomplished listen. They unify recordings properly, onslaught a bully equilibrium betwixt ‘poise’ and ‘attack’, support momentum levels precocious and person complete bid complete hit and tempo. Some listeners mightiness conceivably require greater punch from nan (nicely shaped, nicely varied) debased frequencies that are connected connection here, but everyone other tin conscionable revel successful sound value that makes nan asking value look a spot for illustration a misprint.

Austrian Audio Hi-X20 review: Price & merchandise date

• Released October, 2024
• Priced $150 / £120 / AU$250

The Austrian Audio Hi-X20 person been connected waste since October 2024, and astatine a value of $150 / £120 / AU$250 they’re 1 of nan company’s astir affordable designs. But while nan affordable wired over-ear closed-back creation isn’t nan astir fashionable astatine nan moment, it’s not arsenic if nan Hi-X20 are your only choice. Plenty of brands, from FiiO to Sony and galore points successful between, person a comparable exemplary successful their line-ups…

Austrian Audio Hi-X20 review: Specs

Austrian Audio Hi-X20 review: Features

• 44mm full-range move drivers
• 12Hz - 24kHz wave response
• Detachable 3m cable

The aforesaid high-excursion move driver is fitted to each ‘Hi-X’ headphones successful nan Austrian Audio line-up. It’s a 44mm full-range number, backed by a powerful ringing magnet and lightweight copper-covered aluminium voice-coil. A beardown magnetic field, optimal airflow and accelerated impulse guidance each harvester successful nan statement to deliver, according to nan manufacturer, a wave consequence of 12Hz - 24kHz.

The Hi-X20 are supplied pinch a three-meter magnitude of cablegram for relationship to a source. At 1 extremity it clicks and twists into a 2.5mm socket connected nan near receptor cup, while astatine nan different extremity its 3.5mm termination besides features a 6.3mm adapter. It’s a useful magnitude of cablegram if you’re utilizing your headphones successful a master capacity, sure, but it’s a spot overmuch if each you’re doing is home listening. A second, shorter action successful nan packaging mightiness person been nice.

That’s beautiful overmuch your batch for ‘features’. Even nan astir costly passive headphones thin not to person each that agelong a database of features, and nan Hi-X20 simply person nan essentials.

• Features score: 4.5/5

Austrian Audio Hi-X20 review: Sound quality

• Fast, attacking-yet-controlled sound
• Confident, affirmative presentation
• Some listeners will require greater bass presence

Despite sharing nan aforesaid driver statement arsenic each different ‘Hi-X’ model, Austrian Audio has tuned nan Hi-X20 to reside immoderate perceived issues successful nan measurement immoderate of nan brand's predecessors sound. Whether aliases not it has been successful successful this endeavour, there’s surely nary getting distant from nan truth that nan Hi-X20 are a persuasive perceive and an accomplished product.

There’s straight-edged onslaught to nan onset of sounds, nary matter wherever successful nan wave scope they occur. The apical extremity is agleam and shining, nicely controlled and pinch capable constituent to forestall moreover nan crunchiest treble sounds becoming edgy aliases hard. The Hi-X20 are speedy successful their presentation, and support momentum levels precocious successful each circumstance.

A 24bit/44.1kHz FLAC of Lamb’s Trans Fatty Acid from Kruder & Dorfmeister’s The K&D Sessions illustrates nan constituent successful full. The Hi-X20 reasonably centrifugal done nan tune, expressing nan hit confidently and offering a direct, convincing wide presentation. Integration of nan wave scope is soft throughout, and successful nan midrange there’s a grade of positivity that makes nan vocal capacity sound assertive and articulate.

At nan bottommost of nan wave range, nan Austrian Audio extract and contextualize conscionable arsenic overmuch item arsenic elsewhere, and there’s pleasing variety to bass sounds. They’re not without substance, either – though nan fleet-footed quality of nan sound present intends nan lowest frequencies tin beryllium fractionally slender – if you’re nan benignant of listener who likes to beryllium pummelled by low-frequency presence, you mightiness conceivably find nan Hi-X20 a small connected nan thin side.

Dynamic headroom is considerable, and nan Austrian Audio respond instantly to switches successful measurement aliases intensity. They create a large, well-defined and decently organized soundstage, too, and negociate to unify moreover analyzable recordings into singular occurrences alternatively than coming them arsenic a postulation of individual and unrelated events.

Switching to a 24bit/96kHz FLAC record of Nick Drake’s Which Will allows nan Hi-X20 to show their knowing of reside and texture. The acoustic instrumentation and close-mic’d vocal is delivered successful an intimate, assured style – not each brace of headphones tin make this signaling sound arsenic near-field and naturalistic arsenic this, nary matter nan asking price.

• Sound value score: 4/5

Austrian Audio Hi-X20 review: Design

• Neat folding arrangement
• Metal headband and hinges
• Replaceable receptor pads

You don’t ‘design’ headphones, really, surely not affordable headphones – you ‘build’ them. And truthful nan Hi-X20 look conscionable arsenic you’d expect a brace of affordable over-ear closed-back headphones to look. ‘Design’ doesn’t travel into it.

Mind you, astatine slightest nan Hi-X20 don’t travel nan illustration of erstwhile affordable Austrian Audio models by having acold excessively galore colours and textures involved. The HiX-20 are almost wholly achromatic successful finish, pinch only a smattering of branding picked retired successful red. The integrative that represent nan rear of nan receptor cup and screen nan headband accommodation system consciousness sturdy enough, and nan slow-retention representation foam that makes up nan receptor pads and sits crossed nan wrong of nan headband is pleather-covered and comfortable.

In fact, acknowledgment to their 255g weight and immoderate judicious clamping force, nan full acquisition of wearing nan Hi-X20 is comfortable. There’s plentifulness of headband accommodation available, and nan Austrian Audio fold plentifulness mini capable to fresh into nan small, soft container they’re supplied with.

• Design score: 5/5

Austrian Audio Hi-X20 review: Value

• Comfortable, good-looking and acceptably finished
• Long cablegram only insignificant shortcoming

They’re nan best-looking ‘Hi-X’ headphones truthful far, they’re built and vanished to a very acceptable standard, they’re comfortable and they sound great. Maybe nan cablegram is connected nan agelong side, but if you tin unrecorded pinch this insignificant shortcoming (and you really ought to), there’s nary disputing nan worth for money nan Hi-X20 represent.

• Value score: 5/5

Should I bargain nan Austrian Audio Hi-X20?

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Austrian Audio Hi-X20 review: Also consider

How I tested nan Austrian Audio Hi-X20

• Connected to an iFi iDSD Diablo 2 headphone amplifier
• With a assortment of integer audio record types and sizes
• For good complete a moving week

My reference amplifier (a Naim Uniti Star) has a 3.5mm headphone socket – and truthful each my testing was done utilizing a (delightfully capable) iFi iDSD Diablo 2 headphone amp connected via UBS-C to an Apple MacBook Pro. And this is loaded pinch Colibri package successful bid to play proper high-resolution content, positive little information-rich stuff, too. I listened to euphony of each style and genre and did each of this for conscionable complete 2 weeks.

• First reviewed: November 2024
• Read much astir really we test