Not everyone has heard about Austrian Audio, but there is a good chance you may have heard of AKG at least once or twice. In 2017, when AKG closed its office in Austria, a team of 22 dedicated people from the original AKG team formed Austrian Audio to continue their excellent reputation with AKG. Now, keeping the past alive but still looking toward the future, Austrian Audio is making fabulouspremium headphonesandmicrophones.
One of their flagship headphones is the Hi-X65, which Game Rant has been lucky to test in the last few weeks. From listening to music to playing games and even audio mixing and mastering, we have put these headphones through the wringer to see if they are up to snuff and worth considering as your next pair of headphones.
Austrian Audio Hi-X65
You’ll understand the quality of the Hi-X65 headphones the moment you take them out of the box before you’ve even listened to the first note. They feel great in the hand and excellent on your ears, and the build quality is exceptional. The Austrian Audio Hi-X65 open-back headphones were designed with mixing and mastering in mind from the start. They’re built to deliver accurate and precise listening, which is crucial for producing anything with sound. Even if you are not a professional, that incredibly accurate sound makes them perfect for audiophiles as well.
What’s In The Box?
Wired headphones are not for everyone, but the fact that Austrian Audio includes a 1-meter and 3-meter cable with the Hi-X65 makes it much more accessible to many people in various setups, and it is always nice to see an included 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch adapter with a pair of professional headphones. The included carrying bag will not protect these headphones from bumps and falls, but when you throw them in a bag, it will protect them from scratches. Plus, it has enough room to carry all the accessories.
What’s It Like To Use The Austrian Audio Hi-X65?
There is no denying that the Hi-65 delivers a premium experience. From how the earcups perfectly cup your ears to how the headband feels solid but not overbearing, they are some of the most comfortable headphones we have tested in some time. The adjustment system is entirely internal, so unless you are really trying to, it is hard to get your hair snagged in it, and the clicks are close enough together that you can dial in the perfect fit.
Thanks to the open-back design and breathable memory foam earpads, even with summer heat, these headphones stayed pretty cool, and we didn’t experience any of that dreaded ear sweat after wearing them for long periods. Compared to my typical daily drivers, the Sennheiser HD 600, which is comfortable for all-day wear, the Hi-X65 is just slightly more comfortable thanks to its lighter weight and more secure clamping force.
Even though the Hi-X65 delivers an experience and performance that rivals the HD 600, these headphones don’t feel nearly as intimidating as them or other HiFi premium headphones. These headphones are very approachable regardless of your experience with HiFi headphones. They feel familiar and comfortable on your head as soon as you put them on.
How Does The Hi-X65 Connect?
While wireless audio has improved in recent years, it is still hard to compete with the raw power and reliability of a wired connection. The Hi-X65 is exclusively wired, but as we said earlier, it comes with two lengths of cable, one measuring 1 meter and the other at 3 meters. These cables continue the premium feeling the rest of the headphones already exude. Over the last few weeks of testing, we have had no problems with the wires getting tangled. Plus, there is a clever locking design to secure the wire on the left earcup, where the cables connect.
One of the most impressive features of how the Hi-X65 connects is that it doesn’t need an amp to get the best performance out of it. Most headphones of this caliber have such a high impedance that a headphone jack on most devices cannot fully power it, resulting in less-than-stellar sound. The Hi-X65 only has an impedance of 25 Ω. By comparison, the Sennheiser HD 600 has an impedance of 300 Ω, and these headphones deliver relatively similar performance.
This low impedance means you don’t have to buy an amp to get the most out of your headphones, and you can also easily use these headphones on any device with a headphone jack. The Hi-X65 might be a bit overkill for some Switch users, but to put the low impedance to the test, we tried it out, and it was the bestTears of The Kingdomhas sounded. Of course, without an inline mic, you are not going to be able to use it as a headset on Xbox or PlayStation, but if you want solid headphones that can move from device to device with no problem, the Hi-X65 is one of the few in the HiFi space that can do that.
How Does The Hi-X65 Sound?
Now, getting to the meat and potatoes of the Hi-X65: how do they sound, and how do they stack up against other HiFi premium headphones? Let’s start by saying these headphones deliver on Austrian Audio’s promise of being delightfully revealing. Whether playing games, listening to music, or working on some audio mixing and mastering myself, the Hi-X65 delivered an incredibly clear and precise sound quality that is hard to fault.
Out of the box, the Hi-X65’s sound quality is consistent across its frequency response. There is some slight weirdness in the mid-range from time to time, but it does not detract from the listening experience. Similar things can be said about the HD 600, but where the Hi-X65 starts to shine and move ahead of the HD 600 is when you start playing around with EQ. These headphones take to EQing like a fish to water, giving you a ton of room to play around to find the perfect sound.
With or without EQ, the Hi-X65’s imaging, soundstage, and vocal separation are difficult to complain about. One of my favorite ways to test the soundstage on headphones is to listen to live concerts, and the Hi-X65 makes you feel like you are in the room with the artist. Listening toGeorge Benson’s Affirmation Live, you may hear people having conversations in between songs, and it literally feels like the band surrounds you.
When it comes to gaming, while these headphones don’t have spatial audio support, they still deliver a surround sound experience. In shooters, you can quickly tell what direction sounds are coming from, and in more story-driven games, it is effortless to get immersed with these headphones on. Even though they don’t have ANC and, because of the open-back design, they let in a fair amount of sound, it is hard to turn your head away from the screen when you are gaming with these headphones.
Creatives, like video editors, musicians, and sound designers, need solid headphones they can rely on for accurate sound. After completing a multitude of video projects during the testing period of these headphones, we can reliably say they stand up to the accuracy test. Whether EQing and mastering dialogue or dialing in the final mix, we never had any doubt these headphones were delivering accurate results, and they also allowed us to easily pick out which frequencies were causing issues in the recording.
Should You Buy The Austrian Audio Hi-X65?
The Austrian Audio Hi-X65 are incredible headphones. While we realize that they are not for everyone, if you are in the market for open-back HiFi headphones, we highly recommend including the Hi-X65 in your list of options. Because of the low impedance and relatively reasonable price compared to other high-end headphones, the Hi-X65 is a great entry point into the world of HiFi headphones. Plus, thanks to their taking to EQ, these headphones can easily grow with you as you expand your audio knowledge. But even if you have been using HiFi headphones for years, the Hi-X65 delivers a solid performance that is hard to complain about, and they are also a great way to enjoy an album without having to bust out your amp and full setup that other headphones require.
Similar Performance But Different Fit
FAQ
Q: Where did the AKG engineers go?
After AKG closed its Austrian factory in 2017, a team of 22 employees from AKG decided to start Austrian Audio to keep the legacy of the original AKG brand alive and based in Austria.
Q: Where are Austrian audio headphones made?
Austrian Audio was founded to keep the legacy of ‘Made in Vienna’ alive, so all of its headphones and most of its other products are still made in Austria.
