Austrian Audio Hi-X20 Over-Ears Review

Judgment

With the Hi-X 20 Austrian Sound has increased down on the Austrian Audio-ness of its most inexpensive design variety, and the results are gratifying in the extreme. All but one of the most fully commited bass-heads will locate lots to like below …

Introduction

The Viennese expert has been disrupting the headphones market at every price-point ever since its arrival not fairly eight years earlier– however it’s down in the more budget-orientated area of the marketplace that Austrian Sound has made the greatest waves.

These brand-new Hi-X 20 wired over-ear headphones intend to continue this vital job, by making most opponents audio (if not look) a little bit agricultural by comparison …

Availability

The Austrian Audio Hi-X 20 wired over-ear headphones get on sale in the United Kingdom for a dime much less than ₤ 120 In the USA you can safeguard a set of $ 150, while in Australia they’ll establish you back AU$ 250 or something extremely near it.

It’s fair to state that a lot of the wired over-ear earphones Relied on Testimonials has actually checked lately are a fair little bit more expensive than this– but that’s not to state Austrian Audio is operating alone. Wireless over-ear earphones from any kind of variety of brand names (not the very least Austrian Audio itself) are readily available at this sort of money …

Design

• Metal hinges and headband
• Changeable earpads
• Collapsible style

What’s perhaps most instantly obvious regarding the design of the Hi-X 20 is simply exactly how restrained Austrian Sound has been. Its previous efforts at entry-level over-ear headphones have featured rather a number of different colours per design– silver, red and black have all existed side-by-side uncomfortably on the very same pair of earphones, and it’s created a rather incoherent look.

The Hi-X 20 are almost entirely black, with some very discreet branding selected in red. They look much better for it– innovative, nearly.

The joints and headband are made of metal, and there’s enough articulation in the structure to permit the Hi-X 20 to fold up flat sufficient to suit the fairly little soft bag Austrian Audio gives.

The contain factors at the inside of the headband and the earpads are of slow-retention memory foam covered in synthetic natural leather– they fit and fairly restrained in retaining your temperature. The earpads themselves are quite easily changeable, too, which will help the longevity of the Hi-X 20 no end. General comfort levels are excellent, many thanks to a workable 255 g weight and some thoroughly judged securing force.

Specification

• 44 mm full-range dynamic vehicle drivers
• Removable 3 m cable
• 12 Hz– 24 kHz regularity action

The Hi-X 20 function the same driver technology as every other Hi-X version in the Austrian Sound variety. Hi-X means high excursion, and below as almost everywhere else the 44 mm full-range vibrant vehicle driver is backed by a ring magnet system generating a notably strong magnetic field.

The objective is to optimise air movement while allowing the weight of the membrane layer and voice-coil to be as low as possible. Austrian Audio suggests it leads to perfect impulse response, and is claiming a frequency reaction of 12 Hz– 24 kHz.

The left earcup has a 2 5 mm outlet for link to the 3 m cable television provided in the product packaging. It turns to lock into position, and at the various other end is ended with a 3 5 mm plug fitted with a 6 3 mm adapter.

And that has to do with it as far as functions are concerned. This, after all, is a quite inexpensive pair of wired over-ear headphones, and they don’t truly often tend to have any kind of features beyond the essentials …

Audio Quality

• As described as they are vibrant
• Unified, favorable and enjoyable audio
• Bass response is as lean as a greyhound

Somehow, the Hi-X 20 are completely reminiscent of the various other Hi-X models in the means they sound. In others, however, it’s apparent that the amount of assuming Austrian Sound has actually done concerning the method it songs the Hi-X family chauffeur arrangement has led to a lot more of an advantage.

When connected into a FiiO M 15 S digital sound gamer and with a 24 -bit/ 96 kHz FLAC data of Final Rescue Attempt by Nick Cavern & & The Bad Seeds having fun, there’s a mix of space and togetherness to the Hi-X 20 discussion that gives an appropriate feeling of performance. The soundstage is big, ordered and simple to comply with– yet every component on it is contributing towards a particular goal, as opposed to just existing alone or by itself terms. And there’s little of that prevented, two-dimensional sensation that closed-back earphones can sometimes experience.

The tonal balance is well neutral and naturalistic, and the regularity action from the leading end to the bottom is clean and smooth. On top of the frequency array, the Hi-X 20 strike treble noises with resolution, creating just sufficient substance to prevent any type of solidity of splashiness. In the midrange, it’s as insightful and useful a set of earphones as this kind of money can currently purchase– no detail is as well fleeting to get away the attention of the Austrian Sound, and every scrap of information is taken into proper context.

At the bottom end there’s equally as much detail available, just as much details concerning tone and texture, and equally as much variant as there is in other places. There’s great low-end control on display here too, and real positivity where the attack of bass hits or notes is concerned. The ripple effect of this is that there’s appreciable momentum to the Hi-X 20 presentation, and an influential method with balanced expression as well.

However when listening to a 24 -little bit/ 44 1 kHz FLAC documents of Electric Relaxation by A People Called Mission it quickly emerges that the Austrian Audio aren’t the meatiest pay attention around. They can dig deep into the frequency array, and hit with strength– but those audiences that have been conditioned to expect big, sturdy bass reaction from their headphones might discover the realistic look that’s available right here instead unrealistic.

No lodgings require to be made where dynamic headroom is concerned, however– the Hi-X 20 have plenty. When a recording shifts equipment and ups the strength and/or quantity, the Austrian Audio track the changes very carefully and completely. Those extra subtle dynamics of harmonic variation have equally as much interest paid to them, as well.

Not every set of earphones can combine the powers of evaluation readily available right here with the type of straightforward enjoyment that’s on deal at the exact same time. Less still can handle it at a price as reasonable and achievable as this one. So park your assumptions where basic bass strike is worried and the Hi-X 20 will surprise and, most likely, joy you.

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