PE
Great Headphones, Questionable Cable Design
I bought the Hi-X55 headphones as a replacement for my 10+ year old AKG K-271 MKII (still made in Austria). I use them for pretty much everything, from listening to music, playing piano and guitar, to virtual meetings and video streaming. While the AKGs are great headphones, I find them uncomfortable to wear for more than 2 hours at a time, and decided on the Hi-X55 due to their circumaural design.
Over the years, I've grown used to the neutral sound that studio headphones deliver, and the Hi-X55 is no exception. That's to say that if you're looking for loads of bass, look elsewhere. However, the clarity and dynamics are exceptional, and I think the Hi-X55 is a true improvement over my AKGs.
To illustrate the point: when I first plugged them in, I thought they sounded terribly harsh and compressed, until I realized that my Spotify Audio Quality settings were on "Automatic" (which I didn't find to be a problem with my AKGs). After changing the setting to "Very High", I was absolute blown away and, after a few weeks of daily usage, I can highly recommend the Hi-X55s.
That being said, there's one major design flaw which I find hard to get over (and reason enough to only award 4 stars to these otherwise exceptionally good headphones): the cable plug is based on a 2.5 mm (!) stereo jack, and uses a proprietary bayonette design, which means that your only options are the 3m and 1.2m cables that Austrian Audio offers. I really don't understand this design choice, and I think a standard 3.5 mm jack without the proprietary bayonette would lead to a much improved user experience. I guess it's not a problem if those options work for you, but I really like using my headphones with spiral cables, and at the very least Austrian Audio should offer a spiral cable option (I ended up making my own spiral cable, which was unnecessarily painful).
Over the years, I've grown used to the neutral sound that studio headphones deliver, and the Hi-X55 is no exception. That's to say that if you're looking for loads of bass, look elsewhere. However, the clarity and dynamics are exceptional, and I think the Hi-X55 is a true improvement over my AKGs.
To illustrate the point: when I first plugged them in, I thought they sounded terribly harsh and compressed, until I realized that my Spotify Audio Quality settings were on "Automatic" (which I didn't find to be a problem with my AKGs). After changing the setting to "Very High", I was absolute blown away and, after a few weeks of daily usage, I can highly recommend the Hi-X55s.
That being said, there's one major design flaw which I find hard to get over (and reason enough to only award 4 stars to these otherwise exceptionally good headphones): the cable plug is based on a 2.5 mm (!) stereo jack, and uses a proprietary bayonette design, which means that your only options are the 3m and 1.2m cables that Austrian Audio offers. I really don't understand this design choice, and I think a standard 3.5 mm jack without the proprietary bayonette would lead to a much improved user experience. I guess it's not a problem if those options work for you, but I really like using my headphones with spiral cables, and at the very least Austrian Audio should offer a spiral cable option (I ended up making my own spiral cable, which was unnecessarily painful).
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RL
Great headphone, not for everyone
The build quality is top notch. Tho I have to mention that the rotation of cups is a lot looser on the left side on the right, but other then that, a very well made headphone.
Tho I am worried about clicking I hear from the plastic bits when the headphone clicks to place. When adjusting my headphones on my head with not much force, you can hear the metal parts move against the plastic as if it's going to take the plastic apart.
That was the bit from my K550 headphone which broke too and it looks similar.
If you mix mostly on monitors, certainly get them to check problems areas on. They will stand out immediately. I especially liked them for vocal work (both interview and music vocal mixing.)
However, I feel like the comfort is lacking which is a shame.
Many reviewers praise it but I have a feeling that they don't sit more than 4 hours with it on. It's a tad too heavy which also causes the headphones to creep forward every time you look down.
This sucks because the passive noise reduction is absolutely fantastic.
Also something to look out for is that the cable is really loud compared to other headphones which is annoying when drumming/moving with them. From 40cm down the cable, if you softly tap on it, it sounds like someone is tapping on the cup directly.
Soundstage is fine.
Still debating whether I am keeping this since I do sit for long hours with them on.
EDIT: after mailing with Austrian Audio, the loose left ear was indeed an issue with my specific headphone. This is also what caused the discomfort.
I want to leave this review up incase anyone else has this issue but I did adjust the stars according to as if my headphone would function like most likely your new one.
Tho I am worried about clicking I hear from the plastic bits when the headphone clicks to place. When adjusting my headphones on my head with not much force, you can hear the metal parts move against the plastic as if it's going to take the plastic apart.
That was the bit from my K550 headphone which broke too and it looks similar.
If you mix mostly on monitors, certainly get them to check problems areas on. They will stand out immediately. I especially liked them for vocal work (both interview and music vocal mixing.)
However, I feel like the comfort is lacking which is a shame.
Many reviewers praise it but I have a feeling that they don't sit more than 4 hours with it on. It's a tad too heavy which also causes the headphones to creep forward every time you look down.
This sucks because the passive noise reduction is absolutely fantastic.
Also something to look out for is that the cable is really loud compared to other headphones which is annoying when drumming/moving with them. From 40cm down the cable, if you softly tap on it, it sounds like someone is tapping on the cup directly.
Soundstage is fine.
Still debating whether I am keeping this since I do sit for long hours with them on.
EDIT: after mailing with Austrian Audio, the loose left ear was indeed an issue with my specific headphone. This is also what caused the discomfort.
I want to leave this review up incase anyone else has this issue but I did adjust the stars according to as if my headphone would function like most likely your new one.
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