Austrian Audio Hi-x50 review

Outstanding and useful build quality. Modern thinner anti‐tangle cable—3 metre length not good for casual listening (see the red velcro strap on the box? Intended as a cable tie). No Y‐split, the headphone is wired through the headband. Wire is likely copper, but unknown. Screwfix metal plug. And that’s a plug join to the headphones. Pads are soft memory foam with an outer leatherlike wrap. Cups are small, with metal face, angle the headband forward. Headband padded with leatherlike material. L/R mark is printed on the inside of the cups, an idea new to me, but works. Surprising amount of metal, but not heavy. Feels robust, and modular for rebuilding. Comfort is outstanding, especially for on‐ears. Though something of a spaceship pitch, aesthetically outstanding.

Volume is passable. Something is wrong—spoken‐level vocals, notably, are nasally—and maybe a thrumm in lowband strings, or is that a resonance? Volume range is average. Envelope sounds over‐damped. Precision seems to be outstanding but limited by muffle. Timing is good—considering the outstanding frequency range this is amazing. Swells are without notable effect, which is good, but muffle and hazing appears. Frequency seems to have no duff spots. And is good for clarity but becomes hazy in vocals and massed instrumentation. Resonance is well‐controlled, even in lowband, maybe a small thrumm in lowband strings, or is that the driver? The frequency range, far as I can hear, is outstanding. Some detail is lost in muffle, yet detail seems outstanding in the driver. Colour is, as could be expected, good and balanced, especially for solo instruments. Scale is average, positioning is precise but becomes hazy in a mass.

The Hi‐x50 has an overall distance and muffle, glitches near vocals and in lowband, so juts sounds. Despite solid timing and outstanding detail, the only reliable replay is the limited sound of podcasts. Unsurprisingly, Hi‐x50s like quality recordings and a good amp. After time they seemed to calm down. Also, I tried EQ, found I wanted a specific dip near vocals and near 200Hz maybe—replay dropped in volume, no jutting music parts, most of the ‘muffling’ vanished (‘haze’ remained) and scale increased… but I will not review with EQ.