Austrian Audio Hi-X60 Headphone Review

[solderdude]

If it's not a defective unit I wonder how a frequency response like that is compatible with professional mastering the headphone is supposedly made for.

The Hi-X60 is the headphone with the least 'weird' response of the line-up.

It has a lot of room for big ears, has good attenuation of outside noises, very sensitive (117dB/V), is very neutral except for the brightness (fixable).
The one I measured had good bass quality and quantity and is one of the most comfortable closed headphones I tried.
Low distortion (aside from 3kHz), I did not measure any dynamic compression either.

The bass hump is puzzling, Oratory did not measure a substantial hump either.

but... Listener did:

 

[SeasButter]

It’s OK for closed headphones.

 

[IAtaman]

These were on my shortlist for a new closedback. Not anymore though.
Not fond of peaks that low in the treble..and I wear glasses.
Thanks for the review Amir.

Do not make up your mind based on this data and review. Data produced in this review does not reflect the headphone very well in my opinion. I am not sure what is at play however Amir's measurements do not align with the data from other measurements and is not reflective of how this headphone actually sounds.

• Amir measured ca 8dB hump maxing out at ca 104Hz. Others measurements show roughly a 3.5dB bump centered at around 150Hz. When you put it on without EQ, you don't hear 8dB hump at 100Hz.
• It is a bit peaky at higher end indeed but no one measured a 6dB peak at 4K like Amir did. If anything, it seems to produce peaks at 2.5K-3K and 5-5.5K regions on the measurement rig.
• For reference see below the EQ curve recommended by Oratory, and solderdude's measurements. I'd check out solderdude's review before making a call on these cans.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/4kk2i0e06u27myf/Austrian Audio Hi-X60.pdf?dl=0&e=1
https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/headphones/measurements/austrian-audio/hi-x60/

And here is the EQ curve from Auto EQ, based on Oratory's measurements. No 4K peaking. No hump at 100Hz.

 

[Klonatans]

The Hi-X60 is the headphone with the least 'weird' response of the line-up.

It has a lot of room for big ears, has good attenuation of outside noises, very sensitive (117dB/V), is very neutral except for the brightness (fixable).
The one I measured had good bass quality and quantity and is one of the most comfortable closed headphones I tried.
Low distortion (aside from 3kHz), I did not measure any dynamic compression either.

The bass hump is puzzling, Oratory did not measure a substantial hump either.

but... Listener did:

It might be a question of sample variation. I have three Denon AH-D7200 headphones, bought respectively in 2017, 2018 and 2021. The first two differ significantly from the third one that could be characterised by an audible distortion ir sub and midbass area and a significant dip in both midrange and treble (unfortunately I don't have any measuring equipment to show graphs).

 

[amirm]

Amir measured ca 8dB hump maxing out at ca 104Hz. Others measurements show roughly a 3.5dB bump centered at around 150Hz.

Why would 3.5 dB hump be good???

 

[solderdude]

Why would 3.5 dB hump be good???

DCA stealth and expanse have a 2.5dB hump which adds 'punch'. More than that makes the sound 'fat' though.
I wonder if it is production spread. The Hi-X55 also has a substantial hump there (and does not measure well anyway).

 

[ZolaIII]

DCA stealth and expanse have a 2.5dB hump which adds 'punch'. More than that makes the sound 'fat' though.
I wonder if it is production spread. The Hi-X55 also has a substantial hump there (and does not measure well anyway).

I don't see it as "hump" to start with, more like a natural transition area to be impacted by adjusting the 100~105 Hz transition low self filter adjustment. If it stands out as a hump indeed it's a bad thing. Can't shape a feeling Austrian Audio used same new Foster drivers (with false advertising they are something else) like Denon and Fostex do. By the 150~200 Hz boost, sensitivity and impedance. Needless to say I don't see such marketing practices as desirable or good. DCA did it on purpose with Stelth and to less amount on E30 to simulate impact on drivers that don't move almost no air (as that impact really is). However I think equal loudness compensation needs to have a boost impact in that area influenced by filter beneath it the same way as speakers do.

 

[Mr Swing King]

Do not make up your mind based on this data and review. Data produced in this review does not reflect the headphone very well in my opinion. I am not sure what is at play however Amir's measurements do not align with the data from other measurements and is not reflective of how this headphone actually sounds.

• Amir measured ca 8dB hump maxing out at ca 104Hz. Others measurements show roughly a 3.5dB bump centered at around 150Hz. When you put it on without EQ, you don't hear 8dB hump at 100Hz.
• It is a bit peaky at higher end indeed but no one measured a 6dB peak at 4K like Amir did. If anything, it seems to produce peaks at 2.5K-3K and 5-5.5K regions on the measurement rig.
• For reference see below the EQ curve recommended by Oratory, and solderdude's measurements. I'd check out solderdude's review before making a call on these cans.

View attachment 369428

https://www.dropbox.com/s/4kk2i0e06u27myf/Austrian Audio Hi-X60.pdf?dl=0&e=1
https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/headphones/measurements/austrian-audio/hi-x60/

And here is the EQ curve from Auto EQ, based on Oratory's measurements. No 4K peaking. No hump at 100Hz.

View attachment 369432

I am not passing by an opportunity to listen to it that’s for sure, but after seeing this frequency response alongside some other ones, I’m not going to order one.

Your post does touch on some of the problems I have with (some) frequency responses. The K712 Pro is another one that measures like the wind blows depending on what rig is used…or the person doing it.
Looking at Amir’s vs Crinacle’s vs Rting’s measurements and one could get the idea that we’re talking about 3 different headphones.

Right this minute I’m more enamoured with the new HD620S..but I am also quite the Sennheiser fanboy.

 

[IAtaman]

Why would 3.5 dB hump be good???

I don't like humps in mid bass personally but a "small boost" is better than a 8dB hump. I reckon for people who are making a decision whether to give this a try or not, that might make a difference.

 

[MayaTlab]

The Hi-X60 is the headphone with the least 'weird' response of the line-up.

It has a lot of room for big ears, has good attenuation of outside noises, very sensitive (117dB/V), is very neutral except for the brightness (fixable).
The one I measured had good bass quality and quantity and is one of the most comfortable closed headphones I tried.
Low distortion (aside from 3kHz), I did not measure any dynamic compression either.

The bass hump is puzzling, Oratory did not measure a substantial hump either.

but... Listener did:

I am not particularly puzzled by it.

It could be to some degree sample variation. Oratory recently published an updated PDF sheet with a different curve :

But it's also quite likely a HPTF question, or even the product of a different operator measuring with slightly different practices. Some closed backs tend to show a fairly marked resonance at low frequencies that is more or less prevalent depending on the measurement, and often looks quite different still when measured on actual humans (ex Focal Celestee).

Difficult without more tests to know for certain what the cause of that discrepancy is, but in any case we're dealing with a passive closed back, people shouldn't over-scrutinise the response in that range anyway .

DCA stealth and expanse have a 2.5dB hump which adds 'punch'. More than that makes the sound 'fat' though.

The main reason the Stealth has this hump, however, could rather be related to HPTF issues, as most actual humans do not experience the amount of bass that they produce on a test fixture. But we don't have that data for the Expanse or the E3 (which is a shame for the latter as DCA was made aware of that problem in the meantime, and may have purposefully engineered the E3 to mitigate it).

 

[alekksander]

cute little coiled connector

 

[taotone]

I feel like it will be a challenge to find a better closed back then AKG K371 and Shure SRH440 non-A. Initial impressions of the new Sennheiser HD620S are also lukewarm. And now I know to skip the AA Hi-X60. Thanks Amir for you honest review!

The nicest closed backs I've heard (and own) are still the 2022 Audeze LCD-XC, I prefer them to a lot of far more expensive sets. HRTF is a thing, and the bass is a bit light, but easy to EQ and a simple bass shelf works wonders. But they are heavy, too heavy for comfort after around 90 mins in my case if I wear them for 3-4 hours then I get neck pain which transfers into a headache.

These don't look terrible though and if there is too much bass with a tight seal, for those of us who wear glasses these might actually not be too bad.

 

[lewdish]

If it's not a defective unit I wonder how a frequency response like that is compatible with professional mastering the headphone is supposedly made for.

I mean look at how many folks use ATH-M50x and Beyerdynamic products in pro audio still, none of those products are very ideal tonally for Studio work. While its not perfect I think the x60 is still plenty usable. Frankly I think the Audio Technica R70x has the most ideal response for studio work but most people dont know about it and its relatively difficult to drive. I have an Austrian audio hi-x65 which i think as a more ideal response than the hi-x60.

Compared to most studio monitoring headphones I think the Austrian audio products are built exceedingly well, I treat my x65s like trash but they're still doing well and look new. As far as studio headphone go they're super comfortable and dont feel cheap at all like most studio cans and dont have a heavy clamp.

 

[lewdish]

The Hi-X60 is the headphone with the least 'weird' response of the line-up.

It has a lot of room for big ears, has good attenuation of outside noises, very sensitive (117dB/V), is very neutral except for the brightness (fixable).
The one I measured had good bass quality and quantity and is one of the most comfortable closed headphones I tried.
Low distortion (aside from 3kHz), I did not measure any dynamic compression either.

The bass hump is puzzling, Oratory did not measure a substantial hump either.

but... Listener did:

x65 has quite a good response as well. Has a dip @1.5k which is common for a lot of audiophile (Hifiman,Sennheriser, ZMF, etc...) headphone tuning & Quite flat for the most part and rolloff is fairly smooth and minimal for an open back. I really like my x65.

Composer is quite good too, its like a more refined x65, granted it does cost significantly more

 

[Rayman30]

One thing I do like about these, although I am not sure how Scientific it is, they have tremendous detail (stock or EQ) these simply have more resolution to my ears than other headphones in my collection, including the Edition XS.

 

[markanini]

One thing I do like about these, although I am not sure how Scientific it is, they have tremendous detail (stock or EQ) these simply have more resolution to my ears than other headphones in my collection, including the Edition XS.

I expected the opposite based on Amirs impression. OTOH closed backs generally have a high individual FR variation which can account for perceived differences like this. Maybe I will give them a demo after all.

 

[Rayman30]

I expected the opposite based on Amirs impression. OTOH closed backs generally have a high individual FR variation which can account for perceived differences like this. Maybe I will give them a demo after all.

I sold a pair of Audeze LCD-2C Closed in favor of these, they not only have more detail, but were lighter and easier to wear for long periods of time. I prefer the LCD-2C Closed slightly, but mostly due to sound stage and imaging, which is lacking in the Hi-X60.

Edit - However I likely will not be using the X60 any more due to the seal issues, so I am using Apple Airpod Max at work, they are ok enough. I used to use these X60 with an Element ii at work.

 

[Curupira]

This is a somewhat well-behaved entry into that line of products. Take a gander at the little brother, Hi-X55:

It seems they followed the advice of boosting the midbass from DCA and the presence bump into 1khz from Focal/Stax a bit too much much

 

[PenguinMusic]

Hi,

Interesting review.

I own a pair of those (closed back) and their Hi-X 65 (open-back) sibblings.

What I can say is :
- they're build very solidly and I think they can last a long time ;
- they're light and comfortable to wear ;
- they can be powered by almost any source.

That is already greeat, but how do they sound ?

To my ears : they sound very, very, very good.
I must admit that I am not a fan of heavy boompy bass. *
I like the bass when it is there and when it is "dry" (don't know how to express it differently... In other words, when the bass goes : "Boom" and not "BBoooommmm").
And that is exactly what this headphone delivers.

So yeah, I love it... And especially because to my ears it sounds good without the need for any EQ.

But that is a purely personal opinion, nothing else.

Regards.

 

[Robbo99999]

This is a somewhat well-behaved entry into that line of products. Take a gander at the little brother, Hi-X55:

View attachment 369575

It seems they followed the advice of boosting the midbass from DCA and the presence bump into 1khz from Focal/Stax a bit too much much

Lol, now that's craziness!