Disclaimer: I formally thank Lance from Group Technologies Australia for providing us with a unit in exchange for an impartial and honest review. On behalf of the team at the Headphone List, we thank him for his generosity and trust in THL.
Summary:
The Austrian Audio HI-X20 is the culmination of pragmatic acoustic engineering and receptiveness to user feedback. The HI-X20 embodies a brighter and highly resolving sound for surgical detail-retrieval in studio environments. Despite its emphatic presentation, the HI-X20 retains a level-headed bass presentation, even if it shies away from a consumer-centric focus.
Pros:
+ Excellent build quality and sleek design
+ Bright and upper-treble brilliance with painstaking detail-retrieval
+ Punchy and snappy signature with palpable sub-bass slam and decay
Cons:
– Odd unnatural timbre
– Incisive, peaky treble prone to abrasiveness
– Bass-light for dynamic-driver fans
Introduction
Austrian Audio, formed in 2017, was the door that opened for the former AKG team post-acquisition by the Korean conglomerate/chaebol, Samsung. In its heyday, AKG was an Austrian brand that rivalled its Germanic cousins, Sennheiser, with an undisturbed focus on professional recording equipment — this includes studio-headphones such as the industry-recognised K812.
But amidst the abrupt changing of hands from Harman to Samsung ownership, the old guard was being forced to pivot towards consumer-centric, affordable consumer audio. This situation was untenable for the original team. After their faithful exit, Austrian Audio was born — a manifestation of all their dreams and aspirations for the wider recording industry.
Today, we’re reviewing the HI-X20: a sub-$200 headphone targeted towards the professional recording industry. Like their costlier counterparts, it still encompasses their famous 44mm high-excursion dynamic drivers in their entire headphone line-up (sans the Composer).
The HI-X20 can be purchased directly from stockists that Group Technologies works with.
Technology
Hi-X (High Excursion) driver
Like their costlier counterparts, the HIX20 still encompasses their famous 44mm high-excursion dynamic drivers in their entire headphone line-up (sans the Composer), purportedly delivering exceptional clarity and precision.
Unboxing
The HI-X20 comes shipped in an oversized box with their signature lava red and inky black accents. It’s strictly business, but it’s a professional aesthetic that’s not obscenely maximalist. Under the box, you can find the following:
- Austrian Audio HI-X20 headphones
- 2.5mm twist-and-lock to 3.5mm unbalanced cable
- Austrian Audio carrying pouch (drawstring)
- Austrian Audio sticker
- 6.35mm jack
- Quality control certification (signed)
It’s a fairly straightforward package for all professional intents and purposes, commensurate with its entry-level price tag.
Design and Build
The HI-X20 is a closed-back headphone with predominantly ABS plastic elements, reinforced by black powder-coated aluminium yokes and a steel headband mechanism. Don’t be fooled by the mere mention of the word ‘plastic’. It’s a misnomer. The plastic incorporated feels hard-wearing and flexible: don’t expect plastic rot or brittleness over the long term.
The HI-X20’s yokes are collapsible DJ-style, folding into a manageable ‘U’ shape for stowability in its accompanying pouch. The hinges are tactile and feel robust enough for a DJ or recording professional who’s constantly on the go to toss them into their toolkit.
Aesthetically, the X20 is a svelte, jet-black headphone adorned with tasteful red accents that feels modern yet non-descript. It’s a tried-and-true and timeless design that should fit right in a room chock-full of high-end audio equipment.
All in all, the HI-X20 feels much higher-quality than its price point would suggest.
Comfort and Ergonomics
The HI-X20 is a lightweight headphone with long-term comfort and wearability as its utmost priorities. It does successfully, albeit with a few drawbacks.
Yes, the HI-X20 is very light on the head, with plush protein leather pads with enough insertion depth for space between the actual driver from the ear. Circumaurally, it wraps around my ears ‘just right’, but more give could be allocated to accommodate a wider breadth of ear shapes and sizes.
Clamp-wise, the HI-X20 is strong enough to keep the headphones snugly wrapped around your head, but it was never too tight or overwhelmingly uncomfortable.
The biggest pain point is the headband, which lacks substantive padding below it. During long-term listening sessions, the HI-X20’s headband starts to dig into the base of your skull, causing a distinct build-up of discomfort. It’s very tolerable, but it’s not ideal given its main function as a workhorse monitor.
Because of their close-back nature, they isolate well in a home setting with moderate ambient noise. For outdoor use, it still doesn’t seal as much to IEMs; it simply doesn’t prevent audible noise ingress all that well.
However, the HI-X20 ticks all the boxes with flying colours, but there could be design improvements in successive models.
Cable Quality
The included cable is extra long so that audio engineers can swivel their office chairs over long distances without disconnecting their HI-X20S by accident. It’s incredibly slack, lengthy and fairly flexible. While it isn’t ideal for home use from a consumer’s POV, the HI-X20 was mainly designed for recording environments.
However, there is a discernible susceptibility to coiling and knotting, which can be annoying if it’s not stored away properly. Thankfully, it isn’t a massive issue.
My only grievance is with the twist-and-lock mechanism of the HI-X20. To secure your HI-X20’s cable properly, you must align the cut-out notches on the male end of the 2.5mm termination to the X20’s female end. Once it’s lined up, you’ll need to twist the 2.5mm termination (following the cut-out length-wise) to fasten it in place.
The main challenge is trying to locate or line up those notches, which is quite difficult if you aren’t paying attention. It isn’t very intuitive, requiring multiple failed attempts before getting it to sit right. Hopefully, how it locks into place can be iterated upon in future models.
But as far as cables go, it is a durable and robust cable for real-world, rough-and-tumble use.
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