Latest Thread Images

Austrian Audio HI-X55
Apr 2, 2020 at 10:12 AM Post #48 of 238
Just got mine in Germany and my first impressions are:
  • Very well built
  • Very comfortable
  • Sound is promising, very clear. Will wait until they have some hours on them before going more into detail
  • Might need some bass-boost if you are a basshead
Considering they are Made in Austria, I am pretty impressed what can be done for the price :)
 
May 7, 2020 at 3:29 PM Post #50 of 238
I can only compare with the DT 990 Pro and aside from closed vs. open I think the Hi-X55 are on a different level.
But I guess that also counts for the 1990.
The Hi-X55 have a very precise stereo image, good isolation and a very detailed and neutral bass. ALso, I think they are WAY more comfortable than the Beyerdynamics (on my head).
 
May 7, 2020 at 6:38 PM Post #51 of 238
Unfortunately, the FR measurement of the HI-X55 looks pretty wonky when it's compared to FR measurements of more well regarded headphones like the Beyerdynamic DT 880 PRO and the Sennheiser HD 650 by the same website.

The 5dB boost centered at 125Hz (too much mid-bass) and the 10dB scoop at 2.5-4kHz (recessed upper-mids) looks like they will be problematic. :confused:

I'm a lot less excited for these now, but who knows, they still might sound decent.

Austrian Audio HI-X55
Austrian Audio HI-X55.png

Beyerdynamic DT 880 PRO
Beyerdynamic DT 880 PRO.png

Sennheiser HD 650
Sennheiser HD 650.png
 
Last edited:
May 8, 2020 at 5:45 AM Post #52 of 238
I think it looks worse in the frequency response than it sounds.
My interpretation of this curve is that they tried to separate the bass/mids/highs a bit so they don´t bleed into each other. Also the higs are really flat (see peaks at 10K at other graphs) and reach higher. This is one of the very few studio headphones that sounds super detailed and is not fatiguing when listening longer.
 
May 8, 2020 at 7:26 AM Post #54 of 238
XERO1 said:
Unfortunately, the FR measurement of the HI-X55 looks pretty wonky when it's compared to FR measurements of more well regarded headphones like the Beyerdynamic DT 880 PRO and the Sennheiser HD 650 by the same website.

That huge 10dB scoop centered at 2.5-4kHz looks like it will be problematic. :confused:

I'm a lot less excited for these now, but who knows, they might still sound decent.
Click to expand...

Which source and methodology for the FR measurements?
 
May 26, 2020 at 3:53 AM Post #55 of 238
May 29, 2020 at 5:31 AM Post #56 of 238
Jun 1, 2020 at 1:16 AM Post #57 of 238
vkvedam said:
Keep us posted, I am interested in these
Click to expand...

I'm reluctant to give a "first impression" since the excitement of acquiring new gear usually means a lot of praise lol
The being said, these are definitely very interesting cans, at this price I have no complaints whatsoever.

In a whole X55 is like a more "controlled" version of DT150 IMO.
In sub-bass, X55 is not punchy as DT150 (something I'll touch later on), but in mid-bass, it's absolutely amazing. DT250 just doesn't have the amount of bass for comparison.
For mids, X55 is much clearer and closer compared to DT150 but further compared to DT250. DT250 is really an atypical Beyerdynamic model lol.
The highs, despite the FR, are very bright. Smooth, but bright. TBH a little bit too bright by my taste, but not something that ruins the enjoyment. DT150 can be a little bit harsh at sometimes.

X55's soundscape is a tad bit smaller than DT150, but still way larger than DT250. While DT150 might sound large but kinda "hollow", X55 sounds more natural and "full" to me.
One thing X55 blows both DT150 and DT250 out of water is the amount of detail. It catches a lot of things that I missed when I'm listening with DT150/DT250.

These cans are comfortable for the long listening session, but your ear might be sweating. The build quality is top-notch, very sturdy.
The airtightness is ALMOST TOO GOOD. It's like the pads kinda "sucked" on my ear. That might affect the amount of sub-bass I'm getting.
It's also pretty easy to drive, on my Aune X1S the volume knob is sitting at 1/4 and it's more than enough for me.

All in all, I'm happy with the purchase and for $300 this might be the one closed-back model that would do. If you're constrained by your budget you can go to some old model like DT150/DT250.
 
Last edited:
Jun 1, 2020 at 3:18 AM Post #58 of 238
elmirador said:
I'm reluctant to give a "first impression" since the excitement of acquiring new gear usually means a lot of praise lol
The being said, these are definitely very interesting cans, at this price I have no complaints whatsoever.

In a whole X55 is like a more "controlled" version of DT150 IMO.
In sub-bass, X55 is not punchy as DT150 (something I'll touch later on), but in mid-bass, it's absolutely amazing. DT250 just doesn't have the amount of bass for comparison.
For mids, X55 is much clearer and closer compared to DT150 but further compared to DT250. DT250 is really an atypical Beyerdynamic model lol.
The highs, despite the FR, are very bright. Smooth, but bright. TBH a little bit too bright by my taste, but not something that ruins the enjoyment. DT150 can be a little bit harsh at sometimes.

X55's soundscape is a tad bit smaller than DT150, but still way larger than DT250. While DT150 might sound large but kinda "hollow", X55 sounds more natural and "full" to me.
One thing X55 blows both DT150 and DT250 out of water is the amount of detail. It catches a lot of things that I missed when I'm listening with DT150/DT250.

These cans are comfortable for the long listening session, but your ear might be sweating. The build quality is top-notch, very sturdy.
The airtightness is ALMOST TOO GOOD. It's like the pads kinda "sucked" on my ear. That might affect the amount of sub-bass I'm getting.
It's also pretty easy to drive, on my Aune X1S the volume knob is sitting at 1/4 and it's more than enough for me.

All in all, I'm happy with the purchase and for $200 if you don't want to go to some old model like DT150/DT250 for recording/mixing, this might be the one closed-back model that would do.
Click to expand...
Thanks for taking time to write down these impressions. Interesting findings, I had D250 on my mind for a longtime until very recently when I came to know about the L/R variation issues on quite a few production models. I have Yamaha HPH-MT220 which I adore, they have the best tonal balance so far and I have been through quite a few headphones ever since I picked up this hobby. It sounds like X55 might not be too far off from my Yamahas, not interested in FOTM kind of purchases, gone past that stage in my journey of becoming an audiophile :wink: But I still would like to have a listen, I just need to find a dealer in the UK who accepts returns on headphones :)

Regards, Ven
 
Jun 1, 2020 at 4:14 AM Post #59 of 238
vkvedam said:
Thanks for taking time to write down these impressions. Interesting findings, I had D250 on my mind for a longtime until very recently when I came to know about the L/R variation issues on quite a few production models. I have Yamaha HPH-MT220 which I adore, they have the best tonal balance so far and I have been through quite a few headphones ever since I picked up this hobby. It sounds like X55 might not be too far off from my Yamahas, not interested in FOTM kind of purchases, gone past that stage in my journey of becoming an audiophile :wink: But I still would like to have a listen, I just need to find a dealer in the UK who accepts returns on headphones :)

Regards, Ven
Click to expand...

My DT250 is an unpaired one when I first got it lol, good thing I got it fixed.

I haven't heard that Yamaha model though, it seems like it has been discontinued.
Definitely give X55 a go if you have the chance!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top