[plakat]

Thanks for your thoughts plakat. The x60 are considerably cheaper than the 872s in Korea where I am, so that'll be the way to go.

While obviously I can’t speak for your taste, I do think the X60 is an excellent headphone at a very good price given that it’s still made in Austria (my hometown Vienna actually, so I hope you forgive me)
The K872 was one of the last models designed by the original AKG team here in Vienna, man you whom are now working at Austrian Audio, continuing the tradition.

 

[kojebee]

I listen to perhaps 70% chill out, ambient, downtempo etc, 80s house 10%, rock 10% (Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin), 10% pop, classical.

Reviews led me to Austrian audio / AKG for my preference for good imaging, sound staging, PRAT, bass when required, build quality (as my previous Focal headphone driver failed). Alost impossible to demo where I live.

 

[plakat]

I listen to perhaps 70% chill out, ambient, downtempo etc, 80s house 10%, rock 10% (Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin), 10% pop, classical.

Reviews led me to Austrian audio / AKG for my preference for good imaging, sound staging, PRAT, bass when required, build quality (as my previous Focal headphone driver failed). Alost impossible to demo where I live.

I think the X60 should be a good match then.

 

[navii]

nice headphones...

 

[OmarP8]

Hello everyone, I am new to the forum, so please excuse my inexperience, as well as my poor English.

I have a small home studio for music production, and I have been using Beyerdynamic DT880 Pro 250 headphones with good results. For listening to music of various genres I also like them, but I needed a more professional listening.

Looking for reviews, I found the Austrian Audio X65 open back headphones, and was aiming for them. But I saw their closed-back siblings - X55 - on offer for 130€ less, and I couldn't turn them down.

My BIG QUESTION: Seeing that they are identical, and apparently only the outer cover changes, would it be possible to remove that cover, and replace it with a perforated one, thus obtaining the performance of the open ones? Would this DIY be effective, allowing to alternate between both versions?

Greetings and thank you very much from Spain!

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

 

[plakat]

Hello everyone, I am new to the forum, so please excuse my inexperience, as well as my poor English.

I have a small home studio for music production, and I have been using Beyerdynamic DT880 Pro 250 headphones with good results. For listening to music of various genres I also like them, but I needed a more professional listening.

Looking for reviews, I found the Austrian Audio X65 open back headphones, and was aiming for them. But I saw their closed-back siblings - X55 - on offer for 130€ less, and I couldn't turn them down.

My BIG QUESTION: Seeing that they are identical, and apparently only the outer cover changes, would it be possible to remove that cover, and replace it with a perforated one, thus obtaining the performance of the open ones? Would this DIY be effective, allowing to alternate between both versions?

Greetings and thank you very much from Spain!

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Welcome to the rabbit hole

While I don’t knowing there are differences with the driver or damping besides the obvious changes to the cups, the pads are also different…
I’d coextensive the cups to be one part, I.e. I don’t see an easy way to remove the back…

 

[Sharppain]

Hello everyone, I am new to the forum, so please excuse my inexperience, as well as my poor English.

I have a small home studio for music production, and I have been using Beyerdynamic DT880 Pro 250 headphones with good results. For listening to music of various genres I also like them, but I needed a more professional listening.

Looking for reviews, I found the Austrian Audio X65 open back headphones, and was aiming for them. But I saw their closed-back siblings - X55 - on offer for 130€ less, and I couldn't turn them down.

My BIG QUESTION: Seeing that they are identical, and apparently only the outer cover changes, would it be possible to remove that cover, and replace it with a perforated one, thus obtaining the performance of the open ones? Would this DIY be effective, allowing to alternate between both versions?

Greetings and thank you very much from Spain!

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Well, it is not that simple - closing / opening creates or removes reflection and the 'breathing' of the driver is change. I do mods and usually good results are achieved when you improve the dumping of a closed headphone inside or 'open' an open-back by removing some dumping. Examples are Fostex t50rp and Sennheiser HD58X. But full transformation is not easy. And these are all perfect headphones that you dare to play with them (except if you are not ready to buy a second).
I personally have the Xi-55 and it is the perfect set for monitoring - it is having very high resolution and detail retrieval; the detail retrieval is close to that of Focal Clear, not like HD800s, but very competitive and better than DT880 pro 250 (which I have and love). The detail retrieval is quite similar (and sometimes better in the mids) DT1990 Pro.
The AA line has to TOTL model - the Xi-55, Xi-60 and Xi-65. The Xi-55 is said to have the most 'wonky' frequency response since it has a bump in the mids. But it is perfect for monitoring. I also use it for enjoying music since like to play with different chains, tuning and EQ and do not understand why all headphones should be the same. So, Xi-55 is 97% of the 60 - the 60 has a bit less bass (and is bass light for me) and balanced mids but is like a well tuned headphone. The Xi-65 is like the 60 but a bit more open-stage but again is bass lighter. If I were you I will choose carefully between these three and not 'play mods' with them. And again I confirm - the Xi-55 is very big detail retriever and is 97% of the resolution of the other two just it is finer in the low end and a bit 'wonky' in the mids but a great monitor set.

 

[OmarP8]

Thank you all very much for your replies.

Although I'm still not used to these X55s for presenting a "weird" response for me, also I do think they reveal details that will help me mix accurately.

Still, the point was to try to have both versions - open and closed - for a fraction of the cost, through a modification that would allow swapping both lids, if I could cleanly remove the closed - apparently heat.sealed- lid from the X55s.

P.S. Sorry, but I don't understand the term "wonky".

Regards and have a fantastic listen!

 

[Sharppain]

Thank you all very much for your replies.

Although I'm still not used to these X55s for presenting a "weird" response for me, also I do think they reveal details that will help me mix accurately.

Still, the point was to try to have both versions - open and closed - for a fraction of the cost, through a modification that would allow swapping both lids, if I could cleanly remove the closed - apparently heat.sealed- lid from the X55s.

P.S. Sorry, but I don't understand the term "wonky".

Regards and have a fantastic listen!

it is about these two bumps - at 100 and after 1000. The first bump is usually making the replay warm - with the Xi-55 it is not that impactful. But the second bump makes the mids too forward and the scoop after some instruments/vocals a bit hollow. But, again and again, it measures like this AND my ears like what they hear.

 

[plakat]

The already mentioned Hi-X60 has less of that mid-microscope (which is intended, as far as I understand Austrian Audio, to help with studio work) and I enjoyed it more for general music listening. But tastes differ of course...

Yet converting them to open back... I'd rather buy the already open back Hi-X65 then.

 

[OmarP8]

Actually, my aim was to be able to choose between open and closed back, and all this for a much lower price than the X65.

I came to this post to ask about the feasibility of such an operation, although I note that it is not very popular

To do it, I need to:
1) see how the heat-sealed lid can be removed without causing damage to the surrounding can.
2) 3D print a grid lid similar to the 65. Although another option is to cut out a perforated plastic sheet with a Cricut Maker die-cutting machine from a family member.

If in the end I don't see this project viable, I think that instead of acquiring an X65, I will possibly opt for an Audio-Technica ATH-R70 X, looking for a more different signature than what I already have (DT880 Pro and AU hI-X55).

Greetings and good listening!

 

[Magic77]

Does anyone know of an alternative ear pad replacement for the Austrian Audio headphones? I spent the $70 for the ear cushion replacement kit and the ear pads started tearing apart in 3 months. I refuse to spend $70 every few months for ear pads. It was the same problem when I got the headphones brand new, within about 4 months they started tearing.

 

[shaafmasood]

Hey,
Anyone compared these with denon d7200?