I agree that it reads as snake oil, but I welcome the switch. It means that you can do A/B/X testing with the help of a friend and check if you can really hear a difference or not.
THE COMPOSER OPEN BACK FLAGSHIP by AUSTRIAN AUDIO
- Thread starter Nomax
- Start date
I agree that it reads as snake oil, but I welcome the switch. It means that you can do A/B/X testing with the help of a friend and check if you can really hear a difference or not.
First, thanks to you and @Nomax for sharing early impressions and answering questions. Since you brought it up, do either you or @Nomax have any financial relationship with AA? Some of his past posts in the Utopia topic made it sound like he consults for them, so it would be good to clarify for transparency.
Nostoi
Headphoneus Supremus
Off topic but I didn't know he has the Zähl amp in the shop. Good to know. How did you like it?
There are good news and bad news. Bad news first: the Composer is good indeed. My wallet made strange sounds during the afternoon and tried to hide as soon as I got home. Once I find it I'll attach the last AirTag I have...
Good news is: I won't need the amp. It's nicely built, no question. It also sounds good, but seems a bit finicky about input levels (and, if I understand its tech specs right, its XLR inputs are also limited to 0dbV/1V, which would not work with most XLR outputs... but maybe the specs are not complete). Anyway, I don't need a large amp.
Which brings me back to good news: the Composer really works nicely with every one of my relevant sources: the Hugo 1 (OK, that was more or less a given), the iPod and... the Apple dongle. It did loose maybe a bit drive of that juicy deep bass, but otherwise was quite fine at 70-75% volume. Not bad. Not bad at all.
I did most of my listening with the Hugo though, and as I noted earlier there was beautiful low bass that worked like with an excellent club sound system: there was appropriate pressure from deep down, without tarnishing the mids or overshadowing any details. The details... that was the first thing I noticed. There were lots and lots of details, just there, not into my face, but present without vanishing when other sounds became more prominent. It also rendered a beautiful image of voices, with stable positioning that was wide, but not artificially vast. It showed how much room a recording actually had.
Going through a good number of titles I never experienced any sharpness or sibilance. Bass was always under control, massive at one moment, but stopping at a moments notice. Excellent resolution as well, offering beautiful details in a range that is often devoid of articulation. This is what sets it apart from many high end offerings, especially the HD800/HD800S, K812, Utopia etc. It does show its AKG heritage I think, but brought up to date.
Build quality looks very good, the feeling in hand is excellent. The tilting of the cups is a nice addition. I did not find any sharp edges. The connectors are feeling very good for connecting/disconnecting, just the right amount of friction. They should also be easy to source for DIY cables -- yet the cable selection that comes with the Composer looks more than complete. I'd prefer 1.8-2m cables though, the 3.5mm se cable seems a bit long, with the Pentacon cable being of better length for use with portable devices.
I'm obviously a bit biased, living in Vienna and mourning the passing of AKG... so I'm more than happy to see something truly high end being manufactured here. It's not my only reason to support Austrian Audio by getting one though, I really liked what I hear. And no, neither me nor @Nomax get sponsored items.
plakat
Headphoneus Supremus
For me it’s simple: I know some of the AA guys, but I have absolutely no financial or otherwise materially motivated relationship with AA. Specifically there is no incentive to write about the Composer or any other model.
I think @Nomax can speak for himself, but I don’t know of financial ties. He already said he was involved with the voicing, but I’d be very surprised if he would swallow his opinion in exchange for favors or money. That’s just not how he ticks.
plakat
Headphoneus Supremus
Good build, interesting analog crossfeed implementation. Much too expensive and big for my taste though. Funny connectors between power supply and amp.
Let's put it this way...I like to get involved behind the scenes from time to time...Otherwise things would look or sound worse
(And no, I don't have any financial relationship with AA,also not with Focal
)And it's really no secret that I know developers and product managers from various manufacturers very well after more than 20 years with headphones
NOMAX
PS.Some manufacturers even approach me from time to time because I see a lot of things from different perspectives
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For me, the product is always on the first place... and when I see that I have made even more effort by getting involved, I will be even happier... for you and the community
NOMAX
PS.lol
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Does it have the height of the stage that is often attributed to the big Hifiman earcups ? Which is probably more due to the geometry of the driver, not the tuning.
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plakat
Headphoneus Supremus
It does have decent distribution in height, but that’s not really a focus in my kind of music (electronica from deep and vocal house to EDM)
Let's put it this way...I like to get involved behind the scenes from time to time...Otherwise things would look or sound worse
(And no, I don't have any financial relationship with AA,also not with Focal
And it's really no secret that I know developers and product managers from various manufacturers very well after more than 20 years with headphones
NOMAX
PS.Some manufacturers even approach me from time to time because I see a lot of things from different perspectives
Thanks Nomax@. Given that social media is filled with paid "influencers" who do not always properly disclose their financial interests, it is good to be explicit about this. I appreciate you making it clear, as well as your sharing impressions with all of us.
I would have wished a very, very long time ago when I discovered my hobby that there would have been someone like me... who would see the matter more critically from all sides and not say okay, that's nice and that's is great too
And to be honest, I no longer have to be active as a HE1 owner
I do it because I enjoy it, and I'm not always right in my assessment
Even if that is rarely the case
NOMAX
PS.So now I have to see how I can dock the RME Dac to the Score One...it's not that easy to find your way around the RME because it has so many menu points
Anyway, I guess @Nomax is currently occupied with creating hype over his new toys (or I guess they are not very new for him).Hopefully tomorrow we will know more from the CanJam'ers (which I actually also don't trust too much - if they find the Composer too boring and too correct, that means Composer is what I am looking for).
It's not mine...I too have to wait just like you to purchase a public unit
NOMAX
PS.The two are samples NOT FOR SALE which I also have to return to AA
classicsurfer
New Head-Fier
I have prepared 6 settings for my RME Adi 2 Pro to be able to switch between the different cases.
Some of them are also useful for the RME Beta Firmware tests.
Rob80b
Headphoneus Supremus
Was scratching my head as the Composer was sending a "déjà vu"... from a few years ago.
https://www.masterdynamic.eu/products/mh40-wireless-over-ear-headphones-v2
https://www.masterdynamic.eu/products/mh40-wireless-over-ear-headphones-v2
Maybe it is just me, but to be honest the headband doesn't look that good for that price tag. The edges are uneven, the stiches also are not that well made. The red color of the stiches...well...it is kind of subjective, but in my opinion it cheapens the look.
More than that, I don't understand what's the point of having a wide headband and those two bulges along the edges. I mean, the idea of a wide headband is to distribute the weight evenly along a wider surface area. But instead of doing that those two bulges are going to dig into the scalp.
It was much better made, better looking and logical in the AKG K812. And for half the price.
More than that, I don't understand what's the point of having a wide headband and those two bulges along the edges. I mean, the idea of a wide headband is to distribute the weight evenly along a wider surface area. But instead of doing that those two bulges are going to dig into the scalp.
It was much better made, better looking and logical in the AKG K812. And for half the price.
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