Austrian Audio is back at it again, but instead of a new excitingpair of premium headphones, theHi-X20aims to deliver the incredible audio quality that Austrian Audio has become known for, at a price point that makes high-end audio much more accessible to a lot more people. The Hi-X20 is the new and shiny version of theAustrian Audio Hi-X15,which is pretty easy to tell when you are looking at the headphones side by side, but the Hi-X20 adds some more tuning refinement to make these an even better bang for your buck.
Over the last three weeks, I have been able to put these headphones to the test, playing games, listening to music, and even using them for professional audio mixing. Without sounding like too much of an Austrian Audio Stan, these headphones thoroughly blew me out of the water.
Being just a third of the price of their bigger sibling,the Hi-X65, that I tested out a few months ago, I was a bit skeptical at first, but after listening to the first song with these headphones, that skepticism was blown away.
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Austrian Audio Hi-X20 Design and First Impressions
While most of the headphones from Austrian Audio have a more flashy design, it is nice to have this sleek, minimalist look with the Hi-X20. Despite the minimalist design, these headphones still have enough character to make them stand out from the sea of all-black over-ear headphones out there.
With a price point of just $149, you may expect these headphones to feel a bit cheap. While they don’t have the same feel as the much more expensive Hi-X65, they still feel incredibly premium in your hand and on your head. I wouldn’t recommend being super rough with these headphones, but with their build quality, as long as you are okay with a wired connection, I would feel comfortable recommending them as a daily driver option, especially because they can fold up to a reasonably small package that will easily fit into your backpack.
Besides the price, one of the most significant limiting factors most people run into with high-end headphones is the amount of power needed to drive them properly. We already know the Hi-X20 has the price hurdle covered, but with an impedance of just25Ω,these headphones are incredibly easy to drive and get the most out of. For context, Apple Earpods that used to come with all Apple products have an impedance of23Ω.After seeing this in the specs list, for curiosity’s sake, I plugged them into my Nintendo Switch to see if it could handle it, and it was more than enough.
Austrian Audio Hi-X20 Comfort
When I reviewed the Hi-X65, I was thoroughly impressed by how comfortable they were. Because the Hi-X20 uses a very similar earcup design, these headphones are just as comfortable. During the testing period, I easily wore these headphones for hours and hours, uninterrupted, with no soreness or ear fatigue.
Unlike the Hi-X65, the Hi-X20 does not use an internal size adjustment system, so the notches are exposed, which can catch your hair if you adjust the size with the headphones on your head. During my testing period, I did not run into this issue, but if you have curly hair, this might be more of a concern.
While I have come to prefer the velvet earcup design for most over-ear headphones, I was not bothered by the material choice. The leatherette earcups are incredibly comfortable and, even with the closed-back design, my ears never got too hot or uncomfortable in these headphones.
Austrian Audio Hi-X20 Audio Performance
In my book, most high-end headphones fall into two categories: either they areclinically accurate with very little character, like the Sennheiser HD600, or they areaccurate, but have some characterthat makes their sound stand out from the rest. The Hi-X20 falls more into the second category, but I still feel very comfortable working on professional projects with these headphones, knowing they deliver an accurate sound profile.
Gaming Audio Performance
I am a massive proponent of maximizing the audio quality for your gaming experience, and the Hi-X20 is a fantastic way to upgrade your gaming audio without breaking the bank. Thanks to the low impedance, whether you are playing on a PC or a console, these headphones can work with any platform you use to game.
During my testing period, I picked upSableagain. It is not the newest game, but I absolutely adore its sound design, and these headphones recreated it incredibly well. The mix of the soundtrack and the ambient SFX never fought each other and was incredibly clear. I was thoroughly immersed in the game with these headphones on.
After being blown away playingSablewith the headphones on, I wanted to try a more intensive game,RoboQuest,to see if they could withstand more low-end action without getting muddy. Unsurprisingly, the Hi-X20 was incredible with bassy impacts of explosions and gunshots, while still retaining a lot of clarity in the mids and the special sparkle in the high-end.
Besides the frequency response, I like to test the separation and imaging to see how well you can tell what direction the sound is coming from. This is super important for competitive games, but also helps create a more immersive listening experience in story games. While I usually prefer open-back headphones for the widest soundstage, the Hi-X20 still did a fantastic job with separation and imaging. I was easily able to tell when sounds were coming from either side and even behind or in front of me.
If you want the most immersive surround sound experience for gaming, you should check out headphones that support spatial audio,like these.
Music Audio Performance
While gaming took up a majority of my testing, when I wasn’t playing games or working on mixing audio, I spent the rest of the last three weeks listening to music with these headphones. While these are not the flashiest or most premium headphones I have tested with Game Rant, they are easily one of my favorites.
Regardless of what I was listening to, I just wanted to keep listening to it through the Hi-X20. Headphone technology is getting to a point where, even at this price point, most headphones can offer an accurate listening experience that will deliver songs the way artists intended you to listen to them, but very few can offer a listening experience as fun as the Hi-X20.
The lows aren’t quite as powerful as other options, but they still deliver a bass you can feel more than you can hear. While that might not be ideal for bass heads out there, this allows them to still have a fairly good bass response without allowing it to overpower the mids and highs, creating a very enjoyable listening experience.
TheDroid InvasionfromStar Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menaceis a perfect example of what I am talking about with these headphones; the drums, in the beginning, don’t sound powerful, but you can still feel them in your ears, and the crash of the cymbals are very present and clear. Even when the whole orchestra comes in, nothing feels like they are fighting each other. Instead, everything has its place in the mix, and you can even pick out individual instruments.
Is The Austrian Audio Hi-X20 Right For You?
The Hi-X20 is right for you
If you are looking for affordable headphones that still sound amazing and feel like they are built to last, theHi-X20is hard to go wrong with. At just $149, it is pretty hard to beat this price point for what you are getting. Whether you want them for gaming, listening to music, professional audio work, or a combination of all three, these headphones are an excellent way to get into the world of high-end audio without paying the high cost that is usually associated with it.
The Hi-X20 is not right for you
If you are looking for a more premium pair of headphones or prefer an open-back design, the Hi-X20 might not be the best option for you. Luckily, Austrian Audio has the premium and open-back options covered by the Hi-X65. If you want a pair of open-back headphones for a similar price point, you may want to check out the OneOdio Monitor 80. However, it is worth mentioning that you won’t get the same audio quality that the Hi-X20 delivers.
More Premium Sound and Open-Back Design
Similar performance but Different Style Earcups
FAQ
Q: Where did the AKG engineers go?
After AKG closed its Austrian factory in 2017, a team of 22 employees from AKG decided to start Austrian Audio to keep the legacy of the original AKG brand alive and based in Austria.
Q: Where are Austrian audio headphones made?
Austrian Audio was founded to keep the legacy of ‘Made in Vienna’ alive, so all of its headphones and most of its other products are still made in Austria.
