Austrian Audio Hi-X65

The reviewer praises the Austrian Audio Hi-X65 open-back headphones as excellent work headphones, highlighting their revealing nature that exposes flaws in audio, which is useful for editing. He appreciates the build quality, comfort, and easy drivability, and recommends them highly, noting they are a great investment.

The reviewer finds the Austrian Audio Hi-X65 to be a well-built, comfortable open-back headphone with a fast and analytical sound, but notes a bright, thin tonality with a dip in the upper midrange/lower treble that prevents it from being fully reference-grade. It is recommended for studio monitoring and durability, though not as a primary mixing tool, and the reviewer suggests alternatives like the Sennheiser HD 560S or Hifiman Sundara for more linear tuning.

The reviewer finds the Austrian Audio Hi-X65 headphones to be a significant improvement over the Hi-X55, particularly in the low end, which is now flatter and more accurate for mixing. They note a boosted presence in the high mids and highs, which reveals excessive sibilance and clipping in mixes, making them useful for critical mixing work. The reviewer concludes these are designed for professional mixing rather than casual listening, and while they are not cheap, they are a valuable tool for achieving accurate low-end and high-frequency detail.

The reviewer finds the Austrian Audio Hi-X65 to be a well-built, comfortable open-back headphone with a clear, detailed, and revealing sound signature, though it has a recessed sub-bass and slightly emphasized sibilance. It is considered a worthwhile but different alternative to the X55, with excellent technical performance but a higher price and some minor omissions like spare ear pads.

The reviewer finds the Austrian Audio Hi-X65 to be a robustly built, highly comfortable open-back headphone that delivers superb detail retrieval, clarity, and a unique sound signature. It improves on the X55 with more sub-bass and more natural mids, making it a more forgiving listen, though it remains a specialty product with forward mids and treble that won't appeal to everyone. The reviewer concludes it offers good value at $420, but only for those seeking this specific type of sound.

The reviewer praises the Austrian Audio Hi-X65 as his new favorite studio headphones, highlighting their solid build, comfort, and honest, detailed sound. He notes they are open-backed, which limits their use for tracking vocals due to sound bleed, but he finds them ideal for mixing and monitoring. Despite the high price, he believes they are worth the investment as they can replace several other headphones.