A while back, looking to upgrade my falling apart AKGs, I was very tempted by Austrian Audio. The engineering connection between the two companies and descriptions of an analytical sound appealed. But, AA use a right hand side cable and leather pads, and I wanted a left hand or both sides cable and fabric pads, so Shure got the gig.
A birthday, some money and an imminent holiday made me revisit a headphone issue. For holidays, I have been using some Bose Quietcomfort in-ears that were over £200 to buy. But, I don't really like them. I don't like things in my ears and I found the sound to be flat, unimmersive, uninspiring. The cost meant I have been persevering for too long, putting up with poor sound on holiday. Seeing so many people out and about with bluetooth headphones, I decided, time to change. The AA Hi-X25BT at £129 from Richer Sounds looked good value and the reviews are excellent. So, happy birthday to me.
This is a rolling review, to be added to. Here are the initial impressions. Out of the box, wow, £129 for some beautifully made headphones, various cables and a fabric bag. They are light, fit well and even with glasses comfortable. The leather pads do get warmer than the fabric I prefer, but is not bad. Setting up and pairing the bluetooth was easy. The instruction manual is OK. The writing is tiny and diagrams make little sense. But, with one button and two indicator lights, there is nothing too complicated. An initial charge took about 90 minutes before the red light went off.
I like that there are three options, bluetooth, analogue and digital cable connections. I can pair with my mobile, use the analogue for my headphone amp and digital to connect straight to the laptop. These headphones have been bought with bluetooth in mind, so start there.
I am using an Oppo A54s and the Spotify app as a source. It has yet to fail to pair and I can get reception all over the house and garden. I do not believe that a different phone or musical source would make any difference to the sound quality, it is digital.
As for the sound quality, impressive, for me anyway. It was unlikely to be other than that, as my direct comparison was the Bose. But, it is also impressive when compared to my main system of Firestone, Musical Fidelity and Shure. The AA are brighter. There is more emphasis on the higher range, cymbals are to the fore. Bass is light, but has detail. I am playing from my favourites playlist, so it tracks I listen to a lot (I am in Spotify's top 2% of listeners for hours of use). The track Half Asleep by the School of Seven Bells sounded like it had been remixed, it was that different from what I am used to. This is where assessing sound quality becomes personal preference. The AA brightness is not bad, it is different. It has not ruined the track, like the Bose does, by making it flat and boring, it is just a new take on the sound. The one area where that top end clarity and emphasis does cause an issue, is that any recording with a tape like hiss in the background, has that hiss more prominent.
No matter sound quality, does the music give me goosebumps? The answer is yes. The AA rendition of The Ocean's Subboreal and Korn's Beg for Me give me goosebumps. Blue Heaven by Public Service Broadcasting has given me goosebumps as I was typing this.
I would confidently say that spending £129 on the AA Hi-X25BT and pairing them to your mobile phone, will give you superb hifi sound quality that rivals far more expensive headfi set ups.
A birthday, some money and an imminent holiday made me revisit a headphone issue. For holidays, I have been using some Bose Quietcomfort in-ears that were over £200 to buy. But, I don't really like them. I don't like things in my ears and I found the sound to be flat, unimmersive, uninspiring. The cost meant I have been persevering for too long, putting up with poor sound on holiday. Seeing so many people out and about with bluetooth headphones, I decided, time to change. The AA Hi-X25BT at £129 from Richer Sounds looked good value and the reviews are excellent. So, happy birthday to me.
This is a rolling review, to be added to. Here are the initial impressions. Out of the box, wow, £129 for some beautifully made headphones, various cables and a fabric bag. They are light, fit well and even with glasses comfortable. The leather pads do get warmer than the fabric I prefer, but is not bad. Setting up and pairing the bluetooth was easy. The instruction manual is OK. The writing is tiny and diagrams make little sense. But, with one button and two indicator lights, there is nothing too complicated. An initial charge took about 90 minutes before the red light went off.
I like that there are three options, bluetooth, analogue and digital cable connections. I can pair with my mobile, use the analogue for my headphone amp and digital to connect straight to the laptop. These headphones have been bought with bluetooth in mind, so start there.
I am using an Oppo A54s and the Spotify app as a source. It has yet to fail to pair and I can get reception all over the house and garden. I do not believe that a different phone or musical source would make any difference to the sound quality, it is digital.
As for the sound quality, impressive, for me anyway. It was unlikely to be other than that, as my direct comparison was the Bose. But, it is also impressive when compared to my main system of Firestone, Musical Fidelity and Shure. The AA are brighter. There is more emphasis on the higher range, cymbals are to the fore. Bass is light, but has detail. I am playing from my favourites playlist, so it tracks I listen to a lot (I am in Spotify's top 2% of listeners for hours of use). The track Half Asleep by the School of Seven Bells sounded like it had been remixed, it was that different from what I am used to. This is where assessing sound quality becomes personal preference. The AA brightness is not bad, it is different. It has not ruined the track, like the Bose does, by making it flat and boring, it is just a new take on the sound. The one area where that top end clarity and emphasis does cause an issue, is that any recording with a tape like hiss in the background, has that hiss more prominent.
No matter sound quality, does the music give me goosebumps? The answer is yes. The AA rendition of The Ocean's Subboreal and Korn's Beg for Me give me goosebumps. Blue Heaven by Public Service Broadcasting has given me goosebumps as I was typing this.
I would confidently say that spending £129 on the AA Hi-X25BT and pairing them to your mobile phone, will give you superb hifi sound quality that rivals far more expensive headfi set ups.
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