With the Hi-X65, Austrian Audio has launched a flagship open-back headphone designed specifically for mixing and mastering. Let’s take a look behind the curtain at the development process and see why professionals worldwide are turning to this open-back design.
The Heart: High Excursion Technology
The soul of the Hi-X65 is its proprietary 44mm High Excursion driver. Designed and engineered in-house in Vienna, this driver is built to move. By increasing the excursion of the driver substantially, Austrian Audio is able to reach incredibly low frequencies—starting from 5 Hz—while maintaining a smaller, more responsive driver size.
“We move a lot of air,” explains Martin Seidel. Before any driver is integrated into a headphone, it is “tortured” for hours to ensure zero distortion and perfect adherence to technical specifications.
Open Design for Maximum Spatiality
While the well-known Hi-X55 provides a closed-back environment, the Hi-X65 is a dedicated open-back construction. This design is implemented throughout the architecture of the headphone:
- Open Head Cushions: Designed to assist airflow and comfort.
- Open Backplate: Where the drivers are mounted to allow the sound to breathe naturally.
- Spacious Soundstage: The result is an incredibly airy, open sound that allows engineers to hear the finest nuances in delays and reverbs that often get lost in closed systems.
Built for Professionals (and Built to Last)
Studio gear has to be more than just high-fidelity; it has to be durable. Austrian Audio builds the Hi-X65 with all-metal hinges and structural parts. There are no load-bearing plastic components here.
The stress tests in the Vienna lab are legendary:
- The Bend Test: The headband is bent over 30,000 times to ensure it won’t break under heavy usage.
- The Cable Test: Cables are bent 30,000 times to guarantee they can be tossed in and out of bags daily without failing.
- The Drop Test: Every product, including the Hi-X65, must survive a drop from approximately 2 meters onto a concrete floor.
Comfort Without Fatigue
For mixing engineers working 10 to 12-hour sessions, comfort is non-negotiable. The Hi-X65 features slow-retaining memory foam cushions that adapt to the shape of the head and reduce pressure—a critical feature for those who wear glasses. Additionally, both the ear cushions and the headband bow cushion are easily replaceable for hygiene and longevity.
Ob O’Brien (Producer for Bon Jovi): “The Hi-X65 is great to mix with. Especially if I’m doing multiple delays and reverbs… I want to get a sense of the nuances of it. If you can go from monitors to headphones and back and everything is right, then someone figured it out.”
Berndt Mazagg (Chief Recording Engineer, Synchron Stage Vienna): “It is very well balanced in the frequency response. You get a very good feeling of an overall mix and if everything is sitting in the right place. You can wear them for hours without getting a headache or listening fatigue.”
