Austrian Audio’s High-end Headphones And Amp Is A Setup For Serious Audiophiles

If you have not heard of Austrian Audio, do not be alarmed – the Vienna-based headphone specialist was once best based in 2017. 

That mentioned, when you actually care about how your song sounds, you will have to write that title down – the corporate makes one of the crucial perfect stressed out headphones I have ever heard. 

The company’s output does not function closely throughout TechRadar but (even supposing you’ll be able to seek the advice of our in large part sparkling assessment of the gaming-specific PG16 headset) however I had the excitement of serving to to check 3 units of Austrian Audio stressed out cans for TR’s sister newsletter, What Hello-Fi?, and a handy guide a rough look at this tidy lineup of five-star opinions is actually all of the creation you want. 

Refreshingly, Austrian Audio’s two new releases have not been christened with hard-to-remember units of numbers, dashes and letters by the use of names both. So let’s meet The Composer headphones, and The Rating One headphone amplifier. 

The superstar part of The Composer is the most recent model of Austria Audio’s leading edge Hello-X (Prime Tour) driving force tech, that includes a 49mm driving force with a precision-machined ring gadget that includes most power N52 grade neodymium magnets. 

This design guarantees to reinforce airflow and ship probably the most robust magnetic box in its elegance. Austrian Audio coats the diaphragm of the Hello-X49 DLC with diamond-like carbon (DLC), to make the cone exceptionally inflexible with out including weight, to boast awesome readability and agility around the frequencies and remarkably low THD (Overall Harmonic Distortion) ranges.

And with headphones, convenience is vital, so Austrian Audio equips the Composer with what it calls “probably the most refined mechanical design in the marketplace, together with distinctive tiltable earcups with 4 positions to succeed in a flawless are compatible”, plus reminiscence foam ear pads and a mesh subject matter at the headscarf, to liberate heat and steer clear of perspiration. The headphones weigh below 400g too, promising heavyweight efficiency with flyweight are compatible and agility. 

Opinion: Austrian Audio is aiming for audiophile greatness – and I are expecting an enormous hit 

With extra people prioritising sound and making an investment in a collection of the perfect over-ear headphones, a devoted amplifier (which will incessantly be present in probably the most perfect transportable DACs) is changing into a an important a part of the setup – the ones large stunning drivers overlaying your ears may just use somewhat of additional oomph to do their just right paintings. 

Sure, it may be tempting to sidestep an extra splurge, however a skilled headphone amplifier takes being attentive to new ranges and this, says Austrian Audio, is what you get with Complete Rating One, the corporate’s debut headphone amplifier.

Austrian Audio tells us its way right here was once similar to construction an overly low noise energy amplifier and it is a nice solution to undertake. So, the Complete Rating One handles low-impedance headphones down to ten Ohms and excessive impedance, low-sensitivity headphones with over 300 Ohms.

Complete Rating One additionally employs its maker’s new True Brief Era (TTT), a proprietary innovation that is helping the amplifier ship “even the steepest transients” – assume the snap of a excessive hat or the pluck of a bass string. 

The TTT implementation contains the Complete Rating One’s number one amp brief output voltage invariant upward thrust time, blended with a excessive most slew fee, which guarantees to faithfully ship the overall bandwidth and best subtleties of the recording. Some (older) song recordings have been combined with slower audio techniques in thoughts, however there is a TTT button at the Complete Rating One’s entrance panel, so you’ll be able to even transfer it off and on. 

Are compatible and end are as you would be expecting at this aspirational degree – Austrian Audio makes use of best high-end or military-grade parts. 

Simply how aspirational are we speaking right here? OK sure, I will have to let you know – do brace yourselves. 

Austrian Audio’s two new fashions will send through December 2023. The Composer headphones are priced $2,699 / £2,249 (which is round AUS4,275) and the Complete Rating One headphone amplifier will promote for $1,499 / £1,299 (so round AU$2,470). 

I did provide you with a warning this was once the high-end house. And in case you are anything else like me, you would nonetheless love to listen to what this $4,198 setup can do…

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