Austrian Audio Hi-X25BT Professional Wireless Bluetooth Closed-Back Over-Ear Headphones

Sadly a few weeks ago my trusty AKG N60NC headphones broke. This left me in a tricky situation because I knew it was highly likely I would need to look elsewhere for my next set of headphones due to Samsung’s acquirement of Harman back in 2017 causing a change of direction for the company. I like to see myself as someone who shows brand loyalty when I find a company that I believe make very high-quality products for a reasonable price. After a little research around the internet, I found out that a few of AKG’s management & engineers had formed a new company called Austrian Audio, which intrigued me to look deeper at their headphones. I was looking for some headphones on a budget of £150, and when I found the Austrian Audio Hi-X25BT headphones, after reading some reviews on them, I knew I had to give them a try, so I did. For me in a pair of headphones there are four main factors in what decides whether they are good or not so good, build quality, comfort, features and obviously sound quality. Build Quality 4/5 At this price range sadly the build quality around this market is not the best, normally involves a lot of plastic, and although this is still the case with the Hi-X25BT the frame inside is metal which makes the headphones feel well made. I love the look and feel of the headphones and I see them lasting a long while. Comfort 5/5 This was the one downfall of my previous headphones (AKG N60NC), after a couple of hours, I would start to feel a little pressure right in the middle of the top of my head where the band rested. However, with these headphones, I can happily say they are the most comfortable headphones I have ever owned. They are not extremely heavy which makes them feel light on the head. I can easily wear these for hours with no discomfort. Features 4/5 The headphones come with the obvious Bluetooth so you can easily connect them to any device that supports Bluetooth. The set-up process was easy, and they automatically connect back to your device when you turn them on. Austrian Audio also say you should get up to 30 hours of battery life, and although I have not owned or used them long enough to confirm this, I can say I have got some decent battery life from them (Been using them for at least 15 hours and not charged them yet). You can also use the headphones with the USB-C to 3.5 Jack wire included in the box if you desire. A downfall for most will be the fact that the headphones do not support ANC (Active Noise Cancellation). This wasn’t such a big issue for me as I never intend to take these headphones out of the house or use them around overly noisy environments, but I know many people will be put off by Austrian Audio’s decision to exclude this feature. Saying that though they are over-ear headphones, so they do cut out a small amount of outside noise, which is good enough for me. Lastly, the headphones do offer ways of controlling your music (volume, pause, play etc.) and I believe they have implemented these features into their headphones great, but I do find the controls a little sensitive to the touch. I have a fair few times accidentally paused my music when trying to rearrange the headphones. I have overtime got used to this and do it far less, but it was something that bothered me for a while. Sound Quality 5/5 This is obviously the most important factor of any headphones you buy, and I am pleased to say they do not disappoint. These headphones are by far the best sounding headphones I have personally owned. They sound a lot better than the AKG N60NC’s that I highly rated. When I listen to vocals, casual talking or music, everything sounds so crisp and clear, also acoustics sound incredibly vibrant. Most companies these days also tend to put too much bass into their headsets, which I am not a massive fan of. Austrian Audio on the other hand I think have balanced the bass very well, you know it is there, but it isn’t booming too much. I wasn’t expecting the headphones to sound as good as they do, even a family relative believes these headphones sound better than his headphones which were almost double the price! Conclusion I imagine you can get much better headphones if you are willing to spend a lot more money, but for £150, unless you need/want ANC, you cannot go wrong buying these headphones. For the price, they offer great build quality, comfortable listening and truly amazing sound quality. I highly recommend them!

love these headphones great battery life great comfort and built very well the sound is super for price i own some very exspensive headphones these punch way above there price. nice balanced sound bass is powerfull and deap without being over the top treble is clean and not over the top midrange is crisp and clean super detailed u will hear things u didnt no where there on you fav music just get them for price even double there my new best bloutooth headphones

I chose the Austrian Audio Hi-X25BT's because the Audiotechnica M50xBTs were sold out absolutely everywhere. Also my 2nd and 3rd choice of headphones were not available. I read the story that Austrian Audio was created by ex-AKG people. I had the AKG K67's about 6 years ago. Sounded great, made me enjoy genres of music I couldn't before. And then, tiny peaces of plastic started coming off, less than 6 months in. At around 6 month mark, the middle of the headphone headband split in half. It just broke in the middle, making the headphones unusable (unless you're one of those DJs that mix with one phone held to an ear). Fast forward to now and me giving Austrian Audio a chance, because all my other choices were not available. I thought - maybe that's why they left AKG. They engineered good sounding kit, that was of bad quality because of cheap plastic used and pennies saved on structure. And then, after 36 days of use, one of the plastic hinges on my Hi-X25BT's developed a crack. I would have guessed another week - another week at most, before the hinge just split into multiple peaces! Thank god for Amazon's straightforward and hassle-free refund process. I will never EVER consider anything AKG or Austrian Audio again and will urge anyone I now not to either! Two headphones, under 2 different branding, 6 YEARS APART - same cheap thin plastic that doesn't even survive a year of use. Obviously, because these are not the cheapest headphones I've owned, I have been handling them with extreme care - all for nothing, they got broken by gravity itself. (Oh yeah - the touch controls are garbage!) It doesn't even matter how they sound or feel, because they don't survive BASIC usage!!!

Rating: 3.8 / 5 The Austrian Audio Hi-X25BT positions itself as a premium entry in the wireless over-ear headphone market, blending studio heritage with everyday usability. While it delivers strongly in several key areas, a few usability drawbacks prevent it from reaching its full potential. Sound Quality Austrian Audio leans into its professional audio roots here, and it shows. The Hi-X25BT offers a balanced, detailed sound signature with a slight emphasis on clarity over warmth. Highs are crisp without becoming fatiguing, mids are well-defined (particularly for vocals and acoustic instruments), and the bass remains tight rather than overpowering. This makes them well-suited for both casual listening and light studio-style monitoring. Build & Design The build quality is solid and reassuring. The headphones feel durable without being overly heavy, and the materials strike a good balance between premium feel and practicality. The design is understated and functional rather than flashy, which will appeal to users who prefer a more professional aesthetic. Comfort & Portability Comfort is generally good for extended sessions, thanks to well-padded ear cups and an adjustable headband. However, depending on head shape, some users may notice slight pressure over longer listening periods. The foldable design adds portability, making them easy to store or carry when travelling. Battery Life & Connectivity Battery performance is reliable, offering enough playback time to comfortably last through daily use. Bluetooth connectivity is stable, with minimal dropouts in typical environments, and pairing is straightforward. Controls & Usability This is where the Hi-X25BT falls short. The touch controls are temperamental and inconsistent, often misreading inputs or failing to register taps altogether. The lack of customisation—particularly the inability to modify single, double, or triple tap gestures—limits usability further. A programmable, mechanical control interface would significantly improve the user experience, offering both precision and adaptability. Overall The Austrian Audio Hi-X25BT delivers excellent sound quality and solid build in a refined, professional package. However, its inconsistent touch controls detract from an otherwise strong offering. With improved input reliability and customisation options, this could easily move into a higher tier rating.

Great pair of bluetooth headphones from a great company.I have the hix55s and expected these to have the same flat neutral sound signature that would need tweaking through external eq or amp.I was pleasantly surprised to find that the sound signature on these is bang on.Bass is there aplenty though not too sub heavy but not that tight that it isn't there.Just right mids are clean and forward enough without being too forward and highs are nice and crisp without being to shimmery.I have used so far for music and watching movies and detail retrieval is excellent.Austrian audio have knocked the ball out the park with these.Build quality is excellent.Volume and pause play touch controls can be a bit sensitive and easily pressed by mistake but once you accustomise yourself to the way these work they are fine.Would i buy another pair or recommend these to anyone.You bet.For the price point these are punching way above.

Decided I didn't need anc. These hot the sweet point with cost and yes, other good reviews. I'm not disappointed. Very comfortable. Easy to connect and the touch controls (look at the instructions! Lol) work well. Has connected to my laptop, phone and TV with zero issues. Sound quality is very clear without distortion music and voices sound as you would expect, not muffled or different. Love them. Really pleased with them.

Good sound but only uses lowest standard for bluetooth transmission - SBC. No aptx, LDAC. This means the music is getting transmitted in low quality even though headphones sound good. Why wouldn't you upgrade your codec and make these headphones UPTO the industry standards??? It literally as easy as changing the chip. Also no app to disable touch buttons or remap anything. Overall, good sounding (not amazing) headphones with a lot more potential, but lacking the software.

I already have a pair of original AKG Y50 headphones and to me they sound great, better than the pair of bose headphones I also have.......when I needed to replace a pair I looked at AKG and understood that the heart of the original AKG is now Austrian Audio (after a corporate takeover of AKG and ditching of the original team who then went on to create Austrian Audio). Given my opinion of my original AKG's I had high expectations of these.........they didn't meet my expectations....they exceeded them significantly.........These are well made, comfortable, isolate sound well and sound amazing.......really amazing ....you will not be disappointed with these.

Beim X25BT handelt es sich um den einzigen Bluetooth Kopfhörer der Firma aus Österreich. Ich hab das Gerät seit nem Dreiviertel Jahr in Benutzung und bin sehr angetan. Zugegeben im Sommer ist es mir etwas zu heiß damit aber allgemein habe ich nur wenig zu meckern und das bei einem echt sehr fairen Preis. Im Einzelnen: -Bequemlichkeit Eines der Besten Dinge an diesem Kopfhörer ist der bequeme Sitz, er lässt sich leicht und schnell in der Weite anpassen und sitzt deshalb auf wohl jedem Kopf sicher aber ohne Drücken. Speziell bei Leuten die einen etwas größeren Kopf haben drücken andere Kopfhörer teils schnell, der hier auch nach nem ganzen Tag nicht. Dazu tragen vielleicht auch die beiden sehr weichen, angenehmen Ohrpolster bei. -Robustheit Normalerweise will ich zu Kopfhörern immer ein Hardcase haben, weil ich sie unterwegs/auf Reisen dabei habe und die teuren Dinger geschützt wissen will. Dieser hier hat nur einen simplen Beutel, allerdings ist der Kopfhörer selber so stabil und robust dass ich ihn mittlerweile bedenkenlos überall mitnehme. Was mir auch gut gefällt, dass man den Kopfhörer trotz seiner großen Ohrpolster sehr geschickt und klein zusammenfalten kann, so dass ich ihn oft einfach in der Jackentasche transportiere. -Audio Der Klang ist für mich auf jeden Fall ziemlich gut und auch für den Preis mehr als angemessen, mehr braucht im Alltag niemand denke ich. Musik und Stimmen sind klar, ziemlich neutral und auch Lautstärke hat einen großen Umfang. Dazu schirmen die Ohrmuscheln Außengeräusche ab, allerdings nicht so, dass man damit auf der Straße gefährdet wäre, weil man zu wenig hört. -Konnektivität: Sowohl der klassische Klinkenanschluss (mit speziellem Kabel) als auch der moderne USB-C wird unterstützt wird, wobei ich meistens eben Bluetooth nutze, weil ich kein Kabelfreund bin. Trotzdem ein gutes Gefühl zu wissen dass man notfalls laden und hören gleichzeitig könnte. Wichtig war mir auch, dass man sich mit mehreren Geräten bei BT verbinden kann. -Benutzung Im Alltag sehr breit nutzbar, also zum Musikhören, Hörbücher, Spielen oder eben Gespräche. Der Akku hält extrem lange, ich nutze den Kopfhörer ca 2-3 Std/Tag und lade einfach jedes Wochenende auf. Leider ist keine einfache Möglichkeit den Akkustand zu sehen soweit ich weiß. Der Ein/Aus Knopf lässt sich auch am Kopf gut ertasten. Mittels Touch kann man lauter/leiser machen oder stop/start, was recht zuverlässig funktioniert- manchmal komm ich aber auch aus Versehen dran und stoppe die Musik ungewollt. Es gibt auch noch etliche weitere Funktionen/Steuerungen, aber die nutze ich nicht, ist auch zu kompliziert (Touch mit 3 Fingern.....) also da würde ich mir explizite Knöpfe wünschen, aber mir reichen eh die Standardfunktionen und die gehen gut und eingänglich. Man kann auch die Ohrpolster ersetzten! Alles in allem, wie gesagt, vor allem wegen der guten Praxistauglichkeit und dem Preis, sehr zufrieden!

Only con is the sensitivity of the touch controls, other than that amazing headphones not even considering the price.

These are about the sound, with high quality and no frills. No ANC, no app, and I have not yet mastered the touch controls (I will). They are comfortable to wear, and can be used as passive phones (a real plus to me). What makes them keepers for me is the neutral sound, picking up so many details in a timely manner and very listenable (with the same detail) at lower volumes. I thought my Dali phones were as clean (ish) and detailed as I would find, as I am not happy with the tuning of many leading brands. The answer of course is less tuning. Austrian Audio carries the AKG legacy of clean cans for studio use. A winner!

Ya hable sobre el vendedor, pero aquí se trata sobre el producto y debo decir que después de un par de semanas de uso mi experiencia ha sido excelente, buena conectividad BT, un buen sonido vía BT, pero con el cable y un DAC se le saca mucho provecho y el sonido se disfruta en su totalidad; es el segundo equipo de Austrian Audio qué compro (el primero fueron los HI-X65) y ambos han sido una grata experiencia por su sonido y comodidad, una calidad muy superior al precio.

Produkten är tillverkad i Kina och inte i Österrike som framgår. Mina hörlurar har tappat funktionen att svepa på sidan av den. Kan inte höja eller sänka volymen, det går inte heller att svara eller göra någonting alls på sidan av hörlurarna. Haft mina i drygt 3 månader och knappt använt dom, har varit rädd om dom och aldrig använt dessa utomhus. Laddat dom 2 gånger sedan inköpet. Om man vänder sig till tredje part och tillverkaren i Österrike så får man ingen hjälp utan uppmaningen att vända sig till återförsäljare i Sverige och sedan vill ingen ta ansvar. Jag rekommendera inte denna produkt.