I tested and tried a lot of headphones last year. Some were prohibitively expensive, others were candidates for the bargain big, but very few did I gel with as much as the Austrian Audio Hi-X25BT. There's just something about last year's outstanding Award-winners that tickled those key areas of my brain and made me fall, in my own way, a little bit in love.
This recommendation, then, comes from the heart. The Hi-X25BT are £20 off right now, dropping from £149 to £129 at Richer Sounds, and while that doesn't sound like a colossal saving, I'm here to tell you that it's more than enough. I'm a What Hi-Fi? reviewer, you can trust me!
Best Austrian Audio Hi-X25BT wireless headphones deal
So what is that makes the Austrian Audio Hi-X25BT so endearing, even at full price? To me, they're all the headphones you could ever need at this level; many manufacturers will try to entice would-be buyers with bulging feature sets and sleeker-than-thou designs, but the Austrian Audio cans are all about the sound. This is a case of substance over style, and that substance is something to get truly excited about.
The Hi-X25BT are, sonically, such a delight. I've never heard such a sparklingly pristine-sounding pair of headphones at this level before, with even the likes of the Sony WH-C720N paling in comparison to the resplendent soundscape of the Austrian Audio cans. Everything they do sounds shiny and clean, but with all the attack and spark you could ever hope for from a set of headphones under £150. If someone told me I had to live with them for the rest of my days – breakages and unforeseen faults notwithstanding – I'd happily pick up my pair and walk whistling into the sunset, they are genuinely that good.
You have to deal with a few minor caveats. Austrian Audio isn't the sexiest brand in the world, so there's not much high perceived value here. Also, noise cancelling isn't on the menu, and I know that ANC is the one box that has to be ticked as far as many modern users are concerned.
Yet to me, it just doesn't matter. Our current Award-winners sound too good for me to care about a lack of ANC, and when you add in their exceptional build and inclusion of a wired tether which elevates their sonic performance to sparkling new heights, it's an open-and-shut case in my book. If you have £129 to spend at Richer Sounds and you care about sonic performance, the Austrian Audio Hi-X25BT are the only way to go. Plus, you'll have an extra £20 in your back pocket.
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