One thing to add - the cup angle can be changed by pulling up on the red dot on the cup ring and rotating the cup. This makes sense because depending on the head it could fit differently, so having this option allows for more ergonomic flexibility.
Part of the reason they added this feature is that they wanted to keep the cups relatively small. However, if your head is of a different shape (compared to an average one) or your ears are tilted slightly backward you need to be able to adjust the cups to match that for a perfect fit. The ear cups on the HD800 are massive and so were the ones of the AKG K7XX series... and almost any type of ear would fit inside them. No need for them to be tiltable. But the Austrian Audio designers have now taken a different approach in their post-AKG existence. Things are now tighter and fit more neatly. I prefer this approach.
I do want to give a shout out to how beautiful the industrial design is on these headphones. I often wear headphones during Zoom meetings at work, and some higher end headphones will have co-workers asking, "why are there two giant speakers strapped to your head?" These are slim and look extremely professional. If they were HD800s kicked up to an even higher level of performance I'd probably buy a pair. Alas, seems like that's not the case. At least not at this price.
SPOILER: The MR is extraordinary. If you don't own a TC or a V2, this sits comfortably in between them. If you own TC, I'd leave it. If you own V2, well worth upgrading.
Good review. The lateral imaging and great separation is a typical Austrian Audio standout feature and it's great to see that it is highlighted here. I have the Hi-X60 and it has this very feature in abundance. Better lateral positioning and imaging than a Hifiman Jade or a Stax L-300, and those are electrostats... I do also agree about the price and that it's very high. I have been talking to Kurt at Austrian Audio for a couple of years now and I kept nagging him about a high-end headphone. My idea was one in the price region of an HD800 or Focal Clear. When this finally came out, something I had been waiting for, my jaw dropped a bit when seeing the price. Somewhat hoping for the price to go down to Sennheiser HD800s level and then I'd get one in a heartbeat. Also interesting what you saw about it sounding a bit more natural than the Planars. That has also always been my impression and is a reason I don't use them anymore.
The HD800 remains the top choice for resolution and detail-it's a timeless classic. Introduced in 2009, this headphone can be acquired for around 500 euros in the used market. Don't be misled; avoid overspending. Opt for used items, as higher prices don't necessarily equate to better sound quality. Present-day prices are soaring without a proportional increase in premium features.
@@renbanhart.s Exactly. The only negative to the Tungsten is you need a powerful amp to drive it properly which may be an extra purchase. I'll tell you another Giant Killer HP that I actually own and it's very easy to drive.... the JM Audio XTC2 Open Back Dynamic HP. This thing is amazing for $1044. I wish the HP Show would get one in and review it. It's the best kept secret in the HP hobby imo
@@JTB--Been hearing a lot about the XTC 2 and definitely want to try it. Curious what configuration you have? And have you heard the Tungsten? Can you compare?
@@-ANJ. I'm not sure what configuration my XTC 2 is. I just kept emailing back and forth with John telling him what I like most in a headphone. Bass, Punch/Slam Soundstage. Basically wanted it to be a good All Rounder HP. Whatever technology John has come up with to Mod and tune headphones is amazing. The XTC 2 went way above my expectations for the money. I sold my Caldera after A/B with the XTC 2. Not saying they are better.... I just prefer the XTC 2 for my music genre's more which are Hard Rock, Classic Rock, Metal. They perform great will any Genre really. I also told him to make sure the treble wasn't too hot. He nailed everything. The cool thing about Jim is he will Re-Tune your HP for free if you don't like the tuning. As far as the Tungsten goes... i thought about getting one... but the wait was a turn off and the power requirements are really a turn off. I've been through that nightmare with the Susvara and don't want to do it again with the Tungsten. Too much money to invest in an Amp for one headphone. I'm happy in the Mid Range now. Geshelli Stack, Lokius, LYR 3 with an Apos Ray 6SN7 Reserve Tube and my secondary rig mostly for gaming and movies is a Schiit SYN, Lokius to a Nitsch/Schiit Pietus Maximus amp(No DAC card). I'm very happy with this Middle of the pack range of products that are really good bang for the Buck... compared to when I was foolishly spending big money on TOTL Gear and HP's and having buyers Remorse more times than not. I'm a big believer in Diminishing Returns now.
If you have Mojo2, you must try to get a hold of these headphones to have a listen. Very pretty, romantic sound. Strong bass and sub-bass, with high dynamics, cymbal hits, and guitar plucks all come alive. Very intimate sounding, not a super large soundstage. These elements, together, create something very special.
I'm still really disoriented when I read 5128 measurements since I've seen so many Gras ones 😅 I second @hemispherecompensation - MR Review would be great! Curious to see an HD490 Pro review as well...
The 2k dip is a real problem for production use. The last thing any music engineer wants is to add the infamous 2.5kHz ugly frequency. I wouldn’t use these based on that.
@enjoshi-godrez8775 They already have models for that, for mastering, mixing and recording. And they are primarily designed for that (and don't have as much of a 2k dip). Their studio workhorses. The Composer is their first headphone that is meant to also appeal to audiophiles (they call them 'connoisseurs' on their website as 'audiophile' can be perceived a bit negatively these days). Of course they won't say there and then: oh no you can't use them for production work. But speak to them about their product range and what their headphones are tuned for and designed for specifically and they will tell you in detail.
I understand its there flagship headphone but i think its stupid they went from a £350 headphone (Hi-X65) to one that cost over £2000. Its better but not by that much price increase.
HI! I'm considering whether to buy the Composer or the Meze Empyrean 2, the build quality of the Empyrean seems much better, from a sound point of view which do you prefer, and which would you recommend?
Hi, thanks for all the reviews. I am new to this but learning quickly.....I think. Have you guys reviewed any Dali Headphones? For some reasons I keep getting DALI IO-12's appearing on my feed and have no idea how they compare. Any help would be really appreciated.
one thing you forgot to mention is that they made designs and the diagrams for the connectors open source. so pretty much anyone with the right tools can make these connectors themselves.
I was really disappointed by the composer they are just nothing special kind of boring. there are plenty of better headphones in the wild and for 2700 dollar it’s way to much for only good sound. there needs something special to justify this high price.
Completely agree. Unfortunately, audiophiles love expensive things regardless of their performance. They will justify it either way as they did for mezes older headphones
I prefer it over the Expanse (and to be fair I prefer most headphones over that one), but I like the Utopia better, but they're very different. From the DCA stuff I'm particularly interested in the E3 and the Corina though, so maybe those are for future comparisons.
Hey, can you recommend some headphones if all I care about is natural timbre, decay and good soundstage depth? My Sennheiser hd800 seems to struggle in this department. It has less ss depth compared to my sony ier m9, 64audio u12t and softears twilight
@maximgodunov7717 Have you tried any of the Beyerdynamic Ts? I have the Xelento and it has wonderful depth and great timbre. It beat my Stax electrostats in that regard so I suspect the big over- ears are also great, try 2 generation T1 or T5 as they are supposed to still have more of the original Beyerdynamic character. If you are super sensitive to treble might need to look elsewhere though.
It's been a long time since I listened to dt770 but didn't feel like they had much of it. Haven't heard t series. Interesting to know about stax because I never tried it, but heard some people saying sound comes from inside your head out of nowhere
I love the looks the full score one is going for, especially cause the XLR output at the front of amps is just not sleek to my eyes. Performance wise it’s hard to justify over the Topping A90D, for example.
Austria, known for akg... And that's it for me lol (Well every austrian audio headphone is built very good so the composer's are quite similar in build quality to their previous cans)
I own their previous can (Hi-X65) and it broke under a year. The plastic part of the headband is a design flaw. It has a weak point on the place where it meets the metal and thare is where it cracked. Pretty disappointed that it broke that quickly, I was expecting it to last for a long time. The pleather is also a problem because it can't stand my oily face and start peeling before a year of using them. Though for context I have a beeg head and bald head. I also wear it for at least 8 hours a day on a tropical weather. Another complain from me would be the expensive leather pad replacement. I can't also get it from third party because the pad is proprietary. I want to support companies like Austrian Audio that makes some of their stuff in house instead of outsourcing to China but at the same time I can't help but be very disappointed.
@@kato2395 huh that's odd, well ig they aint for everyone and also have qc issues, the one I borrow from my friend all the time he bought when it was released and it has barely shown it's age
Wow is that amplifier a joke? Must be! That enormous thing for something that tiny amplifiers for a fraction of the price can do, and they do it without needing that weird TTT button.
@@ora6925 Thanks, but still, it is the only headphone that uses that connector so any custom will be a one-off. Still sucks and is enough reason for me to pass.
You're reviewing a 2700$ headphone and you say "there's no creaking or rattling" as a compliment?😂😂😂 Come on dude! There shouldn't be creaking or rattling even in 100$ headphones!
Yeah they got really greedy with this one. 2700$ is way too much for a headphone from a not so reputable and established company. You could probably get two better headphones at this price point.
The purpose of Composer is not to impress, but to show the music what it is - in the most realistic and honest way possible. This headphone is more for the audio engineers, than the hi-fi listeners.
It's for people who prefer it authentic, whether they are professionals or just music lovers. Austrian Audio headphones don't sugar coat or colour the music.
meh, this just looks an over-engineered and over-priced open-back k371 ! to pay all that money to then have to eq the damn thing is ridiculous. i do like the size of the cups, but the stock price and sound of the akg k371 wins!!
It has nothing in common with the K371. How do you know the 371 wins? According to whom? You? Have you compared the two? Do you have sample tracks with precise descriptions and time stamps for the passages you use to back up your view?
Judging people for liking bass and saying the phrase "serious audiophile music" in the same breath? God, you really make me want to pick a different hobby.
Austrian Audio is the old AKG Austria. I feel this Composer is the headphone they wanted to make back in the day before they were cut loose and forced to release the unfinished K812. In that regard, they’ve come full circle. Time doesn’t stand still though, and Meze and Focal provide stiff (European) competition.
That is true. The Composer is what the K812 could have been if things had been different. They have a lot more freedom now under the current owner Martin Seidl. They are now longer under the regiment of a large coproratio that mainly looks at balance sheets and prfist and does not actually about the quality of the products. Ahem Harman... not referring to anyone in particular 😏 haha