AUSTRIAN AUDIO UNVEILS FLAGSHIP HEADPHONES AND FIRST HEADPHONE AMP AT CANJAM SOCAL 2023

Austrian Audio unveiled Austrian Audio The Composer reference headphones and the Full Score one premium headphone amp this weekend at CanJam SoCal 2023.

Austrian Audio has announced The Composer, its new flagship headphone model, and the Full Score one, its debut headphone amp.

AUSTRIAN AUDIO THE COMPOSER

The Composer builds on the design team’s many years of experience and employs the latest version of that Hi-X technology, featuring a 49mm driver with a precision-machined ring system featuring maximum strength N52 grade neodymium magnets. Austrian Audio coats the diaphragm of the Hi-X49 DLC with diamond-like carbon (DLC), making it exceptionally rigid.

LIGHT AND COMFORTABLE

With headphones, comfort is key. So, Austrian Audio equips the Composer with unique tiltable earcups with four positions to achieve a comfortable fit. The durable memory foam ear pads further boost comfort, the adjustable headband employs a mesh material to release warmth and avoid perspiration, and the headphones weigh under 400 grams.

AUSTRIAN AUDIO THE COMPOSER SPECS

Construction: Over ear, open back

Frequency range: 5 Hz – 44 kHz

Sensitivity: 112 dBspl/V

THD (@ 1kHz): < 0.1%

Driver size: 49mm

Impedance: 22 Ω

Input Power: 160 mW

Detachable cables with Banana Jack (included):

• 3m with 3.5 mm Jack Plug (TRS)

• 3m with XLR 4pin

• 1.4m with 4.4 mm Pentaconn style

Adapter included: 3.5 mm to 6.3 mm

Dimensions: 215 x 200 x 90 mm

Weight (without cable): 385 g

AUSTRIAN AUDIO FULL SCORE ONE

With the rise in consumers investing in higher-end headphones, a dedicated amp is a crucial part of any high-end system. The Full Score one brings “a fresh methodology to amplifier design”, including newly developed, proprietary technology.

LOW NOISE

Austrian Audio’s approach to its first headphone amp was comparable to building a very low noise power amplifier. So, the Full Score one handles low-impedance headphones down to 10 Ohms and high impedance, low-sensitivity headphones with over 300 Ohms. The main amplifier comprises a wide band, fully symmetrical voltage feedback circuit with a triple emitter follower output stage biased in class B, a high-speed complementary push-pull gain stage and a cascaded parallel differential input stage.

TRUE TRANSIENT TECHNOLOGY

The Full Score one also employs its maker’s new, proprietary True Transient Technology (TTT). This innovation is designed to help the amplifier perfectly deliver even the steepest transients, for example, the snap of a snare drum or the pluck of a guitar string. The TTT implementation includes the Full Score one’s primary amp short output voltage invariant rise time, combined with a high maximum slew rate, which ensures that TTT reveals the full bandwidth. Some (older) music recordings were mixed with slower audio systems in mind, hence the TTT button on the Full Score one’s front panel, letting the listener switch it on and off.

AUSTRIAN AUDIO FULL SCORE ONE SPECS

Power Bandwidth: 5 Hz – 1 MHz

THD (@ 1kHz): 0.0005 % at full load

Selfnoise: EIN 136 dB(A)

Max slew rate: 200 V/μs

Inputs: 2x XLR and 2x RCA (parallel)

Outputs: 2x 6.35 mm jack and 1x XLR 4pin

Recommended input voltage: 0dBV, 1Vrms

Recommended max load (5 Hz – 20 kHz): 10 Ω – 600 Ω, max. 150 nF

Max output voltage (5 Hz – 20 kHz): 19 dBV, 9 Vrms @ 0,01% THD

Power rating: 220 – 230 V~ / 50 Hz and 110 – 120 V~ / 60 Hz

Power consumption: max. 25 W

Dimensions: 220 x 265 x 65 mm

Weight: 2.8 kg

ABOUT AUSTRIAN AUDIO

Following the closure of the AKG offices in Vienna, a group of former employees set out to create something new, challenging, and respectful of its heritage. In July 2017, Austrian Audio was born. The company started with a core team of 22 former AKG personnel from management, acoustics, electronics, test and measurement, mechanical design, RF/wireless, and software and firmware – and continues to grow. So, while the company is relatively new, Austrian Audio brings over 350 years of cumulative engineering experience.

AUSTRIAN AUDIO THE COMPOSER HEADPHONES AND FULL SCORE ONE HEADPHONE AMP PRICING AND AVAILABILITY

The Composer is priced at EUR 2,499.00 / GBP 2,249.00 / USD 2,699,00. 

The Full Score one is priced at EUR 1,499.00 / GBP 1,299.00 / USD 1,499.00.

The two new models will ship during Q4, December 2023.

HiFi PiG Says: These look to be very interesting additions to the headphone market from Austrian Audio, we look forward to hearing them soon.