In this article we look at the Austrian Audio The Composer headphone, selling for €2.499 Euro.
Disclaimer: The Austrian Audio The Composer was sent to us by Austrian Audio directly, in exchange for our honest review. Austrian Audio is not related to Headfonia in any way.
Austrian Audio
Austrian Audio isn’t really a new company and they have been around since 2017. Actually Austrian Audio is a continuation of the AKG project that was terminated just before. This is the first time we are reviewing an Austrian Audio product on Headfonia.
Austrian Audio up to now was mainly focusing on lower-end professional gear, so they for a lot of people stayed under the radar. That said, their headphone products always get good reviews, even though they aren’t considered to be the most sexiest. Next to headphones, Austrian Audio also builds microphones and software. If you want to find out more about Austrian Audio and their offerings as well as their history, you can do so here.
In this review we’re checking out their high-end headphone, The Composer. Let’s get started.
The Composer – Intro
Last year Austrian Audio suddenly announced two new high-end products: The Composer headphone and the Full Score One premium headphone amplifier.
Actually, we already new at last year’s High-End Munich show that something spectacular was coming, but it wasn’t till Canjam LA, that we got to experience the new Austrian Audio combo setup.
At the SoCal show, The Composer and FSC setup seriously impressed me and already then we made arrangements to review this setup. I do have to apologize to Austrian Audio for the overly due review, but my review list is so long that it just couldn’t be done any sooner.
Without any further ado, let’s discover The Composer headphone!
The Composer
The Austrian Audio The Composer is an over ear, open back headphone featuring a 49mm dynamic driver. The Austrian Audio Composer is described as a Premium Reference Headphone, designed for connoisseurs and professionals to hear their music in its finest form.
The Composer’s driver features Austrian Audio’s new Hi-X Driver Design, featuring a diaphragm coated with diamond-like carbon for exceptional rigidity and an authentic listening experience at all loudness levels.
Even though AA recommends using it with their Full Score One amplifier, you can of course use it with any amplifier you have available. That said, it doesn’t really require any serious amplification, but we’ll get back to that later in this article.
Another key feature of The Composer are the nonproprietary Banana Jack connectors on the side of the headphone. We’ll look into this in one of the next chapters as well.
Price, Box & Accessories
The Composer is a high-end headphone and it comes with a high-end price tag. It’s selling for €2.499 Euro and for that money The Composer comes in a nice very nice wooden storage case, with the following accessories: 1x balanced 4pin XLR 3 m, 1x balanced 4.4 mm Pentaconn 3 m, 1x 3.5 mm Jack 3 m including 6.3 mm adapter. It is a simple package really, though getting a full cable set is always nice. I have not used the wooden box anymore ever since it arrived.
At €2,499 Euro it has a lot of competition but we will see later in this article that The Composer’s price-quality ratio is exceptional. The Composer can be bought directly from your local dealer. Austrian Audio encourages to buy local and you can find the full list of sellers here.
Design, Build Quality
The Composer is made in Austria, Europe and I have to say that Austrian Audio really paid a lot of attention to the build quality, the practical as well as the physical design, and finally the comfort.
Design wise The Composer looks like a modern headphone and I personally find the large mesh grills very sexy. The headband system is more functional than it is pretty, though I quite like it myself. The adjustable headband employs a mesh material to release heat and avoid perspiration.
The Composer is perfectly built and the finishing is excellent as it should be at this price level. In fact The Composer is a product that can be fully serviced, so if there ever is an issue, it will be easy to fix.
The only weird thing is that Austrian Audio chose to use nonproprietary Banana Jack connectors on the side of the headphone. As they deliver 3 cables with different terminations this isn’t really a direct issue, but if you want to use your fancy aftermarket cables with this headphone, you will need to get them reterminated. Honestly, I find this connector choice quite special, even if I understand why they decided to go for it. It’s just not very audiophile friendly I guess.
Fit, Comfort and Isolation
The Composer weighs in at under 400 grams, which is quite light nowadays for a TOTL headphone. The Composer doesn’t feel like it weighs 385g either, and it is comfortable at all times, even for long listening sessions. The headband does a perfect job of distributing the weight over your head and side pressure of The Composer sits just right. It’s tight enough to move around without having to worry about the headphone sliding of your head. As The Composer comes with a 3m cable, you really will be moving around with it on your head, so that’s a job well-done.
Comfort wise The Composer also comes with tiltable earcups (four positions) to help achieve a flawless fit. As we all know a perfect fit is what you need to get the best possible sound quality and The Composer easily makes that possible. The Austrian Audio design team also chose to attach the cable directly to the headband. This to protect the ears from undue strain. With its large earcups (easily replaceable due to magnetic connection), soft cushioning and excellent headband system, it is one of the most comfortable headphones in my collection.
Isolation wise The Composer of course leaks sound as it is a fully open back headphone. At the same time I have headphones that leak out a whole lot more sound than The Composer. I personally don’t feel like it lets a lot of noise in either. I tend to listen at lower volumes but I never get distracted by outside sounds. All-in-all this is the type of headphone that needs to be used at home or in more quiet environments. With its easy drivability you in theory could take it with you on the go, but I’d be very careful not to get run over. You’d probably also need a shorter cable than the 3m supplied one.
The article continues on the second page with the part on sound. Click here or use the jumps below.
Page 2: Sound, Drivability, Comparisons, Conclusion, Summary, Technical Specs
