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Sound – Intro
In this introductory chapter we usually have a look at how the companies and their marketing departments are describing the sound (quality) of their product.
Austrian Audio states the following:
These headphones deliver spacious yet precise high frequencies and faithful and swift bass impulses at remarkably low THD (Total Harmonic Distortion) levels, ensuring an incredibly revealing listening journey that sets new standards in high-end listening.
It’s a fairly succinct description of The Composer’s performance, with a nice marketing touch at the end. Let’s discover how The Composer really sounds.
Sound – General
I have used The Composer now for multiple months with a very wide selection of tube and solid state amplifiers as well as with portable players. Of course I also used the AA Full Score One amplifier a lot with AA’s True Transient Technology. Most of the time I used the Musician Audio Aquarius as DAC. Music is usually streamed to the DAC from my laptop running ROON, in combination with Tidal.
In general I can say that The Composer is a more neutrally tuned headphone, with a focus on clarity, and good weight/impact overall. Maybe there’s a bit more than in a fully neutral set, but The Composer’s sound never feels overly weighty.
Clarity, spaciousness, resolution, speed and layering are other characteristics The Composer really excels at. While the clarity always is there, I do find that a headphone like the HD 800 S still has the better cleanness and control. In this regard The Composer sometimes can struggle a little. The Composer’s spaciousness is present from top to bottom and it is a pleasure to the ear combined with the tonal/note decay and extension, as well as the sublime depth and layering. Sound stage wise The Composer performs really well, and the mid spaciousness really attributes to this. Don’t think HD 800 levels, but it’s good.
Detail wise The Composer also seriously performs and you won’t miss any detail in your music. In regards of PraT, there also is nothing to complain about and The Composer performs at a high-end level at all times. What concerns note extension and decay, this really depends on the amplifier you’re using The Composer with. It goes from good to sublime, but it never disappoints. Last but not least The Composer has one of the nicest timbre, especially in the bass and mids regions. It’s a pleasure to the ear, that simple.
In the bass region, The Composer is very strong. You get good resolution, great layering and sub rumble that is exemplary. Bass never feels overly present however, as said it is pretty close to neutral but not quite. The mids share the same characteristics, though there is a little mid hump and more forward positioned vocals here to take into account. It are very pleasing mids that are easy on the ear with a nice amount of space, great decay and with a smooth delivery that always is musical. The treble section is detailed, extends nicely and has an energetic twist to it. Treble never is harsh or overly clinical, nor too present. It’s in perfect balance with the bass and mids and they do keep things exciting and engaging.
The Composer is a very musical headphone with a high technical level. The delivery is smooth and ear pleasing and it will sound clinical or dull. It’s just high end pleasure in a lot of ways.
Sound – Drivability
With an impedance of 22Ω and a sensitivity of 112 dBspl/V, the Austrian Audio Composer is a headphone that is incredibly easy to drive.
You really do not need a lot of power to drive The Composer and power houses such as the new Auris Audio Headonia 300b and the SAEQ Armageddon are even to powerful for it, resulting in noise at the lowest of volumes.
With more normal amplifiers or DAC/AMP combos you can perfectly use The Composer without any issues. The Composer is an efficient and nicely transparent headphone which really lets you hear what your DAC, and especially your amplifier is all about. The Composer scales up nicely with better amplifiers and this is mostly audible in the spaciousness, stage extension, tonal decay, layering, precision and timbre. Yes that’s a lot but, The Composer is a headphone that really can do everything and the better your amplifier and DAC are, the better The Composer will sound.
Looking at the solid state amplifiers in my collection at the moment, I really enjoyed listening to The Composer from the Full Score one, especially with TT Technology engaged. The SAEQ PDA-1b and Ferrum/ERCO 2 also are excellent companions for The Composer. Even though still good, I am placing the HifiMan Serenade and Prelude at a lower level when looking at the synergy with The Composer.
DAP wise I mainly used the SP3000 from Astell&Kern as well as the N8II from Cayin, but I also really like listening to The Composer from Shanling’s EC Mini. Results here are good, but I still recommend going for a full desktop setup. Looking at tube amps, I absolutely recommend the brand new ZMF Aegis and Feliks Envy.
No matter if you go for solid state or tube, I fully recommend to use a clean, clear, precise and technically strong amplifier. The Composer has enough body, bass and presence on its own already, so don’t make it exaggerate. I also suggest to use a highly analytical and revealing DAC, such as an R2R DAC, as it will give The Composer everything it needs to shine. Add the precision to the musical and engaging yet slightly softer presentation of The Composer, and you have the best of all worlds.
Sound – Comparisons
For this section I used the SAEQ PDA-1b amplifier as it allows to power 4 headphones at a time without any loss of quality. In this price segment there is a lot of competition, and I selected the following three headphones for comparison: The Sennheiser HD 800 S, the Meze Audio Empyrean II and the Hifiman HE1000. Except for the Sennheiser, these are all planar magnetic driven headphones but it is getting more difficult to find dynamically driven non planar TOTL headphones nowadays (at least in my collection).
The Sennheiser HD 800 S, is selling for $1,699 USD (now discounted to $1,355 USD) which is excellent with the SAEQ amplifier btw, is a faster and lighter sounding headphone than The Composer. It also has a higher energy level with more explicit upper mids and livelier top end. The Composer in returns sounds a tad slower, but fuller, with bigger body and bass impact (sub bass). The mid punch is far more present in The Composer and the vocals are more forward placed. The clarity and control are good in The Composer but the HD 800 S does take this a serious step further. We could also say that the HD 800 S is the more typical reference audiophile tuned headphone, where The Composer is the more fun, musical and engaging one with more body but with an excellent resolution. These are very different headphones, and it is a nicely complementary pair. Having both of these headphones in your collection seems the way to go for me.
The Meze Audio Empyrean II we recently reviewed (selling at $3k USD), also is a very different. The Empyrean II body wise is more close to The Composer, but the latter ones goes deeper in the stage, has better layering and more sub bass presence. The vocal presentation of The Composer is somewhat more to the front and the overall presentation is more energetic and in your face, where the presentation of the Meze is slower, softer and smoother. The Meze is the more relaxed sounding, laid back headphone and if you prefer this type of tuning, The Composer might come over as shouty and too much in your face. Again, 2 different headphones that could be perfect companions in your collection. When I go to the Meze coming from The Composer, I enjoy the softness and more relaxed feeling on your ears. At the same time is miss the improved layering, liveliness and resolution of the dynamic driver.
The Hifiman HE1000SE (selling for $2K), like the Meze is a slower tuned headphone and in this case it is also lighter in presence and body. The Hifiman is the more typical reference, neutral tuned headphone where The Composer is the slightly fuller and more engaging one. The layering and depth of The Composer are easier to pick-up on, but it also is a more energetic headphone compared to the HE1000SE. The extension, spaciousness, timbre and tonal decay of The Composer easily trump that of the HE1000SE. The vocal presentation is very much alike. I always like going back to the HE1000 headphones as they offer a lot for the money they’re going for, but I at the same time prefer the Susvara if I want the best of the best on a technical level. Even though there are some specific differences, as I just explained, these 2 headphones also have a lot in common and I wouldn’t say these are as complimentary as the previous compared headphones. A difficult choice depending on personal preferences, but at the moment – if I had to choose – I would take the Austrian Audio headphone over the Hifiman (also because of the easier amplification synergy).
Conclusion
This time it is very simple, the Austrian Audio The Composer is an excellent all-round high-end headphone. It not only offers a nice design and great comfort, but its performance is up there with the very best, even if it isn’t perfect. It’s the kind if headphone that is easy to like and easy to listen to, even for non audiophiles.
The Composer will impress you even more when you use it with the better desktop amplification, resulting in a precise, clean, technically strong, engaging and musical sound. What more can you ask for? If you’re looking for a top-performing headphone with a musical delivery, look no further. The Composer is our newest Recommended Buy Award winner, and it now goes on our Recommended Buy list where it is in excellent company.
Summary
Pros:
- Design & Comfort
- Supplied cables
- Sound Quality
- Easy drivability
- Scales up nicely with better amplification
Cons:
- Simple package (if I have to say something)
Technical Specifications
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
Page 2: Sound, Drivability, Comparisons, Conclusion, Summary, Technical Specs
