At the end of 2023, I grumbled that there were very, very few wireless headphones between £100-200 / $150-250 that could cut the sonic mustard. Despite having only been in this job for a little less than a year, I'd reviewed and listened to dozens of wireless over-ear headphones, and while there had been premium pairs which I thought were the business and cheap choices that charmed me with their money-saving wiles, a yawning chasm existed in that much-neglected middle ground.
As I griped at the time, there was a gaping hole in the headphones market, and 2024 was the year to fill it. A few pairs, such as the Sony ULT Wear (£180 / $200 / AU$440), Sennheiser Accentum Wireless (£160 / $180 / AU$300) and the Accentum Wireless Plus (£200 / $230 / AU$400) have all tried to crack this somewhat challenging nut, yet all were let down by mediocre sound that couldn't sonically best cheaper offerings such as the Sony WH-CH720N.
To remedy this deficiency, we went on the hunt for a pair that could satisfy our sonic needs without busting the bank, striking gold with a pair that have actually been around for a good while now. The recently-reviewed Austrian Audio Hi-X25BT have plugged this galling gap, bringing consumers a pair of wireless headphones which, retailing at £149 / $179 / AU$269, sit right within that pesky £100-200 / $150-250 price band and, more importantly, offer sparklingly satisfying audio while they're at it.
As we stated in our review, "the X25BT are lightweight, attractive and built to last, and when placed side-by-side with their nearest rivals – the Sony WH-CH720N – you would think they cost a good deal more". Their shiny metal hinges, smoothly sliding headband, soft leather earcups and lightweight construction all make for a set of cans that really look and feel the part, and If I were gifted a pair for Christmas, a birthday or as a present from a loved one, I'd be delighted to accept.
Sonically, though, is where the X25BT truly excel. Rarely have I heard a pair of headphones at this price point that possess such audiophile levels of detail, with the Austrian Audio over-ears offering the sort of textural insight and sparkling clarity you'd normally associate with studio-grade wired headphones. They're just so crisp and controlled, revealing fantastic levels of texture and space, not to mention lavish levels of irrepressible fun, so that every track played through them feels like a pleasure rather than a chore. That's far from a guarantee at this price, given the sort of products that have previously looked to plug this tricky gap.
Crucially, the Hi-X25BT feel like a set of over-ears which prioritise sound quality and musical enjoyment over all other considerations. We were upfront in our review about the fact that they're not the most lavishly equipped set of cans you'll ever buy – there's no noise cancelling and limited Bluetooth codec support, while fancier features such as Bluetooth Multipoint and spatial audio support are very much off the table. There isn't even an app.
Compare this paltry effort with the comparatively priced Sennheiser Accentum Wireless and the contrast is stark. The noise-cancelling Accentum grant Bluetooth Multipoint, wind reduction for voice calls, a 50-hour battery life, app access and extensive Bluetooth codec support for SBC, AAC, aptX and aptX HD. On paper, you might be forgiven for thinking they'd blow the Hi-X25BT out of the water.
Yet it's the Austrian Audio cans which unquestionably triumph in that particular head-to-head. Rather than being indicative of their lack of quality, the X25BT's focus on sonic performance over a more comprehensively ticked feature sheet means they're the cans to go for every time. Often we've seen mid-range headphones that prioritise features over all else, failing to address the core issue, which is having the sonic capabilities to be worth the investment. The middling Sony ULT Wear, meanwhile, opted for bass-boosting gimmickry and a bulging bag of eye-grabbing tricks while completely neglecting the most important category of all.
Perhaps this is the fundamental lesson that manufacturers need to learn to make a great pair of mid-range headphones, or at least, a pair of mid-rangers that appeal to listeners like me. Instead of spending time and money on features and filling spec sheets, sound should always remain the priority, even if sacrifices have to be made in other areas. The Hi-X25BT are missing noise cancelling, app support and a good deal else besides, yet their sonic capabilities are what makes them some of the only headphones in this tricky hinterland that I'd actually want to own.
Austrian Audio have solved the conundrum in the simplest way possible, by going back to basics and remembering what headphones and hi-fi are all about. On paper, the Hi-X25BT are nothing to write home about. Give them a listen, though, and they might end up becoming your next go-to pair of wireless headphones.
MORE:
Read our review of the Austrian Audio Hi-X25BT
Also consider the Sony WH-CH720
Best over-ear headphones: wired and wireless pairs tested by our experts
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