How We Research
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want a wired, open-back reference tool built for mixing and mastering, choose Austrian Audio Hi-X65; if you need wireless freedom, active noise cancelling and all-day Bluetooth convenience, choose Technics.
These two headphones share almost nothing except the word "over-ear." One is a corded studio instrument with a foldable metal frame and a single-minded job. The other is a wireless travel and work companion with microphones, noise cancelling and a battery. Picking between them is really about picking the job you need done.
• Austrian Audio Hi-X65 biggest strength: A purpose-built open-back design for critical listening, with a 44 mm driver, a ring magnet system and a copper-clad aluminum voice coil that Austrian Audio says lets the membrane move faster for a more responsive impulse reaction.
• Austrian Audio Hi-X65 biggest trade-off: It is wired only, has no noise cancelling, and open-back earcups leak sound in and out — useless on a plane, awkward in a shared office.
• Technics biggest strength: Wireless Bluetooth 5.2 with multipoint for 2+ devices, active noise cancelling with Ambient and Attention modes, 8 microphones for calls, and up to 50 hours of playback with ANC on.
• Technics biggest trade-off: It is a consumer wireless headphone first — the sound is tuned for enjoyment, not for judging a mix, and it depends on a battery and an app.
• Choose Austrian Audio Hi-X65 if you mix, master, edit or reference audio at a desk and want a precise, spacious, wired tool.
• Choose Technics if you want one pair for commuting, flights, calls and everyday listening with noise cancelling and long battery life.
The Hi-X65 is unapologetically a studio headphone. Austrian Audio built it around Hi-Xcursion technology: a 44 mm dynamic driver paired with a ring magnet system, plus a copper-clad aluminum voice coil. The stated goal of that combination is lower moving mass in the membrane and voice coil, which lets the diaphragm change direction faster and produce a more responsive impulse reaction. The company also says its measurements and listening tests settled on 44 mm as the optimum size for this design, moving plenty of air while avoiding diaphragm "wobbling." The frequency range is quoted at 5 Hz to 28 kHz, impedance at 25 ohms.
Who should buy it: producers, mixers and mastering engineers, or anyone doing serious critical listening at a desk who wants a wired, dependable reference headphone. The two cable lengths cover both a studio desk and a laptop bag.
Who should skip it: anyone who wants Bluetooth, noise cancelling, a built-in mic, or to wear headphones on a plane or train. The 25-ohm impedance is easy to drive, but that does not change the fact that this is a corded, open, leaky design with no noise control at all — the spec sheet literally lists noise control as "None."
Technics: Who It's For
The Technics EAH-A800 is the opposite philosophy. It is a wireless, noise-cancelling over-ear headphone aimed at home, work, travel and even workouts. The driver is a 40 mm PEEK/polyurethane three-layer diaphragm, with a quoted frequency range of 4 Hz to 40 kHz. The headline feature set is all about living with the headphones rather than analyzing through them: Bluetooth 5.2 with multipoint connectivity to more than two devices at once, so you can jump from a laptop video call to a phone call to music without re-pairing.
Noise cancelling is the centerpiece. Technics combines dual hybrid feedforward and feedback cancellation with analog and digital processing, and layers on fully adjustable Ambient and Attention modes so you can dial in exactly how much of the outside world gets through. For calls, there are 8 distinct microphones with wind noise reduction, which is a serious amount of mic hardware for a headphone — the stated aim is isolating and amplifying your voice while minimizing surroundings.
Comfort and stamina are clearly priorities too. The earpads are large and soft-density so they rest around the whole ear, and the headband is shaped to spread pressure across your head. Battery life is quoted at up to 50 hours with ANC on, with a 15-minute quick charge giving roughly 10 hours of playback. There is a wearing sensor for auto shut-off, a compact folding carry case, and the Technics Audio Connect app for pairing, tailoring noise cancelling and sound modes, and finding the headphones. Weight is listed at 10.5 ounces, and it carries a 1-year warranty.
Who should buy it: commuters, remote workers, frequent flyers and anyone who wants one wireless pair to handle calls, music and travel with noise cancelling and long battery life.
Who should skip it: anyone who needs a neutral, wired reference for mixing decisions, or who dislikes depending on a battery, an app and Bluetooth pairing. It is also a closed-back design — good for isolation, less so for the open, spacious presentation the Hi-X65 is built around.
• Best for mixing and mastering → Austrian Audio Hi-X65. Open-back, 44 mm driver, ring magnet system, and a design explicitly created for close, precise listening at the critical production stages.
• Best for wireless freedom and travel → Technics. Bluetooth 5.2, multipoint to 2+ devices, folding carry case, and up to 50 hours with ANC on.
• Best for noisy environments → Technics. Active noise cancelling with Ambient and Attention modes versus the Hi-X65's open-back, no-noise-control design.
• Best for calls and meetings → Technics. 8 microphones with wind noise reduction and voice control.
• Best for long studio sessions → Austrian Audio Hi-X65. Open-back earcups breathe, two cable lengths (3 m and 1.2 m) keep you tethered comfortably, and the aluminum frame with metal hinge and bow is built to take a beating.
• Best for durability and repairability-minded buyers → Austrian Audio Hi-X65. All-metal hinge and bow, replaceable cable design, and a 2-year warranty versus 1 year.
• Best for everyday listening on the move → Technics. Soft-density earpads, pressure-optimized headband, wearing sensor auto shut-off and app-based sound tailoring.
• Best if you hate charging things → Austrian Audio Hi-X65. Wired means no battery, no pairing, no firmware — just plug in and work.
In my opinion, these are not competitors so much as two different tools, so I would not buy one to replace the other. If I had to pick a single pair for most people reading this, I would buy the Technics EAH-A800 — it does far more jobs (commute, calls, travel, casual listening) and the multipoint plus 50-hour battery make it genuinely easy to live with. But if your actual work is mixing, mastering or critical listening, I would buy the Austrian Audio Hi-X65 without hesitation; nothing about a wireless noise-cancelling headphone substitutes for an open-back wired reference design. Decide which job you have, then match the tool.
Yes, in my opinion. The Hi-X65 is specifically designed for mixing and mastering with an open-back, 44 mm driver and ring magnet system, while the Technics is a wireless noise-cancelling headphone tuned for everyday listening and calls. Different jobs entirely.
Correct. The Technics lists active noise cancellation with Ambient and Attention modes, while the Hi-X65's spec sheet lists noise control as "None" — it is an open-back wired headphone, so it neither blocks nor cancels outside sound.
No. It is a wired headphone with a 3.5 mm jack, supplied with a 3 m and a 1.2 m cable plus a 1/4" adapter. There is no Bluetooth.
Up to 50 hours with ANC on, with a 15-minute quick charge giving roughly 10 hours of playback. Multipoint connectivity lets it connect to more than two Bluetooth devices at once.
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