Reviewed: The Audix A150

My hunt for the “perfect” closed back headsets continues.
Earlier we’ve covered Sennheiser HD25, Audio-Technica ATH-M50X and Sony MDR-7506. Today we check out a headset from Audix – a company best known for their microphones.

This is the most expensive headset we’ve tried so far. Will those extra dineros be worth it?

Audix A150 Summarised:

  • Bundled with two cables: long and short
  • Remarkably comfortable, also during long sessions
  • A well balanced sound
  • Very well isolated – makes it perfect for tracking

Build quality:

The casing is all plastic – something well demonstrated by the remarkably low weight – but it has an undeniable quality feel over it. The headset looks and feels really good.

Detachable cable (a definite plus) and two lengths are bundled with the set. So here you have both a relatively short (1.8m) cable for use on the move, and a long cable (3m) for studio use. Excellent.

One thing is that it’s easy to get a cable replacement, another thing is that you might also smack a bluetooth dongle straight into the headset for use with your smartphone.
And maybe above all: The jack connector on the headset is also a safety net if the cable gets stuck onto something and ripped off, or if you should step on the cable. It will then be pulled out of the headset instead of breaking it. A massive plus in our book.

Interestingly it seems the A150 only came with one cable earlier – wherever I read about this set elsewhere it seems none else have received two cables and even the official pictures on their homepage is with just one cable. So I can only assume this is something very new (I received this headset today, and is not shipped for review but purchased at a regular store) – and it’s a really, really good decision by Audix to do so.

The connector on the headset is also standard TRS/mini-jack – ten thumbs up for not falling for the temptation to make something proprietary there (as opposed to Audio-Technica who use standard TRS in the connector itself but the fitting AROUND it makes it not being easily replaceable with generic cables).

Comfort:

This is one incredibly comfortable gear to wear. These babies are so comfortable they could lull me to sleep.

I mean, really. Try’em and see for yourself.

The gel-like pads of the A150 put these on an entirely different league from the three earlier mentioned. It’s a totally different ballgame in comfort. They fold around the ears in a subtle, gentle yet effectively isolating way.
The headset is also remarkably light, something that of course adds to the comfort.

But with pads like these they could have been heavier without any problem whatsoever.

Sound:

As to be expected from a set profiled to be for studio use they do have a fairly “flat” sound – totally on par if not flatter than the Sony MDR-7506. We do not have that artificial bass thump of the Audio Technica or the fun bouncy sound of the HD25. It’s a balanced, neutral sound.

A very precise and clear low, great midrange and wonderfully mild and airy highs. This is a great set to listen to.

I could perhaps have wished for sliiiightly crisper upper half. Just a microscopic little hint. But at least it does not have that ultra sharp highs that too many headsets are plagued with and becomes very tiresome very fast.

Here we have a set very well suited for long sessions.

Studio work VS DJ work:

The A150 is remarkably silent to the surroundings.
When we tested against the ATH-M50X it was a clearly audible difference in how much they leaked, and together with the remarkable comfort to wear it makes the Audix A150 the obvious choice for recording sessions. And the longer those sessions are the more obvious this choice will be.

The DJ setting is a bit different, though. There we do not worry about external bleed, however we need it isolated from the outside and in. And this set isolates well. However, the mentioned ATH-M50X has a more prominent bass and that is an advantage in a noisy club environment. Overall I would say that the home turf of the A150 is the studio, but it is also a totally legit alternative for DJing thanks to the well isolated cans.

But now is a good time to mention that the A150 has a sibling at the same price called A152 – and that one is said to be with a more thumping bass. You might want to check those out if DJing is your primary task.

Summary:

Let’s cut straight to the chase: This is the best headset so far in our journey.

Without any hint of doubt, even. Yes, it is the most expensive too – and in the introduction we asked if the higher price was worth it. And our conclusion is a crystal clear yes.

While the earlier three headsets all had major drawbacks, now we are entering the grounds of what I would call real solid headsets. And in particular the remarkable comfort of wearing this set makes it a winner. It’s one of those cases where I suppose you need to try them to really understand the difference, but it’s night and day.

So we got another set on the throne now: The Audix A150.

How long will it reign? Time will tell! We shall explore other headsets closer to the price point of these the coming year.