Australis
Setup:
My standard PC rig is Roon and HQPlayer with Schiit Bifrost 2/64 (recently Wandla GSE) and Ferrum Oor/Hypsos.
I also listened portably on a Fiio M11 Plus LTD about half of the time.
Comfort, Fit, Finish:
Feels very lightweight and practical for wearing long periods of time. The steel wire frame appears as though it would be quite delicate, but apart from some front-to-back play it’s sturdier than it seems. My head size is rather average, and I used these just above the lowest band position (pictured below). There is enough clamping pressure to stay where they need to be while sitting at the desk, though trending loose for wearing during more active situations such as cleaning around the house. The cups are circular, so the edge sits on my earlobes rather than around them. Due to the light clamp, it’s been a non-issue.
The headband is thick and comfy. The extra heft of the cushion does cause the headband to be a bit floppy since the nylon connecting to the frame is tapered and narrower. I think a bit of extra rigidity would be nice, perhaps by using the wires as an additional connection point for the nylon.
Small detail, but ergonomically speaking, I really like that the cable connectors are situated toward the back of the headphones. Most of my collection (e.g. Utopia, HE1000, Atrium) place the connections at the front, and I find that this sometimes produces a bit of “cable dangle” where they project out toward my chin before curving downward. Australis by comparison projects the cables comfortably just in front of my shoulders while still allowing full range of motion.
The look is industrial. A no-nonsense headphone’s headphone. There are no fancy patterns, embossing, or painting. It’s spartan but handsome. The elevated suspension produces a bit of a Doctor Who Cyberman look when wearing similar to (as a particularly egregious example) an Abyss1266.
Sound:
It’s been quite a while since trying a proper closed back headphone. My personal collection is exclusively open back because I love the benefits to soundstage and am fortunate enough that my music being audible to others is not a concern. Notably, there is some sound leak at higher volumes despite being closed back due to the light clamp pressure discussed above. While the stage on Australis is certainly intimate, it doesn’t feel overly claustrophobic or “in your head” as an IEM would. It performs quite capably for imaging of individual instruments even in particular busy tracks (such as “Penrose Tiling” from Max Cooper).
Tuning is warm with rich mids and a quite a bit of treble recess. Vocals and instruments like guitar, saxophone, or drums sound excellent. The treble downslope is overall smooth, but I find it could benefit from a slight bump without going overboard. Songs with bright instruments such as the harp in “Verbena Tea” from Jon Hopkins’ Late Night Tales mix lack a bit of the metallic sparkle I’m used to hearing on slightly brighter headphones—a quality which I find is more accurate to hearing these instruments in person. Bass impact is quite good, remaining in balance with the rest of the headphone without being aggressively rumbly/tooth rattling (though I suppose some EDM enjoyers may be looking for that type of quality). Bass roll off seems quite mild and is likely helped by this being closed back. I’ll be curious to see how Borealis compares in this regard.
Summary:
Overall, I agree these are very smooth and very pleasant. I see these as a great option for long listening sessions when working at a computer, studying in a library, or in a shared office environment where bothering others may be of concern. In particular, I found the ease of driving these made them an excellent candidate for portable listening on my Fiio, and similar devices ranging from a refurbished iPod, Questyle M15, or even a classic Apple dongle would be more than adequate without sacrificing much from a more powerful desktop setup.