Surround mixing on headphones just got serious with OLLO Audio’s S5X

€539, olloaudio.com

OLLO Audio is an unbiased developer of professional audio-focused headphones based mostly in Slovenia. Its newest launch is the S5X, a set of analogue, wired headphones boasting intelligent design and extra software program that can assist you precisely decide encompass mixes whereas listening in stereo.

To be clear, whereas encompass headphones do exist, the S5X aren’t the identical. Quite they’re “tuned for correct object positioning in virtualised 3D audio”, based on OLLO. However what does that imply in observe, and may they be used for normal stereo mixing?

Earlier than we get to that, a phrase on the construct. The headphones are superbly constructed in a mix of wooden, metallic and plastic. They’re an open-backed design with removable plugs that terminate in a 3.5mm jack, and a 6.3mm adapter is equipped too.

The ear pads are mushy, snug and replaceable, ought to they ultimately begin to wear down. The headscarf is, in fact, adjustable and the telephones really feel mild when worn, snug for the invariably lengthy durations of blending for which they’ll be employed.

You possibly can simply plug in and go however OLLO’s entire factor right here is the thought of calibration. The headphones are designed to be as flat and impartial as attainable to provide probably the most correct image of a encompass combine when downmixed into binaural (stereo) format. The pondering is that almost all encompass content material for video games, motion pictures and different purposes is in actuality skilled on stereo headphones reasonably than elaborate dwelling cinema methods and as such it’s important to combine it accordingly.

OLLO takes the thought of calibration very significantly certainly. To display simply how significantly, a part of your buy is the corporate’s USC (unit particular calibration) plugin which you’ll be able to obtain after registering. Then you definitely ship them the serial variety of your headphones and based mostly on their data of the construct and evaluation of your particular pair, they generate a calibration file which is emailed again to you. You then load this into the USC plugin, which you insert throughout the grasp bus in your DAW, and it calibrates the output in your private pair of cans. The plugin itself is easy, with on/off and acquire controls in addition to the power to carry as much as eight configurations, must you personal multiple pair.

The corporate is at pains to level out that this isn’t some sort of enhancement, which another ‘personalisation’ methods use to magically make every little thing sound punchier. Neither is it they are saying for audiophiles anticipating the same consequence. As an alternative, it’s a really refined 0.5 – 1dB change in tolerance the place required. Because the headphones are already tuned to be as flat as attainable, it’s making very minor tweaks based mostly on the physics of your particular pair. It additionally works with the Waves NX plugin (for digital room emulation for headphones), although our expertise of attempting to get Waves’ personal software program to authorise correctly was irritating to place it mildly.

So what’s occurring right here is that when working with a encompass venture the output out of your DAW is being downmixed to binaural format for monitoring in stereo, and handed by way of the USC plugin to finest calibrate it in your headphones. This does in fact imply turning the plugin off earlier than doing any precise exporting, or it might be included within the bounces. Most fashionable DAWs present at the least just a few choices right here, like Logic’s Dolby Atmos with its a number of binaural monitoring modes.

If any of this seems like a overseas language, it’s probably that this specific mannequin of headphone will not be geared toward your workflow. OLLO factors in direction of its S4X mannequin (€449) as a extra typical mixing instrument, with a extra mid-focused tuning. The S5X is tuned to have much less bass and extra high-end presence, which the builders say based mostly on in depth testing affords probably the most correct outcomes for object positioning in 3D house.

As such, you’ll lean in direction of the S4X for extra typical stereo mixing duties. The S5X nonetheless is kind of exceptional when fed downmixed encompass content material. Except you’re a seasoned professional, it nonetheless feels a bit like magic having the ability to transfer sounds round in three dimensions and have this translated dwell to a stereo pair of headphones. However they’re certainly extraordinarily correct, their flat response coping very properly with the complexities of working in three dimensions.

When listening to common stereo mixes they’re too upper-mid-heavy and missing bass however that is exactly as a result of they’re tuned for a special use. A superb check – and a option to gauge their encompass efficiency on a ready-made supply – is to play again an album that has been correctly blended for Dolby Atmos, for instance, and the place the work has already been carried out.

We attempt the 2017 mixture of R.E.M’s Computerized For The Individuals since we’re intimately conversant in the unique and the outcomes are superb. The expertise lies with the individuals who blended it in fact, however the S5X does an unimaginable job of showing all of the element, a lot of which isn’t even obvious within the authentic stereo mixes. Entire melodies seem and there’s simply an unimaginable sense of house that elevates the file to new heights.

That’s the place you’d hope to finish up when mixing your personal tasks for spatial or encompass and, with these carefully-tuned dynamic headphones, you might be assured that the monitoring aspect of issues is taken care of. The purpose is correct translation of what’s on the encompass audio system into your binaural combine in actual time and on that entrance they actually ship. The sound is extremely detailed, and separation is spectacular.

It’s possible you’ll or is probably not the kind of person who cares deeply in regards to the fine-grained calibration that the USC plugin affords. Both is ok, truthfully. And you should use these with out it, although it’s a part of the acquisition value anyway. Whereas most critical reference telephones will do an excellent job of dealing with a downmixed encompass sign for mixing functions, the specialised flat tuning on provide right here actually makes a distinction and can be invaluable in case you’re doing this type of work with any regularity. OLLO does provide a 30-day a reimbursement assure with just a few caveats, though you’re not more likely to want it.

Key options

• Reference class, open-back dynamic headphones with flat frequency response
• Hand-picked, left/proper matched transducers for higher instrument separation
• Dynamic Neodymium drivers
• 30 Ohms
• Replaceable earpads with outer diameter of 95 mm
• Removable braided silicone cable with OFC core
• Specifically tuned for dealing with downmixed encompass audio
• USC calibration plugin (AU / VST3)
• All parts user-replaceable
• Entrance-to-back air strain equalisation
• Works with Waves NX