When your mix decisions come down to a single decibel, your headphones need to be at least that precise. OLLO Audio has announced the X2, a new open-back studio reference headphone hand-made in Slovenia for mixing engineers who care about the last 1 dB.
If the X1 is already on your desk, or you've been weighing up a move to headphone mixing, here's what's new.
Same Promise, Taken Further
The X1 earned its reputation with flat, honest sound and reliable mix translation. The X2 keeps that promise and builds on it with three upgrades: a new beryllium-coated driver, a new USC calibration plugin, and improved build quality throughout.
A Stiffer, Faster Driver
The heart of the X2 is a new 50 mm dynamic driver with a beryllium-coated membrane. Beryllium is far stiffer than conventional membrane materials, so the driver responds faster and more precisely. In practice, transients come through cleaner, and changes as small as 1 dB of EQ or gain reduction become something you hear rather than guess. OLLO describes it as a sonic microscope.
Calibration Without Lock-In
The biggest step forward is calibration. Every X2 is measured individually, and you receive its calibration data in an open, human-readable format. Use it in the included USC plugin, in third-party correction plugins, or directly on a DSP-enabled audio interface such as RME TotalMix or UA Console. There are no subscriptions and no locked ecosystems.
OLLO's reasoning is simple: making 1 dB EQ decisions on a headphone with 3 dB tolerances doesn't add up. Unit-specific calibration brings the X2 to roughly ±1 dB of target, matching the precision of the tool to the precision of your decisions.
Built to Be Repaired, Not Replaced
Every component of the X2 is available as a spare part: headband, ear pads, cable, drivers and even the walnut body. Nothing is glued shut, and repairs can be done at home. As OLLO puts it, a studio's reference headphones should last as long as the studio does.
What Engineers Are Saying
Award-winning producer and mixer Matteo Marciano (John Wick, Pitch Perfect, 2Cellos, Disney, Netflix, DreamWorks) has been mixing on the X2 daily:
"I found the X2 brutally honest, and that's exactly what I want from a pair of reference headphones I use to mix every day."
X2 at a Glance
- Design: open-back, over-ear studio reference headphones
- Driver: 50 mm dynamic, beryllium-coated membrane
- Sound: flat and neutral out of the box
- Calibration: individual calibration included; the data works with any plugin or DSP interface
- Serviceability: spare parts for every component, repairable at home
- Warranty: 5-year limited warranty
- Made in: Slovenia, EU
- Price: $869 AUD inc GST
