Headphone maker OLLO Audio has opened pre-orders for the OLLO Audio X2, a new open-back, over-ear headphone designed for producing and mixing. Where most studio headphones leave the listener to correct their tonal balance, the X2 arrives with a calibration file measured on each individual pair. Shipping is scheduled to start on December 7.
Calibrated for every single pair
The key idea behind the OLLO Audio X2 is unit-specific calibration, or USC. Every pair is measured during quality control, and the result is delivered both as a printed datasheet in the box and as a correction profile for the included USC plugin. That plugin runs in AU, VST and AAX formats, and as a standalone application for macOS and Windows, so it can correct either a single DAW session or the entire system output.
According to OLLO, this approach brings the response to within roughly ±1 dB of its target, compared with about ±3 dB for generic correction software that works from an average model measurement. Those figures come from the manufacturer, but the principle is sound: no two dynamic drivers are exactly the same, and a profile made for your own pair removes that variable.
Beryllium-coated 50 mm drivers
Inside each earcup sits a 50 mm dynamic driver with a neodymium magnet and a membrane of beryllium-coated PET combined with polyurethane. Left and right drivers are matched to within ±1 dB SPL. A flow resistor of 11.8 acoustic ohms equalises the pressure between the front and the back of the driver, which helps the open-back design keep its low end under control.
With an impedance of around 32 ohms and a sensitivity of 108 dB SPL at 0 dBu, the X2 is easy to drive from an audio interface or a laptop. OLLO quotes a frequency range of 8 Hz to 22 kHz and total harmonic distortion below 0.157% at 85 dB SPL.
Walnut, steel and replaceable parts
The earcups are made from American walnut and rotate a full 360 degrees. A stainless steel and silicone headband carries a self-adjusting strap in artificial leather, and the ear pads combine acoustic foam with perforated artificial leather and velour. The headphone weighs 383 g without its cable.
OLLO has also designed the X2 to be repaired rather than replaced. The cable, strap and headband can be swapped at home with ordinary tools. The 2 m detachable silicone cable uses an enamelled OFC core, connects with mini XLR plugs to each earcup and ends in a 3.5 mm jack with a screw-on 6.3 mm adapter. There is no balanced cable option, but OLLO publishes a wiring diagram for anyone who wants to build their own.
If you are comparing reference headphones for the studio, our article on the ADAM Audio H715 Reference shows how another pro-audio brand approaches the same task.
Pricing and availability
The OLLO Audio X2 costs €549 and is available for pre-order now from the OLLO Audio website, with shipping from December 7. For orders in the EU and the US, taxes and duties are included, and shipping is free above €400. Buyers get a 90-day money-back trial when ordering directly, plus a 5-year limited warranty. The box contains the headphones, a hard carrying case, the mini XLR cable, the printed calibration datasheet and access to the USC plugin.
Key specifications
- Type: open-back, over-ear studio headphone
- Driver: 50 mm dynamic, neodymium, beryllium-coated PET/PU membrane
- Impedance: approx. 32 ohms
- Sensitivity: 108 dB SPL at 0 dBu (1 kHz)
- Frequency range: 8 Hz to 22 kHz
- THD: below 0.157% at 85 dB SPL, 1 kHz
- Weight: 383 g without cable
- Cable: 2 m detachable, mini XLR to 3.5 mm with 6.3 mm adapter
- Calibration: unit-specific USC profile and plugin (AU, VST, AAX, standalone)
- Price: €549
