AKG K701 Open-Back, Over-Ear Premium Studio Reference Class Studio Headphones
The AKG Legacy – Inspiring Greatness for decades
For more than 65 years, AKG has helped create the iconic sounds of some of the world’s most well known recording artists, engineers and producers. Our designers and engineers have made it their life’s passion to find new ways to deliver breakthrough experiences for artists of all levels. Whether in the studio or on stage, when you wear AKG headphones, you’re seconds away from creating history.
 |  |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Headphone Type | Open | Open | Open | Open |
| Detachable Cable | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Replaceable Earpads | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Rated Impedance | 120 Ohms | 62 Ohms | 62 Ohms | 62 ohms |
| Net Weight | 238g | 235g | 235g | 235g |
| Wearing Style | Over-Ear | Over-Ear | Over-Ear | Over-Ear |
| Audio Frequency Bandwidth | 12-39500 Hz | 10-39800 Hz | 10-39800 Hz | 10-39800 Hz |
| Weight: | 232 g |
| Dimensions: | 11.3 x 19.9 x 21.2 cm; 232.47 Grams |
| Model: | K701 |
| Colour: | Multi-coloured |
| Colour: | Multi-coloured |
Good headphones, very clear although sub-bass is almost non-existent and bass frequencies lacking. It also has an unflattering upper mid-range in some areas. Using Sonarworks Reference 4 headphone edition to modify the headphones EQ curve took them from a 7/10 to a 9.5/10 (I really recommend this software). Despite my reservations, I have no doubts this is about as good as it gets in this low price range.
These are lightweight headphones and comfortable to wear. They sound good and clear however if you intend to use them with a smartphone or tablet I recommend you invest in a headphone amplifier to benefit their true potential. I purchased these for Studio use for mixing and mastering but I was disappointed to discover that they are in fact made in China. I was under the impression that they were made in Austria as per the Amazon Description.
The AKG 701s are true to the source. They play what they are feed for better or worse. I have owned Sennheiser 650s for a long time, and the AKG 701s for at least a decade. Admittedly, I more often listen to the 650s because I enjoy them and find them more comfortable than the 701s. That said, when I really want to hear a subtle vocal recording like Rachmaninov’s Vespers, the 701s provide a superior window into the performance – the voices and the room. At this point, I usually listen with my Mac feeding an Ayre Codex via USB with 24/96 or better resolution if available. I have not done any cable tweaking and listen via the 1/4 inch connectors that came with the phones. One last thing, I believe you can spend more money and get better sound, but for what you get at $250 or $300 (with a good dac, amp and source), the 701s are very fine headphones.
If you’re a drummer this would be the best headset for you, you can hear every part of the drum seperated without trying to distinguish them from everything else.
I really owe a favor to Amazon, which led me to leave a comment.
This product really is what we were told of when researching the area of headphones.
consumers are not manipulated or anything.
You heard about this product as great,
extensive in soundstage, great in vocal, and isolation.
Those are how exactly will be with the headphone.
This is it. One of the three reference headphones.
If you were to have a headphone, then this is not the best suit for you
but if you were to have headphones, this, is almost to an one of the essential
that can extend the song to its finest in this model can provide but no other can.
I believe from this product, there is no true upgrade but preference.
30 years ago, I bought a set of AKG’s — the K 280. These are called parabolic and have two speaker coils in each ear. Always liked these but I decided to treat myself as technology has moved on a bit since then.
I am in my 60’s so ears not so good. Kit is an Arcam rHead, iRdac II, A39, CD37, Heybrook TT2 deck. Various music both CD and vinyl.
I got the K712’s first. The sound was definitely an improvement on the K280, but not the upgrade I expected. Also, not too keen on the pads — like a foam material that could damage easily. They fit well and are comfortable so I could wear these all day.
The sound was engaging – good soundstage and separation of instruments, and bass was much better than I thought it would be. Much much better than the usual headphones with funky names that people wear on the train! I would say these are a good HiFi set of cans for ‘serious’ listening.
However I wasn’t totally blown away with these so looking higher up the tree I decided to get a pair of K812’s that Amazon had as open boxed for 520. If the reviews were right then this would be the upgrade I wanted, and I have 30 days to send the K712’s back.
So, the K812’s turned up and the box looked tatty, the headphone pads looked a bit ‘second hand’ so I took pictures just in case I went them back and they thought I had misused them!
Now came a couple of days using both sets with the rHead; which has two headphone sockets so comparing between the two was easier.
First thing I noticed was the K812’s sound louder 36 Ohms vs 62 Ohms for the K712 means they will. That makes comparisons difficult so I figured where on the rHead volume control gave the same level then went at it again.
How difficult it is to compare the two. Old ears and the fact that the hearing plays tricks unless you are in exactly the same headspace and playing exactly the same music! I have had to spend hours drinking just enough red while listening to loads of newish music and my old sounds (Floyd, stones etc).
I can’t give a scientific analysis but the K812’s wins out in every piece of music — not by a huge amount but the difference, if you can afford it, is worth it. The subtleties that are in music seemed effortless (or should I say more noticeable / clearer) with the K812’s. The rHead is a fantastic class ‘A’ headphone amp that lets me hook the CD or the turntable straight up — with the AKG’s it is perfect. Be aware though a couple of times I thought the coils might be off but it was simply flaws in the recordings. Once I knew what to listen out for the flaws showed up in other headphones on cheaper amps as well, just not so clearly.
I am delighted I can still appreciate good headphones at my age, I know the frequency range my ears are good for has dropped, but the frequencies I can hear are well served by both of these headphones.
The K812’s does a better job (for a bigger price) so I am going to send the K712’s back but I have a sneaky feeling I am going to have to audition a set of B&W P9’s before I am satisfied I have the ones for me.
30 years ago, I bought a set of AKG’s — the K 280. These are called parabolic and have two speaker coils in each ear. Always liked these but I decided to treat myself as technology has moved on a bit since then.
I am in my 60’s so ears not so good. Kit is an Arcam rHead, iRdac II, A39, CD37, Heybrook TT2 deck. Various music both CD and vinyl.
I got the K712’s first. The sound was definitely an improvement on the K280, but not the upgrade I expected. Also, not too keen on the pads — like a foam material that could damage easily. They fit well and are comfortable so I could wear these all day.
The sound was engaging – good soundstage and separation of instruments, and bass was much better than I thought it would be. Much much better than the usual headphones with funky names that people wear on the train! I would say these are a good HiFi set of cans for ‘serious’ listening.
However I wasn’t totally blown away with these so looking higher up the tree I decided to get a pair of K812’s that Amazon had as open boxed for 520. If the reviews were right then this would be the upgrade I wanted, and I have 30 days to send the K712’s back.
So, the K812’s turned up and the box looked tatty, the headphone pads looked a bit ‘second hand’ so I took pictures just in case I went them back and they thought I had misused them!
Now came a couple of days using both sets with the rHead; which has two headphone sockets so comparing between the two was easier.
First thing I noticed was the K812’s sound louder 36 Ohms vs 62 Ohms for the K712 means they will. That makes comparisons difficult so I figured where on the rHead volume control gave the same level then went at it again.
How difficult it is to compare the two. Old ears and the fact that the hearing plays tricks unless you are in exactly the same headspace and playing exactly the same music! I have had to spend hours drinking just enough red while listening to loads of newish music and my old sounds (Floyd, stones etc).
I can’t give a scientific analysis but the K812’s wins out in every piece of music — not by a huge amount but the difference, if you can afford it, is worth it. The subtleties that are in music seemed effortless (or should I say more noticeable / clearer) with the K812’s. The rHead is a fantastic class ‘A’ headphone amp that lets me hook the CD or the turntable straight up — with the AKG’s it is perfect. Be aware though a couple of times I thought the coils might be off but it was simply flaws in the recordings. Once I knew what to listen out for the flaws showed up in other headphones on cheaper amps as well, just not so clearly.
I am delighted I can still appreciate good headphones at my age, I know the frequency range my ears are good for has dropped, but the frequencies I can hear are well served by both of these headphones.
The K812’s does a better job (for a bigger price) so I am going to send the K712’s back but I have a sneaky feeling I am going to have to audition a set of B&W P9’s before I am satisfied I have the ones for me.
AKG K141 mkII, AKG K92, Gadro SR 80e, Sennheiser HD559 and assorted other cans Apple, Dr Beats, etc.
So not having unlimited budget for a pair of Stax’s, I plumped for the AKG K712 Pro.
These are an impressive sounding pair of open-back over-ear headphones, and are a major improvement over the others I own.
They have a wonderfully open, transparent and spacious sound, a very good bass, a great mid range and treble and low distortion,
and very wide sound stage, great for gaming.
Easily driven, but adding an amp improved matters a lot, sources are laptop, iPhone, CD player.
These are incredibly comfortable headphones. The leather headband doesn’t put too much pressure on my head. The large ear cups easily fit around my ears, but may be too large for some. They deliver a comfortable listening experience, I have used them for over six hours without issue but their bulky size may not be for everyone.
However, like most other open-back headphones, they leak sound, so I will be keeping others cans for travel.
zb klassik macht super spass, hab auch deep house, dance, und nujazz, acid jazz damit gehrt, am besten nur 256bit AAC oder 320bit Mp3 files.. die tracks mssen natrlich eine gute qualitt haben, sonst bringt das nichts. oder lossless (nur ber imac oder iphone), hab keine Hi-Fi anlage 🙂
(nur so nebenbei, die ohrpads sind seit 10 jahren am kopfhrer und sehen zwar mittlerweile “vintage” aus = abgentzt, aber halten immer noch wie eine eins!)
Bass, mid, and treble all represented with such clarity and realism.
These phones are definitely a bit special.
Bass, mid, and treble all represented with such clarity and realism.
These phones are definitely a bit special.
These headphones have relatively high impedance and low sensitivity. They are very fussy about the amplifier and sound awful with some electronics. Even the headphone output of my HiFi amp sounds poor. Surprisingly, they sound great when driven directly from my old PC sound card. There’s no doubt that a top quality headphone amp is best, I built one for this purpose and it sounds excellent but of course commercial headphone amplifiers are available and the good ones are well worth it. Don’t be disappointed if you get this product and it sounds poor – just try some different devices or amplifiers and you will be rewarded with very fine sound indeed.
These headphones have relatively high impedance and low sensitivity. They are very fussy about the amplifier and sound awful with some electronics. Even the headphone output of my HiFi amp sounds poor. Surprisingly, they sound great when driven directly from my old PC sound card. There’s no doubt that a top quality headphone amp is best, I built one for this purpose and it sounds excellent but of course commercial headphone amplifiers are available and the good ones are well worth it. Don’t be disappointed if you get this product and it sounds poor – just try some different devices or amplifiers and you will be rewarded with very fine sound indeed.
The detachable wire on the headset allows for safe transportation, so nothing it damaged when putting it in your bag or case. The two plastic tube at the top are very flexible, allowing for varying head sizes. As well at that, the headband has 2 elastic strands each side, pulling the headband back down to its original position.
The actual sound quality is great, I’ve listened to my favourite band for over 10 years and even now when I listen to some of their songs, I’m amazed that I can still hear new sounds in familiar songs. I would recommend getting a DAC with these headphones, as personally for me, the base volume isn’t as loud as i liked it to be – this is of course down to you and your specifications.
I have had serious medical issues with the left side of my head, just around my ear in the past, so its unfair to judge against these headphones that after prolong use, I do suffer some minor pain here and there.
I would say that the cable could be slightly longer, however, as I said before, it all depends on your setup and specifications. All around great headset, and would recommend it to anyone.
Sound wise they extremely detailed, neutral and the presentation is good.
Don’t pair them up with motherboard audio, a Soundblaster Z or a Fiio E10k you are wasting your hard earned cash. You’ll only see the quality paired with a DAC like an SMSL M6 or greater. If you think paying for these gets you other perks like comfort…they are light but many cheaper cans are more comfy.
Paired mine with the SMSL M6 and the sound is sublime.
All in all a bit more controlled when a large orchestra goes full throttle- then i find the 701 can sound a little strained and harsh at the treble end and a little less clear in the mid range when, say a Mahler or Wagner orchestra comes to a massive crescendo.
The k712 is also a better all rounder than the K701, being adept at rock and pop music.
The 712 is also less fatiguing for longer listens.
For all the above reasons i think the 712, at its current price, is worth the extra money over the still very fine 701 (which is now a stone cold bargain if you want a highly detailed, neutral open ear head phone).
All in all a bit more controlled when a large orchestra goes full throttle- then i find the 701 can sound a little strained and harsh at the treble end and a little less clear in the mid range when, say a Mahler or Wagner orchestra comes to a massive crescendo.
The k712 is also a better all rounder than the K701, being adept at rock and pop music.
The 712 is also less fatiguing for longer listens.
For all the above reasons i think the 712, at its current price, is worth the extra money over the still very fine 701 (which is now a stone cold bargain if you want a highly detailed, neutral open ear head phone).
Be aware that they need a headphone amp to be properly driven and sound their best.
These are currently selling for 140- they were AKG’s flagship consumer reference model when launched and sold for hundred’s of pounds more at the time. At the current price they are remarkable value if you are looking for a detailed, largely neutral headphone.
If you are looking for a warm or smooth sound these are not what you need, nor are they ideal for rock and pop recordings- but if you primarily listen to classical music, they are phenomenal, and at the current, much discounted price, a real find.
Be aware that they need a headphone amp to be properly driven and sound their best.
These are currently selling for 140- they were AKG’s flagship consumer reference model when launched and sold for hundred’s of pounds more at the time. At the current price they are remarkable value if you are looking for a detailed, largely neutral headphone.
If you are looking for a warm or smooth sound these are not what you need, nor are they ideal for rock and pop recordings- but if you primarily listen to classical music, they are phenomenal, and at the current, much discounted price, a real find.
his one is easy just get them!!!!!!! give them a week plugged into something to break in, I used the TV and reap the rewards. not for public use, granted and if you don’t have decent ancillary equipment they may sound terrible its not the AKG’s it the player or amp or music file. I used a fiio mont blanc with them and a Samsung S6 sounded great in this combo, music files need to be of a very high quality FLAC or WMA lossless is best WMA 10 pro at 256kbs works very well for a lossy codec. there is no need change the cable its fine as it is. I’m sure AKG would not put a cheap cable on these. they are the most comfortable headphones I have ever used, the sound stage is breath-taking, bass deep and refined, there but not overpowering at all. the top end is pure liquid, but its all in the midrange superb detail. at this price an utter bargain these were close to 400 pounds on introduction. and highly reviewed at that price.
YOU WILL LISTEN TO YOUR RECORD,CD AND HIGH RESOLUTION STREAMS ALL OVER AGAIN IN TRUE MUSIICAL BLISS.
Auf Grund seiner sehr hohen Przision in Verbindung mit seiner breiten Klangbhne, eignet sich der AKG K701 nach meiner Erfahrung auch sehr gut fr Filme.
Die Wichtigste Vernderung aber ist, dass bei der neuen Produktionsserie des AKG K701 endlich die Unterseite des Bgelbandes glatt ist und nicht mehr die in der Hifi-Szene heftig diskutierten harten Erhebungen hat!
Auch die Umverpackung, in dem der AKG K701 steckt, wurde entsprechend abgendert.
Die uerlichen Vernderungen zu der Verpackung und dem Bgelband habe ich zur Anschauung unten in einer Fotoreihe zusammengefasst.
Fazit:
Ein przise klingender Kopfhrer, der gemessen am derzeitigen Preis von rund 150 Euro ein wahrer Kauf-Tipp darstellt und die Kufer anspricht, die ihre Bassphase hinter sich gelassen haben und nun Wert auf Przision und Unverflschtheit legen.
I bought these after going through a pair of Sennheiser HD 518 and 558’s respectively. The sound quality on the former two sounded veiled and muddy in the mid notes. This pair however are clear, balanced, and comfortable. I am by no means an educated audiophile or musician, and despite these being recommended for ‘monitoring’, they seem to work well for general audio. The one thing I have noticed is that positional audio comes through very strongly, which is good.
The sound quality is better than my previous pair which were very bass heavy, however there is a lot of sound leak, but this is to be expected due to the open backed design, so be mindful of what you listen to on these. The line in cable for the PC/amp is a 3.5mm jack with an adaptor supplied for use with a 5mm jack which is nicer than being the other way around like on the Sennheisers.
I do recommend these and have zero complaints.
These headphones are also great with films and tv shows. Watching The OA on netflix with these on takes it to another level.
They are big,the cups go right over your ears and they are open backed adding to the airy,spacious sound these give. You can wear them for hours they are so comfy. I did actually forget I was wearing them a few times.
I got them at a great price and am thinking of getting a second pair for gaming/movies.
My bro in law says hey I got these new ‘beats’ headphones, check them out…. Pshhh really? If overhyped bass,earache and bright colours are your thing then fine, but I’m sticking with these AKG’s mate. The best headphones iv ever had.
These headphones are also great with films and tv shows. Watching The OA on netflix with these on takes it to another level.
They are big,the cups go right over your ears and they are open backed adding to the airy,spacious sound these give. You can wear them for hours they are so comfy. I did actually forget I was wearing them a few times.
I got them at a great price and am thinking of getting a second pair for gaming/movies.
My bro in law says hey I got these new ‘beats’ headphones, check them out…. Pshhh really? If overhyped bass,earache and bright colours are your thing then fine, but I’m sticking with these AKG’s mate. The best headphones iv ever had.
These headphones are also great with films and tv shows. Watching The OA on netflix with these on takes it to another level.
They are big,the cups go right over your ears and they are open backed adding to the airy,spacious sound these give. You can wear them for hours they are so comfy. I did actually forget I was wearing them a few times.
I got them at a great price and am thinking of getting a second pair for gaming/movies.
My bro in law says hey I got these new ‘beats’ headphones, check them out…. Pshhh really? If overhyped bass,earache and bright colours are your thing then fine, but I’m sticking with these AKG’s mate. The best headphones iv ever had.
Ended up getting these pretty cheap and shipped to AU. Shipping was impressively fast from the UK so happy with that.
The K702s are a very nice set of open-back headphones. Their impedance isn’t overly high, meaning they’re a bit more versatile if you wanted to use them in a phone/tablet/laptop. That said, as per most pairs of high-end headphones they will benefit from an amplifier. I am running mine off an Asus STX Essence sound card which has a built in DAC/Headphone amplifier (probably at the higher end of mid-range dacs/amps) and they sound great.
I’m no audiophile, but the sound signature is rather “flat” meaning all frequencies are represented at an equal level of loudness. This really allows you to separate all the different sounds – no one sound is obscured by another (unless the song is poorly mixed). The flat signature can take some getting used to for a lot of people but in the end it sounds great! Music sounds lovely and even gaming is nice with them – the wide soundstage assisting in FPS gaming for positional audio feedback.
As for comfort, these are excellent! They have sufficient clamping force to stay on your head but you can barely tell you’re wearing them. Perfect for long listening sessions.
These headphones however do need properly driving. Some people think that simply having the headphones going to a suitable volume means thry are being driven to there fullest. To tell the truth i thought the same until i started messing around with different amps. The ones i used are: dragonfly black, project headbox s and the arcam rhead, aswell as my iphone.
When running from the phone the volume was ok but the overall presentation was bass light and “lacking”.
(For the headbox and arcam rhead i have the feed coming from titanium HD sound card (130)
The dragon fly and the headbox s did a far better job of driving these headphones (both of which are around the 90 mark) there was a whole other layer of depth to the music. Which was great!
The rhead however did a superb job these headphones sounded fuller and far more enjoyable to listern to. Long story short: burn in and decent souce mixed with good clean amplification and i think these are some of the best home use headphones for the price on the market.
The only slight issue I have got is a few YouTube video’s by my favourite creators show some serious flaws in their attention to detailed Audio Quality. This is like going from a SD to HD TV, you suddenly notice the flaws. Very Impressive. From the reviews ive seen they take a day or so play to really warm up and break themselves in. Cant wait.
The only slight issue I have got is a few YouTube video’s by my favourite creators show some serious flaws in their attention to detailed Audio Quality. This is like going from a SD to HD TV, you suddenly notice the flaws. Very Impressive. From the reviews ive seen they take a day or so play to really warm up and break themselves in. Cant wait.
The only slight issue I have got is a few YouTube video’s by my favourite creators show some serious flaws in their attention to detailed Audio Quality. This is like going from a SD to HD TV, you suddenly notice the flaws. Very Impressive. From the reviews ive seen they take a day or so play to really warm up and break themselves in. Cant wait.
The only slight issue I have got is a few YouTube video’s by my favourite creators show some serious flaws in their attention to detailed Audio Quality. This is like going from a SD to HD TV, you suddenly notice the flaws. Very Impressive. From the reviews ive seen they take a day or so play to really warm up and break themselves in. Cant wait.
I highly recommend this product as it was good and that’s what this review is for.
However, I had to get them replaced the day I got them. I was sent a used product where not only was one ear cup obviously damaged and scratched up, the left ear cup was broken. Shameful really that the company would do something like that, I can forgive it as first time buyer but I do hope it never happens again.
As a hair-shirt Sennheiser HD 600 partisan/fan, my first impression was that, out of the box, the K701 sounded a bit more “hi-fi” and treble-intensive than I was expecting. (This will apply doubly for HD 650 owners…) It’s a simple matter of adjustment, however. Give it an hour (I’ll leave “break-in” discussions to others) and these cans make their case, in spades. After playing a couple of dozen songs I know inside-out, I’m sold. The sound is dry and caffeinated rather than warm or bloated, but the soundstage is huge. As in horizon-to-horizon huge. Music presents as out-there, as with speakers, not IN yout head. Also, if you are a bass-head, look elsewhere. These present accurate bass, not temple-thumping sludge. The fuzzy-felt earcups are comfortable and enveloping — the comfort food of audiophile skull caressing. Listen to these for a couple of hours and they will win your cynical a– over, one song at a time. Are they the ultimate truth? No. Nothing is, no matter if you chase that with $225 or $5,000. But their run at musical truth is endearing and valid.
I’ve been on the look out for a decent pair of headphones for a while now to replace a much more expensive set that died a death.
I was a little skeptical of the k612 pro series as some of the reviews elsewhere question build quality (fixed cable etc) however I am so pleased that I took the plunge.
Comfortable, relatively lightweight and with great sound I was very very happy.
I use these at home or in private in hotel rooms or offices as they are open backed so there is some noise leakage. That said this is nowhere near as bad as I have experienced with other models.
If you are planning on using these with a phone or other low powered device by an in-line amp or you really won’t get the benefit of quality cans like these.
The surround effects while watching movies is amazing and constantly has me looking left and right like an idiot, there that good, i tried that virtual barber shop vid on youtube and i swear, towards the end of the vid where the guy whisperers in your left ear i felt his breath hit my ear, freaky as hell.
I have the mod mic also so converting them in to a gaming headset takes all of 5 seconds to do, comfort wise is amazing, super comfortable, you could wear these thing all day without any problems, 5 minutes in and you forget your even wearing them
I have now had these for 8 years. It doesn’t always take me this long to review a product, but with headphones you can’t be too careful.
Here is the thing – i do like the sound of these, but there is something about the design that bothers me. They are so large, they go around your ears and not on your ears. I know this is how they are supposed to be, but i just find that as you move your head around, they slip and move. In turn this makes you move your head around in an artificial way.
You can’t fault the sound, but they just feel a little odd compared to other headphones.
They are certainly good, but if you just want a good pair of headphones look elsewhere. They aren’t your typical bassy headphones, more about the clarity of the sound, and this does take some time to get used to. Comfort wise, they feel very nice no issue with long periods of listening however ideally for home use as they let out and let in a lot of noise and they are quite big so look odd. Overall, still a bit unsure, I won’t be returning them but do not them use them as much I thought I would.
These have a very neutral sound with amazing levels of detail and clarity along with a very wide open sound that brings out massive amounts of detail to the point where you can hear every instrument down to the sound of the guitar string being plucked and piano key being struck.
These are very much indoor headphones and need a fair bit of power to get the best from them; don’t expect to get the best from them using your mobile phone.
Lots of people complain about the lack of bass; it’s true they are not bass heavy headphones but I think that the levels of bass are exactly where they are supposed to be.
I would love to give these a 5 star review, but two major issues are holding these headphones back.
1. The headphones have a flimsy feeling build quality, as long as you take good care of them they will be fine and shouldn’t break but for the price it wouldn’t have hurt to get some metal in there not just plastic and the leather headband.
2. The cable broke after just a few days, I say broke, they technically work if I hold them up almost above my head, but that really isn’t practical for gaming, if the issue persists after getting the replacement cable I will be returning the headphones and trying out some other ones from within this price range.
Now, onto the good stuff, the sound quality is brilliant and the fact that they fit around your ear rather comfortably is a plus, I find headphones that sit on top of your ears to be a bit uncomfortable as they tend to press my ears down which, well isn’t a very fun experience. Hopefully the issues don’t persist because these are a fantastic pair of headphones but a fault with the cable could be their downfall…
Only just got these today.
Will be reporting back….
Oh my …. burned these in over night, and these are really coming alive.
Using with Tidal flacs and a Fiio E17 docked to the E9 with USB otg from phone or laptop.
Using just the E9 gain with the E17 and souce at around 40 percent volume, can’t go past 12 noon on the volume control on the E9.
I really like these. Compared to the 702 and the Fidelio X1 phones they just sound clearer…..not too much bass and they are really light and comfy.
Only downside is the build quality is…..somewhat fragile….so take out a 5 year warranty with your favourite warranty extender company as accidental damage won’t take any prisoners…!
The AKG phones are very comfortable to wear so should be no problem for extended studio use.
Sound wise they are awesome, defined punchy low bass, crystal clear mids and sizzling highs, you can pick out everything so clearly with great stereo separation, I use them for home studio work and they are incredible in giving confidence during late night mixing.
highly recommended, dont buy the slightly cheaper 701′ or 702’s if you like bass!!
En serio… Muy buena calidad de reproduccin por que no colorea nada el sonido, lo que ests escuchando es justo lo que ests produciendo ni mas ni menos. No son cascos para escuchar msica, si no para producir.
Pros: no molestas a nadie (aunque desde fuera se escucha un poco) , pesan muy poco, nivel de calidad excelente, funcionalidad 10/10
Contra: el precio tira un poco para atrs, no son monitores , necesitan rodaje (no se por qu pero cuanto ms tiempo pasa mejor)
IMPORTANTE! Si quieres sacarles provecho bien es mejor que tengas una tarjeta de sonido externa o un amplificador para los cascos, (los puedes conectar al pc directamente pero no es lo suyo) yo los conecto a una line6 ux1 y de lujo. Ea un saludo a tod@s compaeros !
I am thin on top so I need a head band to be comfy and this very nice leather one is very comfy. I listen to Spotify a lot while my wife watches the telly, so I’ll be getting a lot of use out of these excellent headphones. I’m very glad I bought them now and I highly recommend them.
I like these. I’m using them to make music on with logic. I have a problem with a new neighbour , I have a expensive pair of PMC speakers , very detailed but due to my new neighbour I can barely use them , hence … Some headphones. I read the reviews and went with these as they are cheap at 130. I do to music for the voice / big bro ‘ Americas got talent and like to think I know a good mixdown , it’s prob my best skill. When I got them I played them immediately on a laptop and thought they were tinny and bass was low. I put a song on a loop for 4 hours with bass boosted at max volume with a sound card. and let them burn in , they sounded better afterwards . They are good because the panning is v evident with them , the highs are clear and bass is fine, if the bass were really strong like some headphones , ie pumping , your ears will get knackered after an hour , your eardrums can’t handle it. My way of working is I make a track through the speakers of my 50 inch tv , then I move to a pair of monitors to check stuff then I use the headphones for the main part due to my neighbour prob, then I go back to the speakers to get it right. The headphones are comfy tho are heavier than a normal pair as they are huge , lot of sound bleed which is no prob as that’s what they are for. They sound flat , ie not enhanced , you can spot stuff you can’t on speakers and mine cost 3k and these are actually better, at least at low volumes you can. I couldn’t do a track with these alone , but my process of making it for 5hrs on a tv then 5hrs on speakers then 25 on headphones for a track works well. I would recommend them for music making , kind of like the ns10 of headphones , I think if a headphone has been around a while then it’s got to have something good about it . I like it when I see they were 400 and now only 130 , I’ve never owned pro headphones so please take my review as an uninformed one of headphones as I have never used 1k headphones, but in my opinion I’m very pleased with them and I imagine if I get used to them then I will stick to this model if this one ever fails.
I like these. I’m using them to make music on with logic. I have a problem with a new neighbour , I have a expensive pair of PMC speakers , very detailed but due to my new neighbour I can barely use them , hence … Some headphones. I read the reviews and went with these as they are cheap at 130. I do to music for the voice / big bro ‘ Americas got talent and like to think I know a good mixdown , it’s prob my best skill. When I got them I played them immediately on a laptop and thought they were tinny and bass was low. I put a song on a loop for 4 hours with bass boosted at max volume with a sound card. and let them burn in , they sounded better afterwards . They are good because the panning is v evident with them , the highs are clear and bass is fine, if the bass were really strong like some headphones , ie pumping , your ears will get knackered after an hour , your eardrums can’t handle it. My way of working is I make a track through the speakers of my 50 inch tv , then I move to a pair of monitors to check stuff then I use the headphones for the main part due to my neighbour prob, then I go back to the speakers to get it right. The headphones are comfy tho are heavier than a normal pair as they are huge , lot of sound bleed which is no prob as that’s what they are for. They sound flat , ie not enhanced , you can spot stuff you can’t on speakers and mine cost 3k and these are actually better, at least at low volumes you can. I couldn’t do a track with these alone , but my process of making it for 5hrs on a tv then 5hrs on speakers then 25 on headphones for a track works well. I would recommend them for music making , kind of like the ns10 of headphones , I think if a headphone has been around a while then it’s got to have something good about it . I like it when I see they were 400 and now only 130 , I’ve never owned pro headphones so please take my review as an uninformed one of headphones as I have never used 1k headphones, but in my opinion I’m very pleased with them and I imagine if I get used to them then I will stick to this model if this one ever fails.
Sounds like any other headphone out there compared to m50 technicaa
m50 technicaa has more boosted mid range and slight more boosted low end but to me sound quality wise sounds almost the same . . Had these for few weeks now, But only thing i mostly Find these headpones better they are very comfy to wear for long hours and does not hurt your ears at all or even in the hot summer my ears dont really sweat as much, also you can listen for hours and your ears dont get bad fatigue could listen to loud music least 12 hours straight and my ears wouldnt pop..
So like I said if your in the market for a set of reference headphones, give these ago.
Ps my nephew is really pissed, he is a professional drummer and has used AKG for studio sessions for years he purchased the same model when they first hit the market and paid top price.
Cot son, l ce n’est que du bonheur, il restitue un son neutre et pur sans excs de graves ou d’aigus.
Mais vu son impdance ( 62 Ohms ) vous aurez une baisse du niveau sonore sur un lecteur nomade.
Perso je l’utilise avec un lecteur FiiO X3 version 2 et un ampli FiiO Mont Blanc E12, c’est un gros budget mais quand on aime la musique !!?
Je convertis mes CD soit en FLAC soit en WAV sans perte “mais mme en MP3 360 Kbits/s vous aurez un trs bon son”.
PS: Il s’agit d’un casque ouvert, donc votre entourage entendra aussi la musique mais pas avec la mme qualit que vous bien sr.
Je recommande ce casque pour sa trs bonne qualit sonore et son confort.
The AKG 702’s which came out some time before these now ‘must haves’ that our youth are now forcing their parents to buy them, these were not cheap but the price fell with the competition. The build of these are far better and as with all quality headphones they do need a good run in time allowing the electronics to acclimatise. They rest so comfortable on the head you can forget they are there and the sound in my view is in a league of there own within this price range. Regarding the bass on these a number of people have criticized them as having low or no bass at all, I feel again people have jumped on the bandwagon as I find the bass fine, saying that if you want to collect your pension using sign language maybe the bass isn’t for you but I find it pretty good.
At the price these are now they are an absolute bargain, AKG have numerous followers in the pop and rock world including Eric Clapton, Peter Gabriel, Stevie Wonder, Aerosmith, the Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart, Anastacia and so on.
For less than 140 have the best and forget the rest!!!!!
The AKG 702’s which came out some time before these now ‘must haves’ that our youth are now forcing their parents to buy them, these were not cheap but the price fell with the competition. The build of these are far better and as with all quality headphones they do need a good run in time allowing the electronics to acclimatise. They rest so comfortable on the head you can forget they are there and the sound in my view is in a league of there own within this price range. Regarding the bass on these a number of people have criticized them as having low or no bass at all, I feel again people have jumped on the bandwagon as I find the bass fine, saying that if you want to collect your pension using sign language maybe the bass isn’t for you but I find it pretty good.
At the price these are now they are an absolute bargain, AKG have numerous followers in the pop and rock world including Eric Clapton, Peter Gabriel, Stevie Wonder, Aerosmith, the Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart, Anastacia and so on.
For less than 140 have the best and forget the rest!!!!!
The AKG 702’s which came out some time before these now ‘must haves’ that our youth are now forcing their parents to buy them, these were not cheap but the price fell with the competition. The build of these are far better and as with all quality headphones they do need a good run in time allowing the electronics to acclimatise. They rest so comfortable on the head you can forget they are there and the sound in my view is in a league of there own within this price range. Regarding the bass on these a number of people have criticized them as having low or no bass at all, I feel again people have jumped on the bandwagon as I find the bass fine, saying that if you want to collect your pension using sign language maybe the bass isn’t for you but I find it pretty good.
At the price these are now they are an absolute bargain, AKG have numerous followers in the pop and rock world including Eric Clapton, Peter Gabriel, Stevie Wonder, Aerosmith, the Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart, Anastacia and so on.
For less than 140 have the best and forget the rest!!!!!
These are exceptionally comfortable and, as far as I can tell, as good as any headphones that I’ve ever owned.
They see a wide range of service being connected through a FiiO DAC to Linux desktop machine – from which they do sterling service as my teleconferencing headset ( in conjunction with a BlueYeti Mic ) through Skype, my audio-visual output for Amazon Prime, Netflix and Steam and finally my audio output ( when the remainder of the house needs to be quiet ) for music from Spotify (Premium – High Quality).
In all of the scenarios listed, they perform flawlessly giving clear speech and a wide range for music – again, like other reviewers, I’ve noticed sounds in songs that I’ve listened to a hundred times before suddenly becoming apparent.
However, for me, the selling point is the fact that I can wear them the whole day long and suffer no fatigue at all. Highly recommended from me !
Aka 702 is the best thing since slice bread.This is a high quality headphone and this price on Amazon UK is a steal.There is a world of difference between Akg 550 and this headphone.The sound is crystal clear and wide dynamic range and show the defect in recording.Highly recommended.Out of box the sound is something to write about and yes it require burning about 15 hours and the sound improve and forget about what other reviewers said that it require a decade of burning or use White Heat,not being racist,to get the best sound as it Bob Dylan will singing in your front room singing tell you ma every thing will be alright hua Hua hua or Simon Rattle will be conducting Malher symphony 5 in your sitting room.My advice is let you ears be the judge plus patience for 10 to 15 hours you will never he best sound and you will accompany the best singer singing old Macdonald has a farm..Buy it and you will not regret .Happy listening.
By comparison with the Grados, the K702s are heavier, but a bit less substantial. They are also significantly larger than the Grados, which makes them less easy to handle. The K702s cover the whole ear, and I found this lead to too warmth accumulating under the headphones. The Grados sit lightly on the ear. Sound, ultimately, is what matters. The Grados are very musical, so are the K702s. I’d give the edge to the Grados. The K702s I think have edge on ultimate clarity, lack of distortion, and control over the lower frequencies. I’d call it as an overall-draw depending on what you like to listen too.
The sound quality is fantastic. Very reasonable reference grade headphones.
If you’re looking at these you already know what open vs closed back entails, the virtues of valveless headphone amps, and proper DACs, I’ll not bother talking about them here.
I’ll get the competing HD650s at some point to compare subjectively. If you want objective numbers, check out nwavguy.
Do remember not to show off that you own these on 4chan headphone threads; they’ll take the mick out of you for liking anime. Joke’s on them, fun things are fun.
So, to the title; “broken after two years.” The right can started dropping out a little bit, then conked completely. IT was based on movement, so my guess is a loose/disco’d wire in the can itself. I looked for a video on disassembly, and it showed a wire disconnected exactly as I imagine my problem to be. The author soldered up the wire with relative ease and it was implied that it worked fine afterwards.
I recently got a pretty fully featured soldering kit, so I’ll try it out when I get the necessary tools to crack open the K702s. Some paperclips I think.
I’ll report back after I’ve made my attempt.
These are just amazing never thought about paying over 50 for headphones specially none portable and open that leak sound before.but needed to use headphones more to not disturb other.im a home cinema enthusiastic.ive already had 4 decent pairs of headphone on ears and in ears which all have there uses.well i thort they were good till i heard k702 and let them burn in for a few days (yes this does work!!!).i replaced cable with a van damme cable what an upgrade that is for not alot extra. (Ive replaced all my cables speaker hdmi optical with van damme best investment on any system).the sound form k702 is so open awesome 3d image so smooth sound.listen to jean Michel jarre sends you dizzy with left to right channel separation shown people this it puts a smile on there face.and hook it up to ps3 with a turtle beach dss2 turns it into good surround sound for games and moves not as good as 7.1 but all street cant hear it.
Warning! They will need an amp, most on-motherboard soundcards will not have enough power to run them at a good volume, although its quite possible dedicated soundcards will be fine. I don’t believe they will work well on phones or portable devices without an amp. Personally I’d recommend the “SMSL SD 793II DAC” Headphone Amp, which is a great little DAC/Amp you can find for about 45. It needs a power point, so its not portable but this amp paired with the headphones gives a really fantastic sound.
These are also open backed headphones which helps create the open soundstage these headphones have, it also means they leak sound, people will hear your music! And you can also hear what other people are saying, which isn’t a bad thing, depending on the environment you are using them in.
Bottom line: These are good audiophile quality headphones at a really affordable price. Take a look around the web for reviews, you’ll find almost nothing bad said about them.
Pros: Outstanding sound quality and comfort, very good price, removable cable that only connects on one side.
Cons: Leaks sound very badly, so useless for recording or if you might disturb other people in the room, for example in an office or in bed at night.
The sound is crystal clear but more on the analytical and bass-light end of things compared to something like the Denon D5000s, so they’re better suited to classical music or modern pop recordings, as they doesn’t warm things up like some Denons or Grados. I found listening to old jazz and blues recordings much more pleasant on my Denons for example, but the K702s are as good or better for classical and modern recordings, and give you an amazing soundstage. The Denons leak so little than I use them for recording without any problems, whereas the AKGs leak so loudly they are utterly useless for recording, and the tinny noise they emit would annoy someone sleeping next to you or the person at the next desk in the office.
. Used to cost over 250 however AKG moved production to China, from Australia, and this is perhaps why it’s now only 150 (130 on flash sale), so you’re really getting a bargain.
. Even at the 250 price point these headphones would be considered worth the price; with online music communities and audiophiles alike give praise to these cans. At release in 2009 they were considered the best headphones to cost less than 1000.
. They sound good on an iPod (or any non-amplified source). I don’t know why you’d want to use an iPod to listen to these but they do still sound great, although the lack of power in an iPod (or non-amplified source) means they don’t go very loud.
. The sound-stage is incredible! This is like having personal speakers for your ears.
. Everyone is really nice and easy to listen to, nothing is over or under emphasised – these are proper studio cans.
. The acoustics come across perfectly. To get this good a sound from my studio monitors I would have to spend thousands on acoustic panels to fully set up my room to be acoustically perfect.
There are no bad points I’ve found with these headphones, however there are a few points you may want to think about to check these are for you:
. If you don’t have an amplifier then keep in mind, in order to get the best sound from these, you might want to buy an amp which will cost anything from 40-100 for a decent one.
. These are open-back, which mean sound really leaks and sound will come in to your headphones if you’re in a loud place. Really, these aren’t for using on a train or bus or anywhere in public, just home use.
So, these headphones are amazing but just make sure you know what they are before buying them.
These replace a set of 702s I bought a few years ago, and they’re actually an improvement. Seems AKG listen to their customers, and got rid of the uncomfortable “memory foam” car tyres they used in the padded area, which just hurt more and more the longer you wore the phones. Thankfully that fad for memory foam has now finished — everyone seems to have seen the error of jumping on a bad band wagon — and the layered foam here is , just a bit, more comfortable. The sound is impeccable, perfect for playing those experimental album releases from the 1970s when far better use was made of the stereo soundstage (Edgar Froese’s Aqua, Klaus Schulze’s Timewind, Hawkwind’s Quark Strangeness and Charm, to name but a few that will blow your head to bits). Modern music sounds indifferent I’m afraid because it’s too homogenised and the soundstage is always so muddy. Classical…well, if you enjoy the limited sound pallett offered by classical, these pick out detail above the brash ensemble. Float away with Keith Jarret’s improvisational piano jazz. They won’t however make bad music sound good, so fans of punk and new wave will be disappointed.
The phones come in a heavy elaborate box that looks like it should be on display in a museum, and surely must add about 20 to the cost here!
Awesome? I don’t feel that to be a strong enough word.
Amazing? They are that and then some.
I’ll just explain (quickly) why…..
The first time I used these I thought they were nice headphones, pretty comfy and I suffer from a neurological disorder that makes me hypersensitive so I need really comfy headphones and these are pretty good at first but they are slowly getting better as the 3d foam seems to be getting more pliable and the fitting system is excellent as it doesn’t squash your head and just sits on top of your head nicely.
They cover my ears really well and the cable doesn’t get in the way and is soft and not heavy.
But the sound…….it’s almost like I was partially deaf before but now I can hear everything!!!!!!
Just to explain, I was listening to an orchestral soundtrack and everything was incredibly clear, like I was actually sitting I the middle of the musicians and the sound was all around me.
But I could hear a strange scratchy kind of sound every now and again and couldn’t work it out – was it a cable problem or was it the source itself?
No – it was the sound of the musicians turning the pages of their sheet music!!!!
I put my Sony closed back headphones on as a comparison and it was so different, they just sounded like headphones do but the AKG K702’s sound like you are there, in the room with the musicians and they pick up every sound in the room.
Super incredible audio amazement – yeah, that’ll do it.
And so cheap at the moment for what you get its almost unbelievable – I think they are 300 odd cheaper than they were a few months ago.
As a young man in 2009, i was looking to replace my 25 phillips headphones i’d used through-out my childhood and adolescent years..i searched on amazon, and came across these. Thinking (at the time) “what…a 250 headphone”. I had no idea that headphones could get so expensive.
Being fortunate enough to have the cash to go ahead and buy ’em, i remember the excitement i had as i counted the days till they arrived.
As i opened the packaging i encountered a black box with absolutely nothing on it except for one word…” Expect”!…hmm okay. As i opened it further i encountered another layer of the box again with nothing on it except for ” and discover”…i knew that under this lay the headphones themselves, so i finally found them and as my eyes rested on them, under the headband i saw the word “perfection”..
That summed up my first listening experience of them…my whole perception of music changed forever right at that moment!
I fell in love with music for the first time. I also subsequently built my first hifi separates system to listen to. Now after 7 years of regular use, i have decided to replace them due to wear and tear which is normal. So i bought another pair…and again greeted with the same box and introduction..and again reaching the same conclusion, that the Akg K702’s are indeed as advertised – perfection!!
I should mention that around 2010, i decided to purchase 2 more “expensive” headphones to add to my growing collection. I purchased the Denon ah-d5000’s and Fostex t50rp’s. Little did i know that i would end up buying many, and they are all exceptional. IN THE END THOUGH, IT IS THE K702’S THAT I KEEP COMING BACK TO…again as advertised – perfection!!
Awesome? I don’t feel that to be a strong enough word.
Amazing? They are that and then some.
I’ll just explain (quickly) why…..
The first time I used these I thought they were nice headphones, pretty comfy and I suffer from a neurological disorder that makes me hypersensitive so I need really comfy headphones and these are pretty good at first but they are slowly getting better as the 3d foam seems to be getting more pliable and the fitting system is excellent as it doesn’t squash your head and just sits on top of your head nicely.
They cover my ears really well and the cable doesn’t get in the way and is soft and not heavy.
But the sound…….it’s almost like I was partially deaf before but now I can hear everything!!!!!!
Just to explain, I was listening to an orchestral soundtrack and everything was incredibly clear, like I was actually sitting I the middle of the musicians and the sound was all around me.
But I could hear a strange scratchy kind of sound every now and again and couldn’t work it out – was it a cable problem or was it the source itself?
No – it was the sound of the musicians turning the pages of their sheet music!!!!
I put my Sony closed back headphones on as a comparison and it was so different, they just sounded like headphones do but the AKG K702’s sound like you are there, in the room with the musicians and they pick up every sound in the room.
Super incredible audio amazement – yeah, that’ll do it.
And so cheap at the moment for what you get its almost unbelievable – I think they are 300 odd cheaper than they were a few months ago.
Awesome? I don’t feel that to be a strong enough word.
Amazing? They are that and then some.
I’ll just explain (quickly) why…..
The first time I used these I thought they were nice headphones, pretty comfy and I suffer from a neurological disorder that makes me hypersensitive so I need really comfy headphones and these are pretty good at first but they are slowly getting better as the 3d foam seems to be getting more pliable and the fitting system is excellent as it doesn’t squash your head and just sits on top of your head nicely.
They cover my ears really well and the cable doesn’t get in the way and is soft and not heavy.
But the sound…….it’s almost like I was partially deaf before but now I can hear everything!!!!!!
Just to explain, I was listening to an orchestral soundtrack and everything was incredibly clear, like I was actually sitting I the middle of the musicians and the sound was all around me.
But I could hear a strange scratchy kind of sound every now and again and couldn’t work it out – was it a cable problem or was it the source itself?
No – it was the sound of the musicians turning the pages of their sheet music!!!!
I put my Sony closed back headphones on as a comparison and it was so different, they just sounded like headphones do but the AKG K702’s sound like you are there, in the room with the musicians and they pick up every sound in the room.
Super incredible audio amazement – yeah, that’ll do it.
And so cheap at the moment for what you get its almost unbelievable – I think they are 300 odd cheaper than they were a few months ago.
These headphones are very comfortable, with plenty of room for my ears. The voices are extremely clear, but the bass is lacking (probably due to the open design).
I’m very pleased by these, and the price seems reasonable.
I bought a FiiO Olympus 2 to drive these, though the headphones are generally loud enough with just my computers inbuilt sound. Though I don’t regret buying the DAC.
The only headphones I have previously owned are the ATH-M50s, which are a closed design, with much more bass, but definitely no where near as comfortable.
The fact that these are open means that I can hear people around me talking, and they can kind of hear me listening to music. Though the sound leakage is not loud enough to be heard through walls.
I bought these from Absolute Music Solutions on Amazon. The delivery was quick, and the box was still in reasonable condition.
Initially he was over the moon the sound was clear and the clarity great. the lacking in bass the other reviewers had mentioned was not obvious, however, within a few minutes though, it was clear that there was an issue with volume, not because he’s looking for deafening sound, but that some recording on his phone were quieter the others and both of us and his father were looking more a bit more volume.
It may have been a faulty set, who knows, and we were listening with an amplifier attached, so we checked without it and the sound was even quieter!
The comfort factor of these were great. and really light as if wearing nothing! ( my husband is now borrowing a pair of the kids’ headphones, which he says are sweaty and uncomfortable for more than 10 minutes). So he’s disappointed that we had to return these and start to look for something else similar.
Comfort: For one, they feel great and are very comfortable. I am not sure how long the felt on the ears will last, but it is great for now. I can wear these easily for many hours.
Quality: Judging by how horrified I was at my mixes from the last few weeks (towards the end of my old headphones life), I can say that they seem to be very ‘true’, very responsive, and will provide you with an accurate picture of our levels and mix. Clipping is as obvious as a gunshot. Entrances that are too loud-too-soon are also painfully obvious. I am now going to go back and fix everything. Ignorance was bliss, I guess.
size: these are large headphones. They won’t fit in your purse.
Excellent open back headphones. Great for movies, TV and music. Bass especially sounds nuanced and rich. Definite placement, no smearing of sounds across the stereo field.
You will hear sounds/notes and definite placement you haven’t heard before, especially put through a good headphone amp, and as noted by someone else, hear the difference between well mixed and average recordings- there is no hiding! After a time with these phones (wearing no comfort fatigue issues although you will hear external sounds) I love these and my Panasonic are relegated to outdoor iPod use only.
There’s a generous uncurled cable length (which I expanded upon with a perfect match KabelDirect 3m Pro extension) that allows me to move around my apartment with no worries. They seemed expensive but I guess you get what you pay for. Quality all the way.
It took me a few goes to get used to them, but after a while I just cant go back to my closed-back headphones (ATH M50) for anything but tracking/recording.
These offer a far more realistic and almost monitor-esque representation of your music, and can be used for mixing ok but ideally only when proper audio monitors are not available.
These are a simply joy to use for detailed listening or just relaxed listening or even for gaming!
They are not suitable for noise sensitive environments as they would leak enough noise to annoy your co-workers / other people on the bus, but in your own home these are a joy to use.
Ive used headphones 3 times the price of these in the past and these are just far nicer to use.
They are also very comfortable to wear for long periods of time.
If you want the full sound spectrum out of these headphones, you will want to plug it into your stereo or, in my case I use an old Sony all in one type system that has a stereo jack and it works perfectly.
One thing I did notice is that if you’re not using a high quality format like just a low quality mp3 then you really can tell that its low quality with these headphones…its definitely not the headphones fault for being able to pick up on low quality sound (they are reference headphones after all and this is exactly why pros use them, so that they can pick out any defects in sound quality).
If you’re in the market for a high end headphone, but don’t want to fork out ridiculous amounts of money for very good sound quality, go with these akg’s…you won’t regret it.
UPDATED: May 2015
Finally got them properly repaired from Harmon (it took 2 times). They are now working great and sound amazing. They are extremely flat and do not over pronounce bass notes. Some may not like them in that respect, but when you have critical listening to do as in Mastering and Mixing, that is invaluable.
They have been at the JBL (AKG’s parent company) repair facility twice since getting them. Once because the left headphone stopped working. They repaired it (I paid shipping there) and sent them back. They work fine now, however there was a slight dent/cut in the left headphone screen. I called them and ended up sending them back again to be repaired. That was 2 weeks ago. I finally called and asked where they were. They called me back and had to look for my RMA etc. And he agreed to expedite the sipping back to me. SO far I am not really impressed with these phones as I have not had an opportunity to listen them. ‘Hopefully” when they do finally return I can update my review and let you know how they sound.
I play CD’s through an Onkyo SACD player using digital out into an Oehlbach headphone amp/DAC (check these out too, available on Amazon and nothing short of amazing)and although the phones are only about half burned in I just can’t get enough of them. The sound is just incredibly beautiful, my music collection has truly come alive again and is so detailed that I’m now absorbed listening to sounds I never knew were there.
I bow to other guys who have reviewed here and know far more than I technically about the performance of these phones, for my money, they are the clearest and most accurate sounding gear I have. Everything is in balance, nothing overpowers anything else, you can hear all sounds from all instruments which seem placed above or around your head, vocals are a thing of beauty and bass really is is more than enough but never overpowering. As others report, the initial brightness of the sound balances out the more these are used but I agree that these are for good sources – use them through rubbish or listen to rubbish and it will be shown up for what it is. If you are into storing a million songs in a matchbox forget it but if you want to listen to good sources through even a half decent set up then what are you waiting for – dive in and get them now.
Absolutely spot on and my favourite new toys.
My research was threefold. Firstly I looked at reviews by hifi magazines and websites. Then I consulted hifi forums and lastly I looked at product reviews on sites like Amazon from people who actually had purchased items. All opinions gathered in this way have to be treated with some caution because the views are subjective and, to be frank, some people do have favourite brands. The opinions I took the most notice of were from people who like the same type of music as me, which is mainly classical. These came out heavily in favour of AKG headphones and the Q702s in particular.
I also took price into account. I was willing to spend rather more than the roughly 250 the AKGs cost but there is a law of diminishing returns in hifi and everything I read made me think that, whilst I could get better headphones, I would probably be satisfied with the AKGs.
Update to the below – had these for just over a year now and they’re just as good as the day I bought them in terms of performance and looks. They probably get 2-3 hours listening a day – I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them – particularly as they’re 30 cheaper than they were when I bought them.
Superb headphones, supremely comfortable: I have a larger than average head and can happily wear these for six or seven hours straight – the velour pads are excellent. The sound is detailed and accurate with the right source material – they are unforgiving otherwise. Well made for the price (the 160-ish amazon have them for not the fictional 411) – a cut above other AKG gear at the 100 mark, yes they are predominantly plastic but it’s a neat design and exceptionally light.
As other people have mentioned these are an open back design so whilst you benefit from a ‘larger’ soundscape they’re not necessarily suitable for wearing in a shared environment – you can hear them in the next room. Again, as mentioned by other reviewers these are an at-home / in-studio set; although there’s nothing stopping you from plugging them into your phone and sitting on the train but you would be a) extremely unpopular with your fellow passengers b) not getting the most from the sound, again open-back means sound in as well as sound out.
Detachable cable is great – I’d never buy a set without them these days so good to see AKG doing this on more and more models across the range. I swapped the supplied cable for something a little more physically robust. A coiled one would have been a nice addition in the pack if you’re like me and forever rolling chairs over cables.
I’m using them connected to an AudioQuest Dragonfly 1.2 which seems to drive them pretty well. They do benefit from running in – the slight brightness people mention will disappear.
I previously owned a pair of AKG K701s. Some folks may say different, but other that the colour, the K702s are essentially the same, or at least they sound the same – This is no bad thing as the K701s were/are excellent headphones.
The K702 however, does differ in two very important respects:
Detachable cable – Fantastic idea. This makes replacement easy if damaged, makes it more convenient if you are packing them, plus it allows audiophile freaks like me to play around with upgrading the cable.
Flat, non-bumpy head-bad – Even better idea! This was basically the reason why I got rid of my previous K701s. Being basically bald, I actually found the old bumpy head-band very uncomfortable to wear for any extended period. The new flat band make the K702s a supremely comfortable headphone.
Aside from these two differences, the K701/702 are essentially the same and are both wonderfully balanced, natural sounding headphones.
I’ve tried Beyerdynamic and find them too thin in the mid-range, with (generally) overemphasised treble and bass. Sennheiser on the other hand, tend to be rather boring, with a slightly overgenerous bottom-end.
For me, the ‘AKG Sound’ (if there is such a thing) is the Goldilocks Zone, managing to lift out all the fine details in a recording, but without robbing great vocals of their warmth.
Overall then, highly recommend, especially for the price they are currently available at, their only weakness is that they are quite difficult to drive without a headphone amp, and unfortunately being (frankly) so cheap, they probably won’t get treated to the quality of amplification they deserve.
All I can say is this, the ‘soundstage’ effect made a massive difference to my listening – it is like having a pair of speakers next to your ears. I understand now that – for mixing – these are ideal; none of the reverberated sound associated with closed-back headphones. These reproduce in sharp detail bass, mids and treble that the Sony’s did not and I’ve since embarked on a re-mixing programme of earlier songs.
If your budget allows – buy them … or if I’d ventured to spend the extra dosh … I would have gone to the AKG 712’s … I wasn’t sure then … I am now …
The sound is very crisp and clear and so well balanced. Personally I like good bass and with these headphones I have nothing to complain about. Bass is well controlled and huge but only when it should be like this. These are reference headphones so they do not boost any frequencies. The music sounds just as it should.
It is true that they are hard to drive but for me they still sound great with a good quality mp3 or flac played on my Note 3 or Covon J3 or laptop. The only think is that the music won’t be very loud but you can buy a portable headphone amplifier like Fiio E11 from Amazon for just 54 which will give you extra power.
I essentially got these headphones to listen to and not produce music. They are fantastic and as all the other reviews note, deliver a very precise reproduction of the the sound you are listening to. It is true that where there is bad production value you also hear this with these headphones but what you gain far outstrips this little annoyance. They are very comfortable indeed. Overall (as you can see from the rating) I am really pleased.
Some things to beware:
1. The sound leakage from these headphones is very significant. For example you will not be able to sit in the same room as someone without them hearing your music.
2. They sound pretty poor when being driven by a phone. They really do need an amp to drive them, the difference in sound is really huge.
As I say I think these are things to think about when considering a buy but I would stress how fantastic the quality of the sound is.
These are simply one of the best quality headphones I have ever used in my life. The speakers are amazing and the design over all is incredibly appealing.
A couple of things you should know before purchasing it.
1. Sound leakage is a bit of an issue.
2. These are heavy. At around .5 to 1 pounds, if you’re not used to headphones like this, they can cause issues for the head and neck.
3. Not for bassheads. It’s bass is lighter than I’m used to, more realistic. You might have to adjust your system to get a better sounds, but it shouldn’t be to much unless your listening to really bass heavy music.
With the 3 mm converter included, you can listen to whatever you want right off the bat. And you’ll only want to use these to listen to sound. I put away my speakers just so I could use these more often. If you’re looking for an incredibly high quality pair with realistic sound, these are the ones for you.
Unos excelentes auriculares con una gran escena, medios y agudos muy buenos y unos graves que sin ser muy presentes son rpidos y giles y cierta pegada. Son un polo opuesto a mis Sennheiser HD650 con el que se compagina muy bien en pareja para distintos tipos de msica.
Excelente para clsica, jazz, blues, msica acstica y cosas del estilo en las que prime una gran escena y disfrute del detalle sonoro.
Imprescindible usarlos con un amplificador de auriculares de cierta potencia para disfrutar de todas sus virtudes y no echar en falta nada.
El envo fue muy rpido y el precio es una autntica golosina sabiendo de lo que son capaces bien amplificados. Me llegaron con un par de pequeos araazos en el metal del driver derecho pero salvo ese pequeo detalle esttico el resto todo perfecto.
I have owned several headphones and all of them I have found deficient somewhere in the frequency range. But it is hard to fault these headphones – they are extremely detailed and clear with no undue emphasis anywhere other than being a little on the bright side (although never shrill). The bass range is very detailed and tight without any boomy overhang so they appear to be bass-light, but this isn’t so. However, I haven’t had them very long – I am still getting used to them.
They reveal all the good and bad points about what you plug them into. They aren’t compatible with iPod’s – they can’t drive them loud enough and you can hear how low quality MP3’s are! I have a Fiio E7 headphone amp and DAC and that only just manages to drive these headphones loud enough. So I am looking around for a headphone amp so that I can use them on my main system. At the moment they are sounding good connected to my Denon RCD-M37DAB mini hifi – the brightness I hear may be due to this amp, time will tell.
They come with a 3m long straight headphone cord. I have seen a coiled replace cable for sale on Amazon is you prefer, but I prefer the straight cable.
They are very comfortable to wear largely due to the clever self adjusting headband system.
Gleich vorweg: der Bgel ist echt schmerzhaft, mein Kopf bekommt Schwellungen davon, ich muss mir etwas Weiches dazwischen legen, damit das nicht passiert. Ich wei echt nicht, was sich die Designer dabei gedacht haben…
Meinen Kopfhrerverstrker hab ich noch nicht erhalten, aber auch an meinem normalen Verstrker klingt der AKG K701 berzeugend genug, dass ich ihn behalten werde. (Trotzdem hre ich vor allem im Bassbereich manchmal Schwchen, wo ich mir sicher bin, dass ich die mit dem Kopfhrerverstrker beseitigen werde knnen.)
Man hrt die Instrumente sehr gut heraus. Ich muss leider gestehen, dass der AKG K701 besser/genauer auflst als mein Canton Chrono SL 590 Lautsprecherpaar der 1300 Preisklasse.
Ich werde die Rezension in einigen Wochen nochmal ergnzen, wenn ich meinen Kopfhrerverstrker habe…
Dem K701 werde ich zwar treu bleiben, aber nicht dem Exemplar, das ich habe, weil es bereits bei Auslieferung einen Lackschaden hatte. Bei der Verarbeitung scheint da geschlampt worden zu sein…
Da aber der Sound fr mich ber alles geht, bewerte ich diesen Kopfhrer trotz Bgel und nicht ganz berzeugender Verarbeitung mit 5 Sternen.
These headphones are really quite special. Probably the best I’ve heard and owned.
For anyone looking for overblown, overpowering, phoney bass or something “trendy” and overpriced then give them a miss . Their bass presentation, I would say, is honest. The important midrange is perfect, very detailed with a very wide soundstage and accurate placing of instruments and voices.
They are quite hard to drive and require a dedicated headphone amp or headphone output from a hi fi amp for their best performance. When I first listened to them I was a bit underwhelmed but over a period of a few hours they improved. I suspect further improvement will realise with more hours. I’ve had them continuously fed from a FM tuner when not sat listening to music.
I know this shouldn’t be a comparison opportunity and only a review of the product. However, if I were to make a comparison to Grado RS1i (800+ retail in the U.K.!), which I no longer own, I personally prefer the K702s.
I opted for the K702 over the K701 because of the easily replaceable, sensible length, cable. Build quality is exemplary and it’s a refreshing change to buy something not made in China!
Comfort is very good but I have reservations about the durability of the “self adjusting” headband mechanism – it looks a bit weak and vulnerable to me, i.e. elastic bands?
In spite of that I have to give five stars.
Ich bin seit langem AKG-Fan (401, 501 jetzt 701) und empfand schon immer den hohen Detailgrad in der Wiedergabe das A und O. Allerdings happerte es beim 401 und 501 deutlich an der Basswiedergabe. Nicht so beim K701. Dieser kombiniert nun endlich die transparenten, przisen Mitten bis Hhen mit einem impulstreuen, nicht mumpfigen Bass im fr Popmusik (i.w.S.) fr den Druck gerne genutzten Bereich von 40-70 Hz.
(Ich mische selber Musik ab und konnte in diesem Bereich mit den anderen AKG-Kopfhrern “fast nichts” hren und hatte keine Chance zu beurteilen, ob der Mix zu viel oder zu wenig tiefen Bass hat. Mit den K701 hrt man nun deutlich das “Thump” einer Bassdrum oder den satten-runden Klang von tiefen synthetischen und elektrischen Bssen. Als Musiker empfinde ich diese Wiedergabe dabei als druckvoll-przise und weder zu schwach noch zu stark. Wenn ich nun den K501 wieder nutze, bin ich immer wieder berrascht, wieviel Klang dort eigentlich fehlte und was ich viele Jahre versumt habe.)
So verdient dann der K701 m.E. auch den Namen “Referenzkopfhrer”. Von elektronischer Musik bis hin zu Klassik ein wahrer Hrgenuss und fr Sound-Designer sehr zu empfehlen!
Ich muss vorrausschicken, dass ich AKG-Fan bin, da ich ihren natrlichen Klang bevorzuge.
Nach ausgiebigen Hrsessions mit einigen Konkurrenzhrern, habe ich mich fr den K701 entschieden, einerseits, da der Preis aktuell extrem attraktiv ist und andererseits, empfand ich keinen Hrer als so langzeittauglich und klanglich ausgewogen.
Trotz hervorragender Auflsung kann man ihn stundenlang hren, ohne dass es anstrengend wird. Es wird nichts aufgebauscht und nichts betont, halt so wie es sein muss.
Deutlich besser als die neue Q-Serie (meine Meinung), bei der, wie bei vielen Konkurrenzhrern, der Bass auch schon zu dominant ist.
Tatschlich gibt es, wie von einigen beschrieben, ein Komfort-Problem. Das liegt an dem sehr harten Leder des Bgels. Ich wollte es erstmal nicht wahrhaben und hatte dann doch ordentliche Druckstellen (gerade bei meiner Glatze ;-).
Nach 2 Tagen habe ich ihn mir geschnappt und whrend eines Films einfach die ganze Zeit das Leder geknetet, und siehe da: PROBLEM GELST!!!
Sobald das leder weicher war, hat der Hrer den Kopf besser umschlossen und es gab keinen punktuellen Druck mehr.
Mit gelstem Komfort-Problem und dem TOP Preis-Leistungsverhltnis bekommt er daher auch keinen Punktabzug.
Wer ihn klanglich liebt, muss halt “Hand anlegen”!
But recently I have been playing with music production so I searched for a pair of reference headphones, as using monitor speakers isn’t an option for me at the moment.
Having read the reviews of many products I found myself constantly coming back to the K702.
Thankfully I wasn’t to be disappointed!
They are simply awesome, the sound is just so crisp and pure. They are significantly lighter than I was expecting too and I have worn them for several hours at a time without feeling like my neck was going to snap (the beats are heavy!). The ear pads fit nicely over the ears, not surprising as they are pretty huge!
All in all, I’m chuffed to bits with them – this is probably the longest review I’ve written but having seen that these were all five star reviews I felt I should do them justice and add to it 🙂
Ich will hier nicht mit den Worten audiophiler Zeitschriften um mich werfen, aber eines steht fr mich fest:
Diese Rumlichkeit und Feinzeichnung suchen in dieser Preisklasse ihresgleichen.
Der Kopfhrer ist mit 106 dB Wirkungsgrad und 62 Ohm Impedanz nahezu ungeeignet fr portable Abspielgerte.
Ein Kopfhrerverstrker braucht es dazu schon noch.
Wenn er aber dann gut befeuert wird, ist die Musik ein Erlebnis (am besten CD, SACD, FLAC oder sonstige Lossless Formate).
Schlechte Mp3s (z.B. 128 kbps) hren sich auch schlecht an. Man sollte das bei solchen Kopfhrern bedenken.
Der K701 ist sehr neutral. Dadurch ergibt sich oft die Meinung, er habe zu wenig Bass.
Er gibt aber einfach das wieder, was von der Quelle abgespielt wird.
Kopfhrer mssen immer eingespielt werden (min. 10 Stunden) vor man sie bewerten kann.
Der Basspegel wandert dadurch sprbar nach oben.
Die neutrale Abstimmung sagt nicht jedem zu. Man kann sein Gehr aber auch darauf schulen.
Der KH ist perfekt fr Klassik und eher ruhigere Musik. Fr Punk, Metal, usw. (wo es zur sache geht),
wrde ich eher einen Sennheiser nehmen.
These earphones put me in a different place. As I write this I am listening to Dream On (Aerosmith) on some really nice Senhiezers. It sounds good, but lifeless and dulled compared to the AKGs.
The biggest single difference I would give is the complete lack of transient intermodulation distortion. If there is a huge bass ‘boom’ you will still hear each and every pluck of a guitar string.
One negative is the headband, the bobbles on the inside make my head a little uncomfortable after a bunch of hours. They do seem to be breaking in though.
On the issue of breaking in, it took 50 hours of continuous playing to mellow these out. For the first few hours the sound was great but brittle and edgy. Be patient; they keep giving.