NEW! AKG K812 flagship reference headphones.*

bruce2 · Oct 3, 2015

I use a pair of AKG K712s with Schiit Valhalla tube headphone amp. I enjoy the sound very much, finding it well balanced and detailed, but find that with any type of headphone listening I get ear fatigue very quickly. I play them as quietly as possible while still being able to hear the details but still want to take them off after less than an hour. It is for this reason that I mostly listen to my loudspeakers, probably 90% of the time. I get frustrated with my room being so small though that I can't turn my speakers up to a decent volume without aggravating my tinnitus.

coopmv · Oct 4, 2015

Are these still made in Austria? My K701 were ...

wgb113 · Oct 4, 2015

I believe production is now out of Slovakia.

coopmv · Oct 4, 2015

wgb113 said: ↑

I believe production is now out of Slovakia.
Click to expand...

Really? I thought all models are now made in you-know-where. I still have my original AKG 240's, made in Austria and fully operational from over 35 years ago ...

wgb113 · Oct 5, 2015

I'm not sure they're manufacturing anything in Austria now.

PH416156 · Oct 5, 2015

What? AKG headphones no more made in Austria but possibly in "you-know-where"? Rats!

fitzrik · Oct 6, 2015

wgb113 said: ↑

The drop is limited to the U.S. only but I'll comment. I'm an admitted fan of the AKG sound. I preferred the K701 over the Sennheiser HD650. I had comfort issues with it's central headband bump so I jumped on the K712 as quick as I could.

The increased bass response was welcome, though I never found the K701 as anemic as most suggested. Comfort was again an issue however, as from day 1 they always seemed to sag on my head and cause pressure points at the earpad where they touched my neck just below my earlobes.

I bought another pair of HD650s, this time with a balanced cable since I now had a balanced amp to drive them, hoping that would lift some of that Sennheiser veil/sweetness/darkness from the sound. Nope. I was ready to give up on headphones but tried the HD700s. They were even more of a mess than the HD650s but man were they comfortable.

I was willing to go up the price ladder and give the Oppo PM-2 and Audeze EL-8 (open and closed) a shot but began watching out for deals on the K812. I auditioned the Oppo and Audeze. Neither really did it for me as I felt both were just too colored and polite, though I slightly preferred the closed Audeze to both much to my surprise.

Then I scored a pair of K812s for $850. From the very first note I was wowed by them. Seriously, that was the first word out of my mouth 10 seconds into first hearing them. I've continued to be wowed by them and do not hear the tizzy ness that some describe. They've solved the comfort issue as they're even more comfortable than the HD700s. IMO they're well worth the $850 I paid, let alone the slightly lower Massdrop price. That said, I think I would have a hard time justifying their MSRP of $1500.

Bill
Click to expand...

Thanks that's kind of what I was thinking.

I have the K701s and really like them. I love the detail, the fabulous soundstage and what I consider an appealing sound. The only problem is a lack of bass for _some_ types of music.

I bought the Sennheiser HD600s and AKG k712s but don't love either as much as the 701s although they both have more bass.

As you mention the drop is US only although sometimes they offer a way around this(I got my AKG K712s there). I could probably sell my three current pairs of headphones and get the new AKGs

coopmv · Oct 6, 2015

fitzrik said: ↑

Thanks that's kind of what I was thinking.

I have the K701s and really like them. I love the detail, the fabulous soundstage and what I consider an appealing sound. The only problem is a lack of bass for _some_ types of music.

I bought the Sennheiser HD600s and AKG k712s but don't love either as much as the 701s although they both have more bass.

As you mention the drop is US only although sometimes they offer a way around this(I got my AKG K712s there). I could probably sell my three current pairs of headphones and get the new AKGs
Click to expand...

My 701's were still made in Austria, though some of the later ones were made in you-know-where ...

Stereosound · Oct 7, 2015

JonP said: ↑

I heard the 812 earlier this year, along with a number of other premium quality headphones from other brands, such as the Fostex TH900, Sennheiser HD800, Oppo PM-1, etc, etc (about 12 different phones in all). I am also a very experienced headphone listener.

I was extremely impressed with the 812. It was completely unlike anything else in the AKG range I had heard before and I remember thinking that this was one of the very, very few headphones I had ever listened to that I could remotely like in lieu of speakers. And that says a lot because when all is said and done, I hate headphones (everything about them is just so wrong) and only use them out of necessity and circumstance (and for editing purposes). But the 812, along with the Oppo PM-1, Oppo PM-2, Fostex TH600 and TH900 are currently the only headphones I have ever heard that cut the mustard for serious listening, at least for classical and acoustic music. All of them sound different to each other but all of them do a very good job. I would be happy with any of them, but probably the 812 more than any of the others. It was just a pity that the price was about $300 out of my range - about $1500 AUD from memory, even though I remember thinking they were worth it.

But in the end I agree with what the pros on the forum have said. There are only two types of people who use headphones. People who simply have no other practical option and mad people My excuse is a lack of space to house any decent speaker system. And even if I didn't lack the space, cats plus speakers constitute a hazard. It's for this reason I have always had a keen interest in state of the art, flagship headphones, hoping that some day someone might make a headphone that actually sounds normal.
Click to expand...

fitzrik said: ↑

These are currently on massdrop

Can anyone comment as to how they sound or how they like them?
Click to expand...

I actually disliked the AKG 812 when I compared them with the following: Fostex TH-900, Sennheiser HD800/650/600, Sony MDR-Z7, Audio Technica ATH-M50/M50x/M40x, HiFiMan HE-6, Focal Spirit Pro/Classic, Oppo PM-1, Philips Fidelio X2, Shure SRH-1540, NAD Viso HP50, Beyerdynamic T1, PSB M4U, among others including the AKG K701/702. You need to listen with your own ears and use other's reviews as a possible guideline. I don't completely remember exactly why I disliked them as it was quite a while ago just that I thought they sounded horrible especially for the price. I agree with JonP about the Fostex TH-900 as being one of the best (even though they have their own slight negatives) but not about the AKG K812. Look at reviews and compare them with your own top criteria for headphones then decide. Try and listen if you can before you buy. Tyll at innerfidelity is a good reviewer of headphones and usually gets it right with how a headphone sounds. http://www.innerfidelity.com/reviews

Log in or Sign up

NEW! AKG K812 flagship reference headphones.*

bruce2 Forum Resident

coopmv Newton 1/30/2001 - 8/31/2011

wgb113 Forum Resident

coopmv Newton 1/30/2001 - 8/31/2011

wgb113 Forum Resident

PH416156 Alea Iacta Est

fitzrik Forum Resident

coopmv Newton 1/30/2001 - 8/31/2011

Stereosound Forum Resident

Share This Page

Log in or Sign up

NEW! AKG K812 flagship reference headphones.*

bruce2 Forum Resident

coopmv Newton 1/30/2001 - 8/31/2011

wgb113 Forum Resident

coopmv Newton 1/30/2001 - 8/31/2011

wgb113 Forum Resident

PH416156 Alea Iacta Est

fitzrik Forum Resident

coopmv Newton 1/30/2001 - 8/31/2011

Stereosound Forum Resident

Share This Page

Useful Searches