AKG Pro Audio K712 PRO Over-Ear Open Reference Studio Headphones, Black, 4.76 x 7.83 x 4.45 inches (2458X00140)

TEST SETUP: AKG K712 Pro w/ original orange cable, source: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium HD (Game mode: Crystallizer 75%, EQ adjusted to boost mid-lower and mid-upper range), reference: Denon AHD2000DISCLAIMER: A recent visit to an ear doctor revealed that I have lost hearing in the most upper and lower frequency ranges and I am not even 30 yet, nor do I ever listen to loud music. Please, particularly audiophiles, protect your hearing and listen responsibly. The AKG K712 Pro (and any other high-end headphone) should be used at reasonable volumes.INTROIf you're looking at this headphone, you're probably looking for something near the best from a respected manufacturer but want to spend well under $1000. Since you've read this far, you're right on target with this one. With the current prices of the AKG K712 Pro, you'd be remiss not to have it near the top of your list. This is probably one of the best buys you can get your hands on, so without further ado, read on.SONIC QUALITYThe K712 is billed as a reference studio headphone and thus will be tested as such. We expect a straightforward sound that does not *sound* tweaked toward particular frequency ranges.Test music:-AOA Black - Get Out live at 2012/10/26 KBS Music Bank-AOA Black - Moya live at 2013/08/08 Mnet Countdown-Dalshabet - REWIND-Dalshabet - B.B.B.-IU - Good Day-Jevice - Don't Answer The Phone-Tiny-G - Minimanimo-T-ara - I Go Crazy Because of You-T-ara - Number 9-T-ara - Roly Poly (Back to the Future ver.)There's a lot of different music in there but after going through them, a few points are pretty clear:-The K712 really is a reference studio headphone. There is no 'coloring' of the musical quality - if you are looking for a special sound, you may want to look elsewhere. It is literally WYSIWYG (or rather what you hear is what you get). Bass-heads and soprano lovers will undoubtedly have the sonic equivalent of hunger. You may tweak the EQ a little bit but the fundamental sound will still be there. Consider your uses before you buy.-Because of this, the K712 works for all kinds of music - pop, rock, ballads, disco, dance, etc. - a jack of all trades.-Harsh sounds (like explosions or guitar distortion) are especially pronounced depending on the recording's quality.Now for the details:Some people will turn up the volume on their headphones (a bad thing) to hear details like whispering or lip-syncing during live events. There's absolutely no need to do that with the K712 because sonic details are rendered with astute clarity at reasonable sound levels. Female rock band AOA Black is dominated by lead guitarist Choa and keyboardist Yuna, and you can hear them singing at the top of their lungs right into the microphone in the live "Get Out" performance - and you can hear it all at low volume. Some AOA fans protested that bassist Mina only does air guitar, but using the K712 to replay the "Moya" live performance proves them wrong - the bass is evidently there and remember that the K712 does noticeably boost particular frequencies. IU's 3-note noisemaker in the final verse of "Good Day" deserves particular mention because, well, the 3 soprano notes don't seem as jarring as they normally do. The same sort of phenomenon appears in T-ara's "I Go Crazy Because of You" - a pretty bass heavy song that doesn't seem as deep as it normally does through speakers. In this respect, there's a little life lost in certain songs that push the upper and lower ends of the frequency scale. Lastly, the Back to the Future version of "Roly-Poly" is a disco homage with the DeLorean time travel boom at the 3:00 mark. This mix is a test of sonic quality, and on the K712 its sonic 'accuracy' makes the distortion is particularly harsh. Listeners should keep this in mind when using the K712 for certain music or action movies.BUILD QUALITYWhen you pick up the AKG K712 Pro (or any of its siblings, K602/K702/Q701), the headphone seems fairly simple. Non-leather pads, relatively thin leather headband, plastic here and there, no obvious adjustment system. However, once you try it on, you will realize that the design is quite ingenious if you're coming from another manufacturer. There is hardly any weight from the headband, which auto-adjusts based on the size of your head via elastic bands connected to the earpads. You quickly realize that having sturdy, non-degrading (read: environmentally-unfriendly) plastic headband will last a long time unless you purposely drop the headphone. The earpads are memory foam and, because they are fabric-covered, won't get shredded over time by my facial hair like my old Denon AHD2000 did. The round design means that if you don't have the headphones exactly perpendicular to your head, the sonic quality will not change as they might on other headphones. The K712 is provided with 2 cables, a straight orange cable and a coiled black cable, both of which connect to a 3-pin port on the left earpad. Whether you prefer single cable or Y-connector is personal taste, but practically the K712 has a simpler build. In the end, the light weight and comfort means that you can leave this on your head for hours; you will take it off first to do other tasks than you will from discomfort.AUDIO SOURCE AND POWER USAGEObviously, this and any other high-end headphone should be used with equally high-end sources, audio processor and music both. The K712 WILL pick up audio artifacts more noticeably than lesser headphones, so if the explosion you are seeing in the movie playing wasn't rendered in the highest quality, the sound will be considerably harsher and distorted. Any musical remixes will most likely suffer because the tracks weren't originally written with each other in mind regardless of the closeness in rhythm. Furthermore:-If you listen to music mostly from your computer, invest in the highest end soundcard such as the Creative X-Fi Titanium HD or Asus Xonar Essence STX, both of which can be found for ~$150-$200. Both have amps capable of driving the K712 plenty loud at low levels.-If you mostly use a home stereo, you can use an amp but it is only necessary if you are looking to change the sonic character (i.e., a tube amp) - the low impedance of the K712 does not require much power to drive.-If you mostly used your smartphone, nothing additional is necessary - you can try a USB portable amp but remember that you are limited the connection on your phone; in my experience, USB connections are never that great for audio.OTHER THOUGHTSKeep in mind that this is an open headphone: sound leaks to the ambient air for better resonance (i.e., increased sonic clarity). The K712 are best suited for a quiet environment where you are not concerned about disturbing others or being disturbed. Also, there is a burn-in time required, though they will already sound much better out of the box than lesser headphones. A few days (~100 hours) is reasonable.PRICE/PERFORMANCE AND CONCLUSIONAs of this writing, Amazon lists the AKG K712 Pro at $379 (MSRP $700). You can usually find most high-end headphones on Amazon at greatly discounted prices, but since the K712 regularly sells at ~$500, under $400 for this item is an absolute steal. Comparable headphones will cost ~$500, so if you happen to be strapped for cash but want something near the top, it is difficult to beat this price/performance ratio. Also recall that the top AKG model, the K812, is the only one above the K712 and provides a bit better sound at $1500...and is not on Amazon yet. So before this seller runs out of $380 K712's, and you happen to be in the market for a studio headphone, give this a good listen - you won't be disappointed.

There are plenty of reviews raving about these and I have to back them up. These are insane headphones. For the cost, they better be fantastic, and thankfully they are on all fronts. I've been using these for a few months now and while they're not perfect for every situation, for what they're built for they're unbeatable.First, and most important, sound quality. These are absolutely outstanding as you'd hope. Everything I've played through these sounds incredible; classic R&B, 60s jazz, lo-fi indie rock, pummeling death metal, and booming hip-hop all sound stellar. The soundstage on these make it feel like you're not even wearing headphones in a quiet room; I've heard it described as "VR for your ears," and that's an accurate statement. On live recordings like John Denver's "An Evening With John Denver," you can point to where individual instruments are situated, and on Bob Marley's "No Woman No Cry" on the Live At The Roxy album, it feels like you're in the front row with the entire crowd around you. It's really hard to describe just how good these sound without hearing them for yourself. They're a little more exciting than your standard studio monitor headphones that go for completely flat frequency responses, but for general music listening that isn't a bad thing at all.Second, comfort. These are decently heavy and bulky headphones, but they don't feel like it. Suspension style headbands like AKG tends to favor are my favorite, and it's on full display here. The leather headband just disappears as you put these on, and the wide swivel means these will fit basically anyone with little issue. The earpads on here are insanely comfortable and thanks to the large driver size, my decently big ears can comfortably sit inside without touching anywhere on them. They're also deep enough that you have a decent distance from the speaker, something that isn't true of some of my other headphones such as Audio Technica M40Xs or even my other AKGs, the K240s.The build quality on these also feels great. They're all plastic which is a downside to some, but plastic quality does vary, and these are definitely made of quality materials. I've seen reports of the suspension system wearing down and breaking with heavy use, and if that happens I'll update this review, but it feels very secure as of now and everything has a great finish. I especially appreciate the ability to remove the cable as well as providing two different sized cables for different use cases.With all these positives though, don't buy these expecting to use them on a train or a bus. Not only are they difficult to drive off of a phone thanks to their relatively low sensitivity, they're completely open so they leak all the sound out with little to no isolation. These aren't commuter headphones (for those I would recommend AKG's own K371s or any of the multitude of fantastic IEMs out of China that have been dubbed Chi-Fi), they're for home listening and they excel at it. To be clear, they aren't exceedingly hard to drive, but you might be disappointed at the volume out of a phone or laptop depending on what you're using. I'm usually using these out of a Sony STR-DH190 stereo amplifier and that provides plenty of power.When I'm at home and I really want to just listen to music, these are what I'm going for 99% of the time. Depending on the genre I might reach for my Grado SR60x's just for the extra high end, but these are the best all around. $300+ is a lot of money for a pair of headphones, but if music is really important to you and you can afford it, these are worth the spend. If you want to explore cheaper options, there are plenty in the $50-120 range that will give 70-90% of the sound, such as the SHP9500 from Phillips even the cheaper planar options from Hifiman. But having heard them before, the AKG K712s are still insanely good, and I'll keep using them for as long as possible.