AKG K612 Pro Reference Studio Headphones $219 Delivered @ Store DJ

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• 

  s20525xxx on 08/05/2021 - 23:28

  -2

  Or get the 712 pro at $345.5 from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00DCXWXEI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_g…

  • 

    jasswolf on 08/05/2021 - 23:43

    +3

    To what end? Higher number doesn't always mean better, in this case I think it refers to a different enclosure and the K612 having slightly poorer dampening. The K712 Pro is a warmer (bassier) sound, but it doesn't do that right, and that partly results in it being wonky all over the mid range in terms of frequency response, though it is somewhat smooth than most headphones would typically be in doing this.

    If you want the tonal intentions of the K712 Pro done right, just go for the Audio Technica ATH-R70X for $370-$400. You'll also get a more natural timbre at the expense of some soundstage width, but your ears will thank you.

    • 

      Bretttick on 09/05/2021 - 00:53

      What would you recommend that's not shy in the lower hz?

      I really enjoyed my xone xd-53, I don't know how much longer they will last wouldn't mind something similar just a little louder

      • 

        jasswolf on 09/05/2021 - 08:01

        Closed backs are usually never shy there, but it comes at the expense of soundstage width, timbre and imaging capabilities. Take a look at the AKG K371 via Amazon.

        I'd personally prefer the Audio Technica ATH-R70X though at $360-$400. What you lose in low rumble on open back headphones, you gain back in timbre, width and spatial cues.

        Some will try to offer you more bass extended open backs, but for dynamic drivers, they always mess with the timbre, resolution & detail of the headphone, as well as the 2-8 kHz range in some way to achieve this, and that won't change until multi-driver setups can be competently and affordably done for headphones, which is something that machine learning will eventually provide.

        • 

          Bretttick on 09/05/2021 - 13:44

          +1

          @jasswolf: Thanks will look into this

• 

  s20525xxx on 08/05/2021 - 23:46

  -2

  Dude chill. Everyone have their own preference on sound signature. I haven't tried 612 so I didn't comment, but I like 712 pro a lot, especially at gaming. At that price it is still a bargain. Let people do their own research, and pick what they want right?

  • 

    jasswolf on 09/05/2021 - 00:26

    +7

    Huh? I'm just replying to you, with some notes for those who are interested in the differences, which you are clearly stating that you haven't bothered with figuring out.

    No point in having a community if we don't try to share and pool ideas. Or I suppose we can just post a link with virtually no context and then get mad when others provide some.

• 

  sildosaggins on 09/05/2021 - 00:08

  +1

  Has the quality of AKG remained the same since Samsung acquired them?

  • 

    jasswolf on 09/05/2021 - 00:27

    This design pre-dates the sale, I think? AKG seemed to be more focused on closed backs these days, but they're delivering good products.

  • 

    smartazz104 on 09/05/2021 - 06:51

    +2

    No.

• 

  wildwild on 09/05/2021 - 01:05

  How is it compared to the Audio-Technica ATH-M50?

  • 

    jasswolf on 09/05/2021 - 08:13

    Less bass (particularly under 100Hz), way better mids and treble, more open and far less isolated because it's an open back headphone. The sound quality and spatial & timbral qualities are higher on these.

    The M50X has the worst staging you'll hear in a closed back headphone this side of $50.

    It's an apples to oranges comparison though due to the nature of open back headphones. Look into the AKG K371 if you want a more evolved version of the M50X.

    • 

      wildwild on 09/05/2021 - 14:49

      I own both the ATH-M50 and Sennheiser HD25 II and I prefer the ATH-M50 over the HD25 II. It's a trade off between Bass and Mid/Treble and I don't find the ATH-M50 too bassy and loose.

      Most of reputable review sites (eg Soundguys, TechGearLab etc) rate the ATH-M50 as best wired headphones under $500!

      • 

        jasswolf on 09/05/2021 - 14:51

        Most of reputable review sites (eg Soundguys, TechGearLab etc) rate the ATH-M50 as best wired headphones under $500!

        You might want to recheck that, because there's no way that's true. The M50X is an old recommendation as a good value closed backs, but it's been completely dethroned by the K371.

        I also question the reputibility of those websites you're listing. Most of them don't even have the equipment, testing procedures and range of headphones to adequately test things out.

        • 

          wildwild on 09/05/2021 - 22:48

          -2

          @jasswolf: Check these links out on the comparison between the 2 headphones (problably old reviews). It's amazing how they can get so much out of the 2 drivers inside these headphones:

          https://www.rtings.com/headphones/tools/compare/audio-techni…

          https://www.slant.co/ai/audio-technica-ath-m50x-2014-vs-akg-…

          • 

            jasswolf on 10/05/2021 - 09:58

            +2

            @wildwild: Here are my thoughts on the way RTINGS review headphones: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/comment/10439720/redir

            It's incomplete data and limited subjective analysis dressed up as objective analysis.

            Slant is botched meta-analysis that rarely presents anything above the kind of opinion you'd find in a conversation in a bar, on any topic.

            I've listened to both headphones: the M50X are screechy headphones that are claustrophobic in their staging and genuinely do not present any nuance, character or spatial depth to them.

            They're a bad, old recommendation built off advice for studio monitoring and mixing setups, but you should be using speakers for that purpose. If you want something analytical for checking a mix, there's the DT 770 80 ohm or higher, but their treble is awful for music listening without EQ.

            The M50X is a w-shaped frequency response that overhypes the treble and the bass while making the upper mids shouty, and you can see this on decent measuring rigs. It's so hyped in the treble that professionals need to account for that when processing the audio so they don't make it sound completely dull.

            Why is it recommended at all, you ask? In 2015-2018 it was because of the low distortion characteristics at the price point if you do EQ it, and the budget audiophile hype for the original M50 for it's listening qualities at the time despite it being weirdly tuned for such a purpose.

            But that's when comparing to closed backs under $200 USD mostly from 5-10 years ago… times have changed, unless you've only heard headsets and ANC headphones via Bluetooth and find yourself shocked by the cleaner bass and more present air frequencies.

            These days, anyone worth their salt in determining audio quality rejects these outright as an off-the-shelf experience, and rarely recommends it in a professional setting (but that depends of the culture and experience of those they are working with, because equipment familiarity is key with audio production).

            Go try them both with a wide variety of tracks, and you'll discover what I'm referring to, oh and look past the initial RTINGS neutral sound rating for the K371, because it's heavily slanted by a measurement of fitting consistency that doesn't hold up based on user and reviewer input elsewhere. Look at the actual bass/mid/treble measurements, and the raw curve as a whole: they're exceptionally well crafted at the price point.

            I mean RTINGS largely use the Harman curve for their ideal frequency response, and the K371 are designed by the best engineers at a Harman company making optimal use of the Harman curve in the enclosure setup.

            The M50/M50X recommendation was born of a different time with a different range of audio products, different sources and different production quality. Move on, please, both from the product and engaging me as though you're mounting an insightful argument. Thanks.

• 

  JonnyQuest on 09/05/2021 - 01:28

  Sorry -off topic, but didn't Samsung also buy Harmon Kardon /JBL ?
  If so, and they also own AKG, that is .. maybe not so good for diversity /development and competition in market place ?
  But I am no expert - just a mere observer.

  • 

    jasswolf on 09/05/2021 - 08:05

    +1

    Samsung bought Harman, with AKG, Harman Kardon, and JBL being some of the brands coming under that umbrella.

• 

  Erwark on 09/05/2021 - 09:28

  +1

  I have these. I really like them.

  The one thing (which probably isn't a factor in anyone who really wants these) to consider is they need some power to drive. Probably worth running them through a good interface or an amp.

• 

  Tacooo on 09/05/2021 - 18:34

  -1

  Check it's not a Chinese-made shit copy. Get the originally made Austrian versions and you'll be happy.

  • 

    jasswolf on 09/05/2021 - 20:03

    People said the same thing about Sennheiser gear when some of their production shifted to Romania from Ireland.

    There will be initial teething issues as manufacturing plants learn how to scale, but after 3-6 months of stock it's usually just nonsense. I've seen comments like this before and it's never really stacked up.

    Also it's 2021, there's almost no chance is this is Austrian AKG stock.

• 

  TrulyUnicorn on 10/05/2021 - 11:31

  +1

  Hey jasswolf, I can currently purchase the HD 6xx's from Massdrop for ~$290aud. Do you know if they would be a meaningful step up over these? It's from my understanding too a decent amp is a requirement for the 6xx's due to the higher impedance compared to these. At that point would it just be smarter to pick up an R70X if I have to spend at least $100 on an amp?

  I was also wondering if you've listened to the k612's and could comment on their performance, all the audiophile subreddits seem to hold them in quite high regard despite being lesser-known. I personally love good sound stage and imaging but I hear the 6xx's are just that good.

  Cheers for posting the deal :)

  • 

    jasswolf on 10/05/2021 - 15:37

    +1

    The 6XX mildly colours the sound in a way that I would prefer, that makes most recordings sound far more natural. Where the 6XX clearly excel ahead of the K612 Pro is with vocal timbre, which is exceptional, and why a 15 year old headphone series still dominates this space.

    Where the K612 Pro would be ahead is with some imaging and soundstage, but not so much that I would prefer them. My choice for a better blend of the two is the ATH-R70X, but for older, vocal-focused and especially intimate music, you'd still be wanting to reach back for the 6XX.

    Impedence in of itself isn't an indicator of whether or not something desperately needs an amp, you need to consider the sensitivity of the headphone (the 6XX is lower than the R70X there, for example) where the impedence may be reflective of a additional need for cleaning up the signal reaching the driver, and similarly you can't just consider voltage for amp selection, as some headphones (often planar drivers) demand more current than others.

    Desktop amps typically come into their own with low sensitivity headphones and high current headphones, and that's without getting into amp colouration of the sound, particularly with tube amps, with the 6XX/650, the 600 and the R70X are in part built to pair with through the super high impedence.

    The R70X will probably sound the least dull without a decent amp/DAC setup, but you will want to build that over time. Start with a great headphone that you're confident on suiting your preferences, and work from there.

    • 

      TrulyUnicorn on 10/05/2021 - 18:30

      Thanks so much for the reply :)
      I'm starting to lean towards the HD 6xx at this point. Do you think if I were to purchase a DAC/amp maybe a year from now the HD6xx's would still sound good in the mean time just connected using Motherboard audio? Or would they underperform without one?

      • 

        jasswolf on 10/05/2021 - 18:31

        +2

        Motherboard audio would be hit and miss depending on how powerful the amp is. Definitely use the rear port if you go down that route, and if you're getting weak results, try the USB-C to 3.5mm adaptor from Apple, which is $15.

        It has a clean DAC and maybe just enough power.

        • 

          TrulyUnicorn on 10/05/2021 - 19:06

          @jasswolf: I didn't realise the adaptor could be used that way, very interesting - thanks!

          Just one more query, what are your thoughts on the HD 560S? A lot of folks online seem to find them competitive with the HD 6XX with a wider soundstage, and it would be nice not to need an amp/dac as badly. Would I be better off with the HD 6xx + $15 adapter vs the 560S?

          • 

            jasswolf on 10/05/2021 - 19:44

            +1

            @TrulyUnicorn: It doesn't have the vocal timbre of the 6XX, but it has better bass extension. Wider soundstage, but it achieves this a little artificially, with a perceived spike at 5 kHz.

            6XX remains a more enjoyable headphone than the 560S for music, and movies/casual gaming.