K612 Pro

I was leery about buying these since I knew ahead of time that most are now made in China instead of Germany. I messaged the seller and he confirmed they would be the China version. I made the purchase anyway. These are made of plastic, sure. It did not detract from the sound quality one bit though. These K612's in my opinion are a must have headphone. Inexpensive for what you get and have superb sound quality. Big earcups, comfortable earpads, lightweight and wonderful sound. The only downside is that they don't have a detachable cable. If you are a gamer looking for a bad a$$ gaming headphone, look no further. A few things to keep in mind though. Make sure you have a good sound card. AKG are known for their mids and highs. If you want a little more warmth in your gaming, just make a couple slight EQ adjustments. I like bass, but don't consider myself a basshead by any means. So I have made a slight adjustment on my Sound Blaster Z's EQ and I must say, these put out some of the cleanest bass I've ever hear. They get very low and sound superb. The mids and highs, well, best I've heard. Crisp and clear. I play competitively and have been since the 90's (old school gamer here), these AKG k612's are almost like using a cheat in FPS gaming. The sound imaging these have will allow you to know exactly where the enemies are (by way of footsteps or any other sounds they make). I game with several people when playing competitively and am always the first person to hear footsteps and pinpoint where they are coming from. I highly recommend these for gaming. As far as music goes. Make sure your collection is in FLAC format or some other high quality lossless. MP3 doesn't cut it anymore. You hear all the imperfections of the compressed audio and it makes music sound terrible. If playing FLAC or something of the sort, your music will sound better than it ever has before. I listen to everything (except country) and these things perform astoundingly. (side note: I also bought a Schiit Magni to go along with these, as a friend on Head-Fi told me that they sound better with more power. My Sound Blaster Z has a 600ohm AMP. I DO double AMP these. I have volumes turned down in Windows and I have my Magni sitting around the 1 O'Clock postion. Swapping back and forth between the AMP and no AMP, I only notice a very slight difference, of course they will get louder, but the sound itself does have a slight change. The Magni is known for making sound "brighter" and it does, this is why I slightly adjust the EQ to offset this. But as far as sound quality goes, I do notice that with the Magni the overall sound gets a little cleaner. It may not justify the extra $100 to buy an AMP, I hear the Schiit Vali is better for the AKG line, but I feel this Magni makes enough difference to justify what I payed. Even if the difference is slight, it is there. The Amp is not necessary with a good Sound Card, but may be something to look into. I also have some Pioneer SE-A1000's coming in the mail, should be here by this weekend. I will compare them with these after I have them and will update this review.

Incredibly good cans for the money. With sweet sounding mids, crisp highs, and clear bass there aren't too many flaws with the overall sound quality. The one flaw I can think of is that the low bass rolls off a bit more than it should with the majority of the bass at a good level. They are also incredibly comfortable headphones with a self adjusting headband and large ear cups with velour pads. Pros: + Really clear and crisp sound + Expansive and well imaged sound stage + Sounds good with most if not all genres of music Cons: (minor) - Not incredibly bassy although the bass is quite good - Very large and don't come with case - Non-removable cable - Open back design allows sound both in and out making them not ideal for shared workspaces As a note, my pair of AKG K612PROs were made in China and I believe all new K612PROs will be made in China. Regardless, as I do not have an Austrian made pair I cannot compare build quality and sound quality between the two. I can say that the build and sound quality are still quite admirable for headphones under $200. Of other headphones I've heard and own I only like the sound of my Beyerdynamic DT880 Premiums more. I will also say that acoustic music in particular sounds spectacular on these heapdhones, more so than electronic music. As a last note these headphones can be used unamped but may require higher volumes as stated in some of the FAQs and other reviews due to somewhat high impedance (120 Ohm) and low efficiency. While not perfect comparisons I like the sound (maybe not overall) of these more than: Audio Technica ATH-M50 Sony MDR-7506 Grado SR80 VModa Crossfade LP (not LP2 I don't own those) Definitely some of the best headphones I've seen under $200. If you're looking for headphones on planes or in offices stay away from these, they're not for you. If however you're looking for great sound or you're looking for a nice pair of open back cans that aren't the Grado SR80s these are a great choice.

I got them used like new for about 120$, they sound more neutral than the Sennheiser HD6XX headphones (which I got for about 250$) and have much better stereo imaging, the only things worse about them in terms of sound quality is that they are slightly less detailed than the Sennheiser HD6XX. Regarding comfort, they squeeze and crush your head a lot right out the box and the earpads are stiff, but with use, they break in and are pretty comfy, although not as comfy as the Beyerdynamic DT880 Pro. (in case you're wondering, they sound worse than the AKG K612 pro at a similar asking price) Build quality is pretty mediocre but on par with the HD6XX except for the extremely long (3 meters or about 9 feet) soldered on cable, which I use twist ties to keep in check. TL;DR: Amazing sound quality for the price with mediocre build quality and high clamping force right out the box. I recommend putting books between these overnight to fix the clamping force without having to squeeze your head.

I was choosing a new pair of headphones and immediately ordered a dozen models. Including several from AKG, namely the K612, K712, K701 and K371. Let's start with the K371. Although they are the cheapest, they are a very decent device. They don't press on the head, and the soft ear cushions allow you to wear the headphones for a long time. The device stays on the head very securely, you can easily take it outside for a run, a bike ride or just a walk. The rather strange design raises some questions. It's unclear how fragile it is. Judging by many reviews here: very fragile. The headphones sound decent for their price, a little bassy. The K612, K712 and K701 headphones are of a completely different type: they are open-back and significantly larger, you can't take them outside, and there's no point. A detachable cable is only available on the K712, and that's a shame. I believe that absolutely all headphones more expensive than ~$100 should have a detachable cable. But there are detailed photo instructions on the Internet on how to add and solder a connector yourself. They all sit on the head perfectly, albeit with slight differences. The K712 is the "older brother" of the K612, so the ear cushions are slightly improved. They are a little thicker, softer and made of a different material (memory foam, it seems). So the K712 is a little more comfortable than the K612, but that doesn't mean that the K612 themselves are uncomfortable. There are practically no differences between the K612 and K701 in terms of comfort. Sound. Personally, I liked the K612 the most for its clean, "unbiased" sound. In them, you can focus on all the instruments or vocals, and none of them "stick out" too much. The K712 are generally considered a more bass-heavy version of the K612, but I only partially agree with this: there is a difference, but it's very small. At the same time, it seemed to me that the K712 lost some clarity and purity compared to the K612. The K701 are a completely different pair. They have very strong high frequencies, and the low frequencies are, on the contrary, weakened. While the K612 and K712 are easily suitable for simple and enjoyable music listening, the K701 might seem "boring" due to the unexpressive bass, but they are very detailed! You can hear all the nuances of the composition, and that's really cool. I also think they would be well suited for FPS games. Regarding reliability. Things are bad here. There are many bad reviews with photos of the K371 regarding the reliability of the construction. The K series headphones have known problems with the quality of soldering of the thin cables inside, which often leads to the sound disappearing in one of the headphones. I personally encountered a similar problem twice: the first pair of K701 I received had a non-working left earphone, and in the K712, during testing, the sound started to cut out. Also, in the K series, the black headband is held by four thin elastic threads, two on each side. They constantly pull the headband down, allowing people with different head shapes to wear the headphones comfortably. However, over time, these threads degrade and deteriorate, like office rubber bands, which means the headband will always be in the highest position, making it difficult for people with smaller heads to wear the headphones. One of the pairs I received had exactly these worn-out elastic bands, and I could only wear the headphones because my head is quite large. In the end, I returned all the AKG headphones and kept a pair from a completely different brand, but if it weren't for the build quality issues, I would have kept the K612 for home listening, I really liked them. Or the K371 for the gym and cycling trips. I hope this short review will help someone make a decision and find their favorite pair of headphones.

First of all, I'd like to thank the highly-recommended seller, Cyberstation Sound, for allowing me to test two versions of the AKG K612PRO: one that is Made in Austria (which I refer to as the original audiophile version) and one Made in China (the mass-market version). This is a subjective, user-experience impression (non-technical/non-scientific), and observations are based on detail-versus-detail. My reason for doing this comparison is to find out if there is a difference in terms of cost-to-value between two supposedly identical products. Furthermore, this is to answer the question, is it worth paying the MSRP of $279 versus the street price of $139, as offered by Cyberstation Sound? Product packaging. Both versions have a well-made box with Velcro closer, but the Austrian's is thinner but stiffer. The outer sleeve to keep the box extra secure is also thinner and stiffer with the Austrian; good as storage case, since the K612PRO does not come with one. The product itself. The build quality of the Austrian appears to be better. It is slightly heavier in weight, likely attributed to the real, though cheap-quality (cracks on the thin sides), self-adjusting leather headband. The Chinese uses pleather (plastic, leather-look), the texture of which is smoother and has that plastic smell. Both have thin vinyl liners on the head side. The outer headband appears to be comparable in quality. The Austrian's is metal (cold to the touch and has that metallic ring when tapped), while the Chinese seems to use plastic (not cold and flat-sounding when tapped). The aluminum-looking headband slider attachments are plastic on both. The Austrian uses metal locking knobs, while the Chinese uses plastic. Both use rubber loops. Cups. The silver grid covers are plastic on both, but the perforations on the Austrian are noticeably larger. The larger cup covers and rings are plastic on both, but the Austrian's black color is really dark brown against the black cushions, while the Chinese has gun-metal gray color. The black cushions are both over-the-ear in size, but the Austrian's surround the ears with seemingly more cavernous space as they enclose the ears without direct pressure on the ears, and they felt more firm against the side of the head despite the velour fabric. The Chinese-made felt more plush and thicker, lending to a more comfy feel with the velour fabric, though they press on the ears. Cables are the same thickness, but the Austrian feels stiffer and gives the impression of made for long-term durability. The Chinese feels softer, giving the impression of made for light-duty, short-term durability. The head fit. The Austrian has a more form-fitting feel over the curvature of the head, thanks to the real leather. The Chinese felt stiffer, as the plastic headband was made as such. In combination with the cushions, the Austrian is significantly preferable. Sound. The Austrian demonstrates more bass than the Chinese. The Chinese exerts crisper highs. The 101 dB SPL helps both versions to exert a loud delivery of sounds, allowing both to project an excellent, clearly-defined soundscape along the wide frequency response range of 12-39500 Hz. In fact, the highs are even better sounding than the 35 kHz generated by the Beyerdynamic DT990. The overall sound generated is not muddy or muffled. The clarity is "HD". And, as suggested by the seller, there is a break-in time of 100 hours to actually get the best sound out of these cans. Out-of-the-box, though, the sound is already notable. Verdict. Initial impressions point to the Austrian as a better deal over the Chinese-made for the price, if slight differences are important factors in the BUYING experience. I like the feel of real leather headband (better if AKG used belt-like cowhide), the real metal (titanium?) outer headband, and the confidence that the headband is held by real metal locking knobs. As far as listening experience, preference for more distinct lows will lean on the Austrian, for more mid and highs on the Chinese. For more bass, the Austrian would appeal more. But, it is the buyer's choice. Build quality is mediocre for both, as both use lots of plastic and cheap parts; this model is likely not as durable as any Beyerdynamic or Sennheiser in the same price range. Given the technology put into it, the MSRP of $279 is likely attributed to the brand name. A street price range of $90-$110 is more realistic for this entry-level pair of cans, in this buyer's opinion. Would I buy this model again? Sure, but for a price below $100 (compare this model with the $83 Audio Technica ATH-A500X, 5-30 kHz, which feels like a feather on your head for long hours of listening). Bottomline, this particular AKG model is a fun pair of cans to use for long periods of time, but buyer beware of the cost/benefit. There are several alternatives out there that can match or beat this model. Three stars overall for good sound balance and for potentially short-term durability (it will fall apart sooner than later mainly due to the heavy use of plastic and cheap materials).

I may or may not update this depending on how I feel when I get my refund as this experience has been quite a disappointment for me. I've always had high respect for AKG as a brand though I have never owned any of their products myself until this one. Let me tell you about my experience shall I? Upon receiving the package that contained both these AKG K612 Pros and my Antlion Modmic 4.0 through free shipping it was clear that not much was done in terms of making sure the packages were protected other than the box obviously and a measly line of airbags which btw did not even cover much of anything. Right away, I noticed a slight tear in the sleeve of the AKG box as well as slight moisture damage along the edge of the sleeve, but of course I didn't really care all that much, after all it was only paper. Then I continued to inspect the box and as I looked more and more, all I saw were small impressions, dimples, light scuffs, etc...AGAIN I dismissed it and figured it was only the outside of the box. As I opened the box all that really grabbed my attention was how much dust and stuff lined the inside panels and just the lack of good presentation because of that. So I finally get to the compartment where the headphones are and to my surprise, they're just sitting there completely exposed to the open with no bag of any sort to cover it or protect it. The only thing that had any protection were the cables and what bothered me even more was that the headphones aren't even held by anything to keep them in place. So AGAIN! I stood there and figured, "Ok well they're here let's at least try them." Ohh boy was I in for a big surprise and I don't mean the soundstage that they were suppose to present me oh no...I take them out and plug them into my Fiio Q1 DAC/AMP, start playing some music and what do you know! The left speaker doesn't produce any sound whatsoever...convinced that maybe the connection was bad I reconnected them and increased the volume to see it it would fix anything...NOPE. So then still determined I plug it directly into my desktop, my laptop, and my phone...ALL OF THEM had the same problem, the left speaker did not work. So basically I waited close to 7-8 days getting excited simply to get headphones that were defective and broken before I even had a chance to enjoy them. I honestly can't even comment or redeem this review with even a 2 star because I NEVER got to even truly use them. Not only that but, I had to walk 40mins in the rain to drop off my return at the UPS store after the short 5 mins I tried to use them. So in other words, I am EXTREMELY dissatisfied, unhappy and unsure of how to feel about AKG as a brand. This is why... I feel as though if I pay $20-40 then I suppose getting a defective product is not such a bad thing and maybe in some ways a little more acceptable to some degree, but....when you pay upwards of $100-200 on a pair of headphones especially from someone like AKG, you should have all the right to expect them to work without issue. Not only that, but I have all the right to be upset and picky about the poor job they call "packaging" for their headphones. I've spent $20 on Xiaomi Pistons that came with packaging 100x better than AKG did for these retail priced $200 "professional" grade headphones. I own 2 Shure headphones and both came with respectable packaging that were protective and well presented...hell even my Turtle Beach PX22 gaming headphones came with better packaging. Guess what? They all worked equally well without problem! Not only that, but all of them costed less than I spent on these even being at their lowest price of $128. I've taken packaging as a class and let me tell you, my professor would have failed me if it was my final project for that class. Seriously AKG, I know you know you can do MUCH better than that! As I mentioned before, if by the time I get my refund and I feel like giving these a chance again, then maybe I'll get them and redo this review with actual critiques and impressions of how they perform.

as mentioned in the title, i have wanted to own the K612 for years now found this deal where the seller was offering it for $80 USD + $10 shipping and added it to cart as soon as i could - this thing normally sells for around $200 USD so that was absolutely a steal it is more wide and open than i expected it to be, which i love. i use it whenever im playing immersive open-world games like red dead redemption 2 (which is currently the game i've been playing mainly, so it has been my main set of headphones until i move my focus to a different game), and i have tried it for lethal company and other games where positional audio is really helpful, and i was able to pinpoint exactly where sounds are coming from it has exactly the amount of bass i want (neutral or lower) so for me the bass quality gets a 5 star rating, but people with a more normal desired bass level (higher than neutral) the bass will likely not be enough good for listening to live recordings, orchestral music, or just any music in general that would benefit from a wide soundstage and good separation on top of all that, these are incredibly comfortable headphones - i can wear them for hours on end without any issues

5 stars for the sound quality alone, these are the best sounding cans I have ever had and it blew my mind to hear such an intense soundstage. Some things to consider, these are open-back so the sound is not well retained within the cans. You could set these down on your desk and use them as a speaker if you wanted to. Additionally, the cord is just a straight cord without the slinky style twists. The straight cord style is much easier to get twisted and over time break if you do not stay diligent about keeping the cord well positioned. My cord unfortunately got ruined and I replaced these with dt-770s which is not in the ballpark of sound quality or sound stage these bring.

Clear, accurate, analytical yet enjoyable. Very crisp, high fidelity. Only issue is a slight lack of bass response due to the open back designs. The bass is THERE, it's just a tad muted/quiet One con though is lack of removable cable.

Nach einer kleinen Kopfhörer-Odyssee bin ich mit diesem K612Pro nun am Ziel und sehr angetan von dessen Fähigkeiten auf den Gebieten Klangneutralität, Auflösung und Raumeindruck. Die Nennimpedanz von 120 Ohm hat sich sowohl am PC als auch (natürlich) am iBasso DX160 als völlig unproblematisch erwiesen, beide Zuspieler treiben reichlich genug Lautheit in die Ohren. Den K612Pro benutze ich vornehmlich am DX160 und habe die vorhandenen leichten Defizite in Bass- und insbesondere im Höhenfrequenzgang (Google hilft beim Finden eines Frequenzgangschriebs) mittels parametrischem Equalizer ausgeglichen. Der Kopfhörer reagiert sehr gutmütig und die Verbesserungen sind, je nach Genre, mehr oder weniger deutlich wahrnehmbar. Ich höre Quer-Beet, vornehmlich Klassik und Jazz aus unterschiedlichen Epochen, Rock und Pop eher am Rande. Mein Eindruck ist, der K612Pro "liebt" Live-Aufnahmen und bringt mäßig gemasterte Aufnahmen, egal ob Live oder Studio, auch nur mäßig zu Gehör - so soll es ja auch sein. Am iBasso DX160 lässt sich der parametrische Equalizer während des Abspielens an- und ausschalten und man kann so leicht überprüfen, ob die Sache etwas bringt. Ich für meinen Teil kann regelmäßig feststellen, dass die Wiedergabe _mit_ Equalizer differenzierter und tendenziell räumlich aufgelöster zu Gehör kommt als nativ. Ich liebe es! Der Bassbereich kommt allerdings nicht besser weg, der AKG offenbart hier seine größte Schwäche indem der Tiefbass zwar lauter, aber nicht knackiger gemacht werden kann. Während ich dies schreibe, höre ich "Blood Sweat and Tears in Concert" und bekomme das Gefühl vermittelt, in der dritten Reihe vor der Bühne zu stehen. David Clayton-Thomas steht oben vor mir, die Drums dahinter...ich denke, ihr wisst was ich meine. Tragekomfort: da gibt es nix zu meckern. Sanfter Druck von den Ohrpolstern, die meine relativ großen Ohren problemlos in sich aufnehmen und ein selbsteinstellendes Kopfband, das auch nach längerem Hören keinen unangenehmen Druck ausübt. Ich ordne den Tragekomfort auf gleicher Höhe wie den Philips Fidelio X3 ein. Kabelanschluß: das leider nicht vom Hörer trennbare Kabel ist ca 3m lang und sehr flexibel und schmiegsam und bereitet, anders als seinerzeit beim Fidelio X3, keine störenden Körperschall-Probleme. Ein Klinken-Adapter von 3.5 auf 6.3 mm ist im Lieferumfang (Kabelstandard ist 3.5 mm). Ich habe und nutze mehrere AKG (Harman/Samsung) Kopfhörer (N400NC, Y500, N700NCM2), allen gemein ist eine klangliche Abstimmung ohne nervige Merkmale, der K612Pro ist aber die erste Wahl für HiFi zuhause. Den K612Pro kann ich bedenkenlos allen empfehlen, die einen bequemen offenen Kopfhörer mit hoher Klangqualität zum kleinen Preis suchen. 5 Sterne ohne Vorbehalt! Bemerkung am Rande: den direkten Vergleich zwischen AKG K612Pro und Focal Clear kann ich nicht mehr ziehen, aber im Nachhinein bin ich sicher, dass der 10-fach teure Focal den Klang nicht 10-fach besser an mein Ohr zu bringen vermochte.

Se fossi stato un utente avventato e poco intelligente sicuramente davo una stella alla cuffia ma mi sono fatto una auto critica e ho capito che lo sbaglio è mio. Mi spiego, utilizzo la cuffia esclusivamente sul pc, dotato di una sound blaster z, prima avevo una AKG 240 Studio che ha 55 ohm di impedenza. Questa invece ha 120 ohm di impedenza, quello che è avvenuto è che la cuffia non suonava proprio il volume era molto basso e in pratica questa AKG 612 al massimo volume era come la 240 al 45 %, inaccettabile per me e l'ho restituita. Ma posso dire che la costruzione è divina, la cuffia è comodissima e bellissima, leggera e mai stancante. Il suono, per quello che ho potuto percepire, è di grande qualità e limpidezza. Chi le volesse prendere deve considerare il fatto che bisogna avere un amplificatore adeguato di un certo livello per poter sfruttare questa meravigliosa cuffia.

Neutral sound and not too hard to drive. Details and sound stage are OK. It doesn't clamp too hard on the head, and being an open-back headphone, it doesn't need a good seal to sound right. Suitable for a good variety of music genres and responds well to EQ.

密閉型は長時間使ってると疲れちゃうんで開放型が欲しくて購入。10時間くらい着けてても疲れませんでした。まあ開放型なので低音はあんまり出ないです。しかし中〜高音域は素晴らしい。買ってからずっと使ってます。