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Author Topic: AKG K812 Measurements  (Read 27435 times)

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ultrabike

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Re: AKG K812 Measurements
« Reply #50 on: March 09, 2014, 08:29:15 AM »
So here is my take on 'em:

Sound

I really like the bass these phones produce. I feel the low notes got more presence and overall better than my HD600s. The midrange was good. No obvious wonky stuff. The problem area for me is the upper mids and lower treble. It can be fairly glaring indeed. A quickie youboob Alizee track sort of brought that up to me:



On the HD600 it's not too bad. On the AKG812 it can be a little painful. Tamborine recordings are perhaps best avoided when rocking with these cans. Other than that I liked what I heard. Wojciech Kilar's "Love Song For A Vampire" (and many others) was plenty nice w the AKGs.

Comfort

The metalish frame maybe a bit heavier than most other stuff I got here and there, but not too bad.

Presentation

They look really nice.

Price

Price sucks.

Overall

Fixing the high mids and lower treble issue would yield a Not sh1t thumbs up... but the price would still suck.

Measurements

Frequency Response



CSD Right



CSD Left



Distortion Right



Distortion Left



Not certain, but from the results above perhaps the reason for the perceived upper mids and lower treble problem is the non-linear distortion in that region peaking at around 3.5 kHz.
« Last Edit: March 12, 2014, 08:24:52 AM by ultrabike »
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ultrabike

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Re: AKG K812 Measurements
« Reply #51 on: March 09, 2014, 08:34:51 AM »
Comparo with HD600 (yellow)



Comparo with AKG702 (blue)

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mechgamer123

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Re: AKG K812 Measurements
« Reply #52 on: March 09, 2014, 08:48:52 AM »
Is it me or is the HD600 flatter in the treble? :o
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ultrabike

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Re: AKG K812 Measurements
« Reply #53 on: March 09, 2014, 09:02:30 AM »
Yeah, the AKG812 seems a bit of a bumpy ride there. But subjectively, to me the problem was with certain instruments (like the tamborine) mostly. Vocals where IMO pretty good.
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MuppetFace

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Re: AKG K812 Measurements
« Reply #54 on: March 09, 2014, 09:40:19 AM »
I'm going to offer a counter-perspective once again.

I just don't get pissed off when I see the K812 in relation to everything else on the market. It's a headphone, I really like the way it sounds, and beyond the initial crack issue (WTF?) I haven't had any buyer's regret. I'm actually with Don in thinking the K812 is one of the best stock dynamics I've heard.

Before people throw the K812 under a bus completely, I think it's worth it to see how mods might even out the treble for some people. I've been talking to Don, and he thinks it's most certainly a possibility, and I might get a second K812 just to see what he can do compared to the stock version.

Also the headphone stand is nice. This isn't a Mr Speakers throw-away stand. It's an Omega stand that cleverly (to my mind) replaces the foam / cardboard pack-in space and helps support the headphones during transit. Most flagships --- far more expensive and IMO crappier ones --- would just leave the foam and cardboard there. Now you get something functional that actually works. I've used the stand and appreciate it being there.
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ultrabike

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Re: AKG K812 Measurements
« Reply #55 on: March 09, 2014, 09:54:25 AM »
The presentation of the K812 is flawless IMO. The stand is really nice too.

As far as sound quality (stock), it isn't perfect, but I agree it does some things very well. The bass is one of the best I heard from an open dynamic. Later I took a look at their website, and it seems they use a relatively large 53mm diaphragm. Dunno, perhaps this brings sonic trade offs.
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MuppetFace

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Re: AKG K812 Measurements
« Reply #56 on: March 09, 2014, 10:53:43 AM »
Quote from: ultrabike on March 09, 2014, 09:54:25 AM
The presentation of the K812 is flawless IMO. The stand is really nice too.

As far as sound quality (stock), it isn't perfect, but I agree it does some things very well. The bass is one of the best I heard from an open dynamic. Later I took a look at their website, and it seems they use a relatively large 53mm diaphragm. Dunno, perhaps this brings sonic trade offs.

I took a listen to the playlist you posted, and I'm not hearing anything too problematic with my K812. For instance tambourines sound fine. Or rather, they sound like they do IRL to me. The biggest issue to my ears is the sibilance on her voice from time to time, but nothing beyond what I'd expect. Maybe you can take a listen through my K812s yourself and check if you hear any improvement.

I'm starting to think this pair has a bit more midbass than my last pair, but that could be my imagination from all this talk of product variation. Once you're convinced differences exist, you start to hear things.

If you have access to Marv's Sony X Walkman, maybe try your set on it? I think a lot of headphones these days are actually voiced to sound better WITHOUT high-end amplification. Sounds crazy I know, but eh.
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Thujone

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Re: AKG K812 Measurements
« Reply #57 on: March 09, 2014, 03:23:41 PM »
MF, why don't you send your pair in for measurements? It would certainly solve the product variance question (unless your serial is very close to this one).
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Maxvla

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Re: AKG K812 Measurements
« Reply #58 on: March 09, 2014, 05:22:22 PM »
Ultrabike's measurements sure look a ton better than Tyll's and Marv's. Especially the distortion.
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TMRaven

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Re: AKG K812 Measurements
« Reply #59 on: March 09, 2014, 06:16:05 PM »
Yea it looks sorta ruler flat on Ultrabike's.  I wouldn't have guessed it'd have treble problems at all with those measurements.  But also with the same measurements I'd be inclined to get an HD600 at 300-400usd over the AKG as well.


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