Sound Review by machinegod
TL;DR |
Not Recommended if you like: |
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Recommended if you like: |
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Introduction:
AKG, formed in 1947 has its strong dominance in the professional audio industry since decades. From a vast catalog of studio microphones and studio monitoring headphones, we are going to take a look at the revered K712 Pro which is second in line only to their flagship K- Series headphones, the K812.
The K712 Pro retails for 499$ and is frequently available for 350$.
The K712 Pro retails for 499$ and is frequently available for 350$.
Pros | Cons |
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Specification:
- Driver Type- Dynamic.
- Design- Over Ear.
- Earcup Style- Open Back.
- Frequency Response- 10 Hz to 39.8 kHz.
- Sensitivity- 105 dB.
- Impedance- 62 Ohms.
- Maximum Power Handling- 200 mW.
- Connector- 3 Pin XLR (unbalanced) to 3.5 mm with 1/4'' adapter.
Gear Used & Tracklist:
Denon DCM500AE as CD Transport | Schiit Modi 3 | Schiit Loki | Schiit Magni 3 | Aune X1S | iBasso DX160.Genres | Artist | Song |
Electronic | Brendon Moeller | Concentrate |
Lindsey Stirling | Artemis Underground Crytsallize |
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Boards Of Canada | Telephasic Workshop Music is Math |
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Joey Fehrenbach | Underwander | |
OST | The Handsome Family | Far From Any Road |
Hans Zimmer & Benjamin Wallfisch | Flight to LAPD | |
Hans Zimmer | Supermarine Mountains |
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Mick Gordon | The Phantoms BFG Division |
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Jazz | Dave Brubeck Quartet | Take Five |
Curtis Mayfield | Move On Up (Single Edit) | |
Richard Elliot | In The Groove | |
Macy Gray | First Time | |
The Persuasions | Ain't No Sunshine | |
Fourplay | Silverado | |
Rock | Genesis Eric Clapton (Unplugged) |
The Knife Firth of Fifth Old Love |
Eric Clapton & BB King | Marry You Three O'Clock Blues |
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Dire Straits | Once Upon a Time in the West (Remastered) Money For Nothing Ride Across The River |
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Franz Ferdinand | Right Action | |
Gentle Giant | The Boys In The Band | |
Judas Priest | Sinner Diamonds and Rust |
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Queen | It's a Kind of Magic Another One Bites The Dust Show Must Go On |
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Radiohead | Burn The Witch Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors Idioteque |
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Meiko | Zombie | |
Rolling Stones | Rock and a Hard Place Undercover Of the Night |
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Alan Parsons Project | The Voice (System Of) Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether Mammagamma |
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Alternative | Sigur Ros | Brennistein Olsen Olsen |
Explosions In The Sky | The Wilderness Logic Of a Dream Disintegration Anxiety |
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Yosi Horikawa | Letter |
Unboxing:
The headphones come in a black carboard box with a velcro lid. Inside which we find the headphones, a high quality black velvet carry pouch, two cables - a black coiled cable and an orange 3 m straight cables, both having the screw on capability for the included 1/4'' adapter.
The unit which we are reviewing today is the one made in Slovakia.
The unit which we are reviewing today is the one made in Slovakia.
Scalability:
Scalability for this headphone is very high. . On Magni 3 high gain, the knob needs to be kept at around 11-12 o' clock almost all the time. In quiet recordings, the knob needs to be turned all the way to 2 o' clock. The headphones have been tested on the Aune X1S Headphone Amplifier (on high gain) and iBasso DX160 DAP and neither of the two have enough power to drive it properly. When under powered, the K712 Pro sounds thin and harsh with almost non existent low end.
A considerably powerful desktop amp is absolutely necessary for the K712 Pro to drive it properly even though the sensitivity and impedance are not indicative of such power demands.
A considerably powerful desktop amp is absolutely necessary for the K712 Pro to drive it properly even though the sensitivity and impedance are not indicative of such power demands.
Fit:
The suspension headband has no issues and helps in distributing the weight evenly. The pads are massive in size and no part of the ear touches the sides of the pads. I suspect the same for everyone's ears. The pads are plush velour filled with memory foam, they do not cause hot spots or get sweaty for me and conform as expected. The gripe being that the pads are not as deep as I'd like. I have small ears and they always touch the insides. It does not touch the driver directly as it is damped. Thankfully AKG has the pads netted inside to make the experience just a bit more comfortable.
Sound Signature | |
Crisp and forward Highs, warm and lush mids and tight, deep Bass. | The overall sound is lively and dynamic with no part of the frequency spectrum left feeling recessed or distant. It also has good bass response, tight and clean. |
Lows | |
Pros |
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Cons |
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Reference Tracks / Remarks:
Hans Zimmer & Benjamin Wallfisch- Flight to LAPD
Radiohead- Pull/Pulk Revolving Doors
Queen- Another One Bites the Dust
The intro of Flight To LAPD sounds very satisfying on the K712 Pro with enough presence, in stock form. Most open back headphones sound thin and downright skip frequencies that low.
The deep rumble is brought out better when subbass is EQ'd. The stuffy and stabbing electronica in the background of Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors throughout are enveloping and have clean and strong attack. The bass notes in Another One Bites The Dust are absolutely clean and tight, tastefully done. Separation from the vocals is stupendous and yet it manages to be omnipresent.
Hans Zimmer & Benjamin Wallfisch- Flight to LAPD
Radiohead- Pull/Pulk Revolving Doors
Queen- Another One Bites the Dust
The intro of Flight To LAPD sounds very satisfying on the K712 Pro with enough presence, in stock form. Most open back headphones sound thin and downright skip frequencies that low.
The deep rumble is brought out better when subbass is EQ'd. The stuffy and stabbing electronica in the background of Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors throughout are enveloping and have clean and strong attack. The bass notes in Another One Bites The Dust are absolutely clean and tight, tastefully done. Separation from the vocals is stupendous and yet it manages to be omnipresent.
Mids | |
Pros |
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Cons |
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Reference Tracks / Remarks:
The Rolling Stones- Rock And a Hard Place
Listening to this song on this headphone is not a pleasant experience due to its shouty upper midrange. The guitars have a ear ringing glare which is deeply unpleasant after a minute.
The Rolling Stones- Rock And a Hard Place
Listening to this song on this headphone is not a pleasant experience due to its shouty upper midrange. The guitars have a ear ringing glare which is deeply unpleasant after a minute.
Highs | |
Pros |
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Cons |
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Reference Tracks / Remarks:
Money For Nothing having a "clinical" sounding master is not an ideal pair with this headphone. The experience sounds too digital, lacking life. I would describe the experience of listening to the Lindsey Stirling tracks as a system shock. The violin sounds lush, soulful and full of energy. Detail retrieval and texture in this region is very good. Its intimacy almost tricks the listener into being on the stage. The thumping bass cutting in from the background makes for a complete and beautiful experience.
Dire Straits- Money For Nothing
Lindsey Striling- Artemis/Crystallize/Underground
Lindsey Striling- Artemis/Crystallize/Underground
Money For Nothing having a "clinical" sounding master is not an ideal pair with this headphone. The experience sounds too digital, lacking life. I would describe the experience of listening to the Lindsey Stirling tracks as a system shock. The violin sounds lush, soulful and full of energy. Detail retrieval and texture in this region is very good. Its intimacy almost tricks the listener into being on the stage. The thumping bass cutting in from the background makes for a complete and beautiful experience.
Soundstage | |
Pros |
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Cons |
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Reference Tracks / Remarks:
Yosi Horikawa- Letter
Dire Straits- Ride Across The River
The writing on the board in Letter is accurate throughout but the fuzziness diagonally front is easily noticeable. The intro of Across The River depicts the depth in stage when the instruments are introduced in the mix at different distances from the listener. The Magni 3, although doing a good job, a higher quality amp will bring about the layering as more three dimensional.
Yosi Horikawa- Letter
Dire Straits- Ride Across The River
The writing on the board in Letter is accurate throughout but the fuzziness diagonally front is easily noticeable. The intro of Across The River depicts the depth in stage when the instruments are introduced in the mix at different distances from the listener. The Magni 3, although doing a good job, a higher quality amp will bring about the layering as more three dimensional.
Separation | |
Pros |
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Cons |
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Reference Tracks / Remarks:
Dire Straits- Once Upon A Time In The West
Eric Clapton & BB King- Three O'Clock Blues
All the instruments in the mix of Once Upon A Time In The West are laid bare left-right across the soundstage with crisp and well defined edges. The separation along the center image is reproduced clearly giving a vivid sense of space. The separation along the center image in Three O'Clock Blues is also made clear in this song at around the 2:50 mark. The cymbals crashing (very) slightly to the left and right alternately are heard clear with admirable well defined edges.
Eric Clapton & BB King- Three O'Clock Blues
All the instruments in the mix of Once Upon A Time In The West are laid bare left-right across the soundstage with crisp and well defined edges. The separation along the center image is reproduced clearly giving a vivid sense of space. The separation along the center image in Three O'Clock Blues is also made clear in this song at around the 2:50 mark. The cymbals crashing (very) slightly to the left and right alternately are heard clear with admirable well defined edges.
Musicality | |
Pros |
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Cons |
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Reference Tracks / Remarks:
Franz Ferdinand- Right Action
Eric Clapton & BB King- Marry You
The song Right Action comes out a bit too eager and "in your face" because of it's mastering. When heard through the K712, the experience can get a bit overwhelming sometimes. Snare hits sometimes sound aggressive and electric guitars too crunchy. The experience of hearing Marry You through the K712 is nothing short of majestic. It is lively, dynamic and feels like being in the front row seats. The snare hits and cymbal crashes never sound sibilant or sharp in any way. Eric Clapton and BB King are outlined clearly in the mix. The stage is wide and the "oomph" factor seems to be amplified.
Franz Ferdinand- Right Action
Eric Clapton & BB King- Marry You
The song Right Action comes out a bit too eager and "in your face" because of it's mastering. When heard through the K712, the experience can get a bit overwhelming sometimes. Snare hits sometimes sound aggressive and electric guitars too crunchy. The experience of hearing Marry You through the K712 is nothing short of majestic. It is lively, dynamic and feels like being in the front row seats. The snare hits and cymbal crashes never sound sibilant or sharp in any way. Eric Clapton and BB King are outlined clearly in the mix. The stage is wide and the "oomph" factor seems to be amplified.
Vocal Performance | |
Pros |
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Cons |
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Reference Tracks / Remarks:
The Persuasions- Ain't No Sunshine
Meiko- Zombie
The Persuasions- Ain't No Sunshine
Meiko- Zombie
Both great songs to test vocal performance, texture in the vocals are brought about immaculately, including the breath of the vocalists on the mic. The hoarseness, strain and breathlessness in the voices are lifelike and intimate. Absolutely no complaints.
Instrumental Performance | |
Pros |
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Cons |
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Reference Tracks / Remarks:
Richard Eliott- Jumping Off
Dave Brubeck Quartet- Take Five
Radiohead- Burn The Witch
Sax, Pianos, Violins, Hammond Organs have a soulful rendition full of life and body, sounding lush. They never appear to be distant with respect to vocals or the sax. Decay of snares and tom drums are not cut off in the track Take Five and are replicated accurately, giving a sense of realism and recording space.
Richard Eliott- Jumping Off
Dave Brubeck Quartet- Take Five
Radiohead- Burn The Witch
Sax, Pianos, Violins, Hammond Organs have a soulful rendition full of life and body, sounding lush. They never appear to be distant with respect to vocals or the sax. Decay of snares and tom drums are not cut off in the track Take Five and are replicated accurately, giving a sense of realism and recording space.
Conclusion:
The K712 Pro is a technically sound headphone. Its drivers are very capable, fast and clean.
The review has been conducted in stock form but all the sonic gripes can be fixed and even enhanced by EQ. The subbass can be cranked up and the upper midrange can be toned down and the headphone responds remarkably well, making the headphone near about perfect from an enjoyment standpoint.
People looking for a headphone that is fun and exciting to listen to should really shortlist the K712 Pro, provided they have a beefy and capable amp to drive these cans to their full potential.
The review has been conducted in stock form but all the sonic gripes can be fixed and even enhanced by EQ. The subbass can be cranked up and the upper midrange can be toned down and the headphone responds remarkably well, making the headphone near about perfect from an enjoyment standpoint.
People looking for a headphone that is fun and exciting to listen to should really shortlist the K712 Pro, provided they have a beefy and capable amp to drive these cans to their full potential.

*All ratings are accurate as of date of publication. Changes in price, newer models may affect Project A3's views on the performance and value of the reviewed product.
Excellent review. I myself own these cans, so I am able to fully relate to your review about its wide soundstage & separation. I needed your advise as to which portable DAC AMP combo should I buy that will do justice to them. Ideally, i would not want to stretch over 400$ for the amp.
ReplyDeleteThe Schiit Asgard 3, SMSL SP200 are great candidates.
ReplyDeleteIf you're looking for a DAC/AMP combo that had great synergy with this, I would recommend the Asgard 3+ Multibit DAC card (not Delta Sigma card).
Do you people have a facebook fan page? I looked for one on twitter but could not discover one, I would really like to become a fan! purchase some top-notch headphones
ReplyDelete