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Larger than Life! - AKG K712 Pro Review

Project A³by Project A³  in dynamic , iem review 300-500 3 comments
Sound Review by machinegod







CLICK HERE TO JOIN US now in Project A3's Official Telegram group for exclusive news and more.

TL;DR
Not Recommended if you like:
  • A neutral sound signature.
  • A laid back and relaxing sound signature.
  • A dark sound signature.
Recommended if you like:
  • An exciting and energetic sound signature.
  • Active and forward treble response.
  • Warm and lush mids.



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$.



ProsCons
  • An exceptionally wide soundstage, right up there among the widest staging headphones.
  • A dynamic, energetic and exciting sound signature that never gets dull.
  • Very clean drivers  with low THD+N means this headphone responds marvelously to EQ.
  • Some of the best stock pads on a headphone of this price bracket. 
  • Upper midrange has an awkward peak which might induce fatigue after some time.
  • Build quality is predominantly plastic, which is a let down at this price point.
  • Earcups are oversized, might cause seal issues for many people. 
  • Needs a considerably powerful amp to sound right and also is amp picky.



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

Boards Of CanadaTelephasic Workshop
Music is Math 

Joey Fehrenbach Underwander
OST The Handsome FamilyFar From Any Road

Hans Zimmer & Benjamin Wallfisch Flight to LAPD

Hans Zimmer Supermarine
Mountains

Mick GordonThe Phantoms
BFG Division
Jazz Dave Brubeck Quartet
Take Five


Curtis MayfieldMove 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 

Dire Straits Once Upon a Time in the West (Remastered)
Money For Nothing
Ride Across The River

Franz Ferdinand Right Action

Gentle GiantThe Boys In The Band

Judas PriestSinner
Diamonds and Rust

Queen It's a Kind of Magic
Another One Bites The Dust
Show Must Go On

Radiohead Burn The Witch
Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors
Idioteque

Meiko Zombie

Rolling Stones Rock and a Hard Place
Undercover Of the Night

Alan Parsons ProjectThe Voice
(System Of) Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether
Mammagamma
Alternative  Sigur Ros Brennistein
Olsen Olsen

Explosions In The Sky The Wilderness
Logic Of a Dream
Disintegration Anxiety

Yosi HorikawaLetter




 
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.



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.


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
  • Some of the deepest extending bass on an open back.
  • The bass is quite tight and clean. 
  • Wide sound stage enhances the presence and impact of bass.
Cons
  • Doesn't slam that hard, specially compared to most planars in this price range.
  • Rumble is felt to the desired extent only when subbass is EQ'd.
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.






Mids
Pros
  • The mids are forward and full bodied. They never sound thin or distant.
  • The lower mids are boosted which results in a warm midrange.
Cons
  • The upper midrange has an awkward peak which is a major con if the listener is sensitive to this region. The resulting sound has an added glare/shoutiness which will definitely induce fatigue after some time of listening. (Can be easily fixed with EQ)
  • Tracks with shouty upper mid range are un-listenable on this headphone.
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. 





Highs
Pros
  • The treble region is almost perfectly tuned. It is brighter than neutral but not to the point of being fatiguing. 
  • It is never sibilant in my extended period of testing, unless the recording itself is sibilant.
  • Treble energy is substantial and it will always make you feel it's presence.
  • The highs are very dynamic and energetic in this region, without being sharp.  
Cons
  • Songs that are already mastered bright/clinical will appear too bright/digital sounding.
Reference Tracks / Remarks:
Dire Straits- Money For Nothing
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
  • Some of the widest staging headphones out there. The music is almost always out of the head-space.
  • The wide soundstage leads to a very airy representation, allowing the instruments to breathe.
  • The stage is deep.
Cons
  • Soundstage depth is brought about only when using a very capable DAC and AMP. 
  • The imaging is not stretched given the wide soundstage and is very accurate throughout even to the extreme ends but noticeably a bit fuzzy when it comes to diagonally in front.
  • Some may find the wide soundstage a bit unnatural.
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.



Separation
Pros
  • Separation is incredible, thanks to the wide soundstage. Instruments and vocals have plenty of breathing space. The overall sound always sounds airy.
Cons
  • The layering of instruments are unconventional, which might put off some people. The instruments playing at higher frequencies are presented first. The vocals and rest of the instruments come in next in the soundstage. Micro details come in after that. Micro details although perfectly captured, aren't forced in the ears, needs a bit of searching.
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.


Musicality
Pros
    • The K712 Pro is immensely musical through most genres, making every song sound flavorful and just more exciting than it is.
Cons
  • The same level of musicality might become a bit too intense for some people looking to have a relaxing sound signature. Genres that are already eager sounding will sound too aggressive on the K712.
  • The flavorful sound translates to a sound that is not "neutral".
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. 




Vocal Performance
Pros
  • Male vocals have a lush warmth to them that sounds deeply enjoyable. 
  • Female vocals have a sweet angelic taste to them. 
  • Both male and female vocals are intimate and forward which leads to a more complete experience.
Cons
  • The lush warmth added to male vocals and the angelic nature of female vocals will sound unnatural to the neutral-heads.
Reference Tracks / Remarks:
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
  • String instruments sound immaculate with their sweet tonality and a slightly north of neutral timbre. Violins have the crispiness of the bow scratching the strings replicated realistically.
  • Pianos, Sax and acoustic guitars have prominent lasting overtones which make them sound just a bit more exciting and lively.
Cons
  • The tonality of snare drums are (just) slightly skewed towards the brighter end.
  • Badly mastered music with electric guitars and cymbal crashes are unforgiving.
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. 


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.






*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.



dynamic iem review 300-500
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3 comments:

  1. AnonymousApril 28, 2020 at 11:50 AM

    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.

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  2. machinegodMay 22, 2020 at 6:15 PM

    The Schiit Asgard 3, SMSL SP200 are great candidates.
    If 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).

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  3. Go LaguOctober 26, 2020 at 4:46 PM

    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

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Project A³ is a collection of individuals that are passionate and dedicated to consumer and enthusiast audiophile products. Originating from various countries and involved in different fields what they all have in common is an appreciation for listening to music in the best way possible.
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