AKG K371 Review (closed back headphone)

[MKreroo]

Such a difficult one this is, the measurement certainly is attractive but the QC is quite a concern

 

[ROOSKIE]

I have the K553 mII. They use the same drivers, tuned differently. They are a bit rough sounding compared with what I consider "ultra smooth", but depending on mood and content I like them.
I wonder how they compare with these? My understanding is that the K371 is replacement for the K553 (but I still see the 553 for sale often and often on sale as well for $89/$99. Maybe Harman just has a huge back stock to sell through?)
Anyway. Is there a K553 in the mix for review?

 

[restorer-john]

6.3 plug wedged between the earpads and rig.

I would have never thought to try jamming the 1/4" adapter between the pads and my head to flatten out my bass humps. I guess I'll need two, one for each ear.

 

[solderdude]

It's just a way to get a similar 'standard' amount of seal breakage.

Some do carry a pencil on their ears and when they forget to take it off they may get a similar seal (or worse as it sticks out in the back too)

 

[markanini]

from Sean Olive:

from Oratory1990:

from headphonetestlab:

 

[pavuol]

AKG - founded in Austria, now a part of Harman International Industries (USA), a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics (Korea). Manufactured in China (this model). Nice globalization demonstration..

Ranked quite high at Rtings as well, though with complaints about fit::
"Unfortunately, they have a very unstable fit, and will likely fall of your ears with even a fairly small amount of head movement."
"...very unstable fit that is quite prone to inconsistencies among different reseats on your head."
What is also interesting, they positioned them just below Sony MDR-7506..

 

[KTN46]

The build quality really kills this for me... I yearn for these, but with Beyer build quality.

 

[Phorize]

Here you go: https://www.akg.com/root/N90Q+LE.html

At 299 that’s a tempting impulse buy. Should I?!

 

[samwell7]

Great review @amirm!
The K371s are pretty great as far as neutrality goes (I'd dare say they get called boring a lot because of their 'politeness').

I've tried Oratory1990s EQ for the Harman target and the differences are pretty minor; interesting that you found the sub bass to be a bit much.
From reading reviews before I got these I was worried I was going to get bloated, overdone bass but I've found the bass to be very well behaved, it's there when called but doesn't really impede on the mids and isn't always trying to 'leave it's mark' like I've found with some other 'studio oriented' headphones.

QC issues aside I think it's great that for ~200AUD I'm now able to purchase a headphone with such a neutral signature, 5-10 years ago the cheapest headphone I could find with a similar signature was over 500AUD (Sony MDR-7520).

 

[192kbps]

太棒了，我有一个K371，我要说这是371最好的EQ。

 

[Jimbob54]

Thank you for the review. I have no comfort issues with these. These are the first 'phones I've got that I can use with the low powered Fiio M3K DAP with plenty of bass and no limit on volume.

Do the pads fully encompass your ears or do the back walls rest on the rear of your ear structure? That's my issue with oval enclosures.

 

[3125b]

couple of Youtube reviewer say that AKG K361 is better then AKG K371...

I've heard both and bought the K371.
The 361 sounds a bit "dead" if you will, not a surprise seeing the fr measurements.

As far as build quality is concerned, I can't complain, they are holding up fine. Probably won't last forever and aren't really repairable, but for 106€ it's not too bad.
Comfort is decent for me, they sit reasonably stable too.

There are a few things to complain about though. Passive noise isolation is just bad for a closed back headphone and the cable is fairly microphonic. The ear cups are not that large and might not fit everyone.

As far as sound (subjective overall rating with and without EQ, incl. imaging) is concerned, comparing them to similarly priced closed back headphones, I'd rank them above the KRK KNS 8400 and above the Beyerdynamic Custom Studio but below the surprisingly good Sennheiser HD 569.

 

[Slapo]

I bought the K371 for portable use shortly after they became available on Amazon UK for the first time, before anyone reviewed or measured them.I returned them a few days later. They were really sibilant for me, and the only way to fix that was EQ (which I couldn't on the phone at the time, Amazon Music didn't have a usable one amd Viper didn't work on that Android version) or to move the cups as far back as I could, which killed the treble. I did use EQ on the desktop to get them to sound alright (just bringing 5k down by 5-7dB to reduce sibilance), but I also didn't care for the build, so back they went.
Funnily enough, the K275, which some reviewers buried, sound smoother, a little more detailed with hardly any sibilance to me and their build is much better. I did, however, have to swap pads on them for ones very similar to the stock pads, but more malleable, so I could actually fit them aroumd my ears.

 

[pavuol]

50 mm titanium-coated drivers (available at ebay, aliexpress..) /edited for @SpaceMonkey

 

[nhatlam96]

Did not like them much, despite being a fan of harman target and autoEQ.
Detail and resolution was lacking. I recommend autoEQ DT770 or Starfield at this price bracket.

 

[Grotti]

Regarding the price, there are no more excuses: I ordered them .

Thank you for your effort, Amir!

 

[Thomas_A]

I have measured it pretty much the same and can 'confirm' Amir's measurements and findings.

View attachment 107884

The kink one sees at 100Hz (most obvious in the GD) is caused by the pads. It loves to absorb and release 'energy' at that frequency. Most pads do b.t.w. it is not a driver thing. When changing pads on headphone I often see it shift higher or lower.

CSD shows the 5kHz part to be a resonance.
For those that want to address the small treble peak passively:

It is a good sounding headphone. Too bad about the mechanical issues and comfort of the pads as well as the microphonic cable. Otherwise I would have kept it.

The measurements agree with my own listening impressions. A bit thick bass. The modified DT-150 is the perfect balance for my ears.

 

[solderdude]

For those who don't know the crude looking DT150 (fitted with Velour DT100 pads)

DT150 with DT100 pads:

A real workhorse that can take an enormous beating.
I found the treble quality is not very refined.
Yes... still sold new for €129.- + €16.- for the pads for those wondering.

 

[Feelas]

Such a difficult one this is, the measurement certainly is attractive but the QC is quite a concern

The QC is not a problem that much (it used to be I guess), but the pads are atrocious, with the creaking, moving memory foam underneath. Hopefully there'll be some replacements in the future...

I wonder whether AKG plans to cut off the K371s (making a new model with some corrections), leaving numerous people without replacement parts, or will these be continued...

 

[Robin L]

Do the pads fully encompass your ears or do the back walls rest on the rear of your ear structure? That's my issue with oval enclosures.

K371s don't have this issue for me. It's only fair to note that I've been wearing headphones regularly since I was 15, have worn much more uncomfortable designs. I've got AKG's K167 headphones in a box where they are probably going to stay. Those headphones had major QC issues. The plastic used breaks easily and the big pads are too soft, so the hard plastic inside the earpieces would be pushing against my ears. I took the pads from my Sennheiser Urbanite XL headphones, replaced the stock pads on the K167 headphones. Those pads are deeper and stiffer. I haven't had issues with the earpads of the K371s, seems like the plastic of these headphones is more durable than the K167 'phones, sound is better with the K371s as well. The K167 headphones have a broad lift centered around 2.5k, similar to the Sony V-6, less bass than the K371 though that bass does go similarly deep. The headband adjustment mechanism of my K371 pair doesn't have any problems though there might be sample to sample issues. The K371 pair I bought was already returned by someone else [I bought my pair used from B + H for a discount] so someone else would have more issues with these headphones than I do. I'm happy with my pair right now, the fact that they are so sensitive and don't require eq for bass a decided plus.