AKG K371 Review (closed back headphone)

[phoenixsong]

I agree with almost everything that has been said here about the SQ and the Build Quality of these headphones.

So, I happened to have experienced an early 2020 batch piece of this headphone, and now have a 11/2023 batch piece.

What happened was I had ordered one off Amazon in June 2023 at a great price. The SQ was just like most of you over here say and, unfortunately, the Build Quality issues most of you experience, too were evident.

In fact, my experience was worse than some of the others.

Within the first few hours, the faux leather of the headband start peeling off badly. And within 3 weeks, the headband straight up snapped broke above the right ear cup.
When I checked the box, I realised that this was an early 2020 model and must have been lying with the Amazon reseller all through these years.

Harman, where I live, agreed to honour the warranty. Initially, I thought they will replace the headband and give my HP back, but they just kept delaying the delivery till last week. It was very frustrating - a seven month wait! - but finally they gave me a fresh piece. I insisted on an inspection, especially considering that the headband snapping issue in some 2020 batches were all over the forums and reddit.

So, what did I find? A noticeable bump in the 2023 batch piece, too, on the headband right around where my 2020 piece had snapped

The service centre folks were also surprised and took a photograph for their records, should the same problem arise again. But they were quite firm that the warranty period will not be extended and will apply only till one year from my June 2023 purchase, which is just about five months from now. Fingers crossed.

Now, to the differences I noticed between the 2020 and 2023 HPs:
2020:
1. Headband faux leather started peeling off immediately upon unboxing.
2. Headband snapped within three weeks of careful/gentle use.
3. XLR cable rubs against shirt, and snags if there are collars involved.
4. Seating was always hit and miss. Was never able to get it right in first attempt.
5. The drivers used to press against the ear.

2023:
1. No peeling after a week's use.
2. Headband has a kind of bump where the 2020 ones used to break.
3. XLR cable still has same problem.
4. Ear cup and seating has clearly been improved. Now, it is more or less the right seating on first attempt.
5. This is probably the biggest improvement - the drivers do not touch my ear. I think they have considerably increased the cup recess size.

In general, the ear cushion is slightly more rigid than the 2020 version. So, AKG does seem to have worked on improving the Build Quality.

Now, the wait goes on to see if the headband does have proper integrity. I hope it doesn't fail again. Or, if it breaks, it does so before the warranty ends in June.

Will drop updates here if anything changes.

Curious to know if there will be any frequency response changes given the changes in driver positioning relative to the ear

 

[bevok]

Yes it would be interesting, I’ve had them for quite a few months and was surprised by the comments about build and fit, almost waiting for mine to disintegrate! Hopefully I have the new build. Where was the break point in the headband? The cable issue is a pain, I managed to find a third party cable but same issue, must be more about the angle. They do sound fantastic to me though.

 

[MayaTlab]

So, I happened to have experienced an early 2020 batch piece of this headphone, and now have a 11/2023 batch piece.

Did the more recent one come with the pads protected in a clear plastic cover, and the older one not ?

Most of the older ones' pads that I received were like this out of the box :

The ones that came with a plastic cover held better during transport at the least and looked like this :

For me they still resulted in a poor fit but hopefully not for most people.

 

[k-pad]

Curious to know if there will be any frequency response changes given the changes in driver positioning relative to the ear

Great question!
I just assumed they would have worked on it to maintain the house curve, while making the physical improvements.
Would be great to see some measurements of the new batches.

 

[k-pad]

Yes it would be interesting, I’ve had them for quite a few months and was surprised by the comments about build and fit, almost waiting for mine to disintegrate! Hopefully I have the new build. Where was the break point in the headband? The cable issue is a pain, I managed to find a third party cable but same issue, must be more about the angle. They do sound fantastic to me though.

The break on the 2020 piece was on the other side of just above where it says R for the right ear.
the 11/2023 has a discernable ridge right there.

 

[k-pad]

Did the more recent one come with the pads protected in a clear plastic cover, and the older one not ?

No. I remember plastic covers in the old ones also. And the new ones had them, too.

Most of the older ones' pads that I received were like this out of the box :
View attachment 347793

But despite being having the plastic cup covers, my old ones looked exactly like the above pic.
They felt squishy too, like they were too soft and had no rigidity at all. That could have also had a role to play in the driver pressing up against the ears.

The ones that came with a plastic cover held better during transport at the least and looked like this :
View attachment 347794

The 2023 ones look exactly like the above picture.
And both your photos are great. They actually show the difference in materials used, and how it has changed the structure of the cups.

 

[MayaTlab]

Great question!
I just assumed they would have worked on it to maintain the house curve, while making the physical improvements.
Would be great to see some measurements of the new batches.

I think so too, but K371 measurements have always been all over the place from the get go anyway. I am not certain we'd find a clear cut difference or be capable of determining if HPTF variation has been reduced for the latter samples without making a direct comparison.

No. I remember plastic covers in the old ones also. And the new ones had them, too.

Huh that's interesting. So I received a dozen or so of the earlier ones, soon after launch, for the company I worked at at the time (no plastic covers). The pads were all in a deplorable state. The one(s) I purchased for my own use came quite a bit later, so perhaps the plastic cover / pads change did not occur at the same time ? Also, the later one I purchased did not have a ridge near the hinge. Maybe I should try a more current sample then.

 

[Robin L]

Other than the hinge on the right earpiece - fixed that with heavy duty electrical tape - I've had no problems with my 371s. I have to say, as even in frequency response they might be, they sound a bit leaden to these ears. The Drop 6XXX 'phones are a bit more transparent, but lack bass in comparison.

 

[Phorize]

Other than the hinge on the right earpiece - fixed that with heavy duty electrical tape - I've had no problems with my 371s. I have to say, as even in frequency response they might be, they sound a bit leaden to these ears. The Drop 6XXX 'phones are a bit more transparent, but lack bass in comparison.

I bought mine about 5 minutes after Amir reviewed them and they are still in A1 condition. In.wonder if their reputation is representative of.the actual number of broken units, after all, who goes online to say 'they.were fine'.

 

[Robin L]

I bought mine about 5 minutes after Amir reviewed them and they.are still on A1 condition. In.wonder if the reputation is representative of.the actual number of broken units, after all, who goes online to say 'they.were fine'.

I think it's safe to say they were designed to a certain cost and should be handled with care. The Sennheisers, by and large, take potential abuse into consideration more. They would be harder to break if tossed around. The most durable 'phones I own are the Philips X2HRs, pity they don't sound better.

 

[MCH]

No excuse, the comparison with the Sennheiser is spot on. The k371 are sold as pro gear and the after sale service is also exclusively through pro distributors (at least here in Europe) and the build is like for very careful users only. Mine have all the faux leather peeled off.

 

[LTig]

I bought mine about 5 minutes after Amir reviewed them and they are still in A1 condition. In.wonder if their reputation is representative of.the actual number of broken units, after all, who goes online to say 'they.were fine'.

Same here; I bought K371bt shortly after @amirm reviewed them and they still look like new. Headband not broken yet, but I'm very careful not to bend them too much and my head is rather narrow.

 

[zonk]

I bought mine on September 2021 and absolutely no problems so far.

But there is one thing that is really annoying. AKG don't offer replacement earpads for certain models.

 

[staticV3]

But there is one thing that is really annoying. AKG don't offer replacement earpads for certain models.

AKG's lack of replacement parts for their professional headphones is a real head-scratcher, and a significant step down from Sennheiser and Beyerdynamic IMO.

FWIW, I found two shops where you can buy OEM replacement pads for the K361/K371:
https://www.musiikkikauppa.com/product/55588/akg-5125515-00-korvatyyny-k361k371-kuulokkeille
https://www.soundhouse.co.jp/en/products/detail/item/291605/

You may also be able to get them through AKG's customer support.
The part number is 5125515-00

 

[MCH]

You may also be able to get them through AKG's customer support.
The part number is 5125515-00

A pair of pads from their distributor for professional products in Belgium (the one they refer you to when you ask customer support) costs 52.86 euros after fees, shipping etc. A bit less if you live in Belgium.

Post in thread 'Replacement pads for AKG k371' https://audiosciencereview.com/foru...lacement-pads-for-akg-k371.31333/post-1714765

 

[MCH]

FWIW, I found two shops where you can buy OEM replacement pads for the K361/K371:
https://www.musiikkikauppa.com/product/55588/akg-5125515-00-korvatyyny-k361k371-kuulokkeille
[URL

This other shop has them out of stock now, but if I understood correctly last time I checked they don't ship abroad

 

[Joe Smith]

I just bought replacement cheap JESSVIT brand from Amazon to try on my K361s, about four years old now, as I noticed the faux leather earpads were beginning to have some small cracks. They were $10.69 US and fit fine, albeit a little tricky to get on. The memory foam is maybe just a touch less soft/pliable than the originals, but feel perfectly fine on head and I don't notice any sound quality issues/differences. Glad these are available and work OK, it is stupid of AKG not to offer replacements.

Jessvit Products on Amazon

 

[Robbo99999]

Not been following this thread recently, but interesting to see all the reliability problems reported along with the slight changes that AKG have made to the headphone since it's initial launch. It's all valuable information to have for prospective buyers that you just don't get once a headphone first comes out. I suppose it's positive that AKG have made some changes to improve the headphone, but if the changes have any sonic influences then that's frustrating - Sennheiser have done this too with the HD560s for instance: increased the softness of the pads and made some significant sonic changes that happen to be positive from a stock listening perspective, but frustrating for those that like to apply EQ using measurements found on the internet (eg from Oratory); luckily I measured the difference between Old Version & New Version HD560s so that users can convert existing EQ's but it's still annoying to have the sonics of a headphone changed through it's production cycles, even if it is for an improvement when listened to at stock.

 

[शनि]

Got them !
Tried them, got scared by their fidelity, so, not using them yet on a regular basis ...

 

[Mike.V]

Hello everyone.
I own the Akg k371 for a few weeks and I'm really impressed about the balanced sound. (I already own DT770pro, M40x, M50x).
I'm working with music so ''as flat as possible'' is always great.
Reading your review, i decided to give some eq to ''fix'' them a bit.
The problem is that when i boost 3.9 Khz (2-3db) i hear a weird resonance that really mess the sound. This not happen when i boost 5.8Khz (2db). The sound ''opens'' a little bit.
I found the bass ok , rich but not boosted, its just there. The sound is really balanced. Only this issue with 4Khz area is making me skeptical. I guess is my pair like this....