AKG K371 Review (closed back headphone)

[Zensō]

Great review, thanks. It looks good for the price, other than the build quality concerns. I guess for myself, the HD58X is a better overall choice at this price point.

 

[Justin Maynard]

@amirm Would you say that out of all headphones you have reviewed, the HD800S is the best (allowing for EQ of course) ?

 

[Helicopter]

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

I ordered a pair. Estimated shipping in July.

 

[martijn86]

"Alexa, play distortino."

 

[Labjr]

With enough EQ, every headphone will be perfect! Kind of like Bose 901 speakers.

 

[Feelas]

With enough EQ, every headphone will be perfect! Kind of like Bose 901 speakers.

Well, now let's just drop-in some anti-THD DSP and we'll be fine!

 

[Robin L]

Well, now let's just drop-in some anti-THD DSP and we'll be fine!

Let's sprinkle some fairy dust on these puppies:

 

[m8o]

For larger headed sized owners... does the head band extend enough so you're not on the 'last click'?

And is the ear cavity big enough to fit your ears inside? I worry this would be a 1/2 on, 1/2 over ear; which is really uncomfortable.

Else the price is low enough that I'm considering adding it to my stable simply as an experiment to confirm or correct my opinion of the target curve. Could be a good walk around / bus / subway headphone when I'm on the go.

 

[Robin L]

For larger headed sized owners... does the head band extend enough so you're not on the 'last click'?

And is the ear cavity big enough to fit your ears inside? I worry this would be a 1/2 on, 1/2 over ear; which is really uncomfortable.

Else the price is low enough that I'm considering adding it to my stable simply as an experiment to confirm or correct my opinion of the target curve. Could be a good walk around / bus / subway headphone when I'm on the go.

Good for walking around, but not so good for the bus/subway as bass is not attenuated with these cans. I guess my head is average sized, the headband is extended half-way. The ear cavity might not be big enough for people with really large ears, I've got no problem myself. The fact that they are exceptionally light works in their favor as regards comfort. The fact that they are unusually sensitive/require little power makes them a good choice for portable devices.

 

[Feelas]

Personally, I'd stray from using them while commuting; the isolation is really sub-par.

 

[Tks]

When I saw the subbass in the FR plot. I would have wagered my life thesr were going to have bass distortion through the roof. I couldnt believe my eyes when I saw how low the bass distortions are for a headphone this cheap with a boost of that kind and virtually no roll off.

All they need to do is possibly fix the realiability issues and that treble ordeal. And you basically have an end game headohone. Not bad at all for $150 tbh. I didnt have high thoughts for AKG. I hope this wasnt a fluke or measurement error.

 

[Feelas]

When I saw the subbass in the FR plot. I would have wagered my life thesr were going to have bass distortion through the roof. I couldnt believe my eyes when I saw how low the bass distortions are for a headphone this cheap with a boost of that kind and virtually no roll off.

All they need to do is possibly fix the realiability issues and that treble ordeal. And you basically have an end game headohone. Not bad at all for $150 tbh. I didnt have high thoughts for AKG. I hope this wasnt a fluke or measurement error.

This is reproducible on different fixtures.

The bass is especially interesting, when you consider just using a simple LP Shelf to broadly correct for the overboosted character, if one feel it being too heavy, and you're much closer to the "neutral" stuff of the same price segment. Very malleable when you overdo the bass, but don't distort it.

 

[Robin L]

This is reproducible on different fixtures.

The bass is especially interesting, when you consider just using a simple LP Shelf to broadly correct for the overboosted character, if one feel it being too heavy, and you're much closer to the "neutral" stuff of the same price segment. Very malleable when you overdo the bass, but don't distort it.

The effect reminds me of the Acoustic Research Model 3 speakers I used to own, eons ago. Bass goes down deep enough to reproduce 'room sound' that usually isn't audible.

 

[solderdude]

With enough EQ, every headphone will be perfect! Kind of like Bose 901 speakers.

The 901 sounded perfect ?

 

[MickeyBoy]

You are not kidding. Testing them side-by-side, I had to crank and crank my RME ADI-2 DAC to the same level as the K371.

Could an Android phone supply enough power to make a big noise?

 

[Phorize]

I ordered a pair. Estimated shipping in July.

i tried too, but harman us won’t ship outside of US or allow a third party shipping company

 

[Newman]

View attachment 107868


...I almost notched it down one step to avoid accusation of bias. But at the end, the truth is the truth. ....headphone tonality that matches what I dream about getting out of best speakers in the world.
.... my strong positive recommendation for AKG K371 is for sound only.

Ah, but is it for ALL OF THE SOUND?

Remember this? My question attracted scant discussion, and as far as I can tell, Dan Clark’s reply in the link I just gave is completely unchallenged. In which case, closed-back phones are a second-tier product for some important sonic qualities.

Think about that.

Perhaps, then, the above pink panther and “strong positive recommendation” is not “for sound only”, but is for tonality only.

cheers

 

[bobbooo]

i tried too, but harman us won’t ship outside of US or allow a third party shipping company

You could always use a shipping forwarder like MyUS.

 

[Feelas]

Ah, but is it for ALL OF THE SOUND?

Remember this? My question attracted scant discussion, and as far as I can tell, Dan Clark’s reply in the link I just gave is completely unchallenged. In which case, closed-back phones are a second-tier product for some important sonic qualities.

Think about that.

Perhaps, then, the above pink panther and “strong positive recommendation” is not “for sound only”, but is for tonality only.

cheers

You don't actually see many problems on GD graph, though. Dan meant it's harder to work on closed backs, and some problems cannot possibly be mitigated (e.g. the closed character), but I don't think he meant that closed-backs are inherently worse.

 

[Septentrio]

I got mine a year from Amazon ES for around €100. Insane value for money!

My only criticism is the stupid slider mechanism and the XLR plug that rubs against your shirt or jacket, which makes them unsuitable to use on the go.