Is the AKG K612 the Etymotic of full sized open back headphones?

[blse59]

The frequency response of the two are remarkably similar:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/b4n2sjbhh1e6rnj/AKG K612.pdf?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/usuakku1vr07cig/Etymotic ER-4SR.pdf?dl=0

The Er4 is one of my favorites. Any thoughts on the K612? Is it the most neutral full sized headphone ever?

 

[solderdude]

Is it the most neutral full sized headphone ever?

Nope.

Consider the Er4 tonal balance is seal and insertion depth dependent. Chances are the tonal balance in your ear may differ from that of a specific measurement jig.

 

[blse59]

Nope.

So which headphone is the most neutral? And by neutral I mean where all of the frequencies are in proportion to one another with no one portion being more or less exaggerated than other portions.

 

[JohnYang1997]

In short no.
Ananda is probably the one you are looking for. flat and good. But it still doesn't sound like etymotic. You can go stax as well.
K612 is a bit sharp at 6khz and a bit too much around 2-3khz. Unlike er4 it's just less refined.
Hd600 is considered neutral for many people. To me it's too much at 3khz and hd650 is a bit dark in the top end.

 

[solderdude]

So which headphone is the most neutral? And by neutral I mean where all of the frequencies are in proportion to one another with no one portion being more or less exaggerated than other portions.

Probably neither. It also depends on which target response you aim for.
EQ is your friend here.
Whatever sounds good and realistic to you is also good.

 

[blse59]

In short no.
Ananda is probably the one you are looking for. flat and good. But it still doesn't sound like etymotic. You can go stax as well.
K612 is a bit sharp at 6khz and a bit too much around 2-3khz. Unlike er4 it's just less refined.
Hd600 is considered neutral for many people. To me it's too much at 3khz and hd650 is a bit dark in the top end.

I've had the Ananda on my radar for a while. This just might tip me towards pulling the trigger. I will look at it and do some more research. Thanks!

 

[blse59]

Probably neither. It also depends on which target response you aim for.
EQ is your friend here.
Whatever sounds good and realistic to you is also good.

I like flat like the diffuse field. Harman target has too much bass boost.

 

[solderdude]

In that case the K612 is fairly flat.
A little lean in the bass and some emphasis in 'clarity' because of the peak around 2.5kHz and treble is not too refined but not poor either.
I would say it is a decent headphone.
The K712 is probably the better AKG alternative when you want to remain in AKG territory.
The K712 has more comfy pads and the downsides (stridency and a bit too much clarity) is at a more correct level but also not the most neutral headphone either.