AKG’s New Luxury Cans Represent A Huge Step Up In Excellent From Their Preceding Flagship Layout.

The role of headphones in song production is changing. it used to be that they had been really the domain of the stay room, decided on for their resilience, ease of service and affordability, with sonic purity playing 2d fiddle to amount and familiarity. their position on the opposite aspect of the glass has historically been limited to growing cue mixes, listening for edits, or checking for compatibility with the ever present apple earbuds. never generally handled as a serious monitoring solution, they do generally tend closer to a alternatively abnormal feel of attitude in assessment to loudspeakers, and most of the people, myself covered, could now not need to should depend on headphones alone when mixing.

But as the enterprise movements far from exceptionally distinctive, cause–built environments, as budgets dictate that a few, or all, of a project can be undertaken in smaller, non-public studios that lack the advantage of exemplary acoustics, we are starting to see a brand new, more substantial function for headphones. because even though those types of spaces are frequently prepared with fantastic nearfield monitors, the restrictions of rooms that have been in no way designed for acoustic perfection make accurate monitoring extremely tough to gain. that is especially authentic of the low–frequency end of the spectrum — you can’t set up effective low–frequency absorption in a small area; there isn’t sufficient room. similarly, there may additionally well now not be area, or indeed finances, for a set of large, full–range monitors in addition to the nearfields. so it’s in these kinds of situations that suitable–quality headphones are finding their area of interest as a way of obtaining a extra reliable experience of the crucial low–cease stability. as their fee as a production device will increase, so too does the finances we’re prepared to set apart for them, and in recent years products whose price previously set them squarely within the ‘hi–fi’ camp have observed their way into the world of recording.

This trend has no longer gone omitted by akg, who have advanced their today's pair of ‘no compromise’ open–subsidized reference headphones, the akg k812 superior reference headphones, particularly for audio experts. they will be marketed as a studio product, however they arrive with a hello–fi charge tag. so how do they compare, no longer simplest with their opposition in that charge bracket, but additionally with their extra lower priced siblings inside the akg catalogue?

We have the generation

AKG say that, “the k812 advanced reference headphones provide the most pure and herbal sound viable,” and that they allow song professionals to revel in the “smallest sonic details with the maximum correct stability for mixing and learning...” as usually in these conditions, there’s a few unique technology referred to to convince us of these claims. the headphones function an surprisingly massive (53mm) transducer, advanced from scratch by means of akg to make certain “highest–in–elegance headroom and dynamic variety”; a 1.5 tesla magnet system, presenting ‘pretty accurate imaging’; and an ultra–light-weight –layer voice coil giving us a “advanced impulse reaction and extended frequency variety” (quoted as 5hz to 54khz, despite the fact that there’s no indication of ways flat, or not, the frequency reaction is between the ones figures).

AKG K812

The k812’s arrive in a black, cloth–protected flip–top field, held closed by way of a gently magnetic front flap. they sit in a shaped foam recess, accompanied by their stand. a folded card field consists of the cable, a assurance record, and a product pamphlet.

The headphones themselves are honestly as a substitute fashionable. as you’d count on from akg, the immaculate powder–coated die–solid aluminium, flawlessly stitched edges of the headscarf, and combination of polished and brushed metal accents in the design deliver those headphones a clean, state-of-the-art, but understated look. they’re just like the internal of an audi. this is beautiful design for which akg need to be counseled, however it’s not all in favour of show. they feel light, and way to an superb mesh scarf assembly and a completely unique ‘3-D’ ear–cup layout, they’re extraordinarily comfy — far extra so than a number of their competition. they don’t pretty go with the flow on your head within the way that the sennheiser hd800’s do, however they have got a sense of sealing around your ears that those can’t fit. you feel like they’re firmly, but very lightly, taking preserve of your head and turning in the tune. the ear cups have simply the proper quantity of provide. they’re now not spongy however they don’t go away gaps in awkward locations, and there’s lots of room for your ears inner — i don’t love it whilst headphones pretend to be circumaural however then leave inadequate area within the cups, and there’s none of that right here. the headscarf is comfortable and without difficulty adjusted. they’re every bit as exceptional within the flesh because the glossy pics might have you consider.

The cable attaches to the left facet thru a lemo connector. a few humans decide on headphones to have separate branches of the cable for each side, but i don’t for my part have a sturdy opinion either manner. at least if it’s simply the left you instinctively recognize which way spherical they move when you select them up. it’s pretty difficult to locate the inform–tale ‘l’ and ‘r’ markings on these (it turns out they’re discretely printed on the internal of the headband adjustment plate) but due to this element of the design you don’t want neon markings an inch excessive to guide the way.

Excluding the lemo connector, the cable is fairly ordinary of what we’re used to with akg headphones. it’s skinny, 3 metres lengthy and terminates in a 1/8–inch stereo jack with a threaded outer rim, onto which screws the standard 1/4–inch jack adaptor. a hi–fi fanatic would likely take difficulty with the cable itself as being flimsy, however i’ll just say that i'm wondering what the gain of the 1/8–inch jack is on a headphone that’s designed for excessive–quit mixing and studying. the acquainted screw–on adaptor design is ideal enough and i’ve never personally determined the ones to fail, but it just seems a bit at odds with the ethos of the layout. those headphones take quite a lot of riding (extra on that later) and except, you’re possibly now not going to be strolling them off your iphone on the fitness center.

AKG funk of route, speak of one.5 tesla magnets and 53mm transducers is handiest of extended interest if you’re a keen headphone dressmaker. most people will be extra involved with the query of what this cash buys in phrases of sound. and the solution is quite loads — they’re without a doubt very delicate certainly. i was able to evaluate them directly to the less expensive k712 pro, in addition to a few high–stop fashions by other manufacturers. the k812’s are a full-size development at the preceding akg version. they're supremely special, open and unfastened from any type of confusion, compression or distortion. when faced with heavily over–compressed cutting-edge pop they have been capable to show those compromises virtually, as opposed to compounding the issues in the manner that many lesser headphones do.