AKG K702 65th Anniversary Edition

The K702 "Annies" are basically the sonic precursor to the K712 Pros, which just rolled off the assembly line. Think of them as a Quincy Jones Q701 but with squishier ear pads, no head band bumps, softer, less sibilant highs, more mid bass, more intimate vocals, and a more musical body to the sound. Instruments don't quite float in the air like they do with the Q701, but to me, the less bright highs make them easier to listen to for longer periods of time, and surprisingly make them a bit easier to pick out nuances due to a less distracting bright treble.

The mid bass is definitely strong, though not as much as the K240 Studios/MKIIs. The Annies still have that fast (compared to dark Sennheisers) sound, musicality and natural mids and vocals which I love about AKGs. They are a little thicker sounding than the Q701s, but not veiled or overly thick and detached sounding in the vocals and mids as darker, bassy Sennheisers. They also don't have that obese, somewhat indistinguished bass that Senns have. Take note that they aren't very strong in the sub bass, or with synthesized bass. But they are great at reproducing powerful bass from drums, upright basses and bass guitars so they do a good job with more instrumental hip-hop like The Roots and Q-Tip. I am running them off a FiiO E09K desktop amp and E07K DAC, and they are not giving me any issues with sounding harsh, unlike the K240s which tore my ears apart with that setup from the treble sibilance.

For the price, they are great headphones that take a good middle ground between darker, laid back Sennheisers, and analytical, lean, but musical AKGs like the Q701 and K702. I am highly satisfied with my purchase, as the K702 Annies indulge the Euphonichead inside me. 

Compared to Q701:

(most of this has already been mentioned in other reviews)

• More forward sounding and upfront, except for upper mids (and most female vocals)
• Warmer and fuller sounding than Q701, but not by much. Sounds slightly more muffled and not as clear.
• Imaging seems better. I think my brain is just fooled due to flat pads and a warmer sound signature.
• Way less treble and upper mids took a nose drive.
• Sounds darker than MY HD-650. Weird.
• Soundstage seems much smaller and the sound is definitely less airy.
• The deal killer for me is that most female vocals often sound much more distant.
• Q701 sounds more balanced to me. So does my HD-650(!)
• More forward lower mids than the Q701.

• Less engaging for me with my music collection. Maybe i'm an upper mids and treble addict.
• Not that much more bass. A little more mid-bass, but that's about it. Any difference in low-bass is barely audible by my ears.
• I wish AKG could find a way to create that extra fullness but retain the Q701's upper mids.
• Sounds hard to believe, but SOME subtle background details are easier to spot on the Annie. I think due to the more forward sound and flat pads.
• Sounds almost more like a closed headphone.
• Sorry, but it's no HD-650 killer. HD-650 sounds better to me than the Annie, but not the Q701.
• Perfect for gaming.
• Seems to be louder at the same volume levels than the Q701.

NOTE: All depends on preferences. You'll prefer the K702, Q701 or K702 Anniversary. I think the Q701 sounds the best (for me).

I do use the Anniversary for gaming. I hate to admit it, but for music it generally bores me. I do like it more and more everyday, but i've used it since maybe April.

BTW if you want to save some money get a Q701 and some K702 65th Anniversary pads. Same thing.

Hopefully AKG doesn't charge a fortune for the K712 Pro. Hopefully it will show up on Amazon for around $350, but unlikely.