Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Headphones (full-size) › Why Doesn't AKG Have a Top of the Line Headphone?
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Why Doesn't AKG Have a Top of the Line Headphone?

post #1 of 76
10/4/10 at 1:58am
Thread Starter 

I was wondering this today, i was thinking about how much praise AKG discontinued headphones get, K501, K601,K1000, even K240 Sextetts. And I thought ,"wait why would they discontinue their best?

 

When I used K701's I didn't like them unless it was with Bach or some other classical or orchestral(IE Various Philharmonics and/or Big Band Jazz). They weren't bad they were just not my style nor were they very good at what they did. I think my initial appeal to them was that they were not Thousands of Dollars, they seemed accessable and if I had gotten them then they would leave me room for a good DAC which is the wink point of my set up. But once I heard them I thought "I can get this  + a warmer sound( which I prefer) with a Sennheiser!"

 

When you talk about AKG's in the 60-70's they were huge, John Lennon used K240's as his personal set. They even got better through the years as well. So why not now? Have they just lost profits and not able for R&D?

Reply

Gear mentioned in this thread:

AKG K701 Studio Headphones
Powered by NexTag
post #2 of 76
10/4/10 at 7:11am

AKG is stupid - that's why.

Reply
post #3 of 76
10/4/10 at 10:49am

Perhaps because they have yet to realize there is a marked/demand for higher fidelity headphones.

Reply
post #4 of 76
10/4/10 at 10:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by krmathis View Post

Perhaps because they have yet to realize there is a marked/demand for higher fidelity headphones.


Higher fidelity, meaning "higher priced" for suckers who already have high fidelity but are too neurotic to realize it.

 

 

Did I say redundant? I meant REALLY redundant..
 

Reply
post #5 of 76
10/4/10 at 11:04am
AKG hasn't really done anything for nearly 20 years. I get the feeling the name is being milked without anything being reinvested in the company.

Really sad, since AKG used to be innovative and produced some of the best headphones.
Reply
post #6 of 76
10/4/10 at 11:08am

The main reason IMO is that they are more interested in making a headphone (Q701) cough, that focuses it's attention more to the mainstream, which adversely uses marketing to lure uneducated victims... Instead of trying to innovate something new, setting a new standard in what headphones are capable of producing in terms of sound. The sad reality is, they are going towards the green (literally lol) and stalling their progress as a reputable headphone manufacturer, which is turning off most of their true customers, real audiophiles, and that is the saddest part for me... 

Reply
post #7 of 76
10/4/10 at 11:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Uncle Erik View Post

AKG hasn't really done anything for nearly 20 years. I get the feeling the name is being milked without anything being reinvested in the company.

Really sad, since AKG used to be innovative and produced some of the best headphones.


Still do..


 

Quote:
Originally Posted by MikePio View Post

Instead of trying to innovate something new, setting a new standard in what headphones are capable of producing in terms of sound. The sad reality is, they are going towards the green (literally lol) and stalling their progress as a reputable headphone manufacturer, which is turning off most of their true customers, real audiophiles, and that is the saddest part for me... 



True customers own AKG's and most are probably happy with them. I don't think they care that certain other people need to have a new "flagship" every two weeks due to boredom.

Reply
post #8 of 76
10/4/10 at 11:23am

I really enjoy the K1000s and definitely prefer them over the K701s. 

 

Damn thing is making most headphones hard to listen to with their unnatural imaging and staging.


Edited by SP Wild - 10/4/10 at 11:25am
Reply
post #9 of 76
10/4/10 at 11:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by krmathis View Post

Perhaps because they have yet to realize there is a marked/demand for higher fidelity headphones.



I agree with you, but the problem is that even if high fidelity headphones market is growing, relatively it is and probably always will be much much smaller compared to the overall market, so from a pure business perspective the Q701 makes sense, just as the Dre and Gaga and all those headphones make sense.


Edited by Roger Strummer - 10/4/10 at 11:26am
Reply
post #10 of 76
10/4/10 at 11:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Beagle View Post




Still do..


 



True customers own AKG's and most are probably happy with them. I don't think they care that certain other people need to have a new "flagship" every two weeks due to boredom.


It's not about having a new "flagship" every two weeks, it's about competition between the big headphone manufacturers that push each other in terms of trying to produce the best headphone at a given time, if there is not competition, there is no advancement or development. Look at Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic, Ultrasone etc... they are competing and advancing their product, meanwhile AKG is frozen still, which may not hinder them now, but down the road it's going to come back and haunt them... 


Edited by MikePio - 10/4/10 at 11:29am
Reply
post #11 of 76
10/4/10 at 11:36am
Quote:
Originally Posted by MikePio View Post




It's not about having a new "flagship" every two weeks, it's about competition between the big headphone manufacturers that push each other in terms of trying to produce the best headphone at a given time, if there is not competition, there is no advancement or development. Look at Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic, Ultrasone etc... they are competing and advancing their product, meanwhile AKG is frozen still, which may not hinder them now, but down the road it's going to come back and haunt them... 


makes sense, though i wish the technological advancements were more affordable to the average audiophile

Reply
post #12 of 76
10/4/10 at 11:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by buffalowings View Post




makes sense, though i wish the technological advancements were more affordable to the average audiophile



The actual advancements probably cost very little in the grand scheme of things... The stuff should me MUCH more affordable, but it isn't.

 

It is the crazy inflation that costs us dearly, which lots of things play into. However, I have a hunch that if a large chunk of "audiophiles" weren't letting cable companies rob them blind (or should I say deaf wink.gif  ), the prices of headphones and speakers would be lower over all.

 

Prices are only going up, and people automatically associate them with better, when its usually just different or marginally better. So that is a big issue too.

 

Take the Sony SA5K. It is made almost entirely of lightweight magnesium, has 7n cabling which is expensive, and can retail for as low as 400$. Yet, the HD 800 are 1400 and made of plastic with a little bit of Alacantara? Something doesn't quite add up. I can tell you the driver is no where close to 1000$ more expensive.

 

AKG was bought out, could be they are just milking the brand dry like some suggest.

 

They could also still be scratching their head as to how the K70X turned out so poorly :P.

Reply
post #13 of 76
10/4/10 at 11:56am

I cannot agree, nor disagree with the OP here for I have not checked out the AKG headphone line up. The thing is that the reputation for the past headphones is so strong and the consumer headphones are still interesting for (future) consumers - so it seems - that there seems to be no need for an innovative headphone. That written does that mean the K701 and K702 are the new flagship headphones for now?

 

For now, I am used to the DF and I have nothing to complain about it. Maybe I will give a K701 or K702 a try sometime although I find the oldies more interesting, much more... 

Reply
post #14 of 76
10/4/10 at 11:58am
Quote:
Originally Posted by MikePio View Post

Look at Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic, Ultrasone etc... they are competing and advancing their product, meanwhile AKG is frozen still



What do you mean by "advancing"? They are certainly getting more expensive but whether or not they sound better is arguable.

Reply
post #15 of 76
10/4/10 at 11:59am
Quote:
Originally Posted by sokolov91 View Post





The actual advancements probably cost very little in the grand scheme of things... The stuff should me MUCH more affordable, but it isn't.

 

It is the crazy inflation that costs us dearly, which lots of things play into. However, I have a hunch that if a large chunk of "audiophiles" weren't letting cable companies rob them blind (or should I say deaf wink.gif  ), the prices of headphones and speakers would be lower over all.

 

Prices are only going up, and people automatically associate them with better, when its usually just different or marginally better. So that is a big issue too.

 

Take the Sony SA5K. It is made almost entirely of lightweight magnesium, has 7n cabling which is expensive, and can retail for as low as 400$. Yet, the HD 800 are 1400 and made of plastic with a little bit of Alacantara? Something doesn't quite add up. I can tell you the driver is no where close to 1000$ more expensive.

 

AKG was bought out, could be they are just milking the brand dry like some suggest.

 

They could also still be scratching their head as to how the K70X turned out so poorly :P.



also, does the technological advancements really enhance our listening experiance? I mean, their is a limit to human hearing...plus, grados are functioning off a largely unchanged design for over 15 years, and somehow, they're still competitive in this market, I mean come on! they resemble phones a WWII jadgpanther crewmen would wear, yet IMO, they can still stand toe to toe with the most advanced


Edited by buffalowings - 10/4/10 at 12:02pm
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Headphones (full-size)

Gear mentioned in this thread:

AKG K701 Studio Headphones
Powered by NexTag
Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Headphones (full-size) › Why Doesn't AKG Have a Top of the Line Headphone?