Vega Greywolf
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2011
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Hey there, all
Figured before I get to the review I'd do a small run-down on me, as this i my first review. I'm a 2 year headphone fanatic, having worked as a retailer and headphone go-to guy at my work. I've been using Head-fi to bolster my knowledge for most of that time, and seriously respect all the people who take thier love of music listening, and offer up some of the great reviews I've seen on here. Its helped me make some of the purchases I've made.
My current job also tends to drop headphones in my lap from time to time. I currently own Klipsch s2, Klipsch s4, akg k518's, Monster turbine coppers, and a set of skull candy titans as beaters for my in ears. As over ears go, I own a set of Sennheiser HD 428's, a set of Sony V6's, and a set of Denon ah-d350's. Other's have passed though my hands, but those are the one's that have stuck.
I wanted to, after reading so much around here, finally do a review of my own, on a set of headphones I recieved recently. There hadn't been a review on them yet, maybe because they were thought to be a rebuild of the K450s, but anyway. I've been in the market for a set of on ear portable 'phones for a few months now. For some reason, my in ears were starting to really give me pain, and I wanted something that sounded good, was comfortable, and was easy to pack up and move. I'd auditioned the Klipsch Image one's, the sennheiser px-100's, some sony's that passed though my store (zx 100's, I think. Wasn't impressed, even at the 17 dollar mark), and the b&w p5's.
The AKG's literally fell in my lap. We had a training on them at work recently, and I received a demo set to help me learn their signature and get a feel for them. We actually stock AKG on our shelves, and I was happy to give them a go after owning the K518's. I'll say this, I'm not only impressed, I'm pleasently suprised and blow away by what the Q's can do. This have quickly become my go to headphone of all the one's I own, and my real portable companions in terms of my listening.
Fit and Comfort:
When I first got them, I was slightly concerned over how they'd fit. The metal bands inside the head band were a little stiff in the beginning, and the cups were so small, even for a supra-aural headphone.
They completely won me over. The small cups actually let some air though, so I didn't experience any ear sweat, and they were nice and soft on my ears, not as clamp-happy as my 518's. They require some adjusting to finally get them situated on your head, but once they're there, they are light enough that you'll eventually forget you have them on.
All in all, very comfortable. 9 out of 10
Build Quality:
Ok, this was my first real issue with these guys. They are a predominately plastic phone, which is not always bad, but with as thing as the head band is, I'm glad they re-enforced it with the metal on top, and in the actual ear up arms. The joints that hold the cups, however, continue to pop and creak. They have some really nice articulation, which goes back to that comfort factor, but I'm scared I'm gonna bend the cup too hard some day, and snap one of them off. So far, so good, but the creaking bothers me.
They come with multiple removable cables, and the cables themselves are pretty tough. Not too think, not too thin, and not much in the way of microphonics, which is awesome. And the little locking piece where it attaches to the left ear cup is nice. I tend to use the shorter, non-ipod control cable, but that's just me. And while this is mostly just an asthetic thing, the fact that they made the little quincy jones symbol's on the side out of metal too was kinda odd. Like I said, and embellishement, but figure I'd note it.
All in all, seem tougher than some, but by no means rugged. 7 out of 10.
Sound Quality:
The money ball question: How do they sound? I was concerned going in, as I'd listened to a set of K450's at my work a few times, and had always walked way very underwhelmed, especially compared to the similarly priced Klipsch Image One's. I was afraid I was in for underwhelm round two, but I also was going in with a pre-concieved notion about AKG. I owned 518's, and i'd listened to the Q701's, a few of thier in-ear models, and the noise canceling 480's. Generally, nice and neutral, a leaning towards mid and upper mid range, with little bit of a roll off on the top end, and enough bass to get me though. In some ways, a good, even rock headphone, and that's usually how I sold it to my customers.
On my listening, I chose to eschrew an amp, and listen universally though my Sony X1051. I also decided to review them pretty much right out of the box, because I figured that's how most people would initially hear them, and I can add an update after they've burned in a bit.
I'm an Irish Musican and lover, so I decided to start with something I know and love - Altan's The Roseville, from their 25th anniversary Celebration. One, great album, and the song's a good song as traditional music goes. It opened with a even, and detailed accordian and guitar combo, and WOW. The guitar, more than evenly placed on the left, and accordian on the right, began to really show the imaging these head phones have for being small, close-backed cans. When the fiddle and orchestra comes in, it just feel warm and lush. You could really hear every string on the guitar, the full depth of the orchestra's string section, and the distinction between the fiddle and accordian fully, with no bleed over. It helped to show off the mid and upper mid-range i was hoping to find here, and I was very impressed.
Next, I jumped over to Bruce Springsteen's "Candy's Room", partially because I wanted to hear how it handle'd max weinburg's cymbals in the beginning. It actually sounded very clean, and shimmered just slightly. What I wasn't prepared for was hearing Bruce actually take a breath right before his voice picks up. I didn't know that was there! When the drums kick up, it really comes forward, while not over powering Roy Bittan's piano, or the real depth of bruce's voice (and you can distinctly hear both layers of it when he starts singing). once again, the imaging was impressive, the sound stage was large considering the headphones physical limits, it really touched on the upper notes beautifully. However, I began to notice something. The bass was somewhat lacking. Don't get me wrong, it was very punchy and articulate, but it lacked real depth, from what I could tell. More than enough for someone who wants a natural sound, but I wanted to see if it was the song, or the headphones
For my last song, I chose Flogging Molly's "Seven Deadly Sins", main reason being that one, it had a a pretty good bottom to it (at least as what I listen to), and because if this set of headphones was really as good as i was thinking, it would be able to really pick though, and let me not only hear the individual instruments, but let me actually understand the lyrics (a feat so far only accomplished by the 701's and the monster turbines). It performed with flying colors. I could understand every lyric, I could pick the accordion, the guitar, and the fiddle out in thier respective parts, and really had one of the more enjoyable listens of that song I've ever had. The bass is lacking. Subtle, and punchy, but by no means face melting. But for me, that's a good thing. I dont need alot of bass for what I listen to, so for me, they're great.
over all, detailed, if slightly rolled off highs, excellent upper mid, and mid. Good going down into mid-bass, with a lack on the real low end. All in all, 8.5 out of 10.
Aesthetics:
I got the real sleek matte black ones, not the gauche lime green ones. All in all, I like the over all design, and the ability to fold up and fit in the nice case it was packaged with really make these the best portable headphones that were not an IEM that I've ever owned. The lime green cables are a little much for me, but eh, perhaps I'm just style-ignorant.
All in all, I'd say another 8 out of 10
Value and Final Conclusion:
I've seen these go for as much as 150-170 on line, and we sell them for 120 at my work. My set was free, so I'll go based on what I'd have paid for them as a customer. At 120, they go up against, at my store at least, the monster beats solo, the klipsch image ones, and the skull candy aviators. And over those, the only real competition in my mind is the klipsch. As I've stated, I really like the image ones. Klipsch is very forward, very lively, and generally a lot of fun to listen to. But the Q's have a single sided cable (a big plus), a smaller case and more accessories. And sound wise, they are less in your face, but very detailed. They are mid-range focused, but unless your looking for earth-shattering bass, AKG has a real winner, at least in my opinion for a small, portable, but powerful headphone. And at the sub 150 dollar price point, I don't think you get much better than this, I really don't.
Final number - 8.5 out of 10
Figured before I get to the review I'd do a small run-down on me, as this i my first review. I'm a 2 year headphone fanatic, having worked as a retailer and headphone go-to guy at my work. I've been using Head-fi to bolster my knowledge for most of that time, and seriously respect all the people who take thier love of music listening, and offer up some of the great reviews I've seen on here. Its helped me make some of the purchases I've made.
My current job also tends to drop headphones in my lap from time to time. I currently own Klipsch s2, Klipsch s4, akg k518's, Monster turbine coppers, and a set of skull candy titans as beaters for my in ears. As over ears go, I own a set of Sennheiser HD 428's, a set of Sony V6's, and a set of Denon ah-d350's. Other's have passed though my hands, but those are the one's that have stuck.
I wanted to, after reading so much around here, finally do a review of my own, on a set of headphones I recieved recently. There hadn't been a review on them yet, maybe because they were thought to be a rebuild of the K450s, but anyway. I've been in the market for a set of on ear portable 'phones for a few months now. For some reason, my in ears were starting to really give me pain, and I wanted something that sounded good, was comfortable, and was easy to pack up and move. I'd auditioned the Klipsch Image one's, the sennheiser px-100's, some sony's that passed though my store (zx 100's, I think. Wasn't impressed, even at the 17 dollar mark), and the b&w p5's.
The AKG's literally fell in my lap. We had a training on them at work recently, and I received a demo set to help me learn their signature and get a feel for them. We actually stock AKG on our shelves, and I was happy to give them a go after owning the K518's. I'll say this, I'm not only impressed, I'm pleasently suprised and blow away by what the Q's can do. This have quickly become my go to headphone of all the one's I own, and my real portable companions in terms of my listening.
Fit and Comfort:
When I first got them, I was slightly concerned over how they'd fit. The metal bands inside the head band were a little stiff in the beginning, and the cups were so small, even for a supra-aural headphone.
They completely won me over. The small cups actually let some air though, so I didn't experience any ear sweat, and they were nice and soft on my ears, not as clamp-happy as my 518's. They require some adjusting to finally get them situated on your head, but once they're there, they are light enough that you'll eventually forget you have them on.
All in all, very comfortable. 9 out of 10
Build Quality:
Ok, this was my first real issue with these guys. They are a predominately plastic phone, which is not always bad, but with as thing as the head band is, I'm glad they re-enforced it with the metal on top, and in the actual ear up arms. The joints that hold the cups, however, continue to pop and creak. They have some really nice articulation, which goes back to that comfort factor, but I'm scared I'm gonna bend the cup too hard some day, and snap one of them off. So far, so good, but the creaking bothers me.
They come with multiple removable cables, and the cables themselves are pretty tough. Not too think, not too thin, and not much in the way of microphonics, which is awesome. And the little locking piece where it attaches to the left ear cup is nice. I tend to use the shorter, non-ipod control cable, but that's just me. And while this is mostly just an asthetic thing, the fact that they made the little quincy jones symbol's on the side out of metal too was kinda odd. Like I said, and embellishement, but figure I'd note it.
All in all, seem tougher than some, but by no means rugged. 7 out of 10.
Sound Quality:
The money ball question: How do they sound? I was concerned going in, as I'd listened to a set of K450's at my work a few times, and had always walked way very underwhelmed, especially compared to the similarly priced Klipsch Image One's. I was afraid I was in for underwhelm round two, but I also was going in with a pre-concieved notion about AKG. I owned 518's, and i'd listened to the Q701's, a few of thier in-ear models, and the noise canceling 480's. Generally, nice and neutral, a leaning towards mid and upper mid range, with little bit of a roll off on the top end, and enough bass to get me though. In some ways, a good, even rock headphone, and that's usually how I sold it to my customers.
On my listening, I chose to eschrew an amp, and listen universally though my Sony X1051. I also decided to review them pretty much right out of the box, because I figured that's how most people would initially hear them, and I can add an update after they've burned in a bit.
I'm an Irish Musican and lover, so I decided to start with something I know and love - Altan's The Roseville, from their 25th anniversary Celebration. One, great album, and the song's a good song as traditional music goes. It opened with a even, and detailed accordian and guitar combo, and WOW. The guitar, more than evenly placed on the left, and accordian on the right, began to really show the imaging these head phones have for being small, close-backed cans. When the fiddle and orchestra comes in, it just feel warm and lush. You could really hear every string on the guitar, the full depth of the orchestra's string section, and the distinction between the fiddle and accordian fully, with no bleed over. It helped to show off the mid and upper mid-range i was hoping to find here, and I was very impressed.
Next, I jumped over to Bruce Springsteen's "Candy's Room", partially because I wanted to hear how it handle'd max weinburg's cymbals in the beginning. It actually sounded very clean, and shimmered just slightly. What I wasn't prepared for was hearing Bruce actually take a breath right before his voice picks up. I didn't know that was there! When the drums kick up, it really comes forward, while not over powering Roy Bittan's piano, or the real depth of bruce's voice (and you can distinctly hear both layers of it when he starts singing). once again, the imaging was impressive, the sound stage was large considering the headphones physical limits, it really touched on the upper notes beautifully. However, I began to notice something. The bass was somewhat lacking. Don't get me wrong, it was very punchy and articulate, but it lacked real depth, from what I could tell. More than enough for someone who wants a natural sound, but I wanted to see if it was the song, or the headphones
For my last song, I chose Flogging Molly's "Seven Deadly Sins", main reason being that one, it had a a pretty good bottom to it (at least as what I listen to), and because if this set of headphones was really as good as i was thinking, it would be able to really pick though, and let me not only hear the individual instruments, but let me actually understand the lyrics (a feat so far only accomplished by the 701's and the monster turbines). It performed with flying colors. I could understand every lyric, I could pick the accordion, the guitar, and the fiddle out in thier respective parts, and really had one of the more enjoyable listens of that song I've ever had. The bass is lacking. Subtle, and punchy, but by no means face melting. But for me, that's a good thing. I dont need alot of bass for what I listen to, so for me, they're great.
over all, detailed, if slightly rolled off highs, excellent upper mid, and mid. Good going down into mid-bass, with a lack on the real low end. All in all, 8.5 out of 10.
Aesthetics:
I got the real sleek matte black ones, not the gauche lime green ones. All in all, I like the over all design, and the ability to fold up and fit in the nice case it was packaged with really make these the best portable headphones that were not an IEM that I've ever owned. The lime green cables are a little much for me, but eh, perhaps I'm just style-ignorant.
All in all, I'd say another 8 out of 10
Value and Final Conclusion:
I've seen these go for as much as 150-170 on line, and we sell them for 120 at my work. My set was free, so I'll go based on what I'd have paid for them as a customer. At 120, they go up against, at my store at least, the monster beats solo, the klipsch image ones, and the skull candy aviators. And over those, the only real competition in my mind is the klipsch. As I've stated, I really like the image ones. Klipsch is very forward, very lively, and generally a lot of fun to listen to. But the Q's have a single sided cable (a big plus), a smaller case and more accessories. And sound wise, they are less in your face, but very detailed. They are mid-range focused, but unless your looking for earth-shattering bass, AKG has a real winner, at least in my opinion for a small, portable, but powerful headphone. And at the sub 150 dollar price point, I don't think you get much better than this, I really don't.
Final number - 8.5 out of 10
