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Fake AKG headphones from Amazon?

post #1 of 10
12/13/11 at 3:45pm
Thread Starter 

I've been searching around for a pair of monitoring headphones, and I can't help but wonder if some of the products I see on Amazon are fake. (N.B. The headphones are sold by third parties, not by Amazon itself) As I'm not especially familiar with these headphones (and their general market), I can't tell if these are scams or just low prices. Let me give a few examples:

 

AKG K240: $99 on Amazon, $99 on Sweetwater

AKG K240mkii: $124 on Amazon, $199 on Sweetwater

AKG K271mkii: $132 on Amazon, $249 on Sweetwater

AKG K601: $212 on Amazon, $349 on Sweetwater

 

What is going on here? Every other site I check matches Sweetwater's prices. These Amazon sellers are the only ones with the low prices (50% ~ 60% of the "real" prices). How can these be real headphones? Where do these headphones come from? Shenzhen? Are they refurbs? I really can't find much on the forum about this, and it certainly messes up the price ranges people quote (stuff like K271 are the best headphones under $200, or K271 is similarly priced to K240). I've read about other fake headphones (Sony MDR-7506, for example), but nothing about these AKGs. If anyone has bought these headphones from Amazon (especially these Amazon sellers in particular), please let me know what you think of them. 

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post #2 of 10
12/13/11 at 4:44pm

That Sweetwater site you referenced is overpriced. I've seen K240 and K271 go about $150 in person, and even Q701 is priced at mid $200s in most stores.

 

I can't guarantee authenticity for any of those sellers, but judging by the price alone, there's nothing suspicious of them.

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post #3 of 10
12/13/11 at 4:56pm

I've never heard amazon selling fakes..at least in my case. 

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post #4 of 10
12/13/11 at 8:19pm
They're selling them at market price rather than the ridiculous raised street prices AKG made after the introduction of the MKII series. There's nothing wrong with the prices, they're stabilizing to what the used to be in 2007, if anything. At least from what I remember. I think I recall the K271 was JUST out of my $100 budget NIB back in 2007, and the K240 was like $69 new. The K601 is probably selling somewhat cheaply because not too many people buy them, at least from what I can gather, since their bigger sister has all the reviews.
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post #5 of 10
12/13/11 at 8:22pm

Heya,

 

Amazon can afford to sell them at lower prices. Also, those prices fluctuate. Next week they might be right up closer to MSRP.

 

There are no fakes through authorized sellers and Amazon.

 

If it's like $20 and from some weird Chinese website or ebay store, then be concerned about fake.

 

Very best,

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post #6 of 10
12/14/11 at 7:36am
Thread Starter 

Awesome. I just got that hint of skepticism when I clicked Add to Cart. Thanks to all for clearing this up! smily_headphones1.gif

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post #7 of 10
12/14/11 at 7:40am

What did you buy? I just got my first AKG and have been very impressed by them.
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by sourced View Post

Awesome. I just got that hint of skepticism when I clicked Add to Cart. Thanks to all for clearing this up! smily_headphones1.gif



 

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post #8 of 10
12/14/11 at 7:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by MalVeauX View Post

 

If it's like $20 and from some weird Chinese website or ebay store, then be concerned about fake.

 

Very best,



Haha, very true. Amazon have a solid reputation of no selling fakes. (headphone area)

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post #9 of 10
12/14/11 at 8:27am

No fake.

 

These prices are not exceptional, they are even cheaper in Europe and since many years.

 

Great value for money, but don't forget you need an amp for drive these headphones.

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post #10 of 10
12/19/11 at 4:54pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by alv4426 View Post

What did you buy? I just got my first AKG and have been very impressed by them.
 



 



I bought a pair of k271mkii headphones, for hearing myself play piano. They have their flaws for music-listening, sure, but they're exactly what I wanted. Most music sounds pretty great, actually. Not much fatigue, and the velour pads are quite comfortable, which are the two things that probably count most for what I needed. 

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