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AKG new headphone K545?
Nov 19, 2013 at 8:33 AM Post #316 of 1,753
Hey Speakerphile,
 
Here's a shot of my orange ones with my work setup.  It’s not the greatest picture but a least it will give you a better idea of what they actually look like.
 

 
 
 
Nov 19, 2013 at 10:22 PM Post #318 of 1,753
The  orange ones look sweet too :). I think the whole lineup looks down right classy.
 
So Oracle and KFKph how are you enjoying your K545's?
 
I have to say out of all genres I listen to these are best with Jazz (Patricia Barber, Dianna Krall, and JD Souther sound particularly good) and acoustic/concert music (Neil Diamond Hot August Night is sublime). They are also excellent with bands like Pink Floyd and most Led Zeppelin. There is only the odd song where I have found myself uncomfortable and then it was usually the song that stood out as having a problem rather than the headphone.
 
Nov 20, 2013 at 7:10 AM Post #320 of 1,753
dweaver said:
  The  orange ones look sweet too :). I think the whole lineup looks down right classy.
 
So Oracle and KFKph how are you enjoying your K545's?
 
I have to say out of all genres I listen to these are best with Jazz (Patricia Barber, Dianna Krall, and JD Souther sound particularly good) and acoustic/concert music (Neil Diamond Hot August Night is sublime). They are also excellent with bands like Pink Floyd and most Led Zeppelin. There is only the odd song where I have found myself uncomfortable and then it was usually the song that stood out as having a problem rather than the headphone.
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I have to say I'm liking them more than I thought I would, because I held the K550's to such a high esteem.  I needed to return the K550's because the left ear phone started cutting out and I told myself I would stay away from a headphones that didn't have a detachable cable.
 
So thanks to this thread and bourdieu for creating it so I could discover the K545's.  To answer your question dweaver, I've only owned these for two day's now but I agree with you about Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Dianna Krall and might I add Norah Jones and Jack Johnson; these artists sounded particularly well.  I especially like the added bass with these headphones over the K550's, but that may have something to do with the better fit I'm getting with these.
 
The only negative for me so far with these headphones would be with the short cables it comes with, I would prefer a 64 inch one over the 48 inch.
 
Nov 20, 2013 at 7:12 AM Post #321 of 1,753
gilsont said:
  How would you say your Schiit Magni/Modi setup compare to the Fiio E11 when using the K545?
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I never heard the E11 but I own the E17, I'll be sure to bring that with me tomorrow and do some comparing.  I'll report back.
 
Nov 20, 2013 at 8:54 AM Post #322 of 1,753
I agree about the cable being a bit longer but its a minor quibble for me. I think the added bass is more than just fit though but the K545 does fit me better too. I will check out those other artists.
 
Nov 20, 2013 at 11:05 AM Post #324 of 1,753
dweaver said:
I agree about the cable being a bit longer but its a minor quibble for me. I think the added bass is more than just fit though but the K545 does fit me better too. I will check out those other artists.
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Oh these definitely have more bass than the K550's (in a good way) I was just wondering how much of that may have come from a better fit (seal).  I just remember from the K550's if I pressed the cups to my head the bass was more pronounced.
 
Nov 20, 2013 at 11:38 AM Post #325 of 1,753
Hmmm I guess with the thinner pads these might compress thinner a bit bringing the driver closer to the ear which would help the bass and conversely make the sound stage a bit smaller. That might account for both areas to a degree.

BTW I had a quick listen to those artists and might pick up some of their music :).

If your not familiar with JD Souther, he wrote a lot of the Eagles hits as well as Linda Ronstad. He came out with an album called Natural History which has a jazzy take on a lot of those classic songs giving them new life.
 
Nov 20, 2013 at 11:52 AM Post #326 of 1,753
dweaver said:
I agree about the cable being a bit longer but its a minor quibble for me. I think the added bass is more than just fit though but the K545 does fit me better too. I will check out those other artists.
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A bit ironic really, given the K550 cable was too long.  Funny thing is that they touted the K550 as some kind of portable Hi-Fi model.  
 
Nov 20, 2013 at 12:05 PM Post #327 of 1,753
dweaver said:
Hmmm I guess with the thinner pads these might compress thinner a bit bringing the driver closer to the ear which would help the bass and conversely make the sound stage a bit smaller. That might account for both areas to a degree.

BTW I had a quick listen to those artists and might pick up some of their music
smily_headphones1.gif
.

If your not familiar with JD Souther, he wrote a lot of the Eagles hits as well as Linda Ronstad. He came out with an album called Natural History which has a jazzy take on a lot of those classic songs giving them new life.
Click to expand...

AKG really hit a home run here with me having addressed my main issues I had with the K550’s.
  1. Detachable cable
  2. Smaller ear cups
  3. More bass
Oh and yes I’ve heard of J.D. Souther but I didn’t know he was recording again.  I just ordered Natural History off amazon, so thanks for the heads up.
 
Nov 20, 2013 at 12:07 PM Post #328 of 1,753
Compared to some of their earlier headphones and the need for an amp the K550 was more portable minded. The K545 is just AKG's response to those asking for more.

Personally I hope they come out with a long cable that has no buttons as an option we could buy for use at home with an amp. But in any case I use mine with an amp now and am OK with it as it is.
 
Nov 20, 2013 at 1:18 PM Post #329 of 1,753
Stopped as the local Apple store this morning and had a chance to hear the B&O H6 for a few minutes so did an A/B to Patricia Barbers Romanesque.

H6 was a bit more V shaped in signature, with a bit to much emphasis in the upper mids giving S's a bit to sssss or sibilance. This song does have a challenge in with this even with the K545 but its not as severe. The bass of H6 is a bit harder hitting though for those that like that. Personally though I found the K545 smoother and more natural sounding and also a bit easier to drive. At $250 for the K545 vs the $400 price tag of the H6 I think the AKG is a much better value.
 
Nov 22, 2013 at 9:10 PM Post #330 of 1,753
I know of at least one more HF member who has a pair of these coming in but hope there will be a few biters out there will be more discussion of this headphone. I still use mine daily and only use my QC20 on the train. These have even supplanted my Q701 at the moment and my test against the B&O H6 just affirmed my feeling about how good these are.
 
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