AKG Q460 Mini On Ear Headphones, Quincy Jones Signature Line

A few years ago, I was given this Q460 as a birthday present. At the time, I didn't have any notions as to what music was. I plugged in cheap earphones in my ear holes, and if they made any noise, then I would consider it "working" for me. The Q460 realized I had missed out on a lot.
 
The music was, of course, a very different experience from what I'd heard from the trash I had used until then. The highs were good, the middle exceptionally well. However, I found the bass a little muddy, and I would like a more deep and resounding feeling. Clearly, open-back headphones are not my preference, although I did like the lightweight design and the overall comfort. It folded neatly into the black carrying pouch, although putting the cable in was messy.
 
Some of the problems were that I used to listen to music in bed. However, I felt that the cans would break if I rolled over to the side, and it was extremely uncomfortable, to the point where I grabbed my in ears from my bedside drawer in disgust. Also, the paddings on the head did nothing to relieve the pressure it was giving on my head.
 
The second problem was yesterday. I plugged my Q460 into my Nexus 5X, and then immediately noticed that my left channel was fading. Just to test, I pulled off my right side of the headphones. The left can was mostly dead, with short gasps sometimes. I fiddled with the connections, and it worked. The left channel began to function once more. However, as soon as I set my phone down, the connection moved and dissolved. I was left with only my right channel again.
 
Irritated, I called customer support at AKG (they seemed to be related with JBL here in Korea), only to be scolded at that they did not have any replacements for now and then sneered that they would have one in about a month, before hanging up on me. I was shocked with customer care, partly because they did not seem to care that I couldn't use my headphones. For. A. Month. One of the nicer support ladies said there would be a shorter cable in the carrying pouch, but I told her that I did not know where the pouch was anymore (lost inside house). She didn't care as well and hung up.
 
Very disappointed. Remind me never to shop for AKG products.

The test for personal headphones is always how they sound to the end user. One person might prefer Senns over AKG, another might prefer Grados. When I was looking for portable headphones for my phone, I checked the selection at my usual store, Bay Bloor Audio in Toronto. The AKG 450 sounded better to my ears and for my purpose so I bought them and loved the sound. I still do. The drawback was that, at the time, there was no option for a microphone in the wire for phone use. When the 460 was introduced with an in-cable mic, I looked into replacing the cable on my 450. AKG said I should contact the Canadian distributor who said they do not sell cables separately but subsequently said that they would provide a cable for $25 less than the retail price for a new set of phones. I thought that was absurd. I bought the 460 because of the microphone and for the modest difference in the price between a replacement cable and a new set of phones (and who can't use another set of phones?). OK, I know I'm taking a while to get to the point. The AKG450 and AKG460 are identical except for the cables and colour. They both provide very good sound quality from a portable device and do not drain the battery of, in my case, an iPhone. The problem is the cabling. Both headphones come with two sets of cables, one long & one short. The 460, as mentioned, has a mic built into its longer cable. The shorter cables are practically useless because of the length. The longer cables have both failed where the wire joins the jack. Although there is no visible damage to either wire, sound from the left channel is absent unless I hold the cable in a particular way. This problem exists despite my being very careful in handling the cables. I have talked to and emailed the Canadian distributor who really doesn't seem to care at all about this issue. 
My experience is that both the AKG450 and AKG460 sound great when they work. However, the durability of the cabling makes them unacceptable. I would be very wary of buying another AKG product because of my experience. Good thing I still have a pair of Senns to use.

There is no doubt that the Q460s are way ahead of alternatives like Beats by Dr Dre, but they are similar in that they don't suit all music types. They're great for Hip-Hop / Rap, Electronica, mellow Jazz and some Rock, but they don't fare quite as well on more acoustic genres.
 
The upper end of the mids get a little bit pushy on certain vocal tracks and the treble is a bit understated which can lead to a lack of detail and sparkle. On the other hand, the smooth sound means it's very easy to listen to for long periods at any volume (unless it's so loud it hurts).
 
The carrying case is brilliant and compact and the 2 cords give you plenty of tangle-free options, by keeping cable length to a minimum.
 
The sound signature won't be for everyone, but they do what they do very well so check them out if you're into a more mellow, rich and lush sound.