AKG K-495nc

[FastRider]

 
Hello!
Let's talk about the model akg k 495nc.
I know that it is not yet widespread, but I'm very interested to hear a little about this model. And your opinion about it.
I'm curious to know about the quality of its sound and power of the bass. well I'm interested in noise reduction system. it goes in a separate box that connects to the headphones? or is it built into the headphones themselves?
Thank you all for helping the development of this theme.

 

[dyl1dyl]

I'm pretty interested in this model too, love the design Imo, its got a pretty easy job to be a sucess, just thrash the Beats Studio in sound quality, beat the Bose QC15 in sound quality and ,match the Bose's comfort and noise cancelling ability and you've got a winner.

 

[FastRider]

you listened to this model in person?
Quote:

I'm pretty interested in this model too, love the design Imo, its got a pretty easy job to be a sucess, just thrash the Beats Studio in sound quality, beat the Bose QC15 in sound quality and ,match the Bose's comfort and noise cancelling ability and you've got a winner.

 

 

[FastRider]

I read the description on the website of a shop that emphasis be placed on a sound balance sheet and detailed mids and highs. Who knows how powerful bass there? I love the clean, detailed sound but also love powerful bass. about how beats PRO. is it possible to compare with K495nc beats PRO?

 

[msninja]

edit: updated with a closeup next to my W3000ANV
 
So the AKG K495NC arrived at my workplace yesterday, and I got to try them out.
 
first off, this is not a review, just some quick first impressions.
 
This the latest top model-active noise cancelling headphone from AKG. Powered by a rechargable built-in battery (no more AAA-batteries that you have to switch) that charges by USB or wall plug. It's an on-ear model, not around-ear so it's not huge but it's still not small like for example the Bose on-ear models.
 
Box and packaging: Very nice and classy, looks like the same style as the K550.
 
Accessories: two different lengths of cable, one at around 1 metre and one longer for home use. Nice fabric hose and sturdy and small metal jacks. Flight seat adapter and USB charging cable in the same style. There's no iphone-headset included, which might annoy some.
A note about the cable plug in the headphones: only one plug, looks like 2.5mm, which is used both for the charging cable and the stereo cable. Seems nice, but it also means you cant listen to music while charging, although you can have the NC-effect active while charging.
 
fit and finish:
Very good! Nice leather (real or fake?) headband and also some leather material on the actual headphone outsides, feels pleasant to touch.
mostly metal everywhere else. Joints feel sturdy and the whole can gives a great quality impression.
Fit is mostly excellent, with very soft and comfy pads. I did however notice some clicking noise when putting them on, almost like when your eardrums adjust for different air pressures. Not an issue for me.
 
NC-effect:
I did not have any engines around to really test these out, but in the large store area where I work there's background ambiance in the form of ventialtion systems and crowd noise and these were heavily reduced, and felt more apparent compared to for example Audio technicas ATH-ANC7b which I had on hand. I had no Bose models at this moment, which would be the main competitor, but I have listened to both the QC15 and QC3 before. These seems definately on par with those.
 
A note about the power switch: instead of going for a button, AKG for some reason thought it would be cool to incorporate the on/off-switch in the actual rim that goes around the leather casing, which means that you twist the entire "ring" when you turn it on and off. This is somewhat a pain and what's more important, while the phones were on my head, if I twisted around or walked, I could sometimes hear a faint clicking sound that seems to come from the fact that the "ring" is not entirely static and moves slightly occasionally. This is a minor issue, and not likely to bother anyone while listening to music, but it would not surprise me if it was noticable while taking walks for example and only having the Nc-effect switch on without music.
 
Sound:
this is the critical part for active NC-cans since they generally have trouble with music reproduction because of the NC-effect. The ATH-ANC7b for example falls short and AKG's older models I've tried have not impressed me at all. The Bose sound better in general, but suffers from some of the same pitfalls that their non-NC models suffer from: non-detailed and blurry bass and lots of roll-off in the treble.
the K495NC actually impressed me a lot more! It's not the pinnacle of hi-fi but there's less roll-off and more sparkle, and the bass did not overpower everything else while still packing some punch. The mids are nothing like my W3000ANV, but I was pleased by the general tone of the K495NC in general. It's not as "lean" as some of the bigger AKG models like K550 or K701, so they might not please fans of those particular headphones.
 
All in all, this is the most interesting active noise-cancelling headphone I've tried, and the first one that actually impressed me in some areas! I'm considering them since I commute a total of 2 hours every workday so I would be willing to invest in some NC-phones if they actually sound good, and these are definately a step in the right direction for active noise-cancelling towards audiophiles!
 

 

[ipromesisposi]

Thank you so much, msninja, for your pre-review.
 
A question: The noise cancellation system affects to the vocal range?
 

 

[msninja]

Quote:

Thank you so much, msninja, for your pre-review.
 
A question: The noise cancellation system affects to the vocal range?
 

 


Not really, no. Especially not compared to other NC-cans that I have heard, like the ATH-ANC7b, Bose QC-line or Beats studio for that matter.

 

[ipromesisposi]

There's a video comparative about Akg K495 & Bose QC3, here:
[size=11pt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYyA3ZUpaRo[/size]

 

[raysclim1568]

Just received akg k495nc from postman this morning , got a great deal from ebay .
The built quality is definitely top notch , the foam is very soft and comfortable , seal well and sit perfectly on my ear .
The marking indicating left and right ear pad is very good , the accessories comes with it is very nice, speaker cord and power cord seem to be same material .very soft and flexible but not easy to tangle , the plug end is made of metal and felt very solid .
Now , plugging in my iPod classic to listen on drum track , without the nc on , the bass is solid and firm ,all frequency is well balance , the sence of space is amazing , very wide soundstage , I am happy .
With the nc turn on , the bass track attrack is even more ,the high and mid seems to be dampen a bit but it did not affect the overall music enjoyment .
In fact , it makes music more enjoyable , I am sure it is going to be a great companion with movie material too.
Noise cancellation is very effective , total silent maskimg off the humming noise of my air con compressor which is just outside my bed room.

I am very pleased with my purchase , I am playing it with my xlo burn in track now (without nc on ) for next 12 hours before I listen again, can't wait to hear the improvement after that , will update again tomorrow

Guys , this is a great giift in my opinion .

Cheers , Raymond

 

[CalebG]

I've been using my K495NC for a month now, so I would like to add my impressions on this thread.
 
 

Sound Quality

Much like many have said, it has a bass heavy signature with decent mids and highs. Out of the box, I found the highs to be slightly muddy, but I believe it's starting to become more pronounced. But regardless, it's a fine pair of headphones out of the box. It's clear, the bass is tight and the general sound has a lot of impact, which is what I bought it for. 
 

Noise Cancelling

I saw a test someone did on a plane, comparing the 495NC with the Bose QC15s, Beats Studio and a few other NC headphones and IEMs. It seemed to work wonders in that video, but when I test it in real world situations, I realized that there needs to be a more comprehensive test then just on a plane for those who want to use NC headphones on normal day to day public transport.
 
On the bus & train: The low hum of the engines are totally cancelled out. Voices can be heard if loud/close enough, and the higher pitch whine from the engines can be heard. This is without anything being played, just with NC on. The sounds, while they can be heard, are very soft and can be easily drowned out by most music at a reasonable volume.
 
Walking: Nothing except voices loud/near enough and the the vibration of your own steps. If you wish to cancel that noise, know that it's you, not the headphones! I remember reading about someone complaining about that; the same thing would happen if you wear IEMs. 
 

Issues

The build quality and materials have been talked about pretty much everywhere, so there's no reason for me to talk about it. Instead, I will point out some minor issues I have with the headphones:
 
Clicking noise - Msninja said that he noticed some clicking noise when putting it on. It's not from any of the parts, but from the thin spacing in between the pads. There's some excess glue in there somewhere, and it's sticking to the pads when they are pushed down (when putting on), and when they reform (when settled on the head), they "unstick", creating those noises. I'm guessing this will eventually wear out and the sound would be gone, as it's starting to happen, but it can be rather irritating, especially when you first use it.
 
L/R lettering - I know many people praise this, but I just didn't like how the look is. It looks... cheap compared to the rest of the headphones. Perhaps someday they will rub off and look more faint, which would look better.
 
Cups rubbing against each other - Not really a major issue, but when you take them off and set them down, they cups are pressed together, and due to the weight, they tend to rub against each other. The black plastic are slightly scuffed because of that, but it's almost unnoticeable. 
 
Cup placement - An issue I quickly identified with headphones without a bowl is placement becomes very vague. It took me a few days and switching between the 5th, 6th and 7th notch repeatedly, trying to find the best position of the cups and on my head. In addition, if you do not place the cups right or if the band is set too short, the cups can hurt as the pressure is placed all on your the temples (above/behind your ears), and the sound doesn't sound as good and NC doesn't work as well. So if you get a pair, and your head starts to hurt, it probably is because you didn't adjust it to your head right.
 
Weird sound when turning head really fast - Of course you wouldn't be doing that on a constant basis (and if you are, drugs are bad for you!), but on the occasion you do, you will notice a faint sound similar to a "WoowooWoo" when you do so. I believe this has something to do with the NC technology.
 
Case doesn't quite fit - It looks gorgeous, but I always have problems trying to fit the headphones in. Also, being the neat freak I am, and knowing that a loose piece of hard plastic/metal can do terrible things to seemingly sturdy things, I never did try putting in the charging adepter into the case. If anyone has done so and even after a number of violent shakes, the headphones come out pristine looking, do let me know
 

Summary

All in all, this is a great pair of headphones that is worth is price, and while I did list a number of issues, most of them have either been rectified or are minor enough for you to forget about. 

 

[keppa]

Just replaced my B&W P5's into these as my phones at my workplace. The fact that these keep on going even when the battery dries out was the thing that sold these to me, alongside the sound. When I was getting my P5's I was in verge with them and the Bose QC3/QC15. The sound of the Bose wasn't the reason I didn't then go for them, but the fact that they stopped working instantly when the battery dried - and I still see this to be no go if I'm on the move with these.
 
Takes a bit time to learn into these, but the first impressions are mostly positive.