[24Bit]

 
The AKG K-712 drivers are not the same as the previous K-Series headphones. I feel better having said that. Fhew. I don’t want to bore you with more specification information in the beginning of this review, so I will start off with the Conclusion first. You can read the details afterward. That is just how I roll…#likeaboss

 

The End Credits

AKG has created a mini masterpiece in my opinion. I enjoy this headphone a great deal and it will become my go to reference headphone for the time being. She is slick, sexy, well balanced and crazy comfortable. Top that off with an unpicky nature when it comes to amplification and you’ve got yourself a real winner. I consider this headphone one of the best multi-media headphones produced lately. I can’t believe I am saying this, but this AKG headphone can sound great with rock and moderately bassy tracks. If you are a fan of the Hifman HE-500 or HE-400 but are a bit troubled by their fatiguing sound and weight, grab yourself one of these K-712′s or at least attempt to demo one. You will not be disappointed. The K-712 is buttery smooth and soft on the low end with more quantity than the previous K-Series headphones in the past. AKG has done a great job and this headphone is a gorgeous testament to how well a headphone in the mid-tier price range can sound.

 

 

The Bass

I realize it is hard for people to accept the possibility that an AKG K-Series headphone can produce a solid low end. I know…crazy right? I was pleasantly surprised to hear the K-712 output very nice low end quantity with proper EQ functions in the mix. Certainly a few steps up in quantity over the K-701 or similar models. Don’t expect a Denon D-1100, D-5000 type low end or anything basshead worthy, but do expect a more than sufficient, well balanced and divinely executed low end. It seems the K-712 is a bit voracious when it comes to voltage despite its lowly 62ohm Impedance rating. I’ve noticed that with more power on a higher gain, the low end will reveal it’s true nature. Directly fed by my ALO International on High Gain, the experience is sufficient on the low end only with proper EQ of my portable source. Without it, the headphone sounds like a typical AKG headphone: lean on the low end and a bit thin overall. However, driven by my Burson Conductor SL the experience is exceedingly smooth and more than plentiful for me in sheer quantity so long as my source is capable of pushing solid low end. Broad and stark neutral, this headphone is a great contrast to something like the Audeze bass experience, which is much more focused and in your face, less broad sounding and much harder on the slam effect than the K-712′s softer tone.

 

 

The Mids

No one quality in this headphone stands out from the rest. V-shape is totally absent from this headphone, which to me is a great thing. I hate recessed midrange or either of the three major quality factors ( Bass, Mids, Highs ) appearing more prominent than the other two in a physical sense. This is a very linear experience throughout the spectrum, very flat and well balanced sounding. Exceptional for multimedia usage and gaming in general. Dare I even say this is one of the best gaming and media headphones I’ve heard in many years.

Vocals seem a bit loose and panicked in their upper most areas, nothing serious and for the price I consider them very well set up. Not too relaxed but also not truly forward. This is not a common trait for a headphone with a stereo image that tall and wide, typically this type of sound stage experience results in a more relaxed and pushed back vocal experience. Somehow, AKG avoided that and pushed the mids upward just enough to blend seamlessly with the Bass and Highs.


 
Tracks like Jamie Foxx’s – Why off his album titled Intuition result in an unexpected smooth and balanced sound signature that I was not at all ready for. Upon first listen, I expected this headphone to be a clone of the K-701 with some minor tweaks, but was pleasantly surprised when that midrange and low end seemed more powerful and tonally balanced together. Certainly not as aired out or separated as the previous models before it, however the K-712 seems to produce exceptionally smooth and buttery bass along with the majority of the midrange. My only gripe is that the upper most area of the midrange seem a bit nasal to my ears, producing a little too much bite and hiss on notoriously sibilant tracks you might have in your collection. If the track is sibilant, the K-712 will sound sibilant. It is not at all a forgiving headphone when it comes to the upper midrange and above.

 

The Highs

The major flaw of this headphone is certainly the upper region. I find it too unforgiving and too true to the track. It will sound sibilant and harsh if your track happens to sound that way, so do not expect a forgiving experience and soft natured upper regions on his headphone. Despite that, the highs are very responsive and require an excellent amplifier to properly tame. Properly tamed by my Burson Conductor SL using the 9018 chip, a Dac Chip that is one of the most beautifully dynamic and forgiving on the upper regions piece of equipment I’ve ever experienced, the entire K-712 journey on the upper region ends up inverting itself into a relaxed presentation. Summed up, use an amplifier known for stereo imaging qualities and very smooth, forgiving highs and you will be rewarded with a highly dynamic and tonally balanced experience throughout the entire audio spectrum.  Beautiful. So beautiful in fact, I stopped using my Sennheiser HD700 completely. I have no desire to use it now, as I enjoy the flavor and overall balanced sound signature of the K-712 even more.

 

 
Bonus: Can’t do better than the Burson Conductor SL in my opinion, the amplifier literally made my ears melt with its sheer awesomness and ability to mesh with anything I tossed at it. From the LCD-3 to the K-712, the Conductor SL made everything sound great. Everything.


 

 

Stereo Imaging

I can easily consider this K-712 a drastic improvement over the last generation of K-Series headphones, it really does seem more precise and more solid sounding than anything before it. With that, the stereo image separation takes a nose dive and turns into something more focused, more realistic and less splashy as the prior K-701 sounded. There is such a thing as having too large of a sound stage, as with that large stereo width comes the potential of the image sounding overly thin, stretched out and with a looming sense of ” something just isn’t right “. Thankfully, the K-712 fixed all of that and improved the sound stage quality in general, but lessened the overall width and separation by a fair degree. Expect a very nice stereo width with good separation qualities and good height, a solid low end combined with a solid midrange makes this headphone fairly well rounded. In fact, it might be the only well rounded AKG headphone I’ve ever heard.


The K-712 sounds a lot like the Sony MA900, which itself is a fantastic value, one that I consider better for movies and media in general due to being feather light and more noggin’ friendly with respect to it’s simple headband. Liked the MA900? You are going to love the K-712. Despite the MA900 not having the excellent pinpoint accuracy and less clarity all across the board vs the K-712, it still remains, in my opinion, the best all purpose headphone ever produced.

This headphone still sounds like a typical AKG set of cans with regard to the overall coloration and presentation flavor, which is somewhere between natural and studio monitor. Hard to say what the real sound type is here because the sound signature drastically changed when I swapped my Burson Conductor SL’s 9018 chip for the very warm 1793 chip, which itself is an upgraded dac chip similar to the one in the original Burson HA-160. Depending on the headphone, you’ll want to swap out. No question the 9018 is more clear, dynamic and solid, but the overall warmth and coloration of the K-712 almost took on an Audeze house flavor with that 1793 chip in the mix: Natural and a bit warm on the low end. Where as with the 9018 chip, the K-712 tended to sound more like the Hifiman headphones. Nice to see this K-712 responds marvelously well to different amplification sound signatures. At 64ohm impedance, the headphone is very easy to drive and functions very nicely off my iBasso DX50 even on low gain, but I suggest trying to acquire a better source with regard to bass output to do the K-712 justice on the low end.

For some reason, more power and driving force equates to a better bass experience. Taken from an already smooth and lean low even via just my DX50 and ALO Internation for example, to one of the smoothest low end experiences with plenty of quantity that I’ve heard in years with the Burson. The bass quality rivals the Hifiman HE-500, which in my opinion has one of the most pure low ends in it’s price tier. I think the K-712 with proper amplification and dacs can achieve stunning clarity on the low end and mid range. Again though, watch out for that upper region as it is very unforgiving. Thankfully, the Burson really tamed it and toned it way down.

 

Final Thoughts

No doubt about it, the K-712 is a real winner in my book. I’ve been using it a lot with online gaming and movies in general. Recently, a petition appeared in some online gaming communities to have me banned from playing on my favorite servers. I can hear the enemy from so far away and with such precision due to that wide stereo image, that I often get kicked out of the game by the server owners who think I am hacking. I admit, on some instant replays after I get my easy kills, it does seem like I had some type of foresight to know exactly where said enemy will be appearing behind, popping up out of or jumping over. As a gamer, I’ve never been happier. I consider the K-712 one of the best overall gaming headphones to date and have enjoyed every second of usage with it online. The headphone is very pinpoint accurate and due to it’s light weight design at around 240grams, it can be worn indefinitely and easily for hours if need be during your late night gaming sessions.


 
Bonus: Borderlands 2 is an Audiophiles playland in digital format. If you are an audio junky, do not miss this game. It has some of the most dynamic and professionally rigged audio in all of gaming history. Highly immersing, highly engaging and accurate. Bullets, explosions and character interactions are beautiful and recorded with extreme love, affection and detail and the entire Borderlands pilgrimage is nothing short of stunning with the K-712.

 

Keep an ear out for movies with poorly recorded upper regions, as bullets, explosions and screams are just too painful on the K-712 to begin to bare for me in some bluray and dvd movies. Without the Burson or a good receiver in the mix, I tread carefully when it comes to media usage in general. No fault of the K-712, it is certainly the fault of the films sound editor failing to do his job properly most of the time. Sometimes, the treble can get too hot, so be careful with those action movies or Shia LaBeouf incessant screaming scenes.

Despite the lightweight design, AKG still hasn’t learned that the giant halo design is undesirable. The K-550 has a beautifully designed and simplistic headband with a similar sized earcup design, so I see no reason for reverting right back to the Dark Ages of Audio when headbands were designed the way most AKG headphones are. The upper region is too unforgiving and unreflective of it’s price tag and require a dac or amplifier that can tame it. However, all other sonic qualities remain gorgeous. The K-712 is beautiful, boasting exceptional smoothness on the low end, a highly immersing stereo image and is something that will make online gamers very happy. AKG will be releasing the K-812 very soon and I am certainly willing to fight someone over a pit of acid and spikes just to be among the first to hear or review it.

8.5/10 Great Job, AKG!

--------------------------------

Technical Specifications

GENERAL

Headphone type open
Audio Frequency bandwidth 10 to 39800 Hz
Sensitivity headphones 105 dB SPL/V
Max. Input Power 200 mW
Rated Impedance 62 Ohms
Earpads
Detachable cable yes
Cable Length 3 m
Earpads Replaceable yes

AUDIO INTERFACE

Type Screw-on Jack Combo (1/4″ and 1/8″)
Gender Male
Contacts 3-pin
Interface Finish Gold
DIMENSIONS / WEIGHT
Length 113 mm
Width 199 mm
Height 212 mm
Net Weight 235 g


 
 

 

[LugBug1]

Nice review. I've always liked the AKG's and so looking forward to trying these at some point. 

 

[acs236]

I've been off head-fi for years happily listening to K701s, but I'm curious about the K712s.  Is there anything more you can say in comparison to the 701s?  From the graphs at Headroom, I'm a bit concerned with the elevated bass compared to the 701s.  I could handle a bit more, but I'm worried it will be too much.  I'm also concerned with the variations in the upper mids, which you did comment upon.  Is it significantly less "forgiving" than the 701s?
 
http://graphs.headphone.com/graphCompare.php?graphType=0&graphID[]=4163&graphID[]=703&scale=30
 
 
Thanks and great view.

 

[pearljam50000]

Can you compare to Q701?Thanks.

 

[24Bit]

 

  Can you compare to Q701?Thanks.

 

  I've been off head-fi for years happily listening to K701s, but I'm curious about the K712s.  Is there anything more you can say in comparison to the 701s?  From the graphs at Headroom, I'm a bit concerned with the elevated bass compared to the 701s.  I could handle a bit more, but I'm worried it will be too much.  I'm also concerned with the variations in the upper mids, which you did comment upon.  Is it significantly less "forgiving" than the 701s?
 
http://graphs.headphone.com/graphCompare.php?graphType=0&graphID[]=4163&graphID[]=703&scale=30
 
 
Thanks and great view.

 
Thanks! The K and Q are basically the same headphones with minor differences between the two.  The K712 is more clear across the board.  Both 701s are bulkier, heavier and rest on the head oddly.  They offer a more cold and icy upper region with, at least on my rig, a much harsher response.  Significantly more sibilant than the K712.  The 701's ( I do own both ) have a far less bass capability and sound off balanced due to the lacking bass but prominent midrange and upper region.  The K712 simply has a fair amount more bass, but is capable of much more with proper bass functions on your source.  I wouldn't worry about the bass quantity, it is still very balanced along with the mids and highs on flat EQ.  I consider the quantity of the K712s low end to reside on the very utmost summit of what people consider Lean bass, at even very low on the Moderate Bass quantity tier.  Nowhere near as much as my Denon D7000, also less than the MrSpeakers MadDogs.  The Hifiman HE-400 has more, but is much harsher and shaky, less quality, more quantity.  If you have heard the Hifiman HE-400 or HE-500, subtract about 15% in quantity on a flat neutral EQ and that is what you have with the K712s output on the low end.  Again though the great thing is that if you have a bass booster or use a good source DSP, you can output well into the moderate level of bass quantity without ever getting ugly or shaky bass from it. The K712 has a much more clear mid range and the soundstage sounds smaller than the K and Q 701s, however those models sound thin and stretched out.  the K712 sounds like a lot better with regard to the stereo imaging size, everything seems more in its proper place with plenty of width.  The sound image on the K712 "is just right" for me where as the K701 and Q701 " sound overly stretched out and like something is wrong" to me.  
 
As for the forgiving nature of the upper mids, I wouldn't worry about it if you enjoyed the K701s.  The K712 handles things much nicer and is less prone to sibilance.  The headphone is much more clear to me than the others.  Sibilant sound and unforgiving sound are different to me, the 701s are just sibilant because their quality isnt so nice, the k712 is unforgiving because it is more true to the track than the other two.  Side by side on tracks that are very sibilant to me, the K712 sounds less sibilant and more tolerable than either of the K701s.  The entire experience in the upper mid range and highs on the 701s and 2 were unforgiving but for a different reason.  They simply were not clear and output harsh tonality no matter what.  The K712 is smooth when the track is smooth, harsh when the track is harsh but the upper mids are certainly less likely to provide sibilant vocals vs the K701 and Q701.  I bring this up because the tracks that have excellent highs sound great on the k712, but sound like crap on the K701s and Q701 by comparison. The K712 is definitely is a noticed improvement.  Hope that helps.

 

[BillyJiang]

Very good review. AKG K712 is my first open headphone. Now I just wear it all the time with my iMac27 and V-mode Vamp. It's so much comfortable than my V-mode M100. I rarely use the M100 after I bought the K712. Sometimes I'll forget I'm using headphone or speaker when I wearing the K712. It's so good. Really hope it close to the HD800 as some pros said .  
 
But as a novice, can I ask a question? If I want to buy another headphone to pair with my K712 (to cover all music type), is LCD3 a good choice? I'm thinking buy a LCD3 (or LCD-X) first then later upgrade my V-vamp to a desktop amplifier for them. 

 

[24Bit]

  Very good review. AKG K712 is my first open headphone. Now I just wear it all the time with my iMac27 and V-mode Vamp. It's so much comfortable than my V-mode M100. I rarely use the M100 after I bought the K712. Sometimes I'll forget I'm using headphone or speaker when I wearing the K712. It's so good. Really hope it close to the HD800 as some pros said .  
 
But as a novice, can I ask a question? If I want to buy another headphone to pair with my K712 (to cover all music type), is LCD3 a good choice? I'm thinking buy a LCD3 (or LCD-X) first then later upgrade my V-vamp to a desktop amplifier for them. 

 
 
The LCD-3 is not a good choice for covering all music types, no.   I'd opt for a used, partially Lawton Modded Denon D-7000 or the Fostex TH900 if you want to spend top dollar.  

 

[Swordchan]

 

[Fluffy Muffinz]

Would any of the  K712PRO owners recommended this headphone over my Yamaha MT-220's to replace it as a good jack of all trades headphone?
 
I'm not a fan of collecting headphones, I'd prefer a pair of headphones that do well for anything and everything alike. 
 
any help would be awesome :3

 

[ipm]

I purchased the K712 in order to see if I could get a bit wider sound stage relative to my HD650 (with a Cardas cable modification) reference headphone. The K712 does indeed present a pleasant and wide sound stage but the sound signature requires EQ, in my opinion, in order to achieve a bit more balanced sound.
 
The K712 to my ears comes off a bit anemic in bass below about 125Hz (and more so in the sub bass) and it is a bit hollow around 1.6kHz and 3kHz. This seems to be adjustable with an EQ in particular via the addition of a bottom shelf of about 3 dB (using the built-in parametric EQ in the Reaper DAW software); however, the very low frequencies could be a bit more forward as they are in the much less neutral DT770 Pro 80 ohm (and perhaps even the HD650 on some songs with a bit less bass clarity in the HD650).
 
Note that I don't prefer the v-shaped DT770 for bass overall at all; however, to my ears, the DT770 reveals more sub-bass that can be used in a comparison which may or may not be of interest. This is evident in songs like the challenging Turning Point by Revenant and perhaps less so on certain tracks by Deadmaus on the 4x4=12 record. Even so, the bass that is presented by the K712 is tight, punchy, well executed and is to my liking. I would say that the sub bass is just a bit too low in the mix that the K712 present especially given the hype that the bass receives in many reviews. A bit more sub bass could make the K712 more balanced, for me. Perhaps this is due to them being open with a wider sound-stage than what I am used to that may make certain frequencies more quiet to my ears. I don't know.
 
I don't really hear a prominent bump at about 2kHz that some people have identified, To me the 2kHz region is slightly more prominent in the K712 than it is the in the HD650 but not by much at all. Also, although the K712 does provide an increase in detail in some pieces of music relative to the HD650, this was not obvious in all cases to me. Most notably I found that the sustain in cymbals and gongs are a bit better represented in the K712 on records like Hell by James Brown.
 
To me, the K712 does not come off as detailed enough to warrant being called a Pro headphone. The highs above about 11kHz are a bit too rolled off for that; however, not so much that the details are lost (in particular if an EQ is used on these frequencies as well). This is a bit of a laid back headphone to my ears but with what seems like more sparkle and air than the HD650, at times perhaps but not on all songs. I do believe that the K712 can certainly be used a reference headphone in its class with this roll-off in mind.
 
The wider sound stage than the HD650 was a bit distracting to me at first. It makes for an interesting listening experience but it took some time to get used to. The HD650 presents the instruments with what seems like a bit better image that is more focused on female vocals such as Savages in their song Marshall Dear. I do like the breath sounds the K712 reveals on that song better than the HD650 for some reason.
 
Overall, I'm glad I purchased this headphone. Its a very good competitor to the HD650 that offers an interesting change in how the music is presented. I would not call this a replacement for the HD650 at all, for example if you like a warmer bass signature and an excellent image in comparison, but the K712 is certainly worth purchasing.
 
If you want to hear more (sub) bass, get the fun but a much less refined DT770 Pro 80 ohm instead, and if mids along with both treble and bass are of interest for mixing or monitoring in an analytical application, consider the much cheaper and seemingly more robustly-built and balanced sounding ATH M40x (i.e. not the M50x). I dislike the M40x very much for daily listening for many reasons but it is quite analytical and detailed in many respects. For home listing, buy the K712 because it is a great headphone that you can listen to for hours on end with no difficulties at all.

 

[darknight1080]

Will have to give these a shot. I have a pair of the 545s.

 

[Shredder11]

The thing about the K712 PRO is that they are reference studio grade type, and therefore I find they are very accurate and do not require further EQ, otherwise all you are doing is adding your own listening preferences to the sound.  I find there is actually plenty of bass and it is always present in the sound, but not in an exaggerated and inflated way, e.g you will not hear it pounding or throbbing away over the music, no it just slots into place and does not tread on other neighbouring frequencies.  However there are some albums I have where out of the blue for effect and drama, there is a huge ground swelling of bass and that is very powerful and effectively reproduced on these headphones.  I sometimes find on certain albums that the bass is very prominent and borderline too much for my tastes, but that is down to the mastering of the album rather than the fault of these headphones.
 
If you want smooth and very accurate sound, but with power and authority when it is called for, you should be very happy with these headphones.  However if you desire a constant night club experience....look elsewhere!  These headphones are for recording studio producers / engineers and music lovers in general.

 

[ipm]

"These headphones are for recording studio producers / engineers and music lovers in general."
 
I mean no offense or disrespect to you at all but I will disagree on the first part of this point completely.
 
I have friends that run recording studios for a living. They shrugged off my K712 as not fitting into what their needs are. This is of course my small sample of actual music pros (and not what AKG said pros want), but I will stick with their take on it mostly becasue I don't have anything like the listening skills to refute them and becasue I don't do their job.
 
I ask them on occasion to confirm/refute my opinion because I am trying to train my ears to listen better, and asking them for a reality-check helps (in particular relative to higher frequencies for me). In this case they agree with me that the K172 is a bit too rolled off in the sub bass and the treble and because of this they are not useful for their actual and real analytical pro use. This of course may not be the case for all music pros, but I will wager that they are not too far off point in general. This also does not mean that the K712 are not suitable for home use. They are in fact great headphones for that.
 
In my perhaps harsh comment, please note that much of music production is done via near-field loudspeakers. Headphones are certainly part of the process but they are certainly not the only thing. For example, why would you care if a headphone has really excellent sound stage when you can turn on your near-field monitors and be done with the question. In fact, you may not want a headphone that has a wide sound-stage at all for music production reasons. Its simply not as big a concern for a pro as it is for a casual listener like me who does not have very expensive (i.e. thousands of dollars) monitors to compare against, never mind an environment where I could play them loudly. For listening at home, this may be quite different.
 
All the hear-say that I am providing aside, the bottom-line is that they tell me that the K712 does not have a place in their pro gear. I will believe them on this one. This does not mean that the K712 are not suitable for home use. On the contrary.
 
For me, the K712 are an excellent headphone once I EQ'ed them. The adjustments I made are slight and they sound amazing. I don't make music for a living and I don't listen to my headphones critically at each sitting. For me 99.98% of the time I simply enjoy music in particular jazz. With that in mind, my post recommended the K712 for home use. They simply rock for home use. I would not give up my HD650 for the K712, but I like the K712 very much.

 

[buson160man]

I have had my akg 701s for a very long time and have been really happy with their sound. But at this point after using them for thousands of hours the head band has deteriorated to the point were they are literally just barely holding together. I had only made one tweak to them over the years changing the stock 1/4 inch plug for a furutech 1/4 inch gold plated plug. It did improve the sound fairly noticeably for the better. I was pricing a 701 replacement but found them going for over 400 usd. So I opted for a 712 pro which i priced on amazon for 273 usd. Well I received them perhaps a bit over a month ago and have found them to be noticeably better sounding than the older 701s even with the furutech 1/4 inch plug. The midrange , bass and treble are improved after breaking them in for that month or so. So all the claims over how the 712 was an improvement over the older 701s are born out. The 701 was my preferred phone even though I have an early audeze lcd 2. a mr. speakers aon open back and a never used these days grado RS 1 older version. And the 712 pro has replaced the 701 as my go to phone for an accurate reproducer of cds which are still my preferred choice for music listening.I am really late to the game but better late than never. I still think the akg sound is the some of the most honest and revealing sounds on the market. It is easy to understand why the akgs have been a favorite of recording engineers for many years. If you want to hear exactly the sound of the original event it is a easy choice. At least in my humble opinion.