AKG K167 TIËSTO - Discussion, Impression, Review & Appreciation Thread
Nov 22, 2012 at 4:18 PM Post #151 of 1,489
Quote:
Keep in mind that these headphones aren't simply DJ branded. For example, David Guetta branded beats with dre (mixr) but you will never see Guetta with them in a studio or at a gig.
 
Tiesto (apparently) was very involved in the process and he has been using K167/267's for months of live shows and recording.
 
Tiesto also likes treble (he keys more off treble than bass queues) so it would make sense that the high end is pretty refined.
 
I'm trying to find a pair here in Canada as we speak.

 
AVshop.ca has them for the same price as the US for the most part with free shipping.  I think that's the best price any of us Canadians could ask for for the moment.
 
Nov 22, 2012 at 4:40 PM Post #153 of 1,489
found a review of the K167 written in german, but here's the google translation link for that:


www.bonedo.de - AKG K167 Tiësto test

here is my personal translation of their conclusion:

The K167 is a bizarre "bird"..on the one hand he is extremely comfortable and at the same time this headphone sits very safely on your head, paired with a sound signature which outperforms most of his competitors in in the DJ class, but on the other hand the K167 has some downsides which have nothing whatsoever to do in the high prized professional class he's playing. For people who listen to music in medium loudness levels, then with full dynamics and soundspectrum, I would recommend this headphone. Since the K167 is a really great analytic headphone, its the studio where he feels at home. Of course in the studio headphone class he has a lot of competitors, too. Also from inside its own company...and even in the house of AKG, a higher level stability is -and should be- required in the top class.

Pro:
Phenomenal comfort
high wearing safety
very good frequency spectrum
rich in details, dynamic sound and very good resolution

Contra:
insufficient level stability in the low frequencies
wear parts not exchangable
for DJ's not enough bass presence
high prize



I hope you found that useful!?
 
Nov 22, 2012 at 5:06 PM Post #154 of 1,489
Quote:
Hi Miow...I'm really excited about this series after reading so many good things about it. I'm thinking also to wait for the k267...it might be a good investment for many years to come and the extra money might be worth :).
 
My questions is...what is your source when you listened to the K167? Maybe you have a special setup why they sound so good?
biggrin.gif

Did you use also an amplifier?
Have you tried them also with a portable player?
 
I'm asking because I really wish to invest in a K267, but won't have enough money also for a good sound card for the PC in the near future...I just have a regular built-in one at this moment. And I was wondering how important is the source in this case. Of course, music should be all FLAC or similar.
Thanks!

 
Hi. I have only used them with a SONY A865 with a JDSLabs C421 portable amp. Or better, I've used my sound card once (Audigy Fatal1ty Extreme GAMER FPS). My portable rig outperforms the sound card in sound quality. I've tried almost all the PMPs on the market and for me, IMO, the SONY A865 is the best sounding Portable Media Player ever.
 
EDIT: What the hell is "insufficient level stability in the low frequencies"?
 
Bass is the thing that most changes with burn-in. Wondering if that guy, whatever he wanted to say with " insufficient level stability in the low frequencies" has burnt them in, because bass sounds really insufficient out of the box. 
 
Nov 22, 2012 at 5:29 PM Post #155 of 1,489
EDIT: What the hell is "insufficient level stability in the low frequencies"?


This guy meant, that if you turn up the volume to levels DJ headphones should cope with, the bass begins to sound a little bit off (or call it underrepresented) and does not fit the increased middle and high frequencies anymore. Furthermore he states, that for him it looks like the bass gets compressed with louder volumes because the driver's resilience is reached quite early.

miow, could you test if that's true? so, the louder you listen, the more mids and highs emerge...
 
Nov 22, 2012 at 5:39 PM Post #156 of 1,489
Oh I see. No, I don't feel that. At all. Just don't EQ the mids and treble and they will sound balanced. I went to almost deaf levels. If you ask me: "would you like more bass?" I would say, "yes I would". But thats me (I'm a suspect basshead). alpha10 seems to be more than happy with the bass, outperforming the DENON D2000's, which have great bass.
 
Now, I have to agree with the guy that these are not a DJ headphone, but a Studio headphone. They're indeed analytical, but also give alot of fun due to great dynamics, so suitable for the demanding audiophile too. Personally they're the best closed can I've heard next to the DENON D7000, outperforming "top-tier" IEMs like the SM3 and UM3X (treble, bass, soundstage). I haven't heard the Planars like the HE-400/500 though and the so praised M-100, but I suspect that IF the M-100 wins to these, won't be by much. By the other hand, I got a feeling that the K267's will be the winner.
 
Nov 22, 2012 at 7:45 PM Post #157 of 1,489
Oh I see. No, I don't feel that. At all. Just don't EQ the mids and treble and they will sound balanced. I went to almost deaf levels.


that sounds cool to me :wink: I looked up the technical specs AKG published for the K167. they state, that these cans have a "sensitivity" of 112 dB SPL/V. actually these values gave me a little headache. what formula/unit should that be? "dB SPL/V" ?? i know quite a bit about audiology and so far, i never came across such given values. i guess, that they try to pin down the dynamic range (sensitivity they call it^^) in relation to the maximum sound pressure level this headphone is capable to output...and with "V" i think they mean the velocity of sound. to sum things up: at 112 dB SPL the driver can still present the full dynamic range. and according to that, you are perfectly right miow that you didn't find any distortion or alteration in the whole frequency spectrum when you turn up the volume to "extreme" levels.

edit: found out, that the "V" refers to voltage in this case. meaning if you apply 1 volt, the K167 can output 112 dB SPL and that doesn't have much to do with the dynamic range of the cans itself. it just should give you a hint, that portable devices with usually low voltage outputs can drive the K167 in a sufficient manner.


if i assume right, than these cans are a top noch performer even up to more than 110 dB SPL. and that's way enough to damage your hair cells permanently if you listen to such volumes on a regular basis.. so, everything is fine with the K167 in the low frequencies?!. i hope, that we will find out more when these headphones are getting widely spread.


If you ask me: "would you like more bass?" I would say, "yes I would". But thats me (I'm a suspect basshead). alpha10 seems to be more than happy with the bass, outperforming the DENON D2000's, which have great bass.


i like slightly bass-heavy cans, too. but i would not say that i'm a basshead. the K167 looks to be the sweetspot for me than. btw, i hope that mine arrive 2morrow...but it's just a hope..:D
 
Nov 22, 2012 at 7:57 PM Post #158 of 1,489
Yes, I can, I got those before. The K167 has more detail, treble has better resolution, mids are forward/in-your-face (vs recessed on the M-50's) and they have a MUCH wider soundstage. Overall, another league. The ATH M-50 sound like a $150 headphone, the K167 sound like a $300 one. 
 

 
Forward - in your face midrange quite annoying for Hip-Hop R&B , reminding me of dt1350 tesla which not quite match with those genres. Monitoring doesnt translates fun to the listeners. The AKG driver can match Tesla's performances (resolution, details, etc)?  
Oh I see. No, I don't feel that. At all. Just don't EQ the mids and treble and they will sound balanced. I went to almost deaf levels. If you ask me: "would you like more bass?" I would say, "yes I would". But thats me (I'm a suspect basshead). alpha10 seems to be more than happy with the bass, outperforming the DENON D2000's, which have great bass.
 
Now, I have to agree with the guy that these are not a DJ headphone, but a Studio headphone. They're indeed analytical, but also give alot of fun due to great dynamics, so suitable for the demanding audiophile too. Personally they're the best closed can I've heard next to the DENON D7000, outperforming "top-tier" IEMs like the SM3 and UM3X (treble, bass, soundstage). I haven't heard the Planars like the HE-400/500 though and the so praised M-100, but I suspect that IF the M-100 wins to these, won't be by much. By the other hand, I got a feeling that the K267's will be the winner.

 
Seems professional DJ mixing will enjoy this analytical studio monitoring  
As I wrote earlier, these DO NOT sound like DJ headphones at all, the sound like HIFI headphones for audiophiles
smily_headphones1.gif

 
As mentioned above, will it still good on mainstream genres?  
Thats what I said. I would recommend reading the whole thread. Not too many pages yet.

 
Already did. Wrong impression I had , because I thought Tiesto trademark associated with DJ-ing. *is the K67 or K618 more suitable for basshead than analytical studio sound K167? http://eu.akg.com/akg-product-detail-eu/k618dj.html http://eu.akg.com/system/html/K618DJ_002_blk-a3c4d225.jpg
 
Nov 22, 2012 at 8:48 PM Post #159 of 1,489
Quote:
 
Forward - in your face midrange quite annoying for Hip-Hop R&B , reminding me of dt1350 tesla which not quite match with those genres. Monitoring doesnt translates fun to the listeners. The AKG driver can match Tesla's performances (resolution, details, etc)?  

 
It's my prefered sound sig. Even the UM3X (those GREAT IEMs) have forward midrange. Yes, I guess they can match Tesla's performances (details, resolution), but I would like to see an A/B.
 
EDIT: Oh, and I listen to Hip-Hop/R&B alot. Very very nice with these phones.
 
EDIT 2: Listening to dance music for the first time. They have indeed spectacular bass. Very tight and punchy and deep and fast. PRaT is very good in these phones. Just give them about 24 hours burn-in before judging since bass suffers significant changes.
 
EDIT 3: But I won't stay by here. I will sell them to buy the K267s (sick basshead needs). They're for sale already for £135. You save £50. Get an E11 with the difference ; )
 
Nov 22, 2012 at 9:20 PM Post #160 of 1,489
Quote:
 
It's my prefered sound sig. Even the UM3X (those GREAT IEMs) have forward midrange. Yes, I guess they can match Tesla's performances (details, resolution), but I would like to see an A/B.
 
EDIT: Oh, and I listen to Hip-Hop/R&B alot. Very very nice with these phones.
 
EDIT 2: Listening to dance music for the first time. They have indeed spectacular bass. Very tight and punchy and deep and fast. PRaT is very good in these phones. Just give them about 24 hours burn-in before judging since bass suffers significant changes.
 
EDIT 3: But I won't stay by here. I will sell them to buy the K267s (sick basshead needs). They're for sale already for £135. BARGAIN. Get an E11 with the difference ; )

 
 
Yeah i tempted from beginning.
http://tiesto.akg.com/index,765.html
 
The slogan was : AKG by TIESTO Series Designed to Take Club Sound wherever you go...
 
That club sound very much differ from my imagination. (K550 already disqualified for my taste)
* So Im a basshead craving for bass, will the smallest one K67 or K618 / 619 do the job better (fun thumping club sound rather than analytical professional sound)?
 
Nov 22, 2012 at 9:34 PM Post #161 of 1,489
Probably, but you lose resolution on midrange and treble and instrument separation. And probably soundstage too. The ideal ones would be the K267s. Those will have fun thumping club sound, with the definition of the K167's (or better).
 
 
Nov 22, 2012 at 9:54 PM Post #162 of 1,489
Quote:
Probably, but you lose resolution on midrange and treble and instrument separation. And probably soundstage too. The ideal ones would be the K267s. Those will have fun thumping club sound, with the definition of the K167's (or better).
 

 
Tempting, but not yet avail. We will know the result after reviewed.
I think on ~$100 segment, K618/619/67 quite a bargain. Yet you lose this and that on portables (they will have limitations compared to higher end), but the good news I heard they perform admirably compared to competitors.
 
Nov 23, 2012 at 2:24 AM Post #164 of 1,489
By the way, can you please check your headband, you know where you adjust according to your size?

It seems the right side of my K167 are loose compared to the left side, I hope you understand what I mean, I'm thinking it's by design, but not sure.
 

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