DannyBai
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AKG K167 TIËSTO - Discussion, Impression, Review & Appreciation Thread
- Thread starter miow
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magi44ken
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That's a little disappointed. If a headphone doesn't get the tonality, dynamic and timbre correctly, it will not sound right and natural. I wonder what causes this weird tonality in K167.
wje
Unmodified = Not worth listening to.
Not to go too far off on this one, but I really wish the Phililps Fidelio L1 was more available. There appears to be only a few vendors offering them, so there isn't a whole lot of competition. I do remember when the headphones were announced as they really made a big splash, as it appeared they were headed in the right direction where the previous Philips / O'neil line, didn't impress people too much and it was felt the Fidelio series was a better direction when it came catering to music and headphone lovers as opposed to mass-market consumers.
kebbin15
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How do these compare to ATH-M50 and SRH-940? I listen to Jazz and some electro music.
xtianrecords
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would i be able to plug these into a macbook pro and produce dance tracks or would i need to get an external audio interface ? i just ordered them and am very excited to get them on wed
wje
Unmodified = Not worth listening to.
Quote:
I can share my impressions, as they are still fresh in my head from yesterday. I'm basically a jazz and blues listener. To me, the M50s were quite good on the mids and upper frequencies. In the past, I had read where some thought the bass on the M50 was a bit overbearing. But, to me, it didn't appear to be quite so. In my case, that was the first time I had heard the M50s, even though they have been quite popular for more than a few years, now. The K167 Tiesto is detailed on the upper end. I'm now in a quandary as to whether the level of detail might be going a bit overboard, at times. Also, keep in mind the ATH-M50 is more of an on-ear headphone as opposed to covering the ears like the K167. But, the real thing is that it really comes down to personal preference. To me, no headphone has met my needs 100% and that is why I've jumped around a bit with various offerings. As with any purchase, I'd just suggest that you find a place of purchase that offers a return policy. Given that most retailers don't have a sufficient listening area with demo models, one practically has to take a new product home, and open it up to realize what the product is like. The same is obvious for mail order or Internet orders, too. But, I think it's most important that you have a chance to listen to it with your music and your gear driving it. While I did have my K167s at a headphone show yesterday and drove them with other gear, I wasn't as happy with my headphones at the time. When I got home, relaxed and things were a bit more quiet, I could then gain some perspective into the true sound (good or bad) that I was hearing.
Quote:
I tested my K167 with a MacBook pro yesterday. It wasn't directly out of the headphone jack on the Mac, but it did go through a HeadRoom total BitHead amplifier. There wasn't any EQ or bass boost enabled. The sound that I experienced was that there was a bit less bass than I could experience with the headphones at home with my own gear. Then again, it could be somewhat related to a lot of stimulation going on at a headphone meet. With 25 pair of different headphones, your mind is going crazy trying to analyze and categorize many headphones in a short period of time. Again, in your case, it's really best to demo the 'phones with your specific gear and music. I've learned all too well that other gear and other music doesn't always equal my own experience while at home with my gear and music.
I can share my impressions, as they are still fresh in my head from yesterday. I'm basically a jazz and blues listener. To me, the M50s were quite good on the mids and upper frequencies. In the past, I had read where some thought the bass on the M50 was a bit overbearing. But, to me, it didn't appear to be quite so. In my case, that was the first time I had heard the M50s, even though they have been quite popular for more than a few years, now. The K167 Tiesto is detailed on the upper end. I'm now in a quandary as to whether the level of detail might be going a bit overboard, at times. Also, keep in mind the ATH-M50 is more of an on-ear headphone as opposed to covering the ears like the K167. But, the real thing is that it really comes down to personal preference. To me, no headphone has met my needs 100% and that is why I've jumped around a bit with various offerings. As with any purchase, I'd just suggest that you find a place of purchase that offers a return policy. Given that most retailers don't have a sufficient listening area with demo models, one practically has to take a new product home, and open it up to realize what the product is like. The same is obvious for mail order or Internet orders, too. But, I think it's most important that you have a chance to listen to it with your music and your gear driving it. While I did have my K167s at a headphone show yesterday and drove them with other gear, I wasn't as happy with my headphones at the time. When I got home, relaxed and things were a bit more quiet, I could then gain some perspective into the true sound (good or bad) that I was hearing.
Quote:
I tested my K167 with a MacBook pro yesterday. It wasn't directly out of the headphone jack on the Mac, but it did go through a HeadRoom total BitHead amplifier. There wasn't any EQ or bass boost enabled. The sound that I experienced was that there was a bit less bass than I could experience with the headphones at home with my own gear. Then again, it could be somewhat related to a lot of stimulation going on at a headphone meet. With 25 pair of different headphones, your mind is going crazy trying to analyze and categorize many headphones in a short period of time. Again, in your case, it's really best to demo the 'phones with your specific gear and music. I've learned all too well that other gear and other music doesn't always equal my own experience while at home with my gear and music.
miow
Member of the Trade: X-Elite (Headphone mods)
aka dimitri42.
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Quote:
Funny, I can't find them unnatural in any way. The treble is one of the most accurate/real I've heard (cymbals, percusion instruments - the sound of sands, hand clapping, etc). I think timbre is perfect. But this is just my opinion FWIW ; )
Funny, I can't find them unnatural in any way. The treble is one of the most accurate/real I've heard (cymbals, percusion instruments - the sound of sands, hand clapping, etc). I think timbre is perfect. But this is just my opinion FWIW ; )
roma101
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[VIDEO][/VIDEO]
I will say they do indeed improve with some juice. Take what I said with a grain of salt and try them for yourself as they really are impressive. I am just really nitpicky as to what I am looking for in a can and these are not completely my cup of tea tonally. I may still try the K267 at some point.
I will say they do indeed improve with some juice. Take what I said with a grain of salt and try them for yourself as they really are impressive. I am just really nitpicky as to what I am looking for in a can and these are not completely my cup of tea tonally. I may still try the K267 at some point.
Quote:
Quote:
Hehe, that's not just your opinion^^ I totally agree what you said, miow. Mids and Highs are indeed natural sounding with the 167s.
Please all readers, the attributes "detailed", "accurate", "analytic", "transparent" etc. when stated in conjunction with the 167s do not mean that they are in any way "sharp" sounding or even "thin". As I stated before I do miss some mid bass (and maybe it is true that also lower mids are not represented in the same way as mids and highs are). So, these phones are indeed not linear. But I don't care at all because what they do in the sub bass range is just amazing and combined with their accuracy in the mid and high FR they are a real winner for that prize! (btw, I paid about 230EUR for them^^)
Quote:
Hehe, that's not just your opinion^^ I totally agree what you said, miow. Mids and Highs are indeed natural sounding with the 167s.
Please all readers, the attributes "detailed", "accurate", "analytic", "transparent" etc. when stated in conjunction with the 167s do not mean that they are in any way "sharp" sounding or even "thin". As I stated before I do miss some mid bass (and maybe it is true that also lower mids are not represented in the same way as mids and highs are). So, these phones are indeed not linear. But I don't care at all because what they do in the sub bass range is just amazing and combined with their accuracy in the mid and high FR they are a real winner for that prize! (btw, I paid about 230EUR for them^^)
OneRhythm
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I like to listen to any genre on a whim, so would you guys say that the K167 are great for all around casual listening?
Lorspeaker
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FOTM just went beyond the peak...? .
RPGWiZaRD
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miow
Member of the Trade: X-Elite (Headphone mods)
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All genres are good, even classical 
mrbigsby
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Ok, so i had a little time on my hands today and went out to do this:
..and this
and this.
Then i ended up doing this:
which lead to this:
then eventually things spiralled out of control
SOme results were to be expected:
Some not so expected!
Just to clarify i own the K167, and all the samples used im told have around 100 hours or more on them. Except for one, but ill get to that last.
I realise these are not all in the price range of k167, but a couple are relatively close (in Australia), others are topics of curiosity.
I carried out extensive testing using the same source (iphone), same amp/DAC (e17), and same settings for 1-2 reference songs for each genre, first comparing each to the k167. Then grouping them and comparing them, then tweeking the eq to make each phone sound best to me and noting the changes. And finally eliminating the ones that werent for me and noting why.
THey didnt have a sample of the limited edition (4000 made) DT770 32 OHM, so i had to buy that in order to add it to the tests. Im glad i did, these, not even burnt in, made the 250OHM DT770 obsolete in my opinion. MUCH better high end (not rolled off or overpowered by bass like the 250), very analytical like and clear clean but warm very present mids (which i LOVE), and still that big bass, but not at all boomy or colouring. Rock tracks still sounded like rock tracks, etc. They stood up to the k167, and in my opinion dominated them pretty hard. I must say though i own BOTH, and am happy i do.
In essence i have too much to write in a post, with all the hours of fun i had today i would end up writing a 4 page post! SO i think its best that if anyone wants to know my thoughts comparing ANY of the above to ANY of the above (or to the 167 which was the initial exercise), please feel free to ask in any detail you like and ill do my best to help
..and this
and this.
Then i ended up doing this:
which lead to this:
then eventually things spiralled out of control
SOme results were to be expected:
Some not so expected!
Just to clarify i own the K167, and all the samples used im told have around 100 hours or more on them. Except for one, but ill get to that last.
I realise these are not all in the price range of k167, but a couple are relatively close (in Australia), others are topics of curiosity.
I carried out extensive testing using the same source (iphone), same amp/DAC (e17), and same settings for 1-2 reference songs for each genre, first comparing each to the k167. Then grouping them and comparing them, then tweeking the eq to make each phone sound best to me and noting the changes. And finally eliminating the ones that werent for me and noting why.
THey didnt have a sample of the limited edition (4000 made) DT770 32 OHM, so i had to buy that in order to add it to the tests. Im glad i did, these, not even burnt in, made the 250OHM DT770 obsolete in my opinion. MUCH better high end (not rolled off or overpowered by bass like the 250), very analytical like and clear clean but warm very present mids (which i LOVE), and still that big bass, but not at all boomy or colouring. Rock tracks still sounded like rock tracks, etc. They stood up to the k167, and in my opinion dominated them pretty hard. I must say though i own BOTH, and am happy i do.
In essence i have too much to write in a post, with all the hours of fun i had today i would end up writing a 4 page post! SO i think its best that if anyone wants to know my thoughts comparing ANY of the above to ANY of the above (or to the 167 which was the initial exercise), please feel free to ask in any detail you like and ill do my best to help
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