[squidman]

Just an update k271 mkii's vs k612 pros..
 
All good k271's arrived without extra VAT etc...but still too expensive...around 200 USD.  So far liking them, have never used closed cans before...was looking to replace akg k141 studios with these, and use them as a gaming can. Through the old v-can mk 1's so far, and just mobo audio...the 55 ohms was important, can't drag v-cans with me everywhere...(k612's with ?? ohms)
 
First impressions: well the audio-cut off works, hope that's not a potential failure point!  Haven't really had a chance to warm up yet, have around 15 hrs on them so far. Not quite as warm as the 141's (albeit they were quite old), actually have similar sound to the k612's, but not the sound stage or bass. Very big difference between closed, semi-aural and open cans!  So far much prefer the k612's, but then again I got these for gaming and for school (for when the kids get a bit noisy! playing games! instead of doing Maya and Nuke!)...
 
Considered of course the beyerdynamics dt770's...but good experiences with akg so far....with mics could prbly make a pretty decent set of gaming cans...decided against 'true' surround 5.1/7.1 cans, looks like the best way to go about it is software surround...will try out razer surround in a bit. 20 bucks isn't too bad. And yeah..over a 100 bucks may as well get decent set of audiophile or studio cans...was how I figured it anyway.  
 
Bit lacking in the bass like all akg's...playing clean without eq...but love the soundstage (much better on the k612's of course! but haven't yet tried the k271's with velour earpads yet!).  All in all pretty happy, and they have the all-important removable cable! Such a huge downer with the k612's...but wasn't going to pay the extra 200 bucks for a removable cable for the next step up!
 
Still haven't tried higher bitrate music...some youtube, spotify free version etc...and no still no decent sound-card although mobo's chip should be good enough for my uneducated ears...
 
Nothing to compare it with really, but for the money (in the US) think you should be able to make a pretty decent set of gaming cans out of these.  And not too shabby for music.  For pure music listening, semi-open or open like the k141's, k612's or similar for sure...unless there are a lot of external distractions/noise...etc...(the reason for this purchase!)..just waiting for them to warm up a bit!
 
Edit: Still would be over the moon...spoiled by k612's and very warm older k141's which are now sadly retired! And some (Denon? cans over 20 years ago which were just so sweet....)....

 

[appsmarsterx]

   
and no still no decent sound-card although mobo's chip should be good enough for my uneducated ears...
 

 
 
I don't think your mobo's onboard headphone out has the enough power to properly drive headphones like 612, you clearly need a good amp/dac for your 612pro.

 

[squidman]

See post...using v-can's v1 which have more than enough power...of course figured that out AFTER I bought the k612's....(500 ohms or whatever it is!!)...still a sweet pair of cans, getting better now I've burned them in a bit...need the same for k271 mkii's....just meant the mobo dac's are not **** hot...but don't really see the point in a sound card once you have a headphone amp...really doubt mere mortals can tell the difference! (between decent mobo dacs and soundcard)... Even between the two cans, only a very slight subjective difference here...
 
(Musical Fidelity V-CAN ..mk1)....well they work but not glowing tubes...will be next step...only got them to give k612's enough juice...(yeah as a guitarist...must...have..tubes!!!)....may try some of those far-east jobbies....

 

[appsmarsterx]

See post...using v-can's v1 which have more than enough power...of course figured that out AFTER I bought the k612's....(500 ohms or whatever it is!!)...still a sweet pair of cans, getting better now I've burned them in a bit...need the same for k271 mkii's....just meant the mobo dac's are not **** hot...but don't really see the point in a sound card once you have a headphone amp...really doubt mere mortals can tell the difference! (between decent mobo dacs and soundcard)... Even between the two cans, only a very slight subjective difference here...

(Musical Fidelity V-CAN ..mk1)....well they work but not glowing tubes...will be next step...only got them to give k612's enough juice...(yeah as a guitarist...must...have..tubes!!!)....may try some of those far-east jobbies....

sorry. I wasn't aware that you have an amp.

 

[cdma2k]

  See post...using v-can's v1 which have more than enough power...of course figured that out AFTER I bought the k612's....(500 ohms or whatever it is!!)...still a sweet pair of cans, getting better now I've burned them in a bit...need the same for k271 mkii's....just meant the mobo dac's are not **** hot...but don't really see the point in a sound card once you have a headphone amp...really doubt mere mortals can tell the difference! (between decent mobo dacs and soundcard)... Even between the two cans, only a very slight subjective difference here...
 
(Musical Fidelity V-CAN ..mk1)....well they work but not glowing tubes...will be next step...only got them to give k612's enough juice...(yeah as a guitarist...must...have..tubes!!!)....may try some of those far-east jobbies....

120 Ohms for K612, not easy to drive

 

[Majestyk]

   
I found Beyer DT150, Soundmagic HP150, Sony CD900ST, Sony MDR7506, to name a few, all have better details and clarity than my China made K612. Also for slightly higher price, the NAD HP50 completely outcast the K612 in terms of details and clarity. That is not to say that these phones are better phones than K612, as it is always a matter of preference and the K612 do have quite a different sound signature to some of these phones.

 
I had the MDR7506's. Those things were painful to listen to after a short while. WAY too bright for my taste.

 

[sujitsky]

  How does it sound ?

 
I haven't had much time with these due to travels ... Managed to pick these up for $139 from Amazon! Had to wait till tonight to unpack and listen 

 
I am not great with words but some initial impressions as I have them on my head right now:
 
Build: These look solidly built and while big to hold in your hands, they are comfortably light. The ear pads are a bit stiff-feeling and I hope these would soften a bit with usage. The cable seems sturdy enough (though I would have liked a thicker cable). Comfort level is good and the headband is smooth (no bumps!!!)
 
Sound: These are rated at 120 ohms but are not easy to drive. I am listening to these out of my DX90 running through a Fiio E11K2 amp. Plugged in directly to the HO on my DX90 (on high gain), it took me close to 240/255 on the volume scale to get decent sound. whereas, I am able to drive my DT990s around 195-200/255. The soundstage is decent but somehow feels narrower than that of the DT990s. These will reveal bad recordings very easily but feed them from a good source, and they do shine! Generally, I hear all areas of the music emphasized equally (Bass, Mids, Treble) through these. This is not to say they lack punch in the bass section but it depends on the original recording to show it off. Again, THEY NEED AN AMP!
 
These are my first AKGs and do sound different than any of my other cans. The sound so far is slightly dry in nature (don't know how to explain it better ...) but that could be the amp pairing.

 

[cdma2k]

   
I haven't had much time with these due to travels ... Managed to pick these up for $139 from Amazon! Had to wait till tonight to unpack and listen 

 
I am not great with words but some initial impressions as I have them on my head right now:
 
Build: These look solidly built and while big to hold in your hands, they are comfortably light. The ear pads are a bit stiff-feeling and I hope these would soften a bit with usage. The cable seems sturdy enough (though I would have liked a thicker cable). Comfort level is good and the headband is smooth (no bumps!!!)
 
Sound: These are rated at 120 ohms but are not easy to drive. I am listening to these out of my DX90 running through a Fiio E11K2 amp. Plugged in directly to the HO on my DX90 (on high gain), it took me close to 240/255 on the volume scale to get decent sound. whereas, I am able to drive my DT990s around 195-200/255. The soundstage is decent but somehow feels narrower than that of the DT990s. These will reveal bad recordings very easily but feed them from a good source, and they do shine! Generally, I hear all areas of the music emphasized equally (Bass, Mids, Treble) through these. This is not to say they lack punch in the bass section but it depends on the original recording to show it off. Again, THEY NEED AN AMP!
 
These are my first AKGs and do sound different than any of my other cans. The sound so far is slightly dry in nature (don't know how to explain it better ...) but that could be the amp pairing.

thanks for sharing your opinions!
dry? do you mean lean?  due to less emphasized on hi-bass to low-mid?  it is leaner than K712

 

[appsmarsterx]

   The sound so far is slightly dry in nature (don't know how to explain it better ...) but that could be the amp pairing.

 
that could be due to the 2khz spike,  eq it or try a warmer source  

 

[cel4145]

These are my first AKGs and do sound different than any of my other cans. The sound so far is slightly dry in nature (don't know how to explain it better ...) but that could be the amp pairing.

Yep. A touch dry is how I describe it in comparison to my Soundmagic HP150s. So I know what you mean. I don't think its the amp pairing.

 

[Guomapi]

K601&K612 are easy to make a good sound. But not as much details as upper headphones I feel.

 

[cdma2k]

 

   
I haven't had much time with these due to travels ... Managed to pick these up for $139 from Amazon! Had to wait till tonight to unpack and listen 

 
I am not great with words but some initial impressions as I have them on my head right now:
 
Build: These look solidly built and while big to hold in your hands, they are comfortably light. The ear pads are a bit stiff-feeling and I hope these would soften a bit with usage. The cable seems sturdy enough (though I would have liked a thicker cable). Comfort level is good and the headband is smooth (no bumps!!!)
 
Sound: These are rated at 120 ohms but are not easy to drive. I am listening to these out of my DX90 running through a Fiio E11K2 amp. Plugged in directly to the HO on my DX90 (on high gain), it took me close to 240/255 on the volume scale to get decent sound. whereas, I am able to drive my DT990s around 195-200/255. The soundstage is decent but somehow feels narrower than that of the DT990s. These will reveal bad recordings very easily but feed them from a good source, and they do shine! Generally, I hear all areas of the music emphasized equally (Bass, Mids, Treble) through these. This is not to say they lack punch in the bass section but it depends on the original recording to show it off. Again, THEY NEED AN AMP!
 
These are my first AKGs and do sound different than any of my other cans. The sound so far is slightly dry in nature (don't know how to explain it better ...) but that could be the amp pairing.

thanks for sharing your opinions!
dry? do you mean lean?  due to less emphasized on hi-bass to low-mid?  it is leaner than K712

FYI, http://www.head-fi.org/t/681147/philips-fidelio-l2/630#post_11018435

 

[interface95]

Hej everyone
I hope you don't blame me for not reading through the whole thread but i just wanted to know if there are huge differences between the 601 and the 612.
What i already know is that the 612 has a little more bass as the 601 and that they are using the same driver.
But is there something else?
 
The reason why I'm asking is that the price in Austria for the K601 went up to 190$ again, while the price for the K612 went down to 160$.
 
I was thinking about buying one to compare it to my K500

 
 
edit:
meanwhile i found the graphs:
 
AKG K 601

 
AKG K 612

 

 

[Head1]

My impression from earlier comments is that it is slightly better than the K601 with bit more bass but smaller soundstage.
 
I would also like to know how it compares to K500/1. Is the K612 like a good compromise between the K501 & HD600? Can the mid-treble spikes be eq'd effectively? Thanks.

 

[wje]

I picked up a pair of the K612 Pros during a very spontaneous moment in the F/S section here.  I've been using a pair of AT headphones with the AD2000x drivers.  The K612 has a smaller sound stage and a warmer signature.  I like the AD2000x for jazz and music with a lot of percussion.  It shines in that arena.   However, for blues, the K612 is a good contender.
 
I've seen another post where a comment was made indicating the sound signature of the K612 Pro was more like the Senn HD-600 - or at least in that range.  I'd have to get another pair of HD-600 to compare side-by-side to confirm this.  For the price, I think the K612 Pros are some great performers.  They have a sound signature that wouldn't really offend anyone.  However, for those who seek a more extended detail for their sound, other headphones should be considered.   Over the years, I've found that it's awfully hard to find just one pair of headphones that would do everything well to please the owner.