AKG K81/518 DJ/LE Thread and *Review*

[ostewart]

AKG K518 DJ Review

Hello i have some AKG K518 DJ's with maybe 40 hours on them and have decided to review them. The only other cans i have to compare them to are the Panasonic RP-HTX7.

Box: the AKG's have a very nice looking box, quite simple but attractive.

Build quality: they feel very solid, the only weaks points would be the cable and the swivel joints i think.

Comfort: a lot of people have complained that they squeeze tight, but i have a small head and they fit perfect, not too much pressure.

Isolation: these isolate very well, i use them everyday on a bus full of students and they isolate very well, especially for supra aural headphones.

Sound:

Lows: they pack some serious punch in the low end, i think the quantity is just right, a little less wouldnt hurt, but i really like them. The bass is fast, not too boomy, and goes very deep. The good thing is that the lows dont veil or interfere with the other frequencys.

Mids: very sweet smooth mids, a tad recessed but nothing serious. I do love the mids on these coming from the pannys. The pannys have very recessed mids.

Highs: the highs on these cans are very nice, they never become too bright, and not a hint of silibance either. Also very smooth like the mids.

Soundstage: is alright, less than the pannys, these cans have quite an agressive presentation, quite in your face (which i love for rock)

instrument separation: is very good IMO i can tell all the different instruments from each other.

foam pads in or out? I prefer them out, the review is based on them without the foam inserts, they become more balanced with the foam out, the foam just makes everything more muddy.

Amped? They go well with the cmoy i have, opens up the soundstage and makes them more balanced, more controlled.

These work a treat with rock and electronica, they arent as good for classical. But they are a fun headphone, not for analytical listening.

Price/quality: very good bang for buck, great sound, closed design and cheap, i couldnt ask for more.

Pros:
Great sound
Size
Prce
Portability
Build quality
Looks
Islation

Cons:
Comfort
Bass can be too much sometimes

Review was using a sansa clip+ and genres from classical, to metalcore, to electronica to reggae. All at 320kbps.

Thank you for reading this review.
Fellow headfier: Oscar

 

[ostewart]

come on guys, this is only my 2nd review, is it really that bad? If so tell me what else i need to include, or what more you want to know.

 

[DaBomb77766]

Pretty good review!  Really needs pictures though, it's hard to catch peoples' attention otherwise, but other than that, keep up the good work!

 

[129207]

 
 
Thanks for the review! I had these but sold them because I couldn't wear them for more than 30 minutes. They were, seriously, the most uncomfortable headphone I have ever owned. I have owned A LOT of headphones. I don't have a small head and my ears aren't the smallest either so that could be the problem right there. The sound always pleased me though. Exactely like you said: fun, punchy bass that works great with rock/metal/electronica. If you're ever looking to upgrade from these, check out the HD25-1 II. 
 
You could improve your review by changing your layout a bit and add some photos. Comparing certain parts of the headphone to other headphones makes your description less abstract as well. That way more people can relate to your impressions. As a layout, you could try something like this: 
 
 
REALLY CATCHY TITLE
 
Soundstage:
awesome awesome awesome awesome awesome awesome awesome 
awesome awesome awesome awesome awesome 
 
 
Build quality:
horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible horrible, horrible horrible 
horrible! horrible!
 
 
Value:
etcetera


Conclusion:
+ pro
+ pro
+ pro
- con
- con
- con

 

[LizardKing1]

Good, concise review. I think these headphones are a steal for their price.

 

[ostewart]

well next time i will write it on a pc instead of my phone, so i can change the layout. Thanks for the comments

 

[ostewart]

Edited, much better now

 

[ostewart]

Edit and pics

 

[129207]

Much better indeed! This will surely be useful to people looking to buy this great headphone. Thanks for taking the effort!

 

[DaBomb77766]

Much better now, you should put a review in the reviews section too!

 

[ostewart]

well i bought a RCA cable and had to unbraid it all and after a lot of hard work soldered it all. i only had bits and bobs around to make the cable so its very rough, but the sound is much better. more controlled bass and better balance. im very happy with them now.
 

 

[129207]

Interesting how your perceive differences in the sound. Are you absolutely sure it's not placebo? Sometimes your brain tells yourself it sounds better because you've just spent a lot of money and hours with a soldering iron. 

  I am one of those guys that firmly believe cables can't make a difference in sound quality.

 

[ostewart]

im pretty sure there is a difference. i used to hear some very uncontrolled bloated rumbling bass notes, now there is none of that, also the stock cable is very thin and cheap. also bass guitar used to be slightly masked by the kick drums, now i can hear it better. maybe it is just placebo i dont know. but i think it sounds better.

 

[DaBomb77766]

I think cables can make a difference in sound quality, but it's most likely dependent largely on the thickness of the cable rather than how "pure" the metal is and how well insulated it is (unless you're finding it's getting a ton of electromagnetic interference, but that's not so much of an issue with headphones).  After all, there's only so much current that can be carried by a hair thin cable - but again, it's probably more of an issue with cans that have a higher impedance and with speakers.

 

[ostewart]

it is a quite thick cable, very well sheilded and everything. I like it. I'll be getting some heat-shrink soon to make it more professional looking.