AKG K812 HEADPHONES REVIEW Serial No 001106

[Blackmore]

Thank you very much for your comment and spend time for reading.
 
Your post make me glad, because like you said, there are differ ways of saying what and why you like or don't like.
 
Regarding the stand. I truly think that this is necessary part of the package, serious, no sarcasm here, that connector sticking out very badly and if you are not handy enough, well, nasty things can happened very quick.
Don't underestimate the fact  that these are much heavier and you feel that when you took them of your head and trying to put them down with say one hand, or, pick up with one hand, you cant miss it, you should feel that extra cups weight, compared to say K702.
 
 
 
 
 
Quote:

  That was a nice read, thanks !
 
When you pull a line under two current AKG threads, you can clearly see why some prefer the 812 pro. It is the same thing just observed from a different perspective, this way you can see both sides of the coin.
 
P.S. Your comment about headphone stand vs cable connector was quite amusing. From the early start I didn't dig the headphone stand, possibly it should suggest people that they are dealing with flagship, or did they think they have made a value pack

 

[Mortalcoil]

Nice write up Blackmore.
 
Good comparisons.

 

[loopfreak]

They got heavier 'cause they have used aluminium, they wanted a quality feel to it while compromising on weight. My neck will hold alright, its not a problem, but important factor of enjoying hps is "not knowing" they are on your head. Sony had a magnesium model MDR 5000 which was an accomplishment, so they should gone that route..... then came the orthos and set a new bar in acceptable weight
 
Maybe I overdid my statement a bit about the stand alone but irony is still there. They went the extra mile with "new" pads ( by the way, nice pictures of inner pad section ) and then decided to squeeze them on the stand while not supplying their customers with spare ones. In other words you should go to a store and say "I would like to buy the "freshest" pair of 812 pro that you've got" because I would not like to get a new headphone with deformed pads. Lets face it, most people will not know it, price and hype will overshadow such things as it was/is with HD 800 paint chip.
 
Quote:

 
Regarding the stand. I truly think that this is necessary part of the package, serious, no sarcasm here, that connector sticking out very badly and if you are not handy enough, well, nasty things can happened very quick.
Don't underestimate the fact  that these are much heavier and you feel that when you took them of your head and trying to put them down with say one hand, or, pick up with one hand, you cant miss it, you should feel that extra cups weight, compared to say K702.

 

[saktanbers]

great review with a writing style. thanks.

 

[Mambosenior]

Excellent review! Thank you for taking your time.

 

[saktanbers]

i got may akg 701 for a mere 225 usd. and for that price it sounds very good. also without bloated bass and midbass.
for the price asked for 812, it should be very very good. i hope akg HQ will take this excellent review in to account.
blackmore thank you again for another honest and revealing review.

 

[cucera]

Really detailed and great Review! You've got a talent for it.

Now over two months after my own in the gear section i even agree more with you than in the beginning. The K812 and the HD800 are on par each of them having strengths and weaknesses. But nevertheless they mark the top of dynamic headphones.

 

[Blackmore]

Many thanks for your kind words. Yes, that's correct, just chose the one you like more and be happy with it. I enjoyed your review to, pity you didn't post up here, but for those who cant find it, here it is http://www.head-fi.org/products/akg-k812/reviews/10312
 
 
 
 
Quote:

Really detailed and great Review! You've got a talent for it.

Now over two months after my own in the gear section i even agree more with you than in the beginning. The K812 and the HD800 are on par each of them having strengths and weaknesses. But nevertheless they mark the top of dynamic headphones.

 

[RedBull]

That's really a fantastic detailed, honest review without using overbloom words.
I can use this review as a reference to describe k812.

Do you have a chance to have some words comparing k812 and T1. From the description, sounds like they have some similarities (direct, unforgiving nature, etc). Maybe I am wrong. Thanks.

 

[Blackmore]

Thanks RedBull.
 
Difficult to say, really, as I never tried T1 properly amped and from my memory, owned and tried them from my Cary only, they are nothing alike, general speaking I mean. Maybe one day I get the chance to hear Beyers again.

 

[SleepyOne]

From my brief K812 demo, I do not think T1 & K812 sound similar. K812 has a nice pro gear type neutral sound/ tone but too much mid-bass and lacks deep bass. On a well powered T1, it has a very well balanced sound, powerful bass (& can go sub bass too) but does not overwhelm the music. On a not well powered T1, it become more like mid-bassy phone, a bit like a perfect grado or something. Spatially it is also different, I think 812 may have better width (but I could be wrong due to short listening session at the demo). Imaging wise (pin point locationing) T1 is superior to 812 which is less define in space.

 

[RedBull]

So, in your opinion it is more like super hd650 than a super T1? or which headphone have the closest sound signature or tonality? Maybe gs1000? I can only guessing now that it hasn't been available in my town yet.

 

[Blackmore]

No, AKG K812 still AKG, can’t miss that one. I was referring to HD650 as some kind of example, because K812 get that mellow / warmish touch through Cary, but not that they become close in their signature. Not sure about PS1000, maybe, if they were neutral with flat mids. I couldn’t get over PS1k bass, to resonate plus limited airiness. Some may not agree, but from memory, PS1000 are step behind. K812 tonality are very good, dont believe I heard such one from any headphones, think of studio monitors, neutral and natural.

 

[SleepyOne]

  No, AKG K812 still AKG, can’t miss that one.

X2
 
It just has too much mid bass (but lacks sub/ deep bass). Tonality agreed with Blackmore, think of studio monitors, neutral and natural.

 

[majkel]

I compared the K812 to the PS1000 directly a couple of times. Once these were similar headphones with different imaging and slightly different tonal balance - the K812 were more even. Another time the PS1000 seemed to sound drier so I decided to mod them. This made them sound closer to the Sony R10 - more nuances on the midrange and softer treble. Overall, I prefer the PS1000 to the K812. This is actually intresting but I realised that the K812 have lowered tonality in the mid-section. When I put the HD800 and the T1 on my head, I heard the same midrange timbre and "height" compared to the PS1000. So, the K812 are a bit different which I don't mind actually.

Regarding comparison to the T1, these with a high serial number are far from the K812 sound. They have darker nature (not tonality, if you know what I mean), the highs have different hue, kind of gold against silver (neutral) in the AKG. Then comes the bass which plays a background role in the Beyers while being one of the strengths of the AKG. I have used an amp with very low output impdance, below 0.1 ohm which on the other hand is able to make the T1 clip on bass when adjusted very loud, so power and drive is enough. This is not an amp related issue as other powerful headphones sound clean at the same volume level,. i.e. HE-6. So, back to the topic, I assume both the K812 and the T1 were well amped and showed quite different natures. Actually, I found the K812 to be a mix of the T1 and the HD800 at the first contact but looking for a one and only similarity, the Grado PS1000 comes to mind and the differences are as follows:
- Grado have more weighty treble which doesn't mean louder.
- AKG have darker midrange but I partly blame their cable for this. I heard an alternative cable too short to confirm for sure.
- The AKG's bass is better balanced
- The Grado have better imaging of furthest soundstage layers while the AKG have better presence of the sounds and voices located in the front of the scene
- There is no smooth "halo" surrounding sound pictures on the PS1000 and no issues with tenor and mezzo-soprano voices (yet famous tizziness )
- The AKG are susceptible to the source that you use with your amp which is strongly related to holography. Once you can hear them sound centric, another time most sounds locate outside your head and all of these using the same headphones (K812 of course), amp and IC's.
Finally, I find the K812 more tweaked and flavored than the T1 for instance. The latter sound more honest to me despite probably lesser technical abilities. The same applies to the HD800. I believe that the K812 become an outstanding headphone after some months or years, when the lessons learned from initial production get introduced. This actually happened to the T1 and the HD800 which is not only heard but measurable and visible in the construction. I prefer the new sound of the HD800 and T1 to the point that there was a time I thought the T90 were better than the T1, prior to hearing the new version of the T1.