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AKG K812 Impressions versus other flagships?

Feb 11, 2017 at 5:01 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 16
Androktasiai

Androktasiai

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Hey everyone,
 
I'm having trouble finding a good thread on here about the AKG K812 headphones, which are currently back on Massdrop once again.
 
A lot of the threads on here are people going back and forth about nonesense, and with no real discussion about the actual headphones and their sound.
 
Im wondering how these compared to other good soundstage headphones like the LCD-3? T1? HD800?
 
Thank you.
 
Mar 28, 2018 at 1:59 PM Post #3 of 16
Mar 29, 2018 at 6:54 AM Post #4 of 16
@Sefelt103
who is the author of this presentation?
 
Mar 30, 2018 at 10:37 PM Post #9 of 16
Androktasiai said:
Im wondering how these compared to other good soundstage headphones like the LCD-3? T1? HD800?
Thank you.
Click to expand...

The AKG K812 is more along the lines of the Sennheiser HD800/HD800S and the Beyerdynamic T1/T1.2, than LCD-3 which is warmer, softer and less expansive.

The sound of the AKG K812 is big and very open, layered and nicely focused. Unlike the HD800 variants, the K812 is not distant sounding, but immediate.
It's less dry than HD800 variants, but not as warm/full or cohessive as the T1.

Both HD800 and T1 variants have a more laid back sound relative to the more forward K812.
The K812 is great to hear things present on the recordings, but it can be harder to enjoy as a pure audiophile headphone as it can come as raw or too upfront.

I like the AKG K812 because it's incredibly effortless and ethereal sounding.
Besides its sound signature, the headphone simply dissapears and let you in a place full of separate sound sources.

Most other people that have tried my headphones liked the Beyerdynamic T1/T1.2 first, then the HD800/S, then the K812.
The AKG K812 is a speciallist headphone, just like the AKG K701 was in its time and it was the less liked of the classic trio despite being superlative in some regards.
 
Mar 30, 2018 at 10:49 PM Post #10 of 16
Androktasiai said:
Hey everyone,

I'm having trouble finding a good thread on here about the AKG K812 headphones, which are currently back on Massdrop once again.

A lot of the threads on here are people going back and forth about nonesense, and with no real discussion about the actual headphones and their sound.

Im wondering how these compared to other good soundstage headphones like the LCD-3? T1? HD800?

Thank you.
Click to expand...
here is a link to the original akg k812 pro thread: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/akg-k812-pro.685339/ it contains listening impressions and comparisons with the hd800 in particular, some "back and forth", off-topic discussions and maybe even some "nonsense". most headphone threads do here.
 
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Nov 12, 2023 at 2:24 AM Post #11 of 16
if you want the k812 with fixed treble and without the slightest sibilance and with a slightly wider soundstage while maintaining everything else exactly the same, even soundstage depth and layering, you could try the k872. It is very important to keep it at least 20 minutes on your head, because the memory foam pads need this time to create a perfect seal, because they need to warm up. it is a different foam from the one in the k812 pads. the pads of the 812 fit the 872 and vice versa but they are not compatible. Once they have warmed up and you achieved the perfect seal, it turns from similar bright treble as the k812 to perfect tonality top to bottom with zero sibilance. that was one of the problems why some reviews wrote it is the exact same as the 812 but closed, while it is not. i guarantee, the headphone completely disapers from your head after initial 20 minutes and you wont believe listening to a closed headphone anymore. it really is a mindblowing experience and well worth a try. dont do that in a shop tho. try to bring them to your usual listening place, dont think about sound at first, just listen to music and at one point you will put it down to have a look, if these are really closed backs or if you accidently got the k812. didnt believe this myself. until i tried unhurriedly at home. there is a reason why the k872 are a good bit higher in price.
 
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Nov 13, 2023 at 4:49 PM Post #13 of 16
Androktasiai said:
Hey everyone,

I'm having trouble finding a good thread on here about the AKG K812 headphones, which are currently back on Massdrop once again.

A lot of the threads on here are people going back and forth about nonesense, and with no real discussion about the actual headphones and their sound.

Im wondering how these compared to other good soundstage headphones like the LCD-3? T1? HD800?

Thank you.
Click to expand...
812 Spacious sounding, wide stage, immediate. For something that does that better, try the HFM HE-1000 v2 or Stealth might appeal to you, big sound, lots of detail, cleaner bass and treble. Not flustered by complex music. Try comparing on complex (well recorded) jazz with heavy bass and lots of brass, or multiple bass instruments playing different lines at the same time.

LCD-3 needs a lot of PEQ, smaller stage, dark, much more bass impact. Very different, u probably would not like them.
 
Nov 13, 2023 at 5:45 PM Post #14 of 16
The AKG K812 has been the headphone I keep coming back to (see my signature). It has absolutely zero isolation with the external world, if that's important. The sound is magnificent - I do use the Sonarworks EQ on it to bring up the bass a little and tone down a couple of treble peaks, but even without that, it sounds superb. Get it while you can. Amazon has the lowest price by far.
 
Nov 14, 2023 at 4:05 AM Post #15 of 16
@John Buchanan ..... And I already wanted to give the K812 away ..... :beerchug:

Only the plastic of the pads has become a bit harder, especially the edges right where they rest on the skin.
 
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