[headphonefranz]

I just meant that in the case of the K812, I have found that EQ tends to detract from the properties that I enjoy most about them.

I would have to invest a level of time and attention into EQ that I'm not willing to invest - you have established a good tool. It's refreshing to read your own assessment of the 812. I'm personally convinced they are a classic. A true example of brilliance in headphone creation.

 

[JAnonymous5150]

I would have to invest a level of time and attention into EQ that I'm not willing to invest - you have established a good tool. It's refreshing to read your own assessment of the 812. I'm personally convinced they are a classic. A true example of brilliance in headphone creation.

I've had my K812s for quite some time and they won't be going anywhere soon. They're my go to pair for reviewing/monitoring tracks my band has recorded and I enjoy listening to music with them as well. I haven't found anything that does what the K812s do as well as they do it, let alone better, and until I do, they'll always have a place in my lineup.

 

[John Buchanan]

I'm not an anti-EQ purist and if you find an EQ solution for an offending frequency response, the main thing is to hear the music the way it works for you.

Do you have a piece of piano music (or two) where the 812 suffered from that peak that irritated you? I'd like to check it out for myself.

I noticed it in, say, the Complete At The Blue Note box set (Keith Jarrett), where one or two notes stand proud without EQ and natural with EQ. It's a really fantastic headphone and up there with the Focal Utopia OG and Mysphere 3.2 which both had similar faults (different notes) without EQ. All went from great to superlative, especially the Mysphere.
It wasn't only the above box set - piano recordings bring it out however in all 3. The only headphone that I've heard without that fault in its natural (unEQed) state was the Stax Sigma Pro - a sorely missed and very hard to amplify headphone.

 

[jamesjames]

My feelings about the K812 and EQ have been greatly affected by my use of crossfeed. I no longer use headphones without it - that's been the case for some years. I won't go into the detail - there's another thread if anyone's interested in that - but I feel crossfeed does tend to correct the basic difficulty with headphone presentation which in my experience contributes to the 'peakiness' heard by many using phones with broadly diffuse or free field tuning. I know crossfeed is controversial, and I accept it's likely to be more relevant for those (like me) who listen to acoustic music, but I've found phones like the K812, the HD800S and the ADX5000 are invariably much more comfortable - I would say natural - with it. It might be said, I suppose, that I find crossfeed 'EQ' the optimal EQ.

 

[John Buchanan]

My feelings about the K812 and EQ have been greatly affected by my use of crossfeed. I no longer use headphones without it - that's been the case for some years. I won't go into the detail - there's another thread if anyone's interested in that - but I feel crossfeed does tend to correct the basic difficulty with headphone presentation which in my experience contributes to the 'peakiness' heard by many using phones with broadly diffuse or free field tuning. I know crossfeed is controversial, and I accept it's likely to be more relevant for those (like me) who listen to acoustic music, but I've found phones like the K812, the HD800S and the ADX5000 are invariably much more comfortable - I would say natural - with it. It might be said, I suppose, that I find crossfeed 'EQ' the optimal EQ.

I had an original Phonitor headphone amp for that, but it had background noise on all but the highest impedance phones. It was magnificent with a Beyerdynamic T1 Gen. 2 (600 Ohms). and possibly would have sung with the Sennheiser HD800 or HD800s. (300 Ohms)

 

[jamesjames]

I had an original Phonitor headphone amp for that, but it had background noise on all but the highest impedance phones. It was magnificent with a Beyerdynamic T1 Gen. 2 (600 Ohms). and possibly would have sung with the Sennheiser HD800 or HD800s. (300 Ohms)

Hello John. I had the Phonitor xe for some time, which I agree was quite something with high impedance phones. I also thought the implementation of crossfeed was exceptional - switchable, adjustable analogue stage (which, as you know, SPL calls 'matrix). But in the end I always preferred my Moon 430HA in all respects. Interestingly, the Moon crossfeed circuit isn't adjustable, just switchable. But my comparisons persuaded me that my ideal crossfeed was a 'static' proposition - that is, in terms of 'crossfeed' and 'angle' levels (including frequency correction parameters to deal with interaural level and interaural time differences). I don't encounter any noise with the Moon, even with the K812 (~38 ohms). The source impedance of the Moon is about 1 ohm - it delivers good current and voltage (although can't compete with the SPL voltair amps in terms voltage delivery).

 

[John Buchanan]

Hello John. I had the Phonitor xe for some time, which I agree was quite something with high impedance phones. I also thought the implementation of crossfeed was exceptional - switchable, adjustable analogue stage (which, as you know, SPL calls 'matrix). But in the end I always preferred my Moon 430HA in all respects. Interestingly, the Moon crossfeed circuit isn't adjustable, just switchable. But my comparisons persuaded me that my ideal crossfeed was a 'static' proposition - that is, in terms of 'crossfeed' and 'angle' levels (including frequency correction parameters to deal with interaural level and interaural time differences). I don't encounter any noise with the Moon, even with the K812 (~38 ohms). The source impedance of the Moon is about 1 ohm - it delivers good current and voltage (although can't compete with the SPL voltair amps in terms voltage delivery).

The original Phonitor output impedance was approximately 9 ohms IIRC. It didn't like the newer breed of low impedance TOTL headphones. The Phonitor 2 fixed that with a lower output impedance. However, I loved the beautiful industrial symmetry of the original's case work.

 

[jamesjames]

I hadn't realized the output impedance of the earlier SPL amps was higher - Phonitor xe was only 0.36 ohms. Even so, I thought it was at its best with high impedance phones. Some measurements I've seen suggest distortion did increase quite a bit with lower impedance phones - although I've never seen any real explanation of this. I share your liking for the casework! I thought the xe was the nicest looking amp I've ever owned - in a retro kind of way.

 

[FritzS]

The AKG K812 is simply superb via the Merging Anubis Premium and Oratory1990'2 EQ settings. That slight brightness is gone, leaving a headphone with huge dynamics, great soundstage and even tone throughout the frequency response. The AKG team responsible for this and the Mysphere 3 really know what they are doing.

I am not a friend of EQ - but Apples maOS offers some build in filters - they have no own GUI, could only activate in Audio Players (foobar2000, Fidelia, Audirvana, Media Center, ...). The disadvantage is that you can't switch them on or off quickly, or change the default filter settings if you try out a different pair of headphones.

 

[lydhenry]

At the current price, especially on the used market, the K812 is almost unbeatable

 

[musicday]

At the current price, especially on the used market, the K812 is almost unbeatable

Yes. Also I was wondering if there is a better open headphone out there at the same price.
K812 or K872?

 

[lydhenry]

Yes. Also I was wondering if there is a better open headphone out there at the same price.
K812 or K872?

In my limited range of headphone auditioning, no. But I have to say that it depends a lot on your listening preferences and equipment (Source, Dac, Amp, etc). Sorry, I haven't given the K872 a try.

 

[Audiastor]

After spending 30 years in the Hobby, my personal conclusion is this (and it is very personal of course): My favourite Headphones of all time are the AKG K812, the Grado RS2, The Beyerdynamic DT880 600 Ohm and the Hifiman HE6SE V2. I heard and tested about 200 Headphones in every price bracket, but those three remain on top for me.

The K812 suprises me again and again. Every time I put it on, I am floored by it's technical capalilities and the beauty of how it presents music, Also, the built quality is still amazing after seven years of constant use. If pressured to keep only one Headphone, it would be the 812, no doubt. As it can do everything. It is so darn detailled and technical, yet also musical.

 

[musicday]

After spending 30 years in the Hobby, my personal conclusion is this (and it is very personal of course): My favourite Headphones of all time are the AKG K812, the Grado RS2, The Beyerdynamic DT880 600 Ohm and the Hifiman HE6SE V2. I heard and tested about 200 Headphones in every price bracket, but those three remain on top for me.

The K812 suprises me again and again. Every time I put it on, I am floored by it's technical capalilities and the beauty of how it presents music, Also, the built quality is still amazing after seven years of constant use. If pressured to keep only one Headphone, it would be the 812, no doubt. As it can do everything. It is so darn detailled and technical, yet also musical.

What cable do you use with the K812? Do you have any modification on it?
If you said you have tested about 200 headphones at every price, have you heard: The Composer, Pioneer SE-Master 1, The latest JVC headphone, Diana TC, ATH-ADX5000? How they compare if you know with the K812. Thanks

 

[John Buchanan]

What cable do you use with the K812? Do you have any modification on it?
If you said you have tested about 200 headphones at every price, have you heard: The Composer, Pioneer SE-Master 1, The latest JVC headphone, Diana TC, ATH-ADX5000? How they compare if you know with the K812. Thanks

Just buy a K812 and see
Amazon link to AKG K812 bargain.