[audioot]

What I am wondering is, for example, the magnet strength of bv an HD600 and K702 or more of these headhones compared to the akg 812

 

[uptildawn53]

So I have been going on about a year now with AKG K812 pro's and am just supremely impressed with them. Which at first I was hesitant to get them because there were so many mixed reviews and complaints about them. But they are by far and above my favorite ultra high end.

I only have Audeze LCD-XC and HD800's to compare to, but compared to those the AKG K812 Pro beats them no question.

I understand why the K812's get mixed reviews, and that is because they are picky picky picky and so so revealing. I now have them running through a Schiit Lyr and Schiit Bifrost, and the difference between the stock tubes, and an alternative tube set, and the PSST solid state tubes is huge through the K812's. Some songs are absolutely unlistenable on the PSST and alternate tube set, they produce painful treble and ruin songs. But the stock Lyr tubes match the K812's very well.

Even with well matched dac, amp and tubes. Some songs, most songs still sound bad on the K812 pro's.

Which most people would say, what crazy person would buy, and what crazy company would manufacture a pair of headphones that are so detailed, so revealing that most amps, most dacs and most songs sound terrible through them?

Well, Me and AKG

The songs that are good through the AKG K812's are so so so so good. To me it is the absolute top tier. Getting the K812's, matched dac, amp, tubes and album well mastered for them. This is like the 8k of audio, it is the HD of HD. Only the most supremely well produced and well designed dac/amps show off the K812's. It is a radical minority of tracks that deserve to be played through such a setup. But for the songs that match it, it brings up to a level beyond what anything else can.

I basically now have a K812 music collection that I reserve for when I really want to just sink into music and be immersed, because those albums on the k812 are better than anything to me. For everything else I have my Audeze's which mask things a bit more.

So some albums that really shine for the K812's. Basically any of the 24-bit masters from this label:
https://ultimae.bandcamp.com

There are also three albums by a guy named 'Solar Fields', the album are called Red, Green and Blue. Not 24-bit, but they are mastered in such a way that is supreme through the K812's.

Also to actually talk about the K812's, the thing about them that is so good. Spatial and depth! The ability for them to recreate 3D spatial depth is beyond anything else I've heard, but albums must be produced in a particular way to do this.

In a way I am a bit saddened the K812's aren't heralded as amazing by all. It makes me worry that more K812 like headphones won't be made as much. That manufacturers will dumb down and make their headphones less revealing in order to cover up bad amps, dacs and recordings. Personally I would rather headphone companies keep pushing to make headphones as revealing as possible. Then music, dacs and amps are created to keep up with that level of revealing.

The K812's are among the best ever at their price point AKG K812 and I'd compare them somewhat to the Klipsch Heritage HP-3

 

[Beagle]

The K812's are among the best ever at their price point AKG K812 and I'd compare them somewhat to the Klipsch Heritage HP-3

For price perhaps? Certainly not the sonic signature..

 

[uptildawn53]

For price perhaps? Certainly not the sonic signature..

I'd cut my previous comment short when starting to compare them to the Klipsch Heritage HP-3, both which I personally think are great all rounders for their price point and build. At least ~w my Cayin and Questyle setups. I think the 812 is a love or or hate it HP for some ..

 

[Beagle]

I'd cut my previous comment short when starting to compare them to the Klipsch Heritage HP-3, both which I personally think are great all rounders for their price point and build. At least ~w my Cayin and Questyle setups. I think the 812 is a love or or hate it HP for some ..

OK gotcha. Yes, when you consider the prices of some of today's flagships, the HP-3 and 812/872 are a bargain indeed. I think there are issues with the 812/872 treble with some people, and in the 'wrong situation' I do too. But in proper context, if I come off of a headphone that has a bit of a dip in the 6-8kHz range, the AKG's initially sound harsh in the treble; but if I compare it's treble to the sounds of actual cymbals and percussion, it sounds fairly real.

 

[uptildawn53]

OK gotcha. Yes, when you consider the prices of some of today's flagships, the HP-3 and 812/872 are a bargain indeed. I think there are issues with the 812/872 treble with some people, and in the 'wrong situation' I do too. But in proper context, if I come off of a headphone that has a bit of a dip in the 6-8kHz range, the AKG's initially sound harsh in the treble; but if I compare it's treble to the sounds of actual cymbals and percussion, it sounds fairly real.

Fair enough with your assessment.. Treble indeed being an issue for some, indeed from what I've read to date.

Cheers

 

[mikaelmark]

As I beside the K812 also own HD650, HD800, and Pioneer SE-A1000, I can agree the K812 has a bright signature as it highlight the treble a bit and can sound harsh.

But as some people states the SE-A1000 are at the similar level as HD650, has someone else compared the K812 vs SE-A1000?

Altough, it only had a price at 1/20 of the K812, I´m very surpriced by the audiophile sound it can deliver with high end devices - with a FiiO X5 and a modded Lehmann Black Cube Linear with SparkoS SS3602 Class A, I was totally blown away by the sound I heard!

The only mod´s I´ve did with the SE-A1000 was to remove the filt in front of the driver (and glued this filt to the inside housing instead) and also removed the annoying spring´s inside. I´m prepared to claim those may be better than both the K812 and HD800, with a full bodied sound with no frequence highlighted!

 

[Me x3]

Give yourself more time with them, focus of bass clarity and layering. In my experience the SE-A1000 (although big sounding, warm and potentially fun) is nowhere near HD650 in terms of SQ.
Let alone K812 or HD800, which by the way have a very different tuning than SE-A1000 and thus signature preference could play a very big role in this comparison.

 

[340519]

I'm thinking about picking a pair up used. I like the lineage of akg, but users here seem split on these cans. I could get them for 1k CAD. Thoughts?

 

[MacedonianHero]

I'm thinking about picking a pair up used. I like the lineage of akg, but users here seem split on these cans. I could get them for 1k CAD. Thoughts?

I bought a pair a few years back for $700 CDN. I no longer own them, but great headphones indeed.

 

[Tademeus]

Hello Head-Fi friends,

long time lurker, but this thread and my recent upgrade made me register and write my first post.

AKG K812 - what an underrated masterpiece! As mentioned in first post by ry_goody, that’s because these headphones are SO, SO picky! The synergy with the whole chain is absolutely paramount!

I bought them back in November 2016 as an upgrade to K712 Pro. But was surprised that they didn’t sound much of an upgrade to K712, but more of like a sidestep. Back then my headphone set up was consisting of Arcam irDac and Beresford Capella amp. On most of my albums they sounded bright and very energetic. Yet there was a selection of albums where they sounded absolutely sublime. I resolved to playlist of albums specifically for these cans to enjoy. Time progressed, I upgraded amp to Arcam rHead, cables to Atlas Hyper Integra and AudioQuest Carbon USB, playing music from my Mac mini and Audirvana software. Upgraded the K812 cable as well to one offered by DesignaCable.com All these upgrades made a noticeable change for better, taming them down a bit in their bright representation, yet maintaining the clarity. I thought I’ve reached perfection, as the detail and resolution of these cans is second to none. But the limitation of the Arcam irDac of not being able to play DSD files led me to see what’s out there. I knew I wanted to stay with PCM1795 DAC chip as I loved the Arcam irDac sound. Started researching and almost went for the MF MX-Dac, but then discovered the TEAC UD-301-X. Here in UK for £100 less than the MX-DAC. Reading specifications, it sounded perfect - dual PCM1795 chip, 24/192 for PCM, DSD128, even has its own headphone amp (albeit response on forums was that the amp is not very powerful). Sounded too good to be true so I gave it a try. It arrived earlier this week and I’m absolutely stunned - this little TEAC sounds like it was made for AKG K812 headphones. I tried first via Arcam rHead, but K812 sounded bright, so tried the headphone output of the TEAC and that was it. Match made in heaven! Headphone output powerful enough for 32ohm K812 - I’m listening in between 10-11 o’clock dial position. The sound of K812 is just perfect - smooth, energetic, nice deep but clear bass, lovely mids and very pleasant heights - not ear-piercing as via the rHead. No need for a specific selection of albums anymore, I now enjoy all my music library via this UD301/K812 combo.

And the best thing of all - the representation stays clear and well defined even in the busiest parts of the music - namely Nine Inch Nails. When Mr. Reznor finishes adding up all his layers of sounds and dBs, the K812 via TEAC UD-301-X handles it absolutely with ease, not getting muffled at all in those busy, noisy areas.

Now on the pickiness of these headphones - my second headphone set up consists of Marantz PM7005 - Beyerdynamic A20 - DT1990 Pro. When K812 are plugged in to the A20, they sound lifeless and sub-par to the DT1990. No wonder K812 are getting such mixed reviews!

So I definitely recommend AKG K812. But be prepared that they may not be suitable for your current set up, or you may end up changing the rest of your set up to get the best out of them. Either way - good luck, as when they match your system, they are an end-game.

 

[Mink]

Great impressions. Good to hear something positive about the K812s for a change. Never auditioned them, but they've always intrigued me. If I intuitively, without reading reviews or listening had to pick between an HD800, a T1 or a K812 I'd pick the 812. (This makes absolutely no sense, I know)
Funny you mention the Teac, I own this DAC/amp combo as well, and at times I am contemplating an 'upgrade' in the form of a Schiit Asgard 3, with a multibit module or a Marantz HD-DAC1, but why? Your impression illustrates I have a unit that is just great.
How are the high mids of the K812? I see your other pair is the DT1990s, is it because you have a fondness for the brighter type of headphones?

 

[Tademeus]

Hi Mink, glad to hear you are happy with the TEAC UD-301 as well. How long have you had it for? Doing the research some users reported blown fuses which made me a bit worried, but with 2 year warranty I gave it a try. And I’m so glad I did! I’ve reached the point where upgrade bug is not about - “Will it sound better?” but more about - “I know it will sound different, will I like it? Will the change be worth it?” Listening to UD301/K812 combo I can’t imagine how it could be improved. All I listened to so far since I got it was so enjoyable and immersive. Really can’t pick anything to fault. You’ve asked about high mids of the K812 - it’s all just perfect to my ears, the whole frequency range. No EQ, playing files as are, only applying 2x upscale at the DAC stage.

I do prefer brighter sounding headphones, fits the music I listen to best (EBM, Industrial, Progressive Rock, Indie). I tried Sennheiser HD800/HDV820 combo once, had couple hours time to listen to few cds and I wasn’t wowed. It was nice, warm, detailed, clearly best for classical music, but not my cup of tea. I started my headphone journey with Sennheiser HD598, those didn’t stay long with me as I found them too relaxed and with that infamous Sennheiser veil. Next was AKG K612 - too bright, AKG K712 Pro - the bass didn’t sound right to my ears. K812 next - I sensed the potential but clearly needed some time to match my system to them. DT1990 were too bright on my irDac/rHead combo, but together with A20 they fitted very nicely with the Marantz PM7005 in my lounge set up. I tried Amirons before DT1990, but those were too dark/warm, the bass was too much to my ears.

I think I’ve now reached the end of my journey. Time just to listen and enjoy, as that’s what this hobby is all about.

 

[Mink]

Hi Mink, glad to hear you are happy with the TEAC UD-301 as well. How long have you had it for? Doing the research some users reported blown fuses which made me a bit worried, but with 2 year warranty I gave it a try. And I’m so glad I did! I’ve reached the point where upgrade bug is not about - “Will it sound better?” but more about - “I know it will sound different, will I like it? Will the change be worth it?

I own the TEAC almost 4 years now. So far I haven't had any issues (knock on wood). It was a choice between the TEAC and the Fostex HP-A4. I had bought both units for around 350 euro per unit, kept the TEAC because of a slightly more controlled sound and a tiny bit smoother highs. But it was a close call, liked the looks of the tiny Fostex as well, with its green LEDs.
Considering upgrade-itis, the only pair of headphones I have bought with a true upgrade in mind were the Denon D5000s, they replaced the Audio Technica A500s. After that I bought some headphones out of sheer curiosity, never costing more than 350 Euro. And with it I got different sound signatures, some more to my liking but it never realy felt like a true upgrade, as it wasn't meant to be.
I wonder if there's a pair out there. I am not looking for the ultimate transparant, most accurate and detailed pair, but headphones with a significant bigger, more enveloping and musical sound than the Sony Z7s and my Nightbirds would be something else. Maybe the Sony MDR-Z1R? Nah, I'd rather add a new affordable flavor or stick with what I have.

 

[Tademeus]

I own the TEAC almost 4 years now. So far I haven't had any issues (knock on wood). It was a choice between the TEAC and the Fostex HP-A4. I had bought both units for around 350 euro per unit, kept the TEAC because of a slightly more controlled sound and a tiny bit smoother highs. But it was a close call, liked the looks of the tiny Fostex as well, with its green LEDs.
Considering upgrade-itis, the only pair of headphones I have bought with a true upgrade in mind were the Denon D5000s, they replaced the Audio Technica A500s. After that I bought some headphones out of sheer curiosity, never costing more than 350 Euro. And with it I got different sound signatures, some more to my liking but it never realy felt like a true upgrade, as it wasn't meant to be.
I wonder if there's a pair out there. I am not looking for the ultimate transparant, most accurate and detailed pair, but headphones with a significant bigger, more enveloping and musical sound than the Sony Z7s and my Nightbirds would be something else. Maybe the Sony MDR-Z1R? Nah, I'd rather add a new affordable flavor or stick with what I have.

Ha, that Fostex HP-A4 looks nice spec-wise and if I’d have known about it a week ago, I’d contemplate it, as it has similar footprint to ARCAM irDac I was looking to replace. I love the UD-301 and it’s staying, so just need to reorganise bits in our study to make it fully child-proof again...
Regarding the multiple selection of headphones to listen to - I’d personally struggle with that, so many flavours to choose from! That’s also the reason I didn’t want to go for a DAC with filters, constantly switching between them trying to determine which one sounds best... Luckily, so far, UD-301 with K812 leaves me in no desire to try anything else.
Good luck Mink with your reasoning of not persuing the quest to find your ultimate headphones... and long live our TEACs!