[paulchiu]

read the current issue.
 
Quote:

   
Excerpt from Stereophile "2013 Recommended Components Headphones":
 
It seems like Stereophile doesn't agree wtih you.

 

[Carlsan]

Stereophile has bills to pay, they have to thank their advertisers.

 

 

[Sonido]

After a lot of careful thinking and a night to sleep on it. I have made the decision not to buy it at this time. Aside from concerns that it's relatively new and unproven, I realized $1200 is still a lot and no small sum for me, and not that great a bargain when you're seeing the T1 being sold for $750 recently and the HD800 going on sale for $889. I'm also going to a meet in April that will hopefully have these and others to compare with. Without a pair to demo and a price that is good but not outrageous, the fact I don't have a great amp to drive them, these are all reasons against buying. I think it would have been an impulsive decision to buy, for better or worse. Finally it seems the vendor has a good relationship with AKG, and would likely offer it at the same price again in the future.

A lot of this post was for myself to reaffirm and solidify my decision, as I'm still very on the fence. I want to also thank everyone who helped me out here, and to mention I'm still very interested in these. It's just not the right time from a both a situational and financial standpoint. It looks like my wallet has won for the first time in a very long time.

 

[paulchiu]

pardon, where?
 
Quote:

 and the HD800 going on sale for $889.

 

[Sonido]

Last year from Amazon. It was a sellout of sorts I believe. Point is be patient and with a little luck, deals like that can happen.

 

[Mambosenior]

...deals like that can happen.

...deals like that WILL happen. Daily checking is the key.

 

[M-13]

Dude I was checking the deals thread twice every hour (like 20~25 times a day, obviously not getting any work done during the holidays. Haha.

) and I missed that deal because it lasted for 20 minutes after it was posted on Head-Fi, and 50 minutes total on Amazon. (A very nice Head-Fier did offer me one he bought though).
 
That deal was 5 years in the making and needed the pricing error on Amazon's part to accomplish. I think hoping for the same to happen to the K812 might be a long long wait, and in the end if it happens the deal will be gone in a flash (20 minute window).
 
I think the recent relaxation of MAP for the T1 and HD800 is because they want their vendors to clear inventory in order to prepare the way for new flagships or milking these cows for one last run. Just a theory of course, but it's strange that Sennheiser and Beyerdynamic have basically been MAP Nazi's for the past 3 or 4 years, coming down hard on any vendors who broke their rules, but now they're all chill about it. I wouldn't be surprised to see some annoucement from both companies before the next holiday season.

 

[Trance_Gott]

 

Great review, thanks!

 

[hencaio]

Is Phonitor2 really the best amp for K812? Tyll mentioned that K812 has a frequency response problem between 3kHz and 10kHz. I've never tried the Phonitor2 but the Phonitor1 is a very precise and analytic amp. If Phonitor2 inherit this legacy it will reveal K812's weakness with complex treble rather than ease it.

 

[M-13]

  Is Phonitor2 really the best amp for K812? Tyll mentioned that K812 has a frequency response problem between 3kHz and 10kHz. I've never tried the Phonitor2 but the Phonitor1 is a very precise and analytic amp. If Phonitor2 inherit this legacy it will reveal K812's weakness with complex treble rather than ease it.

Again... let's not make this "issue" official just yet, since not many have heard this "issue". I think firsthand accounts that the Phonitor 2 is a great combo with the K812 should be worth more than hypothetical theories based on armchair speculation.

 

[hencaio]

I've received my K812 for two weeks, still burning in. For me, K812 is not the first sight belle compared to the HD800. I'm a bit disappointed the first time I hear it cause I fell it's less transparent than the HD800. But it gets better and better as the time pass. I start to prefer the K812 to HD800 now. It's more relax, detailed and musical but still I love the transparency of the HD800. I've read the frequency graphic for K812 and HD800. Probably HD800 is more perfect technically and K812 is more perfect musically. Again, no headphone is perfect in every aspect. And I'm quite happy with my decision for now. Just hope AKG will not cut the price of K812 dramatically as they did with the K7xx. 

 

[Claritas]

I'll listen to some mainstream stuff this weekend and post my impressions.

Thanks!

 

[macbob713]

I've received my K812 for two weeks, still burning in. For me, K812 is not the first sight belle compared to the HD800. I'm a bit disappointed the first time I hear it cause I fell it's less transparent than the HD800. But it gets better and better as the time pass. I start to prefer the K812 to HD800 now. It's more relax, detailed and musical but still I love the transparency of the HD800. I've read the frequency graphic for K812 and HD800. Probably HD800 is more perfect technically and K812 is more perfect musically. Again, no headphone is perfect in every aspect. And I'm quite happy with my decision for now. Just hope AKG will not cut the price of K812 dramatically as they did with the K7xx. 

The longer the 812 burns in the better they will sound. A really marked improvement is reached after 100 hours, compared to their sound right out of the box. I go back and forth on any recordings between the 800 and the 812, and the 812 is superior to my ear. Not only does the 812 sound better, but the deeper ear cups are more comfortable than the more shallow ones on the 800.

 

[macbob713]

Has anyone tried the Woo Fireflies amp with the 812 yet?

 

[macbob713]

I just finished listening to a new recording on DG of Mahler's 9th Symphony. This was recorded live at the Los Angeles Disney Hall. The performance itself was hailed by the Los Angeles Times and other music critics, and is here presented in a beautifully recorded release.I listened to this on cd, and it was a very rewarding expirence on the K812. This Symphony represents all the best that Mahler had to offer, from life and death, to love and loss. The 812 provided all the grand and majestic sweep of the full orchestra. The strings were beautifully rendered, with warmth and precision. The horns had a power that was fully realized on the 812. The kettle drum thundered, violas and cellos sung their sweet song. This is a recording and performance by Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Phil of extraordinary beauty and sounds powerful and ravashing on the K812.