[MozartMan1201]

I also wouldn't mind better instrument separation and sound stage.

I don't know what kind of musical genre you listen to, but for me (classical music/opera), the instrument separation and sound stage of the K812 are already 'best in class'. If anything, I wish they could be *smaller* for chamber music.

Rather than acquiring more headphones, I am curious to try the Smyth Realiser which I have heard great things about.

 

[Tiddlesworth]

I don't know what kind of musical genre you listen to, but for me (classical music/opera), the instrument separation and sound stage of the K812 are already 'best in class'. If anything, I wish they could be *smaller* for chamber music.

Rather than acquiring more headphones, I am curious to try the Smyth Realiser which I have heard great things about.

I guess classical music are normally well mastered and you cannot go wrong with AKG with classical music. but yeah I listen to a wide genre of music and they vary a lot in mastering quality..
 
Interested in the realizer too, but the price is pretty steep.

 

[Me x3]

I find the AKG K812 to be very unforgiving with less than perfect recordings. Just like the HD800 if not a tad more unforgiving.
Instrument separation on the K812 is first class to my ears, in the sense that you can follow each sound distictively with ease. Soundstage is bigger on HD800 so with that you get more 'instrument separation' in the sense of things sounding further apart, which can be good or bad depending on the recording and personal preferences. K812 sounds immediate relative to the HD800 that can be labelled as distant by comparison. HD800 is more microdetailed to my ears, although both are capable in that regard.

 

[timbukktwo]

I have owned the K812 for over a year and don't think it needs any improvements.  I love the open and detailed AKG sound signature more than Sennheiser, Sony, Audeze, etc that cost a lot more.  The K812 is probably the least-loved flagship
among head-fi reviewers (for reasons I do not comprehend), but I trust my own ears not test lab analysis.  
I have also tried several aftermarket upgrade cables (including one from Moon Audio) and found either no difference or worse sound (darker and more veiled), so I am sticking to the stock cable. If it ain't broke don't fix it!

Hey MozartMan1201-

Not to unnecessarily sway your belief regarding an upgrade cable for the K812's, but I purchased from Matt@Forza Audio Works F.A.W. (Matez- here at HeadFi) their Noir Hybrid HPC as an upgrade cable for my K812's. It's a copper/silver hybrid that not only doesn't detract from the K812's merits, but noticeably (a little more than subtly, in a good way) improves them. The cable is well-constructed, looks absolutely fantastic (especially with the upgraded Furutech connector; the entire cable's look is in synergy with the K812's!), and is beyond reasonably priced! I simply can't say enough good things regarding F.A.W. (Matt, too) and the cable. It's worth checking out! The K812's stock cable is decent, but the Noir Hybrid HPC is subjectively an improvement, imo, and a worthy upgrade. (I don't have any association with Matt or F.A.W.; I'm speaking personally as an extremely satisfied customer passing the word around, that's all.)

 

[MozartMan1201]

Forza Audio Works F.A.W. (Matez- here at HeadFi) their Noir Hybrid HPC as an upgrade cable for my K812's. It's a copper/silver hybrid that not only doesn't detract from the K812's merits, but noticeably (a little more than subtly, in a good way) improves them.

How much is the cable? Give me the order page and I'll take a look.

 

[timbukktwo]

Forza Audio (Location- Poland)

I purchased a headphone cable w/Furutech 1/4" connector (Rhodium- which I preferred), a L.O.D. (for an iPhone 7 Plus to a Oppo HA-2), and a Furutech 1/4" female to 1/8" male adapter (also Rhodium). Included with shipping (I chose FedEx), the total came out to just under $450.00. TOTAL! (Also, PLEASE, don't associate a cheaper price for less quality. He could [maybe should] be charging much more!) Order to reception times are decent, too. All the information is on their site. In comparison to the competition, F.A.W. is at the top, or near the top, with the other 'best of' in custom cabling- imo.

Check out the meriad of pages in the 'Forza AudioWorks Appreciation Thread' here on HeadFi. That'll give you a pretty good idea!

Best Regards!
-T.

 

[hf6576]

I think 812 is amazing for vocal music, while not so impressing for orchestral works.

 

[mocenigo]

  I think 812 is amazing for vocal music, while not so impressing for orchestral works.

This is interesting, since the famous uber-reviewer criticises them also for the vocals, especially in some high pitched vocals – and the same bump at 4-6Khz is considered responsible for a lack in separation when orchestral textures become complex.
 
In part, these things are true, but I happen to enjoy these cans immensely on vocal music and orchestral music as well. Smaller instrumental ensembles are where it excels.
 
Far from perfect – how can they be? – they are more dynamic and emotionally involving than the competition in the same price range.  The level of detail and the naturally of the presentation are simply great.  They could however separate layers better when the music has a large number of independent strands (Richard Strauss's large works, for instance).
 
With a chord mojo there is no harshness/overt brightness.
 
 Roberto

 

[Tiddlesworth]

"450 usd"
"Cheaper"
 
I think you need to think a little when you're spending 1/3 of the headphones MSRP on a pair of fecking cables. That's almost the price I got the actual headphones for.

 

[hf6576]

 
This is interesting, since the famous uber-reviewer criticises them also for the vocals, especially in some high pitched vocals – and the same bump at 4-6Khz is considered responsible for a lack in separation when orchestral textures become complex.
 
In part, these things are true, but I happen to enjoy these cans immensely on vocal music and orchestral music as well. Smaller instrumental ensembles are where it excels.
 
Far from perfect – how can they be? – they are more dynamic and emotionally involving than the competition in the same price range.  The level of detail and the naturally of the presentation are simply great.  They could however separate layers better when the music has a large number of independent strands (Richard Strauss's large works, for instance).
 
With a chord mojo there is no harshness/overt brightness.
 
 Roberto

I try different amps and find that if you use a warm sounding amp with K812, it will lose much separation. The extreme case is the Element of JDS, which sounds ridiculously bad with K812, even worse than iphone-earpod combination. With other warm-sounding amps, such like Schiit Lyr 2, K812 doens't sound bad, but indeed you won't find good separation when you listen to complex orchestral works. I will describe that sound as 'stuck together'.
However, if I connect my K812 to Audio-gd NFB-11, things are different. NFB-11 is a natural sounding, or maybe a little bit cold sounding integrated amp. It has highest resolution while it is criticized as clinical. On NFB-11, K812 becomes the most refined headphone I've ever heard. The sound is extremely natural and colorless, and the separation is even better than HD800. Someone may not like the colorless or emotionless sound, but for me, the only pity is that NFB-11 doesn't provide a huge sound stage. 
I say I prefer vocal music than orchestral music on K812, which is only about taste, not quality. For example, of course HD800 has better quality than HD600, but I like more the orchestral musics on HD600. 
It's easy to notice the bump you said, but I don't think it is responsible for any imperfection. It makes the sound bright, not harsh. 

 

[Tiddlesworth]

Finally got a Mojo for it, fixed the majority of problems I had with it when I was driving it with the X5 + O2 combo. Can finally hear the sub bass, instrument separation is better and you can hear the finer details and the treble isn't as grainy anymore. Feels like I'm done with this audiophool business.

Idk why new head fi rotates the image: https://storage.googleapis.com/cdn.head-fi.org/a/9935210.jpg

And inserting an image from your hard drive is convoluted for some reason.

 

[MacedonianHero]

So I finally got around to picking up a pair of these headphones locally. I got a good deal and decided to finally give them a serious try. I've heard them at meets before and enjoyed them quite a bit. More so than say the Beyer T1.2 FWIW. The sound staging is quite good...and really only bested by a few headphones in my collection. More to come, but so far, I'm really enjoying them with my DSD version of Jazz at the Pawnshop: Late Night.

Build quality and comfort are both excellent.

 

[Thenewguy007]

So I finally got around to picking up a pair of these headphones locally. I got a good deal and decided to finally give them a serious try. I've heard them at meets before and enjoyed them quite a bit. More so than say the Beyer T1.2 FWIW. The sound staging is quite good...and really only bested by a few headphones in my collection. More to come, but so far, I'm really enjoying them with my DSD version of Jazz at the Pawnshop: Late Night.

Build quality and comfort are both excellent.

Can't wait to hear you extended impressions. You words would carry a lot of weight for the K812 since you own so many high end headphones with high end equipment.

 

[MacedonianHero]

Can't wait to hear you extended impressions. You words would carry a lot of weight for the K812 since you own so many high end headphones with high end equipment.

Tonight is night #2...I really like them! In fact, I might be ready to say that I prefer them to an old favourite, the beyer T1.2. The construction quality is quite impressive as well. The sound staging ability put these right behind the HD800/H800S in terms of shear expansiveness (more on par with the excellent HE1000V2 or SR-009 in that regard).

 

[k4syx]

(more on par with the excellent HE1000V2 or SR-009 in that regard).

How would you decribe/compare them against SR-009 or SR-007?
I own 007Mk I + 007TII but I am also thinking about adding K812 to my setup as I really, really like my modded K7XX.