AKG K812 Pro

[musicday]

I also like the Austrian Audio composer. I was at a Hifi show in October, I couldn't listen to it there. I tried it on how it fits, it was very comfortable and has a very good build quality. The first impressions were great! Although the K812 is also quite good in these things.

But it's like almost 4 times the price of the AKG K812. Here you can find used ones. There are not so many used ones, so price remains high.
The Composer may be slightly technically superior to the AKG K812, but may be less fun.

Thanks, I have heard the Composer few times and I really liked it. Also it is very easy to drive even with my L&P W4.
Can you tell me if the K812 it is as easy to drive or harder? Wondering which will give me a better soundstage and more micro details.

 

[Remusz911]

Thanks, I have heard the Composer few times and I really liked it. Also it is very easy to drive even with my L&P W4.
Can you tell me if the K812 it is as easy to drive or harder? Wondering which will give me a better soundstage and more micro details.

I think the composer is slightly easier to drive, but don't qoute me on this.

What headphone do you have currently? Why not just buy a used AKG for like 600 euros, have your fun with it, enjoy it, then later you can upgrade to the composer and again have fun. By that time the composer will go down in price and I assume you will have more cash.

There is also the HE1000V2 to consider, used prices are moderate starting from 700-800 euros, and many say they are better than the AKG, but probably not as good as the composer, but not that expensive.
Personal taste is also a factor, just generally speaking.

I really enjoy my first day with the K812, but if I wanted to upgrade, the reasonable upgrade would be for me the HE1000V2, not the Composer which is just too pricey for me.

 

[Hubert481]

700 is a nice price for V2 - do not hesitate

 

[Remusz911]

700 is a nice price for V2 - do not hesitate

The cheapest I could find on hifishark.com is 749 euros, from Germany.
But the headband is disgusting, greasy and discoloured. Also you have to add the shipping costs.
Also you have to send that amount of money to an unknown private person from a different country, which is not a really good feeling, let's be honest. If the currency is different, there is also exchange rate, and bank transfer fees, which also adds cost. If non E.U. country (like U.K.) then import fees + taxes may be applied. So rather 900+ euros is more realistic, for a nice one+shipping cost. There is the risk of fraud or transport damage. But if you check it from time to time, you might find a nice one for a bit less even locally, you never know. I prefer to buy locally, to check it out myself. If there is a good one in Vienna or Munich, a reasonable distance I can travel to check it out and take it home. I do some sightseeing as well. I just don't like to send hundreds of euros to unknown private individuals.

In contrast I could buy the AKG for HUF 240000 (580 euros) locally (1 hour away with public transport), in mint condition. I could try it out. So yeah, maybe the HE1000V2 can be a little bit better, depending on taste, but also more expensive. Locally there was one nice HE1000V2 stealth a while ago for HUF 400000 (966 euros). 66% more money and probably not that much better headphone.

If the composer is too expensive for you, and you are not sure that you will be satisfied with the performance of the K812, then there is the HE1000V2 as a realistic alternative.

 

[Hubert481]

Anyway have fun with the K812
It is the best reacting headphone for PEQ-settings
Best AKG beside K1000

 

[Remusz911]

Anyway have fun with the K812
It is the best reacting headphone for PEQ-settings
Best AKG beside K1000

I enjoy it a lot. Previously I have owned the Sennheiser HD800S and the ADX5000.
This is my opinion.

HD800S: Sound Quality: 8/10
HD800S: Soundstage: 10/10

ADX5000: Sound Quality: 10/10
ADX5000: Soundstage: 8/10

K812: Sound Quality: 9/10
K812: Soundstage: 9/10

I think they are equals, but the K812 has more balanced performance, which makes the AKG my favorite of the three.

Susvara: Sound Quality: 10/10
Susvara: Soundstage: 9/10

The HE1000V2 would be like 9.5 and 9. Just slightly better than AKG, worth it? You decide.

 

[musicday]

Another good Idea to make them balanced is to have them wired just exactly as the Composer, using banana plugs. I am sure someone with machine skills can do it without a problem. This will remove also the need of a wire going from L to R cup.
If I had them ( when ) I would pay someone for this mod.

 

[Remusz911]

Another good Idea to make them balanced is to have them wired just exactly as the Composer, using banana plugs. I am sure someone with machine skills can do it without a problem. This will remove also the need of a wire going from L to R cup.
If I had them ( when ) I would pay someone for this mod.

I don't think it's worth it to modify the AKG into balanced. These headphones are easy to drive.
There is just no need to risk the headphone.

Even if you manage to find somebody, send him and pay him and let's assume he makes a decent job, doesn't ruin the headphone.
What do you expect? You will have better bass? Better resolution? You can have that with a good aftermarket cable and a strong amp.

I don't think it's a good idea to take apart the AKG and modifiy it. If your fetish is balanced, then buy a headphone that doesn't need deep modifications, just only needs a balanced cable and balanced amp+dac.

 

[Spawn300Z]

Agreed aftermarket cable is the way to go.

 

[Remusz911]

Merry Xmas!

 

[musicday]

I own Sony MDR -MV1 and I really like them especially for the price I paid. The bass is very powerful for a open back and they are very accurate.
I am curious how they will compare to K812. Anyone tried both?

 

[cvilli]

Hello All. Are there any current recommendations for U.S. based repairs for the K812 ?
Land Audio has been mentioned earlier in this thread but they told me they do not do headphone repairs.

 

[John Buchanan]

I own Sony MDR -MV1 and I really like them especially for the price I paid. The bass is very powerful for a open back and they are very accurate.
I am curious how they will compare to K812. Anyone tried both?

Have you still not bought a K812?