[MortenB]

I agree Paul, and I might opt for the Austrian made ones of that reason.
 
On the other hand it quite common that small improvements are implemented in audio gear over time, and this speaks for choosing a pair with the highest possible serial number. And those are all from Slovakia.
 
Not sure, really... But I guess the safe bet is to buy a pair of Austrian made.
 
Thank you for your input on this..!

 

[Blackmore]

Well, I have the feeling that back to date of introducing, why seller from Slovakia had the price EUR 300 lower than in Holland? And now MortenB mention Slovakia as cheaper solution again, kind of strange, maybe AKG already had a plant in Slovakia from the start?
 
MortenB, can you give us the price difference and the seller in Slovakia please. Ite may be the same seller I was contacting, that was music shop, I believe, selling pro equipment and such.
 
THX

 

[Blackmore]

Not sure why MortenB havent posted his seller sources yet, but the one I was talking about, from Slovakia, was this one
 
http://www.techhouse.sk/sluchadla/hifi/akg-k812
 
 
And as you can see, they are, indeed, cheaper than regular Holland MSRP of EUR 1599, but like I wrote, they were selling them at introducing price of EUR 1055 + EUR 30 shipping back in January 2014 and after that they went up to EUR 1299.
 
 
Just searched online and I see mega drop in price, man, there is no real marketing at Harman, as prices are jumping like crazy cat
 
Made in Slovakia EUR 885
 
http://www.e-infin.com/eu/item/2431/akg_k812_over-ear_reference_headphones_k_812_made_in_slovakia?gclid=CInRvKP8rMwCFdUy0wodmBoHPQ
 
 
 
Made in Austria EUR 929,99
 
http://www.eglobalcentral.nl/akg-k812-pro-over-ear-hoofdtelefoons-made-in-austria-version.html?gclid=CO_Q_479rMwCFckV0wodOCENaw
 
And the last one from very official Dutch dealer

EUR 1168
 
http://www.bax-shop.nl/studio-hoofdtelefoons/akg-k812-studio-hoofdtelefoon?gclid=CPz7uq_9rMwCFUieGwod9fwI4Q

 

[MortenB]

  Well, I have the feeling that back to date of introducing, why seller from Slovakia had the price EUR 300 lower than in Holland? And now MortenB mention Slovakia as cheaper solution again,

Sorry for the late response...
 
I did not mention, that I found sellers from Slovakia. What I mentioned was, that the Slovakian made headphones are sold cheaper, than the Austrian made ones. This is based on sellers on ebay UK.
 
Actually I have just bought a pair of the Austrian made cans 

  The prices are not that much higher, and as mentioned earlier it just -somehow- gives a feeling of a bit more security. I have paid GBP 709 = Euro  915 so basically the same prices as the seller you link to in Holland.
 
Edit: The seller on ebay UK is called ''kachashop'' and has excellent feedback.

 

[Blackmore]

No worries, thx for sharing.
 
Enjoy!
 
Quote:

  Sorry for the late response...
 
I did not mention, that I found sellers from Slovakia. What I mentioned was, that the Slovakian made headphones are sold cheaper, than the Austrian made ones. This is based on sellers on ebay UK.
 
Actually I have just bought a pair of the Austrian made cans 

  The prices are not that much higher, and as mentioned earlier it just -somehow- gives a feeling of a bit more security. I have paid GBP 709 = Euro  915 so basically the same prices as the seller you link to in Holland.
 
Edit: The seller on ebay UK is called ''kachashop'' and has excellent feedback.

 

[hippos233]

One of my friends online told me that the Austrian version seems not as solid as the Slovakian version and he loves the Slovakian cans better. I don't known whether it's true or not but at least my Austrian cans are still working well without any problem. 

 

[Tiddlesworth]

  One of my friends online told me that the Austrian version seems not as solid as the Slovakian version and he loves the Slovakian cans better. I don't known whether it's true or not but at least my Austrian cans are still working well without any problem. 

It kinda makes sense since the Slovakian ones are newer and AKG likes making minor adjustments during production.

 

[bosiemoncrieff]

I kinda wanna get the k812s, but Yggy is alas a higher priority—and, in any case, the SR-009 will do more for me than the k812.

 

[EDN80]

  How does the k812 handle solo piano vis-a-vis the HD800 or perhaps HE-6?

 
 
Was about to post some impressions on the following pieces (obviously not all solo piano, but piano nonetheless):
 
Ashkenazy/Rach/Piano concerto n3
Gilels/Brahms/Piano concerto n2
Curzon/Mozart/Piano concerto n23
Rattle/Metzmacher/Berg/Piano Sonate op. 1
London Steve Reich Ensemble/Piano Counterpoint
Perlman/Barenboim/Brahms Violin Sonata N.2
Argerich/Tchaikovsky/piano n1
Gould/Bach/Goldberg Variations
Griffiths/Finzi/Eclogue
 
Too long for now... will get back to it soon.

 

[MortenB]

  It kinda makes sense since the Slovakian ones are newer and AKG likes making minor adjustments during production.

Yes, manufactures makes small incremental changes and improvements on their products over time. Not just AKG, they all do this...
 
My set of K812 is in the mail right now and I should recieve them in a few days. According to the seller they are from the very last batch produced in Austria, and they can't get more Austrian made headphones. I'm happy, that I managed to get a pair... 

 

 

[hippos233]

  It kinda makes sense since the Slovakian ones are newer and AKG likes making minor adjustments during production.

Yes, but on another hand this makes me always use my Austrian K812 more carefully than may other cans. That's annoying, though they are really good headphones. 

 

[alpha80]

That is an unreal deal for how great these headphones are. I paid $890 for mine and they are worth every penny and more. I've tried all the super planar flagship at 3-5 times the price I paid, and I still preferred my K812, thankfully.

 

[mikey1964]

I had an Austrian made K812, but one side died on my and I had to send it to the local distributor for repairs.....I also believe it was past its warranty. Was told that they don't do any work on it, other than verifying that one side was non-functional. They then told me they had to ship it to Austria for AKG to look into it.....and they stuck me with the transport cost of ~55USD (I'd expected it). Anyway, AKG verified that the right side driver (IIRC) was totally kaput, they then told the local distributor to release a brand new Slovakian made K812 for me as replacement.....free other than the shipping cost to AKG, Austria. Now, that is outstanding after sale service! You can be sure I'd be keeping my eyes peeled for the K872, and IF I like its sig sound, I might just break my moratorium on headphone purchases and grab one.

 

[MortenB]

My K812 just arrived, Austrian made with serial number 003195
 
Man, what a TOP QUALITY PRODUCT, from the packaging to the fit and finish of the headphones. Wow I had almost forgotten how nice these are. Cold out of the box they do sound quite bright, but now I have set them to play on repeat and hope they will settle down like others have described they will do.
 
Excellent seller as well, here is the add to the Slovakian cans they sell now:
 
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SALE-AKG-K812-Over-Ear-Reference-Headphones-K-812-Made-in-Slovakia-/261880551523

 

[Kiats]

How do the 812s compare with the k3003s?

Actually, they're really quite different. The 3003s seem geared to soundstage above all else, whereas the 812 is much balanced and full range in the sonic spectrum.