[golfinggino]

I can pick up a used set of these for $300 Canadian, my current set up is hifiman 400s along with a jds labs the element connected to my surface book, mainly listen to jazz would this be a good upgrade ? I can probably get the price even lower, any comments appreciated

 

[jermaink]

At that price, as long as the condition is decent, grab them!

 

[golfinggino]

just read through the posts and it looks like these headphones don't go good with the jds labs the element amp is there a reason for that ?

 

[MacedonianHero]

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.

I would say that these headphones definitely compete with the beyer T1.2 (I prefer the K812s) and the HD800. I would put the HD800S ahead slightly though with the right rig ahead of it. That said, to my ears, the SR-009/SR-007Mk1/Utopia/LCD-4/HE1000V2 are in my top tier of open-backed headphones and so far after a few solid days with these headphones (so far at least) these settle into that next group with the HD800/HD800S/T1.2/Ether Flow. Again, YMMV here.

 

[Rob80b]

Well these have been on my bucket list and a fellow head-fier just let me borrow these K812s (Slovakia) for a week or so …so far I’m rather impressed either run off my Bryston combo BCD-1/BHA-1or the FIIO X3II through the SMSL sApI…
Listening to Gzowski’s “Gziganes” I’m presented with very clear and sharp decisive treble, good mid range body and appropriately balanced base with excellent image separation/ layering and overall less euphonic than my HD800S…presentation is rather balanced and more grounded but leading edge transients are still well defined with appropriate bite..… Underworld’s “Pearl’s Girl” EP had plenty of get up and go, love the base not super deep but clean, the 812s didn’t mind being pushed "too" hard and maintained their composure….for 36ohms they held up rather well although a higher impedance 150-300 would be preferred but the larger 53mm driver probably helps compensate. Just to touch on the base a bit more, Mickey Hart’s “Planet Drum” was a real treat… lots of snap crispness and Temple Caves having that almost sub base extension…really like the overall clarity. Moving along to Stravinsky’s Petrushka conducted by Stravinsky with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra was also handled in a similar fashion …. each recording stood on its own merits… the AKGs not imparting it’s own defined signature…I can see these as an excellent tool in the studio...or sitting along side with my HD800S.

 

[MacedonianHero]

They are very underrated headphones IMO! Glad you're enjoying them...boy am I glad I gave them a full opportunity to let them do their thing...they have really impressed me!

 

[Rob80b]

They are very underrated headphones IMO! Glad you're enjoying them.............

The HD800S IMHO have a richer harmonic structure and are still my preference but the 812s are technically.. definitely a fairly large step up from the K7XX series.
May be due to their low impedance but I seem to prefer them more on the smaller rig....

 

[MacedonianHero]

The HD800S IMHO have a richer harmonic structure and are still my preference but the 812s are technically.. definitely a fairly large step up from the K7XX series.
May be due to their low impedance but I seem to prefer them more on the smaller rig....

I agree that technically the HD800S may be ahead of the K812, but the differences aren't that wide and in the end, both are great headphones!

 

[Me x3]

More often than not I find the K812 to be superior to the HD800 in terms of sound tracking.
In other words I can hear everything more distinctively using the more immediate and tool-like K812 than the using the more distant and a little bit more cohesive HD800.

HD800 on the other hand, beats the K812 in terms of micro detail rendering.
I find the last hint of texture is better preserved on HD800 while on the K812 it apprears just a tad smoothed out by comparison.

Both belong to the same playground in my view.
Judging which one is the overall superior headphone is really up to the recordings used and where I look when judging.

 

[Rob80b]

More often than not I find the K812 to be superior to the HD800 in terms of sound tracking.
In other words I can hear everything more distinctively using the more immediate and tool-like K812 than the using the more distant and a little bit more cohesive HD800.

The 800S are the more forgiving of the pair but that little extra bite in the K812s makes them a bit more exciting or live. Contrary to Tyll’s observations, where the treble would run into trouble on busy complex passages I’m find these AKGs hold themselves together rather well….listening to Dave Holland Quintet’s “Prime Directive” there’s a fair amount of cymbal play and the snare has excellent snap as does the rest of the percussion overall, while the woodwinds have that necessary bite that make you get up and listen. All this while maintaining excellent separation and depth of the individual performers, no real congestion per say as things heat up, the HD800S can also do this ..in that regard both phones are top performers....but the K812s have that little extra which might divide the camp.

We can approach headphones and music listening from multiple angles, there’s music and phones we can chill out to and there are those of us who want the music to get our Mojo going and the equipment has to be up to the task. IMHO real listening, real vibrant music is only sustainable for short sessions (think of being in any space with a “live” performance), ones attention should be riveted, an hour or so and we should need a break …the 812s do that, they can also play ”chill” but so do most phones, I just know I will not be falling asleep with these AKGs on while playing Edgard Varèse’s “Ionisation” and that is a good thing in my books.

......Without going through the whole thread any mention if there may have been a slight change with regards to the treble between the Austrian to Slovakian editions as most recent reviews appear to be quite positive overall.

Just to add...Tyll's review back in 2014 was actually fairly positive overall, but we obviously hear things quite differently and he did admit many will disagree.
"Summary
The open, spacious, musical presentation of the AKG K812 is truly world-class with music that has a simple, mellow treble. But when the music has a complex treble, it's harsh uncontrolled frequency response between 3kHz and 10kHz reveals itself as a fatal flaw to my ears. Many will perceive them as simply highly detailed, and many will disagree with my take by putting more weight on the beautifully musical and spacious aspects of the K812. But I find them artificially bright compared to the true high-frequency resolution of the Sennheiser HD 800, which I warm up with careful component matching and EQ if I feel the need.
Read more at https://www.innerfidelity.com/conte...eference-headphone-page-2#wSSfb36tz31epAZL.99"

 

[Me x3]

I'll try to set up my measurement rig again when time allows so in order to measure my late (Slovakian) K812 and compare with the other headphones.

 

[Kyle 491]

I can pick up a used set of these for $300 Canadian, my current set up is hifiman 400s along with a jds labs the element connected to my surface book, mainly listen to jazz would this be a good upgrade ? I can probably get the price even lower, any comments appreciated

$300 Canadian is a good price for these headphones, based on technical ability. This is the price the headphone should have been sold for.

 

[Rob80b]

I'll try to set up my measurement rig again when time allows so in order to measure my late (Slovakian) K812 and compare with the other headphones.

Do you also have access to an Austrian made pair otherwise the measurements are...???
Meantime just had a marvelous session listening the Kraftwerk's live double CD "Minimum Maximum"..the K812s have the edge over the HD800S on this one, I've attended this concert twice over the years and the AKGs definitely make me feel I'm in the concert hall, the HD800S pull slightly back, imaging is not as precise and layering suffers slightly.
Should mention this is off the Bryston BHA-1 head-amp withBCD-1 CD player as source...the Senns are run balanced and the AKGs obviously single ended.

 

[Me x3]

Do you also have access to an Austrian made pair otherwise the measurements are...???

I don't have an Austrian pair around but, with a bit of work and various headphones, the measurement rig can be compensated to match a different rig where an Austrian made K812 was measured.

 

[Tiddlesworth]

$300 Canadian is a good price for these headphones, based on technical ability. This is the price the headphone should have been sold for.

Wow the Canadian dollar sure recovered, 300 CAD = 1000 USD