[Roll]

The old original AKG development team, now resides in Austrian Audio, could develop new premium headphones (as contract work) for Samsung/Harman/AKG too.

One of the original designers re AKG K1000 started

http://mysphere.at/

 

[FritzS]

One of the original designers re AKG K1000 started
http://mysphere.at/

They are two of the K1000 team, Helmut R. & Heinz R.

 

[mikaelmark]

This summer I´ve listened to my K812 modded with a 0,9 meter/36 inch UP-OCC cable paired with my back packed portable rig (FiiO X5 with Van Damme Interconnect and Lovely Black Cube amp with Burson V6 Vivid). First I have to establish those headphones are not made for portable use, as they are heavy and having a loose fit on the head - don´t think about running with them!

For the sound, when listening to the right kind of music/well recorded, it´s fantastic - more intimate and direct than HD800. The sound stage is big, but the singer is more up front/closer. I let my almost 70 year´s old father listen to them, and he stated it´s like listening to real home speakers, and I agree with him - pretty good speakers to with a full bodied sound and a warm bottom.

Despite the warm/bassy sound, they have a unbelieveble clear top/treble that I will NOT say have a metallic glare to the treble. But maybe it depend´s on the rest of the chain, from the source file, player, cable´s to the amp (and don´t forget that a chain will not be stronger than it´s weakest link!) -If you put in crap, you will get crap out!

I have only used high graded parts/component´s in my amp, used gold plated copper connector´s and soldered everything myself with RoHS unleaded solder. Also every RCA and Phono jack connector are directly soldered to the cable´s without any press connection.

Music I can recommend listen to with K812 is Alicia Keys, Jessie Ware and Adele.

 

[Quadfather]

The Questyle QP1R pairs perfectly with AKG K812 headphones!!! OMG...My favorite combo right now.

 

[mikaelmark]

Also The Weeknd´s album is very nice! But a couple of day´s ago, I listened about three hours at quite high volume to Rihanna and Ariana Grande, and while some song´s from Rihanna were really awesome, Ariana´s loud shouting voice was a bit unpleasant to my ear´s - just a bit too much of the treble! Maybe this is what some people call "metallic"?

Do the K812 maybe having a "loudness curve", with dimmed mid range and strengthened bass & treble?

 

[mikaelmark]

I´ve now compared their frequency responce to other headphones, and they seem´s to be high at 3,5kHz and 6 kHz. HD800 are "only" high at 7 kHz - maybe thi iss why K812 sometimes are piercing to the ear´s with the "metallic"/high treble?

 

[Me x3]

Different compensations lead to different frequency response plots.
HD800 sounds more steely than K812 to my ears. The peak on HD800 is higher than the peak on K812 / less compensated with the lower midrange and bass response.
K812 has more energy in the presence region around 3.5kHz so you get a more forward / less distant presentation.
Sibilance and metallic timbre is normally related to the response at higher frequencies (5kHz - 10kHz)

 

[Quadfather]

Different compensations lead to different frequency response plots.
HD800 sounds more steely than K812 to my ears. The peak on HD800 is higher than the peak on K812 / less compensated with the lower midrange and bass response.
K812 has more energy in the presence around 3.5kHz so you get a more forward / less distant presentation.
Sibilance and metallic timbre is normally related to the response at higher frequencies (5kHz - 10kHz)

my AKG K812 headphones sound perfect out of my Questyle QP1R digital audio player. They also sounds phenomenal out of my Lotoo Paw Gold Diana, with proper PMEQ. No metallic timbre whatsoever to my ears. And I am listening to Sepultura, Slayer, Pantera, Hellyeah, Lamb of God, Disturbed, and Mudvayne.

 

[Quadfather]

Wow, this is sounding great with my QP1R and my AKG K812 headphones.

 

[Quadfather]

I´ve now compared their frequency responce to other headphones, and they seem´s to be high at 3,5kHz and 6 kHz. HD800 are "only" high at 7 kHz - maybe thi iss why K812 sometimes are piercing to the ear´s with the "metallic"/high treble?

Problem solved. The thumbnail gets clear when you click on it. Great PMEQ on Paw Gold.

 

[mikaelmark]

Different compensations lead to different frequency response plots.
HD800 sounds more steely than K812 to my ears. The peak on HD800 is higher than the peak on K812 / less compensated with the lower midrange and bass response.
K812 has more energy in the presence region around 3.5kHz so you get a more forward / less distant presentation.
Sibilance and metallic timbre is normally related to the response at higher frequencies (5kHz - 10kHz)

I´ve was curious to lower the 3,5kHz, but I can only adjust 2kHz and 4kHz, so I lowered the 4kHz 4dB - and the result was a sound that was not so tireing for the ear´s.

Maybe it will now be so "up in the face" -sound and also may the sound stage has shrinked a bit, but I think it may be worth it!

 

[mikaelmark]

I´ve was curious to lower the 3,5kHz, but I can only adjust 2kHz and 4kHz, so I lowered the 4kHz 4dB - and the result was a sound that was not so tireing for the ear´s.

Maybe it will now be so "up in the face" -sound and also may the sound stage has shrinked a bit, but I think it may be worth it!

When compairing to the Focal Utopia (much more expensive and should be the best headphones), the frequency responce 10 Hz - 600 Hz and also 9 kHz - 25 kHz looks similar.

So I will try to equalize the K812 to be closer to Utopia and see what will happen with the sound. Below are the frequency setting´s needed to be change:

1 kHz = increase 3 dB
2 kHz = increase 2 dB
4 kHz = decrease 1 dB (if possible, decrease 4 dB for for 3,5 kHz instead)
6 kHz = decrease 5 dB
8 kHz = decrease 1 db

 

[Amictus]

Pulled the trigger on the AKG K812 Pro yesterday. It should arrive tomorrow. I have been increasingly enjoying my K712 Pro headphones and have been trying the “You don’t need to buy the K812. You are so happy with these...” argument. Much thread reading. Many contradictory opinions. Tomorrow I will know. Thanks to all who have contributed to this thread!

 

[Amictus]

Well, the K812 Pro have 30+ hours on them and are singing sweetly. Is there an AKG forum, or a site where the AKG story is narrated? I started with the Q701 and found it a bit cranky, although exceptional at some things. I later bought the K712 Pro which I thought was remarkable in a non-analytical way. Now the K812 Pro. Wow. Just reaching for AKG cans at the moment, despite the HD800, HD650, HE-500, PS500, GH1, RS1e etc.

 

[mikaelmark]

It´s a quirky company; AKG is stationary in Austria, but are under ownership of the US Harman group. The K812 are produced and assembled in Slovakia.

When try to contacting the company about their can´s, you should look for Harman, but only for their consumer can´s, and as K7xx and K8xx -series belong to their Pro-series, it should be AKG Acoustics. And when to look for spare part´s, you probably have to go for a third part company - here in Sweden it´s Septon.

It´s almost like no one at the company want to have anything to do with those can´s!

But below are contact info to a person who answered my technical inquires in 2011 (note that I´m not sure he will still be employed in this company any longer):


Michael Amon, Servicetechnician

AKG Acoustics GmbH, Vienna/Austria

Phone: +43 1 86654 1523

Fax: +43 1 86654 1514.

Email: michael.amon@harman.com