[pickyAudiophile]

I am still very satisfied with my K812. However, since that double takeover of AKG Acoustics has happened I am wondering if there will ever be a respectable successor with no downsides, just further improvements of sound quality and maintaining the staus quo in other areas like build quality, sizing and fit.

What do you think, should we all be patient and wait for maybe three more years or start to look elsewhere one day?

There is always the risk of running down a brand by new people taking stupid decisions. E/g if a brand manager decided to get rid of that unrivalled, comfy but bulky 110 mm outer diameter - and reducing it to more "photogenic" or "fashionable to youngsters" 98 mm - that alone would be an instant deal breaker. I am prepared for an upgrade right know but don't know where to move if nothing is about to happen. Maybe Pioneer, their SE-MASTER1 is built for larger ears, too. But is it overall superior?
I won't ever buy any of these chinese brands popping up, that's for sure.

 

[FritzS]

@pickyAudiophile
Keep an eye on Austrian Audio products!
The Hi-X65 comes dangerously close to the K812 - and who knows what else Austrian Audio will come out with soon?
https://austrian.audio/hi-x65/
https://austrian.audio/

And who is behind Austrian Audio anyway?
https://austrian.audio/about-us/

We started with a core team of 22 former AKG personnel from management, acoustics, electronics, test and measurement, mechanical design, RF/wireless, and software and firmware – and are continuing to grow.

 

[pickyAudiophile]

@pickyAudiophile
Keep an eye on Austrian Audio products!
The Hi-X65 comes dangerously close to the K812 - and who knows what else Austrian Audio will come out with soon?
https://austrian.audio/hi-x65/
https://austrian.audio/

And who is behind Austrian Audio anyway?
https://austrian.audio/about-us/

That brand is on my watch list already, hopefully they will go further upmarket without totally diminshing what's offered in return.

 

[Spawn300Z]

I haven’t used my K812s in a while, been using my Susvaras. But decided to give them a try tonight with my Chord Hugo TT2/M-Scaler combo with my new Riviera AIC-10. This tube amp made them sound so good. I had forgot how wonderful these sounded.

 

[pickyAudiophile]

I haven’t used my K812s in a while, been using my Susvaras. But decided to give them a try tonight with my Chord Hugo TT2/M-Scaler combo with my new Riviera AIC-10. This tube amp made them sound so good. I had forgot how wonderful these sounded.

That's a beautiful setup. The K812 for my taste always sound best when connected to "juicyly" or "abundantly" tuned sources with "meat on their bones" thus offering plenty of "ooomph". - In order to show their full potential in the low bass area they need to be pushed a little harder than a lot of their competitors. Brightly and anemically tweaked sources I always avoided. ....However, a successor would be appreciated some day, after 8 years. Hope lies in "Austrian Audio" company building up on the K812s' heritage responsibly.

 

[vcoheda]

i recently purchased an AKG K812. i have always been fond of AKG headphones. i previously owned the K701 (three pairs), K501 and K340. the K701 was my favorite, which explains owning it at three different times -- the soundstage was one of the best i can recall. the K501 while it shared some of the attributes of the K701 was a step below (very thin sounding as well). The K340 was an interesting headphone with its two-driver technology but i constantly felt like it was underpowered. so far, i am pretty happy with the K812. the clarity and resolution is great (no details are missed), it has very good treble/sparkle at the highs, and the imaging is excellent (pinpoint precise). fatigue is an issue and the 1/8 termination is disappointing. otherwise, i have no complaints. the K812 is definitely a high-end headphone. given its reasonable cost (well under $1000) and performance, it offers considerable more value than some of the newer headphones.

 

[Enguera]

Hi! Where can I find cheap compatible pads? The originals are excessively expensive!!!

 

[Quadfather]

Hi! Where can I find cheap compatible pads? The originals are excessively expensive!!!

I bit the bullet and got the pricey ones.

 

[pickyAudiophile]

Hi! Where can I find cheap compatible pads? The originals are excessively expensive!!!

Unavailable. As these are asymmetrically and very distinctly shaped they should be hard to counterfeit. And it would cause significant development cost to set up a production line to properly mold, fill and glue them.

 

[Quadfather]

Does anybody know AKG K812 driving requirements?

Mw, vrms, ma

 

[Spawn300Z]

AKG K812

Sensitivity: 110 dB SPL / V
Impedance: 36 Ohms
Maximum input power: 300 mW
Audio frequency bandwidth: 5 - 54000 Hz
Amp Voltage Needed: 1 Vrms
Amp Current Needed: 49.44 mA
Amp Power Needed: 27.78 mW

This is what I found a while back.

 

[Quadfather]

AKG K812

Sensitivity: 110 dB SPL / V
Impedance: 36 Ohms
Maximum input power: 300 mW
Audio frequency bandwidth: 5 - 54000 Hz
Amp Voltage Needed: 1 Vrms
Amp Current Needed: 49.44 mA
Amp Power Needed: 27.78 mW

Thanks. The NW-WM1Z seems to be doing a great job.

 

[Spawn300Z]

Don’t get it twisted. If your careful they scale well. I plugged them into my Riviera AIC-10 to try the amp out and was reminded how great and underrated a headphone they were.

 

[Quadfather]

Don’t get it twisted. If your careful they scale well. I plugged them into my Riviera AIC-10 to try the amp out and was reminded how great and underrated a headphone they were.

AKG K812 and Shure SRH1540 headphones are my two all time favorites.

 

[Spawn300Z]

I actually have the SRH1540 at my office at work. I also own the SRH1840 the open back version. Trying to decide is I want to sell or not. Have more headphones then I need.