[Squibbles]

I received my K81's a couple days ago. I listened to them when they first arrived and I was pleasantly surprised. I'm definitly not a bass head. I expected loose bass like the PortaPro or Shure E2c but this was pretty decently controlled. I listened to some classical, pop, and rock and it was pretty amazing. The phones added some gleam to the music. It's not like the Etymotic's with pure analytical sound. These accurate but add a bit of shimmer and excitement.

Now, it's been burned in about 50 hours. The bass has been toned down just a little bit due to burn in. And I can confidently state that these are amazing headphones: clear cut sound, controlled bass, & exciting music. Isolation is pretty good, good enough for a pair of headphones. Unfortunately, the head band is tight! After a couple days use, it's gotten better, but still uncomfortable after extended listening.

 

[ShaftedTwice]

Nice little review there bro, glad to see you like em, I am hoping to get a pair myself, and I was also wondering about how tight that handband is

 

[Jahn]

this can is my choice for non-IEM portable sealed cans - it's the top dog in a hard to fill niche, and is totally needed and necessary in a city where the biting wind and howling subways can subdue lesser cans. the fact that you still get good SQ, even considering all the practical things it does well, is a testament to AKG. but on hot sweaty days where a quiet dog walk is in order, i'll still reach for the Burninator.

 

[VR6ofpain]

wow your photos make them look so much more attractive than the ad Headroom is running in magazines. Hmm, must...resist...buying...sealed...can...

 

[cmirza]

The only flaw with this can is the death grip they have on your head. They need some flexing (expanding a bit wider than your head and contracting until the cups just cross) to loosen them up. Then they are golden.

 

[Graz]

How are these vs. HD25? Anybody?

Peace,

Graz

 

[murrmax]

I prefer the K81's for everything but the bass , the 25's bass is tighter but the midrange and treble are mighty fine on the K81's

 

[Graz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by murrmax I prefer the K81's for everything but the bass , the 25's bass is tighter but the midrange and treble are mighty fine on the K81's

Thanks!

Peace,

Graz

 

[jjcha]

Hey Graz,

You might also want to check in with zChan. He's got the 181DJ's as well as the HD25-1 (and ES7).

Yosh, where are you man? We need to get yakiniku

(er, sorry about the thread hijack

)

Best,

-Jason

 

[nickchen]

The head squeezing problem can be solved by severe bending. But this one needs at about 2x more violence than other headsqueezers. For portable reasons, I also shortened the cable down to ~50cm, as the original 2,5m can't be restraint by smartwrap.

 

[JMCIII]

Yep, the K81DJ's are sweet cans. For the price, no contest. Enjoy.

 

[luidge]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjcha Hey Graz, You might also want to check in with zChan. He's got the 181DJ's as well as the HD25-1 (and ES7). Yosh, where are you man? We need to get yakiniku (er, sorry about the thread hijack ) Best, -Jason

I was just wondering about those K181 nobody talk about them, are they only filled with DJ gadget or do they sound different.

 

[Squibbles]

After some intense bending and wrestling, I've finally got the headband out of a deathclamp. It's still tight, but very bearable. These cans pretty amazing.

 

[JMCIII]

It's funny, I haven't seen too many complaints about how bad the grip is on the Grado 60's that seem to be very well thought of around here. Having owned the Grado's and now the K81DJ's, I can say that even without going to the exertion of stretching the K81DJ's, they are nowhere near as uncomforatable as the Grado's.

And after you get some time on them (30 to 60 hours seems to be the consensus), the bass integrates much better in with the rest of sonic spectrum (though still a mite overbearing at times).