[dweaver]

I think the M50 would be more isolating. Unfortunately only one person has heard both K545 and K845 I think.

 

[NotaLefty]

I just picked up the K545's yesterday. Does anybody own/know of a compact hard case that fits them well?

 

[all999]

I just picked up the K545's yesterday. Does anybody own/know of a compact hard case that fits them well?

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/NEW-Headphone-hard-case-bag-pouch-for-pioneer-hdj1000-hdj2000-hdj-2000-headphone/837706795.html

 

[BRSxIgnition]

I think the M50 would be more isolating. Unfortunately only one person has heard both K545 and K845 I think.

Would you know who it was that has heard both?

 

[dweaver]

Sofastreamer had both I believe. I do know he didn't like them, but he may be able to tell you if they sounded the same.

 

[sinnottj]

I have a pair for sale in the classified section, if anyone is interested.
 
Very good headphones that solve a lot of the issues I had with the K550: fuller bass and MUCH easier to get a good fit/seal (possibly one of the reasons for the fuller bass!)
 
Unfortunately, I still don't really like the general K550/545 sound signature, so I'm selling them ...

 

[rhythm is life]

Just received the 545 in white from razordogaudio. I'm listening to my music right now and I can say that they sound nice out of the box. No burn-in required.

 They isolate better than my old M50, then again, my pads have been pancaked and worn out for at least a year now (got them Nov. 2012). I really like the subbass-midbass balance, which was one of my M50 criticisms as basslines would drown out deep bass kicks if both were playing at the same time. The bass doesn't bleed into the mids, the midrange sounds dead flat, and the treble is nicely extended similar to the M50. The soundstage seems wider too. Bonus points for the 545 looking very sharp. 

 

[Hi-Fi Guy]

Just received the 545 in white from razordogaudio. I'm listening to my music right now and I can say that they sound nice out of the box. No burn-in required.  They isolate better than my old M50, then again, my pads have been pancaked and worn out for at least a year now (got them Nov. 2012). I really like the subbass-midbass balance, which was one of my M50 criticisms as basslines would drown out deep bass kicks if both were playing at the same time. The bass doesn't bleed into the mids, the midrange sounds dead flat, and the treble is nicely extended similar to the M50. The soundstage seems wider too. Bonus points for the 545 looking very sharp. 

I totally agree with your impression mine sound about the same after a little burn in.
Do the white ones get dirty easily?

 

[Hi-Fi Guy]

I got my HM5 pads today and I love them on the K545

 

[Hi-Fi Guy]

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/NEW-Headphone-hard-case-bag-pouch-for-pioneer-hdj1000-hdj2000-hdj-2000-headphone/837706795.html

Do you know of one that would allow the headphones to fold flat?

 

[dweaver]

I shipped my pair off to Macedonian Hero to add to his portable comparison review. It will be interesting where he places them.

Nice impressions above. I really enjoy mine and will be glad when they come back. In the mean time I have a pair of Momentum on ears I am enjoying and I also picked up a pair of AIAIAI iPipe IEM's today for $40 which actually sound very good for their price. The bass is heavier right now but I am hopeful it will settle down after a night of burning. If it does this little IEM will be extremely close to the K545 for signature minus the sound stage which is hard to mimic with an IEM. I have to compare when I get home but I may actually like this more than any of my other IEM's. It isn't as detailed as my best IEM's but it is very satisfying.

 

[Stillhart]

Helloooo!  I just finished reading all 90 pages and I feel like I know all the regular posters in this thread like good friends!  lol
 
After all that, I guess I have just a few questions:
 
1 - One thing I didn't see mentioned much is durability.  For a portable, I'm thinking these are going to get tossed in my messenger bag with my laptop and tablet and charging cables and such, then jammed under the seat in front of me at some point.  Will these stand up to that kind of "abuse" or will they require a case?
 
2 - Have the QC issues been resolved?  I am really wary of buying used now, which sucks because I don't really want to pay $200 for a headphone that will sound worse than my $150 Q701.  However, from everything I've read, they sound like a really ideal portable for me.  So might be worth the new price (assuming QC is back on track).
 
I know dweaver likes the K545 better than the Q701, but man I find it hard to imagine a can I'd like better in the price range of the Q701.  I'm hoping the K545 will be similar sounding to the modded Q701 just closed vs open.
 
Thanks for all the great info, folks!

 

[dweaver]

I actually like them equally and recognize the Q701 is more technically proficient I just use the K545 more because I use portable sources more often than stationary ones.

It really does appear that AKG has had issues with quality which really does suck. I would say buy used from established head-fi members and ask if they have had any issues. Most good members would not risk the negative reputation by selling defective units. The good news is that these have issues immediately or not at all it seems. My pair for example had no issues. If you buy new I suggest only buying from shops that will let you swap the headphone if it has problems.

 

[longuito]

Hi there headfiers,
 
I'm about to pull the trigger on a pair of k545's, and the only reason I haven't gone ahead and done it is due to the length of the cord. I will be using it at home and would like a longer cable. I have searched far and wide for this info and have not been able to find anything except the following, which talks about a 2.5 m cord from Shure
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/670709/akg-new-headphone-k545/1170#post_10264699
 
Any experience or suggestions on making a custom cord? Suppliers? Thanks in advance!

 

[Stillhart]

  Hi there headfiers,
 
I'm about to pull the trigger on a pair of k545's, and the only reason I haven't gone ahead and done it is due to the length of the cord. I will be using it at home and would like a longer cable. I have searched far and wide for this info and have not been able to find anything except the following, which talks about a 2.5 m cord from Shure
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/670709/akg-new-headphone-k545/1170#post_10264699
 
Any experience or suggestions on making a custom cord? Suppliers? Thanks in advance!

I know head-fi'er @Zombie_X makes and sells custom cables for folks.  I'm sure this is well within his capability.