[AKGunkie]

Please do I'm thinking about buying the modi 2/magni 2 stack

 

 
Alright, here we go; First off I have a Magni 2 / Modi 2 Uber  with mostly FLAC from MediaMonkey. I Am going to compare the differences to Straight out of the Laptop AUX out.
 
No need to discuss design/build/options/whatever because there are already reviews for this combo. What i will mention is that i needed to use a 4pole 3.5mm FEMALE to 3-pole 3.5mm MALE adapter before using the 3.5mm to 1/8" plug to get the sound to come out fine.
 
On to the sound: I'm evaluating with a handful of different tracks from hip-hop, classic rock/pop, metal, hard rock,punk, and acoustic tracks. 
 
I Have always loved the K545s for the tiny extra low end they provide while still being very clear, detailed and having very good sound-stage and imaging. But i think this combo offers a number of improvements even for the easy to drive 32 Ohm Drivers
 
Bass: Impact is slightly improved, but most improvement here is in the detail and texture, cleaner sound overall
Mids: biggest improvement is from a semi noisy soundcard to a dead quiet combo, this HUGE change provides a very clean, natural and articulate mid range.
Treble: High end is again much clearer but also more dynamic and i feel as though the high end of cymbals has a more natural and realistic sound to it.
Soundstage and Imaging are slightly improved for a more engaging and immersive sound.
This combo also has so much power I'm a bit worried as to what my happen to my ears or headphones if I crank it
 
Overall i am extremely happy with this combo as it has improved everything i've thrown at it from my K3003 IEMs to K712s. That being said, this is also a $250 combo (I got the Uber for its added performance and flexibility) without cables and the fulla can be had for $80 which is a great little device and probably a good option to keep in mind for it spectacular price to performance ratio.

 

[Mad Max]

The Fulla is a very nice device, if a bit prone to EMI/RFI - probably because of those large-bandwidth opamps inside.
I wish they would have used a higher-quality pot even if that cranked up the price to $90, it would still be a heck of a bargain.
 
It pumps out even more win with the Wyrd.

 

[Prolificaudio]

Can anyone compare these to the Shure 1540?

 

[389095]

Have the quality issues been fixed with the AKG K545?  I remember reading a while back when I was considering the AKG K545 that there was various QA/QC issues on production units and that is why I withheld earlier from considering it. 
 
Also how do these compare against the new Momentum M2 over-ear version specifically?

 

[nshk]

After reading many positive reviews, I decided to buy a pair of these cans.
 
However, I am very disappointed with them. I am trying to figure out whether this is caused by some QC issue or not. There are no bands completely missing however, as I've seen some people say. Otherwise, the only thing that's left for me to do is to blame my music collection.
 
I've tried several genres - pop, rock, house and other electronic ones, but the sound feels flat and bright for most of the time. Bass is there, but nothing that I would call "alive": Drums cannot be felt. The 1-2KHz zone can become fatiguing. Compared to my previous K512 they are more detailed, but the soundstage doesn't seem to be much better.
 
Are there any tests I can do to somehow figure out whether these are defective or not? Would it be possible for someone who is happy with them to link to some music that sounds good with them and talk about things they believe I should notice or like about how these songs are reproduced?
 
Edit: One example would be many tracks by Mass of The Fermenting Dregs. When there's several guitars playing at the same time, it's as if the drivers give up and just play some noise.

 

[Montyburns]

Couple of questions for you - what are you driving them with? Have they had time to burn in yet? Do you know the quality of the music you are listening to? I find my 545's quite revealing. When I get to a track, or something Spotify didn't compress well, I kinda groan, fast forward to something better and enjoy. Uncompressed music is nearly perfect on the 545's. My Senn HD-25 iis and AiAiAi TMA-1's are great for casual listening and compressed music, but the 545's are the go-to's for full-length FLAC albums and long listening sessions. 

 

[Mad Max]

  After reading many positive reviews, I decided to buy a pair of these cans.
 
However, I am very disappointed with them. I am trying to figure out whether this is caused by some QC issue or not. There are no bands completely missing however, as I've seen some people say. Otherwise, the only thing that's left for me to do is to blame my music collection.
 
I've tried several genres - pop, rock, house and other electronic ones, but the sound feels flat and bright for most of the time. Bass is there, but nothing that I would call "alive": Drums cannot be felt. The 1-2KHz zone can become fatiguing. Compared to my previous K512 they are more detailed, but the soundstage doesn't seem to be much better.
 
Are there any tests I can do to somehow figure out whether these are defective or not? Would it be possible for someone who is happy with them to link to some music that sounds good with them and talk about things they believe I should notice or like about how these songs are reproduced?
 
Edit: One example would be many tracks by Mass of The Fermenting Dregs. When there's several guitars playing at the same time, it's as if the drivers give up and just play some noise.

 
Possibly defective.  I exchanged my first 545, actually, due to a faulty driver.

 

[nshk]

   
Possibly defective.  I exchanged my first 545, actually, due to a faulty driver.

 
Were you having similar issues, or was it some very blatant problem, such as bands missing or a channel being lower than the other?
Edit: Just realized that you said "due to a faulty driver", so I understand that the problem was on one side.
 

 
Couple of questions for you - what are you driving them with? Have they had time to burn in yet? Do you know the quality of the music you are listening to? I find my 545's quite revealing. When I get to a track, or something Spotify didn't compress well, I kinda groan, fast forward to something better and enjoy. Uncompressed music is nearly perfect on the 545's. My Senn HD-25 iis and AiAiAi TMA-1's are great for casual listening and compressed music, but the 545's are the go-to's for full-length FLAC albums and long listening sessions. 

 
I am driving them with the on-board soundcard of a desktop computer. I should mention that this board had no issues driving my K512 beyond comfort levels, while with the K545 it seems to struggle quite a lot. I can't get some tracks to the level I would like them to be.
 
Most of my collection is 320kbps MP3, some of which used to be FLAC files. I like to think that 320kbps is good enough. If not, I can try to fetch the FLACs from an older drive.
 
I've had them for about a week now, and I still have some days to return them if necessary. Probably some 20 hours on them. (Although that one article that took some measurements couldn't prove that breaking-in was a thing. And I feel no difference from when I first got them).
 
I must however say, that with some genres they do quite well - for example as long the drum kicks in the song are already controlled and clearly placed in time, already separated from other instruments.

 

[Montyburns]

   
Were you having similar issues, or was it some very blatant problem, such as bands missing or a channel being lower than the other?
Edit: Just realized that you said "due to a faulty driver", so I understand that the problem was on one side.
 
 
I am driving them with the on-board soundcard of a desktop computer. I should mention that this board had no issues driving my K512 beyond comfort levels, while with the K545 it seems to struggle quite a lot. I can't get some tracks to the level I would like them to be.
 
Most of my collection is 320kbps MP3, some of which used to be FLAC files. I like to think that 320kbps is good enough. If not, I can try to fetch the FLACs from an older drive.
 
I've had them for about a week now, and I still have some days to return them if necessary. Probably some 20 hours on them. (Although that one article that took some measurements couldn't prove that breaking-in was a thing. And I feel no difference from when I first got them).
 
I must however say, that with some genres they do quite well - for example as long the drum kicks in the song are already controlled and clearly placed in time, already separated from other instruments.

Yup. Probably defective. They should sound like butter no matter what you throw at them. I have noticed that one of the two cables that came with mine are questionable. You could swap out one of the two cables that come with the cans and see if that helps. Even if it's just a crappy cable, I'd return them for another pair. You could go nuts trying to figure out what's causing your issue. That being said I still think they are the most complete sounding headphones in my collection, so I hope you end up with a good pair.

 

[nshk]

 
Yup. Probably defective. They should sound like butter no matter what you throw at them. I have noticed that one of the two cables that came with mine are questionable. You could swap out one of the two cables that come with the cans and see if that helps. Even if it's just a crappy cable, I'd return them for another pair. You could go nuts trying to figure out what's causing your issue. That being said I still think they are the most complete sounding headphones in my collection, so I hope you end up with a good pair.

I took them to work today to discuss the issue with a colleague who is a musician. We tested them against his Sennheiser HD 380 with some Apple laptop and my phone as sources, instead of my desktop.
 
Shortly after, we were both quite convinced that a) some of my MP3s are not as good as I had previously thought b) my motherboard is mainly the issue regarding volume and quality.
 
Here are some observations we had, to see if they match what people would expect from such a comparison:
 

1. The Senns have more open sound, clarity between pulls of strings and much stronger bass kicks. (Example tracks: a) Super Fine Red - izna, Album: Retro Future Girls; b) Nirgilis - ソプラノ). There is a more realistic reproduction of acoustic/classical instruments, in a "the instrument is being played next to me" way. (He has a lot of these, not sure about titles. I can ask if someone wants me to.)
2. The Senns have, depending on the track, a slightly unpleasant amount of sub-bass. We did not agree on this. (I am the one who listens to electro and house and I was the one who thought that).
3. The K545 has some mid-end "hiss" in rock tracks. (Example track: Mass of the Fermenting Dregs - I F A Surfer). (Mind you we could not decide if this is a good or bad thing). Electric guitars are in your ears instead of next to you. (Example track: CROW'S CLAW - Hibernation Sickness (Stick around for those delicious riffs near the end)) This can be somewhat amended with the help of a good equalizer.
4. The K545 is more laid-back overall. It can reproduce similar acoustics for several genres, without being as fatiguing as the Senns. They provide a more pleasant, sweeter listening experience. (Example track: Destination - Taishi, Album: Human beings were led to this light)
5. The K545 clamp less, but somehow isolate other people from the music better. The Senns leak more, but their strong clamping force gives you a feeling of, well, being clamped on.
6. The K545 is more comfortable and sturdy.

 
Overall the AKGs have some kind of "noise", something that blends sounds together into one thing (not to say that they lose ability to be analytic) (Example track: When mama isn't home rock arrange - theindisputed21 (Ady S)). The Senns present things one by one like watching The price is right.
 
My colleague commented that he actually liked the K545 a lot, and would prefer them for casual music listening.
 
I am a bit torn. I feel that I would be the happiest with cans that were in-between the two: Clearer, more open sound than the K545, but not as tiring and "monitory" as the Senns.
 
Edit: No difference between the two cables.

 

[Montyburns]

 
I took them to work today to discuss the issue with a colleague who is a musician. We tested them against his Sennheiser HD 380 with some Apple laptop and my phone as sources, instead of my desktop.
 
Shortly after, we were both quite convinced that a) some of my MP3s are not as good as I had previously thought b) my motherboard is mainly the issue regarding volume and quality.
 
Here are some observations we had, to see if they match what people would expect from such a comparison:
 

1. The Senns have more open sound, clarity between pulls of strings and much stronger bass kicks. (Example tracks: a) Super Fine Red - izna, Album: Retro Future Girls; b) Nirgilis - ソプラノ). There is a more realistic reproduction of acoustic/classical instruments, in a "the instrument is being played next to me" way. (He has a lot of these, not sure about titles. I can ask if someone wants me to.)
2. The Senns have, depending on the track, a slightly unpleasant amount of sub-bass. We did not agree on this. (I am the one who listens to electro and house and I was the one who thought that).
3. The K545 has some mid-end "hiss" in rock tracks. (Example track: Mass of the Fermenting Dregs - I F A Surfer). (Mind you we could not decide if this is a good or bad thing). Electric guitars are in your ears instead of next to you. (Example track: CROW'S CLAW - Hibernation Sickness (Stick around for those delicious riffs near the end)) This can be somewhat amended with the help of a good equalizer.
4. The K545 is more laid-back overall. It can reproduce similar acoustics for several genres, without being as fatiguing as the Senns. They provide a more pleasant, sweeter listening experience. (Example track: Destination - Taishi, Album: Human beings were led to this light)
5. The K545 clamp less, but somehow isolate other people from the music better. The Senns leak more, but their strong clamping force gives you a feeling of, well, being clamped on.
6. The K545 is more comfortable and sturdy.

 
Overall the AKGs have some kind of "noise", something that blends sounds together into one thing (not to say that they lose ability to be analytic) (Example track: When mama isn't home rock arrange - theindisputed21 (Ady S)). The Senns present things one by one like watching The price is right.
 
My colleague commented that he actually liked the K545 a lot, and would prefer them for casual music listening.
 
I am a bit torn. I feel that I would be the happiest with cans that were in-between the two: Clearer, more open sound than the K545, but not as tiring and "monitory" as the Senns.
 
Edit: No difference between the two cables.

Might want to try out the TMA-1's. They are the cans I use when I want less clamping force and no worries about sibilance. I wouldn't call them more open sounding though. 

 

[Gizmotoy]

Does anyone know where I might be able to buy the Apple version of the K545 cable?  Harman's support seemed to indicate they don't sell replacements separately from the headphones.  I see a bunch of cheap replacements around on places like eBay, but they get bad reviews.  I'd prefer to grab an OEM cable if I can get one.

 

[DGeneral]

Does anyone know if the quality control issues still persist with the newer manufactured K545's?

 

[389095]

  Does anyone know if the quality control issues still persist with the newer manufactured K545's?

 
This is what I asked earlier but it would appear that from some reports there are still various quality control issues with the K545's which is disappointing since I have been considering these headphones for portable usage. Now I may have to look at the Sennheiser M2 Momentum over-ear series instead.

 

[DGeneral]

   
This is what I asked earlier but it would appear that from some reports there are still various quality control issues with the K545's which is disappointing since I have been considering these headphones for portable usage. Now I may have to look at the Sennheiser M2 Momentum over-ear series instead.

I bite the bullet, I ordered a pair of K545's. I'll keep you updated with how they preform. Hopefully the QC issue has been resolved, or at least been improved since the first batch.

I had the Momentum over-ears and they were good. However they didn't have enough treble for my tastes and they were uncomfortable to wear for extended times with my glasses. When I wasn't wearing my glasses they felt comfortable, but it's a rare occurrence for me not to have them on. The Momentums also didn't have enough soundstage for my liking, but I was expecting a little too much out of them I think. Good pair of all around cans, great for portable purposes.