[viralcow]

http://diyah.boards.net/thread/674/akg-y50?page=1&scrollTo=8274

 
Just recycling parts from the K618/619 I see.
 
AKG loves to recycle everything, don't they?

 

[iancraig10]

Perhaps they do. The Y50 isn't too shabby though. Heavy bass and rolled away treble but stands up quite well against my Yamaha mt220 which is close in price.

Yamaha is more open though and not so weighty in the bottom end. More air in its sound, but I don't mind the AKG's at all, whether they're recycled, or updated.

 

[iancraig10]

I compared the Y50 with the smaller Tiesto, (not the adjustable one) and imo the Y50 is better.

The Tiesto gives a bigger and seemingly deeper bass. Again, it's a 'one note' kind of bass which I don't like. It's impressive on first listen but ultimately tiring. I don't think it's that low anyway. The Y50 has less bass quantity and I think it's actually a better type of bass. It's easier to follow lines down there.

The Tiesto mids are sucked away by comparison. It makes the Tiesto sound kind of hi fi ish but it's not right. Presence does suffer and it needs to be turned up and then the bass starts rumbling too much. The Y50 has more presence and so you can turn down without feeling it's had the life of the music sucked away.

Treble on the Y50 is tamer than the Tiesto. Actually, again, I prefer the Y50 treble. The Tiesto is more like a k701 with a dt770 bass. The Y50 sounds more civilised by comparison and I'm beginning to think that it's actually not as 'average' as I first thought. It's doing a pretty good job on most music and is nice to wear portable. It's not too noticeable in black. The other colours are disgusting!!!

I think the Y50 is delivering what AKG say. I'm always a little bit skeptical about manufacturers' claims but they have hit a good happy medium here. It's fairly well balanced with a lifted bass (as they say) and is preferable to me, than the Tiesto. If I had bought this headphone, I wouldn't feel cheated at £79. To me, it does what it is supposed to do well and does indeed have quite a respectable sound. Not as open as I'd like, but it's a closed headphone, designed for mobile use.

So far, I feel it's way better than the k450 and an improvement on the Tiesto, which I have problems with. The placing of the pads does make a difference to the sound and for some reason, I find it way more natural sounding when pushed back onto the flaps of my ears. That could be more to do with the shape of my ears though.

I have an hd25 in the garage, so if I can find it, I'll compare. However, since moving, I've been really busy repairing, moving, painting, etc and the hd 25 is buried in a box. I'll try some more comparisons but I am trying to stay around the same price level and there aren't that many around. It's one of the better AKG portable types imo.

Not hi fi, but then, neither are the Portapro or px100 type headphones. They serve a purpose and that's exactly what the Y50 does.

It's perhaps going to be seen as a 'Beats' contender. All I can say is better balance and cheaper, but I doubt whether kids will want to wear AKG logos on their heads rather than the Beats logo. Unfortunately, they may also prefer the fat Beats bass as well. Maybe the more discerning teenager will buy Beats stickers and cover up the nasty AKG advert!!!

 

[johanchandy]

 

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

I compared the Y50 with the smaller Tiesto, (not the adjustable one) and imo the Y50 is better.

The Tiesto gives a bigger and seemingly deeper bass. Again, it's a 'one note' kind of bass which I don't like. It's impressive on first listen but ultimately tiring. I don't think it's that low anyway. The Y50 has less bass quantity and I think it's actually a better type of bass. It's easier to follow lines down there.

The Tiesto mids are sucked away by comparison. It makes the Tiesto sound kind of hi fi ish but it's not right. Presence does suffer and it needs to be turned up and then the bass starts rumbling too much. The Y50 has more presence and so you can turn down without feeling it's had the life of the music sucked away.

Treble on the Y50 is tamer than the Tiesto. Actually, again, I prefer the Y50 treble. The Tiesto is more like a k701 with a dt770 bass. The Y50 sounds more civilised by comparison and I'm beginning to think that it's actually not as 'average' as I first thought. It's doing a pretty good job on most music and is nice to wear portable. It's not too noticeable in black. The other colours are disgusting!!!

I think the Y50 is delivering what AKG say. I'm always a little bit skeptical about manufacturers' claims but they have hit a good happy medium here. It's fairly well balanced with a lifted bass (as they say) and is preferable to me, than the Tiesto. If I had bought this headphone, I wouldn't feel cheated at £79. To me, it does what it is supposed to do well and does indeed have quite a respectable sound. Not as open as I'd like, but it's a closed headphone, designed for mobile use.

So far, I feel it's way better than the k450 and an improvement on the Tiesto, which I have problems with. The placing of the pads does make a difference to the sound and for some reason, I find it way more natural sounding when pushed back onto the flaps of my ears. That could be more to do with the shape of my ears though.

I have an hd25 in the garage, so if I can find it, I'll compare. However, since moving, I've been really busy repairing, moving, painting, etc and the hd 25 is buried in a box. I'll try some more comparisons but I am trying to stay around the same price level and there aren't that many around. It's one of the better AKG portable types imo.

Not hi fi, but then, neither are the Portapro or px100 type headphones. They serve a purpose and that's exactly what the Y50 does.

It's perhaps going to be seen as a 'Beats' contender. All I can say is better balance and cheaper, but I doubt whether kids will want to wear AKG logos on their heads rather than the Beats logo. Unfortunately, they may also prefer the fat Beats bass as well. Maybe the more discerning teenager will buy Beats stickers and cover up the nasty AKG advert!!!

 

Really really nice read! I was hoping for this . Do you have pictures, would love to see it.

 

[iancraig10]

Thanks. It's nice to know that at least they are read!! I wrote a review on my own site and will eventually do other comparisons. Sorry, I haven't taken pictures yet. I will, but the problem is that I've just moved house and the camera is somewhere in a box in the garage!!

I was asked to review these and they were sent to me out of the blue with no warning!!

The ones I have are black and they look nice actually. The coloured ones are obviously aimed at kids though. My daughter of 8 fancied a pink one!!

I must say that with longer use, I am more keen on them. Maybe my ears have 'attuned' to them, but they do work well and the lifted bass that I mentioned doesn't seem to affect speech on say, podcasts as much as I thought it would. You know, where men's' voices go boomy. They sound quite nice with speech.

I wrote the original review on DIYAH, but the guys on there tend to be more 'mature' people who have their gear and so wouldn't really bother that much with 'designer' headphones for portable use.

They also work well with phone calls, although I find it odd to be speaking and only half hearing myself since they are closed!! It makes me shout.

 

[martin vegas]

The Y40's sound like the AKG 450/451's but a bit less muddy with a bit tighter bass!

 

[iancraig10]

I wondered about those others and sound differences. They seem quite closely related.

The y50 seems cleaner than the k450. To me, it's like a Tiesto, but actually better balance.

 

[martin vegas]

I wondered about those others and sound differences. They seem quite closely related.

The y50 seems cleaner than the k450. To me, it's like a Tiesto, but actually better balance.

Maybe the AKG 55DJ's will sound like an improved version of tiestos AKG K267..i thought the Y40's sounded better than the K490's.. I think the bass has been over done on the Y40's..it's just constant bass that doesn't let up!

 

[iancraig10]

Maybe the AKG 55DJ's will sound like an improved version of tiestos AKG K267..i thought the Y40's sounded better than the K490's.. I think the bass has been over done on the Y40's..it's just constant bass that doesn't let up!

That makes me think of the Tiesto's bass. (the cheaper one) That's pretty 'one note' imo and after a while, it's very wearing. The Y50 isn't as hefty, although it is raised.

I must say, after a week, it's actually growing on me and I don't find it too bad at all. I was lent one to review and now, I've been told that I can keep it, so it will get some mobile use I think.

 

[martin vegas]

The AKGY40 don't like being amplified, with an iphone they sound good..they are clean sounding with no lispy 's' or harsh sounding with a nice rich sound across the board with just the right amount of bass..for portable use I would recommend these headphones over anything else I have heard at the price!

 

[iancraig10]

One thing that could have been done for the y series is to provide a decent mic and volume control for them. I changed mine over to the Senn Momentum lead which has a much superior control. Instead of just having 'answer call' and 'pause' control, you also get a volume up and down, which really does make sense mobile. The switch is also easier to use than the AKG one since it's just a bit lower and so more accessible. I'm delighted that it works and improves the y50 with a phone.

I don't get more sibilance with an amp though. If anything, the y50 seems better, but that may be psychological due to the extra power available.

I find myself using these more and more actually. I think I've become more attuned to them and I like the extra treble they give over the Momentum.

 

[DisCHORDDubstep]

One thing that could have been done for the y series is to provide a decent mic and volume control for them. I changed mine over to the Senn Momentum lead which has a much superior control. Instead of just having 'answer call' and 'pause' control, you also get a volume up and down, which really does make sense mobile. The switch is also easier to use than the AKG one since it's just a bit lower and so more accessible. I'm delighted that it works and improves the y50 with a phone.

I don't get more sibilance with an amp though. If anything, the y50 seems better, but that may be psychological due to the extra power available.

I find myself using these more and more actually. I think I've become more attuned to them and I like the extra treble they give over the Momentum.

umm... Its a universal control. Its so people can use it no matter what phone they have. Isn't the cable removable so you can replace it? I have a windows phone since I dont want to spend any money on anything apple, so I couldn't care less if it has a volume control.

 

[iancraig10]

Yes, it is a universal control. I changed mine over to a Senn Momentum one which is way better quality as far as controls go. The fitting into the cup is a smaller 2.5mm plug.

 

[obsidyen]

I bought Y40 today. The controls work with my Sony Xperia Z1 Compact. Volume up/down etc. everything works. It's awesome because there aren't many Android headphones with 3 buttons. They're small and look great whilst also sounding great. Much better sound than the muddy sounding K series. I think it's as good as urbanite for half the price and looks much better. Money well spent.

 

[DisCHORDDubstep]

I bought Y40 today. The controls work with my Sony Xperia Z1 Compact. Volume up/down etc. everything works. It's awesome because there aren't many Android headphones with 3 buttons. They're small and look great whilst also sounding great. Much better sound than the muddy sounding K series. I think it's as good as urbanite for half the price and looks much better. Money well spent.

muddy k series? O.o the k702 is the furthest thing from muddy.