[sourced]

I've been searching around for a pair of monitoring headphones, and I can't help but wonder if some of the products I see on Amazon are fake. (N.B. The headphones are sold by third parties, not by Amazon itself) As I'm not especially familiar with these headphones (and their general market), I can't tell if these are scams or just low prices. Let me give a few examples:
 
AKG K240: $99 on Amazon, $99 on Sweetwater
AKG K240mkii: $124 on Amazon, $199 on Sweetwater
AKG K271mkii: $132 on Amazon, $249 on Sweetwater
AKG K601: $212 on Amazon, $349 on Sweetwater
 
What is going on here? Every other site I check matches Sweetwater's prices. These Amazon sellers are the only ones with the low prices (50% ~ 60% of the "real" prices). How can these be real headphones? Where do these headphones come from? Shenzhen? Are they refurbs? I really can't find much on the forum about this, and it certainly messes up the price ranges people quote (stuff like K271 are the best headphones under $200, or K271 is similarly priced to K240). I've read about other fake headphones (Sony MDR-7506, for example), but nothing about these AKGs. If anyone has bought these headphones from Amazon (especially these Amazon sellers in particular), please let me know what you think of them. 

 

[TobaccoRoad]

That Sweetwater site you referenced is overpriced. I've seen K240 and K271 go about $150 in person, and even Q701 is priced at mid $200s in most stores.
 
I can't guarantee authenticity for any of those sellers, but judging by the price alone, there's nothing suspicious of them.

 

[thecourier]

I've never heard amazon selling fakes..at least in my case. 

 

[Ishcabible]

They're selling them at market price rather than the ridiculous raised street prices AKG made after the introduction of the MKII series. There's nothing wrong with the prices, they're stabilizing to what the used to be in 2007, if anything. At least from what I remember. I think I recall the K271 was JUST out of my $100 budget NIB back in 2007, and the K240 was like $69 new. The K601 is probably selling somewhat cheaply because not too many people buy them, at least from what I can gather, since their bigger sister has all the reviews.

 

[MalVeauX]

Heya,
 
Amazon can afford to sell them at lower prices. Also, those prices fluctuate. Next week they might be right up closer to MSRP.
 
There are no fakes through authorized sellers and Amazon.
 
If it's like $20 and from some weird Chinese website or ebay store, then be concerned about fake.
 
Very best,

 

[sourced]

Awesome. I just got that hint of skepticism when I clicked Add to Cart. Thanks to all for clearing this up!

 

[alv4426]

What did you buy? I just got my first AKG and have been very impressed by them.
 
Quote:

Awesome. I just got that hint of skepticism when I clicked Add to Cart. Thanks to all for clearing this up!

 

 

[jackwess]

Quote:

 
If it's like $20 and from some weird Chinese website or ebay store, then be concerned about fake.
 
Very best,

Haha, very true. Amazon have a solid reputation of no selling fakes. (headphone area)

 

[DVDRey]

No fake.
 
These prices are not exceptional, they are even cheaper in Europe and since many years.
 
Great value for money, but don't forget you need an amp for drive these headphones.

 

[sourced]

Quote:

What did you buy? I just got my first AKG and have been very impressed by them.
 


 

I bought a pair of k271mkii headphones, for hearing myself play piano. They have their flaws for music-listening, sure, but they're exactly what I wanted. Most music sounds pretty great, actually. Not much fatigue, and the velour pads are quite comfortable, which are the two things that probably count most for what I needed. 

 

[muzzerfuzzer]

I feel like a chump...I didn't choose any particular "seller" on Amazon...only the one that had 100% positive feedback....then I got these pieces of junk.... made in China crap!  They bear no resemblance to AKG other than the stickers that have the AKG logo on them. I was extremely disappointed ! That's it for my buying experience with Amazon ! I'll never go back. They are giving me a refund, thank God for that. They should care about the junk they sell ! They didn't offer any other alternative, which leads me to think that they know they are distributing knockoffs at a cheap price. AKG TAKE NOTE...I'd pull everything with my name on it from that site !

 

[viralcow]

?
You do know that all AKG's except the Q701/K702 are now being made in China, right?

 

[muzzerfuzzer]

Oh but boy are you so wrong ! I just today got the biggest ripoff fakes made in china, of the K240MkII....the head band and ear pads were cheap fused plastic. There was a cheap "Made In China" sticker on the inside of the headband. These had no resemblance to the real K240 at ALL!  They came from Amazon. They are going back to Amazon and their 100% positive feedback "seller" ! I'm getting a refund and never will I trust Amazon with my credit card info again !

 

[muzzerfuzzer]

Quality is QUALITY...it doesn't matter where they are made. Now if AKG supports this kind of build quality then I'll go elsewhere. I always trusted AKG. I have never been so disappointed ! 

 

[viralcow]

I've owned both the K172HD and K271MKii and both had the "made in china" sticker inside the headband. The headband always felt like cheap vinyl.
 
Sure, you might have received a fake, but I've never heard of fake K240s. If anything, there are fake K518DJ's and Q460's. I'm just saying maybe you shouldn't jump to conclusions. Amazon is pretty well known for not carrying fakes, and I highly doubt a 100% positive seller is getting away with selling counterfeit items.