[cdma2k]

neither, both 1/4" and 3.5mm,  3.5mm or 1/4" screw on 3.5mm

 

[donunus]

ahh ok so 3.5mm with adapter. Not like the hd598 which is 1/4 inch with adapter to 3.5mm

 

[alpha80]

Any ideas if it sounds similar to the k601?

From what I'm reading, AKG is taking what used to be very very neutral and clean, uncolored, true reference quality, Austrian-made headphones (601 and 701)....

....and making them in China, into more of a luxury "prosumer" headphone, with more bass, and more 2nd and 3rd order harmonic distortion to sound warm and sweet and pleasing, instead of truly uncolored reference quality.

Probably good for sales and profit, but not good for us engineers !

 

[cdma2k]

Not quite true, mine is made in Austria. I do not consider it as warm and sweet, too unforgiving to be called pleasing, more bass though.

 

[wje]

  Not quite true, mine is made in Austria. I do not consider it as warm and sweet, too unforgiving to be called pleasing, more bass though.

 
Thanks for sharing your impressions.  I purchased a "broken in" pair from a member who was selling them, so I took the plunge.  As far as AKG goes, the K701 didn't really grab me and I've owned the Tiesto K267 in the past, but returned them since the pads flattened and my ears were touching the driver baffles.
 
After owning the Sennheiser HD-600 and HD-650 headphones more than once, I caught other impressions that the K612 Pros were a bit less detailed than the 701/702 series, but with a bit more lower end than the 7 series.  To my ears, the K612 Pro leans over into the category of sound that I had wished the HD-6## series from Sennheiser had provided.  A bit more sparkle to provide the details I see, but not too overwhelming.   A good low end for blues and other genres.  They might not be a desires headphone for hip-hop, but when playing some of the newer Johnny Winter songs and even some Wynton Marsalis, the guitars of Johnny Winters and guests really comes through clear.  The trumpet and percussion with various Wynton Marsalis songs feature a nice amount of detail - not too much, and just enough low end to not disappoint.
 
These certainly are not the end game in headphones for me, but all into some of my on-again, off-again eccentric collections.  When purchased used, the K612 is about 1/2 the price of the Sennheiser HD-600, but my ears don't feel like I'm getting half the sound.  Though I'd truly need to get another pair of HD-600s again to put them through a good round of testing.  Such an activity just isn't in the cards at this point from a time aspect because I couldn't sufficiently detail it as much as I'd like.  More free time goes to listening - that's what it's all about.

 

[thelonious58]

Thanks for a very interesting and well-written review. Like you, I have the Sennheiser HD598 and I really like it a lot, but I have read that the K612 is like a halfway house between HD558/598 and HD600, if anything, closer to HD600 than the other two HDs.
Could you please give me some details about the sound quality differences between K612 and HD598?
Here in England I could buy the 612 for under £100, whereas my HD5898 cost me £137 a few weeks ago.
Is it easy to justify adding the 612s to my "collection"?
Are they more detailed,sharper? I like the 598's soundstage -is the 612's soundstage comparable?
Thanks in advance!

 

[PurpleAngel]

  Thanks for a very interesting and well-written review. Like you, I have the Sennheiser HD598 and I really like it a lot, but I have read that the K612 is like a halfway house between HD558/598 and HD600, if anything, closer to HD600 than the other two HDs.
Could you please give me some details about the sound quality differences between K612 and HD598?
Here in England I could buy the 612 for under £100, whereas my HD5898 cost me £137 a few weeks ago.
Is it easy to justify adding the 612s to my "collection"?
Are they more detailed,sharper? I like the 598's sound stage -is the 612's sound stage comparable?
Thanks in advance!

 
I would think the K612 Pro offers a little more bass, then the HD598.
One thing you might consider is the K612 Pro needs a little more juice (power) then the HD598.
What are you using to drive headphones?

 

[thelonious58]

A Topping nx1

 

[xeizo]

  A Topping nx1

 
The Topping is too weak, I have Topping NX-1 and my K612 Pro:s are my only cans it wont drive to satisfying levels. But my Xonar ST and also my integrated Sony amp has no problems driving them. Anyway, they are not near as good as HD600 even when properly driven, but they do sound very nice and the price is a bargain for a "almost high-end" headphone.
 
But, you need to get a better amp, the Topping wont do even as a temporary solution.
 
edit. I bought them mostly for nostalgic reasons, as my HiFi-journey started with the AKG "sextetts" in the 70-ies, I wanted to own a contemporary AKG can. For pure music listening I am more than happy with my HD600:s, these K612:s will probably do a lot of service in my homestudio as they sound reasonably flat and are very comfy on my head  

 

[cdma2k]

   
......... Anyway, they are not near as good as HD600 even when properly driven, ............

tends to disagree on this paragraph only

 

[xeizo]

  tends to disagree on this paragraph only

 
Well, there is taste, and also some objectivity. HD600 probably is more coloured, but it also sounds more vibrant. Hard to tell which is actually the best maybe, but the the HD600 is very engaging. A lot more so. But, it also depends much on which music is to be enjoyed.
 
I just found a record which sounds awesome on the K612 Pro, it's the absolutely first CD-edition of Pink Floyds "The Wall" printed in Japan. I bought it once upon a time as soon as it was released(I had a Marantz CD73 at the time, which was one of the very first CD-players). Refreshingly enough, this original version is TOTALLY unaffected of any loudness mastering, not even an embryo of such a thing. Played back through my Sony CDP-XB930QS it sounds extremely good and with just the right balance on like everything  
 
edit. of course I have the original first release of the vinyl too, that old CD sounds very similar to it, unlike newer remastered versions which are in different stages of destruction sound quality wise.

 

[cdma2k]

   
Well, there is taste, and also some objectivity. HD600 probably is more coloured, but it also sounds more vibrant. Hard to tell which is actually the best maybe, but the the HD600 is very engaging. A lot more so. But, it also depends much on which music is to be enjoyed.
 
I just found a record which sounds awesome on the K612 Pro, it's the absolutely first CD-edition of Pink Floyds "The Wall" printed in Japan. I bought it once upon a time as soon as it was released(I had a Marantz CD73 at the time, which was one of the very first CD-players). Refreshingly enough, this original version is TOTALLY unaffected of any loudness mastering, not even an embryo of such a thing. Played back through my Sony CDP-XB930QS it sounds extremely good and with just the right balance on like everything  
 
edit. of course I have the original first release of the vinyl too, that old CD sounds very similar to it, unlike newer remastered versions which are in different stages of destruction sound quality wise.

agree on "Well, there is taste, and also some objectivity. HD600 probably is more coloured, but it also sounds more vibrant".
It also depends on which DAC/amp is to drive
I owned Marantz CD-63 once, Ha!
My dark side of the moon is a remastered cd version, sounds horrible thru K612.

 

[interpolate]

I wrestled with the idea of getting the K612 headphones although never because of the cable is attached and not using mini-XLR connectors. However on the basis that the K712 was out of my price range, I plumped for the K702. My emphasis is on reference when mixing tracks with headphones though not musical bliss.
 
The K712 do have a +3dB bump on the low-end in comparison to the K702/Q701 which should be enough for more bass without it becoming Beats-esque.

 

[thelonious58]

Thanks for your honest and helpful reply.I was about o buy the K612 for £84.99 but as I don't want to buy a more expensive amp I am not going to pull the trigger

 

[athlon7750]

Grammy Award-winning recording engineer Rainer Maillard uses the K612 in his studio. Nice.