Portable Headphone: AKG K26P or Audio Technica ATH-FC7?
Apr 19, 2006 at 6:44 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 25

jambaj0e

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My nephew broke my AKG K26P. Love that headphone, even though it's a bit on the dark side. I use it on my mp3 and it drives very well and loud.

So, now I'm contemplating whether or not I should buy another one or go with the Audio Technica ATH-FC7. I listen to mainly R&B, Hip-hop, and Salsa, so I like having the strong bass for Hiphop, but also like clarity and good higher registers for R&B vocals and salsa percussion instruments.

I'm not so hot with the Sennheiser PX200, and the Grado SR60/80 don't have a strong bass, are open, and hard to drive.

So which of the two to try?
 
Apr 19, 2006 at 7:07 AM Post #2 of 25
...I honestly have no idea why people still recommend the K26P. It's muddy as hell and I have a pair of $5 pair Coby's that trottles it in the sound department. The K26P sounds alright ONLY if you EQ it in my opinion. Maybe I'm in the minority
plainface.gif
. Anyway, from what I've read the ATH-FC7 seems like a terrific value and I would take that.
 
Apr 20, 2006 at 2:01 AM Post #4 of 25
yeah, the 26 p was hyped by headphone.com but it definately is not a very tight phone.
 
Apr 20, 2006 at 2:19 PM Post #6 of 25
It all depends on what you want:

The K26P has the best isolation of all supraaural closed headphones this size, and it's very sensitive so will go loud even with weak portables. Its very bassy sound helps it keep the balance in noisy environments, but will be unsatifying in a quiet home environment. Soundstaging isn't that great either.

The FC7 is tuned for Japanese ears (look at j-curve's old thread for a comparative frequency response), but should be better sounding overall. What you give up in return is quite some isolation.

All that said, however, smallish supraaural cans are just too prone to fit issues for my taste. The K26P fits perfectly on my left ear but the right one tends to be problematic. Isolation could still be better, too. (That pressure is applied more at the edge of the earcups doesn't help matters either.) I would rather look at in-ear stuff or somewhat larger cans (K81DJ, HD205 and such) these days.
 
May 3, 2006 at 6:02 AM Post #8 of 25
I just got my Audio Technica ATH-FC7 today and compared it to my AKG K26PP. Now, I know that the FC7 is not burnt it, but I was a bit dissappointed by the sound quality. It seems that I was able to pick up more nuances with the K26P than the FC7. The FC7 is a bit more muffled and darker, too. The high is less clear and bit rolled off. I listen to a lot of salsa music, and one of my favorite song is Ran Kan Kan by Tito Puente. If you guys know that songs, the is some very discriminating isolated hits in the beginning with the brass section, and I notice that the trumpets sound more natural in more balanced with the lower brass in the K26P than the FC7. On the FC7, the trumpet sounds almost muted and closed up. The accompanying percussions, especially the congas and the klaves, in the main section are also less articulated on the FC7.

I hope that the sound does open up after burning, because for now, salsa sounds better on my K26P, even though the headband's swivel joints is broken
 
May 3, 2006 at 11:39 AM Post #9 of 25
Quote:

Originally Posted by jambaj0e
I hope that the sound does open up after burning, because for now, salsa sounds better on my K26P, even though the headband's swivel joints is broken


Pls let us know if it improves after burn-in .. I'm really interested in these, and in Singapore its only $35 + shipping.
 
May 19, 2006 at 7:02 AM Post #10 of 25
Quote:

Originally Posted by trum01
Pls let us know if it improves after burn-in .. I'm really interested in these, and in Singapore its only $35 + shipping.



Wow, I must say after about a couple of weeks of burnin, this headphone really sounds great! The bass tightened up, but still hits hard, especially thru my home PC's Soundblaster X-fi soundcard. The treble opened up and is a bit more crisp than before. Unfortunately, I had don't have the K27P anymore, so I can't make a direct comparison.

Salsa sounds better as well, even though I still think the highs can be more direct and more crisp. The trumpets sounds a bit better, as well as the percussions. I just think that some frequencies in this range is still a bit subdued.

Comfort-wise, the FC7 is light years ahead of the K27P. The band fits very nicely, and even though the cans are bigger, they are less noticeable and are more comfortable. I hardly feel any pinch like I would with the K27P.

In review, yes the FC7 is a bit darker and warmer in tone. Yes, you must let it burn if you don't want to be disappointed. And yes, it's worth getting over the K27P. Now if only I can get my hands on the AKG K81 DJ to compare =)
 
May 19, 2006 at 2:12 PM Post #11 of 25
I lent my P27i AND my A-T F55 on a Thursday to a woman I'd never met; she needed a pair to run a marathon, and I told her to return the two pairs the following Monday. Well, it's been 8 days and I haven't heard from her. She has my business card, but I don't have hers...or her name.

Frankly, I don't miss the K27i! Everything that others have said about them in this thread, I agree with.

I've ordered some Philips HP460s to replace the F55 (both use 40mm drivers). To replace the smaller K27s, it's between the Sony MDR-710LP and the Sennheiser PX200. I've asked on two other threads whether the new white PX200 is improved, like the white PX100. If so, I'll probably go with the PX200, for comfort.

I appreciate the posts about the FC7. It seems that many of us have been curious about them but few have actually used them and reported on them in detail until now. I wanted a pair because it comes in a shade of red that perfectly matches my Viliv P1.
 
May 19, 2006 at 2:19 PM Post #12 of 25
Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul_in_Maryland
I lent my P27i AND my A-T F55 on a Thursday to a woman I'd never met; she needed a pair to run a marathon, and I told her to return the two pairs the following Monday. Well, it's been 8 days and I haven't heard from her. She has my business card, but I don't have hers...or her name.

Frankly, I don't miss the K27i! Everything that others have said about them in this thread, I agree with.

I've ordered some Philips HP460s to replace the F55 (both use 40mm drivers). To replace the smaller K27s, it's between the Sony MDR-710LP and the Sennheiser PX200. I've asked on two other threads whether the new white PX200 is improved, like the white PX100. If so, I'll probably go with the PX200, for comfort.

I appreciate the posts about the FC7. It seems that many of us have been curious about them but few have actually used them and reported on them in detail until now. I wanted a pair because it comes in a shade of red that perfectly matches my Viliv P1.



What kind of music are you planning to listen to?

For hip hop, pop, and rock the FC7 definitely delivers. Higher resolution's a bit rolled off, but it can still work with say, classical music, acoustic, salsa, etc. Build quality's great, too. I haven't seen the red, but the gunmetal grey I have gets compliments. Hope that helps =)
 
May 19, 2006 at 3:50 PM Post #13 of 25
Quote:

Originally Posted by jambaj0e
What kind of music are you planning to listen to?


Show tunes only; see my first post.
 
May 19, 2006 at 4:16 PM Post #15 of 25
Getting my FC7s tomorrow (well.. HQ-1700s actually), can't wait
smily_headphones1.gif


My friend's new K26Ps didn't sound too bad imo. Bassy? Yes.
 

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