[sepinho]

Quote:

Just got mine. Do they improve with burn in? First impression is that wow, they appear to be very detailed. Bass is decent, nothing too intense, but shouldnt disappoint. One thing I dont really like is that the mids/vocals sounds a bit hollow/muffled...anyone else feel this way?

They really do improve with burn-in. I was pretty disappointed when I first tried them right out of the box. It really sounded muffled, dark and not very precise at first. And the bass seemed to be all over the place, but lacking punch. All that has changed after just a few hours of use.

 

[sti3]

This looks like a great pair of headphones, and as a commuter who doesn't like wearing earbuds, this is my favorite form factor.
 
Where are folks seeing prices of around $65-70 though?
 
Are there simlar alternatives? (closed compact supra-aurals...)

 

[superboob]

 
Started a new 'angry thread' on these last night, after about 3 hours of listening to them, but figured it's way better to ask you guys, so here goes...

 

New to the forum in posting, although I've been a stalker for about 5-6 years. I just received my AKG K450 in the post from Amazon UK after about a month's wait, and have to say that I'm incredibly surprised at how bad the highs sound. I started out owning er6i's a few years ago, and have owned/own Beyer DT931's, Klipsch S2's, Koss Portapros, and my current favourites, the AKG K701... and these sound by far the worst in terms of top end.

 

My question is, am I spoilt by listening to the K701's all the time or do I actually need to send these things back? For phones that are supposed to go to 28khz, they really sound like they've got blown tweeters or something (yes I know they don't have tweeters 

), if anyone knows what I mean. The highs just aren't there. They remind me of the paper speakers I had in my Peugeot before I changed them...

 

I assumed that thiw was because they were my first 'supra aurals', but the Portapros piss all over them in terms of decent treble and clarity... Has anyone else had a similar impression? Just after some advice on whether to get rid of them. I'm thinking about getting some Ety MC5's, but my ears have started to dislike IEM's...

 

Could they be fake? Direct from amazon.co.uk?

 

Any opinions really appreciated, cheers... 





 

 

[nobb]

@superboob:
 
I somewhat agree with your thoughts on the K450. The highs sounds exactly as you describe out of the box and also, I dont find the bass to be that great as well. I know alot of people rave about how powerful the bass is in the K450, but quite frankly, I find it very average in power level and also sounds loose/sloppy. In fact, I would go so far as to say I even would prefer the Bose Around-Ears over these AKG's. Heck, I would totally trade these K450s for a pair of Bose. The highs on the Bose also sound muffled like the K450s, but atleast the midrange and bass isnt as sloppy and hollow.
 
I'm glad I only paid $60 for these. That being said thought, I find that after break in I am enjoying these a bit more. I dont know if it's just because Ive gotten used to the sound or whether it's actual break in. My final impression of these after owning them for a few months is that I dont hate them like at first, but I also dont enjoy these as much as I was expecting too. Oh well, they sound bearable to me and I do occasionally use these because they are light and quite comfortable.

 

[Hobohodou]

Quote:

I have a small investment in premium AKG-type cables that connect to the headphone by a mini-XLR plug. Also, premium mini-to-mini cables (3.5mm to 3.5mm). Are you saying that the K450 uses a different kind of plug?

Yo !, sorry to sort of hijack this thread, but...The K450 are my favourite portable, anyway, he answered it above, but the true answer is! The cable is a 2.5mm -> 3.5mm, but the barrel is much longer and thinner with the bayonet at the top to keep the lock in...It was a hard cable to find a while back, but contact your local service centre and they sell them for around £6!

Moving on, my pair are currently at the UK service centre as the right side cut out completely, hopefully should get them back soon, they became my dedicated portable, and have spent the last month or so travelling with the K171's due to a lack of funds and other headphones.

The sound is a lot closer to that of the K416, these i would say are the closest to it driver wise. but the K450 is the king ofisolation compared to them, the build quality, comfort and sound are all better. K81/K518 sounds similar, but not the same as the 416. They are really warm and muddy, but In my opinion, the reason I kept using them is, the sound stage is good for rock (or at least Tool and Isis). The first time I used them, the Bass was very overpowering, after burn-in (natural) the bass died off and went back to being wear it should be (hell, I love bass, but there was way too much of it for my liking). Highs, well, i've never been one to take much interest in highs so I can't tell you about them here....however compared to other AKG's I own, the higher tones of Adam Jones are not there...which IMO is bloody good as he's the worst member of tool !
These really are a great cheap portable, and with a replaceable cable, it's perfect for me who travels every day, since i'm not too fond of IEM's Isolation is great for a bus, and people will rarely hear what you're listening to even at full volume...if you were to ever reach there...
I mentioned they're perfect for me, as I spend 1+hours on the way to work each day and then back again, I spend a lot of time listening, and a lot of the time my zune goes to and from my pocket, so cable damage does eventually happen for me...and the cables are sturdy and kept safe when not in use, which has increased the life of them greatly for me who used to go through headphones at least once every two months before discovering head-fi

I would LOVE suggestions of the other guys in the thread of a portable similar to these, at least in terms of portability and replaceable cables !
 
as I said, sorry for kinda hijacking the thread ! only thing i'd completely disagree is that they sound like the K240, K240 has a very lovely bass IMO and is never as prominent as it is in the K450, hell, it's great bass, but not as muddy

 

[MajorCockUp]

Im 2 months late on this one. I only wanted to express my pure raging hate towards these headphones.
Great build, looks, comfy, nice extras and everything but what a cra4p sound.
Bass too loose, goes into mids, highs roll off. I would buy 4 pairs of Koss PortPro instead.
Im not usualy a troll but i had to make an exeption for these.

 

[superboob]

Dudes,
 
Remembering this thread and listening to the k450's. Something weird happened in the last couple of weeks after a couple of months of listening to them on and off for about 2-3 hours a week, but they've cleared up no end and actually have normal perceived treble. Now, I don't know if this is because I've not listened to any other headphones for the last week or so, so my brain has gotten accustomed to them, but they sound fine. The highs are even 'clear'.
 
I wouldn't have believed it, and not trying to troll-back at MajorcockUp as for the first couple of months of owning these I felt exactly the same. It kind of went hate (first month) -> tolerance (second month) -> relative listening enjoyment (since this morning)...
 
Pulling into waterloo so ttfn, but there's hope...

 

[nobb]

Does anyone know how to identify fake K450s? I saw that these headphones were listed on fakeheadphones.com as one of the many models that are faked in China. I suspect that those of you (including me) who bought these from eBay for <$80 probably bought fakes. That's probably why I didnt enjoy the sound...they appeared muffled and had recessed highs.

 

[david1978jp]

Quote:

Does anyone know how to identify fake K450s? I saw that these headphones were listed on fakeheadphones.com as one of the many models that are faked in China. I suspect that those of you (including me) who bought these from eBay for <$80 probably bought fakes. That's probably why I didnt enjoy the sound...they appeared muffled and had recessed highs.

$80 sounds about right if you buy it in UK and catch a good deal; US Dell Computer sold them for about $90 awhile back. Last month, my UK friend bought one for me at £50 (from Amazon UK, not Amazon Market Place); in US, it sells at $170. In return, I buy him a Philips O'Neill SHO9560 for $67; it sells at £100 in UK. (When he visits me next month, we'll be both happy.) Basically, different regions, different prices.

 

 

[Hanzol]

Quote:

Quote:

Does anyone know how to identify fake K450s? I saw that these headphones were listed on fakeheadphones.com as one of the many models that are faked in China. I suspect that those of you (including me) who bought these from eBay for <$80 probably bought fakes. That's probably why I didnt enjoy the sound...they appeared muffled and had recessed highs.

$80 sounds about right if you buy it in UK and catch a good deal; US Dell Computer sold them for about $90 awhile back. Last month, my UK friend bought one for me at £50 (from Amazon UK, not Amazon Market Place); in US, it sells at $170. In return, I buy him a Philips O'Neill SHO9560 for $67; it sells at £100 in UK. (When he visits me next month, we'll be both happy.) Basically, different regions, different prices.

 

There's some UK retailer selling them for 47.99 pounds on ebay. You reckon there's a chance of fakes? It's some electronics store called CAR AUDIO SECURITY that i've never heard of. Seems to be legit judging by how many approvals on ebay.

 

[david1978jp]

 
Quote:

There's some UK retailer selling them for 47.99 pounds on ebay. You reckon there's a chance of fakes? It's some electronics store called CAR AUDIO SECURITY that i've never heard of. Seems to be legit judging by how many approvals on ebay.

For the sake of warranty, I usually buy from authorized dealers even it costs a bit more (it is often cheaper from authorized dealers, go figure.)
I don't know whether CAR AUDIO SECURITY is an authorized dealer. When I checked their website, I found they have a local store and phone number; why not give them a call?

 

[brawl]

Quote:

Dudes,
 
Remembering this thread and listening to the k450's. Something weird happened in the last couple of weeks after a couple of months of listening to them on and off for about 2-3 hours a week, but they've cleared up no end and actually have normal perceived treble. Now, I don't know if this is because I've not listened to any other headphones for the last week or so, so my brain has gotten accustomed to them, but they sound fine. The highs are even 'clear'.
 
I wouldn't have believed it, and not trying to troll-back at MajorcockUp as for the first couple of months of owning these I felt exactly the same. It kind of went hate (first month) -> tolerance (second month) -> relative listening enjoyment (since this morning)...
 
Pulling into waterloo so ttfn, but there's hope...

and what about after 4 months?
I really wish to buy a new pair of headphones, I like those but there are also the akg k430 that have good clear treble/mids by default.
If you guys can tell me that akg k450 after burn-in are very good I will consider seriosly buying them!
 
thanks for help!
 
(I'm sorry for my bad english)

 

[superboob]

Hi brawl,
 
Again, I feel like I'm being massively trolltastic, but these phones just keep getting better and better. Really pleasant to listen to, now sounding far better than the PX200's I was comparing them to. I didn't have a lot of faith in burn-in and thought it was all in my head, but I've been proven wrong, for these phones at least.
 
Keep in mind that even though they are closed phones they still let in a lot of noise as the cup is an over-the-ear type. For the underground, trains and planes I tend to prefer either my etymotics or klipsch canalphones - but for listening to in bed or at the office, these things are awesome.... after a while. 
 
(they really, really REALLY sounded piss poor to start with....)

 

[aduntoleras]

hey im a complete noob @ headphones but i had a few questions about these
Does it matter what kind of mp3 player/phone/whatever you use for the quality of the sound?
Is this headphone unhearable/almost not hearable for people in a quiet room when im listening with medium volume?
in areas with alot of noise (like in the train or bus or w/e) do i hear all the sounds around me, or just the music(on high volume)
 
thanks alot ;D

 

[brawl]

Quote:

Hi brawl,
 
Again, I feel like I'm being massively trolltastic, but these phones just keep getting better and better. Really pleasant to listen to, now sounding far better than the PX200's I was comparing them to. I didn't have a lot of faith in burn-in and thought it was all in my head, but I've been proven wrong, for these phones at least.
 
Keep in mind that even though they are closed phones they still let in a lot of noise as the cup is an over-the-ear type. For the underground, trains and planes I tend to prefer either my etymotics or klipsch canalphones - but for listening to in bed or at the office, these things are awesome.... after a while. 
 
(they really, really REALLY sounded piss poor to start with....)

 
Thanks a lot for your advice Superboob!
 
Do you mean better than px 200 II or 1? 
 
About those Sennh vs. those AKG wich you belive is less goofy estetically?
 
I mean, for exemple PX 200 IIi looks a bit goofy at both sides: is it a bit different at natural look? with a real guy head?
 

 
I understand that's not primary, but what is the most stylish? who dresses better for your taste (not for comfort but to look)?