[cdma2k]

deleted

 

[BunnyNamedCraig]

So I realized what most people have said about this being picky with amp pairings. I tried it with my musical fidelity amp and it sounds so much better than with the O2. The O2 made the 712 sound much brighter and thin.

i feel like the Vali paired with 712 makes it sound thin as well.... wonder what amps in that price range would give it some more weight

 

[AlexRoma]

Let me tel you a story, guys, about how did I moved from the fan side to the hated side of AKG K712 in particular.

First I had listened to K712 about 4 months ago, when a friend of mine got one. I had immediately fall in love with the overall tonal balance and bass quality. In 2 months I had sold my Sennheiser HD650. At cristmass sales I've managed to grab a pair of K712 from ebay, honk-kong seller .
 
So I got the beast, put it in a cupboard and set it burn in for a week.
 
~ 100 hours burn in, I test it on the same setup I did 4 months ago .. The immediate notice -> Dry sound. Where is the bass ? Ok... Need more burn in.. Put it back for another week burn in
~ 200 hours burn in. Same filling , it sounds dry and bright. No bass extension and particular, no preasure. Mids are forward and bright, no bass, no treble. Another week burn in
~ 300 hours burn in. Same crap. So I call my friend for a meeting.
 
Both headphones were made in Slovakia.
 
We start an A/B comparison. . And boom, here it is... His AKG K712 , 001*** revision, has the ammount of bass which made me fall in love with K712 and sell HD650. Mine K712, the 009031 revision, -5db in bass, no subbas!
The difference is so big in sound that I might consider giving the oriuginal 001*** revision an 8.5 for pure SQ, but mine scale well below 8, about 7.5, not more. It's a big shame !!!
 
The conclusion I made is this :
a) AKG has put their old K702 / Q701 driver inside the beast. Shame on you, AKG, big shame !
b) Bad AKG Quality control, since it's collaborates had put K702 drivers inside K712 beast. 
c) The honk-kong seller could possibly sell counterfeit goods

So please be careful about the K712 revision. Looks like the new K712 share the same old K702 driver from instead of the new, bassy one, or, AKG has really bad quality control... Selling my K712 now.

 

[LaCuffia]

Is your version built in Slovakia? That's what I have and I got it from Amazon for $320. I know eBay has them for like $260 but didn't take the chance. This is the first 712 I've listened to so I can't make any comparisons with older versions. The bass seems fine when paired with the right amp. I like them so far especially the comfort. This is my first AKG but I know the reputation is for a more neutral or dry sound. I can't say I am a full believer in burn in though. I don't expect the sound to change by any appreciable degree.

 

[cdma2k]

  Let me tel you a story, guys, about how did I moved from the fan side to the hated side of AKG K712 in particular.
First I had listened to K712 about 4 months ago, when a friend of mine got one. I had immediately fall in love with the overall tonal balance and bass quality. In 2 months I had sold my Sennheiser HD650. At cristmass sales I've managed to grab a pair of K712 from ebay, honk-kong seller .
 
So I got the beast, put it in a cupboard and set it burn in for a week.
 
~ 100 hours burn in, I test it on the same setup I did 4 months ago .. The immediate notice -> Dry sound. Where is the bass ? Ok... Need more burn in.. Put it back for another week burn in
~ 200 hours burn in. Same filling , it sounds dry and bright. No bass extension and particular, no preasure. Mids are forward and bright, no bass, no treble. Another week burn in
~ 300 hours burn in. Same crap. So I call my friend for a meeting.
 
Both headphones were made in Slovakia.
 
We start an A/B comparison. . And boom, here it is... His AKG K712 , 001*** revision, has the ammount of bass which made me fall in love with K712 and sell HD650. Mine K712, the 009031 revision, -5db in bass, no subbas !
The difference is so big in sound that I might consider giving the oriuginal 001*** revision an 8.5 for pure SQ, but mine scale well below 8, about 7.5, not more. It's a big shame !!!
 
The conclusion I made is this :
a) AKG has put their old K702 / Q701 driver inside the beast. Shame on you, AKG, big shame !
b) Bad AKG Quality control, since it's collaborates had put K702 drivers inside K712 beast. 
c) The honk-kong seller could possibly sell counterfeit goods

So please be careful about the K712 revision. Looks like the new K712 share the same old K702 driver from instead of the new, bassy one, or, AKG has really bad quality control... Selling my K712 now.

Mine made in Austria, nowhere near dry, .....
cautious practice, never buy stuff from HK/China if it is not made in China

 

[iancraig10]

Your post set an alarm off in me since it's easy for a rumour to become truth. The Sennheiser black/white driver thing comes to mind here.

I checked mine and it's made in Slovakia. It has a big bass. Almost Senn like in presentation.

Since yours has come from Hong Kong via Ebay, it's not a copy is it? I have found one I think. Not a K712 but the way I found out was the fact that the drivers really didn't match each other in sound. Ebay wasn't my friend.

I also have a K702 and they are quite different in sound.

 

[AlexRoma]

Well, We double, triple checked those AKG models. They look absolutely identical physically.
 
I think mine are not fake. Is there a way to test akg products online if fake or not ?
 
You see, both K712 headphones sound AKG-ish identical - as clear and undistorted as it gets, same tonality, same mids and treble, the only problem was the quantity and deepness of bass. Since I had previously auditioned Q701, I am pretty confident it's the same HQ AKG tech inside, but something is missing or wrong (a damping cloth or the entire driver is downgraded to K702).
 
Well, we did not open the headphones to see the insides, AKG use a very sophisticated tech-process (there are youtube video where you can se how many steps are there made to build a K701 ) so I am negative regards the idea to take parts off the beast. Easier to sell it than to mod it
 

I checked mine and it's made in Slovakia. It has a big bass. Almost Senn like in presentation.

 
That's the exact sound I hear from my friend's Slovakia made K712, 0001*** revision. This is why I had sold my HD650 in the first place ! They sound absolutely fabulous for the price. My pair sounds anemic and dry, faster transients but lower detail and less authenticity (remember K702 signature ? You've got the point !)

 

[iancraig10]

If it's a seller on Ebay, I wonder whether you are able to return them? The K702 isn't as good at all imo. If AKG are doing that, then shame on them.

It's a bit worrying if that is the kind of practice that's going on.

More important, what a disappointment for you. I was delighted with mine when I first heard them. I wonder if you have a duff one? I got a duff k545 and the only reason I knew was that I have another one to compare with. The first one, which I know is a real AKG focuses in the centre really well, but the second one was vague and images just didn't form anywhere, although I could hear the sound.

That came from a 'foreign' source and I had my doubts that it's not real or quality control just isn't great at the factory.

If you have to keep it, a driver check might help and then I would contact AKG because that's really not on.

Im guessing you can't send it back and start again?

Oh ... Also, enough power in the amp you're using to drive it properly? They are hungry beasts for current whereas the Senns are more voltage reliant.

 

[LaCuffia]

Lack of bass could be the result of bad amp pairing.

What is original list price anyway ? Amazon says $625 which makes it seem like a great deal because they sell for $320 but that seems misleading. What's also interesting is that they list another 712 with a price of $699 but selling for $349. Could that be the Austrian made one? Not sure when they switched to Slovakia build.

The 712 sounds great though, especially with acoustic and jazz.

 

[AlexRoma]

Lack of bass could be the result of bad amp pairing.

 
Dude... The issue has nothing to do with amp pairing. We did an A/B comparison on same desktop system. Even if the amp power might be less then perfect, it's the same amp, same track, same volume, after all.
 
The ebay offering was 260$ and it was a bad idea from the very beginning, since the warranty gave only 14 days return from the day invoiced (and not shipped). 
 

Spoiler: Honk Kong Returns Policy

Returns Policy
14 Day money back guarantee
In addition to your warranty DWI provides a 14 Days Money Back Guarantee. If you are not satisfied, or changed your mind about your purchase, you may request to return the item(s) within 14 Days from the invoice date

 
Blacklisting the seller seems like a good idea. 

 

[LaCuffia]

Ok....I was about to get that $260 one too before I went with Amazon. Glad I didn't

 

[iancraig10]

What a shame. They are excellent and I have a suspicion that you might have a copy or duff one.

Sorry, I've just realised that you originally heard it on the same amp. The k712 demands lots of current you see, which is different to the Senns. Lack of adequate current could have that effect.

 

[AlexRoma]

Not my case anyway. I wouldn't have fallen in love in K712 signature if not amped properly in the first place...
 
To tell a long story short. Here is the conclusion :
 
1. Skip chinese / honk-kong retailers
2. Skip 0009*** revision serials , just in case it's not a copycat, but an AKG factory cheating. 

 

[Shredder11]

Mine do not exhibit any of the faults mentioned and I agree a good amp is required to get the best from them.  I bought mine from http://www.thomann.de/gb/akg_k_712_pro.htm  .  On my box sticker it shows a H-No and No.  The H-No revision number on mine is 014*** and the secondary four digit No is 1529.  Mine are made in Slovakia.
 

 

[Draulius]

How are the mids on this headphone? I like headphones with more forward than neutral mids where the vocals are very clear, like with the Audio-Technica AD series or Sennheiser HD6XX for example. Basically, how does this headphone handle vocals?