[jon parker]

 

  I am very impressed with the K712 Pro's they sound very close to my Senn 600's going back and forth on my Darkvoice 336se tube amp find them just a bit brighter. Just got them yesterday are they ever light and comfy but if I had to choose one headphone it would be the 600's just something about the Senn sound.

 
Sadly, I only read this now. 
 
I just got these K712 and I'm not too impressed. As I reported here I was looking for an upgrade.
I can confirm that they sound a lot alike the HD600 (just a bit more open and spacious). Which is the reason why I don't like the K712 too.
Everything is there except for that sparkle in the treble which is essential for me. I really don't like when it gets darker in the higher frequencies. 

 
Ive tried to advice a few people that the K712 PRO's are tuned for professional use [i discussed & confirmed this with an AKG rep.] - I use them for some Mastering and they are very reliable for that BUT I never use them for music as they are too neutral and certainly are not that fun or engaging
Im sure there are people who do enjoy them with music...which is great but there is no way I [personally] would reccomend them for pleasure ! They tune plenty other of their other cans FOR music, these they tune for working with.
There is nothing wrong with them! but . . .

 

[Contrail]

   
Ive tried to advice a few people that the K712 PRO's are tuned for professional use [i discussed & confirmed this with an AKG rep.] - I use them for some Mastering and they are very reliable for that BUT I never use them for music as they are too neutral and certainly are not that fun or engaging
Im sure there are people who do enjoy them with music...which is great but there is no way I [personally] would reccomend them for pleasure ! They tune plenty other of their other cans FOR music, these they tune for working with.
There is nothing wrong with them! but . . .

The reason why I went for them it's because I listen to music with studio monitors (JBL LSR305) which also are for semi-professional use and I'm absolutely pleased with them. Unfortunately these K712 sound nothing alike those. 
 

 

[jon parker]

 

   
Ive tried to advice a few people that the K712 PRO's are tuned for professional use [i discussed & confirmed this with an AKG rep.] - I use them for some Mastering and they are very reliable for that BUT I never use them for music as they are too neutral and certainly are not that fun or engaging
Im sure there are people who do enjoy them with music...which is great but there is no way I [personally] would reccomend them for pleasure ! They tune plenty other of their other cans FOR music, these they tune for working with.
There is nothing wrong with them! but . . .

The reason why I went for them it's because I listen to music with studio monitors (JBL LSR305) which also are for semi-professional use and I'm absolutely pleased with them. Unfortunately these K712 sound nothing alike those. 
 

The 712pro should be technically far superior to those JBL's - which doesn't always acquaint to a more enjoyable listening experience :/
Im sure you will find the headphone of your dreams soon 

 

[ematthews]

So I finally picked up the 712Pro from Amazon. I haven't listened to them yet. Will be comparing them to a few headphones I have at home.
Senn HD600 and 650. Beyerdynamic T5P Gen 2 and 1770. All of these are good in their own way. I am looking for better mids than my current stock of headphones. 

 

[jwbrent]

  So I finally picked up the 712Pro from Amazon. I haven't listened to them yet. Will be comparing them to a few headphones I have at home.
Senn HD600 and 650. Beyerdynamic T5P Gen 2 and 1770. All of these are good in their own way. I am looking for better mids than my current stock of headphones. 

Congrats! I'm interested in your observations ...

 

[Jaggar]

I got my 712s(slightly used) last night.I haven't gotten to play with them too much. I was able to find a sound blaster g5 to plug them into for a little bit of extra juice instead of coming straight from a sound card. The treble is almost perfect but there is some mild harshness in some frequency ranges. The low bass (15-30hz) is something I'm not used to hearing in a headphone at all and it's really cool and growing on me. The higher bass/low mid seems a bit lacking though (hope I'm using the right terms here) and makes deep piano, cello, organs, and vocals sound flat. I am not sure if it's because this amp is not up to snuff or maybe I'm just slowly discovering I actually like slightly bass heavier headphones.
 
I kinda jumped the gun and got a schiit stack on the way. I figured I couldn't go wrong regardless with that setup but they won't be here until next week. Depending on how these react with the stack I may end up buying some more phones to find that perfect frequency response I like.

 

[roghelt]

Background:
I listen 98% to classical and some be-bop jazz, all in lossless or 24bit flac. Source is primarily FiiO x5 second gen w/2 128GB micro sd w/ coaxial digital output to Peachtree DACiTx and Nuforce HA 200a class A headphone amp. (I also have a Marantz SA 8004 going through the Peachtree for SACDs & CDs not on the FiiO). My listening is done through the night, every night. Have had HD600s and K701 for ages and K702 more recently. I use the Senns occasionally, but have become addicted to the openness & smoothness (yes) of the 702s, especially after initial break-in and months of listening. Was tempted to get the K812 but hard time justifying the cost. So for the sake of possible improvement over the k702 I got the k712 as I really like the AKG sound sig.
 
Issue:
I received new K712 yesterday and, doing some quick back & forth switching comparisons with the K702, I'm initially disappointed. Listening to a variety of music (chamber music, symphonic) initial impression is that the 712s sound more 'forward' with an upper mid range bump. And by comparison, it sounds somewhat 'thinner' than the k702 which, to my ears and listening habits, splits the sonic difference between the HD600 & 701 combing liquid smoothness with that wonderful (to me) soundstage. It's like a culmination of what AKG detractors don't like about AKGs.
 
Query for those in the know:
Could it be a matter of giving the 712 tons of break-in as I did the 702? Currently have an album on the 712 with white, pink noise, sweeps, drum beats and other break-in sounds -- it loops throughout the day.
 
Also, could it have anything to do with the 712's memory foam ear pads? I tried swapping them out with the 702's velour ones and 'thought' I could hear a difference between the two on the 702 -- in favor off the plain velour.
 
Would really appreciate any feedback before I give up, return the 712 and bite the bullet for the 812.

 

[Me x3]

  Background:
I listen 98% to classical and some be-bop jazz, all in lossless or 24bit flac. Source is primarily FiiO x5 second gen w/2 128GB micro sd w/ coaxial digital output to Peachtree DACiTx and Nuforce HA 200a class A headphone amp. (I also have a Marantz SA 8004 going through the Peachtree for SACDs & CDs not on the FiiO). My listening is done through the night, every night. Have had HD600s and K701 for ages and K702 more recently. I use the Senns occasionally, but have become addicted to the openness & smoothness (yes) of the 702s, especially after initial break-in and months of listening. Was tempted to get the K812 but hard time justifying the cost. So for the sake of possible improvement over the k702 I got the k712 as I really like the AKG sound sig.
 
Issue:
I received new K712 yesterday and, doing some quick back & forth switching comparisons with the K702, I'm initially disappointed. Listening to a variety of music (chamber music, symphonic) initial impression is that the 712s sound more 'forward' with an upper mid range bump. And by comparison, it sounds somewhat 'thinner' than the k702 which, to my ears and listening habits, splits the sonic difference between the HD600 & 701 combing liquid smoothness with that wonderful (to me) soundstage. It's like a culmination of what AKG detractors don't like about AKGs.
 
Query for those in the know:
Could it be a matter of giving the 712 tons of break-in as I did the 702? Currently have an album on the 712 with white, pink noise, sweeps, drum beats and other break-in sounds -- it loops throughout the day.
 
Also, could it have anything to do with the 712's memory foam ear pads? I tried swapping them out with the 702's velour ones and 'thought' I could hear a difference between the two on the 702 -- in favor off the plain velour.
 
Would really appreciate any feedback before I give up, return the 712 and bite the bullet for the 812.

I find your impressions very useful. Don't think burn in will change them enough, you might became more used to its different signature, yes, but even then you might still prefer the K702.
Pads change the sound, in fact there's a chance pads are the only difference between them. It would be nice if you can compare K712 with velour vs K702 with velour, or both with the foam pads.
 
I had a K702, then sold it.
I had a chance to pick a K712 a few months ago, but after some research and based on my previous experience with K702, I've bought K702 again.
The new one seems to be a crossbreed between my former K702 and the K712, slightly warmer and slightly darker in the 3-6kHz region.
 
What's your K702 serial number?
My former (slightly drier one) was 102.xxx
My newer K702 is sn. 129.xxx
 
Late T1.1 is kind of an improved K702 in my experience.

 

[Contrail]

  I got my 712s(slightly used) last night.I haven't gotten to play with them too much. I was able to find a sound blaster g5 to plug them into for a little bit of extra juice instead of coming straight from a sound card. The treble is almost perfect but there is some mild harshness in some frequency ranges. The low bass (15-30hz) is something I'm not used to hearing in a headphone at all and it's really cool and growing on me. The higher bass/low mid seems a bit lacking though (hope I'm using the right terms here) and makes deep piano, cello, organs, and vocals sound flat. I am not sure if it's because this amp is not up to snuff or maybe I'm just slowly discovering I actually like slightly bass heavier headphones.
 
I kinda jumped the gun and got a schiit stack on the way. I figured I couldn't go wrong regardless with that setup but they won't be here until next week. Depending on how these react with the stack I may end up buying some more phones to find that perfect frequency response I like.

 
I noticed the same. Last night I played a Kronos Quartet's CD and the violins sounded outstanding. It was like my head was fully immersed in them. But at the same the background strings were a bit harsh and flat. 
Also, electronic music really shines on these, as long as it's well recorded of course. But the vocals often feel flat. Drums sound harsh too. On the contrary, sax sounds great (on some recordings with solo sections I could hear its echo too) . 
 
These AKG K712 are extremely detailed headphones. Your head is on the center and the music surrounds you just outside (as previously mentioned, the soundstage is bigger than the HD600). All these details aren't thrown at you, but gently represented. 
So far I played them with my Creative E5 and Audioengine D1 which both seemed to drive them fairly. They just lack that certain smoothness that would make them an almost perfect set of headphones. Maybe a better amp could do the trick?

What are you guys driving them with? 
Also, do any of you have the chance to make a side to side comparison between these and the latest K702 (which seems to be different)? Does the K702 sound harsh too sometimes? 

 

[jwbrent]

   
I noticed the same. Last night I played a Kronos Quartet's CD and the violins sounded outstanding. It was like my head was fully immersed in them. But at the same the background strings were a bit harsh and flat. 
Also, electronic music really shines on these, as long as it's well recorded of course. But the vocals often feel flat. Drums sound harsh too. On the contrary, sax sounds great (on some recordings with solo sections I could hear its echo too) . 
 
These AKG K712 are extremely detailed headphones. Your head is on the center and the music surrounds you just outside (as previously mentioned, the soundstage is bigger than the HD600). All these details aren't thrown at you, but gently represented. 
So far I played them with my Creative E5 and Audioengine D1 which both seemed to drive them fairly. They just lack that certain smoothness that would make them an almost perfect set of headphones. Maybe a better amp could do the trick?

What are you guys driving them with? 
Also, do any of you have the chance to make a side to side comparison between these and the latest K702 (which seems to be different)? Does the K702 sound harsh too sometimes? 

 
I just got a Mojo for my 712s ... highly synergistic combination. More details to follow as I get some hours on the Mojo.

 

[Me x3]

  Also, do any of you have the chance to make a side to side comparison between these and the latest K702 (which seems to be different)? Does the K702 sound harsh too sometimes? 

K702 (no matter the serial number) can sound harsh too.
Latest K702 seems closer to K712 (fuller, less dry, darker in the 2.5 - 5 kHz region and tiny bit higher peak @7kHz (+2dB))

 

[Contrail]

  K702 (no matter the serial number) can sound harsh too.
Latest K702 seems closer to K712 (fuller, less dry, darker in the 2.5 - 5 kHz region and tiny bit higher peak @7kHz (+2dB))

 
I'm wondering if the K702 could be a better fit for me. I like a bit of sparkle in the highs. In fact I tried to EQ the K712 a little bit and at 8kHz is exactly where I raised the bar of 2dB. 

 

[Me x3]

   
I'm wondering if the K702 could be a better fit for me. I like a bit of sparkle in the highs. In fact I tried to EQ the K712 a little bit and at 8kHz is exactly where I raised the bar of 2dB. 

Just in case I wasn't very clear:
Latest K702 and K712 has the same peak at 7kHz
Former K702 has -2dB
 
If you want more sparkle then Beyer is the way to go, DT880 Pro / DT880 (600 Ohm) / T90 / T1.1 they all provide great sparkle (unmatched by these AKGs)
Senn HD800 comes close to the Beyer house sound.

 

[roghelt]

 
I find your impressions very useful. Don't think burn in will change them enough, you might became more used to its different signature, yes, but even then you might still prefer the K702.
Pads change the sound, in fact there's a chance pads are the only difference between them. It would be nice if you can compare K712 with velour vs K702 with velour, or both with the foam pads.
 
I had a K702, then sold it.
I had a chance to pick a K712 a few months ago, but after some research and based on my previous experience with K702, I've bought K702 again.
The new one seems to be a crossbreed between my former K702 and the K712, slightly warmer and slightly darker in the 3-6kHz region.
 
What's your K702 serial number?
My former (slightly drier one) was 102.xxx
My newer K702 is sn. 129.xxx
 
Late T1.1 is kind of an improved K702 in my experience.

 
I'm about 80% convinced I'll be returning the 712 -- still burning them in round the clock. But don't know if that's any panacea or even a convincing placebo.
 
Did much earpad swapping, the foam pads don't do much for the 702 nor do the velour pads do much to mitigate the hardness of the 712. I tried longer-term comparison switching (15-20 minutes of the same material) but still kept coming back to the 702 (sn. 122xxx). The overall impression is very much like what you described about the 702 you rebought: warmer, slightly darker in the sweet region.
To my ears, the 702 even has deeper, more visceral bass than the 712. Prime example: listening to Murray Perahia's Chopin's etudes, very closely miked and startlingly realistic piano recording -- from the very first track (etude # 1 in C) with the thunderous low-octave opening -- one is blown away by the stark, gut-wrenching impact of those bass chords.
 
Overall, to my ears the 712 lacks the seductive imaging and enveloping soundstage of the 702, sounding more like an HD600 without the musicality and smoothness.
I even attempted to just stick with it and listen to the 712s throughout the night; but the proverbial aural fatigue set in after about 40 minutes. And this with a non-fatiguing class-A amp that's a sonic twin for a Woo.
 
Regarding the first gen T1, my experience with their 600-ohm DT 880 was pretty unpleasant -- the high end literally beat me to death, couldn't get rid of them fast enough. I've read some nice things about the original T1, but I gather it doesn't have the AKG soundstage (not into modding)-- a deal-breaker. Since I first experienced the depth and realism of the AKG sound, I've been hooked.
 
Just wondering if the 812 is an antidote for the 712.

 

[Contrail]

Originally Posted by roghelt /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
Overall, to my ears the 712 lacks the seductive imaging and enveloping soundstage of the 702, sounding more like an HD600 without the musicality and smoothness.

 
This is very interesting and somewhat close to my experience with the K712. 
 
Can I ask you to make a brief comparison between the K702 and the HD600 (which I previously owned)? 
 
 
P.S. If anyone is interested the K712 are one of tomorrow lightning deals on amazon UK. Current price is £184 (which is already slightly less than what I paid them).
 

  Just in case I wasn't very clear:
Latest K702 and K712 has the same peak at 7kHz
Former K702 has -2dB
 
If you want more sparkle then Beyer is the way to go, DT880 Pro / DT880 (600 Ohm) / T90 / T1.1 they all provide great sparkle (unmatched by these AKGs)
Senn HD800 comes close to the Beyer house sound.

 
OK. Thanks for the clarification. 
 
The Beyers (DT880) aren't for me. The others you mentioned are all outside my budget.