Why are AKG K612 Pro ignored nowadays?

[venky]

Before sometime these use to be considered one of the best budget open backs. But now everybody seems to ignore these in any discussion. What changed? And how do you think they compare against the likes of Sundara and HD650?

 

[xeizo]

K612 Pro can sound extreme good, there is a big con though, they need competent amplification and those with a sufficient amp don't usually buy such cheap headphones. It's a odd headphone in that way, it's made for studio use and in the studio there are good enough amplifiers in place. Not so much in every Joes home.
Other cons are, sound signature is not for everyone, they are forward in the upper mids, which sounds excellent on acoustic recordings made in live environments. But can be harsh and thick on modern processed recordings.
And comfort, the pads are comfy enough but the headband can cause some rather quick strain on the top of your head. And they are large, not for the portable crowd in any way, and they leak massive amounts of sound almost like a speaker.
They have a few things against, but as said, when setup right the sound is amazing. Very lifelike and dynamic, and BIG soundstage.

I have a pair of HD599SE incoming, refurbished buy Sennheiser for the price of 70$, they are a true competitor but can be easily driven. Will be a interesting comparison. Then there is the K702 which can be had for cheap, and is easier to drive than the K612 Pro. Most discussion is about the HD560S at that price point, maybe they are the sweet spot?

Compared to HD600 biggest obvious difference is the much larger soundstage on the K612 Pro, and it is faster on percussive instruments as in very fast. And goes deeper in the bass. HD600 has it's famous timbre though, which is hard to beat, and not at all as likely to sound harsh under certain conditions.

 

[alpha80]

All the K6__ and K7__ are massively underrated headphones.

Their ability to achieve BOTH analytic excellence, as well as beautiful wonderful tonality, musicality, and strong emotive and tasteful character is unrivaled at their respective price points.

And they come in every flavor, from warm and dark-Ish (K7XX), to the brightest soprano (K701), to NEUTRALITY on par with the HD600 (K612 Pro). And everything in between, especially when you factor in that the older models have a fully reversible ability to do the bass port mod, for those who want more bass response from the brighter ones in the line.

Can’t speak positively enough about them. Especially the “beautifully neutral” K612 OP cherishes.

 

[alpha80]

Compared to HD600 biggest obvious difference is the much larger soundstage on the K612 Pro, and it is faster on percussive instruments as in very fast. And goes deeper in the bass. HD600 has it's famous timbre though, which is hard to beat, and not at all as likely to sound harsh under certain conditions.

And yes let’s not forget, every headphone in the K6__ & K7__ have by far the best soundstages for their respective bargain price points.

 

[BrownBear]

I don't know, but I love AKG's. The 612 is something I've been after for awhile just haven't gotten yet. I always recommend their products to people. Mostly the older ones though.

 

[Redcarmoose]

K612 Pro can sound extreme good, there is a big con though, they need competent amplification and those with a sufficient amp don't usually buy such cheap headphones. It's a odd headphone in that way, it's made for studio use and in the studio there are good enough amplifiers in place. Not so much in every Joes home.
Other cons are, sound signature is not for everyone, they are forward in the upper mids, which sounds excellent on acoustic recordings made in live environments. But can be harsh and thick on modern processed recordings.
And comfort, the pads are comfy enough but the headband can cause some rather quick strain on the top of your head. And they are large, not for the portable crowd in any way, and they leak massive amounts of sound almost like a speaker.
They have a few things against, but as said, when setup right the sound is amazing. Very lifelike and dynamic, and BIG soundstage.

I have a pair of HD599SE incoming, refurbished buy Sennheiser for the price of 70$, they are a true competitor but can be easily driven. Will be a interesting comparison. Then there is the K702 which can be had for cheap, and is easier to drive than the K612 Pro. Most discussion is about the HD560S at that price point, maybe they are the sweet spot?

Compared to HD600 biggest obvious difference is the much larger soundstage on the K612 Pro, and it is faster on percussive instruments as in very fast. And goes deeper in the bass. HD600 has it's famous timbre though, which is hard to beat, and not at all as likely to sound harsh under certain conditions.

Looks like the k712 is more popular? Though I do agree the k701 needs tons of amplifier power. So maybe the k612pro is the same way, never heard it.

 

[Disadadi]

For long term use the headband design is lousy. The elastics die and require some DIY to get them fixed or replaced. If the design was as good as Sennheiser or Beyerdynamic models I would be less hesitant to recommend the AKG headphones.

 

[RuslanG]

K612 headband design is excellent, they are pleasant to put on your head, they sit comfortably, you can work in them for several hours at a time. The elactic bands work for several years, as do the pads. There is one feature, this is a break in the wiring, due to which one driver stops working. Unscrewing cap and soldering a torn wire is half an hour of work. Or take it to a workshop, they will re-solder the wire for a small price.

 

[cokker]

I liked my K612 Pro's but they don't last, after a year the headband was falling apart so I sent them back for repair, a couple of months later I needed to re-solder a wire in the left cup, a couple of months after that the head band started breaking again and the right audio straight up died...

My 4 year old DT990 Pro's are still like new, just bought a HD560s so I'll see how they'll last.