Review of the AKG K 172 HD headphones.

[gsnaponfire]

As many people have said great review, I don't agree. If you are going to do a review on a pair of headphones, you better start talking sound quality, frequency range, durability, etc. These are STUDIO HEADPHONES and are used for recording, radio monitoring, rough editing (away from studio monitors) and more.

[sahanatas]

@gsnaponfire

This is a pretty old review. Also I was also reviewing them from my perspective which isn't/wasn't using them in a studio or for editing purposes.

[jacobgarvey11]

You like the kind of person to play minecraft and beast at it. Just saying. Nice review

[TheRealLittleD]

great review! thanks so much! really helped me out! <3 cutiepie

[KindaKevin]

One question would you think I can jam to tunes while playing on my drums?

[KindaKevin]

@KindaKevin And I listen to nothing but heavy metal

[sahanatas]

@KindaKevin

I'd think so, you might like the ones that go around the ear rather than on them though.

[KindaKevin]

@sahanatas Yeah I was taking a look at AKG K 171 and 141 MKII. Thanks man, Ima try and head to Bestbuy and try headphones out

[sahanatas]

@musiclover14789652

something smaller. I use the ATH-FC700 from Audio Technica right now. I've heard from a lot of people that the AKG DJ headphones (k81) but it doesn't look like they sell that (in their main line at least) anymore. I'm sorry I can't provide much more info because I haven't been really looking at the newest headphones coming out. IMO when I looked for street headphones I looked for something that wasn't too flashy, low profile, and was kind of cheap. Hope that helps :)

[luzac159]

Dres, Boses, and Shures= retards that know nothing about audio quality

akg, sennheiser, beyerdynamic+ good amplifying system= people who are educated about sound quality

[WooSukSuks]

@luzac159 dude. why the hell is bose in your retards list. bose is like the godfather of astounding sound quality, and akg, sennheiser rose up soon after.

[canitasteyou321]

@luzac159

Shure is a good company, but sometimes their prices do not reflect the products. That could also be the re-seller problem.

[VillainTricks]

@canitasteyou321 I must agree I love my Shure SRH 750DJ. I'm just glad I got them for $130 because they're worth more than that.

[Shift4g]

I find that too many people are associating exaggerated bass with audio fidelity when it comes to this line of headphones. These headphones have realistic, articulate, and extremely tight bass reproduction (not excessive). The Dre headphones are tailored for bass. If that is all you care about or pay attention to, then these are not the headphones for you. Proper amplification (ie. more than a slight gain), as well as program mastering/quality are key before judging headphones and speakers.

[GamesPlayer1]

nice review.

I have a question. do you think they are good to listen mp3's with? like in the bus when you go to college/simply walking throu the city or something like that? do they feel like they are big and not meant to be used that way?

let me know, please.

[sahanatas]

@GamesPlayer1

Sorry for the late response. Yes, they are too big in my opinion and the cable or these headphones is 3ft long. If you say are going on a long plane ride/ car ride it's no issue but I wouldn't recommend these as "street" headphones. 

[GamesPlayer1]

@sahanatas no problem, thanks for the info. :)

[MrBarrbapapa]

@GamesPlayer1

You should look out for the AKG K450 or 480NC (noise cancelation) if your traveling a lot ;)

[GamesPlayer1]

@MrBarrbapapa nah, I got the Sennheiser HD 448.

[MrBasementJams]

hey can you tell me what site you found them cheapest on?? thanks! -Evan

[sahanatas]

@MrBasementJams

JR Electronics, within the first 10 seconds of the video. I don't know if they sell them anymore.

[GeneralDisarray808]

@sahanatas

i was wondering do those earpads get hot when wearing them

[sahanatas]

@GeneralDisarray808

not that I've noticed.

[kelcandice]

dre's are not so good. which is funny. i found out that yesterday when i purchased my K172HD. HEAVEN!!! and yes you do need an ampliflier.

[JELLYBEAN1133]

Do you think they sound better than the beats by dre? (the studio ones)

[sahanatas]

@JELLYBEAN1133

Heard them once, weren't very impressive and most of the time I find them they are broken.

[JELLYBEAN1133]

So do

You really need an amp? Or does it only help a little bit? Worth the extra mobile Hastle?

[sahanatas]

@JELLYBEAN1133

I wouldn't really say these are mobile headphones. They have a 3 meter long cable. You can wrap it up if you want that should make it semi portable I guess.

It seems like it isn't if you get a portable amp and just attach it to the device, but it stops being a pocket device. I've had no problem listening to them on my Cowon S9 with or without EQ and an amp. A really good portable amp should be easy to carry around if you have have a backpack everytime you're using these phones.

[luzac1]

i got the k171. is there a diff in sound quality between the 172 and 171? plus does a fiio e5 work?

[sahanatas]

@luzac1

I haven't used the K171 so I can't say. The fiio amp did make a small, but noticeable, difference for me.

[wenhan21]

I have sold these headphones... so disappoint it. I''ll get Gradio SR60i

[wenhan21]

Hi, does this phone really need a pre-amp to improve sound quality or more bass? I plugged into my Laptop and 30GB Zen vision M.. back was tooo weak :(...

[JELLYBEAN1133]

if you wear them with out glasses do they still hurt after an hour or so :/ ?

[detelesnaaf]

Hey,

I've got a pair of these headphones. They're great, but I'm al little dissapointed about the bass-quality.

Maybe an amp will do the trick...

Can you please sent a link or so?? What kind of amp you use.

Thanks for the nice review!

Greetz

[sahanatas]

@detelesnaaf

I use a fiio E3 but I've heard the E5 is better if you want to pay a little more. I don't use any large amps because I've found that the quality is fine for me. Guess I'm weird when it comes to the bass on these then.

[ARKILLER95]

@sahanatas

will these work in my zune hd player? Or are these built for home/studio use only. Do they need massive power to get the best out of them?

Thanks

[sahanatas]

@ARKILLER95

These headphones have a very long cable so I'd probably say only for home and studio unless you're willing to find a solution (headphone rap, etc) for them. I haven't had a problem with powering them, but it seems that others have. I'll try and see if I can get my friends opinion on them who might have used them with his zune HD.

[detelesnaaf]

@sahanatas

I have now used it with my iPod Touch, and the sound is now better. Have also set the EQ to 'more low freq'. it seems to work good.

The sound with my laptop is great!

[Penicks]

the bass on my pair sucks balls.

[sahanatas]

@Penicks

Could be your source? Maybe try buying an amp like I recommended in the video.

[Penicks]

@sahanatas

no way in hell is it justified to buy something to make 150+ dollars headphones sound good. honestly, my 12 dollar philips shp2500 or my 15 bucks sehnheiser earbuds are more comfortable and better sounding than the akg. thouroughly disappointed.

[sahanatas]

@Penicks

You'll find that with more and more expensive headphones you need to invest money in other things to make them sound like they should. Cheaper pairs of headphones can be powered more easily so they will sound better since you don' t want to invest in anything for them. I really recommend you get that 7 dollar amp because it's so cheap but I can't force you to do anything :shrug:

It's kind of like buy an expensive computer. If it only has 1 gb of ram you will buy more.

[Penicks]

@sahanatas so my fiio e3 amp arrived today and i immediately tested my akg 172 hd headphones. virtually no difference apart from it being a bit louder. trust me brother, for a cheaper price, there are WAY better headphones out there. these just suck.

[wenhan21]

@Penicks Seems our headphones are broken... No low tone at all :( i can only get desireble bass with EQ

[sahanatas]

@wenhan21

It seems to be a problem with a lot of people. You should probably try to get a refund or try and see if you can test them out with a proper amp to see if it's the headphones or just that you need a better source. Like I said in my response to penicks I will put up a note in the beginning of the video since you've brought it to my attention but still personally I have no problems with bass on my cowon s9 or my computer.

[sahanatas]

@Penicks

Hmm well I'm sorry about that, I'll put a note in my video warning people about the headphones needing a source that can power them/proper amp. Like I said, I've had no problems getting good bass from my Cowon S9.

[luzac1]

@Penicks if you use an mp3 player.. you're not gonna hear a difference. you have to use a sound card in your computer and cd quality audio

[Penicks]

@luzac1 that's what i did.

[Olesmit]

@Penicks

You're damn right. Bought my first headphones ever for a, for me, lot of money only to plug em in my iPhone and hearing no bass at all, plus at max volume it was still a bit bad. I have no fkin idea what to do to be honest. Is that amp really gonna do the trick or just a waste of cash aswell?

[sahanatas]

@Olesmit

It's like 7 dollars on ebay so it's a big cash sink. I use a cowon s9 and try to get my music in the best quality I can so there's all sorts of things going on that could affect your listening experience. I'd get it if I were you because it does work and if you decide to return/get rid of your pair the mini amp will still work with other headphones.

[davidmurphy1974]

@Olesmit Some high quality headphones are supposed to be used with a pre amp. Maybe your headphones are too! And a lot of these require a few days 'burn in' time.

[Dimka47]

Nice review I think i found my new headphones. Can you please post the web were you Purchased them from Thx inadvance.

[sahanatas]

@Dimka47

bought them from J&R electronics over the phone where I price matched them. Their site doesn't seem to sell them anymore.

[Allegpl]

i had AKG172HD, and i also have glasses, and to be honest, i moved to Sennheiser HD600. they a bit more expensive here than akg, around 40$ more, but i can only say they are worth all the money.

Using ESI Maya44 + Headphone line vacuum tube amplifier (details if needed), and, i mean bass is quiet'er, but really. AKG are great, but Sennheisers are just AWSOME. Biggest + of sennheisers is that ear-cups (that thing that holds headphones on your ear) are not making glasses hurts you.

cheers

[buckamoona]

the metals apparently supposed to lift some of the weight of the phones

[julianakaff888]

do you play counterstrike?

[sahanatas]

@julianakaff888

No, but I do play TF2. Are you thinking about getting these so you can hear footsteps/noises/etc. better?

[julianakaff888]

@sahanatas

yes, because you mention it.

I own the AKG530 and the Superlux HD681, but you don't hear the footsteps and even not the bomb ticking if a wall is protecting the bomb.

[sahanatas]

@julianakaff888

If you're familiar with TF2, I've been able to hear spies uncloaking behind me and steps of people walking around with some light gunfire going on around me. It's a lot easier to hear them with these headphones especially since they block out outside noise.

[atreyu25]

I'm thinking of getting these. But I have a question about the cups. Are they an ugly brown, or a nice brown?

[sahanatas]

@atreyu25

Here is a picture. It's sort of a metallic kind of brown. I do like the look of them but friends have said they (the whole headphone, don't know if it's the color) look weird. I think AKG may have some similar headphones around the same price/quality as these but with different colors.

[sahanatas]

@atreyu25

Pictures of them online are almost exactly what they look like in real life. They are a slightly metallic brown. I've been told the headphones look weird (not specifically the cups) but they look fine to me. I think AKG has many other headphones in the same range of quality/price if you don't like the brown color that these are.

I'd link a picture but youtube won't let me :(

[atreyu25]

@sahanatas

It's fine. I was looking into other AKG's, but this is the only one that really fits my needs. The pictures look like a VERY dark brown, but some user pictures have a brighter brown than I wanted. Thanks though :)

[DKDFG]

do they sit well on your ears?

covers the ears well?

[sahanatas]

Yes to both questions. They don't move around and they cover your ears completely. They sit on the ears not around.

[JCortexEffect]

So how much does that Amp improve that quality?

I'm not an AudioPhile but I do like High Quality Sound.

[sahanatas]

@JCortexEffect

It's not much but it's noticeable. It costs about 7 dollars so in my opinion it's worth it. The bass is stronger and and you can hear more of the finer details in a song.

[JCortexEffect]

@sahanatas

So you think these Headphones are good right?

I have heard that there is a lot of audio leakage from them.

Is this true or does the audio stay in the headphones pretty good?

[sahanatas]

@JCortexEffect

Yes I think they're good. I have never had any Audio Leakage from them at all. Nothing gets in and nothing gets out. I listen to my music at about volume of 16-22 (out of 40) on my cowon s9 depending on the song and no one has ever said anything.

[JCortexEffect]

@sahanatas

Thanks for your review on these.

I am going to be buying them on sunday,but I'll hold off on the Headphone Amp.

Peace.

[atreyu25]

@sahanatas

about the bass, I want to know exactly how much bass is in these things before I buy.

Have you ever tried the Dr. Dre beats Studio by monster? Let's just put that at a 10, and normal ear buds at a 1. On that scale, what would you rate the AKG's bass? Thanks again sahanatas :)

[sahanatas]

@atreyu25

I've tried the beats in store and didn't like them. I like the style of beats but I can't say that I enjoyed the bass with those headphones. The store samples disappointed me. The beats don't really block out a lot of noise. When you put on the 172s you're sealed off, and you can really enjoy the music. But the bass is really smooth and doesn't sound "manufactured" like with other headphones because it doesn't try to add anything to to the sound.S

[atreyu25]

@sahanatas

Hm. Is it enough bass on the 172's to blast my head off? I am very curious because I'm almost ready to take the plunge. I want bass, but I don't want the beats because they leak. Just a question. Do you physically feel the bass hitting your ears when you listen to bass heavy music? If so, my wallet is going to decrease by $250. :)

And you've been a great help. :D

[sahanatas]

@atreyu25

Yes. The beats are not worth 250 dollars. The AKGs are around 120 and they're a lot better sound quality wise. If your budget goes up to 250, that opens up your options for a TON of much better headphones. I'd suggest going to the headfi forum and asking for suggestions if you want help with 200+ dollar headphones.

[atreyu25]

@sahanatas

$120? I can't find the 172's for $120. And Even though my budget does up to $250, I have very specific needs. I posted on Headfi as well

More info at [headfi site]forums/f4/help-newbie-out­-choices-thinking-about-akg-k1­72-482910/#post6554207 just replace dot with .

[sahanatas]

@atreyu25

Wow that's so weird. I guess they where discontinued?

I'm going to be honest with you and say that these aren't worth 250 dollars. Neither are beats. If you had to choose between the beats and these, I would choose these over the beats but I think you should keep looking around. 250 dollars is WAY too much for a pair of headphones that sold for at most 180 dollars when they came out.

[atreyu25]

@sahanatas

If your headphones are as good as you say they are, I can safely assume that the bigger AKG 272 are better? I hope they are, because I found them for $190, and I want to know if i should really take the plunge. UGH.

[sahanatas]

@atreyu25

The thing is with AKG's bigger headphones the cups are as big as CD/DVDs. If you're fine with that then go for it.

Also, let me recommend the K171 MKII, if you don't mind pleather then these are predecessors of the 172 and is available for 118 from B&H. I don't know how they stack up quality wise but I think they may be the same quality as the HD line are "redesigns" from what I've heard.

[atreyu25]

@sahanatas questions about your 172's. if you could, could you tell me the cup diameter in inches from the part where your ears go in?

Picking headphones is hard...

[sahanatas]

@atreyu25

The 172 headphones are on the ear headphones meaning they don't go around your ear (but that doesn't mean they leak out or in). The diameter is a little more than 3 inches ( 8 cm).

Yeah it is, but doing your research before you buy really leaves you satisfied with your purchase :)

[atreyu25]

@sahanatas

Yeah I know. Last thing is the biggest question I have is about the ability to drive them, but I'll buy the 272's now before they raise the prices...

and they seem alright sizewise according to this video

[youtube]watch?v=Z20ADR2OWW8

(using the 271's as a reference point)

I just hope the bass is what i need :)

Thanks a million!

[sahanatas]

@atreyu25

Like I said in the video, I use that small amp I bought off ebay for 8 bucks and it works fine. Without it I just have to raise the volume a bit (instead of setting the volume at 16 on my S9 I set it at 20) but other than that they sound almost exactly the same.

Glad I could help.

[atreyu25]

@sahanatas

I am unfamiliar with the Cowon S9. What is the highest volume level?

[sahanatas]

@atreyu25

Goes from 0-40.

[atreyu25]

@sahanatas

Oh, man, then I can't wait for my AKG'S! My first pair of real headphones!

[sahanatas]

@atreyu25

So I don't think I can really put these on a scale with the beats as the best ;)

[Yaridovichz]

Hey -- Does it work fine with an iPod? Serious question. I've read in some reviews it was meant for Studio use and stuff, and it sounded different on the iPod.. whatever they meant by that. Your opinion? Hopefully you'll reply asap, I might buy them soon =3 Gnight

[sahanatas]

@Yaridovichz

I think why it might sound different is because most (I've heard) of the AKG headphones and many of these headphones made/advertised for studio don't give the music "warmth" or "color" and you hear exactly (or almost exactly) what the person editing the music heard. headphones and speakers usually meant for the consumer don't usually go for this "flat" listening experience but there are many people who enjoy it more.

[sahanatas]

I can tell you based on the the time I've put in these that they are a very good pair of headphones but I would recommend skipping over it if you plan to listen to classical music, music with acoustic instruments, etc. I would look for another pair.

That's not to say they're bad for that type of music but I'm sure there would be other headphones that would be better suited for that type of music.

[sahanatas]

Also, many people listen to low quality music files on their iPods and other media players and higher end headphones will make imperfections in the compression more obvious and, I assume, studio headphones would make this much more obvious.

Sorry for such a long reply but I wanted to answer all your question to the best of knowledge. If you have anymore I'll be glad to try and answer them :)

[jerryx2000]

stop masturbating 10x per day & u'll get ur sight back.

[sahanatas]

no way what would I do all day?

[AnDaTeSa]

can you remove cable to replace the cable the older model had that?

[sahanatas]

@AnDaTeSa

No you cannot. But AKG still uses that system on many of their other new and similarly price headphones.

[AnDaTeSa]

can you post link i cant find it?

[Wouttonio]

Good review :) Keep it up!

[Gioben19]

Use contact lences u stu. . . xD

[Cloakblade]

You forgot to scream like a girl when you opened it.

[Vibriamo2]

LOL!!