Sound On Sound review AKG's K872 flagship closed-back headphones
Posted on: 27th June 2017
It’s obvious from the first that AKG’s latest pair of “master reference headphones” sit at the top of the company’s product range. The model number is at least 60 higher than any previous pair of AKG headphones I can think of. They come in a box large enough to inter the family dog. They ship with a “ballistic nylon travel case” that looks and feels as though it should keep your investment protected for years to come. And they have a price to match their flagship status. If the idea of dropping a four-figure sum on a pair of headphones appals you, stop reading now.
It’s also obvious from the first that some serious engineering has gone into the physical design of these headphones. The extent to which they cut out background noise is pretty extraordinary. I'd go as far as to say that they offer the best isolation of any high-end studio headphones I've tried, while being among the most comfortable to wear, which is no mean feat.
Those who know and like the open-backed K-series 'phones will find all of their positive qualities present and correct here, too. The top end is definitely on the present side of neutral, but feels smooth and relaxed, without any obvious peaks or resonances that could prove misleading at mixdown. The bass is not exaggerated at all, but is impressively clean and precise, making it easy to differentiate pitched subs from unpitched thumps, and wanted noises from unwanted rumbles.
Arguably, they actually improve on AKG's open-backed models in terms of their stereo imaging, which seems a touch more natural and less artificially wide. They also seemed to present musical dynamics in a more expansive and open way than most of the closed-back 'phones I compared them with.
If performance is more important than budget and you need to spend long hours editing in a noisy environment, recording sound on location, or making critical decisions about audio without disturbing others, the K872s should be right at the top of your shortlist.
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