Recording - November 2016 - 41

Experiencing the K872's isolation firsthand is a joy in itself.
You put this headphone on, and as it seals around your ears,
the outside world and everything in it just goes away, to be
replaced by the glorious sound of the K872 itself. You have to
be careful setting levels with the K872, simply because the
extra SPL you might need to compensate for
outside distractions with other headphones
simply isn't necessary here.
AKG makes a recommendation on its
website's K872 product page that I didn't
think much of until I tried the K872 for
myself. AKG suggests putting the K872 on
a nervous singer in an iso booth as a form
of inspiration to get better vocal takes. This
struck a chord with me; I'm a passable baritone but very nervous about my own vocals,
and I take great care with monitor mixes
when I have to sing. I did some vocal tracking with a couple of my favorite mics
(dynamic and large-diaphragm condenser)
while giving myself a reverbed "confidence
mix" through the K872, and I was stunned
at how much more confidently and capably
I sang. It really does help, and if you do a
lot of vocal recording with less experienced
talent, you should keep this in mind.
And then there's the actual sound of the
headphones themselves, which is easily summed up in those
three words I so rarely use: Oh My Gosh. Whether listening at
loud or soft levels, the K872 presents an impeccably balanced
picture of deep, rich, tightly detailed, enveloping bass, sweetly
accurate and beautifully positioned mids (not a hint of forwardness to be heard), and highs that just go on forever. Usually we

have to differentiate between headphones that work to offer a
high degree of detail and those that gel a mix together to give
a good impression of how it will sound on speakers... and I
have no idea how the K872 does both at the same time, but
there it is. Unless you're in the habit of collecting top-of-the-line
headphones, I am pretty sure you've never
heard anything like the K872.
Final thoughts
Every recording musician, regardless of
budget, needs to hear really good highresolution audio through a top-quality D/A
and amplifier into headphones at this level
of quality at least once, if only to have a
goal to reach for. Considering how important headphones are to folks who do what
we do, I am surprised by engineers who
think nothing of plunking down $2000 for a
really good microphone but think that $99
headphones are all they need. Of course
you can get most of the way to where the
K872 takes you for a lot less money, but I
have to emphasize "most of the way."
The K872 is the most expensive headphone
we've ever reviewed in 30 years of
Recording, and it sounds like it. Combined
with a Grace Design m920, an Apogee
Groove, or a MIYO, it delivers audio that will simply stun you
with its beauty and detail. I am really going to hate sending these
headphones back; they are my new standard for excellence.
Price: $1599
More from: AKG, www.akg.com

http://www.akg.com http://www.kiqproductions.com

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