Recording - March 2014 - 25

But if you've already got a good feel for the open-back headphone experience and are looking to raise your game...
The K712 PRO
I won't say as much about the K712 PRO as the other two
models, as sonically this headphone has already been reviewed
in our pages. In our January 2013 review of AKG's K702 65th
Anniversary Edition, I explained that the Anniversary model
wasn't just a fancy finish added to the standard K702; its
improved earpads offered not only a more comfortable fit but
also improved bass response, a noticeably better listening experience over the standard K702 to justify its added cost. That
improvement justified the continuation of the model after the
anniversary year was over, and with a quick color change from
grey/blue to black with orange trim, the K712 PRO entered
the AKG catalog to stay.
The K712 PRO has a sensitivity of 105 dB/mW, impedance of 62 ohms, frequency response of 10 Hz to 39.8
kHz, and a weight of 235 grams (just over 8 oz.). The
K712 PRO thus offers improved transient response and
slightly more oomph when playing back audio from
weaker headphone amplifiers, as well as a nominally
wider frequency range than the K612 PRO. Its 3meter cable is detachable and features a locking
mini-XLR connector on one end and a gold-plated
TRS miniplug with screw-on 1/4" adapter on the
other; the headphone comes with one straight and
one straight/coiled cable and a carrying bag. The
earpads are also user-replaceable if needed.
The K712 PRO takes the listening experience of
the K612 PRO and adds noticeably more detail
and width in the stereo image; you can hear a bit
more bass extension, and the very high treble has
so much detail that, as noted in my original
review, it can be almost painful to listen to
poorly encoded or overcompressed audio. I
wrote, "Would they also be good headphones for recreational listening? I'd say
yes, but only if you're not in the habit of listening to heavily compressed MP3s, brittle
old CD releases, or cheap D/A converters."
The K712 PRO, then as now, "is not going to
be kind to bad audio, ever."
If it's possible for a headphone to diplomatically balance genuine listening beauty with an almost
microscopic level of unforgiving detail, the K712
PRO provides that listening experience.
But what if you want the ultimate? Is there anywhere to go from here?
The K812
There's no need to put "PRO" on the name of the
K812. If you're seriously considering owning these headphones,
you're a pro, or you have a pro's budget. I've avoided discussing
specific prices up until now, but I need to open this part of the
review with the punchline: the K812 costs $1499. Yes, one thousand five hundred dollars, the price of a very good pair of studio
monitors.
And you know what? If you play audio through a headphone
amplifier worthy of it, and your audio was recorded and mixed
and encoded with great care... it sounds like it costs that much.
I do not get to review headphones like this very often (this
makes, um, twice in twenty years?), so ride along with me while
I have some really expensive fun.
From the moment you open the box, everything about the
K812 bespeaks real luxury. It comes with replacement cables,
replacement earpads... and there's even an elegantly curved
stand so you don't, Heaven forbid, set the headphones down on
a table or something like that!

The K812 boasts a gigantic 53 mm driver, an ultralight twolayer voice coil, and some impressive specs: 110 dB/mW sensitivity and a frequency response of 5 Hz to 54 kHz. The 26
ohm impedance means it's suitable for any and all headphone
amplifiers. The 3-meter cable has the usual gold-plated TRS miniplug with screw-on 1/4" adapter at one end and an instrumentation-grade LEMO connector at the left earcup.
The K812 weighs 390 grams (almost 14 ounces), but you barely
notice the weight; its earcups are mounted on two-dimensional gimbals that provide a perfect seal to the sides of the head, and the
earpads have asymmetric openings to perfectly surround the pinnae,
the fleshy part of the outer ear, and aim the drivers precisely. The headband lacks the springs of the other models, and instead has a click-set
system that remembers your preferred head sizing every time.
As luxurious as it is to examine the K812, that's nothing compared to what happens when you put them on and listen to really well-recorded high-definition audio with
them. I have one recording of acoustic bass that I
had always considered utterly flawless... and I was
suddenly hearing a tiny rattle on one string that I'd
never heard before. I have another recording that
features a large group of backing vocalists, and
I had no idea that one of the tenors quietly says
"yeah" to himself in the final fade. This isn't
almost microscopic detail... it's all the way there.
The remarkably flat and neutral frequency
response and amazing detail turn out to be a
two-edged sword. I can't imagine a better tool
for picking apart tracks, bar none... but picking apart tracks is what you find yourself
doing, whether you want to or not. A truly
emotional and passionate recording may
well rise above any technical issues it
may have, but these headphones will
immerse you in the details, good and
bad, as well as the emotions.
Oh, and outright badly recorded or
encoded stuff? Forget it. If your recording
has MP3 artifacts, overused noise reduction, sample-rate foldover, or anything like
that, these headphones will turn them into a
weapon that will put one serious hurt on your
ears. It's like the K812 has a magical ability to find
and magnify anything that shouldn't be there until it's
impossible to ignore.
Everyone should hear music they really know well
through a headphone like the K812 and a proper amp once in
their life. You don't need these phones to make great recordings,
any more than you need a vintage tube microphone or vintage
signal chain... but you owe it to yourself to know what ruthless,
uncompromising perfection sounds like.
Amazement times three
After the mind-expanding experience of 24/96 audio through
the K812, it's difficult to go back to any other headphone, and
the K712 PRO brought back sweet memories of my listening sessions with the K702 Anniversary Edition from last year... but in
a way, I think the headphone that's left the most important
impression on me is the K612 PRO, simply because it provides
so much beauty and accuracy in a form that any recording musician with a decent budget can afford to reach for.
If you think an open-backed headphone is in your future,
you're going to find something to love here, be it affordable
excellence, a step above the competition, or an astounding pinnacle of audio performance. And they're all from AKG.
Prices: K612 PRO, $199; K712 PRO, $499; K812, $1499
More from: AKG, www.akg.com
RECORDING March 2014

25


http://www.akg.com

Recording - March 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - March 2014

Contents
Recording - March 2014 - Cover1
Recording - March 2014 - Cover2
Recording - March 2014 - 1
Recording - March 2014 - 2
Recording - March 2014 - 3
Recording - March 2014 - 4
Recording - March 2014 - 5
Recording - March 2014 - Contents
Recording - March 2014 - 7
Recording - March 2014 - 8
Recording - March 2014 - 9
Recording - March 2014 - 10
Recording - March 2014 - 11
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Recording - March 2014 - Cover3
Recording - March 2014 - Cover4
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