🎶 Elevate Your Listening Experience!
The AKG K702 Open-Back Over-Ear Premium Studio Headphones deliver reference-quality sound with an impressive frequency response of 10 Hz to 39.8 kHz. Designed for comfort and precision, these headphones feature specially shaped 3D earpads and a unique two-layer Varimotion membrane, making them the go-to choice for professionals and audiophiles seeking an airy and spacious soundstage.
Control Method | Remote |
Control Type | Media Control |
Unit Count | 1.0 Count |
Item Weight | 0.51 Pounds |
Water Resistance Level | Not Water Resistant |
Is Electric | Yes |
Antenna Location | Recording |
Compatible Devices | Laptops, Desktops, Gaming Consoles, Tablets, Cellphones |
Cable Features | Detachable |
Additional Features | lightweight |
Enclosure Material | Plastic |
Specific Uses For Product | Professional |
Headphone Folding Features | Over Ear |
Earpiece Shape | Rounded Over-Ear |
Headphones Ear Placement | Over Ear |
Style Name | K702 |
Theme | Professional Audio |
Color | Black |
Wireless Technology | Bluetooth |
Connectivity Technology | Wired |
Headphone Jack | 3.5 mm Jack |
Frequency Range | Wide frequency response |
Audio Driver Type | Dynamic Driver |
Impedance | 62 Ohm |
Noise Control | None |
J**N
AKG K702 Open-Back Dynamic Reference Headphones
PRESENTATION1. K702 arrive in a simple lightweight box that does not immediately convey the feeling of luxury, one would expect from a world-famous pair of expensive headphones (Picture 1). On the left-hand side there are six labels with praise by different online testing venues: all of them date back to 2009 and 2008.2. I do like the clever wording: “Expect” on the front of the box, “and discover” on the inner cover (Pictures 2 and 3).3. At long last, the box is fully opened and one can enjoy the view of the coveted headphones, sort of. They are inside a plastic bag that somewhat ruins the picture (Picture 4).4. I wish AKG had done a better job of presenting K702. Back in 2008 this frugal style may have been good enough, but now with the likes of Beats (investing heavily in the looks and marketing of their products) and the Philips Fidelio’s of the world, AKG K702’s presentation is something of a let-down. One could argue that they were never meant to be a hugely popular consumer product, and, therefore, they are not marketed as one. Still, I cannot help, but feel a bit underwhelmed.PROS1. Once out of the box and the cheap wrapping, AKG K702 look excellent in a reserved classical way. They are almost entirely made of dark blue plastic (Picture 5) with silver accents that emulate metal (Picture 6). The headband is made of real leather with blue stitching and adds a touch of luxury (Picture 7).2. Because they are mostly plastic, K702 are extremely lightweight and very comfortable. You can wear them for hours on end without experiencing any discomfort. In fact, these must be the most comfortable headphones I have ever tried, which is the result of them being so light, but also the fact that the ear cups are quite big with an outer diameter of 11 cm and an inner opening of 6,5 mm (Pictures 8 and 9). Unlike Sennheiser Urbanite XL or Audio-Technica ATH-M50X, K702 are true over-the-ear headphones. It is also worth noting that the ear cups are wrapped in breathable soft velour (Picture 10).3. Most importantly, K702 are hands down the best sounding headphones under £200. They are way better than any recent Beats of Sony model (for example, Beats by Dr. Dre Studio 2.0 or Sony MDR-1A Prestige); they best the very popular Audio-Technica ATH-M50X (although the latter have stronger bass), and are superior to the modern classic Philips X2 Fidelio:– To start with, K702 sound much clearer and more transparent than any of the models mentioned above. Their audio frequency bandwidth of 10 to 39,800 Hz is truly outstanding. Even the excellent Philips X2 Fidelio sound muffled in direct comparison.– K702’s stereo picture seems to extend further left and right than that of any of the other headphones I have tested. Not sure how AKG have achieved that, but the result is quite stunning.– Many have mentioned that K702 lack bass, but the truth is that their sound is simply true to the original, with no part of the audio spectrum being accentuated. As AKG’s description reads, K702 have been engineered “for precision listening, mixing and mastering. They combine an extremely accurate response with agility and spaciousness.” Why is that important? Most songs are recorded and mixed to perfection in multi-million dollar studios by professionals with many years of experience in the field and the notion that you can “improve” on a song’s sound by boosting the bass or applying a few DSP effects to skew the audio picture one way or another, cannot be correct. What you want is to hear the song the way its author and producer intended it to be heard and AKG K702 does exactly that, adding no spice or colour of its own.– Likewise, a lot has been written about how notoriously difficult K702 are to drive with their rated impedance of 62 Ohms supposedly not telling the whole story, but frankly, I am using them on my desktop with excellent results and even on my Samsung Galaxy Note 4 they sound decent (although I do have to crank the volume up to 80% to get to a proper level of loudness). Would they sound even better with a good headphone amp? Sure. Do they absolutely need one? No.4. The ear pads are removable, so it is easy to clean or exchange them for new ones (Pictures 11 and 12).5. At £132 AKG K702 are very competitively priced, and are actually cheaper than all popular competing models.CONS1. Many prospective buyers seem to lose sleep over the issue of where these legendary headphones are actually made. Let me put everyone’s worst fears to rest… by confirming them. Welcome to the brave new world, ladies and gentlemen, where Austrian headphones are in fact made in China or the P.R.C. (Picture 13).2. K702 are exclusively produced from lightweight plastic. Compare this to the fact that Philips X2 Fidelio are entirely made of premium materials like metal and real leather (Pictures 14 and 15). Of course, steel is heavier than plastic, but it is also sturdier and does not necessarily make a pair of headphones less comfortable to wear.3. The system for attaching the ear pads to the cups looks like something made by school children with a pair of scissors from a sheet of thin black plastic (Pictures 11 and 12).4. The cups’ suspension system uses… thin elastics of the kind you can find in your mother’s sewing box (Picture 14). They will get slack with time.5. At 3 m of length, the cable is too long for most practical purposes and terminates with a proprietary “professional mini XLR connector” (Pictures 16, 17 and 18).6. These are open-back headphones (Picture 6) and everyone in the room will be perfectly aware of what you are listening to.7. With a width of 19 cm and height of 23.5 cm (Pictures 19 and 20), K702 are nothing short of enormous and because of their size, the fact that they are made of plastic, the 3 m cable and rated impedance of 62 Ohms, they are clearly not made with today’s mobile generation in mind. A single drop to the ground could break or scratch and ruin them.8. With some genres, artists and songs K702 tend to sound too lean. If you often listen to hard rock, heavy metal or are a fan of Rammstein, you may at times feel that these headphones are draining the life out of your music. They have been compared to the cold precision of a scalpel, cutting through the living flesh of your favourite song. It is not that the bass is completely missing, it has just lost its quality to excite…However, I do not subscribe to this opinion. To my ears K702 are clear and transparent, with an extended stereo image, perfect balance and enough bass to make for a competent and enjoyable listening experience.CONCLUSIONS+1. AKG K702 are the most comfortable and overall best sounding headphones in this price segment. I returned Audio-Technica ATH-M50X, once I had a chance to directly compare them to Philips X2 Fidelio, and sent the latter back after a few days of testing AKG K702. The bottom line is that music connoisseurs feel passionate about the pure, faithful reproduction of the source audio picture, and this is exactly what AKG K702 delivers.2. Please, note that there are more expensive and (allegedly) superior sounding headphones on the market if money is not an issue: Mr. Speakers Ether, Sennheiser HD800, HIFIMAN HE1000, STAX SR-009, or the Focal Elear and Utopia models, to just name a few, although some of these models will set you back with the price of a small car.3. AKG K702 are very competitively priced and unless you listen to most of your music on the go, they are a highly recommended buy.–4. If you are addicted to thundering bass, K702 should not be your first choice. Both Audio-Technica ATH-M50X and Philips X2 Fidelio deliver accentuated bass and may suit you better. However, be warned that Audio-Technica ATH-M50X feel heavy, rigid and are uncomfortable to wear, while Philips X2 Fidelio sound muffled in direct comparison and have a narrower stereo extension.5. K702 are, unfortunately, entirely made of fragile plastic (to the point of feeling toyish), and use proprietary cable connectors.UPDATE: I ordered a second pair of AKG K702 about a month after I bought the first one. However, the new pair was promptly sent back to Amazon. Why?1. There was a creaking sound when moving the ear cups.2. The right ear pad was thicker and visually bigger than the left one and also thicker and bigger than the ear pads of my “old” pair. Please, note that the thickness and size of the pads does affect sound quality.3. The new pair sounded differently in an unusual way. To my ears the stereo extension seemed narrower. The overall audio presentation was a bit off, when compared to my “older” pair, but this could have been the result of the “new” pair not having been properly burnt-in (although some do argue that burn-in is a myth).These differences are very unfortunate, and in my opinion could lower the overall rating by a ½ star to reflect the ineffective Quality Control, exercised by AKG’s Chinese or Korean production facility.
S**S
Fine with a portable device, and crystal clarity.
UPDATE:Thank you to everyone who found my comments below helpful.With this in mind I provide the following additional information as my journey with lovely headphones continues.Since the original review I have also bought and tested a number of other headphones, and the 702's remain joint first place for me.They are now equalled by the Beyer Dynamic DT990s Edition, which have a bit more 'oomph' and a more premium feel (both sets are incredibly comnfortable!) They beyers don't have quite the stereo sepration and clarity of the 702's, but only just. Both are amazing.I tried the AKG712's which also have a little more oomph, but the pads are a little less deep and my ears touched the driver which I found unpleasant. Without that problem I'd say they added a little bit more bass to the 702's whilst retaining all the positives.I have tried Senn 600 and 650, both great, but not as clear and beatiful (and lot more costly.) Again, they do both have more bass.Finally, for those worried about driving these without an amp-don't. Since my review I now use a galaxy s7 and that provides a lot more power than the note 4 did-such that you probably shouldnb't listen at full volume. I also now sometimes use an Oppo HA2 portbale amp. This isn't required for the volume, but it does add an intangible layer of extra detail. Would I spot this in an A/B test-probably, but it's marginal and I am often happy using these phones straight out of my phone.Finally, despite my comments on build quality the 702's are still 'as new' with no failure of any parts after more than a year. Definitely 5 stars!ORIGINAL REVIEWBackground:I've been exloring decent headphones for a while now. I've owned AKG 550, Sennheiser HD 595 (like 598), and Senn 598 CS, as well as a range of cheaper phones.I listen to a lot of ambient, pysbient, prog rock, jazz, and occasionally more poppy stuff. I don't really listen to clasical. A lot of what I like has a good bass line.I've driven these 'phones directly from the headphones jack of a gaaxy note 4 (the quietest headphone jack of any recent device I've owned), and also from an ipad mini 2.I've also used the Dragonfly Black DAC/Amp via PC (and tried via Note 4)Sound quality:Volume:A lot has been said about how these headphones need an amp. They are quieter than all the other sets above, but still function well enough in terms of volume on most tracks with almost all music. Quieter older tracks may need me to take the note 4 right to the top of the volume control, but as these are indoor phones I'd suggest that listening at much louder volumes for long periods is probably entering the sort of volume that's not good for your ears!Soundstage:As many say these have the most open soundstage and seperation of all of my headphones, and in a really good way. Seperation of intruments and stereo seperation is really clear and exciting. I thought the 595's were clear, but these phones genuinely seem to have found details and clarity that I've not heard before. It's a cliche, but I'm re-discovering detail in favourite tracks.Bass and frequency:Having read a lot about how these lack bass, I was very pleasantly surprised. Track that push out bass such as All I Need by Caribou give plenty of bass and it is rich and chocolatey. So clear and pure and smooth. The bassiest phones I own are the 598 CS's, and these are a lot more rounded. If you think more bass is always better then these may not be for you. If you like bass that knows it's place then these phones deliver when it was intended--even when driven directly from a portable device.The dragonfly black didn't work via Android OTG, so I have only listenied via PC. Here the DAC/Amp does improve the sound still further, but the effect is more subtle than I was expecting. Everything (soundstage, clarity, bass etc.) probably sees an improvement I'd rate as 10% better. Volume with the amp via a pc was essentially unlimited.Comfort:The self-adjusting headband took a while to get used to. The phones are very comfortable in the pads and headbands. The velour pads are far preferable to the leather (effect) pads of the 550's, and seem to keep everything cool and comfy. No strong clamping (if anything they feel a little loose, but I prefer this.) It's a close call but I'd say the 595's are a shade more comfortable, but I don't see anyone having comfort issues with these.Build quality:Now this is where I wanted to deduct a star, but just couldn't bring myself to given how impressed I am with the sound which is what really matters.These sound like the best phones in my collection, but undoubtedly feel like the cheapest build. The AKG 550's have a heft and metal that feels premium. Even the cable of the 550's feels superior. Although both Senns are plastic, they look and feel more solid. My first impression of the 702's was that they look like a toy, or a cheap and nasty washing machine. What I mean is that the grills on the exterior of the cans is light, and so cheap to the touch. The 'silver' central circle looks like cheap faux silver always does. The self-adjusting headband feels like it is operated by elastic bands (it almost is!), and will fail in time.Conclusion:I paid £115 for these, and for that price the sonic bliss is astonishing. If I'd paid much more I'd still be impressed by the sound, but I'd feel a little cheated by the really cheap materials that house these amazing drivers.Although this is a very long review, my main purpose in writing was to re-assure those without an Amp that these headphones will work perfectly well straight from your portable device, and will still give a good representation of their sound signature. If you find the bass lacking on these I don't actually think and amp would change that, you'd be better of with more 'coloured' phones.Soundstage: 10/10Clarity of performance: 10/10Volume through portable device: 8/10Build quality 6/10Comfort: 9/10
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