ry_goody
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2004
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So I have been going on about a year now with AKG K812 pro's and am just supremely impressed with them. Which at first I was hesitant to get them because there were so many mixed reviews and complaints about them. But they are by far and above my favorite ultra high end.
I only have Audeze LCD-XC and HD800's to compare to, but compared to those the AKG K812 Pro beats them no question.
I understand why the K812's get mixed reviews, and that is because they are picky picky picky and so so revealing. I now have them running through a Schiit Lyr and Schiit Bifrost, and the difference between the stock tubes, and an alternative tube set, and the PSST solid state tubes is huge through the K812's. Some songs are absolutely unlistenable on the PSST and alternate tube set, they produce painful treble and ruin songs. But the stock Lyr tubes match the K812's very well.
Even with well matched dac, amp and tubes. Some songs, most songs still sound bad on the K812 pro's.
Which most people would say, what crazy person would buy, and what crazy company would manufacture a pair of headphones that are so detailed, so revealing that most amps, most dacs and most songs sound terrible through them?
Well, Me and AKG
The songs that are good through the AKG K812's are so so so so good. To me it is the absolute top tier. Getting the K812's, matched dac, amp, tubes and album well mastered for them. This is like the 8k of audio, it is the HD of HD. Only the most supremely well produced and well designed dac/amps show off the K812's. It is a radical minority of tracks that deserve to be played through such a setup. But for the songs that match it, it brings up to a level beyond what anything else can.
I basically now have a K812 music collection that I reserve for when I really want to just sink into music and be immersed, because those albums on the k812 are better than anything to me. For everything else I have my Audeze's which mask things a bit more.
So some albums that really shine for the K812's. Basically any of the 24-bit masters from this label:
https://ultimae.bandcamp.com
There are also three albums by a guy named 'Solar Fields', the album are called Red, Green and Blue. Not 24-bit, but they are mastered in such a way that is supreme through the K812's.
Also to actually talk about the K812's, the thing about them that is so good. Spatial and depth! The ability for them to recreate 3D spatial depth is beyond anything else I've heard, but albums must be produced in a particular way to do this.
In a way I am a bit saddened the K812's aren't heralded as amazing by all. It makes me worry that more K812 like headphones won't be made as much. That manufacturers will dumb down and make their headphones less revealing in order to cover up bad amps, dacs and recordings. Personally I would rather headphone companies keep pushing to make headphones as revealing as possible. Then music, dacs and amps are created to keep up with that level of revealing.
I only have Audeze LCD-XC and HD800's to compare to, but compared to those the AKG K812 Pro beats them no question.
I understand why the K812's get mixed reviews, and that is because they are picky picky picky and so so revealing. I now have them running through a Schiit Lyr and Schiit Bifrost, and the difference between the stock tubes, and an alternative tube set, and the PSST solid state tubes is huge through the K812's. Some songs are absolutely unlistenable on the PSST and alternate tube set, they produce painful treble and ruin songs. But the stock Lyr tubes match the K812's very well.
Even with well matched dac, amp and tubes. Some songs, most songs still sound bad on the K812 pro's.
Which most people would say, what crazy person would buy, and what crazy company would manufacture a pair of headphones that are so detailed, so revealing that most amps, most dacs and most songs sound terrible through them?
Well, Me and AKG
The songs that are good through the AKG K812's are so so so so good. To me it is the absolute top tier. Getting the K812's, matched dac, amp, tubes and album well mastered for them. This is like the 8k of audio, it is the HD of HD. Only the most supremely well produced and well designed dac/amps show off the K812's. It is a radical minority of tracks that deserve to be played through such a setup. But for the songs that match it, it brings up to a level beyond what anything else can.
I basically now have a K812 music collection that I reserve for when I really want to just sink into music and be immersed, because those albums on the k812 are better than anything to me. For everything else I have my Audeze's which mask things a bit more.
So some albums that really shine for the K812's. Basically any of the 24-bit masters from this label:
https://ultimae.bandcamp.com
There are also three albums by a guy named 'Solar Fields', the album are called Red, Green and Blue. Not 24-bit, but they are mastered in such a way that is supreme through the K812's.
Also to actually talk about the K812's, the thing about them that is so good. Spatial and depth! The ability for them to recreate 3D spatial depth is beyond anything else I've heard, but albums must be produced in a particular way to do this.
In a way I am a bit saddened the K812's aren't heralded as amazing by all. It makes me worry that more K812 like headphones won't be made as much. That manufacturers will dumb down and make their headphones less revealing in order to cover up bad amps, dacs and recordings. Personally I would rather headphone companies keep pushing to make headphones as revealing as possible. Then music, dacs and amps are created to keep up with that level of revealing.
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