[Mark Up]

They are similar thickness to the originals. I have large diameter ears but they don't stick out far so these have it so my ears just barely touch the driver sometimes, if put on certain ways. I still can adjust my way out of it. Dekoni are less shallow, but more narrow, so those are probably better suited for normal diameter ears, that stick out farther.

I'm making a new revision. I previously said they were these, they are not. EBay - https://www.ebay.com/itm/363895319478
The above EBay cushions are thinner, and any kind of ear will be against the driver. They were also a lot more flimsy quality.
So I stay with the recommendation of the "Original Parts" ear pad from Ali Express posted before.

So ultimately, Dekoni cost a lot more, and due to their depth are better for ears that stick out, but they are more narrow, in terms of width, left to right, in ear area. Larger diameter ears like mine won't fare as well in them. The Ali Express pads - the more costly "Original Parts" is better looking, softer, slightly thicker, with no smell. vs. stock pads.

 

[Elegiac]

Does anybody have an issue with the whole headphone having a tendency to slowly flip backwards unless you pull the headband to tilt forwards, but then the cups are also slightly tilted forwards, such that the pads don't form an optimal seal around the ears?

They're an awkward headphone to wear at first. Just keep adjusting, and persevering, and over time they'll 'get to know' your head haha.

In the end I wore mine daily for a week straight to finish breaking them in. Now they sit quite nicely.

 

[GunGrave]

Just received a pair to use on the go.
I have burned them in for about 20 hours.
I am comparing them to the M40X I hope them to replace.

Sadly, I am finding 2 issues with them:
1. They are not as flat as the M40X. The treble is rolled off, low mids dip and high mids bump.
2. The timbre sounds off to me, the M40X sound much more natural with voices and instruments.

Or are my ears accustomed to cans that have a slight treble emphasis ? (some say the M40X have it, my Deva sure has it, SHP9500 also has it).

 

[Elegiac]

Your description sounds about right. They don't have a lot of grunt in the lower mids unless the music places a particular stress on it.

But yeah, let your ears adjust. They're quite a subtle headphone.

 

[KPzypher]

Just received a pair to use on the go.
I have burned them in for about 20 hours.
I am comparing them to the M40X I hope them to replace.

Sadly, I am finding 2 issues with them:
1. They are not as flat as the M40X. The treble is rolled off, low mids dip and high mids bump.
2. The timbre sounds off to me, the M40X sound much more natural with voices and instruments.

Or are my ears accustomed to cans that have a slight treble emphasis ? (some say the M40X have it, my Deva sure has it, SHP9500 also has it).

It's all relative IMO. If you're basing your 'flat' off of your M40, then yeah it may be off. But k371 adheres close to Harman curve, so if that's your 'reference,' then you would be right on the money.

But i would give it a few days if you've been mainly listening to your m40x. I have a good number of HPs and I switch back and forth several times a day and I still struggle with sudden sound change. I'm sure if I listen to a single pair of HP for a week straight, everything else will sound 'off.' So i think it's important to have a good reference HP to reestablish your baseline because your perception will always be skewed.

 

[GunGrave]

Thanks for the info guys, will listen throughout the weekend.

 

[Skrilla 009]

Unpopular opinion: I enjoy the sound of K371-BT's more than K371 wired

BT version personally sounds more "fun" with the treble popping out more and doesn't feel as veiled or lifeless compared to wired version (For your reference though I mainly play modern hip-hop). Also for some reason when bluetooth connected to Mac, the sound improves even more, what I mean is bass gets tighter and soundstage slightly opens up more

 

[Seoulcomp]

It's all relative IMO. If you're basing your 'flat' off of your M40, then yeah it may be off. But k371 adheres close to Harman curve, so if that's your 'reference,' then you would be right on the money.

But i would give it a few days if you've been mainly listening to your m40x. I have a good number of HPs and I switch back and forth several times a day and I still struggle with sudden sound change. I'm sure if I listen to a single pair of HP for a week straight, everything else will sound 'off.' So i think it's important to have a good reference HP to reestablish your baseline because your perception will always be skewed.

"Flat" and "neutral" are definitely subjective terms. Harmon, Diffuse Field, the like etc. is not meant to be neutral anyway. Harmon boosts the bass and treble a bit, sort of a flat leaning V-shape, without sacrificing the mids. I personally prefer the K361s to the K371, because of this lack of boost. I generally strive, or at least, try to shop for, neutral leaning headphones. I have a ton of sets classified as such and none of them sound exactly the same, with great variation. My general practice when mastering is to switch between various headphones to make sure it will work in a variety of circumstances. That being said, on of my favs for casual listening are the Hifiman he-x4, even though they are considered budget cans, I find them quite pleasing in all registers.

 

[KPzypher]

"Flat" and "neutral" are definitely subjective terms. Harmon, Diffuse Field, the like etc. is not meant to be neutral anyway. Harmon boosts the bass and treble a bit, sort of a flat leaning V-shape, without sacrificing the mids. I personally prefer the K361s to the K371, because of this lack of boost. I generally strive, or at least, try to shop for, neutral leaning headphones. I have a ton of sets classified as such and none of them sound exactly the same, with great variation. My general practice when mastering is to switch between various headphones to make sure it will work in a variety of circumstances. That being said, on of my favs for casual listening are the Hifiman he-x4, even though they are considered budget cans, I find them quite pleasing in all registers.

Yep that is why i said 'reference' when i mentioned harman curve, because it's a 'target' based on user preference. I like neutral leaning headphones too like my t3-01, ndh30, s4x, HD600. These are prob some of the most neutral HPs out there. I haven't tried the k361, but i'll keep it on my list. And i'm still not a big fan of planars. I've owned several planars but they're usually off in timbre for me and sound unnatural. I'm warming up to the Aeon 2 noire though.

Anyways, k371 is for sure a bargan and a great sounding HP. I'm hoping AKG comes out with a more higher end set with strict adherence to the harman curve.

 

[Seoulcomp]

Yep that is why i said 'reference' when i mentioned harman curve, because it's a 'target' based on user preference. I like neutral leaning headphones too like my t3-01, ndh30, s4x, HD600. These are prob some of the most neutral HPs out there. I haven't tried the k361, but i'll keep it on my list. And i'm still not a big fan of planars. I've owned several planars but they're usually off in timbre for me and sound unnatural. I'm warming up to the Aeon 2 noire though.

Anyways, k371 is for sure a bargan and a great sounding HP. I'm hoping AKG comes out with a more higher end set with strict adherence to the harman curve.

Oh, I forgot, my absolute favorite "neutral" headphones, especially for analytical listening: AKG K612

 

[b481]

Alright. JUST after I posted that, these ear pads just arrived from AliExpress / www.aliexpress.com/item/3256803016478903.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.0.0.8a511802uQbc3d
Dammit, there goes those Dekoni Sheepskins. I liked them better than the stock because they didn't get permanent indentations or have the strong smell or odd grey color.
While being softer, there were a bit narrower which always bothered me. Their increased bass came at the cost of a loss of clarity. Well, the above pads has just fixed all of it.

You have to pick the ones on the left, it's $18 and says 'Original Parts' as color. It has no side seams and is clearly better made than the $12 one that I chose not to purchase.
Everything better. It does not arrive creased or crinkled and will not. It is true black, looks better. It's a touch softer than the original and wider (read, better fit) than Dekonis.
Sound? It has similar bass to the Dekoni, but cleaner, the high mid and highs that became rolled off return. Soundstage is the same. I bought a 2nd pair as backup just now.

Just got these, made sure to get the Original parts pads. Might be just me getting used to them, but these sound not great IMO. The bass feels more prominent but less defined and distinct. I'll give them a few more days before swapping them out for my old pads, even if the latter are really beat up. It's ridiculous that AKG have made a fantastic pair of headphones but don't even bother selling spare earpads for them.

 

[jasswolf]

It's ridiculous that AKG have made a fantastic pair of headphones but don't even bother selling spare earpads for them.

People keep stating this, but as I suspected with the ATH-R70X, it's just not a widely known thing, and perhaps only directly through AKG/Harman and its distributors.

As it turns out, the part number is 5125515-00 and the cost is $10-$15 USD per pad (i.e. $20-$30 per pair) from what I can gather. Contact AKG in your region to order.

EDIT: adding the phrase replacement earpads and pads to the post so this comes up when people search

 

[Skrilla 009]

The 2nd pair I received from warranty last year crapped out on me, right ear cup stopped working as usual. It's beyond me how AKG can make such great-sounding headphones yet with poor durability, that seems affect a handful of pair out there. Sent them back for warranty last week, and expected to receive a replacement next week. My experience with these have been quite a disappointment, I'll probably not purchase from this company again in the future.

 

[yage]

Huh interesting. I've had mine for almost a year and half now with no problems whatsoever (knock on wood). I don't even know how many times I've run over the headphone cable with the casters on my chair and the plug has been yanked out of the jack of my DAC/amp a few times (kids). I use them on a daily basis.

Didn't even buy them new - got them as an Amazon open box deal. Maybe that's the secret.

 

[JW1234]

People keep stating this, but as I suspected with the ATH-R70X, it's just not a widely known thing, and perhaps only directly through AKG/Harman and its distributors.

As it turns out, the part number is 5125515-00 and the cost is $10-$15 USD per pad (i.e. $20-$30 per pair) from what I can gather. Contact AKG in your region to order.

EDIT: adding the phrase replacement earpads and pads to the post so this comes up when people search

Back in January 2022, I emailed Harmon customer support in the USA and asked if replacement ear pads were available for the AKG K371. Harmon told me replacement ear pads were NOT available. They would replace the entire headphone if necessary for a warranty claim, but do not sell parts:

"First off, I'd like to apologize for the delay of our response as we're trying to check our warehouse inventory if we have available parts (ear pads) for your AKG K371. Regrettably, the AKG K371 is shown as replacement only for support purposes; no parts."

Perhaps something has changed since then? Or perhaps replacement ear pads are available in regions other than the US?