Customer Reviews

AKG K 450 Premium Foldable Headphone

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

AKG's K 450 are titled "Premium Foldable Headphones" -- they are exceptionally good headphones for travel. I bought mine two months ago. I broke them in through continuous playing for about seven or eight days. I haven't found a high quality hp that didn't benefit greatly from such a ritual. I've taken the 450's on business trips and use them at home as well, while working. They are light, comfortable, well-built, and easily fold up for trips.

I'm listening to Richard Goode's recording of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 2 as I write this review. Here are my notes. The sound-stage is stable and offers a full stage for the orchestra. First and second violins are separate, distinct, and well balanced. The violas and cellos have their own places. I can easily distinguish cello and bass parts. String tone is exquisite: soft and tectured with no sign of shrillness. Piano and orchestra are balanced and filled with nuance. Woodwinds are easily distinguished by tone and location on the stage. When asked to "chirp" that's exactly how the oboe section sounds. Right now soloist and orchestra are putting out a lot of sound -- I can hear high strings and winds balanced against the piano, with excellent (nondistorted) bass notes form the low strings.

Just now I switched to Peter and the Wolf (Ormandy's recording) to see if I could distinguish the french horns playing the wolf's theme; I could and followed the three parts without trouble. Vocals (Bach BWV 207, for instance) are almost too good to stop. For all of this I had the K 450's plugged straight into my iPOD. The 450's sound better with a hp amp and even better with a DAC + hp amp! The AKG K 450's are highly recommended. Five stars.

We can argue all day about the merits of the Sennheisser HD 650 vs. the AKG K701 vs. Your Grado Of Choice vs. Beyer 880's. Many have, and many will continue to do so. Sound dynamics end up being deeply personal, and often dependent on source material. The correct answer is AKG K701, but nevermind that.

When it comes to portable headphones, the factors are more complex. I have owned most of Sennheiser's normal protables, including the PX100 and the PX200, I've tried the AKG K81DJ. I've owned a couple of Audio Technicas. I *love* the Denon ATH-1000s, which aren't really portable, but really want to be. I've used multiple IEMs, including Shures and Klipsches. I'm always looking for a good pair of Portable cans.

Let me tell you: These are good.

Let's start far afield of the audio aspects: These are comfortable, and in a protable context, that is a big deal. I have tried IEMs. I have tried lots of tips. I have lived with them. I have joyed at the isolation on the subway. But I take a three hour train ride on most weekends, and I've yet to try an IEM tip that doesn't get to me, and then there's the ear-wax. So for me, over-ear is just the way it has to be.

So I've tried the Senns, the AKGs, anything audiophiles I know seem to like. The PX100s feel kind of cheap to me, the K81DJ had a clamp I couldn't handle, and a chord long enough to hang a rogue cowboy.

These K450s are of very high quality (with a price to prove it), and they are comfortable for long stretches. I've worn headphones that were more comfortable on first wear, but few that stayed comfortable over a longer listening session.

On audio merit, I can only say that I found myself making happy little sounds whilst walking around New York and riding the Subway. If you are in a high-noise environment, all the sound quality in the world will be fighting to get noticed, and much will be lost. Hence the pleasant surprise of how well these K 450's managed in a noisy environment. You get the isolation of a closed set, but enough gets through that you don't lose track of the world. The music thus delivered sounds balanced. Nothing to write home about with multiple exclamation points, but you hear The Music. Which is the point, right?

The real takeaway is that there is no part of these that is truly excellent and can't miss, but there is also no part of them that is less than Very Good, which in my experience is a rarity. To my mind, that means these are cans that a serious listener can't miss. Calling them premium seems a bit of a stretch, but don't let that dissuade you. "Balance Master" just doesn't market as well.

The strongest endorsement I can give you is that I am not wondering what my next pair of portable headphones might be.

This is an updated review as I've changed my perception of these cans.

These headphones are very comfortable. They come with a great carrying case with an insert designed for the headphones.
I purchased these as an "on the go" option due them being mini headphones, closed back, sturdy and compact. I purchased these as an upgrade to my Koss Porta-Pros. I have to say I was a bit disappointed in the sound quality initially as the highs sounded muffled and too low, mids seem a bit low and muddy, and bass was just plain overwhelming. These phones lacked tonal balance to the extreme. However, I decided to go ahead and burn them in for a few days (roughly 40 more hours or so) on top of the time they'd already had, which probably totaled about 60 or so hours. This did the trick. The sound is much better now. Better balanced, crisper highs, and better midrange. The bass is still a bit too powerful for my taste, but it's tolerable. The sound signature is similar to my Beats by Dre Studio but the bass on the AKG isn't as clean and presents a bit of roll-off (lingers to much, not crisp and punctual) in my opinion. However, I'm a bit picky when it comes to sonic accuracy, clarity, and balance. I'm what I like to call a low budget audiophile. I also own a pair of Grado SR60i's, and Sennheiser HD595's for full size headphones. These would be quite hard for anything to match under $200.00 in that category. I have the Shure SE110, UE Super-fi 3 studio's, and the Bose Tri-port hybrid ear-buds as well. The reason I bring all those up is so you can see that I have quite a bit to compare the AKG 450's to.

The sound of these cans is full and deep. But AKG offers no warranty (see update)!!

Out of the box they are very bass-y. They benefit from some use, at about 25 hours the bass lightens a bit and the treble improves.

Positioning on the ear is important! Out of the box I thought these were CRAZY bass heavy, then I remembered another review here said they need to align with your ear canal or they sound muddy. So I moved them forward a bit on my ear and it really changed the sound (well, my reception of the sound).

I have been used to open foam portables (Senn PX100) so anywhere on the ear worked, but these have leatherlike (soundproofish) covering so they gotta be dead-on.

UPDATE: 3/2011 AKG was not responsive at all during warranty period. I kept getting referred to a number that was not in service. They kept swapping me netween professional and consumer divisions. After two weeks and 15 calls/messages left at AKG, I spoke to Amazon. Amazon was great enough to return them.

These headphones are excellent in every respect except for their lack of treble.

Pros
The sound that is there is high quality. Bass and Mids are clean and clear. Bass may be a little heavy, but then again if there was more treble, the sound would be more balanced.
The appearance is good.
Comfort is excellent. Not too much pressure on the ears, ear cushions are soft and supple.
Noise isolation is good for this type of headphone.
Portability is excellent.
Detachable cord from the headphones allows you to change the length or replace the cord should it become damaged.
Included accessories are nice, 1/4" and cell phone adapters are included as well as two cord lengths.

Cons
The headphone cord strain relief sticks out too far from the bottom of the headphone and can rub your shirt or coat collar; although, this is minor and may not be a problem for everyone.
Lack of Treble is the biggest con and the reason I don't like these. Just imagine taking a great sounding headphone and then turning the treble control all the way down. I have done side to side comparisons between the AKG K450, and the AKG K701, Audio-technica ATH-ES7, and an old pair of Koss Porta Pros. All other headphones sound better overall than the K450s.

I like AKG products, so in their defense maybe I got a defective pair, but judging from my limited experience, the 450s are not a good sounding headphone.

Finally found the perfect portable headphones for my cell. Very compact, very sturdy, great sound isolation for size, and above all, amazing sound quality. They definitely need to get broken in though. I just got them today and I have been playing them 7 hours straight. They keep sounding better by the hour. And I guess I'm a basshead because the bass does not sound overwhelming to me at all (like I've read on reviews). Simply the best portable headphones I've ever heard, period!

List of portable headphones I've had.
-Shure SE210.
-Sony MDR-EX56LP.
-Bose in-ear headphones.
-V-MODA Vibe Earbuds.
-Bose on-ear headphone (great sound but not loud enough).
-Klipsch IMAGE S4 (pretty good buds).

My favorite headphones.
-Audio-Technica ATH-M50.

Must say it can be confusing reading the reviews on this tiny on-ear headphone;
but the great price i saw tipped the scale and i took a risk and ordered one :)
First hearing was an immediate WOW SO NICE experience ...
a BIG SMILE came onto my face...
and a sighhh of relief..I DIDNT MAKE A WRONG CHOICE.

I was deciding between a SEINHEISSER PX200 vs AKG450...
chanced upon the PX200 in an apple shop, took half an hour of listening...
and decided its not for me..compared to the AKG, its a lightweight.
The sound coming out from the AKG is as if its coming out of a BIG headphone.
Good CLARITY, WIDE SOUNDSTAGE, VERY COMFORTABLE, EXCELLENT DESIGN.
Possible contention...slight BASS emphasis..this is a LOVE IT or HATE IT factor.
To me, I think it make the headphone sounds BIGGERRRRR than its size..
i would equate it to tuning your equaliser to MUSIC HALL kind of effect.
The sound is not muddied, its just alittle HALL-ish.
Thats the best description i can find for this sound signature.
I can easily equalised off the effects, but decided its more FUN ON THE ROAD
with it tuned this way.
(edit: when i used the EQ on the macbook and set to TREBLE BOOSTER..
this headphone sounds more " regular" ..and very listenable to most i reckon. )

GREAT for JAZZ, VOCALs, but it terms of CLAsSICALs..of cos its no fight against the AKG702
that i have in my arsenal...lolz. But i would say if u are going on long trips and do not want to slug
a big can with u...this AKG 450 will comfort u for many many hours.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you give this baby a chance in your consideration for something portable..
without going the way of IN-EAR buds.

I will admit upfront that I am not an audio aficionado but I know what sounds good. I agree with all the other positive reviews I read here. I own a pair of the Bose tri-port over ear phones and these kick their ass in both sound and function. INCREDIBLY portable for sound quality, comfortable, and I am hearing my music in ways that I haven't in years.

I commute into NYC from Brooklyn every day and wanted something that I would enjoy but could be stashed easily.. I have tried all sorts of expensive ear buds and have never been satisfied with that sonic experience. These are exactly what I have been looking for! And they come with a great travel case that I can stash in my bag.

Def worth the money, especially now that they have em on sale..

I have been looking for a great pair of headphones which were a) portable, and b) blocked some noise.

I do own a pair of Sennheiser PX100's, which I think are the best headphone on the market, but I primarily used them at the gym. They are open air phones, so they did leak noise which could be annoying for those around myself in quiet places. The 450s are very very quiet and do a good job of blocking out outside noise. They are also very well built; I was concerned about this after looking at cheaper alternatives, however there are metal pieces to support the plastic and it also comes with a very easy to use hard case. My first impressions out of the product was that it could handle the grind of taking them from work to home, home to work on a daily basis.

Let's talk about sound quality. Fantastic. The 450s are a little bass heavy, but it's perfect (in my opinion). The bass doesn't drown out highs or lows and complements the instruments in your music brilliantly. I also don't listen to a lot of rap, more classic rock/modern rock, and they still sound great. As with other reviewers, I do think the treble could be turned up slightly on these if you are primarily listening to an iPod. When I plugged them into my Mac, they sounded better, and more balanced. Also, I may be crazy but at louder volumes on my iPod, I think they sound more balanced. I definitely think that the PX100s are more balanced, but for my taste, these are better than most I've tried.

I looked at a few different sets of phones before I bought these. Compared to Sennheiser's HD238, these are much more to my liking. The 450s have a kick that the Senn's just didn't have. The HD238s sounded flat and boring. Also, I looked at the P5s by Bowers & Wilkins. The P5s sounded good, but again, I felt that they were a little light on delivering a "concert like sound" as they claim, and they certainly did not blow me away at a 300 dollar price point. Finally, I tried Bose's QC 15's. They sounded great, but I hate the idea of charging your headphones with triple A's to block noise. Also, they were too pricey for the sound, were not built well, and were not very portable.

I am picky when it comes to my music, but I really like the 450s by AKG. They sound great, are comfortable, and are portable. In addition, they have a removable headphone cord which is easily replaceable if there's fraying down the road. I plan on having these a long time and recommend these to anyone.

I bought this item last week and since I got it, could not take it away from my ears. I did not expect this performance in this price level. Especially bass which I like most and treble (tenor concert) I got brilliant performance. Also in addition to this, it is foldable and has a very tiny cover as well. Because I travel too much, small sized equipment is very important. And this headphone already made its job. thanks