Customer Reviews

AKG K414P Closed-Back, Folding Mobile Headphones

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

 

 

I have had these for 4 years and they are great. They have great response from high to low, and provide a lot more bass then most of this size. Also, the closed cup keeps out ambient noise. Overall a great set of headphones for Rock.

The headphones collapse and have a fabric pouch they fit into which is handy. They are quite durable and withstood being thrown around in my backpack all day while in college.

Another review claims the clips are uncomfortable. If you slide the clips closer together the headphones expand for a larger head. I wear these all day at work with no complaints. The only time they can be uncomfortable is while wearing glasses because they have a smaller cup that rests on your ears. However, any headphone of this style will cause that.

These phones are some of the best for what they're designed to do, namely, a) provide high fidelity sound for portable devices and laptops b) provide comfort and noise attenuation via an over-the-ear design c) not cost an arm and a leg.

While they don't offer quite the isolation or bass response of full-sized headphones like my AKG K271 MKII Headphones or the resolution of my Open-Back Studio Headphones with Flat-Wire Voice Coil, they are much better suited to driving straight out of the headphone jack of my MacBook Pro. Unlike the bigger, harder-to-drive full-sized headphones, they don't require a dedicated headphone amplifier to sound their best. And unlike my in-the-ear phones Ultimate Ears Super.fi 4vi Earphones / Headset (iPhone Compatible), they're much more comfortable and natural to wear around the home and for extended listening.

Regarding comfort, I can't account for the reviewer who gives 1 star for comfort. I can only assume from her comments that she didn't figure out how to adjust the headband for size.

Great sound from these super compact headphones. They give a rich sound with powerful clean lows, and a good ranage of mids and highs.

I find them as comfortable as any headphones of comparable size. They fold up very small and are a great option over ear buds.

The only qualm I have is they fit on my ears much much better if I wear them backwards according to L, R markings, not really big deal though, I just wear them backwards.

For the amount of money they are, I think these are the absolute best bang for the buck. The sound quality is extremely crisp. They also do a great job of keeping out the ambient noise. I can keep the volume on my mp3 player down to very low levels (which helps the ears and conserves power) and still hear my music just fine, even if I am in a noisy cafeteria.

The ONLY reason I did not rate them a 5 is that they can be slightly uncomfortable. As another reviewer said, this can be solved for the most part by sliding the clips up but this doesn't solve the problem entirely.

With that being said, these headphones have exceeded my expectations and I would still recommend these headphones without hesitation.

These headphones are good not great. I bought them because I read they had very good base, and were inexpensive. The base on them is fine, but not great. I have really tried to like the headphones but they really are painful to wear. I think the problem is that the cups are just to small and have to put to much force in to little of an area. I should say though I have a extremely large head, and kind of weird ears. So for a normal person it might not be as much of a problem. I am considering returning them, also blue skies electronics (the seller), shipped extremely quickly.

I've been using these headphones at the gym for over a year now and they are awesome for the price. I use them with my iPod Shuffle and the sound quality is great. They fold together nicely, come with a travel bag and I must disagree with the other reviewers on the comfort. I do wear them backwards (right speaker on left ear and vise versa) which seems to be more comfortable. They don't move during your workout and block out ambient noise very well. Who wants to hear the lame gym music? I don't.

As soon as AKG comes out with a wireless version I am buying them.

Decent sound and compact size make these pretty much exactly what I needed - An alternative to my iPod's headphones that still sound OK with some background noise (in my case, the train). I can now hear bass, and I find them fairly comfortable for long listening sessions.

The outstanding questions for me are their long-term durability and whether the bass stays crisp or fuzzes out at some point in time. For the AUD$50 I paid for these, no complaints so far.

For a portable headphone these babies are it! They sound great and have a Classic No Frills look to them that hugs tightly to your Cranium. Seriously the best all round portable headphone I have owned in both the sound and look department. They are very durable too!

However, after years of solid use, within one month they developed a case of Leprosy and began falling apart in my hands. First it was the clasps on the adjustable head band - No worries, I used small binder clips to hold them together and they still looked good. Then it was the vinyl coating on the ear cups - whatever, they still work. Then it was the hinged joint between the ear cup and the head band - some silver duct tape fixed that. Then the ear cups started falling off - SCREW IT! Time to get new headphones!

Note: I had these headphones for approximately 5 years and used them nearly every day. Considering that, they held up fairly well. I will also add that they still work, the wires, though thin must be so well connected to the jack and speakers that through numerous snags by bystanders, numerous times being shoved into my backpack and even more times being ripped out of either my stereo or iPod because of my own error still transmit sound perfectly! I have also used them as studio headphones and because I make experimental music have had many screeching sounds of feedback flow through them...OUCH to my ears, but these babies weren't effected at all!

ALSO - Tre-Importante! Don't bother with noise canceling headphones, these babies do a better job at blocking out exterior sound than even those overpriced Bose gimmicks. SERIOUSLY!

It would be nice if they were constructed entirely out of metal and didn't have any plastic mechanisms. But to expect that in 2009 when everything is made to last until the next iWhatever is released is optimistic to say the least.

So if you want a great set of ear speakers that doesn't look like they came off the Starship Enterprise and will outlast your portable player...BUY THESE!!!!!!! You will love them forever.

- Michael Martarano

Before getting these headphone, I had rubbish iPod earphones and experienced a few $10 Chinese headphone which only lasted for a few weeks.

I never payed attention at AKG, until i was introduced to the K414p by a shop seller. This headphone is insane, seriously, its INSANE. If you are into Bass, hip hop, R&B and stuff like that, this headphone will satisfy you. The bass respond is incredible, its like mini bombs exploding beside my ears when I put on bass song. Honestly, This headphone's bass can kill the $140 Sennhesier PXC300 and even comparable with the BOSE Quiet Comfort my friend has.

But thats only in terms of bass, if you listen to Kenny G and classical music, don't even bother looking at these headphone. I can honestly tell you, the K414p is pretty bad if you listen to soprano and high notes. But who is gonna buy an AKG if they listen to "window-breaking" soprano? AKGs are known for their strong bass... thats what they sell for, thats what they expertise at, thats why they are a well-known company in the audio market. You talking about Bass? its all about AKG.

Some people say comfort is a problem with these headphone. And thats the only one thing I am a bit agreeing. Yes, these headphones do start to hurt you after listening non-stop for 1.5 hours. But c'mon, you should always take a rest after listening for a long time. Plus, i live in a rush hour city, there is a rare chance for me to listen for 2 hours non-stop unless i am on a vacation or on a plane.

All in all, these headphones are incredible, they suite me perfectly. No point buying the Bose quiet comfort if these exist the world. With a price tag of $45, the AKG K414p is a champ.

I had read rave reviews on these headphones on another website. Here's the bottom line: I don't care how good they sound, if I can't wear them for more then 10 minutes without having to rip them off my head in discomfort! Awful. I don't have a large head or anything... I'm probably your average female user. The two plastic pieces at the top dig into your scalp, and the fit was very tight on the ears.