Customer Reviews

HARMAN K81DJ Akg Closed-Back Folding Dj Headphone

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I bought these AKGs as the result of my search for a decent sealed headphone to replace my Sennheiser PX100s, which just weren't cutting it on the train. I'm amazed at the difference. These, like the Senns, have a 32 ohm impedence, so they're easy to drive with a portable player. At first blush, they reveal much more detail in the music than the PX100s do, including a more coherent and present high end. I'm hearing a lot more detail even in songs encoded in WMA format at 128kbs. The bass is controlled but does not lack. I have had AKG reference headphones in the past (240DFs). While these are not in that league, they easily sound as good as the Sennheiser 280 Pros that I've got. Better than the 280s on a portable, too, as they are easier to drive. These are smaller, supraaural headphones. Though they're not as portable as the Sennheiser PX100s, they're much easier to wear during the commute than the 280 Pros. All in all, they're a great deal for someone with a portable player. Check them out if you're looking for a good balance of portability, noise attenuation, and sonics at a reasonable price.

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February 2007 Update:

The left channel started shorting out recently. I am sending these in to AKG for warranty service. It must be a weak wire -- I take good care of these headphones.

I did a looot of research when looking for a pair of headphones to ease the transition to dorm life. My only comparison was a pair of 70s or 80s Panasonic se-30a's--good headphones, but fading. Over the course of 2 weeks I shopped here, tigerdirect, newegg, and the internet at large, with the excellent help of [...] I settled on these particular cans for a number of reasons:

1st: They had a large cult following at [...]
2nd: I could get them for $50 new on ebay
3rd: They had a reputation of being at least partially noise canceling and being a good value in general.

After using them for two months in a loud living situation, I've come to be of the following opinion:

Pros:
-Excellent noise canceling when playing music-- Enough to block out the chatter of my roommate and his girlfriend, not enough to block out a train (although I've never tried). A lot of this I think has to do with quality noise saturation. Put on some high fidelity music and rock out, nothing is going to stop you.
-Excellent general listening experience-- As previously mentioned, my experience has been with apple's white earbuds, Panny se30A's, and a few bad pairs of sony buds/cheap supra-aurals. These definitely beat out the competition, allowing me to hear previously unexplored facets of my collection. A collection that includes rock, metal, jazz, inde, pop, hip-hop, country/bluegrass, and everything in between. The AKG K81DJ's handle all with grace, providing solid bass, sweet mids and passionate highs. They provide a fuller and richer experience than my Harmon Kardon Champagne's, with which, unlike many it appears, I have had no problems at all.
-No distortion at high volumes. Because I want my skull to vibrate how the artist wants it to, not how the headphones want.

Cons
-They can be a bit tight. Being optically challenged, I place the earpieces of my glasses on top of the headphones. This wouldn't be possible with circumaural headphones. Even with this adjustment they can be painful after extended wear. When studying for midterms I find I can adjust them or take a short break every time they do and not have to worry about losing time.
-The cable is a tad bit thin, and equally irreplaceable. I've not run into any problems as of yet and don't expect to, but we'll see. It is also a good length for a DJ or for getting caught under a chair leg. Easily fixable.

All in all, they are a lovely pair of headphones. I would not want any others, and I don't think that the supra-aural set up compromised the noise canceling enough to matter. No, I am not a DJ, but I am an audiophile in training. I would recommend these to both groups with confidence, as well as anyone else looking for a quality pair of headphones at a good price.

First, I want to share my audio preferences in order to put the review into perspective. I'm a drummer and I don't generally go for a flat EQ. I like to hear both bass and treble very clearly. I'm extremely sensitive to distortion and have no tolerance for muddy sound reproduction. I'm using these as portable headphones with an MP3 player (creative zen). I listen to a lot of types of music: rock, blues, hip-hop, folk, jazz, classical, and choral. I'd been using the Sennheiser PX100s (which are great headphones), but I wanted something a bit better. These AKG K 81 DJ phones are fantastic. They cost twice as much as the PX 100s, but are definitely better. The AKGs have a lot of warmth and depth of sound, are very clear, and I really like the frequency distribution. The bass is certainly present, but they are not too bassy (unlike the smaller AKG K 26 P) and have a very nice balance of highs and lows.

The only cons I can think of are that they are a little bigger than I'd like for portable headphones, but I can't give up the quality of sound so I'll just deal with that. Their fairly low impedance means they work fine with portable players, so I can still use them in that capacity.

It is true that they might be a bit tight for a large head. I have a pretty small head so this is not an issue for me. I actually jog with them and they don't slip at all.

They do seal noise in/out better than regular open headphones.

For less than $100, I've not been able to find any better, and I've purchased quite a few headphones in the past year.

I bought these lovely little cans to replace my Allesandro MS-1's, which had seen better days. Being my first closed phones, I was hesitant about the sonic character, but these impressed me far more than I imagined they would.

I also own AKG's flagship, the k701, and side-by-side comparisons are unavoidable. Suprisingly, these little guys didn't fair nearly as badly as I thought they would. Sure, the k701 vastly outperformed them in terms of midrange detail, soundstage, and clarity, but for $300 more, they darn well better!

As far as sonic character, the bass is present without being boomy, and relatively tight. Being a "DJ" headphone, they have a signature skewed toward the lower end, but it doesnt color the music too terribly much. I found these a lot more "fun" than my k701 while listening to rock/r&b. They lacked a lot of detail, but they got my toes tapping readily. The midrange lacks detail, but isnt a slouch by anyones standards. These do shockingly well with male and female voice for $70 headphones. Highs are a bit rolled off, which is easily corrected with a little EQing. I havent had any problems with siblance to speak of.

The only problem with these phones is the clamping force exerted by the headband. It has improved much with some overnight stretching, but it is still relatively uncomfortable for long listening sessions. Those with large heads beware.

Overall, these are fantastic little headphones, especially when price is part of the equation. Highly Recommended.

I own the AKG K701 headphones and couldn't be happier with their spacious sound and accuracy - but they on the large side, and hardly the product for on-the-go listening. The K81DJ headphones aims to fill the gap for a good-sounding portable.

While you can't beat in-ear monitors for portability, the bass can be bloated (Westone UM2), sound quality lacking, or the cables flaky. For the most part, ear buds lack the kind of sound quality you need for serious music listening. A small headphone would be perfect, but an open-backed model like, say, Sennheiser PX100 is like a sponge for outside noise. A closed headphone is the only solution for many listeners.

The Senn HD25 is said to be the gold standard in portable phones. At less than half the price, the AKG K81DJ blasts open the market. Several positive reviewe on this thread have pointed out their foldable design, attractiveness, and fine sound of the K81DJ - and it's all true. The problem (as you've also probably read) comes with a bass that can be boomy at times if you don't do something about it. And you can.

There's a reason for this sound. Since these are DJ headphones, they're designed to absorb all the excess bass in club situations; but everyday listeners can make them sound great. First, pull out the two-inch polyethylene pads hidden behind the pleather ear pads; they come out like a contact lens.and the sound improvement is immediate. Second (if this is if you're adventurous), pull off the pleather pads, and unscrew the three Philips screws just behind. Now, take some Blue-Tak, and fill in the hard plastic atreas behind the phone. (You can find illustrated instructions online by searching the Head-Fi forums.) The result is a rich, detailed sound certain to surprise any portable headphone listener. No excess bass.

The only remaining issue is their heavy clamping force which, again, is designed to be an asset for deejays in noisy envionments. Leaving them stretched around a six to eight inch globe for a while can alleviate most of the discomfort, but they'll always be an extra-snug fit. Listeners with large heads might best try these out before committing.

Before purchasing the K81DJ, I'd wondered whether these mods would make the phones shine. It worked wonderfully with my 5.5g iPod, and I'm delighted. After years of pickiness, I've finally found my portable "rig" - no more searching for me.

If you like tight bass, you'll love these headphones. They sound great with electronic music, rock, and rap/hip-hop because of their bass punch.

The downside is that they're really tight fitting on both the ears and top of the head.

The trick is to stretch them over something for a couple of days to loosen the pressure on the ears. The top is pretty short and can press down on the top of the head. To relieve that pressure, face the headphones together and squeeze the top near the "AKG" stamp on the head strap to make a bit of a "conehead" shape. Alternatively, you can just wear them with the head strap behind the head.

It takes some effort, but they can become comfortable.

When wandering the intranets in search of a recommended pair of headphones under $100, the AKG K81DJs are one of the most often praised pairs. And for good reason. These are NOT average sounding headphones, they do not sound just "okay," and do not render music at the average clarity of similiarly priced headphones. Given even a bit of attention, you will notice distinctions in your music even pricier headphones will fail to convey.

They have a very aggressive sound (being DJ headphones I suppose), with a lot of bias toward the low end and some toward the high. The mids are usually pushed back a bit in these headphones, but I've never felt they were being sacrificed. They definately add their own flavor to the music pushed through them, but for a pair of headphones that will most likely be put into a bag and pulled back out while moving about, they are ideal. They are extremely fun to listen to in an isolated setting with a good amp, but also a joy when the bustle of traffic or voices are in the background. They do not have great isolation as they are on-ear headphones - not over-ear - but do not take much volume to drown out your surroundings. In fact I have been consistently surprised to hearing the vinyl warp or background chatter on recordings I've only ever heard on my home speaker system, and this is while riding a crowded downtown bus. Spectacular.

The pictures of these headphones usually seem a bit deceiving in that they look a bit larger than they actually are. They are large enough to sit on the ears, not around them. As such it's a bit more comfortable to wear the headband a bit further back on the top of the head to allow the cups to match the outward angle of your ears. The black areas of the headphones are a slightly-rubbery plastic that does a decent job of resisting scratches, the silver areas on the cups and hinge are plastic, and the metal strip across the headband has a beautiful finish. The hinges seem very solid and should hold up to a bit of abuse. AKG didn't take the "Skullcandy" approach to design on these headphones, they are subtle and don't attract a lot of attention. However, the three-armed silver swoop on the sides is distinctive and unique.

The caveats that seem to follow the great reputation of this headphone are three: give them a good many hours of listening to allow the drivers to burn in their true sound; set them over some wide books to stretch the headband and lessen the inward pressure they put on your head; and don't expect perfectly-rendered, uncolored sound from them. They aren't in the league of the much more expensive headphones, but they never really seem like they are trying.

They are just an incredible pair of headphones for under a $100 that sound amazing, look great, give a little kick to your music and are just the right size and form to throw in a bag before heading out. A joy to own.

I own a pair of Technics DJ headphones, Shure E2s, Sennheiser PX100 and Bang & Olufsen A8's. These AKG's are wayy better then all the above. I use them with my iPod and the sound is just amazing. I was looking for headphones that wouldn't leak sound out since I would be using them at work and they should have a decent amount of bass.

These headphones practically leak nothing out while I am listening to them at full blast and the bass is just incredible. Sound quality isn't sacrificed either, I am not super audiophil or whatever but I listen to a lot of music and these headphones really make everything sound way better and more "fun".

going to order another one now for my wife..

I have had a pair of 81DJs for about a year-and-a-half now. They continue to be my favorite headphones for use with my Creative Zen, and they sound even better plugged into my HeadRoom desktop amp. They have great bass that isn't overwhelming, decent isolation, and pretty good design. The upper treble is slightly rolled off, but that beats a strident or harsh high end.

The cord is the weak link here. It's long (9ft) but flimsy. After about one year, the plug on mine started losing continuity in the left channel. It was clear the wire had broken internally where it connected to the plug. I contacted AKG, who asked me to ship them to their center in California. In a little more than a week, I had a new pair. (They can't replace the cord, it seems.) Great warranty, great customer service.

In sub-$100 sealed headphones, I've got a pair of Sennheiser 280 Pros, too, but I favor these over the 280 Pros for most music. The Senns have better isolation and a better cord, but they're hardly portable, and they're harder to drive (64 ohms) than the 81DJs (32 ohms) with a portable player. The 81DJs have got better sound overall -- things always seem a bit muted in the 280 Pros at the high and low ends, even through the headphone amplifier. (Neither pair is as good as AKG's 701s or 240DFs, though that's a different league.)

I don't think they can be beat by any other sealed design headphones in this price range. A good buy.

There are better sounding portable headsets out there - B&W P5 and AKG K271, but these wouldn't match your wardrobe. That is, if you are wearing a cap, hooded sweat, and jeans. Well, sometimes you wear such attire and you want something cool to go with it. Enter K81DJ. They sound awesome, but more importantly, look great with your hip-hop attire. The Beats can't really compare because DJs actually use these guys and they are way more comfortable and sound clearer with better noise-isolation. If you thought the Beats have good bass you haven't heard these babies yet. The sound is somewhat colored with nice deep bass but does not distort mids and highs like the Beats. Construction is soft, durable plastic all over so it feels strong and you don't have to worry about it getting scratched or not. It is also reinforced with metal on the top for durability.

UPDATE 12/25/10: Still using these on my commute. Until B&W comes out with a more portable headset, will continue to do so. I am quite disappointed with the other AKG portable headsets, though. Senn PX200 does not even come close.