AKG K52 Closed Back Headphones

TLDR: comfortable; good sound for the price.The most comfortable 'phones I have worn. (I'm a glasses wearer.) The one-size-fits-all, no-adjustment-needed headband is clever, and it is very comfortable on the head. The ear cups fit around my ears with room to spare. The fit is not tight enough for strenuous activity, but these are headphones for chilling out with. The earcups are light plastic but seem durable enough.The cable is light and flexible, but I'm not sure how long it will last in a "chuck-'em-in-the-bag" scenario.Sound: Not as sensitive as some other 'phones - you may need to tweak the "headphones volume" knob on your audio interface. The channel balance is OK - on my pair the left seems fractionally louder than the right. Easily fixed in ... MoreTLDR: comfortable; good sound for the price.The most comfortable 'phones I have worn. (I'm a glasses wearer.) The one-size-fits-all, no-adjustment-needed headband is clever, and it is very comfortable on the head. The ear cups fit around my ears with room to spare. The fit is not tight enough for strenuous activity, but these are headphones for chilling out with. The earcups are light plastic but seem durable enough.The cable is light and flexible, but I'm not sure how long it will last in a "chuck-'em-in-the-bag" scenario.Sound: Not as sensitive as some other 'phones - you may need to tweak the "headphones volume" knob on your audio interface. The channel balance is OK - on my pair the left seems fractionally louder than the right. Easily fixed in software.The overall sound at first reminded me of the Grado SR80e. Lean bass, quite even treble, but not as analytical (detailed) as the Grados, so probably lacking in the highest octave or so. That makes for less tiring listening when the session goes past a couple of hours, though.The K52s also lack "attack" in high-dynamic-range music like symphonies - you don't jump in surprise when there's a sudden crescendo, probably due to the lack of bass. Overall the dynamic range is a little compressed compared to some of the best phones.Get a pair of Sony MDR-7506es if you can afford them and the 10-pack of replacement earpads you'll need. If you're on a budget or a short-term project, these are fine for midrange sounds (interviews; tenor and above vocals and instruments - most music these days). I wouldn't use them for monitoring a double bass or a triangle, though.

COME ON AKG, YOU'RE BETTER THAN THIS

Being a U.K. professional studio / Mix Engineer since 1990 (yes I'm in my 50's. I would like to share my reviews about the K52 closedback headphones.I was told by my friend at jive studio to checkout akg products in 1986. This is before HARMEN INT joined forces. I've talked to many artist from the 90's such as pet shop boys, to many worldwide artist, anyway moving on. I'm a big fan of akg with their headphones. I have 27 akg headphones for artist alongside beyerdynamic D series headphones back then. But the biggest problem is the k52 which I experienced a drawback with. Quality is great for a lightweight personal headphones. The sound is very clear too. I don't want to get very technical about the headphones but one major problem is the right side cup ....NO ... MoreBeing a U.K. professional studio / Mix Engineer since 1990 (yes I'm in my 50's. I would like to share my reviews about the K52 closedback headphones.I was told by my friend at jive studio to checkout akg products in 1986. This is before HARMEN INT joined forces. I've talked to many artist from the 90's such as pet shop boys, to many worldwide artist, anyway moving on. I'm a big fan of akg with their headphones. I have 27 akg headphones for artist alongside beyerdynamic D series headphones back then. But the biggest problem is the k52 which I experienced a drawback with. Quality is great for a lightweight personal headphones. The sound is very clear too. I don't want to get very technical about the headphones but one major problem is the right side cup ....NO SOUND, COMPLETE SILENCE.This is the second k52 headphones I've purchase as I thought it was a one off fault. It turns out to be a common fault. Come on guys what's going on. It's not the only akg with that fault. No one is perfect. But a constant fault with headphones numbers are growing. Your microphone are great with barely any faults. Come on.

Good Value Head Phones.

I wasn't aware AKG made headphones, I have used AKG microphones previously & they performed well. As these were an online purchase, obviously I couldn't try them. However I am more than happy with them. They are very effective at blocking external noise, without being noise cancelling. The bass response is noticeable & better than I thought for an mid priced unit. I had some Sony's until recently, these are a big step up from them. The Sony's didn't like being dropped onto a hard floor either - snapped both cans off the plastic head band....... Also the AKG's are a wired type, which seem to be getting harder to obtain now.

Great budget Audiophile Headphones

For budget, over ear, closed headphones these are really good! Balanced sound, comfy ear cuffs and sturdy build for low cost. Really good starter earphones for an audiophile, but of course there are more expensive headphones that will give a better sound!My only issues are thay they are rather unconfortable for someone with ear piercings (Specific but important for rockers, you know if you know haha) These become uncomfy after about half an hour but this is problem for most cuffed headphones unfortunately.... Furthermore, despite being very well built they are still 'cheap' so i wouldn't throw these in your bag or case.However, overall these are brilliant! So I definetly recommend!

Great quality

The first pair of headphones I ever owned was a used pair of AKG. They were absolutely awesome. Sounds I had never heard before and haven't heard since, until now. I loved my old AKG phones. But they were used, and new something had to be better, right? Wrong! I have owned many brands with a lot of commercial hype, but the sound was never exciting. I knew something was missing, but settled for my fancy new gear. After years of critical listening and recording, I saw these and the great price for an AKG product. I pulled the trigger, and I'm so glad I did! Premium sounds and total comfort with the automatic sizing head band. No adjusting. Just slip them on and they automatically conform to your head. And you can listen for hours with no discomfort. I find myself ... MoreThe first pair of headphones I ever owned was a used pair of AKG. They were absolutely awesome. Sounds I had never heard before and haven't heard since, until now. I loved my old AKG phones. But they were used, and new something had to be better, right? Wrong! I have owned many brands with a lot of commercial hype, but the sound was never exciting. I knew something was missing, but settled for my fancy new gear. After years of critical listening and recording, I saw these and the great price for an AKG product. I pulled the trigger, and I'm so glad I did! Premium sounds and total comfort with the automatic sizing head band. No adjusting. Just slip them on and they automatically conform to your head. And you can listen for hours with no discomfort. I find myself using these instead of my speakers for easy listening and play back in my studio. Highly recommended!

Lightweight on the pocket and on the head. Nice!

Okay, these were not the most expensive headphones but after trying so many lower cost headphones I am finally quite happy with the sound quality and more than anything else, the light weight comfort from this over there ear auto adjusting headband. Very comfortable and they don't retain the heat as much as other styles.They sound great for a budget pair of headphones and reproduce my music nicely.Pros:Price is low.Comfort is king. My hat size is XL and even that's a tight fit. But these headphones adjust automatically, and don't slip or move around. Very comfortable.Sound quality is better than most lower end headphones.Cord is nice and long. Perhaps too long in some cases as I sometimes trip on it. Easily fixed. Better too long than too short.. I can move ... MoreOkay, these were not the most expensive headphones but after trying so many lower cost headphones I am finally quite happy with the sound quality and more than anything else, the light weight comfort from this over there ear auto adjusting headband. Very comfortable and they don't retain the heat as much as other styles.They sound great for a budget pair of headphones and reproduce my music nicely.Pros:Price is low.Comfort is king. My hat size is XL and even that's a tight fit. But these headphones adjust automatically, and don't slip or move around. Very comfortable.Sound quality is better than most lower end headphones.Cord is nice and long. Perhaps too long in some cases as I sometimes trip on it. Easily fixed. Better too long than too short.. I can move around my office without restraint.Cons:Not wireless. I would really love to see this headband style in a Bluetooth or better yet, a 2.4 Ghz wireless design.Please consider a low to medium end wireless option.

Outstanding headphones for recording artists.

By far the K52 is my favorite "studio" headphones. Let me explain. In the headphone world, the term "studio" grade usually refers to the most dynamic/best representation of the source tier in the audio world. Which implies a studio headphones are for the audio engineer and not the recording artist. The K52 is my go to headphone for the recording artist for recording/tracking. Clients love the comfort, very lightweight, and can get very loud, which is absolutely critical for high volume recording, like drums etc. Also sound good for vocals tracking as well. Here are the facts. They are cheap enough, if the client breaks them, not a big deal, I always have another pair just in case. No downtime. Plus they sound good and they don't feel cheap.

Pretty Decent. Seem durable

While I don't think these headphones had any sound quality improvements over my old cheap ones, the durability is definitely good, and the real metal frame is comfortable and flexible. The cable is soft and flexible and they were definitely worth purchase price. The adaptor has no use for me, so I didn't test it.My only poor reflection on them is the length of the cable can get in the way, especially if playing music from a device in your pocket, but I went around this by putting the cable in a loop and tieing it with something else.

Review of AKG K52 Closed Back Studio Headphones

I've already used these headphones at work for listening music for a couple of years. They sound very good after break-in. Got two more, one for home, and one for studio use. Sometimes, it takes a couple of hours for me to track instruments when recording, so ergonomics are very important. They are light on the head, and don't put much pressure, but they stay firmly on. Since I'm used to listening music using these headphones for hours a day, they are great for referencing mixes, but I would not use them exclusively for mixing. For the price these are very quality headphones.