AKG K451

First I must address the "these are the best/worst headphones".

My view changed depending on what bit of kit I used the phones with.

i soon learned this was because of the 6.35mm adaptor - people with a sound problem, try pulling the 3.5mm plug out of the adaptor a little. Sound becomes super again (magic!).

This in turn is why I'd say these cans are 4 out of 5 in my opinion.

The negatives being the AKG adapters quality and the shortness (1m) of the lead.

Postives though are plenty, sound (most important) is excellent, as good as my Senny IEMs IE80s with custom moulds, headphone quality is excellent, cord quality is superb and overall the value for money is a no-brainier.

So, they lose a couple of points on some minor points, but overall I'm happy coz I forked out less than £60 for these (RRP £130) A GREAT BARGAIN! (Maybe not the best though, but then you'd need to pay more). 

My first review - needed to be said!

I'm amazed to find people that have been disappointed by these headphones! I purchased them from Superfi for £62 (an absolute steal, if I'm being honest) and I was sold by their exceptional sonic talents within minutes of a test listen.

Through extended listen, these headphones always manage to put a surprise on my face. Whether I'm listening to Depeche Mode or The xx, these headphones always manage to present the music in a balanced and musically enjoyable way. WHF are right - they sound brilliant even with lower res files but feed them a WAV and they will impress.

I listened to the B&W P3s and pound for pound, these AKGs wipe the floor with them. Sure, you don't have quite the same luxurious look that the B&Ws have, but they are over £100 more expensive.

These AKGs really are the gift that keeps on giving.

Very disappointing! I also considered, if my set was faulty. Simple vocal music recorded in a studio sounds decent but not great. Listening to live concerts that sounds great on in ear headphones like Sennheiser CX300 is like being in a traffic accident - it's painful to hear good music treated this way. Furthermore these headphones are not sound isolated, so if you commute you still get a lot of background noise (especially high frequencies). I would choose cheaper in ear headphones without hesitation...

Distinctly disappointing as new. Sounds shrill, lacks depth and quickly becomes very tiring even painful. But do I need to burn them in - and if so for how long? 

I see the WHF review said nothing about burn in - so do I have a faulty pair? Bought from a nationwide retailer (Superfi) so should be the real thing.

The same CD that sounds awful through these headphones plays fine through the attached amp & speakers. Both earphones also appear to be equally bad - so no clue there about what could be wrong.

Bought these for £62 at Superfi as they seem to be good value and use them at work connected to a computer. 

In the box:

Comes with a moulded carry case 6.3mm adaptor and an extra cable with inline microphone/remote (all plugs are gold plated).  The cables are only about 1m long and rather thin, so not ideal for computer use unless the pc is close by but this is not really a big deal.

Comfort:

These are of the on-the-ear or supra-aural type of headphone and are very comfortable to wear, i.e they don't press too hard on the ear and have good a adjustment range.  Its also easy to slide one ear piece above the ear if I want to listen to my work colleagues, etc.

Sound Quality:

I always think this is rather too subjective an area.  However, in general, these are being compared to my previous pair of Sennheiser PX-100's.  Its a well known that the PX100 is overly bass rich and I can support that fact.  Its especially bad since my IPOD classic naturally adds too much bass too.  Therefore, I was very pleased to find the K451 to be very neutral in comparison although they require alittle more juice to drive.  Listening to Minnie Ripperton's Inside Love was very easy to digest and since I listen to alot of vinyl at home it was a familiar and pleasing sound.

Verdict:

I bought these because they are light, comfortable and sound good over many hours of listening at work.  For the price I paid, value is good too.

I am in the process of getting a refund on a pair of AKG K450 headphones I got in July 2012 - thanks Amazon!!!.

I had read reviews indicating a possible problem with wiring failing after short period of use, and despite my being very careful when unfolding/folding, sure enough this week I lost sound on right speaker.

My concern with these new improved K451s is that the underlying problem might not have been addressed.

Anybody know otherwise?