🔷 AKG K371

[MrAyrit]

Does anyone know if any ZMF pads will fit on these? I like their suede material.

[raffalab]

AKG K371 Review (closed back headphone)

[schmu]

Got these used in great condition, loving them so far…
I didn’t hear any bass bleed & use them for djing at home, blass bleed would’ve annoyed me.
They sound reasonably “fast” to me.
The size adjust mechanism gets alot of criticism, but once i wear them the clamp actually locks said mechanism in it’s place, which works well for me.
Thin glasses & still good seal. They sit firmly on my head, no sliding around.
These get warm after a while like most pleather closed headphones.
Ears touch drivers, this can be more or less annoying depending on fit & ear size. For me it’s fine.
Are there “better” closed back headphones <200$? Not sure.
I’ve been wondering tho, with a budget of <500$, is there a worthy closed back upgrade that’s worth paying double or tripple?

[raffalab]

how annoying is the cable attachment thing? is it bothering you too like other people?

[schmu]

cable attachment?
guess if i’m asking what you mean that suggests i don’t have a problem with it

[raffalab]

@schmu

cable attachment?

I’ve read people complaining about the minixlr cable attachment going straight down to the shoulder and touching it making it a bit unconfortable to move your head.

@schmu

that suggests i don’t have a problem with it

yes probably

[schmu]

@raffalab

I’ve read people complaining about the minixlr cable attachment going straight down to the shoulder and touching it making it a bit unconfortable to move your head.

oh lol, that’s no problem at all for me… and to be honest i have a hard time comprehending how this would be a problem in general
mini xlr is cool - you can change it easily & you can probably build an angled xlr thing to keep the cable miles away from ur shoulder

[raffalab]

@schmu

to be honest i have a hard time comprehending how this would be a problem in general

exactly my thoughts, I’ve seen complaints about it many times though

[Sun]

Help
Is there another closed back at the same price range that has good Soundstage? Cuz I people says that k371 is really narrow sooo maybe not for me and I have owned m40x they are fine but I need more Soundstage

[raffalab]

@Sun

that has good Soundstage

dt770 maybe?

[Sun]

The non detachable cable is a big deal for me but okay I will consider it no, I didn’t know dt770 has good zoundstage, thanks
Who else have recommendation

[schmu]

I don’t think there’s a closed back in that price category that has “good” soundstage.
But please correct me if I’m wrong.

[Sun]

Uh I think so that’s why I came here I might find something

[LeDechaine]

Sennheiser HD280 Pros (100$?): The new version of these apparently got decent soundstage (warning: the old version doesn’t – no soundstage at all).

Fostex T50RPs (160$?) got decent soundstage too. If you don’t like treble, you’ll need to mod em. Shure 840 pads (10-15$) are mandatory for these, imo. Everyone mods these.

Nad HP50s (100$). Nad will talk about their “room feel” technology but if you really want soundstage, these pads will really help. Yes, HP50s are 300$+ MSRP. They’re also very detailed. They’re also often available for 100$, which is a steal, really.

And, yeah, pads. Most of the time, adding big thicc pads to your headphones, angled or not, will add soundstage. Sometimes 10$ earpads are all you need.

[oso]

Hi everyone, I’d like to see if I can get some opinions from people who have heard these AKGs. While I can’t describe sound signatures very well, this is how I “feel” about the headphones I own:

• AKG K371: kind of refreshing, like having a mint, sort of cold but crystalline. Tasty sub-bass rumble and nice vocals. More narrow soundstage. I wanna say good layering.
• Beyerdynamic TYGR: more relaxed, good bass extension but somewhat muddy, specially with some types of electric guitar effects. Wider. Good overall, if a bit uninteresting at times.
• Hifiman Sundara: very natural, makes me feel certain tones are very sweet and smooth. Ok bass. I’d say balanced.

(I also owned the Fidelio X2HRs but found them to be too bassy)

I just got the Sundara a few days ago because I wanted to listen to a planar headphone, and while I do like them, I feel like I may be better off with something else, mainly because of sub-bass. The K371s have a very tasty sub-bass response, in my opinion. I like the K371’s sound signature in general, although not all the time, but the sub-bass in particular is really good. I would like something with a bit more soundstage, which is why I was looking at open back headphones, but I suspect I won’t be able to get that sub-bass rumble in an open back.

Is there something like the K371s but a bit more natural/laid back and wider (closed or open)? Again, I’d be particularly interested in sub-bass, which I’d say is not the same as emphasized bass. I wouldn’t mind keeping the nice vocals. I’m in Europe and I’d prefer staying under 500 EUR or around that ballpark.

[schmu]

@oso

Is there something like the K371s but a bit more natural/laid back and wider? Again, I’d be particularly interested in sub-bass, which I’d say is not the same as emphasized bass. I wouldn’t mind keeping the nice vocals. I’m in Europe and I’d prefer staying under 500 EUR or around that ballpark.

I was in a very very similar position. Loved the K371, but they felt a tiny bit “metallic” at times.
X2HR was a bit muddy and the highs are fatiguing to me.

Sivga Phoenix was my answer to that. Found them used for 180€, which is pretty good.
A bit more soundstage, less aggressive, still detailed, still fast, good subbass, good imaging, not muddy, not fatiguing. I’d say they are balanced & chill in tonality.
It’s semi-open back with surprisingly good amount of impact.
They are not suited for people with big heads tho - for me they are perfect.
However, there’s a specific almost physical subbass pressure that feels quite unique to the AKG K371.
And I doubt that open/semi-open headphones can produce this as good.
It’s a bit of a compromise in the end. I did sell my K371, X2HR & others after listening to the Phoenix tho.

If you want to spend more money to get a more refined headphone, the iBasso SR2 could be your thing.
Probably a bit less bass emphasis, but as far as reviews go - better in most aspects.

edit: what amp do you use for the Sundaras?

[oso]

Thanks, I’ll have a look. I also feel I should try closed back. I do like the Sundaras, and maybe the Sivga Phoenix is similar, but I feel there may be something I like more.

I have a Topping E30 and a JDS Labs Atom.

[schmu]

@oso

but I feel there may be something I like more.

maybe… probably… hard to tell on forums
I leave a review for the Phoenix, just in case.

Sivga Phoenix

Just for the sake of it, I’ll post my full review here too: [image] Sivga is no stranger to make good headphones at a great value, and they did not break that tradition with the brand new Phoenix. With the more-mainstream success of their planar-magnetic P-II, Sivga is surely building a name for themselves. I am really hoping to see this company enter the mainstream market. Being a company that is dedicated to details and high quality products (no matter the budget), it was nice to see that t…

[oso]

Interesting, I can certainly give them a try and return the Sundaras if I like them better. Thanks.

[oso]

In case it helps someone else, I did get the Sivga Phoenix to compare, but I won’t be keeping them. They definitely have a bass emphasis, but not so much sub-bass, and the bass sounds too bloated to me, it bleeds too much into the rest. They also felt shouty, like some notes would be very piercing. Even after a heavy EQ, the tonality just didn’t seem right to me, and I’m not sure they’d be much better than the TYGRs.

I think I’ll keep the Sundaras for now and sell the TYGRs. I’ll explore some other closed backs in the future.