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Post by tommo21 on Aug 4, 2016 6:33:56 GMT
I stumbled across a review from What Hifi on these headphones yesterday, and got suckered into ordering a pair. At around £30 I figured why not. I'm a sucker for cheap bargain headphones. I think these look good and after the success with HD662 Evo , these AKG's might have a hard time, but I think they will have a whole other signature. They're from a new line which includes two siblings, the K72 and K92 which from the very few reviews I read is not as good as the 52's. Anyone else had a go at these yet? Think there's a few user reviews on Youtube as well, but haven't watched them yet. Here's the What-hifi review
www.akg.com/pro/p/k52
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Post by tommo21 on Aug 11, 2016 8:13:42 GMT
A little update.
I received these today, and have been listening to them for a few hours. Was very dissapointed with them right out of the box, as the mids sounded really distant, but now with three hours running they are starting to open up.
These are actually really nice cheap phones. They have a airy treble and wide soundstage. They sound very neutral to me, top to bottom, at this point. Will let them play over night to see how they turn out tomorrow, but this is a good buy I think.
They are different than the HD662 Evo's, but I like them both.
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Post by marveltone on Aug 12, 2016 1:12:26 GMT
I'm anxious to hear how they compare with the HD-662 Evo, once you've got them limbered up. The price is very tempting!
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Post by tommo21 on Aug 12, 2016 9:38:01 GMT
So here's a little comparison after 24 hours burn-in on the AKG K52's Build: OK, looks flimsy, but the matt plastic looks a little better than the EVO's. EVO's is larger and heavier. AKG's feel very light on the head. Prefer the Velour pads on the Evo. Wear: Lighter clamp than EVO, OK Isolation, So-So earpads. If you got beardstubble, the pads make scratching noise against it when you move your head. Pads are removable. They are comfortable to wear, but I usually don't have problems with wear on any phones. Sound: I would say they are pretty neutral with a slight mid-range emphasis. Airy detailed treble that never gets tiring. Very good midrange, and good detailed bass(don't feel lacking anything). Very good soundstaging and placement of instruments. Compared to the EVO: Evo has more low end and goes deeper. Mids on the Evos appear slightly recessed compared to the AKG's. Treble not as airy and detailed as the AKG's. A bit better depth on the EVO's. I can't really say who I prefer. I love the EVO's, but the midrange, treble, and also the width of the soundstage on the AKG's are really good. Good they are cheap, so I can keep both. If you twist my arm, I would probably choose the AKG'sEquipment used: Computer>Wyrd>Schiit Modi Multibit Dac>Gustard H10 w/Burson V5i opamps
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garyc
contributing
Posts: 45
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Post by garyc on Nov 26, 2016 0:38:48 GMT
I had a chance to compare my EVOs with the K52s this afternoon for a couple of hours and while I quite liked the lightweight feeling of the K52s initially, they did start to get a little sweaty after a while. I can wear the EVOs with the velour pads for long periods and not feel any discomfort. Sound-wise I felt there was no contest - the K52s sounded very over-pronounced and wooly in the mids/bass, the EVOs much cleaner and detailed in that region altogether. Treble much brighter/sparkly in the EVOs too (they are unmodded though, perhaps to be expected).
Later I listened to the K52s alone (no swapping between for reference) with Bob Dylan and did not find them too bad at all. It was just when comparing directly that the differences became apparent. But I do have to say they were lovely and light to wear.
I know that velour pads are supposed to be a no-no for a proper seal and good bass, but if they work for the Beyer DT770s then why not others? Is it just cost shaving that pleather is the cheapest option perhaps? I use velour HM5 pads on my Takstar Pro80 and the standard velour for the 662EVO and whatever loss of seal or deep bass there may be (I'm not particularly aware of the latter, my colleagues at work may disagree on the former), the trade for being able to wear the headphones for extended periods is worth it IMO.
My vote is for the EVOs over the K52s.
I used a Fiio X3 II with a Topping NX1a. Listened to Lake Street Drive's Side Pony CD (bass on the intro to Call Off Your Dogs was particularly revealing in the differences) and Bob Dylan's Bringing It All Back Home.
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Rabbit
Administrator
Posts: 7,087
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Post by Rabbit on Nov 26, 2016 7:57:51 GMT
That's interesting Gary. I've seen the K52 around and I think one of the British HiFi mags really rates them.
The pad isolation thing is also to do with the filling since with the DT770, if you change the velour pads for anityher type of velour, they lose all their bass and become tinny. I like leather pads on some headphones.
I use Topping amps as well sometimes. I have the NX1, 3 and 5 here. Very good value.
The swapping between headphones thing, while very revealing sometimes can also mislead. I often find my preference isn't always the best long term. For me, the treble quality can be very important and often gets me to make a snap decision when, in isolation, the one I didn't prefer becomes better in the long run. Some headphones give a strident steely type treble while others are more 'swooshy'. My initial preference is for the steely treble which seems more revealing but it can become tiring.
Then in the long term, bass definition becomes more important to me.
It is weird so I use my Senn hd650 on Kameleon as a reference now.
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