AKG Y50

The market is being bombarded by hundreds of different headphones now with so many different types of sound available and yet, that elusive quality of neutrality hasn’t appeared as a 'feature' of any of them. They design them with all kinds of voicings, basically in an attempt to attract our attention to their ‘amazing bass’, or ‘revealing top end’ or even ‘balanced mids’. Fact is that a neutral sounding headphone isn’t always the best seller since there is really not a great deal that ‘stands out’ above the competition.

Thanks to Dr Dre, headphones have been changing not in sound, but in looks. As hi fi people, we tend to turn our noses up as this kind of activity but there is one thing that Mr Beats Man has done – he has changed the market and the popularity of headphones. With popularity, prices could become more competitive in the long run, so providing us perhaps with better quality lower down in the price ranges. (Yeah – pigs will fly) But there is no doubt that the market is changing.

One thing that can make a headphone stand out is the look. They are now appearing in all kinds of colours so that they can get the lead in what is becoming quite a crowded market. IEM’s are not quite so popular amongst young people, with many preferring a nice bright red headphone on their head!!

So first of all, the purpose of a mobile headphone, as we all know is to use it mobile. Do older people want to wander around with a bright red headphone on their heads? I don’t think so. The market is focusing more and more on younger people though, so some real monstrosities of colour are appearing on the market.

AKG are a respected company amongst hi fi people, no matter what we feel about the ‘AKG’ sound. For some, the brightness in the top end is awful while for others, the laser analytical properties of that same top end is great! Some love it, some hate it. However, it ain’t neutral either.

So, a respected company is now getting right into 'Beats' area and producing a headphone that will appeal to younger people with the claim that they offer ‘superior’ sound at a cheaper price. Since it’s AKG, that could be a believable claim. Quality sound with a good ‘look’ could mean a killer headphone.

I have to say, I really don’t like the look of the Y series at all except for the black one. That may be more to do with my age though and good luck to them with the yellow, red and blue versions of this headphone. (Where IS the lime green though?) The black headphone looks fine to me. The logo on the cups is also more under control with the black version and not so blatant an advert to be mugged.

The headband is thin stainless steel with minimal padding up top. It works fine. The cups are aluminium so they are tough. (Although they may well scratch in time) The cable is rubbery so not microphonic and can be detatched from the cup. It’s a 2.5mm plug at the cup end and the lead has a mobile phone microphone on it. The microphone and ‘hang up’ button is a bit too high though. I find it in an unnatural place tbh. It’s not a heavy switch so it doesn’t swing like a banshee which is good. It would have been nice to have had a cable without the mic on it though. You also get an adapter for a normal amp connection and a rather nice, slightly padded bag to put the headphone into. The cups fold up and it goes into the bag easily, with no coaxing. They’ve left plenty of space to get the headphone in there so no fiddling to put it away.

The headphone is very lightweight on the head, which tends to make you think it’s fragile, but it really isn’t at all. I feel quite confident with its build and at its price level, it’s not bad. The lead is short for mobile use and terminates in a right angled plug. Pads are very comfortable. They are made from memory foam, which if I’m honest, I’m not convinced is the best material to use for sound. Every ‘memory foam’ headphone I’ve heard has a curtailed treble and I do wonder if the pads are responsible for this. However, for on ear pads, they are extremely comfortable and I can wear them for long periods easily. They will probably get hot though if the weather is warm.

Plenty of adjustments for the ear pads and there is a 'scale' on the band for people that are a bit OCD and need a measurement to fit their headphones perfectly onto their ears. Pressure isn’t too high since the pads are quite thick. The pressure is spread much more. The band doesn’t squeeze too hard either and the pads just sink onto your ears.

Curiously, they are 32 ohm headphones, so on the face of it, look great for mobile use as far as sensitivity figures go but they are slightly less sensitive than other 32 ohm headphones and seem to need more volume than them in order to get a satisfying sound. I guess there will be no problems with hiss, but on Ipods, it gets quite close to the top and still isn’t too loud. That is something that I find a bit annoying in a mobile headphone designed to work with DAP’s. It screams ‘amp’ at you, which isn’t always convenient. Especially if you are going to listen to orchestral music which isn't recorded at such a high average level as pop/rock music.

The sound is not a typical AKG sound. My guess is that AKG want to rock the Beats market, so they have increased the bass levels. You do get quite a whack in bass lines. I instantly thought of the Tiesto which has a similar type of bass response. The biggest difference though is that the Tiesto (the Smaller one) has this enormous bass, with a sucked out mid and a steely top. The result is that the headphone makes music sound a bit further away than other headphones. With the Y50, the mids are more prominent and the bass is a tad less bloated than the Tiesto. So my next comparison was the K450 series. Similar but bass is less and treble is more defined on the Y50.

How to describe sound? I both like and don’t like its sound. I’m aware that it has some problems, but it does play music in a pleasant way as well.

Treble is rolled down. Not typical AKG stinging top end. It’s very warm up there but still retains the string sound of violins. I’d say it almost resembles a typical Senn treble and could do with more extension.

Mids are pretty good and the focus of the headphone to me is in the lower mids. Ie; it’s not a ‘centred’ sound. I’d say lower mids are its stronger point.

Bass is big. It hits hard but to be honest, it could be a little more tuneful. You tend to get a little bit tired of the ‘thump’ which is always at the same kind of pitch, no matter what bass note is being played. (If that makes sense) On first hearing, it’s impressive, but after a few albums, you begin to tire of it.

Lower bass isn’t a strong point, I’d say. Plenty of mid bass which detracts from anything lower.

The sound slightly changes depending on where exactly you place it on your ear. Place them forward and the bass is strong but the treble for me is lowered. Place the cups back onto the flaps of your ears and the top end clears a little. I prefer them back. Something alters slighlty in the lower treble and it sounds a little more natural. Hi hats sound way more natural to me with them placed back on the flaps of my ears. It's not the top treble that appears to change, but something slightly lower down in the treble and it becomes a more involving sound, and less detached. That may be just my ears. There's plenty of adjustment to fiddle around with positioning in order to play around.

All of the time I’ve been listening, I’ve used it in a typical ‘teenager’ way, via an Ipad. The Ipad is quite healthy as far as volume goes, so I tried an Ipod. That’s when I found that the volume needs to be raised. Here’s the other thing – the bass lessened. I know that the Ipods don’t send out a lot of bottom end but this headphone really highlights that. The bass actually did clean up on the Ipod as opposed to the Ipad.

So, I went to an amp and used the dock connection. Bass level remained slightly lower than the Ipad and was better defined with the amp

So for me, this is a headphone that is very different depending on what it is connected to. My own feeling is that it ought to be a little more sensitive for portable use and it isn't quite good enough to use as a home headphone with an amp. I’d rather use a better headphone at home. If it were more sensitive, I’d use it happily as a portable, since the raised bass is helpful when wandering around.

It isolates quite well and is very comfortable and looking at the market, I don’t see that many around at this price level/quality. It does retail at £79, so it is above the k450 (and is better) and below the Tiesto (and is on a level – perhaps better actually.

For me, it needs the top end and extension lifted a little more. The bass could be dropped a tad. It could be more sensitive.

It’s a good looker in black. It’s quite tough. It’s very comfortable.

I wonder how it will sell?

Yes. Awful aren't they? Black Y50 looks lovely though. The colours are a big mistake imo. Especially with the overgrown AKG logo. I'm glad they didn't send a yellow one. Bumble bees would see you as their friend.

They're ok in terms of sound though. Not brilliant but at the price, they're fine for slightly better mobile use. I still prefer to use an amp though. Maybe a matching yellow amp?

eu.akg.com/tl_files/catalog//AKG/AKG/Spec%20sheet/In-Ear/Y%20series/Y50/Specification%20Sheet%20Y50%20(English).pdf

eu.akg.com/tl_files/catalog//AKG/AKG/Spec%20sheet/In-Ear/Y%20series/Y40/Specification%20Sheet%20Y40%20(English).pdf

eu.akg.com/tl_files/catalog//AKG/AKG/Spec%20sheet/In-Ear/Y%20series/Y45/Specification%20Sheet%20Y45%20(English).pdf

The Y40 looks more sensitive.

How about this - looks suspiciously like this series:

www.amazon.co.uk/AKG-High-Performance-Headphones-In-Line-Microphone/dp/B008PCB6Y4/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1407010232&sr=1-1&keywords=K619

Well, I've been using them for a week now, and I must say, they do the job really well. Been using them in the garden without an amp and they really do sound good. AKG have hit a middle price area where there isn't really a great deal else and I think these are an upgrade from the px100. So the price is justified imo.

The lifted bass that they boast of is nowhere near as bad as they make you feel with that statement. A little more closed in than an open headphone but clarity is good and the slight bass lift helps to make them seem very powerful sounding outside.

The mids are recessed in comparison to the Sennheiser Momentum so in that respect, they are really quite similar to the Tiesto.

Happily, the company that sent them to me are allowing me to keep them now! It's a very good portable headphone and most definitely seems like an improved Tiesto to me.

One thing that AKG should have done - I changed the lead to a momentum one since there is a volume control on it as well as a pause. The AKG only has a pause button. Also, the control is too high up on the AKG so it's fiddly to operate. The Momentum is in a more convenient location.

Well, they are the kind of headphone that you could wear in 'rock 'n roll' mode with shades actually. It's blatant advertising though with the damned logo. Before you know it, you are endorsing it!!!

They are a bit like the K701 on steroids. The bass is really quite big and a very snappy treble. They are better than the little portable that AKG make. More even although for my tastes, the mids could be a little more prominent.

Having said that, they are good for the price and are lovely and comfortable for on ear headphones. The cushions are really soft. The Momentum has much nicer mids though, although it's a lot more expensive.

I do use it actually and it really serves the purpose when you're out on the lawn, cutting away with music pumping away. I have a new lead for it which is more substantial as well. Got rid of the daft microphone and switches in the way. I use it purely as a headphone.

The raised bass works in its favour when mobile to be honest. You seem to want a slight a slight lift down there when out and about. It kind of helps to bring the music closer when your eyes tell you you're outside!!

I like it actually and I'm not saying that because I was sent it to review. I do think that it does what it was intended for very well.

I still use mine. Big bass because it has quite a strong 'u' shape in its frequency response.

I went onto Ebay and bought a cable for Senn hd 598 and Momentum. They use the same mini plug. It was so long ago, that I can't remember who I bought them from. I also bought a rather impressive cable from Massdrop for the Senn. A twisted silver wire. Very nice.

Anything for those two will fit.