AKGPro Audio K271 MKII Over-Ear, Closed-Back, Professional Studio Headphones

I picked up a pair of AKGs back in November on sale for $[...] to substitute my Paradigm Monitor speakers while I am not at home. After much scrutiny, I picked the AKG K271 MKII; while it is not the most recent model released by the company, it offers the same sound quality and more. To put it bluntly, I was extremely satisfied.To start, the most important aspect of headphones (aka cans) of this nature: sound quality. The general consensus is that AKG is very muddy in the bass while being very bright on the high end. While the stereotype may be true in some models, the headphones are fantastic at covering the entire spectrum from muddy to crisp. I will have to agree the highs are bright, but nothing that can't be fixed to your liking in an equalizer. When I first started listening to them, I experienced the "wow, I'v never noticed that cymbal hit before" symptom. I could (and have) lay on my bed listening to music for hours, completely enveloped in music; the downside is the drop in external perception leads to being very startled by visitors.While an impedance of 55 Ohms doesn't necessarily call for a headphone amp, I picked one up just to see the difference. The PA2V2 was recommended to me, so I emailed the gentleman over at Electric-Avenue.com and bought one. The K271 and PA2v2 pair nicely with each other: boosting the bass and bringing out the sound as a whole, without the amp I had most audio outputs turned very high up. The amp has also been nice to have for all my headphones, but more to come on that in the PA2v2 full review.The build of the headphones is solid and I don't feel like I'm going to break them. I quite enjoy the features that have been integrated into these headphones, from them turning off when you take them off, to a small slit allowing for easy earpad replacement. To begin, the auto adjusting headband: size fitting to everyone, the band being pushed up also enables the sound to come through the drivers. The K271 also comes with a detachable cable, so you can have the long studio cable, or the spiral stretch cable (and you don't have to worry about wrapping the cable around the cans). Lastly, the cans come with leatherette or velour eapads: I personally use the velour as they warm the bass and are very comfortable.After reading through hundreds of reviews for AKG, Grado, Sennheiser, and Beyerdynamic, I cut my final choice down to the AKG K271 and K272. The difference? A whole bunch of accessories, color, and price. The K272 retails at $329 on amazon, comes in black with a 1/4 inch adapter and Velour ear pads. The K271 MKII retails at $151 on amazon, comes in dark blue with a 1/4 inch adapter, Leatherette and Velour ear pads, detachable 3m cable and 5m coiled cable.After about 70 hours of listening these cans have burned in to sound even better than when I first got them, and I strongly recommend them if you're looking for this style. (Note: these headphones can't really be used for DJing)[...].

I paid $135 for these headphones, and I can say that they're definitely worth the money. First off, if you like bass, these aren't for you. There isn't a ton of bass present in the sound signature HOWEVER, the bass that is there is very tight and accurate. The overall sound signature of these cans is pretty neutral, with very detailed mids/highs. This also means that they have a tendency to put your music "under a microscope" and expose lots of little details. This is a good thing as long as you have well-recorded music, but poorly recorded/mixed albums won't benefit as much. Also, lower bitrate mp3 music will sound worse compared to cheaper headphones because of the detail.Earpads are comfortable, although the velvet pads seem to be for slightly smaller ears. Really minor though, as they eventually form to fit you better. The 55ohm impedance does mean that these won't be blaring on portable players, however I have never had a problem playing these loudly on my computer.Overall, I thought these were a pretty good bargain at their price. This is especially true when they really do sound better than Beats or Bose, and at a fraction of the cost.PROS-Very detailed sound-Comfortable, especially with velvet earpads-Good build quality-Auto-adjusting headband is convienentCons-Some might not like the lean bass-Exposes bad quality music quickly

Just like 702 but closed-back. Great if you live in a noisy environment or don't want to disturb anyone. I like how it comes with 2 different cables and 2 sets of different pads. The fit is ok and not as nice as 702 which is extremely comfortable. I also notice the top material seems somewhat cheap and doesn't look like real leather. Build-quality is somewhat lacking compared to 702. Sound-wise, I believe it is just as good as the 702. The difference is open vs closed-back. The former will always sound better and have a larger and farther sound stage like listening at a real club if you're listening to jazz music like I am doing right now.UPDATE 12/25/10: Changed from 4-stars to 5. I literally cannot take these guys off. Super value at under $200. Possibly the best closed-back set out there. If not, definitely the least expensive. Headset also seems to sound great with mp3 players, however you might want to check if yours can power it. For instance, my Sony X player sounds fine, but the Cowon J3 doesn't seem to be able to provide enough juice and would need an amp.