AKG’s wired headphones are powerful, punchy and neatly put together
Over-ear headphones | £151 | whf.cm/K371
“Great ideas are born in silence” are the slightly counterintuitive words stamped onto the interior lid of AKG’s new K371 wired headphones. Silence, however, is not what comes to mind when talking about the K371, the new wired counterparts to the capable Bluetooth K371-BT model.
We found the BT version stood out in a crowded wireless market, and it is mostly the same story with this new wired offering. Boasting a big, broad sound and some seriously impressive audio clout, the K371 deliver a great listening experience for a reasonable fee.
They also have the numbers to match – AKG claims around 5Hz to 40kHz frequency bandwidth, substantial 50mm drivers and a meagre weight of just 255g.
These cans deliver mostly pleasing levels of comfort and style. Different experiences are inevitable, but most ears will be snugly covered, even if we did feel a little excess pressure at the top of the cup during longer listening sessions.
Given the muscle of the K371’s delivery, you might be worried that even a mid-volume listening session could end up filling your room with unwanted audio spillover. Happily, the closed-back K371 have no such problems keeping their sound where it belongs, ie in your ears and not splashing across a crowded sound studio or bemused office space.
Fine build, durable finish
AKG has once again delivered a good level of build quality. Scratch a fingernail over the headband’s cushioned material or the exterior of the plastic earcup and you will barely make a mark across the pristine surface.
Being a pair of wired headphones, the K371 cans don’t offer a huge number of bells and whistles to play with. Instead, a choice of three wires (one short straight 1.2m, one long straight 3m and one coiled 3m) and a 6.3mm adaptor to complement the basic 3.5mm jack ensures users won’t be restricted by an excessively short lead. And all three leads fit into the headphone socket via a Mini-XLR plug.
The headband’s neat and well-designed aluminium slider mechanism, meanwhile, allows the earcups to move back and forth and rotate backwards into the headband for storage. At no point in this process do you ever worry you are about to snap your precious headphones in half and watch your money evaporate in one fell crack. It is not an entirely unique feature, but still a relatively rare one at this price point.
Business or pleasure
AKG markets the K371 as perfect for professional functions suc
