Hi-fi enthusiasts will undoubtedly be familiar with the name ‘AKG’. The Austrian brand are one of the oldest companies in the business, starting life in 1947 making all manner of audio equipment, from loudspeakers to door intercoms and everything in between. The company’s breakthrough moment came in 1953 with the creation of the D12 studio microphone, whose popularity in the industry sealed AKG’s future as an internationally renowned player in the professional audio market.
As well as still being a leading manufacturer of studio equipment, AKG is also particularly well known for its range of headphones, and today’s review subject, the K92 over-ear headphone, is just the latest in an incredibly successful line of products that started in 1959 with the release of the K50 model. Can this latest model carry on this proud legacy? Time to find out…
First impressions of the K92 suggest that AKG is more than aware of that legacy, with the headphone positively dripping in retro styling. The large cups, leatherette headband and liberal use of gold paint (we promise it doesn’t look tacky!) make the K92 look like something that could have come out of vintage hi-fi catalogue. This sort of design might not be for everyone, but we were definitely taken with it. This beauty isn’t just skin-deep either, with the K92 having a sturdiness in the hands that belies its relatively cheap price tag. All told, the K92 passes the first impressions test with flying colours, as long as you don’t mind those colours being gold and black, of course!
Looking at the more technical side of things keeps up the positivity, with AKG packing a sizeable 40mm drive unit into the headphone, and sticking to a closed-back design (also found on the larger, award-winning K550) which should both combine to give a solid bass performance. A 3m cable is fitted, so the emphasis is probably more on the K92 being used as an at-home headphone, but the closed-back design also helps to ensure that they won’t leak too much sound if using on the go or in populated areas. A rated impedance of 32 Ohms means that the K92 are just as happy driven directly from a mobile phone or laptop output, but when testing alongside the Chord Mojo, we found that these AKG’s scaled up well, too, giving a more assured performance when driven from a better quality source.
“AKG has struck gold – the K92s might just be the best value headphones we’ve heard this year.” What Hi-Fi Award Winner 2016
After a day’s worth of running in, loosening up the drive units to ensure that they were running at their best, it was time for some proper listening. Powered initially straight from a Samsung Galaxy S7 loaded with FLAC files, the K92 immediately impressed. The sense of scale and quality of instrument separation in the Radiohead track ‘Burn the Witch’ from latest album, ‘A Moon Shaped Pool‘ was unbelievable, particularly at this price point. For a closed-back design, the K92 was able to layer sounds incredibly well, making what is a particularly dense recording seem open and airy.
The solid bottom end performance that was expected was also accounted for, and this was even more apparent when switching to ‘Ful Stop’ from the same album. The hypnotic groove of the bassline had a heft and weight to it that made the K92 almost speaker-like in its performance. Vocals didn’t suffer as a result of this bottom end emphasis, with the vocals of Thom Yorke sounding as clear as we’d heard them on a headphone below £100.
Switching to the Chord Mojo and listening back to the same tracks tightened things up substantially, with the bass noticeably retaining its extension but with a more substantial sense of grip, and with a wider soundstage to boot. Arguably the Mojo is overkill for a relatively cheap set of headphones, but the K92 perform so well that charging three times their price tag wouldn’t see AKG pushing their luck, and the boost in perfomance meant that the pairing was certainly a worthwhile one.
If reading through all that hasn’t quite gotten the message across about the K92, then it’s best we summarise to reaffirm their merits. For the money, and for a fair bit above, these AKG’s are truly a top notch performer. Happy to run from your mobile or your home hi-fi, and with plenty of potential to be able to improve performance with a good headphone amp, these are a must listen for anyone looking to treat themselves to better music anytime, anywhere. Call your local store to arrange a demo!
Click to find out more about the AKG K92 headphones.
Author: Chris, Liverpool store
