AKG K52 High Performance Lightweight Closed-Back Monitoring Headphones

Product Information

The AKG Y50s aren’t an exact comparison, but if you’re curious: the K52s are a bigger, clearer sound with a more articulate presentation. Noise cancelling is good, but not quite as effective as a pair of Sony WH-1000XM5 or Bose NC700. Need to eavesdrop on the outside world? AKG's handy Ambient Aware button lowers the volume and the noise-cancelling. While the NC700NC aren't class-leaders, they do offer a solid performance at a good price. The AKG K52 headphones have a metal frame that's sturdy but remains lightweight. The headband isn’t adjustable; instead there’s a flexible, cushioned band that springs into place around your head. They clamp down on your head firmly, but not too much – just enough to make sure the headphones don’t fall off.

We’ve yet to review the AKG K52s pricier siblings, the K72 and K92, so with only a tenner between the three pairs in this range, we can’t crown the K52s as the best value-for-money headphones bar none just yet. But they’re sure to come pretty close. The fixed cable (3.5mm) measures a good 3m and an included adapter allows us to use a 6.3mm output. The cable looks robust, but is too long for mobile use.The 20-hour battery life is very respectable, but you can use them with a wire when they run out of juice. Intuitive ear cup controls are the cherry on an attractively-priced cake. All in all, these are high-quality cord-cutters. With the ear cushions the comfort looks slightly different. For the first moment this is not bad at all, because they cover the whole ear and find a good mixture of padding and stability. However, the pads are quite flat and therefore the ear bumps against the inside. This can cause unpleasant pressure in the long run. These headphones are great for the price they are extremely comfortable and produce a nicely balanced over all sound. They are not Bass heavy so are ideal for recording at home or just listening to music through your computer without giving you a sweaty head or sore ears. The exposed headband design keeps the K52 headphones comfortably light, without compromising driver size. Breathable, lightweight ear pads encircle your ears, rather than putting pressure on them. And a single-sided cable gives you freedom to move. To sum it up, these high-performance headphones sound, feel and look great. Who says you can’t have it all? If you appreciate life's simple pleasures, you'll be won over by the pared-down K52: comfortable, budget headphones don't get much better. Given the price, they're fantastically constructed and surprisingly expensive-looking. The solid metal frame is nice and light, and the cushioned headband cradles your head.

Stage and imaging differed only slightly from the K52. Due to the slight increase in level in the high frequencies, the K72 is perhaps more discreetly airy and better positioned vertically, but that is more imagination than demonstrable. Basically, I find the imaging of the K52 rounder and more natural, whereas the K72 is slightly more artificial. But as I said, this is analysis on a very thin ice, without much substance. The headband is self-adjusting and therefore adapts to the shape of the head. Even large skulls should not be a problem for the AKG K52. The wearing comfort on the head is therefore good, even if the headband does not offer any significant additional padding. Excellent battery life – 30 hours with active noise-cancelling – should be plenty for a long-haul flight. Trimmed with aluminium and leather details, these classy cans are some of the best noise cancellers we've heard. What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence. At the price called I find the workmanship and functionality very successful. The frame of the headband is made of metal, whereas the ear cups are completely made of plastic.

Frequently Asked Questions

With the ear pads the comfort looks a little different. For the first moment it is not bad at all, because they cover the whole ear and find a good mixture of padding and stability. However, the pads are quite flat and therefore the ear bumps against the inside. This can cause unpleasant pressure in the long run. Delivering unrivalled AKG sound at remarkable prices, the K52, K72 and K92 headphones deliver inspiring sounds with incredible value for music recording customers as well as industry professionals. Overview by AKG AKG probably thought they needed a headphone that could also provide bass in generous quantities. The result is a lush V-signature, or rather U-signaur, where the bass is very dominant. The bass plays very deep and offers a good amount of punch. However, this is very dependent on the fit of the ear pads and thus the sealing. I deliberately like to distort the sound a little bit by the fit so that the bass is not too overloaded. Glasses can help here These hugely impressive wired headphones are six-time What Hi-Fi? Award winners. Excelling in sound and style, they're blessed with aluminium ear cups, soft leather ear pads and dynamic sound on a grand scale. Thrilling levels of detail and near-flawless balance would be enough to set them apart from the competition. But factor in the affordable price, not to mention the portable design, and the Y50 are true show stoppers.

The shape of basslines and edges of notes are clean and taut in Sbtrkt’s Wildfire, and there’s a remarkable amount of control for the price. WhatsApp Improves Group Calls Experience, Lets Users Call Up to 31 Participants With Latest Update: ReportThe bass has a pleasant punch and depth, but is not the most solid and reduced compared to the K52. That's not wrong per se, but it doesn't drop off sufficiently towards the mids and colours them. It could also like to be a bit more organic and dynamic, as it sounds a bit dull to me despite the quantity. Basically, it doesn't really differ from the K52 in terms of quality, even though I notice a better sub-expansion on the K52. The bass is basically good and a different approach from AKG, but if it has to be a lot of bass, then please do it with a bit more taste. The K72 is a K52 in the end, except that the bass loses a minimal amount of level and the lower mids gain. In the high frequencies, a pinch around 6 kHz is added, which is supposed to simulate a higher resolution. Compared to the K52, this doesn't convince me and rather goes in a more negative direction. If there are still differences between the K52 and K72, the belief that I have a different product on my ears when I go from the K72 to the K92 leaves me. Here the differentiation is so marginal that I would certainly fail the blind test.