AKG K52 High Performance Lightweight Closed-Back Monitoring Headphones

Product Information

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. 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 fixed cable (3.5mm) measures a good 2.5mm and an included adapter allows us to use a 6.3mm output. The cable looks robust and has a comfortable length, even if it is a bit too long for mobile use. AKG is known for making professional-grade gear that can stand the test of time, and the K52 headphones are no exception. We put them through extreme testing and abuse to ensure they'll handle anything you throw at them: Our regimen of drop-tests simulates exaggerated falls. 80,000 cable bend cycles at both end points ensure the cable won't break or underperform. And intensive driver testing - a prolonged series of 3W bursts each half second - means that the drivers won't fail when you really need them.

The AKG's earcups enclose the ears fully. The ample padding around them is soft, and it doesn’t make your ears warm over long periods of listening. If you know you’ll be wearing the headphones indoors more than out, and are on a strict budget, the AKG K52s are one of the easiest recommendations we’ve made.We have state-of-the-art testing facilities in London, Reading and Bath, where our team of experienced, in-house reviewers test the majority of hi-fi and AV kit that passes through our door. Compared to the K52, a firmer leatherette cover is used (like the K72), which seems more robust, but doesn't add much to the comfort. The mixing engineer will apply autotune, special effects and all the industry-secret formulas to make your song sound like a major hit. They are all wired and there is no difference in accessories. The K72 & K92 get another 50cm more cable length, which brings them up to 3m. 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.

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.

Even at full price, these are a great pair of headphones for anyone who wants an inexpensive pair of headphones for their desk or home studio. Obvious features such as the self-adjusting real leather headband, aluminum arches and solid rivets not only provide a lightweight, maximum comfort fit, but also reinforce the quality AKG has provided to studio engineers for decades. 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.

The headband slider mechanism works well and is a relatively rare feature at this price. And sound quality impresses for the money: there's plenty of low-end oomph (although it can occasionally overpower more delicate compositions) while there's plenty of clarity and insight. A solid, four-star effort. Designed to meet the stringent requirements of recording musicians, producers and engineers on a budget, the AKG K52 delivers legendary AKG sound quality with exceptional comfort. My main complaints with these headphones come down to the 3.5mm cable being permanently attached to the headphones. The long cable is excellent when I'm playing guitar and singing, but much more annoying when I'm just listening to music at my desk. I usually have the cable wrapped up and velcroed to keep it tidy, but that's not great for the long-term health of the cable. The triplets are mainstream listeners, which can be fun to listen to and are also suitable for on the go (except for the cable lengths), but do not meet the professional demands of the marketing department. The winner is the cheapest model, but this is a close but unexpected choice. The K52 manages to sound most natural, as far as possible, and is somewhat more harmonious in its sound presentation than the more highly bred V-signatures of its big siblings. I like to listen to music with the K52 and it is a good alternative in this price segment for me, or rather can stand out positively here.They are cheap headphones and do the Job. But wish i’d spent abit more for the broader frequency headphones.