The AKG K7XX holds a special place in my heart, being the first open-back I have heard. It is a very popular headphone, having been created by AKG in collaboration with Massdrop, and being distributed exclusively by the latter.

First, the build quality and comfort: this headphone is made in China, and, like many products made in China, the build quality is lacking. The earcups are made of a cheap-feeling plastic. Where the HD600’s plastic felt sturdy, the K7XX’s plastic feels like it cost half of what I paid for it. Where when I press on the earcups of the 600, the headphone itself is silent, the K7XX creaks when you compress the pads. Granted, the K7XX’s pads are firmer, but this is nonetheless not reassuring. The “headband” is just two plastic rods that feel very flimsy, though thankfully what touches the top of your head is a comfortable strap that self-adjusts to your head with elastics. The strap is certainly more comfortable than it looks like it would be. The clamp is just right, neither too hard that it hurts, nor too soft that it relies on the headband. The pads are the nicest feeling thing on this headphone. The pads are big, round, soft, and filled with memory foam, and make the K7XX, despite its build flaws, a comfortable headphone. The cable is detachable, with a proprietary 3-pin mini-XLR on the headphone end, and a 3.5mm with threads for a quarter inch adapter. The cable itself is about ten feet in length, and feels rather hard and plasticky, but it will coil without asserting its dominance over your entire desk, like the 558 stock cable. Overall, build is lackluster, but it is comfortable, and gets the job done.

The sound of the K7XX is slightly bass-heavy, with a near-linear slope down. The bass asserts itself more prominently than in the HD600’s, though is never overbearing unless the track calls for it. It is is decently textured, and is nearly my favorite part about this headphone. The midrange is a hair less than neutral, sounding very subtly pushed back compared the the HD600. Vocals feels fairly natural, though lack in richness, which results in some vocals falling flat, and sounding lifeless. Instruments sound defined enough, though sounding less precise than I know that they should. Overall, despite its flaws, the midrange is pleasing, and if you have not heard better headphones, these issues are not noticeable, at least in my experience. The treble is where I begin to take issue with this headphone. It feels like there is a dip in the low to mid treble, making some sounds fade out. The upper treble, while the quantity is right, feels a bit hazy, and undefined, lacking any crispness or edge. Cymbals lack any crash, and high strings lack any pleasing edge to them. The treble is what I would say to be this headphone’s Achilles’ heel; everything was going well, but unfortunately the treble is just lacking. The soundstage, however, is plenty wide, with sounds coming from rather far away, though the imaging is a little lacking. It images well enough to hear generally where instruments are, but Yosi Howikawa’s Letter makes the imaging sound not quite “three-blob,” but closer to what I would say is “five-blob.” Where the HD600 can present sound defined to a millimeter, the K7XX just does not compete.

This headphone is not too bad to power, and works decently from my iPhone 6s, though it does benefit greatly from the proper power of my Schiitstack. They are 62 ohm, and 105 db/V according to the box, but, like I said, benefit greatly from a decent amplifier.

Overall, despite its flaws, this is a pleasant headphone. Its shortcomings all come together, and leave you with a very relaxed sound. Nothing ever sounds painful or sharp from this headphone. I can see how some might not see these as “flaws,” and may even prefer it. If you want a headphone that is very relaxed, I can recommend this, though I still feel the HD600 is a better value.

-TheOmegaCarrot