00:00 Intro 01:55 Weight 02:16 Headband 02:55 Earcups and Pads 04:43 Touch controls 05:26 Physical controls and mic 05:43 Wired XLR connection, cables and accessories 07:50 USB Connection 09:06 Bluetooth Connectivity and Codecs 10:50 Audio lag for video? 11:03 Lack of multi device connectivity 11:54 Quality control issues and that hinge mechanism 13:53 Fresh QC Issues 14:29 I'm returning the K371-BT 14:56 Sound section or the OMG its broken again section 17:07 Conclusion
This video is like you have disappointing grades and your dad isn't mad at you, he's just extremely disappointed and it cuts deeper than if he were mad.
Finally a detailed review. I have been waiting for these headphones for months. I am disappointed, but at the same time grateful for your review. Great job. Your presentation is pleasant and info relevant. Good luck!
To anyone considering buying the AKG 371 (BT), I can honestly say they are well worth their price tag! Did a lot of research and considerations including this well-presented review before choosing to go for the 371 and was not dissappointed! Yes, the only thing I found was I have to adjust them each time I put them on so they set perfectly on my ears, but you can easily hear when they are settled right for you on your ears, so no big problem at all. Also, I find them very comfortable wearing for a long time and don't find them too tight on my rather big (sweaty head). Great sound, too, but I do not not have that much to compare with in that matter. I am extremely satisfied with the sound quality.
Honestly, with how carelessly AKG seems to build these, I wouldn't be surprised if the side with the BT receiver and haptic controller caused reflections on the left side that were uncompensated for on the other side. It would also not surprise me that they haven't sealed the buttons and charging port on the left side, causing this bass roll-off. In a nutshell, I have a feeling that these being broken could just be... how they all come from factory, but I hope I'm wrong.
Oh god I hadn't considered that. There have been a few other comments around suggesting they don't sound like the originals. You could be right on the money there.
The differences in the cup and pad size are a bit too big imo, I don't think they'd sound the same unless they've retuned them, which I doubt. That plus what you already mentioned are totally plausible reasons for them to sound like that. I really hope AKG hasn't been this sloppy and they are a faulty unit...
I don't even work in the headphone industry yet this is just common sense to me. If you're right about this, that's yet another serious failure from AKG. Even Beats doesn't show such severe issues in their product lines.
They seem to be a faulty unit, I do not get channel disbalance THIS extreme in my K361 BT. I mean, they're disbalanced of course (at 1-2 khz and 3-4 khz), but not THAT much and not in the bass region. I do not have a measurement stand but instead I used a sine generator and listened to them carefully. What I see in your measurements is... absolutely different speakers maybe? My HPs sound more like the left channel in your measurement at 16:56, except there's no roll-off before 200 hz (I even hear a super little boost at 100 hz, a comfortable one indeed). They're shouty indeed, I do not like the upper mid, but overall they're good for their price.
AKG is a funny brand, isn't it. They create one of the best closed-back headphones with the K550 and then they go ahead and ruin it with its inability to seal properly. Now the K371 comes to replace it and it's even more flawed. I just ordered my pair of non-BT K371 out of curiosity, wish me luck! And also thanks for all your coverage on the K371/BT, keep up the amazing work!
I bought an AKG K371 - BT headphone and I really liked the sound of it, I listened to many details of the music that I didn't understand with other headphones. When I used it on bluetooth I didn't notice so many details in the music, but using it directly on the cable the sound was wonderful. Well, the aste started to kick and I called the guarantee and ended up giving it back. With the money I received I bought the AKG K371 version without bluetooth. It sounded awful, there was absolutely nothing special about it, I finally managed to sell it for a price well below what I bought it. Now I bought the AKG K371 - BT again and I'm waiting for it to arrive, hopefully it sounds good, if I don't have to return it. It's just a matter of luck these AKG headphones
One reason I can think of they used Micro USB rather than a Type C is because the Micro USB includes the plug-integrated latch making it harder for the cable to get unplugged while it's on your head though one can argue most people would leave it be aside when charging anyway. Type C is also reversible and is sturdier which makes it nicer to work with. Honestly at the price difference being around 60-80 euro more for the BT version, it makes more sense to just get the standard K371 (now that QC is a bit better, my pair I just bought is fine) and velcro some small bluetooth headphone amp like the FiiO BTR3 you mentioned with that money to the side of these headphones. Will do just fine for home use.
I was really intrigued by this K371-Bluetooth version. But besides the inconvenience of getting a faulty unit: i don't wanna support a product that creates so much waste. I want a product that's durable and user-serviceable. We as consumers have some degree of responsibility - and I for one decided to not finance a product that's been designed to get thrown into the trash.
Yeah I agree with that sentiment. I recently picked up a new Sony MDR 7506 and was pleasantly surprised to see in their very old school packaging, they still included a parts list and diagram so you can easily maintain them. That's how to do a professional product.
Now I would really like to compare my BT version with the original in terms of pads and sound. Just for curiosity because they sound fine to me and yes my ears had to get used to touching the inside of the cups, but now I can wear them for hours.
I think the reason, why K371-BT got 4-pin(pole) mini-XLR, is - they got MICROPHONE. Not for balanced connection. You need an additional line/wire/pole (4 in total) for microphone in a wired mode to use it as a stereo headset. But it is just an assumption.
@@WheezyTech When in passive mode (if that can be activated without plugging the cable?), you could measure the electrical resistance between the pins. If one of the pair measures sth like 1 kOhm, might be a mic. If two separate pairs each measure sth like 32 Ohm, should be the drivers in a balanced configuration. If there is a pair with doubled resistance e.g. 64 Ohm, then it's unbalanced and you're measuring both drivers in series, connected by the common gnd.
I just bought these and share many of your sentiments. The sound is good but not great. But the biggest problem is the shallow ear cups. My ears are on FIRE with pain after using these for only 30 minutes. My ears slam against the grills, and I don't have Dumbo ears.
Thanks for this review. Based on your first reviews I nearly cancelled my BT371 order a month ago - I had ordered an amazon return unit, so you can imagine, that I expected to get a dud. But I was lucky and received a good headphone and the return was just based on a damaged outer packaging (and maybe worries about QC). I was wondering if I should have waited for the BT version, but went for the wired one and a Radsone ES100, which can also drive my IEMs. Your review seems to confirm that decision, and I can recommend the wired K371 in combination with an ES100, BTR3 or similar.
excellent overview. I did not think that such reviews can be seen on RU-vid. I'm just about to buy a 371. but after watching, I had a question what can you advise as an alternative to 371?
Hey man, good honest review on the AKG 371 BT. Can you do a review of Yamaha HPH MT-5? Some guy did a long review on Amazon says it almost sounded like his Neumann kh 120. I'm really curious about it, keen on planning to buy one!
@@metal571 Yes someone did, but the guy who did wasn't very detailed about the sound, unlike you and Wheezy. Also, the Amazon review did a long ass composition about it and it isn't biased, here's the link www.amazon.com/Yamaha-HPH-MT5W-Monitor-Headphones-White/dp/B01MRE646J/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=yamaha%2BHPH&qid=1588802560&sr=8-3&th=1 by Dr.Jules
Hi, with this with so many issues now i am bit skeptical to get these and the not bt version is also not available ... do you have any other recommendation in similar price point or a little bit more. dt 770 pro 80, hd 599, at msr7b or any other?
If you think about it, it’s glaringly obvious why the Bluetooth version has a four pin connector. In order to use the microphone in a wired situation, you need four leads. The fact you didn’t figure this out is not a big deal, it’s just… disappointing.
You are honestly the best headphone reviewer. You know all your technical stuff unlike other massive channels, you are much more "to the point" than the likes of Z Reviews for example but without loosing any of the details we need. You speak honestly and from your own experience. Keep it up! Edit: Now can you please move up the Moondrop Starfields up your list pls lol.
Concerning a mic in the wired mode... I've got a response from Technical Support Harman Professional Solutions: “BT mode and line in mode can only work one at a time. The audio cable has no mic port. When you insert the audio cable in BT mode, the headset will turn off and enter bypass. MIC will not work.” I guess they used 4-pin mini XLR instead of regular 3-pin to detect audio cable plugging. The thing is 2 of 4 pin of cables from a factory box have short circuit that may be used for that purpose. Such "an advanced" technology deprives us a mic in wired mode. So disappointing...
Love the reviews so far. This is frustrating because I just bought the k361-BT model and now I am wondering if I could have gotten a better headphone for the money...
@@donvittoriosierra Honestly, I wouldn't know. These are my first higher end over ear headphones so I only have my IEM's to compare them to (Shure 215se) and to me they sound fine for listening to music so far.
Not going into how I feel about them except that these are actually Bluetooth/wired. They come with 2 wires and adapters. These headphones get reviews all over the spectrum so don't get mad if you don't like his opinion. Everyone is free to think for themselves. Dont be the other guy. Peace!👍
Sounds plausible, but even if the microphone is wired internally to the 4th mini xlr pin the 3.5mm cables they supplied are all stereo only. You'd need TRRRS jacks on them for either the extra channel for the mic output or for them to be balanced.
the earpad to avoid noise on the street,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,I can deal with that understandable but the sound if not quality control this is a problem, nice review bro.
the fact alone that they changed the ea rfit disappointed me, but im gonna get them delivered in 2 days, i need something for portable use, my phone destroys every cable, also i have no device that ha s USBC so i dont care about that
Thank you so much for an insightful review. Could you please give me some recommendations whether I should get the K371 in an OG version? I'm looking for a monitoring headphone (with an acceptable price) that can be used with my AKG Lyra mic. I am thinking of starting my podcasts channel as a hobby; and I would also use this headset in conjunction with teaching an online classroom. Too bad the BT version sucks :(, it would be nice if it can be used wirelessly, too. Thank you in advance!
Hi - taking into account all the points raised, what Bluetooth headphones, with good built quality and sound, do you recommend, at the same price point ? Thanks.
Check out the AKG n700nc. Maintains Harman tuning and compares well with my wired k371. Also heavily discounted now in US at least, and has decent ANC.
@@WheezyTech In the US they're a crazy good deal for $100 from Amazon, or at least they were a few days ago (initially $300), but not sure of international pricing
Isn't the M2 version still sold or is that also discontinued already? Haven't been keeping up. There was a teardown on reddit for those, and it looks like they're using a Foster driver, which is pretty exciting to see.
I agree with your take on these, Wheezy. Thank you for taking the time to really detail the issues surrounding this promising, but ultimately flawed headphone. I really like my OG K371 and bought a 2nd pair just to have a backup and ensure that my 1st was not a unicorn. (I, thankfully, did not experience the mechanical quality control issues you did with the OG K371.). But with my great experience with my K371 I was very much looking forward to the BT version. When my set of K371BT arrived, I first tested how it performed in wired mode in an AB test vs the K371, assuming, expecting and hoping that they would sound the same when wired. Short answer: they do not sound the same. I found my set of the K371BT and OGK371 have similar bass response, but the mids on the BT version are muddy and and the highs on the BT version are recessed compared to the K371. I purchased a 2nd set of the BT version to confirm experienced the same result. (My AB test was done on a macbook pro through a Cambridge Audio DAC+ and SMSL SP200 amp). How could this be? Well, the drivers appear to the be same titanium coated 50mm driver, but the cups on the BT version are slightly deeper and have electronics inside. The result is that the BT version really needed to be tuned from scratch to match the original K371 and AKG either chose not to do that or could not do that, and shipped them anyway. In the end, I much prefer the frequency response of the original K371 when compared to the K371BT when both are used in wired mode. BT mode doesn't change the FR (usually a positive trait). but the BT amp is underpowered (perhaps because of EU SPL limits, grrrrr). Otherwise they fit and feel the same to me and I have no issues with mechanical hinges or sliders. But the horn on the unicorn of the rare and wonderful K371 was the tuning. The K371BT lacks that horn and is therefore just another (lame) horse in the crowded field of non-ANC BT headphones. I will be using an Ear-studio ES100 on my OG K371 to achieve a wireless connection with excellent sound.
Crowded non ANC field indeed, the competition is too high to release something so half-hearted. To be so mediocre as a Bluetooth headphone *and* mess up the sound that's a total disaster. Good call on the ES100. It might not be as elegant as all in one unit, but it works, has more features and sounds better.
@@bluejaystudio2029 Fiio BTR3 is only £45/$50 You could literally buy one of those and the OG K371 for less than the K371-BT and it would have more features. Not elegant solution tho lets be honest.
Reducing the depth of the cups is a stupid move : there is not enough room for the ears in there. For me, the key use case is to have a long lasting battery using Bluetooth and that works. Other than that yes, disappointing even if the sound is nice.
As a current K371 owner I am only interested in the 4 pin connector of the BT model. I was going to buy them just for the ability to run them on my balanced amp, but if they don't sound as good as the non-BT then I wonder if I can do a 4 pin mod instead. The smaller pads are not an issue for me because I use Brainwavz pads anyway.
Hey guys, I've been using this model for the last 2 weeks and I cannot stop listening to a little clipping noise when I'm editing soundtracks or even using Spotify. Does anyone know what could be happening? Thanks in advance!
My AKG K361 headphones broke while I was wearing it. They were on my ears and suddenly cracked! The crack is on Headband, not even on the hinge mechanism. I was using my K361 very carefully because I knew plastic material doesn't feel good. I lived in fear that the hinge mechanism would break one day. I send them for warranty. By the way; These headphones are crazy expensive in my country, so If they void my warranty I will be disappointed once again and I won't be able to afford any other headphones.
Hey man thanks for this detailed review I was planning to buy this one but based on your review and some amazon reviews it’s hard for me to decide. I mean these are not cheap for me but they check all the boxes like studio headphones with Bluetooth and cables but at the same time really bad build quality. I am not going to put up my money if they are going to last only 6 months even if I get a good one. Need some recommendations on Bluetooth headphones.
K712 Pros are still built in Slovakia. The K712 Pros are their flagship of the K7 series and imo the best of the K7 series. K701, K702 and K7XX are built in China whereas K712 Pro, K812 and K872 are built in Slovakia. My K712 Pros are 3-4 years old and I have been using them daily since then and they are absolutely fine.
Yeah K712 Pro has rapidly become one of my favourite open backed headphones, totally worth it. Yeah they don't *feel* all that durable, not compared to Sennheiser or Beyer, but they seem to be tough enough.
I bought the k371bt after seeing how widely praised the k371s are because I figured, for ~$40 extra, it was worth having a mic and bluetooth. This is now day 3 of me owning them and idk something feels off. For some songs they sound amazing and I'm lost in the track (in a good way). For others, I feel like the vocal range isn't as wide and present as I like (I feel like I only hear the singer's mouth instead of their whole chest too), and the bass is overly present (bass is good but it feels off when it's the dominant aspect of a pop song or something). Also part of my ears rest against the speakerpads themselves inside the ear cups which is kind of annoying. Do you think these problems would be fixed with a standard k371 or would I still have the same issues?
@@WheezyTech What about if my pair works as intended? Do you know if there's an actual build difference to the sound signature (not including build errors)?
Wheezy Reviews thanks! Can you also include a section about how well the included dacamp is compared to the headphone jack alone or a Schiit stack? I’m seriously considering getting these, I previously had a Beyerdynamic DT 1990 but the headphones were way too harsh, and the Schiit stack I bought(new from the manufacturer) was faulty(returned both). I’m thinking of going for a cheaper option that doesn’t need a separate dedicated dacamp, and the Deva’s seem like the perfect choice.
wheez i have developed a hinge problem with my k371 bought 4 months back should i try by removing the rubber and tightening it somehow.......can you tell me how to do it or will i be able to do it? it really falls just due to gravity itself.
Apparently the rubber cap is held on with a self adhesive pad. There is a screw under the pad so you could try peeling that off and tightening it up. Others have mentioned they were able to do that and stick the cap back on after. Hopefully that'll work.
Im getting the k371bt cheaper than the wired ver lol ....i guess qc is really bad....man even chinese companies remove their products from the shelfs if there is this kinda qc issues
The frame of these headphones is unreliable. Many people are already broken. The company does not want to accept them for warranty. AKG companies don't care about their customers.
I disliked the video after 10 minutes of listening to it.. then I changed my opinion while hearing that the AKG did not maintain the same sound signatures of the non-Bluetooth model....and the fact that this 'poor' man received multiple faulty units of this product, that's quite shameful when you think about AKG. I am not happy to hear that as I thought, I could have here good sounding BT headphones... but will not buy these, and there are not many to choose from in this price range and with the sound signature of AKG376,371on the market at all.
As I said previously, I recently bought a pair of these headphones (wired one) and so disappointed, I feel that i through my money to the trash, they sound unbalanced, the left driver is slightly less on volume, very frustrating!, I think they don't consider the quality constructions, DON'T BUY THIS PIECE OF GARBAGE!!!.
Well, what exactly did you|we expect, mite? The wired K371 is only ok, not the second coming off Christ as some proclaimed it (cough Metal cough). Now with BT sans aptX or LDAC it was bound to be even more thoroughly uninspiring.
