The AKG K371 are widely recommended in the audiophile and musician community. They feature a neutral, Harman-target inspired sound, soft light earpads for long listening sessions and a detachable mini-XLR cable. I have owned these headphones for over three years now. This is a long-term review about my experiences with the AKG K371 and whether or not I think they are right for you.
In 2019, AKG released the K371 and they currently retail for £130/$180. They are boasted as having a neutral sound, excellent clarity, 50mm drivers and superior noise isolation. So, how do they hold up? Or perhaps the better question is how have they held up?
Overall, they have been a pleasure to use over the last three years. I was drawn to them by their promise of clarity and neutrality. I find them excellent for reference music listening, practising music and gaming. They feel really light to wear, and perhaps that is also one of their downsides because noise isolation is not great, equally they feel flimsy, especially at their ear cup joints. On the whole though, these are excellent headphones and perhaps one of the best studio headphones you can find in their price range.
Read the full review below for the details.
Our Rating (Studio Use): 8.8/10
Our Rating (Music Listening): 8.6/10
AKG K371 Review: Overview
Pros
- Great clarity and clean bass.
- Comfortable and light.
- Detachable cable.
Cons
- Flimsy ear cup connectors.
- Noise Isolation.
Who are the AKG K371 for?
I would recommend these headphones for anyone looking for an audiophile-grade, neutral, clear sound. They don’t have any bells or whistles. What you hear is what you get. And what you hear is good!
Who are the AKG K371 not for?
On the flip side, unless you are specifically looking for neutral-sounding headphones then these may not be for you. Most modern headphones amplify certain frequencies, especially in the bass, and it means that more balanced headphones like these can sound dull if it’s not explicitly what you’re looking for.
Design and Comfort
The headphones have a lightweight construction and as a result they’re very comfortable to wear. The stock ear pads are cool to the touch and also comfortable, though the resulting con is that they also seem delicate and easy to rip. That said, over the three years I’ve owned them they have only developed a few small nicks in the ear pads, and that’s not so bad.
One of the biggest downsides is the connectors that attach the ear cups to the headband. They seem flimsy and easy to break. Looking at some other reviews online, this does seem to be the case and a few customers have had issues with the ear cup connectors snapping. That said, it has not been an issue for my unit, it’s just a case of being extra careful with them. I think I would be a little wary of throwing them in a bag, but for studio headphones like these you probably don’t intend on carrying them in a backpack often anyway.
One benefit of the button ear cup connectors is that they allow the headphones to fold, the ear cups swivel to point upwards which is useful if you are planning on carrying them somewhere with you.
The headband is good quality and lined with a similar material to the earcups. It’s a cool, lightweight material that keeps your head from getting warm. The amount of padding is a nice balance between keeping them light and feeling like your head is supported.
On the whole, these are some of the most comfortable headphones I’ve used and they’re easy to wear for hours.
Three different cables to choose from
The AKG K371 feature a detachable mini XLR cable. In fact, they come with three different cables. You get 1m, 3m and 3m coiled cables which have you covered for most use cases. The bright side is that if your cable breaks, it’s easy to get a new one.
Using the AKG K371 In the Studio
As a guitarist, I also need to give some quick thoughts on their effectiveness in the studio. For a while they have been my go-to if I’m practising or recording. Their balanced sound gives you the harsh reality of the music you are playing and you’ll hear any mistakes fairly blatantly. This makes them great for critical recording where other headphones that colour the sound a bit more will give you a less true representation of the final product of the recording. As mentioned above, the ear pads feel relatively cool against the ears, and their lightweight design makes them a pleasure to wear for long practising or recording sessions.
Comparing these to the similarly priced Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro, which we review here, the K371 have a more balanced sound and are more comfortable, but you do lose the benefits of open back headphones.
Overall, these will work well for musicians.
Sound Quality
There’s a misconception that neutral sounding headphones sound “boring”. This couldn’t be further from the truth with the AKG K371. There’s also a trend among advertisements for headphones where they assure the reader that they will “hear sounds in their music they haven’t heard before”. Normally, this is an exaggeration. But with the K371 you actually do hear parts of your music you won’t have heard before. This is a testament to their balanced, clear sound.
As you may expect, sound quality is an area these headphones excel. They are wonderfully balanced and their biggest strength is their clarity, I can hear parts of music through these that sound muffled or non-existent with other headphones.
They have something of a “cold” sound to them, but that’s part of their appeal really, they aim to not colour the sound too much so you can hear the music as the artist recorded it.
Bass quality is very good, they sound punchy and vibrant where appropriate. Equally, the treble performance is clear and balanced.
They work well as headphones for gaming. I especially like them for shooters because their clarity ensures that weapons and effects sound raw and immersive. Racing games also complement them well for the same reason.
They make you realise how muddy some headphones sound due to their focus on over-emphasising bass.
AKG K371 Review: Overall Ratings
Comfort: 8.5/10
Features: 7.5/10
Sound Quality: 9/10
Our Rating (Studio Use): 8.8/10
Our Rating (Music Listening): 8.6/10
Overall, our long term review concludes that the AKG K371 provide audiophiles and musicians alike with a no-frills, all-sound listening experience. They excel in clarity and bass quality but fall a little short in their flimsy design.
Click here to visit AKG’s website to learn more about the K371.