The EM Poll

AKG K 271 Studio

Sep 1, 2003 12:00 PM, By Michael Cooper

           

AKG's remarkable new K 271 Studio ($249) headphones have a closed-back design that isolates your ears from ambient noise and prevents bleed into nearby microphones. This makes the K 271 Studio an excellent choice for recording-studio, DJ, and broadcast applications.

The versatile AKG K 271 Studio headphones are designed for use in studio, stage, broadcast, and DJ applications.

Mixing and mastering engineers will appreciate the K 271's extended frequency response, cited to be 16 Hz to 28 kHz. However, no tolerances are given for this specification, because the exact performance depends on how tightly the headphones seal to the listener's head, among other considerations.

A switch in the unit's headband mutes the audio when you remove the K 271 from your head completely, providing additional insurance against unwanted bleed into mics. Singers will be happy to know that you can still wear one headphone cup over an ear and place the other cup against the back of your head without the mute switch engaging.

AKG is so confident in the K 271 Studio's durability that it provides a generous two-year parts-and-labor warranty and promotes the headphones for stage use. The K 271 Studio's 3-meter cable, which uses a locking mini-XLR to connect to the earpiece, is detachable for easy replacement in the field. The cable uses 99.99 percent oxygen-free copper wiring and features gold-plated plugs at both ends. I especially liked that these headphones come ready for use with both pro and consumer gear: the supplied, gold-plated ⅛-inch-stereo-female-to-¼-inch-stereo-male adapter screws onto the cable's stereo miniplug connector, making it compatible with professional TRS headphone-amp outputs.

Without the cable, the K 271 Studio weighs only 8.5 ounces. It was designed with comfort in mind: the self-adjusting leatherette headband and gimbal-type earcup suspension help the headphones hug your ears securely without making you feel like your head is in a vise.

The Sound of Music

Like the other headphones in AKG's Professional Studio line, the K 271 Studio incorporates the company's new XXL transducers and patented Varimotion diaphragms. According to AKG, these diaphragms are thinner and more elastic near the outside perimeter and thicker in the center, and are therefore less prone to resonance. This design purportedly produces greater bass response, accurate mids, and detailed highs.

In fact, the K 271 Studio sounds fantastic, exhibiting phenomenal transient response, high-frequency detail, high- and low-frequency extension, midrange clarity, and excellent imaging. Listening to numerous mixes in a variety of styles through a Benchmark DAC-1 D/A converter — a DAC noteworthy for its well-defined bottom end — the K 271 Studio's reproduction was very tightly focused, crystal clear, and remarkably detailed.

Using the DAC-1, I also compared the K 271 Studio with my Audio-Technica ATH-M40fs headphones. AKG's cans offered more detailed highs, clearer mids and upper bass, and tighter overall bass. In contrast, the ATH-M40fs offered substantially louder — though not necessarily more extended — bass and a more midrangey sound. I wish the K 271 Studio offered a tad more level in the bass band, but only if this were possible without compromising the headphones' open and revealing quality. Nevertheless, the K 271 Studio has quickly become my favorite reference headphone set for mixing and mastering.

The K 271 Studio worked great in recording sessions, especially those involving delicate acoustic instruments and vocals. With a sensitivity rating of 91 dB SPL/mW, the K 271 Studio is louder than my Fostex T20 headphones but not nearly as loud as the ATH-M40fs. If you have a reasonably powerful headphone amp, the K 271 Studio should give you all the volume you need when tracking.

Music to My Ears

It's hard to find headphones that sound natural and unhyped and reveal the detail you need for critical applications. But these cans deliver. The AKG K 271 Studio is arguably the most versatile set of headphones in the company's Professional Studio line.

Although they are somewhat expensive, you definitely get what you pay for. If you're looking for a versatile, rugged, and comfortable set of headphones that sound outstanding, do yourself a favor and check out the K 271 Studio.

Overall EM Rating (1 through 5): 4.5

AKG Acoustics U.S.; tel. (615) 620-3800; email akgusa@harman.com; Web www.akgusa.com