AKG K514 MKII Headphone Review

AKG K514 MKII Headphone Review

Seriously loving the look of the AKG K514 MKII. This one scores a lot of points in the aesthetics department.

REVIEW: AKG K514 MKII Headphone

We’ve been using the AKG K514 MKII headphone for the last two weeks now and we’re pretty much impressed with the performance. There are a few quirks but over-all this is a pretty solid pair of cans that’s definitely worth more than what you’re paying for it (which is always a good thing). The AKG K514 MKII not only delivers well on the mid-range and the detail of the acoustics, but it’s also very comfortable to wear making it ideal for long listening sessions.

(Note: If you haven’t read our hands-on about the MKII yet, click here. After reading that go down and check out our full review.)

For this review our audio sources or music players were a MacBook Pro (2012 model), Samsung Galaxy S3, and an iPod Nano (6th Generation). We tried both amped (FiiO E11) an un-amped.

It looks good and it’s very comfortable to wear

First let me just talk about how beautifully made this thing is. The AKG M514 MKII is probably the best looking headphone that AKG has ever shipped. The white, gray, and silver colors just blend effortlessly into one another making it very stylish and expensive-looking (lol). I’m sure the color scheme will appeal the most to Apple fans though (the whites says it all, lol).

Retro headband look. My personal favorite headband design.
Very comfy ear pads!

Went it comes to the build, AKG decided to go with a more retro design. You have a sturdy plastic headband that’s supported with a padded strip to prevent your head from touching the plastic. There’s no mechanism what retracts or extends the ear cups but the headband is flexible and elastic which lets the headphone adjust to the size of your head (really cool feature).

The ear pads are soft and adjusts easily to the shape of your ears. The K514 MKII is also lightweight, weighing in at just 109 grams, which means longer listening sessions due to less on-ear and on-head fatigue.

The ridiculously long cable is annoying

If there’s one thing I hate about the AKG K514 MKII, it’s the cable. It’s so long at 3 meters! I had a hard time using this while on the go since I had to find a way to clip or wind the cable. Maybe AKG wanted this product more in the office or in the living room where you connect it with your laptop? Stationary listening sessions are nice but most people probably listen to their music while they are mobile.

Blargh for the cables. “Blargh”. What a word. Lol.

The AKG K514 MKII is good for most music but excels in songs that focus on the mids

When it comes to the sound, the K514 MKII stays true to the AKG signature: natural, airy, and detailed. It’s very balanced making it good for most generes but it’s outstanding when it comes to the midrange. With the AKG K514 MKII you get a very clear and rich sound quality making it ideal for listening to tracks that are acoustic, pop, rock, alternative, jazz, and blues. I’m talking about songs from artists like Jason Mraz, Maroon 5, Hugh Laurie, Adele, Gotye, Incubus, James Morison, and the Script. If you love music from artists like them then the K514 MKII is right up your alley!

Listening to Train

What about the bass? It’s there but not overwhelmingly there. It will definitely not please bassheads but good sound is not just about having a lot of bass. In fact I personally detest artificially bassed-up headphones to the point that the booms drown out the rest of the track. Balance is good and the MKII delivers in that aspect.

Over-all performance > how much you’re paying for this

Having reviewed dozens of headphones already I think I can say that the AKG K514 MKII is delivering more than what you’re paying for. It sells for Php4,590 but based on my experience the quality is more like it’s in the Php6,000-Php8,000 price range.

We highly recommend the AKG K514 MKII. 😀

Good job AKG!

PS: Join the AKG Philippines community by liking their Facebook Page.

Two thumbs up for the AKG K514 MKII!

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