AKG K702

Similar to the K712 Pro, which cost almost twice as much, the K702 were designed and engineered in Austria. However, unlike the K712 Pro, the K702 were manufactured in China to highlight their low price. Both models feature AKG's patented flat-wire voice coil, which delivers a more linear performance and increased responsiveness from 10 to 39,800 Hz. At 290 grams, the K702s were 10 grams lighter than the K712 Pros, though neither model weighed the promised 235 grams as stated on the packaging and in online reviews. I suppose nobody had taken the time to weigh them again once they were in production. The pictures show the K702s with protective plastic foil around their edges because I had decided to return them to the dealer by the time I took the photos.

Both pairs of headphones had the same open design and offered an extended frequency range and a spacious, airy sound thanks to AKG’s patented two-layer diaphragm. The K712 came with one spiralled and one straight orange cord, whereas the K702 came with a single straight black cord. The mini-XLR connectors were the same on both units. This made it easier for me to switch between the two models during my listening tests. They also had different colour schemes, with the K702 coming in silver and black and the K712 Pro in orange and black. At first, I preferred the silver design, as it looked more solid, but when I held them in my hands and realised that almost all of the parts were made of coloured plastic, I felt the orange design was more sincere.

It was interesting to read that both units came with pre-selected and matched transducers for improved consistency and that each pair of headphones had been individually tested and numbered to ensure high quality after production. It seemed that my K712 Pro had been returned by a previous customer before reaching me, as the warranty instructions were no longer in their original plastic sachet, and the protective seals around the earpieces had been removed. Neither pair of headphones seemed designed to stand the test of time, because the materials used were relatively thin and fragile. AKG was no different in this respect to other companies, a trend I still find difficult to acknowledge. Some customer reviews online had already suggested that there could be issues with individual channels losing their connection. Another complaint was about the audible feedback from the removable plug and cord brushing against clothing. While it is true that touching and rubbing the cable produces an unpleasant sound, I had no problem keeping it away from my clothes and shoulders.

When they first came out at the end of 2008, the K702s received excellent reviews in the press for their highly revealing, transparent sound and excellent dynamics. Considering their entry-level price, I would agree with AKG that these are excellent headphones that would be useful for precision listening, mixing and mastering. Their sound was light and agile, picking up lots of transients and ambient noise. Perhaps this came at the cost of losing some of the lower frequencies in music. It is relatively easy for equipment to sound revealing as long as the lower aspects of the frequency band are omitted from the equation. If the eardrums are not too busy following bass lines, there is more room for them to pick up detail at the top end. It's like a magic trick, given that each of us only has a single eardrum per channel.

It was not easy to compare bass lines to natural instruments with either of the two headphones. The K712 Pro compensated for the loss of bass from their open-back design by boosting lower-end frequencies by 3 dB. However, this was not entirely natural or accurate, as the bass extension from loudspeakers comes from room interaction and the overlapping of frequencies — effects that are practically non-existent with open headphones. However, I took issue with the 'non-existent bass' of open headphone designs being described as 'honest', because it was largely due to the phenomenon of bass drop-off on open headphones — an issue that needed to be addressed. From my experience with our Canton Vento 890 DC loudspeakers many years earlier, I knew that overly accentuated highs and recessed lows, while perhaps interesting and exciting at first, could permanently spoil the listening experience.

And this was also the main reason for my decision to keep the more balanced K712 Pro headphones and to send back the bargain-priced K702 to the dealer. Yes, I could hear that the additional bass on the K712 Pros made them sound slightly less revealing, with thicker vocals. However, I appreciated this weightier sound for being more balanced and rounded. It more closely resembled the sounds captured in all our speaker recordings and came closer to my understanding of live music. This is not to say that the K702s reproduced vocals incorrectly. Singers simply sounded as if they had lost a few pounds in weight. For listeners who enjoy an abundance of detail and a more penetrating presentation, the K702 will surely be the better choice.

AKG Company History

The Akustische und Kino-Geräte Gesellschaft m.b.H. was founded by Rudolf Hörige and Ernest Pless in Vienna, Austria in 1947. Rudolf was a physicist, and Ernst Pless was an engineer. The two men grouped their understanding of materials and mechanics to create loudspeakers, film projectors, and light meters. With the growing demand for media applications, AKG’s first microphone was used by Austrian radio stations, theatres, and Jazz clubs.

AKG achieved an international reputation for building excellent microphones with the launch of their D12 in 1953. This was far ahead of its time, and subsequent updates served to maintain its position. AKG also produced turntable cartridges during the 1970s and 80s.

The company established an American subsidiary in Los Angeles in 1985 and was taken over by the Harman group in 1994, which also operates Crown Audio. In 2017 the company facilities in Vienna (headquarters, manufacturing and engineering) were closed with most of Harman’s production facilities having been relocated to low-cost countries. At the time of writing this, Harman with its many brands is owned by the Korean conglomerate Samsung.

Specifications

• Driver type: patented 2-layer diaphragm, dynamic
• Design: over-ear, open
• Frequency range: 10 - 39.800 Hz
• Nominal impedance: 62 Ohms
• Sensitivity: 105 dB (1mWatt, 1.000 Hz)
• Power rating: 200 mWatts, max.
• Cables: 1x straight
• Connector: detachable via mini-XLR
• Cable length(s): 3m
• Plugs: 3.5mm + 6.3 mm jack
• Place of manufacture: China
• Weight: 290g (without cable)
• Year: 2008 - 2021

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