50% of 80 verified owners recommend the K712 Pro, based on real owner verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube.
The headline score reflects owners (Reddit, enthusiast forums), independent lab tests, blogs with no affiliate links, and YouTube owner-comments when they line up with owners. is shown for perspective but kept out here — hover the i for why.
“the 712 fell way short with boosted bass that created a muddled midrange and a tepid soundstage not as pinpoint accurate and open as the other 7 series.”
“Recommendation for the AKG 712 Pro, and perhaps tryout the k702 earcups for more detailed sound and wider soundstage.”
“Yeah these headphone are just made to enjoy the music instead of critical listening. When you turn the volume up you try to get more detail out of them but you don't get it.”
“I find the soundstage to be too distant which makes it hard to pinpoint faint sounds (CS:GO). I like them for some music although they fatigue me a bit.”
“I keep coming back to them frequently as I love their weight, fit and sound, especially for mixing music.”
“There’s a hole in the mids and the treble is too much for me. Otherwise I’d call it a warm headphone”
“I gave up on my K712Pros. I felt the soundstage was unnaturally large and imaging was “meh”.”
“The bass on the 712 is perfect, dunno why you would wanna change it, especially in comparison to the 702.”
“Man i liked them too but they fucken broke randomly adter like 2 years along with my amp, just completely blew out the left side somehow”
“It's a similar sounding headphone except it does pretty much everything a little better.”
“I like the sound of the AKGs but ended up giving them to my wife because they slide down my ears and get uncomfortable over time.”
“I have a pair of k712 and none of the people that heard them found them too bright (including myself).”
“as an owner of the K712 Pro, it is one of the best headphones for gaming the soundstage is incredible”
“These only sound good for a couple of genres and were decent for its time, but aren't really anything by modern standards.”
“The AKGs are not one of them--very hard to distinguish where sounds are coming from.”
“The sound is just so much clearer and precise, and I can pump it to ear shattering levels. SO PUMPED.”
“I had the same experience with K712, ordered and tried twice only to return them.”
“I don't think the K712s are bad, but they're very different from any other AKG headphone”
“Also I didn’t even like them for the price I got them for honestly.”
“I was a little bit disappointed because they sounded far from classic Austrian K701.”
“Otherwise great headphones! Excellent for gaming and watching movies (ofc music as well).”
“712 is very colored so only works with some music or gaming rather than everything”
“I loved the K712 Pro when I had it. It is by far my favorite headphone at that price.”
“It also lacked some of the openness and detail of the 701 imo.”
Practical notes owners raise — setup, quirks, and issues to watch for. They don't say whether the person likes the product, so they're not counted in the score, but they inform the pros, cons, and who it's for.
“Leather straps almost always have to be worn in. They'll soften up over time and adjust to your heads shape. Had hotspot problems with mine before but those were gone after 2 weeks”
“For whatever reason, Chinese scammers have figured out the K712 specifically. There are a few sellers on eBay that have sold like a hundred of them. Well below regular used price too.”
“I've had them for just 2 hours. I need more time to write a review. I also have K371, HD599, Superlux HD681 Evo. Also listened to K712 Pro and HD6xx. Shoot questions if you have any.”
“Dude, those headphones requires a lot of power, and I mean A LOT. I cannot imagine how does that little thing pushes them. I don't have issues with bt, but the power... That only works for iem.”
“Thinking of returning them for a K712, but haven't given them a try yet. Interested to know how good the K712 are for competitive FPS gaming and some rock, jazz, pop, funk, and hip-hop. Thanks!”
“Normally I'd recommend Tanchjim Space as an alternative, but I think K712 Pro could use the extra power. At least if you're going to 110dB (some kind of elaborate EQ. I don't think K712 will need that.”
“A dac/amp might change the sound a bit, but it ain't gonna be worth the price. But they're nice to have actually, as you can upgrade to a better headphone without worrying about getting a new dac/amp later”
“As mentioned in other comments, the usual suspects from Schiit's budget-friendly selection are a good start: Amplifiers: Schiit Magni 2 or Schiit Vali 2 DAC: Schiit Modi 2 As for products not made by Schiit,…”
“Sounds like a k712 with slightly worse resolution and wayyy better tuning. The resolution is still better than the dt 990. Headphones don't have resolution, there's no equivalent of pixel density for soundwaves.”
“My unit is from 2013 and was made in Austria so maybe the manufacturing changed a bit in the meantime, but here are some comparison shots 1 2 3 4”
“Or I just remove the cord and it's perfectly presentable on the stand. I got the K&M stand from Sweetwater. Coincidence, I also have the HD660S2 and they fit on the stand with plenty of clearance on the stock cable.”
“I'm also trying to find a better place to put the FiiO, yet keep a clean look, since it rubs up against the K712's fragile-looking elastic bands.”
“Afaik those plastic pieces aren't very easily replaceable, but I'll be very happy if I'm wrong about that haha I think I'm going to go with the Focal Celestee deal I found. They just seem like a lot of value at 70% off”
“Yeah I would not recommend the fulla 2 or any USB only powered dongle for the insensitive, current hungry AKGs. Makes them sound thin and lacking in body/fullness and overall extension when not driven to their potential.”
“lots of threads I've read over the years say not to hang them on a stand resting on the leather band Was just about to reply with the same tip. I've had mine for many years now, but the elastic bands were pretty warn within a year or two.”
“Heard the k712 got a good sound profile for gaming n stuff. Tried them there yet? (In regards to footsteps etc)”
“Personally I find the cłamp force is just enough for me on the K712, maybe it's the geekria pads I've got tho.”
“I may have noted this in my review but I had a beer too much to check it, but the cord doesn't really bother me. It's a bit inconvenient on mobile use, but since my PC is on the ground, the cord is long enough to reach me and for me to move/look around.”
“*by it can "barely drive them properly" I mean that it does makes them sound proper, but it's close.”
“Than you for your comment, it really does help me make my choice! I heard about this wierd timber, but i dont know if it is a pro or con (probably a con). Do you have any other opinion about them, or this wierd, unneutral sound was enough to you to not use them?”
“k712 is extremely flat. hd 650s are much more musical, pretty much harman-curved with lean subbass”
“In fact, I was thinking to make a balanced mode on K712 PRO. However, I heard mixed bag opinions. Some benefit from it, others say that in most cases it's not worth the hassle. Anyway, as I understand, the major advantage is possibility to throw more power at them.”
“For what it's worth you can simply replace the suspension threads very easily with any elastic bands you want. The trick is to run them between the lower rung on the band and the cups in a way that will make them stay put. Here's a pic of my K701 to see what I mean.”
“Duuuuude. I am all for blind testing. But they are soooo different. The AKG is also like 10 times wider. I could instantly tell just based on that. Also, I can feel which one I'm wearing from the pads. Have you ever actually owned and EQed two headphones to the same target?”