Real owners lean toward the ATH-R70xa: 63% of 27 owners recommend it, vs 50% of 80 for the K712 Pro.
Verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube owner comments — affiliate reviews excluded. Sample sizes differ; judge accordingly. How we score
“I keep coming back to them frequently as I love their weight, fit and sound, especially for mixing music.”— _crackerjack73_ on Reddit
“Recommendation for the AKG 712 Pro, and perhaps tryout the k702 earcups for more detailed sound and wider soundstage.”— Bastelkorb on Reddit
“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.”— rajmahid on Reddit
“I listened to a bunch of highly rated headphones at the last CanJam in NYC and none of them made me want to upgrade from the R70xa.”— this_is_me_drunk on Reddit
“I got the r70xa as well, but had to get a new amp to give it more juice to make it sing. But man, being so light i hardly reach for my other cans now and using these as daily drivers.”— Waste_Search2125 on Reddit
“it has this really arfticial, unnatural sound to it that's neither analytic nor is it a smooth, rich entertaining sound”— Overall-Cupcake7073 on Reddit