Real owners lean toward the Grado SR80x: 60% of 55 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
“SR80x (120€ new) was my first audiophile headphone over two years ago. They were so good that within a week I returned them to upgrade to SR225x”— Hunter-97-G on Reddit
“Grado SR80s were my first decent pair of headphones too, and I still love them - still have them and listen to them something like 15 years later.”— srmd22 on Reddit
“Using chinese components. And a lot of glue... You'd think with all that American Engineering, we could not use Glue, and instead use... maybe screws?”— KaosC57 on Reddit