The AKG K371 is one of my favourite headphones. It was once one of the finest headphones I reviewed in 2021. Its sound signature sticks intently to the Harman acoustic goal, the results of a multi-year clinical find out about to make headphones sound outstanding. To these days, it’s one of the best-performing headphones available on the market in relation to sound replica at any worth.
I’ve been excited for the Bluetooth version since its announcement, however I’m relatively past due reviewing it as a result of…the entirety that’s took place within the final 12 months. This isn’t the primary notable try at a Bluetooth model of a vintage studio headphone; (*1*)that difference belongs to the M50XBT. However, there’s nonetheless quite a lot of room for the enduring sound of studio pairs within the wi-fi headphone global, and I had prime hopes that AKG would ship. After all, the economic design of the K361 and K371 already regarded love it was once secretly made for a Bluetooth headphone when in comparison to different well-liked fashions.
The K371-BT assists in keeping necessarily the entirety that makes the unique model nice, however then throws in lots of puzzling adjustments and tweaks that really feel like they got here from a distinct design workforce.
I purchased the pair reviewed right here with my very own cash. None of the hyperlinks on this piece are associate hyperlinks, as (*4*)I don’t assume the ones have anyplace in evaluations.
At a value of $179 ((*5*)professional website online right here), the K371-BT is available in at simply thirty greenbacks greater than its stressed cousin. That’s an effective way to begin, because the marketplace same old “Bluetooth Tax” is generally $50-$100. In the field, you get the headphones, a pleasing sporting bag, a 6.3mm adapter, and three aux cables with a 4-pin mini-XLR plug on one finish and a threaded 3.5mm connector at the different. Both a 1.2m immediately and coiled cable are incorporated, along a 3m immediately cable. Rounding out the package deal is a micro-USB charging cable, which appears like a misplaced relic from the previous taking into account how ubiquitous USB-C now’s.
If you click on via to that professional web page above and scroll round, you could understand that there’s a quote from (*6*)my authentic K371 overview proven in one of the picture carousels. I gained no reimbursement for this quote, and actually, AKG didn’t even succeed in out to let me know that they had been going to make use of it. I came upon I used to be quoted there whilst doing analysis for this overview. It’s somewhat atypical that they might quote my overview of the stressed model at the web page for the wi-fi pair.
Anyway, the package deal of incorporated extras mimics the set incorporated with the stressed model, and that is nice. The M50XBT is the nearest competitor to this pair, and it comes with fewer cables than its stressed counterpart, and a fifty greenback same old worth top class.
With the promoting promise that the K371BT’s titanium-coated drivers are tuned to the similar Harman goal because the stressed model, a 40 hour rated battery lifestyles, and any such small upcharge, the Bluetooth fashion must be the most obvious selection proper?
Not so rapid.
The K371-BT is certainly tuned to the similar superior sound signature because the stressed fashion, and it sounds most commonly the similar…when utilized in stressed mode. It has a easy and punchy bass reaction that’s correct to the supply, a phenomenal midrange, blank fatigue-free treble, and bold imaging and soundstage for a closed pair.
In Bluetooth mode, issues take a small step backwards, by way of about ten % or so. The general sound is a slightly extra muddy and heat, and the highs are rather less blank. It’s no longer an enormous distinction. There’s no longer a dramatic quantity of EQ occurring or anything else. But it’s a noticeable distinction when you concentrate back-to-back.
They sound slightly higher than the M50XBT, and similar to the (*3*)$199 Razer Opus. If you compelled me to select between the stressed and wi-fi K371 fashions, I’d pick out the stressed model for uncooked sound high quality…and for various different causes, too.
This is the place issues begin to come crashing down for the K371-BT, and the place I begin to die somewhat within as a result of those issues are so foolish.
The ear cups at the 371-BT are about five millimeters thicker than the ones at the stressed fashion. You can see this glaring additional thickness by way of taking a look on the flat a part of the body simply past the place the pad attaches to the cup. Presumably, this additional thickness is helping the 371-BT include its Bluetooth antenna, amplifier, USB port, and bold battery.
No try was once made to tweak the profile of the scarf to account for this additional thickness. Instead, the engineers at AKG simply shaved a couple of millimeters off the thickness of the ear pad foam. The result’s a headphone that matches roughly the similar on my head because the stressed fashion…however has much less room within the ear pads for my ears.
I perceive those had been more than likely made with a design function to re-use as many portions from the stressed fashion as imaginable, however it is a baffling alternate and it just about ruins the headphones. The K371-BT has a powerful clamping drive similar to its stressed cousin. This implies that for the primary a number of days of wear and tear, the onerous again plate within the ear cups squished into my ears.
This was once borderline insupportable, inflicting notable ache in my ears after about an hour of use. After a couple of days, the clamp did loosen, and now I will be able to put on them for longer classes…however the again of the ear cup remains to be a relentless presence upon the again fringe of my ear. The padding itself remains to be a pleasing reminiscence foam that seals decently round my glasses, however getting a relaxed have compatibility calls for numerous cautious twiddling with its place to take a look at and reduce the force at the again of my ear whilst nonetheless protecting a just right seal.
I don’t have this drawback with the stressed model. The pads are thick sufficient that it was once relaxed from day one, and remained so through the years. Further, the BT model could also be heavier than the stressed fashion because of the battery and Bluetooth parts. AKG did reputedly fairly thicken the scarf padding to catch up on this, which means I now put on those with three additional clicks of adjustment as an alternative of four at the stressed pair.
I’m baffled that those thinner ear pads were given via any kind of checking out. I want that AKG had discovered a strategy to re-use the unique pads, or sprung for a fairly wider scarf to catch up on the broader cups. Sacrificing ear area was once the worst strategy to deal with this, in my view.
Aside from the thicker ear cups and thinner pads, the construct is most commonly just like the stressed K371. It makes use of the similar style-headphone-inspired visible design, with skinny contours and fundamental branding. The leatherette subject matter around the best of the scarf is far softer to touch than the stressed model, which is an useless additional coupled with a fabrics value that I want were dedicated to pad foam as an alternative.
The steel ear cup helps nonetheless really feel tremendous, and the similar ratcheted hinge device is again as neatly. The adjustment sliders on my pair are stiffer than my stressed model, which is just right as a result of that turns out like a very simple level of failure. The matte end of the ear cups turns out at risk of scratches and mud, and the scarf pad nonetheless additionally selections up hair and mud the instant you have a look at it.
Some other people have had construct problems with this headphone circle of relatives. Notably, Youtuber Wheezy Reviews went via five stressed pairs to get a just right one. Then, he controlled to get a K371-BT with a busted motive force. Both the ones movies are value looking at if you need a distinct viewpoint on those, and whilst I’m relieved that I haven’t for my part had the ones problems, it’s more than likely just right to shop for those from a spot with a go back coverage if making a decision to move for it.
The identical baffling spirit that result in thinner pads returns in most of the new sides of the design for this wi-fi fashion. The mini XLR port for stressed connections is a 4-pin variant, versus the 3-pin port at the stressed model. This serves no actual goal instead of making the two units of cables incompatible and worsening me. With no obvious make stronger for balanced audio, there’s 0 explanation why for the K371-BT to make use of a 4-pin XLR jack. Were they simply seeking to frustrate customers who additionally owned the stressed model? Did they find a bunch of 4-pin ports in a warehouse and wish to blow via them? I don’t perceive this.
From the similar bin of questionable design comes everybody’s “favourite” function: contact controls. The AKG brand at the again of the left ear cup is a slightly pad. You can swipe up and down for quantity, left and proper for observe variety, and double-tap to play and pause. These paintings proper about 90 % of the time, and are simply laggy sufficient to really feel unsatisfying. The most effective different regulate is an influence transfer that still auto- turns on Bluetooth pairing. There’s no strategy to drive it to disconnect out of your present instrument at the headphone aspect, and no make stronger for a couple of instrument connections. If you have got Bluetooth mode on and plug in an aux cable, the headphones energy off.
On the plus aspect, the inclusion of Bluetooth 5 manner those have an excellent wi-fi vary. I will be able to stroll 40 toes away with a couple of partitions between myself and my instrument and the relationship remains solid. That’s an excellent feat in my rental, taking into account it’s stuffed with wi-fi interference.
Battery lifestyles could also be very good, and the 40 hour score turns out proper in my assessments, listening at round 55 % quantity. Recharging takes a couple of hours over micro USB, which is sufficient time so that you can marvel why this pair of headphones makes use of micro USB.
As within the above classes, all of it falls down slightly on nearer inspection. The Bluetooth connection most effective helps SBC and AAC formats, which might be tremendous if those had been higher tuned in wi-fi mode. The M50XBT gives AptX make stronger, which supplies upper high quality audio and higher latency.
The incorporated microphone is somewhat too quiet and thin-sounding to be helpful out of doors of a quiet room. I needed to communicate at a noisy almost-shouty quantity for any individual at the different finish of a telephone name to listen to me very easily. There’s no strategy to regulate mic quantity or sensitivity. The AKG K371-BT has no app make stronger of any type on cellular units, so there’s no EQ changes or simple get entry to to long run firmware updates. Those are an increasing number of same old in Bluetooth headphones from a large number of different corporations.
The AKG K371-BT takes the similar beautiful-sounding speaker drivers from the unique stressed pair and surrounds them with a fairly worse headphone that fails to are living as much as fashionable requirements for options and luxury. It has thinner pads, iffy contact controls, fundamental Bluetooth make stronger, no app, and an unusual 4-pin XLR connector jack for no explanation why in any respect.
I nonetheless love how they sound, and I don’t hate dressed in them once they stretched out, however I will be able to’t recall to mind a unmarried explanation why to suggest them over the stressed version, even with the small and truthful worth top class. They’re somewhat bit worse-sounding and worse-feeling to put on, and so they value extra. Is Bluetooth make stronger value those adjustments? No.
The M50XBT gives a extra time-tested have compatibility and a body that has all kinds of o.e.m pads to be had, along higher Bluetooth options and a extra not unusual cable connection. The Razer Opus gives equivalent sound efficiency, great noise cancelling, and a far comfier have compatibility out of the field for simply twenty greenbacks extra.
The AKG K371-BT proves simply how necessary each and every small side of a headphone’s design is, and why it’s no longer all the time sufficient to have peerless audio high quality. If AKG ever takes a Mod at updating it, I’ll be there day one. Their core sound signature remains to be more than likely my non-public favourite I’ve heard in headphones of any worth, and that shines via as a proud success even in those disappointing headphones.