Review: AKG K175 and AKG K245 foldable studio headphones

AKG by Harman is well known for high-quality audio hardware such as studio headphones and microphones. The K stands for almost all AKG headphones but in this article, we will have a look at the K175 and K245. These two headphones form part of the next line that has 3 headphones: K175, K245, and the K275.

Below is a short introduction to all three headphones.

K175: on-ear closed back studio headphone.

K245: over-ear open back studio headphone.

K275: over-ear closed back studio headphone.

For this review, we will now have a look at the K175 and K245.

Difference between the K175 and the K245

The main differences are the on-ear and over-ear design. If you like a smaller headphone that sits on your ear, then go for the K175. If you want a headphone that falls over your ears and sits on the sides of your head, then go for the K245.

Besides that, the big difference is closed and open back. In the K245 as shown in the picture below, you will see small holes in the headphone. This is to allow the speaker to be open and can give you a better idea of a mix, since it also picks up the vibe of the room. Closed headphones close your ears in a concealed area which is great for recording. The K175 is better for traveling since it’s a bit smaller and the closed back makes sure not all the audio is heard by people next to you or around you.

The K175 has a 40mm transducer and the K245 has a 50mm transducer. The K245 also delivers a wider frequency spectrum (15 – 25000 Hz) and the K245 (18 – 26000 Hz.) We personally love the K245 size as we find it more comfortable and open back gives us a better idea of the frequencies while mixing. But if you like to travel with your headphones, go for the K175. The K245’s are perfect for travelling as well since they are foldable, just like the K175.

Audio quality

All three headphones in this line deliver an outstanding natural and crisp sound. We compared the headphones with some other brands in the same price range such as Audio Technica and if we had to pick out of them all then AKG is definitely the winner! 

When using the K245 for mixing it’s easy to say that you can use this as reference monitors but then on the go. We would not replace reference monitors with headphones but pick both of them. But when you’re on the go and need an audio reference, this line is perfect.

The K245 gives us a bit more low-end in our opinion compared to the K175. Also, what we find is really important is if the audio is irritating your ears and makes them tired easily, since headphones can over-deliver sometimes in low-end or other frequency spectrums. We found that when we were mixing with both headphones for hours at a time, we had no problems at all! All three headphones have a very low impedance, which results in loud-output audio even on mobile devices. This makes the headphones even better for travelling. 

Very clean and uncolored sound is delivered from both of the headphones!

Build quality

The sound should be one of the main priorities for studio headphones. But we found the AKG was also very comfortable and solidly built. This design is built for only having the essentials and leaving all the other unnecessary things. It’s made from metal and has a leather wristband that is adjustable and fits accordingly with your head shape when putting on.

The foldable system is also something different from what we have previously used before. Normally you would see some kind of plastic click system. AKG have built a magnetic click which is part of the frame and pops back in when unfolding.

In general, a very solid headphone that can be your friend for years! Also, it is very comfortable and doesn’t become irritating if using for a couple of hours or on the go. We would love to see an extra straight cable or the included cable to be a bit longer. Of course, you can buy this afterwards, but it would be nice if it was included from the get-go. It also includes a mini-XLR to mini-jack cable. 

Conclusion

These are very interesting headphones that combine in the studio and on-the-go seamlessly! They are not very expensive, but still, offer a very good audio spectrum to mix and work with audio. Finally, they are built to last and both are very impressive bits of kit!

With both headphones, you cannot go wrong!