Studio headphones are artworks. Or, that’s how most audiophiles think about them. They usually don’t allow for what we call audio-doctoring or any similar tweaks to ‘enhance’ the listening experience, but reproduce input audio with extreme honesty and neutrality. To put it differently, with studio headphones, what you hear is/must be what you get. Which is why, usually, when it comes to buying studio-quality professional headphones customers don’t necessarily make big compromises because they know pretty well that wrong choices can affect their work results, which means loss of revenue and goodwill.

This is especially true for sound and video editors, podcasters, music arrangers, dubbing artists and such. AKG, founded in Vienna in 1947, is a leading player in the global headphone market, especially in the studio segment. The AKG K245, introduced in India by Harman, claim to use the latest transducer and acoustic technologies to deliver great audio performance for musicians, engineers and producers who need superior accuracy.

Weighing 295 grams, the AKG K245 are over-ear, open-back headphones, which has a unique ergonomic design that makes it a comfortable fit on the ears. These foldable headphones are meant for studio mixing and Hi-Fi listening. They can be connected to most devices, from sound mixing systems to regular mobile phones. The AKG K245 has a detachable cable, which runs into 5 meters. The spiral cable has a tiny XLR plug that you can connect to the headphones. The K245 follows closely the legacy of its foldable cousins, the K175 and K275.

The open-back design makes the headphones ideal for sound editing and mixing tasks that require long listening hours. Why the open-backs? Because they allow air to flow go through the ear cups and in that process offers more room for sound. More importantly, the open-back structure helps you figure out instruments in the audio mix. The AKG K245 has a transducer size50 mm. For starters, transducers convert an electrical signal to a sound. The ear cups are wide and spacious and they cover the ears nice and comfy and cancels noise quite impressively. The earpads are replaceable. The headphones have a sensitivity of 109 dB SPL/V, which means the sound quality is at par with the industry standards. The headphones have a metal band that connect both the earpads from above which, covered with cushioned leather, can be stretched to make the headphones fit perfectly on your head.

This feature adds great levels of comfort and helps reduce stress on the temples, which is the bane of many similar headphones. The earpieces of the AKG K245 can turn 180 degrees, and that comes quite handy for audio editors and post-production workers who generally turn their heads a lot while working on the sound.

Accurate audio

Make no mistake, studio quality headphones are meant for accuracy. The more the merrier. On that cue, the AKG K245 offers a truly honest and near-accurate audio experience. If you are a sound editor or a video editor working with a post-production unit, especially with limited budgets, these headphones come quite useful for their price and quality output. The headphones offer a marvellous service while negotiating low sounds.

Every note gets detailed with naturality and truthfulness and this faculty becomes very useful while mixing background scores and similar sounds in a studio set up.

The noise-cancelling department is quite efficient here but there are moments when one gets a feeling that this could be improved further, especially when one wants to dedicate more attention to hushed tones and usual low sounds.

The basslines are delivered with skill and style, offering a rich, full audio experience. The treble is strong and sharp while negotiating lows and mids but becomes a little compromising while dealing with a high-pitched audio. Even if the sound is higher by a few decibels, the difference is very much audible. So, at times one gets a sense that the output becomes a little compact.

That said, the sound quality is crisp while playing music and interviews. Usually, this is an area where such open headphones tend to struggle.

The headphones respond to frequencies ranging from 15 Hz to 25 kHz, which is quite impressive as it offers the customer a good and wide audio spectrum, enhancing the listening experience significantly. This becomes evident while playing natural sounds or back ground music.

But here the unique design helps the AKG K245, which gives a lot of attention to detail. In sum, the AKG K245 offers a sound that feels natural, detailed and accurate. It does not improve audio quality artificially and doesn’t bother to deliver a faux audio experience like many usual headphones, which makes it a great companion for a professional looking for affordable headphones.

QUICK FACTS

Price: ₹15,833

Pros: Great bass, superb design, comfortable pads, clean audio, wide frequency, good bass reproduction

Cons: No wireless, high decibel audio struggles, lows feel shrunk at times

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