Audio review
AKG K371 Review: The Pair You Get May Not Match the Pair Reviewed
Sonarworks measured up to ±4 dB of channel imbalance and ±3 dB of bass variation between units. That is a bigger difference than most of the arguments about how it sounds.
By Paulo GerchonPublished 2 min read
Illustration, not a photo — we don’t have a licensed image of this product yet.
AKG
AKG K371
Good · researched from 3 sources
Comfortable, close to neutral, and cheap enough to be an obvious first closed-back for anyone. Just do not treat the measurements you read as a guarantee, because one lab found the pairs vary enough between units to matter.
- Buy if
- Long sessions, on a comfort score of 9.0 and class-leading assessments · General listening across genres, on a broadly neutral tuning · Anyone who wants a closed-back that any device can drive
- Skip if
- Professional mixing, on Sonarworks' explicit finding · Noisy environments, given isolation scored 4.0 out of 10 · Anyone who expects to replace worn pads later
We don’t list prices, because Amazon’s change hourly.
The finding that explains the other findings
SoundGuys measured a response closely following their preference curve. Headphone Check measured no emphasised peaks anywhere. Sonarworks measured a treble boost that makes the sound bright.
Sonarworks also measured multiple pairs, and that is where it gets interesting: roughly ±3 dB of variation in bass between units, and channel imbalance reaching ±4 dB on some pairs.
Three decibels of bass is not a subtlety. It is the difference between a headphone that sounds neutral and one that sounds warm, and it means all three reviews above may be accurate descriptions of different physical objects sold under the same name.
That is a more useful thing to know than any single frequency response chart.
And it decides whether you can work on them
Sonarworks' verdict is that these are not suitable for professional mixing or mastering, and their reasoning is consistency rather than tuning: poor adaptiveness, meaning the response shifts with head position and between listeners, and channel imbalance undermining stereo imaging.
Headphone Check recommends them for recording studios.
If the decisions you make on these matter to someone else, the cautious position is the right one.
What everyone agrees on
Comfort. SoundGuys scored it 9.0 out of 10, crediting soft memory foam pads and even pressure distribution across the headband, and specifically notes they work well with glasses. Sonarworks calls it class leading. Headphone Check describes oval cups that accommodate larger ears.
For a closed-back headphone at this price, that is genuinely unusual, and it is the single strongest argument for buying them.
The cost is heat. Both SoundGuys and Sonarworks note the closed design builds up warmth over a long session, which is physics rather than a fault.
The isolation is the price of the comfort
SoundGuys scored isolation 4.0 out of 10, and their explanation joins the two findings: the pads are not very dense and the clamping force is light. That is exactly what makes them comfortable, and exactly why they do not seal.
They also leak outward, so tracking next to an open microphone is out and so is a quiet shared office.
The pads are not replaceable
Headphone Check asked AKG and reports that no replacement ear pads are available.
Pads are the first part of any headphone to wear, usually inside a couple of years of daily use. On a headphone whose defining quality is how it feels, that is a real limitation.
Set against the Sennheiser HD 600 elsewhere in this catalogue, where every part except the drivers is user-replaceable, it is a very different proposition for long-term ownership.
The practical details
34.9 ohms and 104 dB of sensitivity, so a phone drives them properly. Three cables in the box, four foot straight, ten foot straight and coiled, plus a quarter-inch adapter and a pouch.
Earcups rotate 180 degrees and the headphones fold, which makes them more portable than most studio designs, if bulkier than something built for a bag.
How it scored
The overall 7.8 is the weighted average of these five criteria — we never adjust it by hand.
Sound quality
SoundGuys says the response closely follows their preference curve. Headphone Check calls it neutral with no emphasised peaks. Sonarworks measures a treble boost that makes it bright.
Value
Headphone Check scored 4.75 out of 5 and SoundGuys 7.3 out of 10. Sonarworks is the outlier at 6.1 without calibration.
Build quality
Mostly plastic with metal reinforcement and magnesite axles. Headphone Check reports AKG support saying no replacement ear pads are available.
Comfort
SoundGuys scored comfort 9.0 out of 10 and notes it works well with glasses. Sonarworks calls it class-leading. Both note the closed design traps heat.
Isolation
SoundGuys scored isolation 4.0 out of 10, blaming ear pads that are not very dense and light clamping force, and reports sound leaking out as well as in.
Pros and cons
What we liked
- SoundGuys says the response closely follows their headphone preference curve
- SoundGuys scored comfort 9.0 out of 10 and says it works well with glasses
- Three cables supplied, straight short, straight long and coiled, plus an adapter
- Earcups rotate 180 degrees and the headphones fold
- Sonarworks measured low harmonic distortion at sensible listening levels
- 34.9 ohms and 104 dB sensitivity, so anything drives them
What we didn’t
- Sonarworks measured up to ±4 dB of channel imbalance between units
- Sonarworks measured about ±3 dB of bass variation across pairs
- Headphone Check reports AKG saying no replacement ear pads are available
- SoundGuys scored isolation 4.0 out of 10 and reports audible leakage
- Sonarworks does not recommend them for professional mixing
- Both SoundGuys and Sonarworks note heat build-up under the closed cups
Specifications
| Type | Closed-back, over-ear |
|---|---|
| Impedance | 32 ohms nominal; 34.9 ohms measured by Headphone Check |
| Sensitivity | 104.04 dB SPL per Headphone Check |
| Drivers | 50 mm, titanium coated |
| Weight | 255 g per SoundGuys; 257 g without cable per Headphone Check |
| Isolation | 4.0 out of 10 per SoundGuys |
| Cables | Four foot straight, ten foot straight and coiled, plus a quarter-inch adapter |
| Folding | Yes, with earcups rotating 180 degrees |
| Ear pads | No replacements available per AKG support, reported by Headphone Check |
How we researched this
We have not had this unit on the bench. This review synthesises the manufacturer’s published specifications, independent measurements and owner reports listed below. Every figure on this page comes from one of those sources rather than our own measurement.
3
sources reviewed
SoundGuys supplies the frequency response finding against their preference curve, the isolation and comfort scores, the weight and the accessory list, and scored 7.3 out of 10. Headphone Check supplies the measured impedance and sensitivity, the driver detail, the weights and the finding about replacement pads, and scored 4.75 out of 5. Sonarworks measured multiple pairs and supplies the unit-to-unit variance figures, the channel balance finding, the distortion assessment and the verdict against professional use, scoring 6.1 out of 10 uncalibrated. The three disagree about brightness, and Sonarworks' variance finding is a likely explanation, which the FAQ sets out.
What we read
Common questions
Do all AKG K371 sound the same?
Is the tuning neutral or bright?
Can I mix on them?
How much noise do they block?
What happens when the pads wear out?
The bottom line on the AKG K371
Comfortable, close to neutral, and cheap enough to be an obvious first closed-back for anyone. Just do not treat the measurements you read as a guarantee, because one lab found the pairs vary enough between units to matter.
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