Review: AKG K511 Headphones

Sound Quality

The sound quality is decent considering their price, but I wasn’t very impressed with the high end of the frequency spectrum.

The highs are a little muted. They don’t sound as crisp as I would like and they get buried by the mids and lows. The overall effect of the lack of presence and clarity in the high end tends to make any music I play through these sound a little muffled, especially when put side by side with other headphones in their price range with better high end.

The mid range is decent. I found the mid range to sound fairly smooth and there weren’t any ugly resonant frequencies hitting my ears which I like. Vocal presence sounds ok, guitars come through fine, drums sound fine, but without a crispy high end the mids tend to sound a bit flat. The low end of the mids sound a bit boxy, but it’s not too bad, and it’s more noticeable on tracks with kick drums and bass guitars prominent in the mix.

The low end is clear but not very strong. The low end has decent clarity and I think the low end is my favorite part of these headphones. Kick drums and bass guitars have a decent presence but like I mentioned in the mids they can sound a bit boxy. Sub bass comes through well and it’s clear while not being overpowering.

The spaciousness and sound stage is ok. These are closed back headphones, so they can sound a little less spacious like most typically do. The sound field was well defined from left to right and it was easy to place various parts of mixes in the stereo field.

Clarity is lacking due to the somewhat muffled high end. The overall sound feels a little muted in the highs and as a result it negatively affects the overall clarity of any music I listened to. Cymbals and vocals especially sounded like they were missing some clarity and in the high end.

I wouldn’t recommend these for studio use. The detail and frequency spectrum representation isn’t good enough for mixing or analyzing your tracks. There are better options in this price range for studio use, such as the Audio-Technica ATH-M20X headphones.

Casual listeners might like these like these. If you don’t mind less presence and clarity in the highs and can get these for a good price on sale they can be decent casual listening headphones.

Electronic drummers can do better than these. When I used these with my electronic drum kit I didn’t like the muffled nature of the highs. It made the whole sound of the kit seem a little muffled and things like cymbals and sharp snare sounds suffered. Even though these have some other features I like such as the closed back design, comfortable fit and a long cable, I just didn’t like the sound.

Closed Back Design

These headphones do feature a closed back design and the ear cups create a good seal over the ear. This does help with noise attenuation and passively blocking out environmental noise, even though it’s not an overly strong effect.

Comfort

I found these to be comfortable headphones and I could wear them for a while without any issues. They are lightweight and the stretching headband fit me well. I could wear these over my hat, which is nice. The round ear cups fit over the ears and the pads are fairly comfortable too. They have a light weight and they don’t feel bulky on my head. The comfort level is probably one of the better qualities of these headphones.

Build Quality

These headphones have a pretty light feel and a fairly cheap build quality. They are susceptible to being damaged if they get crushed by sitting on them or cramming them in a backpack, mostly due to the thin rails on the headband design. They feel like the kind of headphones that might last a while if you can take care of them and keep them in one place and don’t transport them much, but if you put them through heavy use or travel with them they could wear out more quickly.

The Cable

The headphones have a longer, straight cable which is about 8 ft long. The cable has both a 1/8″ stereo jack and a 1/4″ inch adapter. The cable is non-detachable and attached to the left ear cup. The long cable is nice if you’re using these with a computer, for gaming or with something like electronic drums. I noticed some cable noise that you can hear in the left ear cup if you rub the upper part of the cable, but this is common on cheaper headphones like these.

Are These Headphones Good For Electronic Drumming?

These are decent cheap option for electronic drumming if you can get them on sale or something, but I wouldn’t pay full price for them since there’s better options at around $50.

• The sound quality suffers from lack of clarity and presence in the high-end, which is a negative.
• The stereo sound stage is decent and you can hear the drum positioning from left to right.
• The noise isolation is good enough to help you focus more on the sounds of the drum module rather than the sounds of the sticks on the pads.
• These headphones are comfortable and lightweight and they didn’t fatigue me at all while sitting at the kit and practicing.
• The long, straight cable is also ideal for use with electronic drums.

Technical Specifications

The Verdict

The AKG K511 headphones sound a little muffled and a little boxy but if you can find them for really cheap but they are comfortable and fit over the ears. They can be an ok pair of headphones for casual listening or electronic drumming. I see them listed for over $40 right now on Amazon which is way too much for these in my opinion and there are much better options at around $50.