Review: AKG K271 MKII Headphones - Not So Humble After All

All right folks, it's time to give this pair of small transducers some credit. After some second hand hifi trading I found myself owning a pair of AKG K271 MKII headphones. "Affordable 2nd hand price and hey it's AKG so it can't be all that bad" I remember thinking. In the past I briefly owned the smaller AKG K171 MKII - but since they were on-ear I couldn't wear them comfortably with glasses... or at all for that matter thanks to my big head and their strong clamping force. Plus their sound quality didn't raise any remarkably positive feelings, and after a while it was easy to part with them.

With the K271 MKIIs I immediately noticed that they were much more comfortable to wear, having with still quite strong or even stark clamping force. They go nicely over the ears and the velour pads (I believe you also get leather pads) do not draw much attention after a while. They are closed-back headphones so sure your ears can become somewhat warm after long sessions, and I find myself taking small breaks to "cool" my ear pinnae. But this happens only when I'm using the headphones for many like an hour straight. Which I do quite often since these are the ones I've been using at my office for some time now. AKG states them as "professional over-ear headphones for studio and live use" and " Universal genius for monitoring, mastering, studio and live sound mixing" - these are some demanding tasks.

On with the show.

Plug and Play. Picture AKG.com

I remember at first the K271 MKII did not surprise me, "another pair of boring flat sounding studio 'phones with no life". But still they were adequate in every aspect as one would expect, the sound quality was not disturbing but also not exiting. They were comfortable to wear and they blocked sound nicely from the outside world. So they found a place from my collection, even if they were highly underused for quite some time.

At some point I began to think if I should just sell them and be done with AKG's studio headphones. But before that I wondered if there was any way to mod them, or get more exciting sound out of them. Without much thinking I took pliers and pulled the inner foams that protect the drivers out because hey - it can't be there to improve the sound right?... and oh boy. "Are these even the same headphones?", the shock was instant and real. Suddenly the K271 MKIIs were much more dynamic, the bass was deep, fast and the general feel was something it was not before: fun, foot-tapping fun. The overall presentation was so much better and clearer, but most importantly to me, the music was now alive - an enjoyment through these headphones. Truly a veil had been lifted, or in this case pulled, while still maintaining the positive qualities of studio headphones. At that point I began to take them seriously.

My office rig surely is nothing special - trying to keep a low profile with FiiO E10 USB DAC connected to Firestone Audio's Cute Beyond headphone amplifier. The amp deserved a review of its own but let me just say that the sound it produces is far from "cute". It's super fast, snappy, aggressive from bottom to top and brings even the most boring and soft headphones to a whole new level. Brings them alive. A true bargain of a headphone amp. The combination is seriously good considering that all three, the cans, DAC and amp were together cheaper than the average pair of nice RCA interconnects.

Few words about sound quality of the K271 MKIIs on this rig. Yes they are fast, and slightly bass heavy so that music genres like electronic, metal and hip hop can be enjoyed easily. They do not make much of a 3D sound but more in the manner of in your face, or rather in your ears. Still the separation of instruments is decent but everything happens in a two dimensional field. They might lack the absolute resolution, refinement and delicacy of more expensive headphones but their strength lies in their versatility - everything sounds equally good and exciting. Certainly not a "Grado sound" that's for sure. Is this some kind of budget flat earth sound in the footsteps of Linn or Naim?  Maybe not, but then again maybe not too far from it either. I realize that this type of sound signature may not appeal to everyone but I find it somewhat of an achievement to end up with this kind of sound as opposed to what I remember hearing the first time I wore K271 MKIIs.

The K271 MKIIs are definitely not a new model but as of time of writing this, they are still widely available at a price of little over 100 euros. Sure there is a fierce competition at this price range and if I were looking for a new pair of phones I don't know how likely I would have chosen this model. I prefer them to the AKG's K550 but a top-of-mind competitor could be Audio-Technica's ATH-M50x. It was by chance that I got these in the first place and, well, as they say, everything happens for a reason. I have a feeling that the K271 MKIIs are not going away any time soon and considering the fact that these are indeed AKG's studio headphones, I have feeling that they won't be falling apart any time soon either.

So there you have it. I don't know whether this article was a weird review, a poor mod guide or just idle mindflow but I hope that you got something out of it, and remember it the next time you bump into AKG's K271 MKII. I have been bumping into one daily and I really don't mind if it remains that way!

Review: Dynaudio Focus 220 Floorstanding Speakers - The Dynamic Duo Does It All

Dynaudio is no foreign brand of speakers to anyone who has ever taken more interest in Hi-Fi than just visiting a local supermarket looking for a stereo set. The Danish company has been selling speakers for almost four decades, from entry level to super high end, for home users and studios alike.

Being as popular and wide spread as it is, the general assumption is that Dynaudio's products are described as "power hungry", "bass monsters" or "the speakers for rock/metal music". To be fair, there are a seed of truth in these statements. But now I'm getting ahead of myself.

For the past eight months or so I've been a Dynaudio owner. I got my hands on a pair of Contour 1.1s and these Focus 220s. The Contours were a slight overkill for my PC system so I soon downgraded them to a pair of Audience 42s. (Don't worry the Contour 1.1s are still in the family.)

Focus 220 & Batman

The Focus 220s standing at 98 cm tall are the first "Mk I" versions since Dynaudio has also released a fine tuned Mk II version. Both are discontinued at this stage and someone might consider them as somewhat aged models. But we all know that in a world of audio reproduction old age doesn't mean much. Heck, they are in their prime! Weighting a hefty ~19 kg per piece and deploying two 17 cm (~6,7") Esotec+ mid/bass drivers they are look like traditional speaker boxes - look closer and you will notice that the rear is actually narrower than the front. This gives them a slightly more elegant feel. The black ash wooden finish simply does its job and does not bring up any strong feelings. Take the grills off (as anyone generally should) and the grill attachment holes dominate the front face making Focus 220s appear cheaper than they are. Also the tweeter and drivers are surrounded by screws. So the Focus 220s may not appeal aesthetically to everyone and most likely are not going to win any beauty pageant prices - but what about the sound? It's the sound that matters, right? RIGHT!? 

The reason I first got my eyes on Dynaudio was because after hearing the Audience 42s a good while back and a pair of mighty Confident C2 at a small exhibition here in Helsinki, I took notice of the slightly warm but very dynamic house sound of Dynaudio and the ability to play any genre with ease - "Could these be the jack of all trades?" I wondered. And because my music taste varies from classical to metal that is just what felt I've been looking for but never really had. So yes, Dynaudio has been top of mind of a while now and now finally I know what I have been missing out.

Compared to my previous floor standers the Amphion Prio 620s, the Focus 220s offer overall much softer sound. In a small room Dynaudio's bass is said to be overwhelming and I can relate to that statement. Luckily at around 15 sq. m. and without a solid wall behind speakers my current listening room doesn't have much of this problem - although it could be a little bigger. The speakers are standing straight with no tilt but to my experience a little tilt may help to focus up the soundstage.

My faithful Dayens Ampino Monoblocks deliver 50 W per channel to 8 Ohms whereas Focus 220s maximum power handling is 250W with a nominal impedance of 4 Ohms and sensitivity around 86 dB. I fear that my Ampinos are not quite up to the job that massive orchestral pieces or bass hungry metal music requires and generally Dynaudio speakers are recommended to be paired with beefier amps.

I choose Matt Darey's See the Sun (Dan Stone Rework), an energetic vocal trance piece - and the Focus 220s leave little to be desired. The bass pounds like in a club in Amsterdam (if you have the guts to turn the volume up). Treble details are fast and overall feeling is just pure fun and very non Hi-Fi. The level of detail or transparency is not the greatest I've ever heard but in the end it's all there - and honestly when speaker delivers music like this, I don't even really care.

Next up Katie Melua's Shy Boy. Well well, the Focus 220s can dance to this as well. Katie's voice jumps out clearly and precisely. Plenty of fast somewhat round but detailed bass keeps the rhythm flowing nicely, really makes your feet moving. But by no means is the bass dry like in some expensive British monitors but in contrast more relaxed and deep.

Focus 220 & GameCube

Song Unfold from an EP Urban Flora by Alina Baraz/Galmiatias hits like a thunder. A huge soundstage of vocal downtempo electronic music full of juicy details and once again bass that makes you look for that hidden subwoofer. The delicate vocals are displayed right on front of the listener and grab attention while the music in the background fills the room. It would seem the Focus 220s do offer a very good stereo impression when called for.

In the beginning I said Dynaudios are considered to be suitable for metal music. Time to find out. Amaranthes' Leave Everything Behind offers a worthy challenge to Focus 220s' woofers. But the Dynaudio holds. With ease. Double bass and energetic guitars keep pumping music like there is no tomorrow and so do the speakers. Once again fast, round and deep, but not even closely dry bass, is the key for Dynaudio's triumph and at the same time you notice that the details do not get muffled even in this soundwise extremely complex song, they are all there. All the instruments are displayed clearly and it's easy to follow each of them independently. Switch to one of the greatest headbanging songs that is Metallica's Sad But True and our initial question will be answered: Dynaudio and their Focus 220 speakers can rock. Big time.

Oh and movies and games are no exception. The Focus 220s will let you enjoy any form of entertainment without mentionable flaws. Their strength lies once again in delivering a room filling rich sound with sharp details and a convincing bass. But for that theater grade couch shaking experience a subwoofer is required (no matter what front speakers you have).

Even if the Focus 220s are not the most transparent speakers out there nor will they offer the latest word in resolution, they will reveal poor recordings. Or let me put it this way, because they are blessed with trait of being jack of all trades, the Focus 220s will sound fine but maybe little dull with poorer recordings. Feed them with quality songs and they will surprise you every time with their detailed room filling capabilities, dynamic and rich full range reproduction and energetic presentation.

The Dynaudio's Focus line is still in production and as one can see they are not exactly entry level products. The Focus 220s retailed somewhere between 2000 and 3000 euros during their time. Clearly this means that the amplification and source of media should be at an adequate level, and in Dynaudio's case, an amplifier with a little heftier power reserve and driving capability is not a bad idea at all. With my 50 watters the Focus 220s truly open up when that volume knob travels all they way up to 12'o clock and even further towards southeast until the SWAT team storms into my listening room. Brands with components known for their PRaT may deliver nice synergy with Dynaudio, such as Densen or Naim but of course there are many suitable for the job (as you may read below).   

So there you have it. Dynaudio Focus 220s are an interesting pair of transducers capable of delivering any genre of music with great satisfaction. Just don't let their "sleeper" like appearance deceive you. They are indeed bassy (fast, deep, round, rich) and never dry. Maybe not the last word in aesthetic design nor in absolute resolution or transparency. On the other hand never harsh or boring. With quality recordings they will surprise you every time. Most of all they are almost always fun, especially when the volume rises and believe me - you want to keep raising it.

PS.

Out of curiosity I switched the small but widely praised Trends Audio TA 10.1 amplifier set as a poweramp to work together with my Abrahamsen V3.0 preamp. Now the Trends delivers only a measly 6 watts at 8 ohm load, being a small T-amp mostly suitable for desktop systems. And it is paired with floorstanding Dynaudios. Nothing to lose right?

I press random play on my playlist. My jaw drops. WHERE IS THIS SOUND COMING FROM? The sound the Trends TA 10.1 delivers is utterly surprising, shocking even. The bass is fast and bit tighter but still has that quantity that is to be expected from these speakers. The details are sparkling and the music just flows at astonishing rhythm and ease. I have no idea how is the small T-amp capable of doing this. Maybe it has something to do with crossover design? Or maybe this is true synergy where the bass heavy and slightly warm nature of the Focus 220s meets the modern Tripath sound of the TA 10.1?  And the funny thing is that this setup seems to work with every genre of music, leaving only large orchestral and most complex metal pieces little lacking whereas with electronic, hip hop, vocal, acoustic, jazz or pop you really can't tell that there is a small 6 watt amp playing. Of course you can't play very loud with 6 watts but still loud enough the upset the neighbors at night. I still can't get my head around this. I suppose I'll just have to listen more music!