These studio headphones have impressive detail – AKG K712 PRO review
The AKG K712 PRO are legacy headphones that you’ll find in a lot of music studios, but do they still hold up today? We put them through our SoundGuys testing lab to find out.
Who are the AKG K712 PRO for?
The AKG K712 PRO are for audio professionals looking for a critical listening headphone to identify treble details.
How has this article been updated?
This article was published on July 19, 2025, and this is the first version of the article. Updates will follow as the market changes.
What’s it like to use the AKG K712 PRO?
The bright orange plastic headband stands out.
The AKG K712 PRO are utilitarian headphones. The orange plastic design doesn’t exactly scream luxury, but these headphones are built for performance, not looks. The plastic construction means the headphones are very lightweight at only 235 grams. You also get removable, velour ear pads. I find this design comfortable and have no problem wearing these headphones for hours at a time during long mixing sessions.
Since these are open-back headphones, they are only designed to be used in a quiet environment. Even though the headphones likely won’t leave your desk setup often, they do still come with a travel pouch, which is a nice touch.
How do you control the AKG K712 PRO?
There are no onboard controls for the AKG K712 PRO.
How does the AKG K712 PRO connect?
You get a coiled and a straight cable with the headphones, along with a travel pouch.
Included with the AKG K712 PRO are two cables. One is a coiled 3.5mm cable, and the other is a longer straight cable that also terminates in a 3.5mm output. The cables connect to the headphones via a mini XLR input. You also get a 3.5mm to 6.3mm adapter in the box.
The AKG K712 PRO have an impedance of 62 ohms, with a sensitivity of 105 dB SPL/V @ 1 kHz. I found that I didn’t need to use an amplifier to get a suitable volume out of the AKG K712 PRO from my MacBook.
How well do the AKG K712 PRO block out noise?
As expected, the AKG K712 PRO do not block out external noise. Instead, the open-back design lends itself to improved sound quality, immersiveness, and the ability to stay aware of your surroundings.
How do the AKG K712 PRO sound?
The AKG K712 PRO are advertised as “reference, open, over-ear headphones for precise listening, mixing and mastering”. If you are used to listening to consumer headphones, you’ll find a lot less bass here. Instead, the AKG K712 PRO have a focus on the upper-mids and treble to help identify details within a mix.
Multi-Dimensional Audio Quality Scores (MDAQS)
The chart below shows how the Multi-Dimensional Audio Quality Score (MDAQS) algorithm from HEAD acoustics assesses the sound of the AKG K712 PRO. The sound quality is rated on a scale from 1.0 (very bad) to 5.0 (very good).
An Overall score of 3 is slightly below average for open-back headphones.
What do the Multi-Dimensional Audio Quality Scores mean?
Timbre (MOS-T) represents how faithfully the headphones reproduce the frequency spectrum and temporal resolution (timing information).
Distortion (MOS-D) represents non-linearities and added noise: higher scores mean cleaner reAKG K712 PROion.
Immersiveness (MOS-I) represents perceived source width and positioning: how well virtual sound sources are defined in three-dimensional space.
See here for an explanation of MDAQS, how it works, and how it was developed.
The AKG K712 PRO attain an Overall sound quality score of 3 on a scale from 1-5. This is slightly below average for open-back studio headphones. This means that a simulated panel of hundreds of untrained listeners do not prefer the sound quality of these headphones.
Reviewer’s notes
Editor’s note: this review uses a hover-enabled glossary to describe sound quality based on a consensus vocabulary. You can read about it here.
Objective Measurements
The charts above show how the frequency response of the AKG K712 PRO compares to the SoundGuys Preference Curve. The headphones have less sub-bass below 100Hz than our target, but that is typical of open-back headphones. In the upper mids, there are dips at 1kHz and 3kHz, which can result in a lack of detail on some vocals, guitars, and piano. Conversely, there is a significant over-emphasis in treble from 4-10kHz. This leads to loud cymbals as well as noticeable sibilance on vocals.
As expected, the headphones’ sound is more aligned with our Studio Curve, which has less bass and more treble for critical listening sessions.
Can you use the AKG K712 PRO for phone calls?
No, there is no onboard microphone for the AKG K712 PRO.
Should you buy the AKG K712 PRO?
If you are seeking bright headphones that amplify details in the treble of mixes, the AKG K712 PRO are a good option. These headphones are comfortable, and come with the necessary accessories to provide flexibility in a variety of listening and studio environments. The treble is a bit too harsh for my preferences, so I’m sticking with my tried and true Sennheiser HD490 PRO headphones, but I won’t fault anyone who reaches for the AKG K712 PRO.
What should you get instead of the AKG K712 PRO?
If you are looking for professional headphones, make sure to check out our list of the best studio headphones. My personal favorite are the Sennheiser HD 490 PRO (), which come with two different types of ear pads, each offering a slightly different sound signature. With the black producing pads, I find the Sennheiser HD 490 PRO deliver an impressive amount of bass for open-back headphones.
Another great option is the Beyerdynamic DT 900 PRO X (). Those headphones also come with comfortable velour ear pads, and a frequency response that is great for mixing and mastering.
AKG K712 PRO review: FAQs
