AKG K-66: You Wanna Spend HOW Much on Headphones?!

I'm sure you agree that there are very few things that are worth spending just a little more on. Take my scenario: I play the keyboard, sometimes at hours that just wouldn't be appropriate to have the volume at full blast. The solution seemed simple enough... all I needed was to take the headphones off my Discman and use those instead. Here's the problem, though: I've blown out a good number of headphones doing just that. (One of these headphones cost me $40, and I wasn't too happy about this.) Well, I went on the prowl for a decent set of headphones that wouldn't blow a hole in my wallet. The result of my search? The AKG K-66 headphones.

Headphones aren't necessarily like cars: you don't always have the ability to "test drive" them before you buy. I was hoping I'd find a review on these headphones here, but there were none. As of right now this is the first review on these headphones, so I hope I can be of service to you. If you want additional info, just e-mail me.


SETTING A BUDGET:
Sure, there are headphones out there that well over $150 (some more than $300!). I'm into gadgets myself, and a music lover. Even so, I still think that you can easily find good reproduction of sound for under a hundred bucks. I went further than that, and told myself I wouldn't spend more than $70... not by choice really- I just have a limited budget!


READING THE NUMBERS:
Even though you won't get to "test drive" the headphones, per se, you can still get a good general idea of what kind of hardware you're dealing with. Here are the stats on these headphones:

Type: Dynamic, semi-open
Audio Bandwidth: 18 Hz - 22 kHz
Sensitivity: 96 dB/BW
Max Input Power: 200mW
Rated Impedance: 32 ohm
Distortion: <1%
Cable: Single cord, 10 ft. long
Stereo Adaptor: 1/8" to 1/4"
Weight (without cable): 7.4 oz.

I'll explain a few of these when describing what I like and don't like about these headphones.


EXTERIOR DESIGN AND COMFORT:
The K-66 headphones are pretty large and look silly if you're sitting at an airport listening to your discman. In a different setting however (such as listening at home or recording), they look professional. If you observe them up close, you'll notice that the plastic is of the cheap variety, and the "leather" cushions are cheap as well. My first reaction was disappointment at this because I expected a little more for what I paid for. It was only when I put these headphones on that I realized why so much "flimsy" material was included. First of all, it's not all that flimsy- several months of abuse and they still look like new. Second, the light plastic pays major dividends- these headphones are very light, and extremely comfortable! There have been many times that I forget I'm wearing them (I'm being serious).

Another great thing is that you don't have to adjust the size for your head. The "leather" strap self-adjusts with elastic bands. Finally, I love the single cord that attaches on the left headphone cup. I've always hated the "V" cords that get easily snagged or tangled. I highly recommend you find headphones with single cords only.

The only problem I have with the exterior design is that the darn headphones shift a lot if you do a lot of moving when listening to your music (guilty as charged). The headphones never feel like they're going to fall off, but you can hear the plasticky sounds of the headphones sliding around, no matter how loud the music is.

Another problem DJ's might have is that the headphones don't invert for one-sided listening. Since I'm not a DJ, I don't have a problem with this.


SOUND QUALITY:
Ahh, now we come to the meat of the headphones. In short, they really sound great. Through these headphones' 40 mm drivers, every spectrum of the music you listen to is represented clearly and powerfully, without any ranges overriding the other. That said, those of you looking for some really "boomy" headphones might want to look somewhere else. These headphones can take a lot of bass, don't get me wrong. You have to have the volume pretty damn high before you hear any distortion. Still, bass is not emphasized as much as in, say, the Sony CD-60 headphones (which I also considered, but found too boomy). I've used my headphones in numerous settings, from all kinds of music to even playing video games. I have not been disappointed. The sound is great no matter what. This is evidenced best by classical music or electronic music. Timbres/textures that I never noticed before suddenly came to life. I wouldn't go so far as to say it's like hearing music in another dimension, but you'll be surprised when you find how much easier it is to analyze every nook and cranny of the sound that you're hearing.

The semi-open design to me is a good compromise between closed and open. Closed designs are great for keeping the bass in, but many times it's too much for its own good. Completely open designs go too much in the other direction, and may disturb other people around you, since the sound easily sifts out. The semi-open design is a nice "in-between".

As for complaints, well... sometimes I do wish I had a little more punchy bass. If you have the headphones connected to an amplifier though, this can be adjusted. The same goes for a Discman with bass boost. My biggest complaint is that they don't have the little volume control that is found on other headphones. So, if the output source you are listening to doesn't have a real strong signal, you're stuck with it and can't hear it much louder (my newest Philips discman is an example... review coming soon).


THE VERDICT: GREAT HEADPHONES AND A GREAT VALUE
Without a doubt, these headphones are one of the best kept secrets out there. With big names like Sony, Aiwa, Sennheiser, and the like, the AKG label isn't as well known, save for its popular 270 model. Don't be fooled with the price of headphones. Some of the ones out there cost a lot more than they are worth. Also remember that everyone has different individual preferences for sound. The AKG K-66 headphones are just right, in my opinion. They're like a nice meal that doesn't fill you up too much or leave you hungry. Okay, it's not the greatest analogy but you know what I mean. Check these headphones out. I give them a solid 5 stars.

A quick note: the price of $60 dollars quoted by Epinions is excessive. I paid $45 for these headphones through eBay (brand-new).