AKG Q460 Mini On Ear Headphones, Quincy Jones Signature Line

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List Price: $229.00
Sale Price: $94.91
Today's Bonus: 59% Off

I am not what you would consider a professional musician by any means. However, I have spent my fair share of time in the studio and have a degree in electronic media. After 2 weeks with these, my memory cannot recollect having heard headphones this good in...well, ever.

I was in the market for new headphones and when I heard that Quincy Jones was releasing a pair, I had to check em out. Then when I heard they were better than the Dre Beats, I definitely knew I had to get a pair. The only thing is that I was debating whether to purchase the Q460's or the 701's. Having purchased the 460's, I dont know if I will go forward with the 701's or not. These are that good. And as was mentioned in an earlier review, the sound quality seems to be getting better the more I listen to them. I went back and listened to some Isley Brothers, Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind and Fire, and whatever else I could find from that timeframe. Man, I heard things I've never noticed in those recordings before, both good and bad. It felt like the music was being played to me live from my ipod, and that is about the best compliment I can give. I dont know how the Q701's can possibly be better than these, but I intend to purchase them as well, although they may not be needed. The base thumps, but doesnt pound (although I havent run any old-school Miami bass through them yet). The snares are crisp, high hats ping and resonate accurately. Just a fantastic soundstage. I plan to watch a movie on my iMac soon through these to see how the surround sound plays out. They are really comfortable to wear and shut out most outside sound. I couldnt hear myself singing and I only had my volume up halfway. I actually had to pull one headphone away from my ear to make sure I wasnt just lip-syncing!!

The unique foldup design and the case are well designed. My only gripe is that the chord is really short. The default chord is like 2 feet and the iPhone-specific chord is maybe 4 feet. Coming out the back of my computer, I cant even lean back in the chair without running out of cable. I dont know if they make an extender specifically for these or if a regular extender will compromise the sound quality is some way, but its definitely something to think about if your sound is computer-based. These headphones I think are obviously made for use with portable devices but would not be frowned on in any studio in the world.

This is the first review I've ever written on Amazon, but these headphones spoke to me. Its awesome getting lost in music again like I havent really been able to do since I was a teenager.

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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program I love these headphones.

I'm not an expert on high-end audio/headphones, but I think I know good sound when I hear it, and these seem to be really good phones. Within the first 24 hours I had them, I was running around plugging them into anything that had a headphone jack -I tried them with my iPod Shuffle, my stereo, my computer, my portable DVD player, and I gave them over to a friend who had a smartphone (and yes, the volume and play/pause functions worked) and the sound they put out was great to his ears (and he's a working musician). I tried them with 70's soul, 80's new wave, current hits, old classic rock etc and for the most part, the sound was sharp and in some cases, nearly revelatory -I was hearing nice detail in songs I'd heard a million times, and very good bass. One thing I did notice was that these headphones seemed to pull back the curtain on whether a track was even well-produced/mixed or not in the first place some old stuff sounded a bit flat/muddy and unbalanced, and I suspect it's the production and not the headphones. I tested these with various test-songs/discs I usually use to check speakers, etc: Dire Straits "Brothers In Arms" (full digital, well engineered), the Cars' "Since You're Gone" (for the left-right clicking and drum track), some Gamble & Huff Philly stuff (great percussion, strings & warmth), Garbage and Lady Gaga (which are all very well produced). And Dio's "Holy Diver" and "Rainbow in the Dark" (heavy, man) kicked both sounded really, really good. Actually, everything i've mentioned here sounded great. If bass/low-end is what you want, these might very well be your headphones; if not, and you have an equalizer, don't let that stop you: you can tweak your sound to your liking.

As far as style, these are very well designed nice cushion on the top piece (which rests on your head); the phones themselves are cushioned and feel quite comfortable on the ears while I wouldn't say they're noise-cancelling, they fit so snugly that you won't have to worry about too much outside noise (I plan to take these on my next plane ride); the phones fold-flat and fit into a nice small rigid case (which can accommodate the extra cables & jack adaptors that come with the headphones). My iPod touch even fit in the same case. My only complaint: I wish the cables were a bit longer, as I needed an extension cable to plug into my home stereo, but that's a minor complaint: these phones are likely geared toward the iPod/smartphone/computer user (there are a lot of specs/suggestions on the packaging as to their use, but they'll work with computers/dvd, etc too), in which case, the cables that are included will be more than adequate to the task. You'll never go back to your earbuds after using these phones. Great product, very impressive.

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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program I love the portability of these headphones! They come with a nice little pouch that is easy to tote aroundmaybe not as easy to carry around as earbuds but frankly I can't stand the tiny earbuds. The portability does mean that the actual ear piece is smaller than the larger headphones and thus both less comfortable and not as well equipped to block out other sounds (but again, FAR superior to earbuds!).

The wire connecting the earphones to whatever device you are using is rather short unless you use the one designed primarily for the iphone. While the longer wire does contain controls for volume control, play, and pause, sadly only the play and pause work when connecting to my Droid phone.

Perhaps the most pleasantly surprising aspect of the AKG Q460s is the actual quality of the sound. The sound quality is exceptional for such small headphones. We have a Sennheiser HD280 and the AKG Q460s compare quite nicely. The bass is better than in my Sennheiser headphones although the sound is more open on the Sennheisers. I actually didn't expect to enjoy using the AKG Q460s as much as I do but intend to use these for when I'm on the go and need something portable but with a nice sound (again, unlike those dreadful earbuds).

Edited to add: I have now tried these earphones with an ipod Touch and I have to say the sound is even more awesome when used with the ipod Touch. All of the controls work when using an ipod Touch. I still prefer headphones that block out other sounds (like my Sennheisers) but these little headphones could almost convince me to change my mind about that!

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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program These little headphones deliver powerful sound, plenty of volume and a good strong bass in a compact package. I played a variety of music from rock to classical and while I was pleased with their initial performance, I had some minor reservations. The notes were not quite as clear and distinct as I would have liked and I detected some muddiness. Believing that the headphones would benefit from an extended break-in period, I began the process. They're several hours into it at this point and already the balance has improved and the sound is cleaner than before. I have no doubt that they will only continue to get better.

Although the sound is of paramount consideration, another reason to love these AKG mini headphones is their comfort. Because they're small and light (4.2 oz.), you barely know you're wearing them and unlike earbuds, even after hours of wear, they never become annoying.

They're presented in an attractive molded case designed to keep everything in one place and protect the headphones from damage when not in use. They come with two detachable cords of different lengths, nice because they're easily replaceable if they should fray or break.

I'm very happy with these headphones and am officially retiring my earbuds.

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If you are someone that doesn't sweat the small stuff then you will love this headphone. The overall look and quality of the materials seem very good. They come with a nice case and choice of cabling as well as a few adapters for phones and larger amplifiers. The sound is very "consumer" and bass friendly... but i will talk about that in a bit.

My biggest problem OUT OF THE BOX is that one of the circular Q symbols is misaligned, off-center, and peeling off!!! As i said, the rest of the build is great but this one piece really annoys, concerns, and angers me. So much so that I will be retuning this set :( I really don't want to though. Another small gripe is that the cable is stiff to pull out but locks fairly well... I don't have to discuss how awesome the lime green cable looks and feels so that is all good. Strain reliefs are well made but the hole to insert the cable is a bit too small or oddly shaped. The cable issue i can look past though.

Finally on to the consumer sound... I have owned many a pair of headphones in the past and currently own the (excellent) AKG k240 and Shure se215. Both are great sounding products. I have also tried many sennhieser and akg products, as well as the Vmoda M80 and phiaton ms400. Overall, i would say the sound is very similar to the Phiatons and Sennheiser HD 239. It has a heavy emphasis on bass to the point that it mess up the vocals considerably. However it performs great with hip hop, some dubstep, and house music, It fails considerably with any rock or alternative (a large part of my library). Granted, much of "todays" music will play fine on this set but expect no sparkle in the highs at all. I can, however, live with the sound signature as I tend to opt for rap or electronic music while on the go. Not very recommended for home use at all. Furthermore, the headphones play LOUD and distort with an amp so it is better straight out of an iPod or laptop rather than my FiiO E7.

This may all sound negative but there are many positives to this set of headphones. The bass heavy sound appeals to many people (me included) and makes music a bit more engaging. Soundstage is less than average for this type of headphone but i will let that slide as they do not leak terribly. They are very portable and the case included is simply amazing. The look and overall portability may convince me to keep this set but i cannot look past the broken panel OUT OF THE BOX! Another great last benefit is that they clamp the perfect amount. Great for staying on the head while walking or working out. The pads are comfortable and fit decently well for the size of the headphone itself. They are a headphone I'd be proud to own... that little defect makes me very mad though. I would like to note that the broken panel does not in any way affect the sound of the cans.

All things considered, I would recommend this headphone for any type of portable application. if you are going for neutral or Hi-Fi, steer clear, but if you want a fun sounding and cool headphone, you got your match here.