Amazon.com: Customer reviews: AKG N40 Customizable High-Resolution in-Ear Headphones

Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2018

I researched these before I bought them. Several reviews made the same observation: these in-ear headphones behave like "reference speakers," in that they faithfully reproduce the signal sent to them. When I first opened the box, I tried them out on my iPhone, and was disappointed with the sound. Then, I tried them on my high-end DAC with quality digital inputs. They are phenomenal when fed a high-quality signal. They do not cover up flaws in a low-quality signal, but allow whatever detail (good or bad) that's there to come through. Since I bought these to use with my main system, they are great--exceeding my expectations for that purpose. I'll use my less expensive buds when listening on my iPhone or iPod. Ergonomics are fine. The bodies fit nicely into the outer ear and the stiff cord loops nicely over the top of the ear. I replaced the standard baffles with the base ones. It was very easy to do. There is not a lot of additional base response, but enough to make it worth the change.

5 people found this helpful

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Elayasman

Very pleased, couldn't ask for more

Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2017

Verified Purchase

Just beautiful sound, straight out of an iphone 6s it is already better than any other earphones I've ever tried (used in the range of 150-350usd). If hi res music is used like the files from Tidal, one starts feeling line there is actual music on one's ears instead of good sound. Instruments are separated, small details can be detected, voices are just incredible... I think it performs it's best on the mids but the low and high frequencies are still presented nicely with a nice amount of bass. I added a Audioquest Dragonfly Red and the earphones come even more alive, you gotta be prepared to that because you will be rather impacted if you are used to less quality. It's pretty much a new level.

Great fit, really excellent cable (not noisy) and the fact it can be changed is just essential, comes with an awesome presentation... all in all, couldn't ask for more.

5 people found this helpful

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Smokyiiis

BOX WAS COMPLETELY EMPTY - NOTHING INSIDE!!!!!!!

Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2019

Verified Purchase

Order received this morning. I just opened padded envelope and the box was 100% EMPTY!!!! Not a single thing inside the empty box, not even a manual! Very nice box but I didn't pay over $300 for an EMPTY BOX!!!! I am PISSED!

3 people found this helpful

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Pete Melnicoe

A capable earbud with one limitation

Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2017

Verified Purchase

These buds are very comfortable to wear with the over-ear hooks and exhibit almost no noticeable distortion, even at high volume levels. While I have had these buds only a couple of days, with no significant burn-in, there is presently a significant emphasis of bass when using the standard attachment, which obscures a bit of midrange detail in some recordings having heavy bass. This characteristic, however, makes for a nice sound stage for classical recordings. In general, the bass is punchy and tight, while the midrange is clear and the highs extended. So far I have used the buds with an IFI Micro DSD, which sounds a bit better, except for mp3's, than the computer's sound card.

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Steve V.

The best I have owned, and even better with a DAC

Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2018

Verified Purchase

I am a casual listener that has always tried to use the best possible equipment. From my research, these were standouts at the price point, and so I took a chance and got them. Some online reviewers noted that they perform best with an external DAC/AMP, and so to supplement the headphones I bought the AudioQuest Dragonfly Red. On their own the N40's are really incredible, and with the DAC they become what is safely the best audio experience I have ever enjoyed. Bad audio or good, it doesn't matter. These headphones do incredible things. On their own they warrant a 5 star review, and I highly recommend the DAC as well to get that extra boost.

3 people found this helpful

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marinelover888

Didn't last

Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2017

Verified Purchase

This is an update after using the IEMs for two and a half years. The stem of the left bud broke. I have intermittent sound in that bud and must frequently manually twist and/or remove from my ear and re-insert - very frequently. I had problems with the left ear even before they physically broke. I sent the first pair back and received a new pair. Same problem with the new pair. I decided to live with it rather than continuing to deal with it. Now I'm shopping for a new pair. It won't be an AKG. The sound was excellent. But there was always some amount of stress involved in using them because I knew I would be fiddling with them constantly. Great sound. Lousy build quality/reliability/durability/quality control.

My original review:
Here are my initial impressions after using for a couple weeks. I rate 5 stars even though I feel that these IEMs fall short in a couple ares. Overall, I am extremely pleased. The mids and highs are handled by the balanced armature driver and the lows by the dynamic driver. Both drivers are of very high quality. This, theoretically, is the ultimate combination since dynamic drivers are supposedly better at handling lower frequencies while BA drivers supposedly handle mids and highs better. Selecting from a wide range of high quality recordings, I have found that the mids and highs are extraordinarily clear with a mostly uncolored, natural sound - using the reference sound filter. I then tried the high sound filter and found the emphasis on the higher frequencies a bit too much, the sound slightly shrill and brittle - only subtly, though. Returning to the reference sound filter, I was welcomed by the natural but ever so slightly warm sound of the midrange.

There is plenty of punch in the bass and the bass plays plenty loud. There is a slight emphasis to the lower frequencies giving the sound a bit more warmth than perhaps is found in the source material. I will admit that it's possible my previous IEMs (the excellent Shure SE215's) simply weren't capable of producing the lower frequencies as well as the N40's, but I don't believe that's quite correct. I think that the slight emphasis on the lower frequencies is there. Yet, it doesn't detract. I tried the high sound filters to see if I would get a bit more neutral sound signature. There was less bass, but I found I preferred the slightly warmer sound of the reference sound filters. I did not try the bass sound filters because I feel there is already more than enough bass to keep me happy. I will try them at some point because I'm curious how the N40's will handle the greater volume in the lower frequencies. Will the bass remain as tight and in control? Or will distortion become more audible? I suspect they'll still sound quite good.

As previously mentioned, the lower frequencies are handled by the dynamic driver, which is quite different in its approach to generating sound than BA drivers. I feel that this difference shows in the character of the sound in the lower versus middle frequencies and in the transition in the music between these two general ranges of frequencies. It is subtle. It's also possible that I may be guilty of confirmation bias stemming from my awareness of the two different driver technologies present in these IEMs. The use of these two different driver technologies is what attracted me to these IEMs as it offers the best possibility of getting the optimal sound reproduction across the entire range of human hearing in one package (other than, possibly, from planar magnetics drivers like the comparably priced Audeze iSine 10). If the sound character mismatch is indeed there, it is very slight. And, I'm more than willing to accept this as a possible trade-off in getting the best sound.

As an aside, I had considered getting the Audeze iSine 10's, which are reputed to sound better than the N40's. The reason I didn't was because the iSine 10's are open-backed and there's considerable noise bleed. I mainly use my IEMs at the gym and when traveling by plane and I don't see the need to force my listening choices on those nearby. The N40's, like most IEMs, are a closed design.

Regarding sensitivity, my Nexus 6P is able to drive the N40's just fine - in the gym and with most source material. I suspect that I may have a problem on a plane. For that reason, I will likely purchase a light, portable headphone Amp/DAC. I suspect that the listening experience will improve with a Amp/DAC but I will no longer be able to use the N40 cable with in-line control, which I really like. The in-line controls work flawlessly with my 6P: pause, play, skip, volume up and down, and phone calls.

Why do $400 IEMs only come with four sets of only one type of tip? The included tips work fine with my ears. But I would have liked to try foam tips, which have been my preference with previous IEMs. I may purchase compatible foam tips in the future but I shouldn't have to, especially at this price.

The three sound filters are a nice idea but I don't know that they're necessary. Everyone is different, though, and others may appreciate having these options. But, in my opinion, the high sound filter results in sound reproduction that is a subtle step down. And there is more than enough bass with the reference filters, so the bass filters seem unnecessary. I would have rather had more tips. The sound filters was not among the reasons I chose these IEMs. I was drawn primarily by the combination of BA and dynamic drivers.

The N40s fit me fine and they stay in. I'm comfortable with the over-the-ear design. The rubberized cable around the portion that goes around the ear is comfortable. The cable is of high quality, though I'm glad it's detachable as I can see it wearing out after a time. The cable is slightly shorter than I'd prefer but about three inches, but not big deal.

Overall, I'm very satisfied with these IEMs, especially the sound quality, and I recommend them without reservation.

17 people found this helpful

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Stanislav

Very comfortable, great clean sound

Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2017

Very comfortable, great clean sound, nice changeable filters. BUT - they broke after 11 months of use. The little thing on which you put silicone ear tip just fell off one day.

One person found this helpful

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Juan Carlos Fernandez Milon

Very Good earphones

Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2018

Verified Purchase

I have a AKG 612pro, and the sound quality is similar. I use it in default configuration with my ifi nano black (24bit/96/192Khz, DSD256) and I think it need a very little enhanced in low frequency. I am very exigent with audio, and I am very pleased with it.

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Rei

That is good headphones but it is detachable headphones that cause it ...

Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2017

Verified Purchase

That is good headphones but it is detachable headphones that cause it to be very loose, as well as poor contact, and even several times lost headphones

3 people found this helpful

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Zachary Barber

Best in-ear headphones I have ever owned

Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2018

Verified Purchase

Best in-ear headphones I have ever owned! Crisp, clean highs and newly discovered lows without muddiness make for a perfect recipe of audiophile nirvana (paired with the Audioquest dragon fly red USB DAC of course). Very nice setup!

One person found this helpful

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