1) Excellent and realistic, non-bassy sound quality. All frequencies of music are balanced appropriately for a realistic music experience, be it rock or classical.
2) Comfortable
3) Good value for the money.
4) Good quality, but see weaknesses.
5) Long, straight cord that allows for unimpeded movement of right arm to change CDs.
6) Comes with two adapters.

The only weakness I noted was in my old pair of K-500 the elastic component of the headband eventually wore out, preventing a proper fit. This happened after a decade of pretty heavy use. The earpads also got "softer" with time, which for some might be good.

I have had a pair of K-500 headphones for 10 years, and still use them. I recently purchased a pair of K-501 headphones to replace them, as the head-band broke on the K-500s.

Like other reviewers have stressed, these are good headphones for classical. I also like them for rock as well. as I can't stand an overdose of bass. If you enjoy that annoying bass that you feel and don't hear, then these are not for you. They are for, as AKG states, "audio purists". Imaging, clarity, and realism are excellent. They are comfortable, and I hardly notice I am wearing headphones when listening to music. They are even comfortable in hot humid weather - some headphones make your ears sweat.

The fact that I bought another pair after 10 years (and I use the old pair for TV now) is a good enough testimony to their value and quality.

Customer Service

NA

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None - I have been content with these and didn't need to look around for others.

Natural, open sound. Mellow and detailed rendition of instruments. Open and clear soundstage. Excellent resolution of midtones and treble.

Very hard to drive. Need ad hoc amplifier.

I listen mainly to classical orchestral music by labels such as Chandos, BIS and Delos, famous for realistic sound image, and chamber music as well (atring quartets for example). I sometimes listen to jazz piano trios and voices. I really enjoy the sound these headphones provide. They offer a detailed rendition of the different instruments and an open soundstage. They are mellow and you won't get tired after hours of use. They give a natural sound to excellent recorded piano (not an easy task for headphones) and tremendous resolution overall to all instruments. As I said before, I find them excellent, and considering that their price is not high, they are even better. The only problem from my humble point of view is that they require a high current amplifier. That means they will perform defficiently if you plug them directly to the HPs output of your CD player and they are totally un-usable out of the portable CD player output. The only solution is to feed them power. I enjoyed their sound from a Parasound amplifier, and I am looking forward to connecting them to a Musical Fidelity X can V3s. Tha lack of bass is NOT a problem for me. I find the bass they provide very natural and true. These bass fans, have they ever been to a concert hall? Do they remember how the basses sound at a tutti of the orchestra? If you are a classic fan, I believe you'll love them. But remember, powered by a headphone amp. If not, you'll only get to know a part of their capabilities.

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Koss, Sennheisers, Sonys

Natural, open sound. Mellow and detailed rendition of instruments. Open and clear soundstage. Excellent resolution of midtones and treble.

Very hard to drive. Need ad hoc amplifier.

I listen mainly to classical orchestral music by labels such as Chandos, BIS and Delos, famous for realistic sound image, and chamber music as well (atring quartets for example). I sometimes listen to jazz piano trios and voices. I really enjoy the sound these headphones provide. They offer a detailed rendition of the different instruments and an open soundstage. They are mellow and you won't get tired after hours of use. They give a natural sound to excellent recorded piano (not an easy task for headphones) and tremendous resolution averall to all instruments. As I said before, I find them excellent, and considering that their price is not high, they are even better. The only problem from my humble point of view is that they require a high current amplifier. That means they will perform defficiently if you plug them diorectly to the HPs output of your CD player and they totally un-usable out of the portable CD player output. Thae only solution is to feed them power. I enjoyed their sound from a Parasound amplifier, and I am looking forward to connecting them to a Musical Fidelity X can V3s. Tha lack of bass is NOT a problem for me. I find the bass they provide very natural and true. These bass fans, have they ever been to a concert hall? Do they remember how the basses sound at a tutti of the orchestra? If you are a classic fan, I believe you'll love them. But remember, powered by a headphone amp. If not, you'll only get to know a pert of their capabilities.

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Koss, Sennheisers, Sonys

Engaging and involving. Detailed without being clinical. The wide soundstage (the widest I've ever experienced with headphones) allows for plenty of air around the instruments. And they're comfortable to boot.

These really do need a lot of power to sound their best. The cord is a bit fragile. If you need booming bass, these aren't the headphones for you.

These headphones live up to their reputation as THE 'phones for classical music lovers (or at least, THE headphones within a certain price range). The detail, vibrancy, and airiness they project is very conducive to nonstop listening sessions. They both integrate the musical textures into a cohesive whole and differentiate them. And they have a wide, and wide-open soundstage (perspective is somewhere between the concert-hall ambience of Sennheisers and the close-up balance of Grados.) I've had this set of K501s (which I bought new on eBay for an unbeatable price) just long enough to have had a "before" and "after" experience. The first few days I had them, I had my CD player hooked up directly to a headphone amp. The sound was detailed and lively, but pretty lean; bass was barely hinted at. Then I incorporated my first-ever external DAC (a modified Audio Alchemy DDE) and BAM! Kicked it up a notch! The apparently greater power output of the DAC gave the K501s the brute force they thrive on. The harmonics filled out convincingly, the three-dimensional palpability became much more apparent, and the bass--well, it's never going to satisfy listeners who need throbbing low frequencies, but with the DAC in the picture, the bass is tight and well-defined and makes the proper impact. Which tells me that those who say the K501s need a lot of power behind them are right, and those who consider them bass-deficient may not have fed them properly (volume does not equal power).

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Grado SR60, SR80, SR125, SR225; Sennheiser HD570, HD580

natural sound Good price comfortable nice soundstage (with amp only) More laidback than Sennheiser (can listen to them for hours with very little fatigue) not a Y cord, single cord to left ear (no twists or tangles) build quality (in general)

Harder to drive than the grado's lack low bass Very open

Very natural unobtrusive sound. Sound slightly better than the Grado SR80's i own, and are MUCH more comfortable than the Grado's. But they are also harder to drive. They do lack quite a bit in the lower bass. Have also noticed a slight bit of a rattle at high volumes. Like all open headphones, these won't block any sound but it seems that these are worse than normal in terms of being an annoyance to people around you.

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many Senns many Grados

Comfortable, nice rolloff in highs, sound is great, never get tired. soundsatge

I don't see or hear any. Maybe hard to drive by portable devices but Jeesus, is that a weakness>???

I have owned a pair of AKG k500 for 11 years!!!! They are still working great after heavy use. One of the drivers reacts badly to high volumes and loose bass sources, the right driver connects intermittently now and I lost the plastic cap that covers the right driver on the exterior side. I also lost the big gold plated jack that attached so nicely to the smaller one. i do not understand those who are lacking bass in these headphones, and I am a bass player. The bass has always been round, deep, clear, well delineated and somehow never tainting th erest of the frequency range. These headphones reveal huge differences between amps and sources, because they are so flat sounding. True that they need power. Very well built!!! And the biggest plus is that they are sooo comfortable I can sleep with them on my head!!!!

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cheap portable headphones, not so cheap consumer headphones.

Built quality Sound Accuracy Mid Range Great for vocal and chamber classics Tight Bass

None

In my humble opinion, AKG is good for vocal and classic music. I have tried Senheiser HD600, Grado 325 and I really likee AKG's un-colored sound. That is particularly important when you listen to classic music. Senheiser HD600 is good when I listen to Jazz and Pops.

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Senheiser HD600 Grado 325 Bose(the nosie cancellation one)

-Very High Detail in mid and upper frequency ranges. -Excellent soundstage and separation. -Reasonably comfortable and sturdy.

-Weak low-bass (I'd say below 80 Hz) response. Really. -Mediocre dynamic contrast. -Open headphone design may not be suitable for some. -Overall, more of a brassy, less dark tone (this may be a strength for some).

I've listened to these for several hours now (about an hour when I first got them, and now, after about 15 hours of burn-in), and I've got to say I'm a bit disappointed...not to say they're bad cans, but they're not quite what I wanted. I'll break it down into the good and bad... THE GOOD Huge soundstage, instruments are truly separated wonderfully...very high detail in the midrange and treble. I can actually hear the pick plucking the guitar string on all sorts of recordings that I never could before. THE BAD Ok, I hate to say it, but lower bass response really is lacking here. I'm definitely not a bass-head by any stretch of the imagination, but I like a bit darker sound and I like to be able to hear the first harmonics of those big, throaty organs, and they're nowhere to be found with these headphones. It's weird b/c I'm replacing my old AKG-240s which died after 5 years of hard use, and looking at the frequency response charts for both, the 501s *should* be doing better at the lowest frequencies, but perhaps because they're open (as opposed to the semi-sealed 240s), these sound much thinner and much more top-heavy. Also, dynamic contrast seems to be much less pronounced than in the 240s. MISC Reasonably comfortable (although less so than, again, the 240s), they seem quite sturdy. Also, to be noted: I've never had open phones before, and I didn't realize fully I think that there is absolutely *no* attenuation of outside noise...I can hear myself type during the quiet parts of my music. I can hear the girl upstairs stomping around in her high heels. I can hear the cars outside on the street...very annoying to those of us who don't live in a perfect silent locale. THE VERDICT I'm gonna return them and get a new pair of 240s...$60 cheaper, and for my money, much more satisfying.

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AKG 240M

The clearest,most uncolored midrange in the headphone kingdom. Highs are sweet and non-fatiguing. Smooth bass-rolloff. Spacious soundstaging and excellent imaging combined. Build-quality is great,and these phones look classy too. Low-cost for the quality you get.

The bass is there below 100-hz.,but it is just enough to allow musical integration. Your head will not shake.

These are some of the finest headphones to be had anywhere. My favorite phones for "overall" use are my Grado 325's,but the AKG K-501's really do shine when the source consists of vocals or any musical presentation that does not involve too much extension below 100-hz. The frequency response measurements of the K-501's are among the flattest in the headphone kingdom(flatter even than Senn. 600,Grado RS-1,or many other more expensive cans)down to 100-hz.,after which the bass does roll off steadily but gracefully. This can be seen on the wonderful Headroom website's "product measurements" comparison chart. The 100-hz. region is just about the end of the "voice" region in audio. So while these may not be the deep bass-lover's headphones,they will do several special things for the rest of us. For one,when ultra low bass is rolled off in a headphone,the problems of chassis resonance and the colorations it can produce are very much reduced,especially when the music consists of simultaneous bass and upper-range notes interfering with each other. By hinting at the lower basslines instead of luxuriating in them,Akg has preserved the most pristine clarity in the crucial midrange. The overall tone is one of pure,clear silver. Other headphones seem darker,more muddy by comparison,so the tradeoff's in low bass representation may be worth it for some of us. The other thing that the 501's do so well is to enable you to sense a large-scale spaciousness of the soundstage. Whereas the Grado's bring me close in,the AKG's let me sit back into the audience and scan the whole picture in a very pleasing way. This is handy for listening to symphonies and the like. Detail is certainly not missing,it is all there. And,the 501's are just sensitive enough not to need an expensive headphone amp. Unlike what the reviewer called "D" has claimed several reviews ago,the 501's are not nearly as current-hungry as the Senn.600's,for example,which present about four times the load as do the AKG K-501's. So if you want smoothness,the purest midrange,detail,spaciousness,and reasonable price--go here. The AKG K-501 may not be the hip-hopper's cup-of-tea (or should I say bowl-of-crack?),but here is a special value for those who value the essence of something special.

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Open, spacious soundstage Refreshing, delicate sound

Weak bass output in the lowest octave May not work with some protable players due to high impedance

After purchasing an entry-level hi-fi system, I wanted to experience even more high-end sound reproduction. Being a student w/o much money, it is natural to look for quality headphones. I auditioned Sennheiser HD580 briefly at a dealer. It was completely impossible to drive with my Kenwood portable CD player. So I gave it up. I then auditioned AKG K501 at another dealer. Its price was 100 USD less than HD580 in Taiwan. I was not able to do a side-by-side comparison of the two. But my impression was that HD580 is more delicate while K501 has much better soundstage. The sound od HD580 comes from around the ears, as I would expect from a headphone. K501 tricks me into believing some instruments are placed right in front of me. Listening to calssical music on K501 produces a minuscule (still in my head) soundstage in which instrument positions can be identified. I am amazed! Moreover, it can be driven by my Kenwood DPC-551 portable player. So I purchased it rightaway. I have heard that K501 are hard to drive and require dedicated headphone amps. I never had a headphone amp since my Kenwood portable player could drive them loud enough with the volume setting at 3 (out of 10). It even works with the headphone plugs of an IDE DVD-ROM. The specs show K501 has 120 ohm impedance and 94dB/mW sensitivity. This means a 2V peak signal from a ordinary CD player (not portable) might cause hearing damage. So no voltage gain should be required but I guess that a dedicated amp provides high-quality current gain and volume control. I don't doubt K501 would sound better with dedicated amps but it still works with some portable players or most other headphone plugs. The most apparant weakness of K501 is its bass (check out measurements on Headroom website). When I listen to very low organ notes or drum beats something is clearly misssing. Somewhere on the internet I read that forceful break-in using loud, low frequency signals for several days could be a remedy. Tried once for 12 hours. Improvements? I thought I heard some but it may also be just another high-end placebo. I have really enjoyed the spaciousness and clarity of my K501. Its great build quality should guaratee years of musical enjoyment.

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