Very comfortable, straight, non-coiled cord, excellent sound

Gee, does a product have to have a weakness?

This is my 3rd pair of headphones. I loved and used my Koss cans until they fell apart for the 3rd time. Then I bought the Beyer DT990 Pro, which while I respected, never was thrilled with. So I sold them, and went a number of years without decent cans. Then came the AKG 501's. WOW- what a great set of headphones. They do everything nicely, and nothing poorly. I can wear them for hours, and the price is reasonable. Can there be anything else someone asks for when spending under $200 (I spent $150) for headphones? I doubt it. Note that I mostly use these cans in what can be described as a high quality system- ie, Meridian 508.24 CD, Pass electronics, Revel speakers, and I have absolutely no intent of replacing these headphones until they absolutely fall apart or are run over.

Similar Products Used:

Koss HV-1A; Beyer DT990 Pro

Comfort, Sound, Quality of materials used.

I want the R1000 now!

I love these headphones, I fail to see why the cups would come separate from the rest of the unit, as mine cam fully assembled. The cunstrction is great, very solid and the sound is what I would expect from any high-end equipment.

Similar Products Used:

Sony,Sennheiser,Grado SR60

Comfortable and large circular earpads,construction and appearance is classy,sound is sooooo sweet and warm and easy on the ears,price.

Cord could be thicker,but at least it is anchored securely and not prone to the "Sennheiser-problem".

I have owned and auditioned many headphones,and I must say that these headphones are the only ones that I can listen to at a decent volume for hours on end. Other brands have their own respective strengths but AKG has really tried to give you music,not pain. Initial impressions can leave you a bit unmoved,but 20 or so hours of break-in will reveal the true worth of this design in all it's splendor. I feel these are the most airy,warm-sounding phones around and they do tend to highlight the midrange in a nice way...perfect for large scale classical recordings. They really do justice to symphonic music and they put you in a nice spot in the audience,not too close or too far away. Midrange not as recessed as Sennheiser,more forward but still easy on the ears. A real bargain.

Similar Products Used:

Sennheiser HD-600,various Grados,Sony's,Beyerdynamics.

I've been through dozens of sets of headphones throughout my 15 years in the recording and broadcasting industries, and the AKG 501 is the only set of phones I trust in critical recording, editting and mixing. From solo instruments to a 300 piece orchestra and chorus, the AKG 501 'phones have proven to be highly accurate, durable and worthy of their price tag.

I heard these once and damn I was drunk but still I can remember the sexy taste of them... I ate couple of pairs of them...

Wonderful clarity and transparency. Great detail to every instrument & voice

Not quite enough bass. It is acually there but is very subdued. Probably for the best once you get used to it because that allows everything else to come through without being covered over. Very high impedance makes them very hard to drive. Max volume is still a whisper. Non-jazz or classical music does not sound so great over them because the transparency makes snythesized stuff sound kind of crappy. Too much detail for rock, pop, R&B and dance type stuff.

I am very happy with the quality and comfort of thes phones. Well, I did have an intermitent open circuit in the right side when I bought them and the wire would sometimes hit the cone but I took them apart and fixed that stuff. The materials and such are very nice for a high end but reasonably priced component.

Similar Products Used:

Stax Electrostatics at work. They also have incredible detail but no bass. Obviously, the AKG are many times cheaper.

Great treble, very well defined sound, auto-adjustable.

A little bit weak in the bass area, but for headphones, it's not
unusual...

Honestly, I bought those headphones blindly. I had read here
nice reviews and I hadn't many choice in the shops where I went.
I found the Sennheisers too expensive and I finally chose those headphones.
I find them very good with treble and with much detail in the sound.
They're especially good with violins and nearly every acoustic
instrument. But they can be a little bit tiresome with poorly mixed
electronic music.
Finally, I like the auto-adjustable phones. It's very useful.

Similar Products Used:

Cheap Sony headphones...

Beatiful clarity. Clear Detail. Well balanced and pleasing.

Agree with previous reviews about lack of bass but its not meant to be a bad thing as the centerpiece instruments really come to the forefront. I guess you can use the bass boost button to increase the bass if you prefer.

I use the total headroom amp with these cans as it gives me portability and great sound. Definetely like the setup. I like the transparancy and detail.

Similar Products Used:

headphones that came with portable CD player

good for people who don't like bass

tinny, to the point of distraction, due to the roll off in bass.

Although clear in the mids and treble, these cans just don't have it on the bottom!!!

Similar Products Used:

Koss porta pros

Nice headphones, but not my cup of tea. If you want to listen to rock, techno, or anything with bass you might want to avoid these. Don't get me wrong--they have a great sound, very clear and open, but no bottom end. They would probably be great for jazz or classical. I returned them and now have a set of Grado SR80 cans that I'm much happier with. I must admit the K501s were much more comfortable than the SR80s, though not as comfy as Sennheisers. The automatic head adjustment is a nice touch.