I have auditioned a lot of the current TOTL headphones on the market. In that price range, AKG K812 is the headphone to sought after if you want something that is very pure, very revealing, while at the same time very holographic and very musical.

These headphones are exactly what I was looking for when I purchased them almost 30 days ago. Basically I like everything about them: The sound is perfect for what I do in the studio, that is a sound and video editing very clear and transparent with a lot of detail.

My first serious headphone was an AKG and I have always had a bit of nostalgia for the brand. However, through endless iterations, and since the early days of K1000, AKG produced more of the same.

Andy Jones finally gets hold of the AKG K812 headphones, said to be the ultimate reference headphones. Well, they should be at that price…

The AKG K812 is a beautifully produced studio headphone model. Wearing comfort is taken to new levels with this essential, while the sound capabilities are more or less free of any weaknesses worth noting.

When we talk with headphone connoisseurs and audiophiles about high-end headphones, some headphones see more popularity than others. Brands like Audeze, Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic, Hifiman, and Grado always seem to get their dues. But what about the AKG K812 Pro? At $1499, what is it good for?

A significant improvement on AKG's previous flagship headphones, the K812s are refined, revealing and comfortable.

Elegant; comfortable design; Superbly refined sound

Box and stand not best suited to studio use; AKG family sound may not be to everyone's taste

The K812 headphones are performing headphones. It is one of the few amazingly performing top tier reference headphones. The K812 is the flagship headphones from AKG, and the K812 is the absolute best which a renowned brand like AKG can offer.

Fabulous sound; solid controlled bass; lovely midrange and treble

None

Why spend ￡1000 on a pair of headphones like the K812s? There are great performers available for a fraction of the price (step forward AKG's own Award-winning ￡200

Impressive detail resolution and transparency; Well-built and beautifully engineered; Comfortable

Need a top-class system to shine

With hi-fi, my experience is that good loudspeakers and headphones are the biggest factor in play. And this "reference" model, as top-grade headphones are called, is one of the best.