AKG K-92

I needed a set of closed back headphones for recording in my studio. I needed something with decent sound and good isolation. I also needed them to sit firmly on the head so they don't fall off in the middle of a take. They also needed to be reasonably cheap.

Sound:

Surprisingly good for the price. They're a step up from the (admittedly even cheaper) Superlux headphones I've often used as cheap tracking headphones in the past. The bass response is perhaps a little TOO good, meaning it's not exactly neutral but has a considerable bass boost. This is not something I normally think of as "the AKG sound". Their higher end models are a lot more bass shy. The characteristic, airy AKG highs aren't really here either. I guess these cheaper AKGs are targeted at smartphones rather than recording studios. But they're not bad. Just a little bass heavy and lacking the clarity of the more expensive models. They are nowhere near good enough for mixing (which I personally wouldn't use closed back headphones for anyway) but more than adequate for tracking.

Isolation:

Not exceptional but perfectly adequate for most recording situations.

Comfort:

To be honest I've never been a huge fan of the way AKG headbands sit on my head. They never seem to sit firmly enough when I need to move my head around a bit. For recording I prefer something with a tighter fit that won't fall off when I bend forwards to check the tuner or adjust something in the rack or whatever. To be fair these headphones are far from the worst I've used in this respect but they're not exactly tight fitting either. To put this into context they are tighter than AKG K701 but nowhere near as tight as Beyerdynamic DT-series. One more thing to be aware of is that the ear pads are synthetic which might be a bit clammy after many hours of use. But this may actually be less of a problem because of the looser fit.

Build quality:

Don't expect much at this price. They are quite flimsy and the first time a musician steps/sits on them they will most likely break. To be fair this can be said about most headphones which is why I need cheap headphones for my studio.

To sum it up:

These are far from the best headphones I've used but they are surprisingly good for the price. If you can accept a slightly bass heavy sound and the rather loose AKG-style headband you could do far worse.