I compared 3 AKG K702s side-by-side: 2 Austrian pairs vs a newer Chinese pair — they definitely don’t sound identical
I’ve been using the K702 for music production for about 14 years, and recently I ended up with three different pairs at the same time, so I finally got to compare them directly.
I have:
Original Austrian K702, serial 30219 — heavily used for ~14 years
Another Austrian K702, serial 35734 — much newer condition, I’ve been using it for about a year
Chinese-made K702, serial 251710 — basically new/unbroken-in
First thing: all three are clearly K702s. The overall signature and presentation are recognizable immediately. I’m not claiming they’re completely different headphones.
But they absolutely do not sound identical to me.
The newer-condition Austrian pair is the standout. It has noticeably more bass weight, more front-to-back depth, slightly less top-end emphasis, and a more substantial/analogue presentation. It has that weird K702 quality I love where it almost sounds like a pair of speakers strapped to your head, except without the room coloration.
My original Austrian pair sounds slightly different again. It has a somewhat tighter/more focused stereo image and less bass/depth than the other Austrian pair, but it’s incredibly familiar to me after so many years and still sounds very much like a serious reference headphone.
The Chinese pair is very close in overall tonality, but comparatively it sounds lighter, brighter, flatter front-to-back, and a little rougher/less refined. In isolation I wouldn’t call it bad at all. It’s still a good K702. But immediately switching between it and either Austrian pair makes the difference pretty obvious to me.
The physical differences surprised me too. The Chinese pair feels lighter on my head, the headband has a slightly different shape/arc, the plastic has a glossier/cheaper-feeling finish compared with the matte Austrian plastic, and most interestingly, the factory velour pads don’t even feel like the same foam/material. They’re stiffer and springier.
Initially I thought the pads might explain the whole difference.
So I swapped on a newer set of genuine/replacement K702 pads that feel much closer to the older style.
It helped/change the fit somewhat, but the Chinese pair still didn’t turn into either Austrian pair. It retained that comparatively lighter/flatter/brighter presentation.
So at this point I think it’s probably a combination of pad construction, fit/headband geometry, damping/build differences, driver tolerances, and normal unit-to-unit variation rather than one single thing.
Interestingly, the two Austrian pairs don’t sound identical either, despite their serial numbers being only about 5,500 apart. So I don’t think this is simply “Austria good, China bad.” There’s clearly sample variation.
But both Austrian pairs have this solid, precise, reference-like presentation that I don’t quite get from my Chinese sample.
For context, I’m not really an audiophile collector. I use these for producing/mixing. The reason I’ve stuck with the K702 for so long is that they’re almost bland in a good way: lean, detailed, huge stereo image, very little sense of enclosure. I can work on them, quickly switch to basically any set of monitors, recalibrate my ears, and then go straight back to the K702. It’s almost like they retain the speaker’s interpretation while removing the room.
I’ve owned individually calibrated HD650s for years and barely ever used them. I also really like the HD600, but its stage is much narrower. Nothing I’ve personally used has quite duplicated what the K702 does for my workflow.
I’m curious if anyone else who has owned both Austrian and Chinese K702s has noticed the same thing, especially anyone who still has both available for direct A/B rather than comparing from memory.
Also curious whether anyone knows if AKG changed driver matching, internal damping, baffle construction, or pad specifications between production generations. I can see obvious physical differences, but I’d love to know what actually changed internally.