AKG K371-BT review: The middle of both worlds

The AKG K-series of headphones has long offered excellent studio cans that happen to double as great casual listening headphones. But along with its pro studio headphones, AKG also makes slightly more consumer-friendly headphones, like the AKG N9 Hybrid headphones. But at times, the company seems to want to skirt the line between the two — as is the case with the AKG K371-BT headphones, which are built for both the studio, and wireless casual use.

You might assume that blending the two makes for a product that does a little too much. Is that the case? I’ve been using the AKG K371-BT headphones to find out.

AKG K371-BT review

AKG K371-BT

The AKG K371-BT aren’t quite the best at anything, but they’re pretty good at both studio and casual wireless use, especially at this price.

Design

8

Comfort

6

Sound

9

Value

8

Pros

Sleek design

Good audio response

Lots of included accessories

Cons

Not the most comfortable

MicroUSB

Missing some consumer headphone features

7.8

BUY FROM

Amazon

Guitar Center

Design

The overall look of the AKG K371-BT headphones is quite nice. The headphones don’t necessarily reinvent the wheel in design, but with their black color-scheme they still look relatively premium.

The headphones have tall oval-shaped earcups that are attached to the frame with a mechanism that clicks into place in each position. One cool touch is that the earcups can also rotate at this point, so you can fold them up nicely. It’s easy to adjust the headphones as needed.

On the left earcup can be found a power switch and a mini-XLR port for wired listening. You’ll also get a MicroUSB port here. This is incredibly dated — the headphones were released way after it wasn’t just the norm to use USB-C — it was expected. There’s no excuse for the old port here, but alas, if you buy the headphones you’ll have to use it to charge them.

So what about the other controls? Well, they’re touch controls, built into a surface on the left earcup. You’ll double-tap to play and pause your audio, swipe to the sides to skip forward or back, and swipe up and down to change volume. The controls take a bit of getting used to, but they work just fine.

In the box, the headphones come with everything you’ll need and more. There’s a USB-A to MicroUSB cable for charging, a soft-pouch for carrying the headphones. There are also three mini-XLR to 3.5mm cables — short and long uncoiled cables, and a coiled cable. Last but not least is a 1/4-inch adapter.

Generally, I like the design of the headphones. It’s not all that flashy, but it does the job, and headphones felt well-built.

Comfort

The AKG K371-BT headphones are decently comfortable, but they could certainly be more comfortable.

They have a reasonable amount of padding in the earcups, however those earcups can get warm over extended listening periods. And, they have little padding in the headband, which is covered with a rubberized material that can sometimes pull hair a little.

To be fair, it’s not uncomfortable. I was still able to wear the headset for a few hours without feeling like I really needed to take them off. And, the headset is still relatively lightweight, which helps. However, it doesn’t have touches like a softer headband, more padding, and better weight distribution — something that most consumer headphones and studio headphones alike have better figured out.

Sound

Of course, audio quality is more important than anything else, for a pair of headphones that are designed to walk the line between both the studio and the living room. Ultimately, the headphones sound quite good.

Are the headphones completely neutral? No, but they’re certainly close — and tend more towards neutrality than most consumer headphones. That’s good news for the kinds of buyers who want a pair of headphones like this — users who usually prefer neutral headphones in casual situations, just like in the studio.

The bass response on offer by the headphones was quite good in particular. Even on tracks with relatively deep sub-bass, I found that they were able to perform well. The mids were mostly neutral, though the audio did feel slightly warmer than a completely neutral pair of headphones. And, the high-end was relatively crisp. I did find myself wishing there was a little more detail in the high-end, but for the most part the highs were well-tuned and crisp.

I also found the headphones to offer a good stereo separation. Instruments had plenty of room to breathe, which always helps, not just in casual scenarios, but also in production environments.

Speaking of production environments, the headphones also performed very well here. I used them both for recording and mixing, and while you should obviously never use headphones for the entire mixing process, as reference headphones, the AKH K371-BT do well.

Verdict

The AKG K371-BT headphones are well-rounded and a solid choice for those into music production, but only want or have the budget for a one pair of headphones. Here’s the thing though. If you were buying consumer-grade wireless headphones, these wouldn’t even get close to the top — they don’t have noise cancellation, don’t work with an app, and have that dumb MicroUSB port. And, if you were only buying studio headphones, there are also other, better choices — some of which come from AKG itself.

But again, these aren’t only consumer, or only studio headphones. They’re both — and for that purpose, in this price range, you can’t do a whole lot better.