When it comes to premiere high-end headphones, Harman’s AKG is a brand you can usually rely on. We recently reviewed the AKG K451 which is a very decent headphones for those wanting an in-line mic, and now we have the AKG K830 BT, another headphone you can use with your music phone.
The AKG K830 BT is a wireless headset that uses Bluetooth. If you’re familiar with Bluetooth powered-devices, you would probably know the limitation it poses for high-quality music. Let’s see if the AKG K830 BT would make a decent quality headset worthy of its Php12,990 price tag.
Design
The K830 BT is an on-ear headphones which I prefer over those large over-ear types. It is light and comfortable to use even over long periods of time.
The headband is not too wide, just right for its size I might say, and it has a padded vinyl underneath which contributes to the comfort of this headset.
The earcups has that soft, plush leather that eliminates fatigue on the ear when in use. The earcups also swivels 180-degrees and it does not clamp too tight which I like although it’s not suitable for gym use or when you move a lot. The adjustable band is not too stiff but locks in place properly.
Controls
All the music and BT controls are located on the left earcup which also has a tiny hole for its mic and a microUSB for charging. Enabling and pairing with Bluetooth is a straightforward affair, hold the Call button and wait for the tiny LED to flash signaling that it’s ready to be paired. Once paired, the LED will stop blinking.
The Call button also has a number of functions like dial, accept call, end call, and redial the last number depending on the number of clicks you do. Music playback controls are located around it which took me some time to get used to.
What I’m not a fan of are the plastic build of the buttons. This diminishes the weight of the headset but the glossy plastic makes the headphone look and feel cheap. Pressing them has that audible flex that doesn’t belong to a premium headset such as the this. Not to mention that the review unit I got already had the parts of the control labels chipping off.
Sound Quality
As far as sound quality is concerned, the K830 BT didn’t give me that wow feeling I was expecting from a headphone with the price tag it has. It’s not bad but it won’t really amaze if you’ve been auditioning a lot of high-end headphones already. The bass is solid, the mids flat, and the highs are crisp but the sound stage that gives your music its distinct traits is a bit limited. I would have to attribute that to the BT feature which limits the headphone from delivering clean and more surround music like hardwired headphones can.
Making and receiving calls work like a charm though. Even if the mic is in the earcup, the recipient could still hear me properly as if I’m speaking directly to my phone’s mic although I couldn’t say it will be the same when you’re outside with a lot of ambient noise. Sound from the other end is crystal clear however.
If you’re wondering about the duration of this headset before you need to charge it, it is rated for 8 hours worth of straight usage. I wasn’t able to deplete the full charge during the three days I was using it on and off.
Verdict
It will be hard for AKG to sell these for P12,990 with the glossy, plastic build on the controls and the limitations a Bluetooth headset gives in terms of sound quality. However, you can’t discount how comfortable these are, the convenience of going wireless, and the ability to make and receive calls from it.
If you value the wireless feature it offers more than sound quality, go ahead and give it a look. But if sound is paramount to you, go with a wired headset or the Kleer-based AKG K840 KL which lossless listeners favor if they want to go wireless.
