[REVIEW] AKG K319

First, I would like to thank the local AKG dealer Event One Sdn Bhd for the K319 review sample.




Back before 2005 when Yuin still yet to reach Head-fi, the international earbuds scene sure looked like a desert. Sony hadn't really done anything major since E888, Panasonic already dropped its high-end earbuds line entirely, Sennheiser didn't paid much attention on this part of the market, Audio Technica was just too expensive outside of Japan. With IEM market still yet to mature, the portable world was in its own little 'dark age'. However, we have seen a good comeback for earbuds in recent years with the emergent of high-end portable headphones market, partially thanks to the rapid IEM development. After the success of once unknown Yuin's PK series, two important things happened: First, people realize even earbuds can be 'Hi-Fi' as well. Second, manufacturers, both big and small, start to take notice on the potentiality of high-end, "high-priced" earbuds market. Perhaps we might have entered a new golden age for earbuds, or at least that's my personal hope. Regardless, here is little something about AKG current flagship earbud, the K319.




[SPEC]
Frequency range: 16Hz -23kHz
Impedance: 32ohm
Sensitivity: 128dB SPL/V
Color: Dark Charcoal
Headphones weight without cable: 5g
Max. input power: 15mW
Cable: 0.5m + 0.5m(extension), 99.99% OFC
Gold plated mini plug
In-line volume control


K319 (left) and K311 (right). Notice that K319 is actually a little smaller in size.

Build Quality, Accessories and Comfort
Having own K311, the lower end of the same series, I know build quality will not be an issue here. The only thing to look for, or perhaps the only issue left to discuss, is the design.


First, there is the in-line volume control. Many people dislike the idea of in-line volume control, but I don't find it to be too troublesome as long as it is well designed. I actually like a good design volume control, such as the one on Sennheiser MX90vc - light, functional, and elegant. The one on K319 is a little bulky in size, but still pretty light and decent looking.


Two parts cable is very much a double edged sword. I figure AKG thought people might like a two parts cable if they hang their iPod on the chest or use a Bluetooth receiver, which of course are all valid reasons (and perhaps Sennheiser has the same thought when they designed MX760?). I guess the average audiophile hate two part cable as much as in-line volume control for the same reason, because they have no use of it and the design add unwanted weight to the cable. Which of course make little sense when many of them (perhaps me included) like thick interconnecting or power cable and big knob on our amp. Yes, we are biased that way. All things aside, the mini plug / jack are actually pretty small and light (enough) compared to that of MX760 or SE530, so I have no complaint about them. The combined cable length is on the short side, which will be a problem if you are a tall person.


As the flagship, K319 does come with a good selection of accessories. You will get a very well made hard case, airline adapter, 2.5mm stereo plug adapter, a pair of foam pad and the user manual.


The hard case has small pouches for the accessories, which is a good plus.

It is a bit strength about the earpiece but I also see a little elegant in the design. Being the flagship, K319 actually look less fleshy and have more class in the color combination. The distinct styling means there is no mistaking that you are wearing an AKG earbuds on the street, that is if you are walking on the Head-fi street. As you can see in one of the pictures above, K319 is a little smaller than K311 actually. While I can have decent fit with K311, it isn't quite as easy to get it into a good position. With K311, a little off alignment means a little loss on detail, which isn't much to begin with (thus I don't use any foam on K311 for the same reason). The smaller size K319 is in fact a lot easier to get a good fit and a good sound. Though the extra 'pieces' on the cable are a little annoying, but they are not 'tangling' around either.

Overall, I like K319's design, but would personally prefer to keep only one of either the volume control or the two part cable. However, they are not enough of a deterrent to stop me from enjoying K319's sound.



Sound Quality
The earbuds has been given a 50hrs burn-in period to audition. I listen to it with and without foam and at the end I choice to use donut foam pad of my own supply (regular earbuds foam pad with a hole in the front). Without foam, K319 has more sparkle and micro detail but also a little cold, more to the analytical side. With foam, it sounds a little warm and has a better bass body but there isn't enough detail. With donut foam pad, you get the best of both worlds: It retains most of the micro detail and still have some warmness that benefits the bass. It is more balanced sounding this way.

Overall, K319 sounds just a tiny bit warm from being balanced and has a very decent mid / lower-mid performance, especially on the male vocal or even deep female vocal. However, it is balanced enough on both end that I won't refer it to be mid centric. Treble has a respectable extension to almost 17kHz in a fairly smooth fashion (compared to the more edgy MX760). Bass rolls off a bit more significant below 80Hz also in a fairly smooth fashion and disappear under 30Hz. K319's bass is not quite as punchy or fast as MX760 and not quite have the bass body of MX90vc. It is not bass light, but neither is it a strong point - 'adequate' is perhaps how I would describe it. Soundstage is very good, better than MX90vc but not quite as far reach as MX760 (which is a little artificial and not quite as natural as PK1). It has decent air, but not quite the width to compete with the best out there.

So K319 isn't turn out to be a giant killer, but it is no slouch either. It certainly isn't dwarfed in front of Sennheiser last two generations of flagship earbuds.


Sennheiser MX760, MX90vc, CrossRoads HR1, HR2, Yuin PK1 and K319 under one roof.

Conclusion
AKG K319 might not be the best sounding earbuds in the market, but it holds its ground well against its competitors and has nothing to be ashamed of. Great build, decent design, good selection of accessories, can be found in various places for just under US$100, a sound worthy of being called flagship, plus a two years warranty* - I would say that is a pretty good deal.

*Not sure about U.S. and Canada, which have a different warranty terms apparently.

Black in Simplicity

Following the announcement last months, JAYS finally reveals the three a-JAYS models to the world. All of them will feature a pair of 8.6mm dynamic transducers, but differently tuned. a-JAYS One will be the lowest of the three models while a-JAYS Three will be the best sounding of them all. As you can see, they are all using 'flat cable' which is said to be less prone to tangle. Beside the cable, they will have slightly different accessories and finish on the earpieces. No detail on price yet, but given that they are the new entry models of current JAYS' line-up, my guess is they won't likely to break your bank. In any case, a-JAYS will hit the store next month. [UPDATE] The price will be US$40, US$50, and US$60 for the three models

While JAYS has been known for build quality and great styling, I must say a-JAYS is definitely a step-up in design. Great job, JAYS!

[REVIEW] Cresyn C222E, C230E, C260E, and C550H

Fist, I want to thank Mamear, Cresyn's European distributor based on Estonia for the samples. Cresyn has never been a big name in the Head-fi (except perhaps the sudden popular/disappear of C750E a few months ago), but they have make their name in the audio business as a solid OEM and consumer headphone manufacturer, especially in Eastern Asia. One thing which worth mentioning is that a few years ago, Cresyn decided to develop a higher-end headphone line under a new brand name 'Phiaton'. The new company mainly operates in the U.S.. Though with a few very interesting offering, they do not seems to get a lot of attention from the public eyes, certainly not much from Head-fi.

Spec

C222E (Petite Buddy) / C230E / C260E

Driver: 8.8mm Closed Dynamic

Frequency Response: 20Hz - 20kHz

Impedance:16 ohm

Sensitivity: 90dB/mW (C260E is 91dB/mW)

C550H

Driver: 40mm Opened Dynamic

Frequency Response: 10Hz - 21kHz

Impedance:40 ohm

Sensitivity: 106dB/mW

Packaging, Accessories and Build Quality

All models come in blister packaging. Though not my favorite kind of packing, it is understandable. After all, these are not audiophile targeted headphones. Average consumer will likely want a more conventional packaging. Anyway, they are definitely well packed - clean, simply and fairly accessible.

E222C, also known as the 'Petite Buddy' (yep, it is a weird name), is more or less an iPod Nano user targeted IEM. It comes in 7 colors variation to match the 7 colors of Nano 4 (and probably the same line of colors for the new Nano 5). Not much accessories to speak of, but it does come with 4 size of silicone single flange eartips (XS, S, M, L), which is a pair more of the typical (S, M, L) combination. The build quality is very decent. Through Cresyn is a Korean company, they do have their factory in China like almost everyone else. However, I can easily tell their headphone is very well made and a class above most of the Chinese manufacturers. It is not that it is functionally superior, but the attention to detail is what often set a company's products apart from the crowd. Like most of this type of IEM, fit is decent. Isolation is about average and microphonics is pretty decent.

C230E is the more popular and easier to find of all the Cresyn IEM. Packaging and build quality wise, it is similar to C222E but has a slightly better cable and over-the-ear style ear pieces. The ear pieces are very light and fit inside the ear comfortably. Unlike C222E, it only comes with 3 pair of eartips instead of 4. Isolation is about average and microphonics is not a problem due to the over-the-ear design.

C260E looks and feels a bit more expensive then the other two. Beside the three pair of eartips, it also have a shirt clip. The metal stem on the ear pieces seem very well finished. Fit is fairly comfortable. Isolation is slightly above average and microphonics is pretty decent as well. For all the Cresyn IEM, I really wise a small soft pouch can be included. it is not expensive and will really add point to the overall package.

Like all other Cresyn, C555H is very well made. In fact, it looks and feels sturdier than my Sennheiser PX200. Though Cresyn labels it as opened headphone, it is actually a closed portable similar to PX200. A soft pouch is included and nothing else. A hard case like that of PX200 will be nice but I figure the way C550H is folded probably isn't going to fit well inside a hard case. Like PX200, the head band has metal strip for reinforcement. The swing-able joins might look a weak point but they are all joined together by big metal knobs, which take the stress away from the plastic frame. Again, the attention to detail is simply excellent.

Sound Quality

As always, each model has roughly 50 hours of burn-in before any serious audition. For what it worth, I didn't detect any significant sonic change during or after the process.

C222E has a very conventional sound signature: warm, full, mid centric, sweet vocal, decent bass with enough detail not to sound dark or feel severe lack of treble and an average soundstage. It is the kind of sound a casual listener will like as there isn't too much or too little of anything in the mix. Considered it is intended to pair with the colder sounding Nano 4, the synergy is actually fairly good.

C230E shares largely the same sound as C222E, but more extended on both ends and not quite as mid centric. Treble is a little better but still far from being analytical, mid is a little sweet but overall closer to being neutral, bass is warm and boomy in the middle. Soundstage is average as well.

C260E is the more specious and balanced sounding of the batch. Treble is better extended and more refined than the others, capable of showing micro detail to some degree. Mid is neutral, decent and doesn't have the fullness like the others. Bass is not as boomy as C230E and has a decent volume, impact and control. Soundstage is by far its strongest point. It is specious with some TF10-like / less in-your-face type of performance.

C550H sounds a lot more like slightly warm sounding PX200, but better. Treble is decent though a little grainy. Mid is on the sweet side but tend to sound a little bit veil, much like the PX200. Bass is very decent with good impact and speed, but not quantitative wise a basshead headphone. Still, it is more than what PX200 can offer. Soundstage is pretty good for a closed headphone of its size, but not a strong point.

Conclusion

Cresyn is a bit difficult to find on the international market actually, but on most places I do find to sell these models, the prices are pretty decent in related to their performance. I found C222E to be around $15 in Korea, C230E is sold on Amazon for $19, C260E is roughly $21 on some part of Europe, while C550H is about $55 on the same region. Giant killer they might not be, they are still well worth the money for the decent sound and build quality that rival most big brand name. Perhaps they will serve well as a lower end backup or simply gift for friends and family members who listen to music casually. These Cresyn are simply a decent step up from the stock and they won't break the bank.

This rating is for Cresyn C222E only and may change without notice. Please refer to the list for a complete listing. 

This rating is for Cresyn C230E only and may change without notice. Please refer to the list for a complete listing. 

This rating is for Cresyn C260E only and may change without notice. Please refer to the list for a complete listing.



A quick sum-up can be found here.