AKG K402 fold-able mini headphones: small yet capable

When In Manila and you prey for just a simple, small and portable headphone that would be enough to give you good sound quality, the AKG K402 gives you most of that in it’s small portable character. Let’s face it, some people just prefer something that is very easy to carry along those long commutes or just a headphone you can easily stuff in your bag after use.  And not all headphones, even though tagged as portable, are really “THAT” portable right?  I actually thought that the AKG K402 were the “clip-on” types of headphones that you hook on your ear and has no headband.

 

 

  Fold-able it is! 

 

 

Build/Packaging: The AKG K402 comes in a tight sealed vinyl packaging which you would need a cutter or pair of scissors to pry open. Seriously, these packaging are the pain on the arse for me always. But I like how relatively small the packaging is to the AKG K402. I was thinking that maybe, the consumer of this product would like to pry it open and use it right away or, stuff the whole package itself in a bag. I was envisioning the target of this product to those who are always on the go. So I see the good sense in keeping the packaging small and manageable compared to other brands with often medium to large boxes.

 

 

 Pretty small and pocket-able when fully folded. Sweet!

 

 

 

Moving now to the build of the AKG K402, the main driver housings are just plain plastic. Although the entire headband is made from metal, and it’s not the usual thin band metal. So I’m pretty secured if ever I would feel like throwing them inside my bag. The cable restrains on the AKG K402 are ok as well. I don’t find anything negative with the build of the AKG K402 for it not to be abused as a portable headphone. I actually like how most of the headband is metal. I mean, there are other portable foldable headphones with metal headbands, but only on the hinges or no much of the full length. Making them more wary of snapping plastic parts. Also sometimes, the metal headband are just too thin that they are prone to bending which is a no no for those who will pack their foldable headphones inside a cramped bag. Good work on AKG for making the AKG K402 not too consumer built. They feel very sturdy and have a nice tight fit. Even for a mini portable headphone, they won’t easily fall of your head.

 

 

 Looks a little flimsy, but don’t get fooled.

 

 

 

Sound Quality: The AKG K402 are foldable mini headphones, they do sound different from full-size headphones. I’m used to full-size headphones since I really don’t like on-ear types of headphones. I prefer the over-the-ear types always. By the way, “supra-aural” is the term for on-the-ear headphones and “circum-aural” is the term for over-the-ear types. Yes, the AKG K402 do sound different by a margin, but they both also have different purposes so it’s really not a deal breaker. Preference per-se. You can buy a portable full-size headphone instead and have better isolation and thicker sound quality, but that’s much bigger and not comparably pocketable at all like these foldable mini headphone types similar to the AKG K402. So it’s preference all-in-all.

 

 

 In its “in-action” pose.

 

 

 

The main difference noticeable with the AKG K402, is that it doesn’t have any isolation. I’m pretty sure you’ll be cranking up the volume in noisy environments. But I love the presentation of the AKG K402, the vocals are in the middle, the highs are slightly pulled back a little from the vocals but just ever so slightly. The low frequency or generally called bass, is slightly pulled more backwards than the highs. This is an upper-hand since you will be mostly cranking up the volume when at noisy environments. Having the vocals being on focus will help avoid cranking the volume too high on the AKG K402 because of the other frequencies draining the vocals. At least when you crank the volume up, you will hear what you want to hear right away and not just all bass that will damage your ear trying to reach a comfortable volume to hear the vocals. And surprisingly, they don’t sound thin at all. Oh and they are forgiving for bad recordings, as well as having an ok sound stage due to them being open. The AKG K402 retails at P1,599.

 

 

 

AKG Philippines

 

 

AKG K402 fold-able mini headphones: small yet capable