Product Review
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I have had a pair of 81DJs for about a year-and-a-half now. They continue to be my favorite headphones for use with my Creative Zen, and they sound even better plugged into my HeadRoom desktop amp. They have great bass that isn't overwhelming, decent isolation, and pretty good design. The upper treble is slightly rolled off, but that beats a strident or harsh high end.
The cord is the weak link here. It's long (9ft) but flimsy. After about one year, the plug on mine started losing continuity in the left channel. It was clear the wire had broken internally where it connected to the plug. I contacted AKG, who asked me to ship them to their center in California. In a little more than a week, I had a new pair. (They can't replace the cord, it seems.) Great warranty, great customer service.
In sub-$100 sealed headphones, I've got a pair of Sennheiser 280 Pros, too, but I favor these over the 280 Pros for most music. The Senns have better isolation and a better cord, but they're hardly portable, and they're harder to drive (64 ohms) than the 81DJs (32 ohms) with a portable player. The 81DJs have got better sound overall -- things always seem a bit muted in the 280 Pros at the high and low ends, even through the headphone amplifier. (Neither pair is as good as AKG's 701s or 240DFs, though that's a different league.)
I don't think they can be beat by any other sealed design headphones in this price range. A good buy.
The cord is the weak link here. It's long (9ft) but flimsy. After about one year, the plug on mine started losing continuity in the left channel. It was clear the wire had broken internally where it connected to the plug. I contacted AKG, who asked me to ship them to their center in California. In a little more than a week, I had a new pair. (They can't replace the cord, it seems.) Great warranty, great customer service.
In sub-$100 sealed headphones, I've got a pair of Sennheiser 280 Pros, too, but I favor these over the 280 Pros for most music. The Senns have better isolation and a better cord, but they're hardly portable, and they're harder to drive (64 ohms) than the 81DJs (32 ohms) with a portable player. The 81DJs have got better sound overall -- things always seem a bit muted in the 280 Pros at the high and low ends, even through the headphone amplifier. (Neither pair is as good as AKG's 701s or 240DFs, though that's a different league.)
I don't think they can be beat by any other sealed design headphones in this price range. A good buy.
