AKG K371 Headphones Review

The AKG K371 are wired over-ear headphones with a fairly retro look with some modern elements. They have a similar look to the Sennheiser Momentum 3, except with more plastic and less metal. The headphones are all matte-black, with a faux-lather finish on the headband and synthetic leather padding on the ear cups.

Update 02/17/2021: After user feedback, we've reassessed and raised the scoring of this test from '7.0' to '7.5' to better-reflect real-life usage.

The AKG K371 are comfortable over-ear headphones. They have plush ear cups with thick, soft padding and they don't squeeze too tightly on your head, so you're able to wear them for long listening sessions without feeling too fatigued. That said, if you have large ears, they can touch the drivers inside the ear cups, and become uncomfortable over time. If you're looking for more comfortable audiophile headphones at the budget level, it's worth considering the HiFiMan HE400se. Even though they have an open-back design, compared to the AKG's closed-back design, they don't clamp as tightly on your head.

These headphones have no controls on them so you'll have to use your device to control your media.

Like most over-ear headphones, the AKG K371 aren't the most breathable and trap heat inside the ear cups. These headphones may not be a good option for working out, as you'll likely sweat more than usual while wearing them.

While these headphones do fold up, unfortunately they're still quite bulky and may not be the most portable option. On the upside, they come with a decent pouch to protect them from scratches when in a backpack or purse.

The included pouch with these headphones is decent. While not as good as a hard case, the pouch itself feels quite well-made and has a cinch top to keep things from getting inside. It should protect your headphones from some minor water exposure and scratches.

The build quality of the AKG K371 is decent. While they're mainly made of plastic, there are some touches of metal and synthetic leather that make them feel a bit more premium. The wire going from the ear cups to the headband is purposely exposed, and stretches to its limit when the headband is extended, which is concerning. If you're looking for better-built AKG headphones, consider the AKG N700NC M2 Wireless.

The stability is passable. These headphones have a decent clamping force, so they'll stay on your head if you sway with your music or nod to the beat, but they won't handle high-intensity movements well. They'll likely fall off your head if you're running to catch a bus or taking them on a stationary bike. The AKG K371 are also wired headphones; their cable can snag on corners and doorknobs, pulling the headphones from your head.

• AKG K371 Headphones
• Pouch
• 10 foot straight audio cable
• 4 foot straight audio cable
• Coiled audio cable
• 1/8" to 1/4" Adapter
• Manual

The AKG K371 have a fairly neutral and well-balanced sound profile that should be suitable for all genres of music. They have a slight over-emphasis in low-bass which may add a bit of extra thump, and their almost perfectly balanced mid-range means leads and vocals will be present and easy to hear. There's a slight dip in mid-treble which may make sibilants (S and T sounds) and cymbals sound slightly dull, but this may not be audible to everyone.

The frequency response consistency is mediocre. Unfortunately, the ear cups don't provide a very tight seal which results in different people experiencing their sound profile differently. They're prone to gaps between the ear cups and the head, and people with glasses or long hair will likely experience variations in their bass and treble range.

The bass accuracy of the AKG K371 is outstanding. The response is flatter and more neutral than that of the RØDE NTH-100. As a result, mixes have adequate thump, rumble, and boom that doesn't overwhelm vocals and lead instruments. Note that bass delivery varies noticeably across users, and is sensitive to the quality of fit, seal, and whether you wear glasses. The response here represents the average bass response and your experience may vary.

The AKG K371 are also remarkably accurate in the mid-range. They follow the target curve almost perfectly with almost no deviations, providing present and accurate leads and vocals.

The treble accuracy of the AKG K371 is great. While there's a slight overemphasis in the high mid-treble range, this in a high enough frequency that it likely won't be noticeable to most people. However, the small dip in low mid-treble may be noticeable, and may cause cymbals and some vocals to sound a little dull, though this may not be audible to most people.

The peaks and dips performance of the AKG K371 is good. The biggest dip is in mid-treble, which may affect the brightness and detail in that frequency, though this likely won't be too audible for most people.

The stereo imaging of these headphones is great. The GD graph shows the group delay is below the audibility threshold for the entire range, which results in tight and accurate bass and treble ranges. The L/R drivers of our unit were also well-matched, though these results are valid only for our unit and yours may perform differently.

Like most closed-back headphones, the AKG K371 have a sub-par soundstage. Although there’s a lot of pinna interaction, it isn’t really accurate. While this results in a relatively large soundstage, it feels unnatural and inside the listener’s head.

The weighted harmonic distortion performance of the AKG K371 is very good. It's within good limits through the entire range and while there's a small bump in treble, this won't be audible to most people. This will result in a clear and pure audio reproduction.

These headphones don't have ANC and do a poor job at blocking out background noise passively, especially in the bass range. This means that these headphones won't do anything to block out the low engine rumble of bus and planes, though they're passable at blocking out background chatter and work environment noise.

The AKG A371 leak very little audio, and most of the audio leaked will be thin-sounding. While you should be able to turn your music up fairly loud in most environments without bothering people around you, you still shouldn't blast your music in very quiet situations, like a library.

These headphones don't have a microphone, so the recording quality hasn't been tested.

These headphones don't have a microphone so the noise handling hasn't been tested.

The AKG K371 are wired-only headphones that don't require a battery.

The AKG K371 don't have a dedicated companion app.

These headphones are wired-only and don't support a Bluetooth connection.

These headphones are wired-only.

These headphones have a detachable audio cable and come with three different cables: a 4 foot straight cable, a 10 foot straight cable, and a coiled cable. The input on the headphones is a Mini XLR, but the included cables all adapt to a standard 1/8" plug on the other end.

The AKG K371 can be plugged into the controller of an Xbox One to be used for audio, but they don't have a microphone.

These headphones don't have a base or dock.