AKG N200 Wireless Headphones Review

The AKG N200 Wireless are low-profile in-ears that have a very small bud design. They have small stability fins, which gives them a sporty look but without being too flashy. Their cable is braided, but the in-line remote seems a bit more plasticky than the rest of their build.

These headphones are decently comfortable. They don’t enter your ear canal too deeply, and they come with a few tip options. The tips are also color-coded, so it’s easy to find the same size tips. The earbuds are small and fit nicely inside most ears, but unfortunately, you don’t get different fin size options.

The AKG N200's in-line remote is pretty straightforward. You get common functionalities like call/music management, volume control, and track skipping. You can also access your voice assistant by double-tapping the middle multi-function button. The remote is easy to use, and the feedback from physical buttons is good and clicky. You also get audio cues for maximum volume and when you trigger your voice assistant.

Like most in-ears, the AKG N200 don’t trap too much heat inside the ears and allow airflow. You shouldn’t feel too much of a difference when wearing these, even after long listening sessions. They're a good option for sports, as you shouldn’t sweat more than usual when using these.

Like most in-ears, they're very portable and will fit in most pockets and bags. They're easy to carry around your neck as their buds are magnetic and clip together. You can also fit them inside the included case, which is fairly small and fits in pockets.

The AKG N200 Wireless' case is good. It’s a small case that protects the headphones well against scratches, minor water exposure, and impacts. It's compact and will fit in most pockets and bags.

The AKG N200 are well-built wireless in-ears. The small earbuds feel dense enough to survive a few drops without too much damage, and the braided cable seems solid. The in-line remote feels a bit plasticky, but nothing to worry about if you’re careful with them. There’s also a cable cinch that makes cable management a bit easier. Also, the buds are magnetic, which makes them feel more high-end.

The AKG N200 Wireless are stable headphones, and you should be able to run with these without a problem. The fins help for added stability, but unfortunately, you don’t get any size options. On the upside, their wireless design means that cables won't be in your way, which is good.

• AKG N200 headphones
• 4 tip sizes
• Cleaning tool
• Micro-USB charging cable
• Carrying case
• Manuals

The AKG N200 Wireless, like most other in-ears, have fantastic frequency response consistency. If the user can achieve a proper seal using the assortment of tips, they should get a very consistent bass and treble delivery every time they use the headphones.

The AKG N200 have incredible bass accuracy. Their low-frequency extension (LFE) is at 10Hz, which is great. Their entire bass range is flat and follows our neutral target curve very tightly. Overall, their bass is deep and thumpy without sounding heavy or boomy. Some people may find them a little bit bass-light, especially fans of very bass-heavy music.

Their mid-range accuracy is excellent. The response is flat throughout the range, resulting in an accurate reproduction of vocals and lead instruments. However, there's a small 2dB dip in mid-mid, which will slightly nudge the vocals to the back of the mix.

The AKG N200’s treble accuracy is great. The response is flat and even before 5KHz but gets a bit uneven after. Some sibilants (S and T sounds) around 8KHz could feel lacking in detail and brightness, while those around 10KHz could feel harsh and piercing. However, not everyone will hear these frequencies the same way, so they may not be as sibilant.

These headphones have an amazing imaging performance. Their weighted group delay value is 0.21. It results in a tight and fast bass and clear trebles. The L/R drivers of our test unit also showed very good matching, which helps with proper placement and localization of instruments and sound effects (like footsteps) in the stereo image. However, these results are only valid for our unit, and yours may perform differently.

The soundstage performance is bad, like most other in-ears and earbuds. Since activating the resonances of the pinna is a big factor in creating a large and in-front soundstage, the AKG N200, due to their lack of interaction with the pinna, will have a soundstage perceived as small and located inside the head. However, unlike open earbuds like the Apple AirPods (1st generation) Truly Wireless and the Google Pixel Buds 2017 Wireless, these earbuds have a closed design which further reduces the spaciousness and sense of openness of their soundstage.

They have a poor noise isolation performance. In the bass range, where the rumble of bus and airplane engines sit, they achieve about 2dB of isolation, which is barely noticeable. They isolate by 13dB in the mid-range, which is above-average. In the treble range, occupied by sharp S and T sounds and A/C systems, they isolate by about 24dB, which is also above-average.

The AKG N200's leakage performance is great. Like most other closed-back in-ears, these headphones don't leak in the bass and mid-ranges. A significant portion of their leakage is in the treble range and between 3KHz and 8KHz, which is a relatively narrow range. The overall level of the leakage is not loud, either. With music at 100dB SPL, the leakage at 1 foot away averages at 32dB SPL and peaks at around 57dB SPL, just above the noise floor of an average office.

The AKG N200's microphone's recording quality is sub-par. Speech recorded with the microphone will sound thin, muffled, and lacking in detail. This is due to LFE being at 276Hz and HFE being at 2.1KHz. The HFE is lower than most Bluetooth microphones, which usually average around 3KHz. This will hurt the understandability of speech.

The in-line microphone's noise handling capability is mediocre. The AKG N200 achieved a speech-to-noise ratio of 13dB, meaning they'll have a hard time transmitting clean and noise-free speech even in moderately loud environments.

They offer just above 6 hours of continuous playback, which is a bit lower than the 8 hours advertised. This should still be enough for most people for a full workday, but they might need daily charging. Unfortunately, they don’t have any power-saving features. AKG also advertises a 1-hour playback time for a quick 10 minutes of charging, which can be helpful for last-minute commutes or workouts, but we don't test for this.

They aren't compatible with an app with customization options to enhance your listening experience.

These headphones are Bluetooth compatible, but you can't pair them with NFC, which would have been easier and quicker. They also can’t connect to multiple devices simultaneously, which is useful when you want to switch between your phone and work PC.

Their latency with PCs and Android devices should be low enough to stream video without a noticeable delay. They support the aptX codec, which lowers their latency with PCs. They also support the AAC codec, although we don't test it. Unfortunately, they have high latency with iOs devices, so you're likely to notice audio lag if you use them to watch videos or play mobile games. However, some devices and apps seem to compensate for latency, meaning that you may have a different experience.

These Bluetooth-only headphones can’t be used wired.

The AKG N200 Wireless don’t have a dock. If you're looking for headphones with a dock for customization options, look at the SteelSeries Arctis Pro Wireless. If you want a charging dock, look at the Astro A50 Gen 3 Wireless 2017, and if you're looking for wireless headphones for watching TV, look at the Sennheiser RS 185 RF Wireless.