AKG K518 LE Folding Headphones

After I returned that expensive Bluetooth headphone to AKG, they lent me another one which is for general-purpose — the AKG K 518 Limited Edition folding headphones.

The AKG K518 has a strikingly similar design and form factor (ear-cup) as the previous K830 I used a couple weeks back.

It’s got that elegant but somewhat funky design with the use of bright color bands in the ear cups. I actually prefer ear-cups like these over in-ear buds as they are more comfortable. It’s relatively small, light and has a bit of plastic-y feel to it although on the more high-quality and solid end.

The 3D-axis folding design allows the headband to collapse and be folded neatly when stowed away. The soft ear pads are comfortable to use but I noticed it tends to clamp down into the earlobes on prolonged usage.

When it comes to audio performance, expect AKG to deliver — it’s got wide dynamic range, great volume and good bass response. The headphones deliver some pretty crisp sound and just enough deep bass to my taste. The ear-cups provide enough isolation against ambient noise (it doesn’t totally block off ambient sound but just enough to give you much better appreciation of the sound coming earphones).

The cable is just 1 meter long but AKG always use hard, gold-plated jack plugs and contacts that ensures a very reliable connection with the earphones and the music player (probably helps in minimizing signal attenuation).

AKG K518 Limited Edition specs
Weight: 150g
Sensitivity (dB/mW, dB/V*): 115
Audio bandwidth : 16Hz – 24kHz
Maximum input power : 2,000mW
Rated impedance: 32ohms

The AKG K518 LE comes is a variety of colors — Red, Green, Orange, Blue, Yellow, Fuchsia and White — although the local distributor tells me they don’t have the complete line-up yet. The headphone retails just over Php5,000 in stores.

Abe Olandres

Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines. He is also a technology consultant, a tech columnist with several national publications, resource speaker and mentor/advisor to several start-up companies.

https://www.yugatech.com

13 Comments

Krys says:

13 years ago

Any input on the AKG K402 headphones?
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harman_master says:

14 years ago

hi guys….first of all it’s akg headphones that well known as the best brand when it comes to headphones and microphones and it delivers high quality sound , and yes K181DJ is available at JBL Sound Gallery but we dont have stocks yet (guys one thing don’t go for quantity just go for quality) peace….
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Othello says:

14 years ago

I wonder is JBL in High Street have K181DJ.. The one with Club switch (or Boost) switch. And I wonder what would be the price for that in JBL High Street.
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Irwin says:

14 years ago

@erickkk Yes, K518DJ and K518LE headphones use the same drivers from K81.

Also, SQ is one of the best in the price range. I’ve owned the K518DJ (the plain black one) which was pretty much my on-the-go headphone of choice :D

Btw one thing that is needed to be considered (which was not mentioned in this article) is that the clamp on the K518’s are VERY strong. Some people can barely wear them for an hour. Fortunately you can stretch the headband by putting the headphone into books or other wide-enough objects.
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erickkk says:

14 years ago

Before touting your A4tech earpieces.. try doing an audition of these cans.

Hmm.. is the driver characteristics of these cans same to K81DJ? if it is, then this is a steal. :)
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Andrei says:

14 years ago

Abe, these phones are sold around the 3,500~ Market range. Advertising them at around 5,000 can pretty much put them on another tier. To those comparing these cans to a pair of A4tech’s I’m pretty sure you haven’t yet listened to MP3s >128 kbps and/or FLACS.

@Lezure2010 The porta-pros and the PX line of Sennheiser are pretty good, but they’re not at the same level as these cans.
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Othello says:

14 years ago

You are absolutely correct! These are not casual music listening. These kind of headphones are for people who wants High Def Music..

I also agree.. Porta Pros or Px100.. but these headphones are closed back and leak less sound. Plus the quality is on the audiophile level..

Lezure2010 says:

14 years ago

This are pretty good cans. But people should consider the koss porta pros and Sennheiser PX line first, if they want portable headphones. I’m pretty sure they’re a little bit cheaper than this and they’re SQ has been proven by a lot of reviews. Gotta give my PROPS to the design though, this can looks good.
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Jonaflormicfren says:

14 years ago

I like the style of headphone. http://learner-spot.blogspot.com/
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pabs says:

14 years ago

yes I agree @leeto, I am using A4tech head phones, I bought this in 2007 and still ok for my ipod and N8. Very good sound, yet very affordable.
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Ralp says:

14 years ago

Too much expensive, bibili na lang ako ng Kicker hp541 mas maganda pa sounds :) parang almost the same level of beats studio :D P2900 lang sa power mac kaso walang stocks ngayon. http://www.kicker.com/hp541
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leeto says:

14 years ago

Still expensive. I am using an A4Tech headphone which I bought from Octagon for years now, still very good sound quality for just a little over 700 pesos. the cord is more than a meter in length. I think we must base our decision to buy such item on the brand of the sound and not on the sound of the brand.
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