AKG K 311 Stereo Earbuds (Plum)

Comments about AKG K 311 Stereo Earbuds (Plum):

I got these for my wife when her cheap Sony buds finally quit working. She's not near as picky about sound quality as I am, so I figured "AKG is well known for being one of the best headphones, and a $20 or $30 set should be better than what she had". I just didn't know how right I was! She used them for awhile, then came and told me she was blown away by the sound! I borrowed them for an hour, listening to some different types of music, and came away very impressed. I was not expecting a lot at this price and was pleasantly surprised. I'm used to using headphones that cost 5 times as much, but I can tell you that these are comfortable and have a balanced, good quality sound. Because they are "semi-open", meaning they don't plug into your ear canal but sit at the opening, they have a wide sound stage (music sounds like it spans from right to left OUTSIDE your head, not stuck INSIDE your head). Also, because they are semi-open, they do not isolate outside noise, which could interfere with your listening in noisy environments, and people near you can hear some of what you are listening to. So there you have it, the biggest advantage and disadvantage: wide sound stage but sound leakage in and out. This is generally true of all semi-open buds, but I've never heard [$] buds sound this good! They don't sound as crisp, natural, and powerful as my $100 Grados, but nobody should expect them to. I took a chance on what I thought were "cheap" buds of decent quality, and I'm glad I did! My wife loves them.+From AKG, a reputable manufacturer of some of the world's best high end phones. +Wide sound stage+Balanced sound, bass does not over power, mids don't muddy everything, highs are not too shrill or piercing.+Decent separation: you can hear individual instruments in music, which is unusual at this price point+Comfortable, even though they seem a bit large-Sound leaks out, those near you can hear some of your music-Sound leaks in, does not isolate outside noise.