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Buyer's Guide: The Best Monitors 
AKG K311
| Caractéristiques | |||
| Headphone Type | Traditional headphones | ||
| Frequency Response | 18 Hz - 20.5 kHz | ||
| Speaker | Transducers | ||
| Impedance | 32 | ||
| Sensitivity | 125 dB SPL | ||
 Show all specifications
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| Cable Length | 1 m |
| Weight | |
 Hide specifications | |
Tristan François
Test date: April 21, 2009
Test date: April 21, 2009
Compatible with the iPhone?
According to the packaging, the K311s are compatible with Apple's iPhone. Really?
What that actually means is that you can plug them into an iPhone, but not much more. There's no guarantee that you'll actually be able to listen in stereo, for instance.
And because there's no inline volume control, you won't be able to control your iPhone without taking it out of your pocket.
What that actually means is that you can plug them into an iPhone, but not much more. There's no guarantee that you'll actually be able to listen in stereo, for instance.
And because there's no inline volume control, you won't be able to control your iPhone without taking it out of your pocket.
It's difficult to sell six different pairs of headphones for more or less the same price without making a lot of them very similar. Unsuprisingly, the K311s don't do much to stand out from the rest of the range.
A Transparent Success
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The outside of the K311 is made from transparent plastic, and you can see the wires on the inside as well as part of the speaker. It doesn't make them particularly reserved, especially given the silver trim on the outside. Although it looks like AKG was trying to make a futuristic toy rather than a serious piece of audio equipment, they're not entirely repulsive. No accessories are included.Improved Bass Reponse? Well, just about
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The K311's packaging proudly claims that the bass has been improved, but it're still not going to blow your mind. You definitely can hear the bass, which is something we wish we could say about a lot more headphones. That said, it does tend to drown out a lot of the mid-range, which could do with being beefed-up. The treble is clear and lively--so much so that it's sometimes a little too agressive.The sound that comes out of the K311s is very powerful, but also clear--not something we'd ever complain about.
Pluses
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Very clear treble
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Solid boss
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Overall audio quality
Minuses
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Mid-range a little lacking
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Treble can be too forced
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Slightly tacky
For all that the K309s are disappointing, the K311s are a very decent introduction to AKG's range. They're not perfect, of course, but we weren't expecting miracles either.
