AKG K315

While updating its headphone collection, AKG has decided to add a dose of colour.   Like the orange K309s and the silvery K313s before them, the K315s are anything but plain and boring.

Do You Suit Red?
Well, you  better had if you like the K315s, as that's the main colour, with just a few details in grey, right down to the foam caps over the earbuds.  We were pleased to see that an inline volume control was included, as well as a pouch to keep your headphones in when you're not using them.  When you are using them, they're not at all uncomfortable, and their classic shape will suit people who aren't used to wearing in-ear headphones.

Who flipped the equalizer?
That was our first question when we plugged the K315s in.  The sound they produce is rather unusual, with all manner of bass notes and strange gaps, creating some very off-putting echoes.

This means that while the bass generally comes first, followed by guitars, then the vocal, with the drums behind the lot, it sounds instead like the drums have just been given a huge echo when they were mixed in.  At the high end, things are a lot quiter, although the treble is still there if you listen closely.

If you really like bass notes, you might well be able to get used to the K315s, even though I have some severe doubts about the matter.  The sound quality is quite distorted and can be unpleasant to listen to.  It's a shame, because if you listen carefully, you'll notice that all the detail is there, but hidden by problems with balance and echo.