AKG K545 - big and bold in shape and performance

Big and bold in shape and performance, these pro-looking cans should appeal to anyone with a big head

Like their predecessors – the K550s – the newly unleashed K545s are behemoths, with a 3.5cm wide headband that doesn’t narrow its entire length. Maybe they have very large heads in Austria where these cans are designed, as even at their smallest size they can accommodate a head with ears 20cm apart. The headband extends by 7cm, when it ratchets with reassuring firmness. It’s made from the thinnest of brushed metals and has a nicely padded central section, which is essential as on my own larger than average head they tend to slide down a tiny bit. This is despite the aid of hinged cups (with wonderfully soft leather pads) that force the headband upwards slightly and into a more skull-like shape. In theory, these large, well-padded cups should have excellent noise isolation, leading to better sound for the listener and less annoyance to fellow travellers.

AKG K545

The headband is quite flexible laterally too and the cups twist through 90° to aid storage. They look even more like workmen’s ear defenders than the K550s, but their machismo is counteracted by the color options for the enclosures, which include turquoise and metallic orange. The K545s are $81.7 cheaper than their predecessor, and they embrace the idea of use away from the home with more flexible connectivity (although a case isn’t supplied). The cable can be swapped between one with iPhone control and one without. The cables aren’t too thin and have high-quality four-collared, gold-plated plugs, albeit not right angled and hence more prone to breakage. A 3.5-to-6.35mm adapter plug is provided.

Sound quality

Precise positioning of the K545s is vital, just a millimeter or so out of kilter and the sound is badly affected with bass leaking away. In the upright position on my head sound is not isolated unless I tilt the cans forward a couple of degrees, but then they feel unbalanced and inclined to tip forward. If they had a tighter fit then it wouldn’t be an issue. To get the most out of them I have to press them into my ears. Assuming you can get a decent fit you can expect really good things from the K545s, which are highly detailed in the midrange and upper frequencies.

AKG K545

A CD rip of Snowed In At Wheeler     Street sounds almost like a hi-res download, Elton John’s vocals are rich and sonorous while Kate Bush has a wonderful unfettered musicality to her voice that shimmers and penetrates your soul. The guitars of Spitfire race along with alacrity and a level of clarity not matched by any other headphone in this test. Minus The Bear’s Listing has unrivalled punch and verve, the high hat in particular pinging out like a champagne cork on New Year’s Eve. Vocals and strings are timed immaculately and transients hold up well. Sonic imaging is especially good with the War of the Worlds SACD with the cylinder opening working its way across a wide and expansive soundstage. No other model delivers such a sumptuous and engaging lead violin with The Lark Ascending, which has incredible headroom. Some may find this almost relentless level of transparency a bit much, but if you yearn for incredible clarity and unrivalled smoothness the AKG K545s should definitely be on your radar. The full-sized, over-ear cups are flexible enough for use at home and on the go, but the main problem is that it seems designed for people with big heads, or big hair at least, so a try (on) before you buy is needed.

AKG K545

On Test

The online spec says the K545 has an exceptionally low sensitivity of 97dB for 1V input, but we measured 115.9dB at 1kHz – a much more typical figure and close to average for the group. There’s no error with the nominal impedance figure of 32ohms, which corresponds well with our measured minimum and maximum of 32.6ohms and 36.7ohms. This variation is small enough to restrict frequency response change to 0.2dB with 10ohm source impedance and to 0.5dB with a 30ohm source. AKGs usually provide quite a flat diffuse-field-corrected frequency response and the K545 is no different, albeit with a little excess in output below 1kHz coupled with a shortfall in the presence band above. Capsule matching error of ±6.6dB is typical for a headphone but this AKG offers exceptional bass extension, the figure of 9Hz for -6dB ref 200Hz being easily the best in the group.