AKG K340 Headphones Review: Not What We Would Expect

The AKG K340 headphones are part of a growing line of portable music products by AKG, a company that has been on top of the competition in the audio industry for over six decades. At $120, the AKG K340 headphones offer terrific sound quality for an affordable price, yet we might expect more from AKG in regards to comfort and sturdiness. For that reason, we'd have to recommend the Klipsch Image S4 over the AKG K340. In our opinion, the only point the AKG's have over the Klipsch's is their inline volume control.

The earpieces of the AKG K340 are rather small as a whole, which only draws attention to the size of the apertures. The greatest source of discomfort is the pressure they exert on the inside of the ear. This is especially true for smaller ears, which none of the three silicone ear tips seem to fit. Plus, the cables are extremely thin. We don't expect them to withstand everyday use very long. It isn't just the cables, though. Even the earpiece itself is an economical plastic. The AKG K340 headphones hardly seem worth $120 when you begin to compare their overall cheap appearance with some other headphones. They're not even classy. Some companies will override function for looks, but the AKG K340 headphones don't score in either capacity, they're cheap and simple.

The AKG K340 headphones do have a few positive components- an inline volume slider, a hard-sided carrying case that will probably outlast its contents, and a reinforced housing around the gold-plated straight plug. Although the AKG K340 headphones look pretty cheap, they probably won't break, even if the sound quality diminishes. The cord has plenty of length, with a measure of 40 inches, and every bit of it will rub against your body and create interference- not a good thing during a workout.

As you can see, we weren't completely sold by the AKG K340 headphones. The audio is clear and open with plenty of thump in the bass, if you can get a good ear seal. However, that thumpy bass sometimes gets somewhat muddy and a bit too loud for our tastes when we play rock, although we were more pleased with the results for pop, hip-hop and electronica. We would've expected a longstanding company like AKG to have done better, so we have to recommend the Klipsch Image S4 headphones over the AKG K340 headphones.