AKG Y50BTBLK Portable Foldable On-Ear Rechargeable Bluetooth Headphones - Black

I have been looking for some headphones for a while now. I have had many recommendations and I suspect all them are good but as they weren't the most essential purchase, I decided to wait and afford myself the luxury of research before committing to a purchase. After trawling through copious amounts of online literature and product reviews, one brand name was consistently mentioned in Top 10 lists - AKG.So I focussed my research on this brand, visiting their website and generally exploring independent reviews and reviews from purchasers of this brand.I did not want to take out a second mortgage in order to buy a pair of headphones and so having set a budget of £100, I looked at what was available. To my surprise Amazon were selling the AKG Y50BT for under £100 (some have them advertised at £149.99). Having researched this specific product I was somewhat overwhelmed by all of the positive feedback these had received. Many describing the audio quality comparable with headphones in the price range of £300 - £400.These arrived ahead of the scheduled delivery date.Upon opening them, I was impressed by the presentation. A box that beautifully displays them and makes them look like a quality purchase. In the box is a branded AKG soft carry bag, a USB charging cable, a 3.5mm jack with a 1.2m cable length (for when the bluetooth functionality runs low on battery) or as AKG describe it a "Detachable By-Pass Cable" and paperwork. I immediately tried them. I opted for the black version, as this doesn't make the branded ear cups too stand out and obvious.The first thing you notice is that they are beautifully designed. A wonderful padded soft cushion ear cup. Each ear cup is defined by the letter 'R' or 'L'. to remove any confusion as to which cup fits which ear!The controls are easy to reach on the right ear pad. A good weight (245g). Good in the sense that you are aware your wearing them but not irritated by their weight and the padded ear cups and headband make them wearable for an age without irritation. The controls are located on the right ear cup, this may be the only irritating thing about them as the buttons are small and a little fiddly especially until you get use to them and what they're capable of doing. The USB micro charging port is on the left ear cup.It's good to know that the headphones are ready to use from the box. The bluetooth pairing was remarkably simple initially with the iPhone and then when paired with the iMac. A small blue light is displayed when the bluetooth function is on and a beep sound can also be heard. When charging a red light is displayed until the battery is fully charged.The battery when fully charged lasts up to 20 hours.The bluetooth functionality delivers on range too. I tested these earphones around the house, including upstairs and there was no loss of quality or any interference to the sound.Whilst there are controls on the ear cup, the headphones are also fully controlled from the phone or the keyboard.The branding on the box says 'Don't Listen To Music - Feel It' and I have to agree. These make the listening experience beautiful and inclusive. Each voice, each instrument is sumptuously reproduced in each ear. They are perfectly designed to limit any extraneous noise. In truth, having never really needed a pair of headphones before, I now can't understand why I didn't give in earlier to owning a pair but then I may have never bought these.With these headphones I won't just listen to music, I'll feel it and fall in love all over again with the pleasure of hearing music as it should be heard - beautifully.

I previously had the Y50 headphones but wanted to upgrade to ones with Bluetooth. The Y50BT was a natural choice as I have loved the Y50 quality. Comparing these two, the most obvious difference to the Y50 is that the Y50BT are heavier and more sturdy. The band is slightly wider but made from plastic while the Y50 band is metallic. I guess I'll only know over time whether it is as durable. These headphones are comfortable to wear even for extended times and the matte black finish is very pleasing to the eye.The sound quality is just as fabulous as I had expected from AKG - no major differences to Y50. The headphones provide a neutral and well-balanced sound experience which works on all sorts of music. The only thing I'd say is that there is slight hiss when on Bluetooth. When listening to quiet (classical) music it is audible and might be disturbing to some but it doesn't really bother me. The sound doesn't lag on Bluetooth.The mic on the headphones is okay but I was hoping it would be better - I have had people telling me they cannot hear me very well. It would've been great if the cable had a remote/mic as well. Although they obviously aren't noice-cancelling, the sound isolation is quite good and with these headphones I can space out from the outside world even in busy cafes and on public transport.I am very happy with the product and once again impressed with the AKG quality, especially for this price.

Great sound - I can see why they've won What Hi Fi awards for best cordless headphones in the price bracket. I travel a lot and previously had some cabled AKG K451 which are great earphones for the price which meant I wouldn't be too upset if I lost them (as I had done previously with some others leaving them as a nice gift for someone on a flight). I got fed up of faffing around with the cable, especially on flights watching movies on an ipad and having to move for other passengers.The AKG Y50 bluetooth are fantastic - so much headphone for the money. They have a microphone which took me some searching to find out, which allows me to use them for conference calls, again the bluetooth/lack of cable being really convenient. You soon pick up muscle memory for where the controls are on the cups.being able to fold the cups was another big plus point for me, allowing me to fold and keep them in my laptop bag. I travel with a pretty slim laptop bag for my Mac and wanted to be able to fit them inside - they just fit inside.My only gripe (and its the only reason I'm knocking off 1 star) is there's a real design fault with the on/off button. It's positioned near enough exactly where the 2 cups touch when folded in. The button is recessed slightly but its a protruding push button, which means that on quite a few occasions its turned on and paired to my phone when its got a push or knock without me intending, which is annoying. It's my only issue with them and it would be an easy fix - AKG could easily make the on/off a slide switch with some positive resistance/click to prevent accidental switching on. Or provide an additional 'lock' switch that isolates the power button so that you can't accidentally turn them on/off (which could also be useful for new users who may accidentally turn them off rather than adjust the volume until they've become familiar with the location of the buttons).