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AKG N5: One minute evaluate
Once I’m testing new earbuds, and contemplating in the event that they deserve a shoutout for our listing of the best earbuds, the very first thing I do is take a look at the worth to set expectations – however for this AKG N5 evaluate, I discovered two.
There’s the official listing worth, which units you up for these buds to be highly effective premium gamers, however I used to be additionally tripping over discounted costs, with the N5 seeing some hefty reductions since launch. So whereas I’ll check these as top-end earbuds, I’d be remiss to not level out that you would be able to purchase them for much less – and it’s best to, as they current incredible worth for cash with a discount.
The AKG N5 are the most recent pair of wi-fi earbuds from originally-Austrian audio firm AKG (which is owned by Harman, which itself is owned by Samsung). AKG places out wi-fi headphones solely sparingly, with its web site populated nearly completely with skilled wired headsets and microphones.
And it’s clear that a few of that ‘skilled’ DNA is current within the AKG N5 as a result of there are a great deal of options that are useful in such a setting: a USB-C dongle included within the case permits you to simply (and briefly) connect with any laptop computer, pill or related system, whereas name tone settings mainly act like an EQ however for incoming voice calls. There are additionally a great deal of ANC settings for individuals who work in busy places of work.
Suffice it to say I used to be impressed by the function suite of the AKG N5, however not simply as somebody who himself tries to drown out the infuriatingly-loud group seated subsequent to him – they’re all options that shall be useful to common patrons, not simply office-locked ones.
One other power of the AKG N5 is their audio chops, as a result of the buds supply expressive and clear audio with loads of element and texture. A couple of extra in-app modes (sorry to say options once more) allow you to perform a sound check or tweak the sonic providing to your pleasure.
Some individuals could also be delay by the AKG N5’s design. It’s true the case is fairly enormous, the construct high quality feels iffy, and the earbud controls are onerous to activate while you need to and simple to activate while you don’t. The battery life that will not final a full day of labor may additionally put some individuals off.
But it surely’s straightforward to miss these points if, like I stated, you’re capable of finding deal on these buds. And that shouldn’t be onerous given I discovered it extra of a chore to seek out their precise authentic worth moderately than the present one. The N5 are tremendous worth at their official worth – however discounted, they’re a steal.
AKG N5 evaluate: Specs
|
Part |
Worth |
|
Waterproof |
IP54 |
|
Battery life (quoted) |
6 hours (earbuds), 24 hours (complete) |
|
Bluetooth sort |
Bluetooth 5.3 |
|
Weight |
6g / Charging case: 48.4g |
|
Driver |
10mm |
AKG N5 evaluate: Worth and availability
- Introduced in September 2024
- Priced at $299 / £249 / AU$309
- Available for below $250 / £199 / AU$250
The AKG N5 had been introduced in September 2024, at IFA 2024, as the most recent entry into the model’s line-up of earbuds. On the time of writing they’re the corporate’s solely competitor for the best wireless earbuds.
At launch, the AKG N5 price $299.95 / £249 / AU$309, which makes them a premium audio providing. Nonetheless it’s value stating that I may simply discover it bought on-line for a reduction of $60 / £50 / AU$65, so that you’ll simply lower your expenses when you store round.
Lowered worth or not, these are nonetheless premium earbuds and we’ll deal with them as such. Included within the field you get the buds, case and dongle in addition to a USB-C to USB connector and a few bud suggestions of various sizes.
AKG N5 evaluate: Options
- Poor real-world battery life
- Vary of ANC choices
- Helpful dongle connector
The AKG N5 connects to your telephone through Bluetooth 5.3; preliminary pairing for me was fast and simple, and through testing there have been barely any drop-outs or stutters.
You may as well simply connect with new units through a dongle included within the charging case; plug this into any system, and the N5 will stream audio from that.
The dongle is a USB-C one, although an adapter included within the field permits you to plug it into customary USB ports. It is a actually useful further for individuals who personal a number of units and may’t pair to all of them, or who use unfamiliar units now and again. As somebody who owns (and checks) too many devices, I discovered it extremely useful.
9 occasions out of ten, this dongle labored properly, nonetheless at times I’d discover the headphones would re-pair with my telephone even when the dongle was related to a different system. One factor to notice is that it did sap the battery of the system it was related to: tremendous for devices plugged into an outlet, irritating for my iPad.
Battery life is a weak spot for the buds. AKG predicts a 10-hour battery life… when you take heed to music with ANC turned off, and that drops down to 6 hours with ANC on, and even decrease when you’re speaking or utilizing the dongle.
Nonetheless, in my testing I used to be fortunate to get wherever close to six hours of listening time, and I’d often should cost after 4 and a half or 5 hours. That is not slightly below what’s promised, it is means beneath common.
The case itself accommodates 4 full costs for the buds, nonetheless lengthy you make that.
So do you have to flip off ANC to protect battery life? Effectively you possibly can, but it surely’d be a disgrace, as a result of the AKG N5 have incredible noise cancellation – my regular ANC check is how properly it drowns out the trains that generally move my home, and when testing the N5, I don’t know if it handed as a result of I may by no means inform if trains had handed.
ANC is sophisticated right here, although. There are three modes: customary, Ambient Conscious and TalkThru (in addition to off, clearly). TalkThru boosts close by voices so you possibly can hear individuals and Ambient Conscious does the same factor for background voices, with a slider letting you fiddle with the depth of the impact.
In customary ANC mode you possibly can toggle Adaptive ANC, which adjusts the extent of noise cancellation primarily based in your environment, and turning it off presents you with a slider to vary the depth your self. There’s additionally Auto Compensation mode which tweaks with ANC relying in your ‘carrying and ear canal standing’, no matter which means.
Suffice it to say that each time I used to be introduced with the ANC a part of the AKG Headphones app I used to be scratching my head in any respect the choices introduced to me – and that’s actually the theme of this companion app which bombards you with choices. This’ll be pleasing information to tech-heads, however horrifying for technophobes.
Let’s hearth by means of a few of the options and settings: SilentNow turns off music and ramps up ANC that will help you focus or research; Good Audio & Video adjusts sound stage primarily based on whether or not you’re listening to music or watching a video; the equalizer has a load of presets or permits you to customise your sound on a 10-band EQ; numerous name settings allow you to change the way you or a caller sound on the telephone; and Proper/Left Sound Stability does what it says on the tin.
These are in addition to all the usual app modes: gesture management customization, a find-my-buds function, and a match check.
The app additionally offers you the choice to toggle Hello-Res Audio, however turning this on precludes you from a number of different options, together with Spatial Sound and Personi-Fi. This latter is a prolonged audio check that presents you with a bespoke equalization match to your music, and I don’t know any audiophiles who don’t recognize this sort of function.
For those who’ve skimmed that listing you will have observed one thing I need to explicitly commend: there are a great deal of choices with small or massive accessibility use circumstances right here, which is at all times nice to see.
AKG N5 evaluate: Sound efficiency
- 10mm drivers
- Balanced sound profile
- Textured audio in high-res mode
Whether or not you’re listening through Bluetooth or dongle, with Hello-Res Audio on or as a substitute Personi-Fi enabled, there’s one factor that’s onerous to disclaim: the AKG N5 sounds nice.
The sound profile is gorgeous and balanced, with well-defined bass sitting comfortably alongside clear treble and distinct mids. I didn’t really feel the necessity to contact the equalizer as I appreciated the default combine, and wasn’t shedding any devices to overbearing bass or treble.
It’s straightforward to listen to the feel in every instrument with the N5: I may make out the ripples of reverb on vocal traces to the flick of a bass guitar string being strum, and the audio traces had been all unfold out sufficient to make them distinct and clear (though I’ve examined buds with a greater soundstage).
If I’ve to say one dangerous factor concerning the buds, it’s that audio sounds precision-tuned however not very energetic – they helped me actually recognize nice songs sonically, however didn’t at all times make me really feel like rocking out to them.
- Sound efficiency rating: 4/5
AKG N5 evaluate: Design
- Chunky and low-cost charging case
- Light-weight and cozy buds
- Annoying contact controls
Maybe as a result of it accommodates a dongle, the case of the AKG N5 is somewhat on the bigger measurement, and I’ve seen some individuals on-line criticize its bulk. Actually, it’s not that massive, and doesn’t allay the space-saving benefits of earbuds like this over full-on headphones or open earbuds with a a wraparound design – plus they’re mild at 48.4g.
However I did discover the factor in my pocket after I was strolling – it is on the bigger finish of the dimensions.
What’s arguably worse concerning the case is its construct: the plastic feels low-cost, groans below slight stress and picks up fingerprints readily. Nonetheless AKG has it licensed at IP52, which protects it from restricted tremendous particles and sprays of water at sure angles. I can’t bear in mind the final time I noticed a charging case with an IP score, so it’s a welcome spec.
Now onto the earbuds: these are buds with stems, however with a much bigger bud and shorter, flatter stem than in your generic AirPod doppelgänger. They’ve an IP54 score in order that they’re somewhat higher protected towards water than the case.
As a result of suggestions materials being fairly easy, after I first began testing the N5, it consistently felt like they had been on the verge of falling out of my ear. Two weeks on and that hasn’t occurred but, however I’ve nonetheless been too apprehensive to take them on a run, cycle or any sort of exercise which could really trigger them to fall to the ground.
At the very least the buds are light-weight, so after I was sitting nonetheless, they had been snug to put on for lengthy intervals of time. They weigh 6g every which is similar to rivals.
Every bud has a touch-sensitive space over the ‘A’ of the AKG emblem, which helps you to management music playback; by default the left aspect toggles ANC and Ambient Conscious, whereas the best one is for play and pause.
It took a while getting used to tapping the best spot after I was carrying the buds, and there’s a noticeable delay within the gesture being picked up – greater than as soon as I obtained caught in a loop taking part in or pausing a tune, pondering that my contact hadn’t been picked up, and consistently flicking between the 2.
An much more annoying problem was that it’s very straightforward to unintentionally press the button while you’re making an attempt to readjust free buds.
You’ll be able to decide the AKG N5 up in white or black, and your alternative impacts each the buds and the case. As you possibly can see from photos, I examined the black pair.
AKG N5 evaluate: Worth
Whereas it isn’t straightforward to make cheap argument for $299 / £249 / AU$309 earbuds being good worth propositions, it does bear repeating that these items have been seeing rising reductions over their first 12 months of existence.
The AKG N5 aren’t dangerous worth for cash by any means, with their top-notch audio and vary of helpful options justifying the worth, however they’re removed from bargains both (besides in Australia, the place they’re less expensive than elsewhere).
That actually isn’t the case if you could find them for beneath about $200 / £180 / AU$300, which might make them a extremely tempting different to earbuds which can be often priced in that space.
Ought to I purchase the AKG N5?
|
Class |
Remark |
Rating |
|
Options |
There are such a lot of options that it is onerous to get your head round all of them. Battery life is not wonderful although. |
4/5 |
|
Sound |
The N5 provided a beautiful balanced sound that permits you to hear the feel and sound stage of your music. |
4/5 |
|
Worth |
By default they don’t seem to be particularly competitively-priced, however reductions assist. |
3.5/5 |
|
Design |
A couple of small design issues have an effect on the person expertise, however they’re nonetheless nice to put on. |
3.5/5 |
Purchase them if…
Do not buy them if…
Additionally think about
|
Part |
AKG N5 |
Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Professional |
Apple AirPods Professional 2 |
|
Waterproof |
IP54 |
IP57 |
IP54 |
|
Battery life |
6 hours (earbuds), 32 hours (complete) |
7 hours (earbuds), 30 hours (complete) |
6 hours (buds); 30 hours (case) |
|
Bluetooth sort |
Bluetooth 5.3 |
Bluetooth 5.4 |
Bluetooth 5.3 |
|
Weight |
6g (buds) |
5.4g (buds) |
5.3g (buds) |
|
Driver |
10mm |
10mm dynamic driver + planar tweeter |
11mm |
How I examined the AKG N5
My testing course of earlier than scripting this AKG N5 evaluate took two weeks. I examined them alongside their modern siblings, the AKG N9 Hybrid over-ear headphones, and I’ve examined an enormous variety of earbuds lately to match them towards.
I related the AKG N5 to a variety of units together with my smartphone (through Bluetooth), my desktop PC (through dongle) and my work laptop computer (once more through dongle) with a roughly 50/50 break up between Bluetooth and dongle listening.
I additionally break up my Bluetooth listening time roughly equally between Hello-res Audio and Personi-Fi (and different function) modes, taking into account that you would be able to’t have each enabled on the similar time.
My listening was completed in a variety of environments together with at dwelling, on public transport, in my workplace and on walks round my borough – and following TechRadar’s testing guidelines for earbuds.