AKG K701

Design

We don’t need to tell you that open-backed over-ears are very different by design from in-ears, but when shopping for headphones it’s necessary to explore your options so you don’t miss out on something. Though they’re quite ugly compared to the AKG K701s, the Shure SE535s offer some key advantages in durability. For example, the detachable earbuds allow you to re-cable your headphones if the cables break for whatever reason. In addition, they can go outside, whereas the AKG K701s cannot.

AKG K701	Shure SE535

Frequency Response

The AKG K701s take this one, as they stay within our ideal limits much better than the Shures, which seem to mute much of their high end considerably.

AKG K701	Shure SE535

Distortion

The Shures seem to have more distortion in general, but nothing that should be too noticeable. Both headphones don’t have much in the way of distortion.

AKG K701	Shure SE535

Tracking

Though neither response is perfect, the Shures have a near-ideal response in terms of tracking, where the AKG K701s are a bit erratic.

AKG K701	Shure SE535

Isolation

Because in-ear headphones often rely on creating a seal inside your ear canal, it’s not very surprising that the SE535s isolate far more noise than do the AKG K701s, which weren’t designed to attenuate much noise at all.

AKG K701	Shure SE535

Comfort

Another area in which type of design is extremely important is comfort. Though everyone as different heads and ears, on the whole in-ears tend to be far less comfortable than over-ear headphones, as they penetrate a small orifice that was not designed to have anything in it, save for some earwax on occasion. Still, if you can, try both on before you buy to determine when suits you best.

Verdict

If you like over-ears, we’re going to stick with the AKG K701s here. Not only are they super-comfortable, but they also have great audio performance, which the Shures lack a bit in frequency response and distortion, not to mention comfort. If you prize durability and portability, however, it’s very hard to argue with that the SE535s provide you as a consumer, so check both out before you by, if you can.