Headphones
KRK Systems KNS 8400
The KRK KNS 8400 offer a listening experience and performance specs that have us jumping up & down for headphones at this great price. Uncluttered yet robust bass buttressing sailing highs and lucent midranges make the KNS 8400 a real music lovers' headphone. Full-sized closed construction provides listening privacy no matter how loud your external situation. Pro audio producers and studio recordists just got a perfect engineering partner.
Check out our blog post on the KRK headphones!
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Product Features:
- Tremendous sound quality rivaling anything at this price
- Full-size, circumaural sealed-back construction
- Strong isolation & noise-blocking ability rated to -26dB
- Detachable/replaceable headphone cord for excellent product durability
What's In The Box:
- Protective storage / travel bag
- Anti-microbial KRK cleaning cloth
- 1/4" stereo plug adapter
- Owner's manual / product guide
Applications:
Few things get our HeadRoom crew more stoked than killer headphones and we've been cheering the KRK Systems KNS 8400 since we heard the engaging immediacy and responsive precision of these yet-undiscovered high-performance cans. The KNS 8400 are circumaural, full-size, sealed-back construction designed for professional audio applications but will serve just as impressively as well-priced home audiophile headphones or as supreme portable music 'phones for your Apple iPad, laptop computer, mixer console or MP3 portable player. Easily rivaling the punch and acoustic detail resolution of other 'monitoring' cans found at this price, the KNS 8400 exhibit tonal balance and clear timbral transparency at all frequencies. Low-end bass response is pleasingly robust and full-sounding with controlled impact; the uppermost highs remain present and brilliant without glare or screech. If hearing exactly what's happening in your favorite mobile music or in your pro audio work is critical for your next headphone, the KNS 8400 presents all genres with audiophile accuracy. Recommended choice for studios and sound quality-oriented personal listening applications and amongst our new faves at the HeadRoom offices.
The KRK Systems KNS 8400 headphones have a full-sized but streamlined circumaural sealed-back construction allowing the earpads to rest comfortably around the earlobes on most wearers. The fully adjustable, tough-built sprung-steel headband design provides a low-pressure, non-clamping ergonomic fit that is both secure on the head yet comfy even during intense extra-long listening sessions. Fully replaceable earpads and headband cushions make it easy to maintain the KNS 8400 headphones in tip-top shape as you own them through the years. The detachable / replaceable headphone cord is another big plus for product durability and the KNS 8400 cable securely locks into the headphones using a beefy 'mini' connector sans any noticeable sound quality degradation. Black color with nifty low-pro KRK Systems logo accents on outer earcups.
Specifications:
- Connector Type: 1/8
- Weight: 199 grams w/o cable
- Isolation: -12dB ~ -18dB
- Impedance @ 1kHz: 36 Ohms
- Detachable Cable: Yes
- Cord Length: 8.2 ft.
- Cord Type: Straight Left-Side
- Coupler Size: Large
- Ear Coupler Type: Full-Size
- Driver Type: Dynamic
- Acoustic Seal: Closed
- Headphone Type: Full Size
- Manufacturer Warranty: 1 Year
Average Rating
Posted by tparsons47 from Providence, RI on 2012-02-06
Recommend Product: Yes
Pros: Very comfortable, very good highs
Cons: Lacks in bass, lows
Coming from a pair of Sennheiser HD280 Pros, these sounded much better. The highs were really nice. However, sometimes, they seemed a bit too bright. When I compared them to the Audio Technica ATH M50s, I noticed the KRKs didn't have as much bass response. The KRKs seemed to be more flat. I'm sure for some people, and some music styles, these are perfect. However, I much more preferred the punchier bass provided by the Audio Technicas.
I guess I would recommend them - at least give them a try. They are a pretty good set of headphones, I just found something more to my listening tastes.
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Posted by Alien8 from 3rd rock from sun on 2011-11-09
Recommend Product: Yes
Pros: Comfort, longevity of listening, detail, clarity, flat but fun response
Cons: none yet...
I love the ATH-M50's, and felt spoiled by their bass response - it's amazing that they have bass that truly FEELS like bass should. I am also a huge K702 fan for mixing and analyzing, but don't own them. I do own a pair of Grado iGi's that are fun to listen to on the go. I use Yamaha HSM50 for my monitors in the studio, but being a home studio without a separate room, I need to control background noise by turning off the monitors when recording.
Upon reading about these KRK KNS8400 online they seemed like the way to go. Giving them a try I was proven correct - detailed, clear, and for the most part flat, though not fully. They did require some burn-in, and once done so, they really came alive with their "fun" side. Normally when speakers / cans are too analytical they loose their fun factor - these somehow balance both really well.
The bass response is very good - not as forward like the M50's - the difference did take some getting used to in comparisons. The low extends very far while retaining clarity. I think in many ways the bass response is much better than the M50's because there aren't many frequencies that are overdone, where the M50's there is a big hump of forward bass that masks the really low bass.
The mids and upper mids are ever so slightly leaning towards harsh, but remain pleasurable, I have noticed a big change with burn-in, and am sure I will continue to see it change more too... It did take some getting used to these frequencies being so close to my ear, even with studio monitors.
The highs are very natural sounding, and clear. There are details that I hear in these cans that I cannot on so many others. The M50's have them - they are subtle - but I didn't notice them before. These really are similar to the studio monitors in this respect.
The sound stage is a different from the M50's - it feels wider, a lot wider, and I really think that it is because of the difference in the bass response, but I'm pretty sure that there is some top end clarity difference there as well.
Overall I find all the frequencies blend together quite well, and have really made me realize just how "HI-Fi" sounding the M50's are. I would use either to mix check though - The M50's for ensuring the bass isn't overdone and would probably use the KRK for mixing on their own, and monitors to check.
The comfort of these cans is phenomenal. The isolation is not quite as good as the M50's, but close. The neat thing about the headband design is that the change in size is angled, so they not only get deeper, but wider, which is different in the fit department. The KRK KNS 8400 are not collapsible, which makes the M50's the definite choice to take with me for those late night headphone jams with the band. They do come with a vinyl case, and a cleaning cloth. The fit and form of these cans is great, I think they look fine, I'm more of a functional user, and don't care too much about looks. I'm not sure how durable they are, they feel strong. There are a couple neat features with the cable is detachable with a neat rotation click, and comes with an inline volume control which is really handy for quick volume cuts if needed.
These really are an ideal can for all of my at home / studio use - and are at an affordable price point for the home studio person.
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Posted by Marximus from Vancouver, WA on 2011-09-06
Recommend Product: Yes
Pros: Comfortable, very well extended across spectrum
Cons: Nothing worth mentioning here
15 out of 15 people found this review helpful. Did you?
