Review: AKG K 340

review by Bill Palmer

The sheer number of earbud products available for the iPod (which essentially includes every single pair of earbuds on the market) allows users to be more than a bit picky when it comes to not only getting the best overall audio quality for their dollar, but also the specific bass/treble mix, built-in features, and even aesthetic styling and color choices that suit their own personal tastes. And that’s what makes AKG’s new K 340 earbuds interesting in a comparative sense.



First of all, they sound excellent in their own right. But put them up against similarly priced competing earbuds and you’ll be less than enthused. Do they measure up to, Westone’s “1” earbuds, priced at a modestly higher $139? In a word, no. The 1 has an expansive sound that isn’t found here with the K 340. So how about Shure’s SE115, priced at the same $119 as the K 340? No, not quite. The SE 115 still sounds noticeably (if not hugely) better. So we’ve established, rather quickly, that the K 340 doesn’t compare to the top products in its class when it comes to audio quality.



So how, then does the K 340 still end up with four stars out of five? Three factors come into play. One is the built-in volume slider, which is all too rare for earbuds, and even more rarely done well (the Westone 1, for instance, includes an overly bulky volume wheel, and the SE 115 has none). It’s not true volume control, as it just reduces the iPhone’s output by a percentage, but it’s svelte and one of the better in-line volume implementations I’ve seen. Secondly, the K 340 has a higher than usual bass-to-treble ratio, not so much as to be outside the mainstream, but the bass is immediately noticeable. Users who prefer it this way generally have slim pickings in this price range (v-moda’s $119 vibe ii is tops, but only comes with iPhone controls built-in which don’t do anything with an iPod). And for good measure, while the K 340’s styling isn’t anything too unusual, it does have a unique look.



And that’s the story of the K 340, a set of earbuds worth 3.5 stars based on overall audio quality, finds itself getting bumped up to four stars based on the total package (the built-in volume control in particular). Audio quality is still king when it comes to earbuds, but sometimes the devil is indeed in the details.

Learn more about the K 340 at AKG.com.