AKG K181 DJ: A Surprisingly Good Closed Headphone for Not So Much.

Mine just arrived today after two months of journey across the globe.
Can't put much comments on the sound quality (quite nice from what I've personally heard in this last hour or two though)-- as in I need more time in a more focused listening session with it though I don't think it is that necessary for what this headphone is built for: general portability, use in a noisy place, stuffs like that.

Some things are immediately clear though:

1. Most of the sections on the headband and the cups are covered with rubber-like surface which I think is nice to have on a supposedly tough as nails, portable cans. This kind of surface resists paint chipping, light scratches, bumps, etc, though can be more difficult to clean from possible oily smudges or residue from your fingers.
   
   
2. The clamping force is very strong! Just like what @keanex wrote, this cans clamp on your head hard, really hard. It hurts. I'm an Asian male with average build, I believe the size of my head is relatively on the small side when compared to most of people on the west so... I believe this cans will hurt you guys more, and even more if you wear glasses. Positive side: Medium level of headbanging is possible without fear of dislodging the cans off your head! Synergize well with the cans' Bass boost feature of course for our occasional need of a dose from heavy hitting beats.
   
   
3. The isolation is superb. Hardly hearing the ticking of my loud desk clock 40cm - 50cm away from me (no music, in a silence of my bedroom). This headphones can muffle the outside sounds enough to even becomes an alternative from using a pair of IEMs in your standard, everyday commuting environment. Most of this isolation comes from its strong clamping force though; lowering the amount of clamp will *surprise!* result in less isolation.
   
   
4. The microphonics in this headphones is audible. Just a slight head movement which result in a rubbing of the cable against my T-shirt translates into an audible noise. Not really comfortable for use if your output port is not within ~50cm from you or so because the stretched coiled cable will move too much and rub with something (caused by your movement, rubbing with your sleeve, collar, elbow, etc).

All in all a good headphones for its purpose in being an easy to drive, affordable, good sounding portable cans that you can rely on-- If you can stand the clamps!

Durability wise; I don't think it beats the infamous HD-25 on being a miniaturized tank that is re-purposed into a headphones, but this K181 UE is not a slouch in build quality too; thick plastics and rubber surface will withstand the daily abuse of portable use. I'm confident that you can just throw it in your backpack and it will survive your daily commute for years to come.
It comes with a detachable coiled cable, carrying pouch, and of course its folding mechanism is quite a nice added value in portability though the pivot joints might be a weakpoint that could fail early.

 

I have had and still have my K181DJ and my pair has survived a lot of bag-abuse through the years. The weak points are the reinforced cables near the connectors, either side. Add electrical tape to reduce the flexibility there and the cable survives much longer, attached and detached.

That ingenious folding mechanism is so well designed and durable. Keep it in the pouch and you do not have to worry. I suspect the HD25 is tougher because simple design is sometimes super effective.