Ben Findlay, a Grammy-nominated recording engineer and producer, recently added AKG K812 reference headphones to his setup for mixing the variety of projects that pass through his studio in the United Kingdom.
Findlay’s list of credits includes work with artists such as Paul McCartney, Robert Plant, Jeff Beck, Sting, Lionel Richie and more, but he is probably best known for his work with Peter Gabriel. Over more than 25 years, Findlay has supported Gabriel in the recording, mixing and mastering of multiple projects—a collaboration that continues to this day.
“I’m using the K812 headphones as we speak on the Peter Gabriel Back To Front Live Blue Ray,” says Findlay. “I’m mixing and will be using them on the road next year to master the audio for the CDs which we produce of every show from the tour, which I often have to do on the road, in a hotel room. The K812’s are superb headphones that will allow me to effectively do my job in any setting.”
Introduced in late 2013, the K812 offers an oversized 53mm driver for the highest dynamic range ever in an AKG headphone. Its copper-covered aluminum voice coil extends sounds beyond the limits of human hearing, hitting a full spectrum of frequencies.
“The headphones are stunning, they’re unlike any other pair I have ever used,” Findlay concludes. “Although you have the physical sensation of wearing headphones, there is no sense of enclosure in the listening experience. This makes the imaging very open and defined by the musical content alone. The response is very flat with no cosmetic lumps or scoops. “