Review: AKG K 330 and K 321

review by Bill Palmer

They’re unique looking. And comfortable. And they sound good. So when is good enough not quite good enough? In the crowded iPod earbud market, which essentially includes every set of non-specific earbuds out there with a standard headphone plug, AKG’s interestingly-colored K 330 (left, $99) and K 321 (right, $79) are two classic examples of a product that seems like a winner, and is, but simply isn’t enough of a winner to be more than modestly recommendable.



The short of it is that they pretty much get everything right (provided you like the colors), don’t screw anything up, and yet can’t muster more than a mediocre-ish rating because there are too many competing options out there that offer a better listening experience at the same price, or an equivalent listening experience at a cheaper price. If you bought either of these sets of earbuds (the K 330 sounds a tad bit better, hence the $20 higher price than the K 321) and then only ever used them in a vacuum, you’d probably feel like you got your money’s worth; on the other hand, if you bought these earbuds and then compared them to our Best of 2009 winners… well, suffice it to say that you’d understand why these earbuds weren’t among the winners.



Still, if you really like the color combinations, it might be justifiable. Just be aware that the audio quality is about equivalent to the best $40-$50 earbuds out there, which is to say that you’re basically paying a premium for the colors – which is fine if it’s that important to you. But within the scheme of the overall iPod earbud landscape, AKG’s K 330 and K 321 are average three-star products, with an extra half-star thrown in because of the uniqueness of the styling.

Learn more about AKG K 330 and AKG K 321.