OUR VERDICT

The N90Qs are capable and cleverly engineered headphones, but they lack a bit of fun

FOR

Clean, clear presentation 

Impressive precision

Clever features

Excellent build, finish and comfort

AGAINST

Huge price

Presentation favours analysis over entertainment

Celebrity endorsement for a product is nothing unusual and generally it carries little weight with us.

But, when that celebrity happens to be Quincy Jones – one of the greatest producers of all time and the winner of no less than 27 Grammys – we take a bit more notice. 

First impressions are positive. These headphones come very well packed. You get a neatly made metal box, a battery pack to top up the N90Q’s internal power reserves along with a classy leather carrying case and a choice of cables and adaptors.

The first thing that strikes us when we take the N90Qs out of their packaging is their colour. They’re gold on black, but fortunately don’t look anywhere near as garish in the metal as that suggests.

Don’t worry, AKG also make an all-black version for those who crave a little more visual subtlety.

Just as AKG’s heritage and the price point demands, these headphones are beautifully made and finished. The use of quality leather, superbly machined aluminium and sensible design has resulted in a classy pair of headphones that feel like they’re worth every penny of that hefty price.

They’re relatively large, and despite a weight of 460g, sit comfortably. That impression doesn’t change with extended use, though some of our test team did feel their ears get slightly too warm as time went on.

Still, the AKG’s dual-density memory foam ear pads are nicely judged, as is the inward pressure that high enough to ensure a secure fit but not so high as to make your head feel like it’s in a vice. It’s all nicely engineered and exudes an aura of quality.

Features

There’s plenty of technology here too. Alongside conventional features such as noise cancelling AKG has added a built-in DAC, a set-up function to optimise the sound for your ears as well various sound modes to fine-tune the presentation to your tastes.

The DAC comes into play when you use the micro USB input. Just connect the supplied USB cable to your digital source and off you go. It makes for a neat solution that (in theory at least) does away with need for a quality outboard DAC, simplifying the system at a stroke.

ntrigued by the built-in DAC, so we connect our MacBook Air (loaded with Pure Music playback software) and play a 16-bit/44.1kHz rip of First Aid Kit’s Ghost Town. The results are pleasing on the whole.

The N90Q have a clean and clear sound. Instruments and voices are rendered in a precise manner with leading and trailing edges defined clearly.

Once the various sound and tonal modes are sorted out to our satisfaction the overall tonal balance is wholly convincing too; there’s no undue emphasis here, and the whole frequency range from low bass upwards gels seamlessly in both l