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AKG N5: One minute review
When I’m testing new earbuds, and considering if they deserve a shoutout for our list of the best earbuds, the first thing I do is look at the price to set expectations – but for this AKG N5 review, I found two.
There’s the official list price, which sets you up for these buds to be powerful premium players, but I was also tripping over discounted prices, with the N5 seeing some hefty discounts since launch. So while I’ll test these as top-end earbuds, I’d be remiss not to point out that you can buy them for less – and you should, as they present fantastic value for money with a reduction.
The AKG N5 are the latest pair of wireless earbuds from originally-Austrian audio company AKG (which is owned by Harman, which itself is owned by Samsung). AKG puts out wireless headphones only sparingly, with its website populated almost entirely with professional wired headsets and microphones.
And it’s clear that some of that ‘professional’ DNA is present in the AKG N5 because there are loads of features which are helpful in such a setting: a USB-C dongle included in the case lets you easily (and temporarily) connect to any laptop, tablet or similar device, while call tone settings basically act like an EQ but for incoming voice calls. There are also loads of ANC settings for people who work in busy offices.
Suffice it to say I was impressed by the feature suite of the AKG N5, but not just as someone who himself tries to drown out the infuriatingly-loud team seated next to him – they’re all features that will be handy to regular buyers, not just office-locked ones.
Another strength of the AKG N5 is their audio chops, because the buds offer expressive and clear audio with plenty of detail and texture. A few more in-app modes (sorry to mention features again) let you carry out a sound test or tweak the sonic offering to your pleasure.
Some people may be put off by the AKG N5’s design. It’s true the case is pretty huge, the build quality feels iffy, and the earbud controls are hard to activate when you want to and easy to activate when you don’t. The battery life that won’t last a full day of work might also put some people off.
But it’s easy to overlook these issues if, like I said, you’re able to find a good deal on these buds. And that shouldn’t be hard given I found it more of a chore to find their actual original price rather than the current one. The N5 are fine value at their official price – but discounted, they’re a steal.
AKG N5 review: Specifications
Component | Value |
Water resistant | IP54 |
Battery life (quoted) | 6 hours (earbuds), 24 hours (total) |
Bluetooth type | Bluetooth 5.3 |
Weight | 6g / Charging case: 48.4g |
Driver | 10mm |
AKG N5 review: Price and availability
- Announced in September 2024
- Priced at $299 / £249 / AU$309
- Readily available for under $250 / £199 / AU$250
The AKG N5 were announced in September 2024, at IFA 2024, as the latest entry into the brand’s line-up of earbuds. At the time of writing they’re the company’s only competitor for the best wireless earbuds.
At launch, the AKG N5 cost $299.95 / £249 / AU$309, which makes them a premium audio offering. However it’s worth pointing out that I could easily find it sold online for a discount of $60 / £50 / AU$65, so you’ll easily save money if you shop around.
Lowered price or not, these are still premium earbuds and we’ll treat them as such. Included in the box you get the buds, case and dongle as well as a USB-C to USB connector and some bud tips of varying sizes.
AKG N5 review: Features
- Poor real-world battery life
- Range of ANC options
- Useful dongle connector
The AKG N5 connects to your phone via Bluetooth 5.3; initial pairing for me was quick and easy, and during testing there were barely any drop-outs or stutters.
You can also easily connect to new devices via a dongle included in the charging case; plug this into any device, and the N5 will stream audio from that.
The dongle is a USB-C one, though an adapter included in the box lets you plug it into standard USB ports. This is a really handy extra for people who own multiple devices and can’t pair to all of them, or who use unfamiliar devices on occasion. As someone who owns (and tests) too many gadgets, I found it incredibly handy.
9 times out of ten, this dongle worked well, however now and then I’d find the headphones would re-pair with my phone even if the dongle was connected to another device. One thing to note is that it did sap the battery of the device it was connected to: fine for gadgets plugged into an outlet, frustrating for my iPad.
Battery life is a weak spot for the buds. AKG predicts a 10-hour battery life… if you listen to music with ANC turned off, and that drops down to six hours with ANC on, or even lower if you’re talking or using the dongle.
However, in my testing I was lucky to get anywhere near six hours of listening time, and I’d usually have to charge after four and a half or five hours. That’s not just below what’s promised, it’s way below average.
The case itself contains four full charges for the buds, however long you make that.
So should you turn off ANC to preserve battery life? Well you can, but it’d be a shame, because the AKG N5 have fantastic noise cancellation – my usual ANC test is how well it drowns out the trains that commonly pass my house, and when testing the N5, I have no idea if it passed because I could never tell if trains had passed.
ANC is complicated here, though. There are three modes: standard, Ambient Aware and TalkThru (as well as off, obviously). TalkThru boosts nearby voices so you can hear people and Ambient Aware does a similar thing for background voices, with a slider letting you fiddle with the intensity of the effect.
In standard ANC mode you can toggle Adaptive ANC, which adjusts the level of noise cancellation based on your surroundings, and turning it off presents you with a slider to change the intensity yourself. There’s also Auto Compensation mode which tweaks with ANC depending on your ‘wearing and ear canal status’, whatever that means.
Suffice it to say that every time I was presented with the ANC part of the AKG Headphones app I was scratching my head at all the options presented to me – and that’s really the theme of this companion app which bombards you with options. This’ll be pleasing news to tech-heads, but horrifying for technophobes.
Let’s fire through some of the features and settings: SilentNow turns off music and ramps up ANC to help you focus or study; Smart Audio & Video adjusts sound stage based on whether you’re listening to music or watching a video; the equalizer has a load of presets or lets you customize your sound on a 10-band EQ; various call settings let you change how you or a caller sound on the phone; and Right/Left Sound Balance does what it says on the tin.
These are as well as all the standard app modes: gesture control customization, a find-my-buds feature, and a fit test.
The app also gives you the option to toggle Hi-Res Audio, but turning this on precludes you from several other features, including Spatial Sound and Personi-Fi. This latter is a lengthy audio test that presents you with a bespoke equalization fit for your music, and I don’t know any audiophiles who don’t appreciate this kind of feature.
If you’ve skimmed that list you may have noticed something I want to explicitly commend: there are loads of options with small or large accessibility use cases here, which is always great to see.
AKG N5 review: Sound performance
- 10mm drivers
- Balanced sound profile
- Textured audio in high-res mode
Whether you’re listening via Bluetooth or dongle, with Hi-Res Audio on or instead Personi-Fi enabled, there’s one thing that’s hard to deny: the AKG N5 sounds great.
The sound profile is lovely and balanced, with well-defined bass sitting comfortably alongside clear treble and distinct mids. I didn’t feel the need to touch the equalizer as I liked the default mix, and wasn’t losing any instruments to overbearing bass or treble.
It’s easy to hear the texture in each instrument with the N5: I could make out the ripples of reverb on vocal lines to the flick of a bass guitar string being strum, and the audio lines were all spread out enough to make them distinct and clear (although I have tested buds with a better soundstage).
If I have to say one bad thing about the buds, it’s that audio sounds precision-tuned but not very energetic – they helped me really appreciate great songs sonically, but didn’t always make me feel like rocking out to them.
- Sound performance score: 4/5
AKG N5 review: Design
- Chunky and cheap charging case
- Lightweight and comfortable buds
- Annoying touch controls
Perhaps because it contains a dongle, the case of the AKG N5 is a little on the larger size, and I’ve seen some people online criticize its bulk. Honestly, it’s not that big, and doesn’t allay the space-saving advantages of earbuds like this over full-on headphones or open earbuds with a a wraparound design – plus they’re light at 48.4g.
But I did notice the thing in my pocket when I was walking – it’s on the larger end of the scale.
What’s arguably worse about the case is its build: the plastic feels cheap, groans under slight pressure and picks up fingerprints readily. However AKG has it certified at IP52, which protects it from limited fine particles and sprays of water at certain angles. I can’t remember the last time I saw a charging case with an IP rating, so it’s a welcome spec.
Now onto the earbuds: these are buds with stems, but with a bigger bud and shorter, flatter stem than on your generic AirPod doppelgänger. They have an IP54 rating so they’re a little better protected against water than the case.
Due to the tips material being quite smooth, when I first started testing the N5, it constantly felt like they were on the verge of falling out of my ear. Two weeks on and that hasn’t happened yet, but I’ve still been too apprehensive to take them on a run, cycle or any kind of activity which might actually cause them to fall to the floor.
At least the buds are lightweight, so when I was sitting still, they were comfortable to wear for long periods of time. They weigh 6g each which is comparable to rivals.
Each bud has a touch-sensitive area over the ‘A’ of the AKG logo, which lets you control music playback; by default the left side toggles ANC and Ambient Aware, while the right one is for play and pause.
It took some time getting used to tapping the right spot when I was wearing the buds, and there’s a noticeable delay in the gesture being picked up – more than once I got caught in a loop playing or pausing a tune, thinking that my touch hadn’t been picked up, and constantly flicking between the two.
An even more annoying issue was that it’s very easy to accidentally press the button when you’re trying to readjust loose buds.
You can pick the AKG N5 up in white or black, and your choice affects both the buds and the case. As you can see from images, I tested the black pair.
AKG N5 review: Value
While it’s not easy to make reasonable argument for $299 / £249 / AU$309 earbuds being good value propositions, it does bear repeating that these things have been seeing increasing discounts over their first year of existence.
The AKG N5 aren’t bad value for money by any means, with their top-notch audio and range of useful features justifying the price, but they’re far from bargains either (except in Australia, where they’re much cheaper than elsewhere).
That certainly isn’t the case if you can find them for below about $200 / £180 / AU$300, which would make them a really tempting alternative to earbuds that are usually priced in that area.
Should I buy the AKG N5?
Category | Comment | Score |
Features | There are so many features that it’s hard to get your head around them all. Battery life isn’t amazing though. | 4/5 |
Sound | The N5 offered a lovely balanced sound that lets you hear the texture and sound stage of your music. | 4/5 |
Value | By default they’re not especially competitively-priced, but discounts help. | 3.5/5 |
Design | A few small design problems affect the user experience, but they’re still great to wear. | 3.5/5 |
Buy them if…
Don’t buy them if…
Also consider
Component | AKG N5 | Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro | Apple AirPods Pro 2 |
Water resistant | IP54 | IP57 | IP54 |
Battery life | 6 hours (earbuds), 32 hours (total) | 7 hours (earbuds), 30 hours (total) | 6 hours (buds); 30 hours (case) |
Bluetooth type | Bluetooth 5.3 | Bluetooth 5.4 | Bluetooth 5.3 |
Weight | 6g (buds) | 5.4g (buds) | 5.3g (buds) |
Driver | 10mm | 10mm dynamic driver + planar tweeter | 11mm |
How I tested the AKG N5
My testing process before writing this AKG N5 review took two weeks. I tested them alongside their contemporary siblings, the AKG N9 Hybrid over-ear headphones, and I’ve tested a huge number of earbuds recently to compare them against.
I connected the AKG N5 to a range of devices including my smartphone (via Bluetooth), my desktop PC (via dongle) and my work laptop (again via dongle) with a roughly 50/50 split between Bluetooth and dongle listening.
I also split my Bluetooth listening time roughly equally between Hi-res Audio and Personi-Fi (and other feature) modes, bearing in mind that you can’t have both enabled at the same time.
My listening was done in a range of environments including at home, on public transport, in my office and on walks around my borough – and following TechRadar’s testing guidelines for earbuds.
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