AKG K240 Christmas present from wife

[genewiseman]

I was lucky enough to get some new K240's for Christmas this year. I have owned a pair of Hifiman HE 4xx's for a couple of years now and recently bought a set of Sennheiser HD569 closed back headphones for when the wife is watching movies a little too loud. I also have a pair of Samson SR850's which seem to be modeled after the K240's so I really wanted to try the real thing.

I will have to admit that I wasn't real impressed by the 240's at first. The first amplifier that I hooked them to was my old Realistic SA-150 integrated amp. They really highlighted the deficiencies of that amp with the highs rolled off and a muffled sound like cheap bass heavy headphones. 

I then tried them out on my Schiit Magni headphone amp and it was a vast improvement but they still seemed somewhat muffled. They only cost $49.00 right now and that's representative of the sound I was getting. 

Yesterday, I received a set of Brainwaves perforated, memory foam, xl large earpads. I went with the xl because I hate for my ears to be cramped up. When I took the stock earpads off I realized that there was a piece of foam over the drivers probably about 1/8" thick . The new earpads went on pretty easy and I left the foam out. The new pads made a world of difference.

Last night I listened to records for about 4 hours and was very happy with my modifications. On some records that weren't mastered or pressed well, you could tell it but they could still be enjoyed. I used my Schiit Loki to eq an old Charlie Daniels Band record and it helped but everything else was just through the Magni alone. Ray Wylie Hubbard's newest album "Costarring" was great! I couldn't help but crank it up for that one. The 1964 Brenda Lee album "Emotions" also sounded good as well as " The Best of Ray Price" from the mid 1970's. I love the way it sounds like you are in the studio with the artists on these old albums.

Although these are very particular about the source you are driving them with they seem to be exceptional sounding headphones with the new earpads. With the headphones costing only $49.00, the new earpads seem kind of extravagant at $26.50. You still end up with a very nice sounding and extremely comfortable set of headphones for just under $80.00. I haven't compared them back to back with the Hifiman 4xx's yet but I suspect that the Hifiman headphones will probably win on sound quality but I don't know if there will be enough of a difference win out overall when you take into account the light weight and comfort of the AKG's. I can't wait to listen to some of my blues cd's later today!

Happy Holidays!

Gene

[genewiseman]

I guess no one else has any opinions about these headphones?

[Hennyo]

I have heard these headphones and they are good for certain. Probably better or as much fun as an Sr Lambda. Or on equal playing field depending on what is driving what. I would love to have a pair of these.

 

I've wondered when somebody would bring these 💎 gemly cans up. I hope at least a few other people here do have some experience with these. They're a piece of history. 

 

Edit: My mistake, I had thought these were the electret-dynamic hybrid AKG 340's.. Cool headphone which is also a very real contender and has a unique presentation and sig. Never tried the 240... 

Edited December 31, 2020 by Hennyo

[n_maher]

26 minutes ago, genewiseman said:

I guess no one else has any opinions about these headphones?

This isn't really a forum for headphones.

[naamanf]

On 12/30/2020 at 8:04 AM, genewiseman said:

I was lucky enough to get some new K240's for Christmas this year. I have owned a pair of Hifiman HE 4xx's for a couple of years now and recently bought a set of Sennheiser HD569 closed back headphones for when the wife is watching movies a little too loud. I also have a pair of Samson SR850's which seem to be modeled after the K240's so I really wanted to try the real thing.

I will have to admit that I wasn't real impressed by the 240's at first. The first amplifier that I hooked them to was my old Realistic SA-150 integrated amp. They really highlighted the deficiencies of that amp with the highs rolled off and a muffled sound like cheap bass heavy headphones. 

I then tried them out on my Schiit Magni headphone amp and it was a vast improvement but they still seemed somewhat muffled. They only cost $49.00 right now and that's representative of the sound I was getting. 

Yesterday, I received a set of Brainwaves perforated, memory foam, xl large earpads. I went with the xl because I hate for my ears to be cramped up. When I took the stock earpads off I realized that there was a piece of foam over the drivers probably about 1/8" thick . The new earpads went on pretty easy and I left the foam out. The new pads made a world of difference.

Last night I listened to records for about 4 hours and was very happy with my modifications. On some records that weren't mastered or pressed well, you could tell it but they could still be enjoyed. I used my Schiit Loki to eq an old Charlie Daniels Band record and it helped but everything else was just through the Magni alone. Ray Wylie Hubbard's newest album "Costarring" was great! I couldn't help but crank it up for that one. The 1964 Brenda Lee album "Emotions" also sounded good as well as " The Best of Ray Price" from the mid 1970's. I love the way it sounds like you are in the studio with the artists on these old albums.

Although these are very particular about the source you are driving them with they seem to be exceptional sounding headphones with the new earpads. With the headphones costing only $49.00, the new earpads seem kind of extravagant at $26.50. You still end up with a very nice sounding and extremely comfortable set of headphones for just under $80.00. I haven't compared them back to back with the Hifiman 4xx's yet but I suspect that the Hifiman headphones will probably win on sound quality but I don't know if there will be enough of a difference win out overall when you take into account the light weight and comfort of the AKG's. I can't wait to listen to some of my blues cd's later today!

Happy Holidays!

Gene

If you have some nice wood working tools, we would love to see them. 

[genewiseman]

I am beginning to think that I should never have tried to start an intelligent conversation about headphones here. The memories of being picked on by the cool kids are still fresh in your minds. I was never a football player and I never stuffed a nerd in a locker but you don't know that. Online, you have all graduated to the "cool kid" table in the cafeteria. From here on I will try to refrain from irritating you with my views and questions about audio equipment and let you get back to your anime pornography. I apologize for the interruption.

Sincerely,

Gene

[jp11801]

1 hour ago, genewiseman said:

 and let you get back to your anime pornography. I apologize for the interruption.

Sincerely,

Gene

whose been holding out o me

[naamanf]

2 hours ago, genewiseman said:

I am beginning to think that I should never have tried to start an intelligent conversation about headphones here. The memories of being picked on by the cool kids are still fresh in your minds. I was never a football player and I never stuffed a nerd in a locker but you don't know that. Online, you have all graduated to the "cool kid" table in the cafeteria. From here on I will try to refrain from irritating you with my views and questions about audio equipment and let you get back to your anime pornography. I apologize for the interruption.

Sincerely,

Gene

I'm guessing that means you don't have a woodshop?

[swt61]

What an idiot. Doesn't he understand that he should post about his headphones on the woodworkers forum?

Hey Head-Fi, we're sending you another one!

[n_maher]

3 hours ago, genewiseman said:

I am beginning to think that I should never have tried to start an intelligent conversation about headphones here. The memories of being picked on by the cool kids are still fresh in your minds. I was never a football player and I never stuffed a nerd in a locker but you don't know that. Online, you have all graduated to the "cool kid" table in the cafeteria. From here on I will try to refrain from irritating you with my views and questions about audio equipment and let you get back to your anime pornography. I apologize for the interruption.

Sincerely,

Gene

I thought my comment was pretty benign, Gene. This isn't really a headphone forum. Most members have been here more than a decade, date back to the earliest days of Headwize, and are friends in real life, despite the thousands of miles, oceans, continents and everything else in between. Are we occasionally rude? Yes. Were we particularly rude here? No. If you'd read around a bit even just in this forum you'd have seen that the top 10 threads are so are either Stax related or about boutique niche headphones. So no, you posting a review of your new AKG K240s was unlikely to generate any sort of stimulating conversation. Most here have probably already owned a pair. Congrats on your new headphones. My advice, spend more time listening to them then writing about them.

As the saying goes, sorry about your thin skin. 

[Voltron]

Sorry JP, here's taste...

[Fitz]

42 minutes ago, n_maher said:

Most here have probably already owned a pair.

I've never even heard of a K240.

[genewiseman]

Maybe you shouldn't call this a headphone forum if that isn't what it is. You might want to make sure and not accept new members who don't already know everything that you know too. A lot of us don't have a lot of experience with high end headphones but would like to learn. You do realize that if you run off everyone that is interested in your hobby but doesn't know as much as you do, your hobby will die. You all were beginners at this at one time, and if you have any ambition in life, you will always be a beginner at something. I usually try to encourage beginners in areas where I happen to have the most expertise. There is no advantage in driving away like minded enthusiasts. You can do whatever you want though. 

[skullguise]

Relax and chill.....

It's usually best to browse a forum when you join, to get a good feel for things.  We are WAY more than a headphone site, indeed to the point above that we're NOT really a headphone site at this point.  This is an eclectic group of great people that have many interests and personalities.

We don't need lessons in forum and hobby lifecycles, coming in here and preaching that will not endear you, especially with the passive-aggressive "You can do whatever you want though" conclusion.

If you truly want to find out about headphones, there are other sites that will fit your needs better.  If you want to talk about other things - woodworking, watches, alcohol, bikes, movies/TV shows, DIY, and yes occasionally headphones/amps, etc. etc. - this will be a welcome place, and likely a nice respite from some of the other forums.

But you can do whatever you want though.....

[n_maher]

52 minutes ago, genewiseman said:

You can do whatever you want though. 

Yup, sure can. I don't speak for anyone other than myself when I say I could not care less about your personal headphone journey.  This website does not exist to make you feel good. Members here are free to respond (or not, as is the case here) to your review. You bumping your own thread looking for gratification is not something that I'm forced to tolerate as a moderator here. So either take my friend Todd's advice above and realize that you've basically been treated with kid gloves so far or don't and you'll find you no longer have to worry about it.

Last piece of advice - imagine you just walked into a bar that you've never been to before and started shouting about how great Bud Lite is and expected people to cheer.  Would that seem like a normal thing to do?