AKG K240

Tom Brennan

AK Member
Subscriber
I picked up a pair of these at Guitar Center, just for something to putz around with, and find them very pleasing, I use them with my ipad. I like the tone and the clarity is very good. Imaging is good and they are very comfortable (for me). I like that the cord’s detachable and will order a short cord for them, maybe I’ll try some aftermarket velour ear pads too.
 
I picked up a pair of these at Guitar Center, just for something to putz around with, and find them very pleasing, I use them with my ipad. I like the tone and the clarity is very good. Imaging is good and they are very comfortable (for me). I like that the cord’s detachable and will order a short cord for them, maybe I’ll try some aftermarket velour ear pads too.
I picked up a set awhile back. I like them. They came with both ear pad and cord types. No complaints here for the price.
 
Iv'e had a pair for a several years. They were my main phones for a while and still one of my favorites for classical and acoustic jazz. Velour type pads made me happy.

If you eventually want something similar but better in every way, their K701s and Q701s can be found for not much over $100 used and the K702 is in the ballpark.

I'd skip the Massdrop K7xx as they tried ro engineer in too much bass.
 
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I have the vintage K240's, (Austrian made), 600 ohm version. I was quite impressed. Very light weight on my head, long enough cord, to be mobile too. Really nice sounding, but not so loud plugged into my laptop, but that's ok. I got mine off the 'Bay at a fair price.
 
I bought the MKll studio's. The silver not the gold trim version. I dont have any tone controls with my main system and they don't sound bass heavy to me. Maybe the version with the gold trim are more bass heavy? The output tubes im currently using control the low end pretty well. Not flabby or boomy at all, that may help.
 
I don't think ony of the 240s are bass heavy at all. One of the criticisms is that they are a bit light in the bass dept.

The Massdrop K7xx are the ones that I mentioned as being too bass heavy. In my opinion.
 
I have an AKG K712 pro, which seem to have the same signature as the k7xx. It is not a bass heavy heaphones, it sounds warmer than k701 but measure relatively flat in bass and lower medium areas.

Its the k701 that lacks bass in measurements and the k240 is more neutral according to some reviews.
 
I've had these cans since 2013 ... if memory serves me well. Recently use them for walking/FiiO X1 DAP.

I ordered the 1.2M NewFantasia Replacement Audio Upgrade Cable from Amazon in 2015 (for walking).

Works & sounds great.

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I listened to a pair of the K240s at Guitar Center a few weeks back, along with a few of their other offerings. Seemed like a nice pair of headphones.
 
Used in SO many recording studios in the past. I bought a pair in the early 80s for radio and passed them on to my daughter to use in vocal tracking sessions. Always liked them.
 
I'm not sure how the comparison will turn out, but the K240s are like the Chevy small block. Ubiquitous. And they sound good.
 
I have a pair from Guitar Center that I bought about three months ago. Really, really enjoy them and use them more than any of my other headphones. The others are, for the most part, not a lot to write home about but decent (Senn 429, Bose AE2, Senn PX 100-II, some old Koss and such).

When I bought them I had a pair of Grado 60i's that I really hated. Guitar Center gave me a pretty nice trade-in deal on them towards the AKG's. Much happier now.

Perhaps oddly enough, I find myself listening through them more than my home speakers anymore. The speakers are pretty good in their own right - PSB Alpha B1's.
 
The other day I compared the 240s to my Q701s and they sounded far more alike than different; tonally they’re almost identical while the 701s have some advantages in lower distortion and a bigger image. But I found the differences surprisingly subtle. I listened on my ipad to the RCA recording of Reiner and the CSO “Scheherazade”.

I bought aftermarket large velvet ear pads and a short cord for the 240s, they’re even more comfortable now.

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Yeah, they are pretty similar.

Basically, I prefer the K240s for smaller scale classical such as string ensembles and the Q701s forf larger, more dynamic recordings such as Verdi's Requiem or Carmina Burana.

And for jazz, bigger recordings with more electric instruments is where I will prefer the Q701s.

Definitely the same ballpark and I definitely enjoy both. I absolutely feel the velour type pads are a must in my opinion and both benefit from a decent amp vs running from a phone or from most media players.
 
So what kind of changes are you guys hearing with the velours? Is there also a change in comfort? Do they produce more or less "heat" on the ears?
 
So what kind of changes are you guys hearing with the velours? Is there also a change in comfort? Do they produce more or less "heat" on the ears?

I noticed no change in sound. The velour pads I bought are oversized and have more room inside around the ears. For that reason and for the nicer feel of the velours they’re more comfortable. For me.
 
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Yeah, I don't hear much difference, it's just a comfort thing. They are pretty comfortable to me in stock form, but if I had to, I could wear them for eight hours now.

As far as 'heat on the ears' goes, I generally find velour or terry less hot than leather or leatherette, but I don't find open or semi-open phones to be very hot in general. I find ATH-M50s or VModas to be too hot to wear for extended periods.
 
Yeah, I don't hear much difference, it's just a comfort thing. They are pretty comfortable to me in stock form, but if I had to, I could wear them for eight hours now.

As far as 'heat on the ears' goes, I generally find velour or terry less hot than leather or leatherette, but I don't find open or semi-open phones to be very hot in general. I find ATH-M50s or VModas to be too hot to wear for extended periods.

Thanks guys! Either of you mind to share your source for the velours? I see various providers on Amazon and such, but having not tried any of them it is difficult to know which to select for purchase.
 
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