AKG K240 (Sextett) Questions

[DangerBoy]

I just received my set of excellent condition AKG K240 Sextetts in the mail yesterday. I bought them on eBay.

Oh man, are they ever fantastic!! I am so pleased with this purchase!

The one downside is they don't fit me that well. I can get them to fit nicely but I can't get them to hold that position. There are two plastic sliders on each side and tightening the little Philips screws that hold them together doesn't help too much. Are those sliders always supposed to be loose or are mine possibly worn out and in need of replacement? I'm going to try calling AKG Customer Support to see if I can get the parts but are there any other places where I can get them?

TIA

 

[bigx5murf]

Are these the 600ohm version? If so, what are you using that has enough power to drive them?

 

[DangerBoy]

Yes, they are the 600 Ohm version with the 6 drivers in each earpiece. Right now I'm just plugging them straight into my LG V20 smartphone with the amazing Quad DAC and I get plenty of volume and great sound. That said, I have to set the volume on the phone output close to 100% to get the sound as loud as I want it but then again, I also have to set it about that loud when using my 1More Triple Driver IEMs on it. At any rate, the Sextetts work just fine on that phone.

Honestly, if you like to listen to music played on your smartphone, I HIGHLY recommend either the LG V20 or V30 with the Quad DAC as they are reputed to be among the best smartphones on the market.for audio quality. Music sounds fantastic on the V20 when using a good set of earbuds or headphones.

https://smartphones.gadgethacks.com/how-to/top-4-phones-for-music-lovers-audiophiles-0175956/

At home, I use a streamer app called Samba Player to stream FLAC files off my NAS drive via WiFi. Away from home, I can still use Samba to play music stored on the device but I can use lots of other Apps with a better UI than Samba's for that.

 

[bigx5murf]

I have a v20 as well, and had the v10 prior. I will most likely be getting a v30 when the time comes.

That said, I highly doubt your v20 is adequately powering those sextetts. My most inefficient headphones are my modified t50rp (sextetts are reported to be even more inefficient), and the v20 at full volume can't do it. Sure it gets plenty loud, but once you plug the t50rp into a real headphone amp, the bass gets a significant boost.

 

[DangerBoy]

I dunno... I'm getting pretty good bass on that phone with the Sextetts but I'll reserve judgement on that until I do get a chance to plug them into a proper headphone amp. If that'll make 'em sound even better then I'll be super stoked. I listened to a couple of albums I've listened to a number of times before and was hearing detail that I'd never heard before. The level of bass I was getting was quite satisfying but if it can be even better then that's great. I'll be dancing a jig...

 

[DangerBoy]

BTW, I called AKG and figured out how to adjust the headphones so now they fit just right. No replacement parts needed. I can't wait to listen to them again tonight when I go to bed...

 

[monsterzero]

I can confirm that LG V20 somehow,someway can and does do a good job driving the sextetts.

regarding the fit...theres elastic built into the headphone and after 40+years tend to lose the ability to keep the headphones from sliding down.A simple(and cheap)fix is grab some black elastic hair ties(the kind for ponytails),loop them over the two knobs located on both sides of your sextetts.Done.

If you own a vintage receiver plug your sextetts into that...I prefer my receivers to my dedicated HP amps for driving the sextetts.

 

[bigx5murf]

Your experience that receivers drive them better than HP amps just proves how inefficient they are. Receivers tend to just put resistors on the speaker outputs.

 

[RamblinE]

The K240 Sextett stands up to the rest of time surprisingly well. The LG V20 is an incredible music player. I bought that phone just for the purpose of music playback (I’m primarily an iOS user) and just threw my work SIM in there to justify it. I bought the 6000 mAh Hyperion extended battery for mine and get about three days out of it.

I’ve replaced the elastic bands in the headband of my K240 Sextett and Monitor but it’s kind of hairy and if you want an easy fix than the hair tie fix in the picture above is the easiest option.

 

[DangerBoy]

I'm just blown away at how great the Sextetts sound playing FLAC files off the LG V20. I have a pair of 1More Triple Driver IEMs which are pretty damn decent but the Sextetts are so much better! The clarity, detail, soundstage and separation of all the different instruments are significantly better. I'm hearing things in songs I've never heard before. The realism is incredible. Everything sounds so much more like live vs. recorded music. They're absolutely phenomenal! Buying that phone (new and unused but second hand) and the Sextetts are the best investments in HiFi equipment I've ever made in terms of audio quality per dollar spent. I'm a happy camper.

 

[Teej]

I'm having fit issues with these as well. I have a big head and yet the earphones hang just far enough below my ears to stay comfortable. To get the right fit I have to adjust the slider all the way to behind the housing which doesn't seem right. Love the headphones, but I don't use them as much as I would were this not an issue...

What did you have to do to get the fit right? I bought them brand new and they have less than 20 hours of use on them, so they are def. not worn out...

 

[dmsheehan]

I just purchased both the AKG K340 and the AKG K240 sextett headphones after doing a lot of reading on them. I purchased the K340's first, replaced the elastics and earpads on them. Have listened to them and I do like them, but then I got the K240 Sextett headphones (the MP version I think) , replaced the earpads and adjusted the fit to my head by loosening the screw on the upper knob on the band (the ones with R or L on them). You can then slide them up or down to create a permanent adjustment that does not rely on the elasticity of the bands and the fit remain constant.

After a good amount of listening I have found that I prefer the AKG 240 sextetts over the K340's. I have better defined bass, amazing mids and the overall musicality of these headphones just seem to better the K340's in my opinion.

I know that these headphones are old and will vary in quality and sound from pair to pair, but in my limited listening I have found my K240's to be a fairly clear winner

I hear that there are a good number of people who prefer the K240 DF's to either of the above, but I have not had the opportunity to hear them.

I am using a Meridian Explorer 2 DAC to an xDuoo TA-01 headphone amp with very good results. I have a DarkVoice 336se headphone amp on order at MassDrop and I hear that they have a wonderful synergy with the AKG headphones. Won't know for at least another 5 or six weeks when they will finally drop and I can listen to one.