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Entry-Level Headphone Recommendations

Superlux HD668B, Sampson SR850, SR950, ATH-M50x and the AKG K240 are all good entry level for the money. Especially the Superlux HD668B to my ears. Superlux is a little know high end audio company in Shanghai where it's headphones are manufactured. They range in price from $3200. to around $25.00 but all are excellent quality for the price. I've had the HD668B's for about a year and find them very competitive for the price and even a bit higher. Very comfortable, clean and clear, tight bass but could be tighter, fair soundstaging, balanced. Well worth their $40. price. Both the AKG K240 and ATH-M50x are a bit better and of course more $$. Headphones, like speakers, are things that need to be personally experienced and here with most of my hearing still very intact I only relate my experience.
 
Attention OP - Amazon Prime has the AKG 240 mk ll's for $80 right now. 7 pair left. That's just slightly above 1/2 list price oe $10 over list price for the "studios". They have better bass than the K-240 studios, come with straight & coiled cables, threaded 1/4" adapter. Mine came with fabric and leatherette pads, but the site doesn't show both now.
 
cratz2 said:
Welcome to Audio Karma.

Most hip hop fans usually want a pretty full sounding bass.

The Audio Technica ATH-M40x is a good bet in that price range. It's a good overall phone and has a bit of a plump bottom end. Maybe not the aesthetic you are looking for but that's what I'd recommend.

I like the K240 Monitor and use one weekly along with a Q701, but I use the K240 Monitor mostly for classical. It would not be my first suggestion for a hip hop fan.

Superlux makes some headphones that look roughly like the AKGs. I think the 661 and 668 or 681. Something in that ballpark. They are very economical and get generally good reviews. There are different versions within each series with the last letter indicating if they have a neutral sound signature, a V shaped one or neutral with a big bottom end. Those might be worth looking into.
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I second the ATH-M40. I have a pair and I've been very happy with them.
 
OK, so I went a little rogue and bought the M220 from massdrop for $50. I believe they're just white K240. Is that right?

I'm thinking of seeing how I like those and then purchasing the M40x for comparison purposes. I believe my virgin ears will learn a lot this way!

Additionally, I found an old pair of AKG K240 Made in Austria 4-600 ohms headphones at my parents house. They must be from the 80's and are pretty worn in / loose feeling. The cable isn't detachable either. Both left and right get sound, so I'll try them on my NAD 7240PE tomorrow. Is there a way to make these more "new"? The size adjuster is way loose. They're stretched out too and don't clamp great on the head. I'm pretty sure I can buy new earpads. Any suggestions? I'll post some pics.
 
Hey those are the K240 Sextett. Great headphone! You have a couple options with the elastic headband. I bought new elastics for my Sextett, Monitor, and DF, and installed them. You can also try miniature rubber bands on the outside for the same effect.

And yes. The M220 is a K240 studio with a different color scheme. I haven't seen many comparisons but the ones I have seen indicate that they both sound the same.
 
RamblinE said:
Hey those are the K240 Sextett. Great headphone! You have a couple options with the elastic headband. I bought new elastics for my Sextett, Monitor, and DF, and installed them. You can also try miniature rubber bands on the outside for the same effect.

And yes. The M220 is a K240 studio with a different color scheme. I haven't seen many comparisons but the ones I have seen indicate that they both sound the same.
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Thanks for the clarity. Does that mean that the K240 Sextett will sound the same as the new K240 (M220)?

And can you share where you purchased the new elastics? I'd like to make that purchase.
 
ramair02 said:
Thanks for the clarity. Does that mean that the K240 Sextett will sound the same as the new K240 (M220)?

And can you share where you purchased the new elastics? I'd like to make that purchase.
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http://www.fullcompass.com/prod/165...TQMmIardObDsNt_PNfi2gg3GqqYWGhJ5zUaAh6G8P8HAQ

The M220 and the Sextett won't sound anything alike. The M220 will have much better treble. It'll be more extended and a lot smoother. The Sextett's treble can get grainy sometimes especially with distortion. However the Sextett will have better bass with more texture that extends deeper. I like the mids on both headphones. It's more organic in the Sextett but it's more forward and exciting in the M220.

One thing I will say about the Sextett though. I already had newer headphones in my inventory when I bought mine off eBay. However I listened to them fresh out of the box for a little while and they were the first vintage headphone that ever made me wonder what has really advanced in transducer designer in the last forty years. Granted that's a rhetorical question. However in the late 70s AKG was at the bleeding edge of dynamic driver design and you can still hear it and appreciate it in their vintage headphones today.
 
RamblinE said:
http://www.fullcompass.com/prod/165...TQMmIardObDsNt_PNfi2gg3GqqYWGhJ5zUaAh6G8P8HAQ

The M220 and the Sextett won't sound anything alike. The M220 will have much better treble. It'll be more extended and a lot smoother. The Sextett's treble can get grainy sometimes especially with distortion. However the Sextett will have better bass with more texture that extends deeper. I like the mids on both headphones. It's more organic in the Sextett but it's more forward and exciting in the M220.

One thing I will say about the Sextett though. I already had newer headphones in my inventory when I bought mine off eBay. However I listened to them fresh out of the box for a little while and they were the first vintage headphone that ever made me wonder what has really advanced in transducer designer in the last forty years. Granted that's a rhetorical question. However in the late 70s AKG was at the bleeding edge of dynamic driver design and you can still hear it and appreciate it in their vintage headphones today.
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Thanks for the link and the info. Full Compass seems to carry the elastics, foam and ear pads all for pretty cheap! I'm gonna purchase those and get these Sextetts all fixed up! Much appreciated.
 
I listened to the Sextetts over the weekend and they sound great to my untrained ear, even with my underground hip hop! They're definitely lacking some bass, but the clarity is awesome. I contacted AKG directly, instead of purchasing through Full Compass, to see if they can hook me up with everything I need to refurbish the K240 Sextett.

Waiting on M220 once the massdrop finishes up. And I'm ready to purchase the Audio Technica M40x as well. I think I'll have a nice entry-level range of headphones then! Pretty stoked to compare them all. Thanks everyone for the help.
 
Another question I have: Will I benefit from an amp / DAC when using the K240 Sextett with my NAD 7240PE receiver? I've been reading about amps & DACs and trying to understand impedance. As I understand it, a DAC won't be beneficial to my intended use (turntable to NAD 7240PE to AKG K240 Sextett), but will an amp? And if so, do you recommend anything?

And what about newer K240s or Audio Technica M40x? Does the NAD 7240PE have what it takes to drive most headphones I'd purchase?
 
Output impedance has a huge impact on frequency response. Read this from NwAvGuy:
http://nwavguy.blogspot.com/2011/02/headphone-amp-impedance.html

Essentially, you really do want as low an output impedance as possible. Benchmark Audio's HPA-2 (the headphone amplifier stage in their modern renown DACs) has an output impedance around 0.1ohm. You tend to get audible impact until you reach a damping factor of >1000. So yes, a decent dedicated headphone amp with a low output impedance will often offer a significant improvement over an integrated where the headphone output is often just tapped from the speaker outputs with added resistance.
 
elcoholic said:
Attention OP - Amazon Prime has the AKG 240 mk ll's for $80 right now. 7 pair left. That's just slightly above 1/2 list price oe $10 over list price for the "studios". They have better bass than the K-240 studios, come with straight & coiled cables, threaded 1/4" adapter. Mine came with fabric and leatherette pads, but the site doesn't show both now.
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They are the K240's called MKII because they come with 2 cables and 2 sets of earpads. Otherwise I don't see a difference. The extra $22.77 is for the cables and extra earpads. Worth it?
 
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If you want a "fun" pair of cans for hip hop try the Sampson SR950 for about $32.00. Superlux SR668B for about $40.00. Both are relatively unknown quality cans and very excellent choices for the money. I have both. I think the Samson's would fit your needs best.
 
archie2 said:
They are the K240's called MKII because they come with 2 cables and 2 sets of earpads. Otherwise I don't see a difference. The extra $22.77 is for the cables and extra earpads. Worth it?
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Yes they are very similar. The only difference in their respective parts lists besides the velour pads are the "Housings", P/N 12 on the lists. This is where the back-wave damping occurs which determines how much is returned and how much is vented. The specs are the same but the voicing is different. That's a lot of the tweaking/refinement they've been doing for 30 years of 240's. AKG have revised their literature since I bought mine a couple years ago. They no longer claim improved bass over the Studio's. The descriptions read the same. Probably lots of angry complaints and returns from the "Beats" crowd. I haven't heard the "Studio's" but yes I think the price difference was justified. I use the coiled cable on the go and the straight cable when these make it into the office rotation. The velour pads are more comfy and less sweaty as well.
 
elcoholic said:
Attention OP - Amazon Prime has the AKG 240 mk ll's for $80 right now. 7 pair left. That's just slightly above 1/2 list price oe $10 over list price for the "studios". They have better bass than the K-240 studios, come with straight & coiled cables, threaded 1/4" adapter. Mine came with fabric and leatherette pads, but the site doesn't show both now.
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I just bought a a pair of 240MKll's as well. They sound pretty nice and at a decent price.
 
archie2 said:
If you want a "fun" pair of cans for hip hop try the Sampson SR950 for about $32.00. Superlux SR668B for about $40.00. Both are relatively unknown quality cans and very excellent choices for the money. I have both. I think the Samson's would fit your needs best.
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Thanks for this recommendation. I have been keeping my eye on the Superlux and Samson headphone products. Since I have the Sextetts and K240 (M220) on order, I'm thinking of getting a closed back headphone as my third pair. That'll likely be the Audio Technica M40x or M50x, but if I'm penny pinching, the SR950 seems like a great option. I'm still undecided.
 
ramair02 said:
Thanks for this recommendation. I have been keeping my eye on the Superlux and Samson headphone products. Since I have the Sextetts and K240 (M220) on order, I'm thinking of getting a closed back headphone as my third pair. That'll likely be the Audio Technica M40x or M50x, but if I'm penny pinching, the SR950 seems like a great option. I'm still undecided.
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I also have the ATH-M50x and it is "better" than the SR950 but not by all that much, mostly in the shape of the signature boost and some additional clarity in detail which is noticeable. The SR950 has much more bass, but it's a nice tight bass that doesn't spill over over into the mids. I'm no bass-head, if anything I dislike bass heavy cans. But oddly enough I do appreciate the SR950's. IMO they are much better suited to hip hop, classic rock, Do Wop. The low end of that genre music really comes though with the SR950's. If I were to put it simply, the M50x is more refined, closer in class to the AKG's(even though the Sextetts and the K240 are different), while the SR950 is a "fun" set of cans. If someone were to offer me both for the same price I'd take the M50x but of course their not. Tough decision, good luck.
 
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