Your thoughts on AKG K240S, K270S, and K271S?

[ooheadsoo]

If it's fast clean bass, hats definitely go off to the senns with out the foam inserts. That's some fast lean clean mean bass. If you put the inserts into the senns, the senns still win in the bass department. The k-271s's bass is a bit tubbier and bloated, less clean overall. On the otherhand, it often has more impact.

here's a link to my original write-up:
http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/showt...ight=akg+k271s

[Michael Yoder]

On June 19, Redyolk wrote:
"BTW, FWIW, Todd@Headroom told me that he prefers the
271 over the 240s...."


Todd told me the same thing. However, on the AKG forum, Horst from AKG sez the opposite (in the case of mixing). Horst implies that the K240S is the more neutral and accurate sounding of the two.

It really is subjective, I guess.

I also talked to this guy in the Professional Audio department at B&H in NY, and he made a very interesting point that I find to be true: you don't really know which set of phones is better until you actually do a direct A-B comparison, and even then that can be misleading because your ears become accustomed to the sound of whatever you're listening to within minutes. So, as long as you have a good set of cans with the basic characteristics you're looking for, your ear adjusts, and you can get accurate mixes or enjoyment or whatever you're seeking. Still, he advised me to get near field monitors and put acoustic tiling stuff (?) all over my studio room if my objective is accuracy in mixing and mastering.

Since I can't really do that, I think I'm gonna start with the K240S.

Michael Y.

[Marcus]

I like the AKG K240 alot.

They are not as "impressive" sounding as some other more expensive phones
but they are coherent and nothing about the sound sticks out or irritates.

Overall I prefer them to Sennheiser HD600.

[Davie]

Headroom's web site makes a distinction between the 271s and the 271 Studio. They like the Studio and not the 270s. Also, the Studio is rated at 55ohms (like AKG's other studio series phones) and the 270s is rated at 75ohms.

[Michael Yoder]

I gotta echo Marcus' comment. I'm listening to Jean Luc Ponty's "No Absolute Time" through K240M cans as I write this, and Marcus is exactly right. They're not spectacular, no sparkle, just basically accurate. I do, in fact, need the lower impedance version (right now, the volume is turned up to 48 out of 50 on my receiver). It was only when I did an A-B comparison with my Grado SR60 that I even got the idea that I needed somehow to improve upon the K240M. The Grado has some midrange and treble "sparkle" or "detail" or whatever the appropriate term is that the K240M doesn't have WHEN DOING THE DIRECT COMPARISON. And the direct comparison also reveals a little bit of K240M colouration with cymbals and higher piano overtones. But right now, my ears are loving them, and I've never heard Ponty sound so good!! Nothing irritating about the 240 at all ("no boomy bass, nothing in your face.")

That said, there may be times when a completely sealed set is necessary. When the time comes, I'll likely order the K271S rather than the much-less-expensive Audio Technica ATH-M40fs that has gotten some pretty decent reviews (but is supposely not as open and airy sounding as AKG phones in general).

Cheers,
Michael

[Davie]

Originally posted by Michael Yoder
...rather than the much-less-expensive Audio Technica ATH-M40fs that has gotten some pretty decent reviews (but is supposely not as open and airy sounding as AKG phones in general).

Cheers,
Michael

Not from me. I found those to be dull and lifeless.