AKG K240 Sextett--Grado'd AKG? - Page 6

Ok, based on just measuring the different drivers in a loose baffle plate (no foam, rear cover, pads, etc), I get consistent small but different results between the two drivers. So it looks like the verdict is that there is indeed four different versions of the K240. I can't comment on how it sounds since these measurements are taken in unrealistic conditions and may change the sound in a completely different way once sealed up. I'll see if I have enough additional parts to put together a working pair of this new version.

I just had mine open and noticed that my baffle plate, when looking at the rear, has red plastic over the backs of the radiators. Does that make it a mid version with the reduced bass? (It has plenty for my tastes, very nice balance)

Fitz thanks for pointing those out to me. I am relieved I can access those holes without disassembling the whole earcup. Perhaps it will make for tweaking, covering up some but not all of the holes?


Now this does leave a bit of confusion as to what versions exist. Originally we thought it was this:

1. Early - K240 Sextett AA (Driver A/Disc A)
2. Middle - K240 Sextett AB (Driver A/Disc B)
3. Late - K240 Sextett BB (Driver B/Disc B)

Now it would appear I have a sextett that has the early driver and the newly discovered Disc C baffle, which would make mine a Sextett AC.

But before I document that, it leaves loose ends open. If there exists a sextett with the first driver and Disc C baffle, what is there stopping a sextett with the late driver and Disc C baffle from existing as well?

And have we even come to the conclusion that the Disc C baffle is the latest one? Or is between the middle and late ones? Regardless of which it is, how would we have any way of knowing what came when in the first place? Perhaps we should stop referring to them as early, mid and late, and simply A, B and C, since it would seem to me that finding out beyond a shadow of a doubt WHEN the changes were introduced would be quite difficult if not impossible.

Jon L and NiceCans it would be great if you could shoot pictures of the front and back of your baffles (with the drivers in place) and post them here as I did. The more sextetts that are pictured and known about the better a chance we have of finding and documenting all the different versions that exist, if not WHEN they existed.

Also, Fitz, I just thought of something. There seem to have been two different grilles (the plastic part attached in front of the baffle) AKG used, the flatter one and the one with more depth in the holes. Would these two different grilles sound different from each other? Or have you already tried testing that?

I take it, the only known differences between the plastic covers behind the radiators so far is color?

The late production K240 is a late driver with the C baffle.

This is the new list:

1. Early Production: Driver A, Disc A
2. Early-Middle Production: Driver A, Disc B
3. Late-Middle Production: Driver A, Disc C
4. Late Production: Driver B, Disc C

You can call them by the number if you don't want to use the timeline, but I am certain of the chronological order anyway even if you don't believe my findings. The only difference from before is I did not notice the addition of the pinholes in the baffle, and only thought it was the colour of the plastic backing that had changed.

I still have to put together a complete 3rd version to listen to. So far based on my observations, my hypothesis is that the 2nd and 3rd versions are more different than the 2nd and 4th versions, and that the driver change was done to counter-balance some of the effects of the pinholes.

Oh, ok. I see now. You're timeline seems pretty accurate.

If you're hypothesis is that 2 and 4 are more alike than 2 and 3, I still have a question remaining.

You initially had said the early version was the most bass heavy, the middle version was in your opinion the best balance of bass and treble, and the late version was tipped towards the treble.

When you had said that, was what you were referring to as the late version actually the later version, or was it the late-mid version?

Because if you say that 2 and 4 may be more similar and you had originally listened to the real late version in your comparison, and thought it was more tipped towards the treble, then would the 3rd version be even more so tipped toward the treble? I think in your final comparison you should also try your newly assembled 3rd version with the holes covered up, as well as with them uncovered.

Love the title of this thread -- it makes me read it everytime there's a new post. : AKG K240 Sextett--Grado'd AKG? So if I already have a Grado, should I still hunt down a Sextett, or will there not be much difference with my SR225? Of course, owning 3 AKGs already probably predisposes me to getting a pair.

I can get the housing off of my sextets, but I don't know how to go past this without desoldering, which I don't want to do. With the housing off, I can see the back of the radiators. One has white radiators with an orange back, so it's type 2 or AB. The other has white radiators with grey backs. Without knowing how to take it apart, I don't know if the plate has pin holes. I assume they're not visible though the grill. It has decent bass but can get a little fatiguing.

One other difference that I noticed is that there is more behind the plate in the second one. The type 2 just has 1 ring of foam stuffed between the lid and the plate. The type 3 or 4 has the same ring of foam plus some other foam behind the radiators.

You can pop the grille off without soldering or taking apart anything. The only way to open the back of the earcup is by desoldering. Its really easy, even I can do it.

About the foam, not sure what you're talking about. The only foam the sextett is supposed to have is the earpads and the foam stuffed behind the radiators.

there is a ring of "foam" behind the baffle plate around the circumference. It is not really foam but appears more like a very open firbe material like a course "Scotch-Brite" pad type of stuff. My assessment is that it is there for vibrational damping regarding the housing parts.

iirc it's main purpose is to dampen the motion of the pivot mechanism in the earcup, but it certainly has some acoustic effect as well.

Thanks

After following this thread, I traded in my Grado for the AKG and saved some good $$$. Hope I will be happy with it.

how did you find a pair??

I saw someone on this thread has it, so I PM and asked. And that very nice person made traded.

Important AKG News Alert: Based on some extensive visual examination, response measurements, and listening comparisons. I believe all of the K240 sextett drivers are functionally and sonically identical. I used 4 pairs of driver style A, and 2 pairs of driver style B, all of which are from different manufacturing batches. As far as I can tell, assuming all else is equal, the baffle plate is the only thing that changes the sound between the version. So this will drop the sonically different versions back down to three: early, middle, and late, depending on which baffle plate / passive radiators are used.

Wait are you saying that in addition to baffle plate differences, there are also differences in the actual radiators?

Also were you able to test and see if the late baffle sounds the same as the mid baffle if you plug up the holes (maybe with electrical tape)?

EDIT:
Stupid me, the differences in the radiators are the fact that the early ones are orange.