Has anyone noticed on any pair of headphones, specifically K240's?
 
Given, mine were a slightly used pair, but small hairline cracks have developed along the housing near the earpads/earcups, and it doesn't seem to be an issue anywhere else I've looked. Perhaps I can call in warranty for these? I did a bit of research and found the warranty "card" is completely blank. I guess I could request a repair or try to find some other alternative. The only reason I'm so concerned is because the larger crack seems to be expanding. The seller, when contacted if he knew anything about the cracks, naturally disappeared. Of course.
 
Despite my infancy as an audiophile, I've set up to buy K701's and a PA2V2 to feed my growing interest, but the fact I may not be able to resell this pair due to these cracks has me much more hesitant about buying into AKG and high end headphones in general.
 
There are quite a multitude of fractures, and I now count eight, five on one, three on the other (which is the right cup with the largest crack). I do particularly like these headphones, so I was thinking I could save these...
 

Open them up and add superglue and some thin blutak over the area so there is no sonic distortion. Make sure you only add a small amount so the glue won't pass the other side.
 
Also, did you buy them with a warranty, and how did you buy them

These were from a private seller. He had a listing on ebay (and I also happened to find his craigslist listing for the same headphones). Transaction was over Paypal. That's clearly a dead-end.
 
By blutak, you mean Blu-Tack? Like the putty used to stick paper onto walls? I'd figure a carefully applied epoxy would do better...

The blutak is used as a dampening agent around here and the glue might interfere.
 
But it's not a big deal, I just don't like to half-@$$ anything
 
Epoxy will work well too, if you're afraid the glue with drop through. Just mix well and apply with a toothpick

Upon opening the left earpiece (I had trouble trying to remove the sticker on the right earpiece so I didn't bother), a couple pieces of plastic fell out as I removed the center screw. Plastic had broken off! I can imagine the original owner had dropped this pair of headphones and neglected to tell me (or thought it wasn't major).
 
What can I do now? I can fill in the cracks with epoxy, but it appears there's more damage than just some hairline fractures (which I can't explain in the first place).
 
 

 
 

 
ah, I should have known this was going to happen.
 
Can't help you there. Hopefully those pieces are meant to be free.
 
 
 
Traditionally, you remove the earpad and work from the inside to get to the inside of the cups. If you (I don't know disassembly of AKG) remove the pads, there should be screws the release the cups pairing
 
 
Start gluing things like crazy anyways. Glue those pieces back on, let time dry and return to it in a couple hours after glue has set.

 
After finding the exploded diagram on AKG's website:
http://www.akg.com/mediendatenbank2/psfile/datei/17/k240mkII480ee87ea3594.pdf
 
Part 13 has the hairline fractures, but the diagram makes it appear this part is mostly nonessential. Hopefully, the rest of the damage (not including the broken plastic over the "prong" that connects to the right earpiece) is superficial.
 
AKG's seem to be built around a different "system." When my K701's come in, I'll take a much more serious look at DIY repairing these headphones. I haven't had much luck finding a detailed disassembling guide for K240's, so it looks like I'll have to pioneer my way into this.
 
Thanks BotByte! I'll take your advice and buy some epoxy. Cyanoacrylate has excellent bonding properties, but it doesn't function very well as a filling agent in plastic.

Your welcome

.

I have had my K240 Mk II's for maybe 8 months, but no issues.  I think you're on to something when you suggest maybe the previous owner dropped them (or maybe they got sat on, etc), and maybe the damage showed up later.  I know I buy a lot of used headphones, and I never thought to consider something like this.
 

Quote:

blacknile said:

I've had these very headphones for a while now and they're as good as the day I bought them. But then I've treated them properly. I would never buy used headphones UNLESS the listing shows the unit on offer in several pictures, documenting the condition throughout. So many kids these days use big headphones like these to listen to music in bed with their mp3 players, then fall asleep and CRACK! All headphones are at increased risk of breaking when used like that. 

Click to expand...

 
They seemed completely fine in all pictures I had seen, and on arrival, that large crack was very small. Almost impossible to see. Now it's as obvious as ever, and I'm thinking of looking into the price of buying some small parts to see if I can't service it myself. I baby all my gadgets and things, so seeing these cracks come out of the shell was a bit worrisome.
 
Quote:

kevin brown said:

I have had my K240 Mk II's for maybe 8 months, but no issues.  I think you're on to something when you suggest maybe the previous owner dropped them (or maybe they got sat on, etc), and maybe the damage showed up later.  I know I buy a lot of used headphones, and I never thought to consider something like this.
 

Click to expand...

Plastic is slow to break. Small cracks tend to spread in harder plastics, and I'd guess the plastic on these headphones are ABS. Other than the drivers, the headphones are not the very best out there, and no one really wants to wear all metal headphones for various reasons... Caveat emptor, I guess.
 

 
Dear Philcheon!
 
Your seller is not responsible for the fault!
My headphone was the same.
 

 

 

 
In August 2011 I  bought a K240 from an online store.
The product arrived. When I opened it, I was surprised, because I read the caption: MADE IN CHINA. But I did not worry. I was sure that the AKG is strict, and It requires a good quality.
I was very happy with my headphone, I was satisfied with it's sound, and it's comfort. 
One day I noticed a hairline crack on the "Lid". (On the blue plastic ring.)
I didn't understand this, because I used it with care, and every day I closed it in the drawer after work.  After several weeks I have found more, and more of hairline cracks. (Total of 15 pieces.)
I sent the product back to the dealer. The dealer called me, because the service center did not understand, what was wrong? I told them my problem, and they called me again soon.
They said: "The Austrian supplier knows about the problem. The plastic was overburden. They will immediately replace the headphones."
 
Now I'm waiting for the replacement headphone.
 
It's factory fault. Surely not you think, because the image of the AKG is very good.
 
My colleague has an older k240. It made in Austria. No problem with it.
 
Ask the manufacturer via the technical forum, or via hotline, what can you do in this situation?
 
(Sorry for the poor English, I'm Hungarian!)
 

^^^
 
I will check mine again.  They just about 18 months old now.  Oct 2010.
 
 
 

^^^
 
Well I'll gosh darned.  I looked and didn't see anything.  So then I looked again more closely, and I have exactly one hairline crack that looks exactly like the pictures kben posted.  My one crack doesn't extend past the corner of the cup.  Just within the flat part onto which the ear pad overlaps.
 

The same exact thing just happened to mine and the hairline crack has completely cracked the left earpiece. They're only about 2 years old. There is also a hairline on the right earpiece that looks like it's about to crack too. I am very disappointed in the quality control of these headphones. Piece of crap.
 
In my other first generation AKG K240 headphones, the vinyl earpiece foam covers completely degraded after about 1.5-2 years too. I'm starting to see a pattern. I don't think I'm ever buying from AKG again. It's too bad because the sound is good and sounds more natural and less boosted in the bass frequencies (compared to Sony headphones let's say). Also the comfort is great. But if these only have a lifespan of a couple of years, I will probably invest in higher-end headphones that will last. Maybe higher-end Beyerdynamic or Sennheiser.