AKG K271? - Page 3

Sorry to hear you haven't found anything good yet. 

 

But your mention of ksc75's really gives us more perspective. I thought they just eat crap compared to the K272 I have: minute pitch variations not apparent, very monotonic and while maybe engaging, not very good at extracting musical information. I get a kick out of different things, it simply must be. 

 

The KNS8400 might be something you'd like. I thought they trumped the K272s (objectively they do, but again, people have different flavors). But I am having a bit of trouble with the treble "boost", though I have gotten a bit used to it or burn-in has helped. I'd like to believe the latter... But the mid-range is easily the best in its class, when picking out musical cues or tabbing notes is crucial! I don't mean to say that they're analytic, though they are in many ways. I don't know, maybe I like to be able to hear everything instead of settling for optimal tonal balance and desired sound. 

 

I'm getting my Fischer Audio FA-003's soon and will try them against my 8400's. The K271/2 is an old design after all, about time something trumped them. Still an excellent headphone and I prefer them to the new Shure line (minus the 940, which I haven't heard) by a large margin, or the HD25-1's. 

 

The Sennheiser line-up with 555's and 595/8's do have a seductive presentation and they're quite easy to listen to. Where they failed me was that they were just a tad boring and not accurate enough. But if the mid-range was to your liking, I think the 555/8 is better value for your money and very similar to the 595/8. 

This reply is not really helpful to the OP, but it might be helpful for future readers who are toying with buying the AKG K271 MKII 'phones. I was just reading this thread, and after having just bought a pair of the K271 MKII's, I was feeling a little underwhelmed with their performance on the low end (I feel that the upper register & the mid-range are very well done). That being said, don't underestimate your eq settings!

 

I found that I loved everything about the MKII's except the low end. I love the comfort, the looks, the features (dettachable mini-xlr, sound-mute switch, auto-adjust headband), & the balance they have between the highs & the mids. There are several posts here at Head-Fi that talk about the MKII's having a fairly neutral sound, and I agree with them. Being a bass player though, I like being able to pick out the bass riffs in songs or to occasionally be driven over my dance threshold (see Christian Finnegan) by a tight sounding low end beat.

 

I've been listening to my MKII's using my phone (HTC Incredible) & the doubletwist app, and powering the headphones through an iBasso T3. I found that by utilizing the equilizer on the doubletwist app, I could get the low end sound I was looking for. A perfect example of this is listening to Bulls on Parade by Rage Against the Machine. The tone that the bassist is using is absolutely rediculous sounding, and I found that by tweaking my eq, I could get a sound that made me smile. Afterall, I think its fair to say that the enjoyment we get from music is the reason we spend the time & money we do to get the setups we have.

 

As I said, its not really helpful for the OP, but if you're reading this post & are on the fence about the MKII's because you are concerned about their low end, do what others in this thread have recommended: Buy them, listen to them, play with your eq settings, & decide. You can usually return them to most places if you don't like them. Having played with my settings, these cans aren't going anywhere but on my head!

 

By the way, an equilzer is not meant to dial up the volume of a particular frequency band so you can hear more bass or treble. Its reason for existence is to compensate for audio inadequacies in a particular set of equipment or in a space. Check these two good reads on frequency response & equilizers.

http://www.ecoustics.com/electronics/products/articles/131062.html

http://www.musicplayer.com/mpLandingContentPage.aspx?content_id=30829

Maybe it's just "too" tight :)

 

I found they are excellent for tabbing bass notes. Actually much better than many headphones that do have relatively more or down right exaggerated bass..

I had the AKH 271 II for about 6 months before selling them.

 

Very comfortable and well made

too light in the bass 

good midrange and upper midrange

decent treble, but too rolled off at the very top: lacked sparkle

 

 

 

 

 

What did you get instead? What is your source setup and prefer genre? I was really leaning toward getting them.

 

 

This is my info I'd posted:

 

I need advice on buying my first real set of headphones.

-they will be used unamped at a PC for music/movies/games. My mp3s are high bit rate or FLACs.

-I like 80s rock & folk mainly, some trance & classical

-doesn’t matter whether open or closed cans. (isolation from ambient noise would be nice, but soundstage and imaging are more important)

-price range is $50-150max. looking for best value.

-I am 45 y/o and try to keep the volume a few clicks below optimal to avoid fatigue / conserve my hearing.

-I want something that's accurate, but unlocks hidden details. I want to fall in love with my collection again.

Give the dt250 - 80 a go. I was looking for something exactly like what you described in your first post - a basically neutral can with smooth non fatiguing highs and a full but not overpowering bass and feel I have found it in the dt250.I liked them so much I have them in both the 250 and 80 ohm versions. The 80 ohms works better off the iPod and has a little more fuller mid bass and upper midrange which works well for rock and pop. The 250 ohm is more of a jazz, classical and acoustic can with a more spacious sound. I have been curious about the k271 also and went to audition one the other day - I came home loving my dt250s even more!