PX100-II vs AKG K420 vs AKG K430 - Page 3

Since I haven't heard the K430, I can't tell you which sounds better. I do know that the PX100II doesn't isolate at all, so if you want isolation then don't get it.

You don't marry a headphone. You are allowed to have more than one. If you do buy more than one though, I guess the question would be which to buy first. I would grab the CAL at $45 before its gone. The PX100II is nice to own. I like my PX100. I think everyone should have at least one decent closed headphone, and at least one decent open one.

All three are good. I own all three.

 

The PX 100 II's are open, efficient, smooth, comfortable, light, great staging for a portable,  has strong lower mid bass ( sometimes too much unbalancing the sound) and polite treble that stands behind the bass. quite dark. Sounds very rich but if you've listened to higher end phones you may find the treble lacking.

 

The K430s are closed, comfortable, light, not as great a stage as the PX, more up front,The Highs are the star and are presented up front. The polar opposite of the PXs. The bas on the AKs just won't compete in term of sheer power compared to the PX.

 

The K420s have a bit more airy treble but similar sound to the 430s. Look better than cheap looking 430, slightly less bass impact than K430 but sounds more naturally open. good balance.

 

Only the K430s will isolate to any degree.

 

The AKs jack isn't the strongest I've seen I ripped mine out of my K420s the first nightwhen I stepped on the cord. Only the terminal was left in my iphone. The jack housing was still on the cord.

 

The AKGs bass will improve depending on the quality of your source. Directly out of iphone they are a bit bass light. Amp for best results. Still no comparison to the PX's bass

 

Like I said all three are good phones of reasonably quality I enjoy them all. If I were to rank them I'd

place em like this

 

AKG K420: Most natural sounding with good dynamics if you have enough power.

AKG K430: Similar sound slightly darker, not as airy treble,

Senheisser PX 100 IIs: Still sound good but the darkness really stands out on certain tracks. If all you want is bass then this is a pretty strong contender for the price.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All three are good. I own all three.

 

The PX 100 II's are open, efficient, smooth, comfortable, light, great staging for a portable,  has strong lower mid bass ( sometimes too much unbalancing the sound) and polite treble that stands behind the bass. quite dark. Sounds very rich but if you've listened to higher end phones you may find the treble lacking.

 

The K430s are closed, comfortable, light, not as great a stage as the PX, more up front,The Highs are the star and are presented up front. The polar opposite of the PXs. The bas on the AKs just won't compete in term of sheer power compared to the PX.

 

The K420s have a bit more airy treble but similar sound to the 430s. Look better than cheap looking 430, slightly less bass impact than K430 but sounds more naturally open. good balance.

 

Only the K430s will isolate to any degree.

 

The AKs jack isn't the strongest I've seen I ripped mine out of my K420s the first nightwhen I stepped on the cord. Only the terminal was left in my iphone. The jack housing was still on the cord.

 

The AKGs bass will improve depending on the quality of your source. Directly out of iphone they are a bit bass light. Amp for best results. Still no comparison to the PX's bass

 

Like I said all three are good phones of reasonably quality I enjoy them all. If I were to rank them I'd

place em like this

 

AKG K420: Most natural sounding with good dynamics if you have enough power.

AKG K430: Similar sound slightly darker, not as airy treble,

Senheisser PX 100 IIs: Still sound good but the darkness really stands out on certain tracks. If all you want is bass then this is a pretty strong contender for the price.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bahamut2 - So how would you rank the headphones?

 

I like my K420, but I don't feel that they have great clarity or sound natural (at least not compared to my PX100). They just sound fun with good mids and mid bass. Not as strong bass as my PX100. I have only listened to the PX100-II for a short while in a store, so I cannot compare the original PX100 and the PX100-II. Some people seem to prefer the original version. The PX100 is pretty dark sounding, but it still is more airy and detailed than the more compact sounding K420.

 

Anyway, it is difficult choosing and it's best if you can try the headphone out before you buy.

 

Which headphone(s) will you keep?

Edited by Danneq - 1/21/12 at 3:43am

What are you runnin em out if?

hey Bahamut what up!
Too late you've been infected
Seriously though I'm glad to hear you picked my daily carry with me everywhere I go favorites. They are so comfortable for hours on end. But I'll let you in on one of my recent rediscoveries. If you want an even better portable mix. Sennheiser HD 238 w/ CMoy BB and an 8066 chip and don't forget the Line out doc. I'm listening to these right now. My new favorite all over again. My jaw is still dragging. They are just so dynamically chill I can't explain it any other way. It was the 8066 chip in the CMoy it enhances all of the pleasantries of the 238s. For on the budget peeps who demand quality consider this set up. This is my new open, lightweight, chill and listen to music for hours on end favorites. They're so comfortable and light I need reminders to recognize I got cans on my head. Now for the bad. They're open and leak in and out sound. The drivers are so smooth and dynamic but surprisingly inefficient. They need help (CMoy) Also because these drivers are working so hard across the board they won't take it real loud. The vocals will "resonate" with long elec bass lines when pushed to limits. Other than that they will play nicely with your music and just make it all so real and natural on stage. Even for my Break beats these guys rock with a surprising amount sub bass! My quest has come to an end for now
Primarily cause I can't spend any money right now! LOL!
op

 

Well, I have the impression that the K420 are much more forward and in your face than the PX100, which have a more distant sound. To me, the K420 have strong mids. Especially the upper mids are a bit too much in the beginning. I also had problems with sibilance from my K420, but it settled down after 40-50 hours. Still they do sound more "crisp" than my PX100, and much more forward. The PX100 and PX100-II have got a slightly different sound, I think, even if they both have a dark sound signature. but still I find good detail in them, especially after EQing treble up a bit.

Hi Bahamut

I'm glad you are enjoying your headphones. I found very similar results to your experiences. I use the 420s for my everyday carry headphones. They are great but after some time you may have noticed that the aggressive highs become a bit fatiguing.

Sennheiser makes another model the HD 238. Been around for a while. Here in the US it's going for about $65. It is an open lightweight portable headphone. The 238s are better balanced than the PX 100s. They correct the excessive darkness and extend the treble just shy of true sparkle. The sound is very airy, open, real, and natural. The only problem is they are power hungry. They sound fine directly out of an iPhone but improve dramatically with power. You wouldn't power a 12" sub directly from your car deck right? You need a good amp. I'm not familiar with your amp so I don't know what you can expect.
But with the proper power I'm impressed. With power the 238s will tighten the bass, open the soundstage, layering, and depth. I'm listening to the 238s with CMoy BB and 8066 op amp. next to my audio technica M50s and while the M50 are a bit better, the 238s offer a very competitive more portable package that sounds very close. Compared to my M50s the M50s have more treble extension but the M50 highs can be fatiguing over time. The 238 highs aren't quite as extended but the treble sounds real, natural, sweet, present and haven't fatigued my ears yet. The mids are smooth and natural. The 238s sub bass is stronger than the M50s but the M50s have more bass impact (leads to fatigue). Keep in mind I'm comparing a "portable" with a studio/home headphone. This has become my listen at home/portable rig. It is so light, comfortable, musical, and I can listen with no fatigue at all. These really hit all of the points I expect from my headphones. Presenting everything so musically. While these won't beat my M50s they give a very very strong performance with less fatigue. Strong bass present mids and solid non fatiguing highs.

The CMoy is a portable amp with a bass boost circuit. This amp has a swappable op amp. The op amp is the actual amplifying chip. You can tailor the sound of your amp via swapping the op amp. This is the next step in your new disease. The 8066 is an op amp that will provide strong bass and enhance the highs and really make the 238s shine like no other portable headphone I've heard yet. Especially at this price point. This set up crushes the B&W P5s ($300 US). It is just my opinion but I feel I struck gold with this combination as they compliment each other beautifully.

Is the HD238 so much better than the HD228? The HD228 is only $30(on Amazon) These are very inefficient though(110 db/V 24 ohms for the HD228 which is only 93.8 db/mw,and 114 db/V 32 ohms which is 99 db/mw for the HD328 , so some people with a low powered portable might not get enough volume, especially with the HD228.