[dumbttt]

I decided it to replace the 5 year old Sennheiser EH 350 because its uncomfortable.  I have narrowed my options down to K240 and M50, budget is $150, headphone will be for general purpose music/TV/movie use on my PC with onboard sound.  I will consider adding a sound card later as necessary.  The biggest concern for me is comfort (must be very comfortable on the head), and hopefully better sound quality than the headphone I am replacing.  Which one of the two do you recommend?  

 

[GREQ]

For an all-rounder with superior comfort, the K240 wins easily.

 

[dumbttt]

Another option is Senn HD 280.  It's slightly cheaper and has good reviews.  How is the comfort on that one?  It seems the earcup is too small.  

 

[GREQ]

Quote:

Another option is Senn HD 280.  It's slightly cheaper and has good reviews.  How is the comfort on that one?  It seems the earcup is too small.  

Depends on your ear size. 
I've got small ears, so they'd probably be fine for me. 
If your ears are less than 6.5cm tall, they should be perfect.

 

[dumbttt]

Decided to go with the AKG 240 MK II.  The main reason I picked this over the M50 and HD 280 was comfort.  I feel those two would clamp my head too tightly.  Also like AKG's semi-open design. Since I will be using it in the house, being able to hear what's going on would be nice.  Wife would be pissed if I just put on headphone and tone out all the time.  
 
I am thinking about getting a Xonar DG sound card to replace the onboard sound (Realtek HD).  Would the DG be sufficient for the 240? I know there are some debate out there about the merits of buying cheap sound cards, but this one may be warranted since it's only $25. 

 

[GREQ]

For someone who's started building a system that's a very decent place to start. 
If in the future you get into bigger more expensive toys, the K240 scales quite well (noticeably improves when the source equipment/amps improves).

 

[dumbttt]

Thanks.  I just placed order for the Xonar DG and K240.  I look forward to experiencing music at a new level.  

 

[Egaku]

Good choice, I can wear the K240's for hours on end. I've heard a lot of clamping issues with both the HD280 and M50 (don't own them though).

 

[dumbttt]

Quote:

Good choice, I can wear the K240's for hours on end. I've heard a lot of clamping issues with both the HD280 and M50 (don't own them though).

Just got my K240 last night.  It is indeed extremely comfortable, most of the time I didn't even notice that I was wearing a headphone.  
 
As for sound quality, I couldn't detect any improvement from Senn EH350 even with FLAC files.  I canceled my order for the Xonar DG, and will be hooking up an A/V receiver to my PC through a toslink and use that as a headphone amp, hopefully this will improve sound quality. 
 
I would buy the K240 just for the improved comfort though, to me that is more important than sound quality.  

 

[GREQ]

You should be able to hear a slight difference with an amp, even if it's just an AV receiver and not a dedicated headphone amp.
Well, for all I know it could be a top of the range AV cinema amp mothership....

 

[dumbttt]

Quote:

You should be able to hear a slight difference with an amp, even if it's just an AV receiver and not a dedicated headphone amp.
Well, for all I know it could be a top of the range AV cinema amp mothership....

 
It's a mid-range AV receiver, its neither top of the line nor absolute crap.  I think the AV receiver will probably do a better job than a $30 sound card.  Slightly disappointed that I didn't hear any difference over the Senn EH 350 using the onboard sound though, I thought I would hear at least some difference.  Well, it's worth it for the added comfort if nothing else.  

 

[GREQ]

I hear very little difference between DACs too, but going from non-amped to amped can be night and day.
I just use an old Fisher AV amp from the 80's and it's served me well as a headphone amp. (it's also powers two sets of speakers, so it's a fair compromise). 

 

[dumbttt]

Quote:

I hear very little difference between DACs too, but going from non-amped to amped can be night and day.
I just use an old Fisher AV amp from the 80's and it's served me well as a headphone amp. (it's also powers two sets of speakers, so it's a fair compromise). 

 
Using receiver as a headphone amp actually made a huge difference.  I am surprised that my old headphone sounded really different on the receiver from my new K240 (when plugged into the PC directly, they both sounded the same).  The old Senn EH350 has cleaner mid and highs but no bass, whereas the mid and highs are slightly muted on the K240, but the 240 has much better bass, almost too much bass for my liking.  Hmmm.....very interesting.