[joelongwood]

Maybe it's the fact that, for close to a week now, I've been listening exclusively to my vinyl records copied to MD with a portable Minidisc and D66 Eggos, and my ears have become accustomed to the warm, sweet sound, but these K270s sound pretty poor. My source is a Sony 333ES, Cardas Cross & Straightwire Chorus ICs, and either the Sugden or the RKV, so I don't think source is a problem. I listened to some CDs of James Taylor and Fleetwood Mac. The K270s have no bass, muddied mids, and weak highs. As my son said, with regards to the Fleetwood Mac recording, "It sounds like a mess." It doesn't get much worse than that. I'm hoping beyond hope that break-in will rectify some of these problems. If it does, it will be a miracle out of the scriptures. and will make me a true believer in break-in.
As it stands now, for those of you who expressed interest in these 'phones, don't waste your money. The only thing these things have going for them right now is their looks (very professional) and their comfort.
BTW...I paid $119 for these new. They list for over $300. Both prices are criminal.

 

[00940]

So... Headroom's website was right.

 

[joelongwood]

Quote:

Originally posted by 00940 So... Headroom's website was right.

Sounds like it.

 

[HappymaN]

But let me guess joe, you're going to keep 'em.

 

[joelongwood]

Quote:

Originally posted by HappymaN But let me guess joe, you're going to keep 'em.

How'd ya guess?

 

[lini]

joe: Well, I guess, my warning came too late. But maybe you'd like to try the K240S - that's a different beast altogether. Its new closed brother K271S might also be worth a try, but I haven't checked that myself, yet (just paid 15000 Euro to the tax department, so I'm rather broke at the moment... <sigh>

).

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

 

[gerG]

Let me know if you want to sell them. I have an experiment in mind

gerG

 

[jpelg]

Gosh, that is a bummer. I thought for sure that those cans had some redeeming qualities, especially given their longevity in the pro studio world. I was hoping that they would sound more like neutral studio monitors, rather than a lush audiophile can. So much for that Hi-Fi Choice review...

What is their appeal then? Do they isolate well, at least?

 

[joelongwood]

Update!
OK, I think part of the problem with these is my ears! Seriously. As I said in my previous post, I've been listening exclusively to vinyl....either straight or copied to MD. I literally have not listened to a CD in about a week. And I listen to music about 2-4 hours a night.
Tonight, I used the K270s to monitor some vinyl recording to MD and they are not as bad as I originally thought. Plugged into my Yamaha integrated amp, they're not half bad. The bass is there, although it is not too deep, and the midrange and highs seem pretty smooth. I A/B'd them with the Beyer DT831s, and can assure you they are not nearly as bright as those babies.
I think this shows that what one's ears are accustomed to has a lot to do with how we rate the sound quality of headphones. Maybe I should wean myself off vinyl so I can once again appreciate the sound of CDs......but it ain't gonna be easy.
The isolation is excellent, and I also find them very comfortable. Although they are rated at 75 ohms, they are very inefficient. The Beyers put out a lot more sound (painfully loud) at the same volume level on the amp.
The soundstage is typical AKG...large and spacious. With vinyl, the decay of instruments and voices in the studio goes on forever. Even though they are closed, they give a nice out-of-head experience on certain recordings.
I'm not giving up these things yet. Oh, and one cool thing about them.....when you take them off your head, the sound stops. So to break them in, I have them clamped on a pillow.

 

[NEO]

and that's counted toward the total of....headphones in your house?