[qazxsw80]

K701 / K701 pads: Forget it. Details and soundstage good, but no feelings, no fun.
K701 / K500 pads: Forget it. Just nothing and no bass.
K500 / K500 pads: Ok, but. Details and soundstage good, ok for classical music. No kick on any other music (oldies, opera, folk, pop)
K500 / K601 pads: Good combination. Better than K500 / K500 pads. More bass but some details are gone. Same musicality as K500 / K500 pads
K500 / K701 pads: No. Better bass, but feelings and fun are gone.
K400 (LP) / K400 pads: Very Good. Fun and feelings are there. Even some moments of "wow, I cannot stop listening". But bass could be a bit richer.
K400 (LP) / K601 pads: Very Good too. Fun and feelings are there. More bass but some details are gone. Same musicality as K400 / K400 pads. Recommended
K400 (LP) / K701 pads: No. Too much pad. Fun and feelings are there. Even some moments of "wow, I cannot stop listening". But bass could be a bit richer.
but ....
K400 (EP) / K400 pads: That's it! Fun and feelings are there. Lots of moments of "wow, I cannot stop listening". And: No lack of bass, even with K400 pads !
All this with a combination of FiiO X5 and FiiO E12. These together do a good job on driving the AKGs.

Thanks for a lot of information. I myself have the Akg k501, k500Lp and k400Ep  but I prefer the K501. Similar lack of bass but hights are better.

 

[Tiemen]

  Whoever is interested in more detail about the K400s in comparision to K701 or K500 or the question if they sound better with K601 ear pads.
After carefully reading a lot about AKG earphones I stumbled over this K400 discussion and gave it a try too.
Since this blog really helped me to finally be happy with my earphones I want to share my experience.
 
Why only AKG? I had a pair of AKG Monitors 30 years ago and actually liked them. And after reading a lot about comparisions with the other brands I decided to stick with AKG.
 
I was looking for a headphone from AKG to listen MUSIC to. I'm a Hifi enthusiast for over 30 years and learned that on the long run details / soundstage / freqency rangs are not really important ... what is important is: Do I like to listen to a headphone for a long time. Is the music somehow touching you. Do you even get goose bumps sometimes.
 
So forgive me if I skip all the details and just write about the fun / feeling listening to these headphones.
 
I used them all long enough that they were "burnt in".
 
Everything IMO - no offence
 
K701 / K701 pads: Forget it. Details and soundstage good, but no feelings, no fun.
K701 / K500 pads: Forget it. Just nothing and no bass.
K500 / K500 pads: Ok, but. Details and soundstage good, ok for classical music. No kick on any other music (oldies, opera, folk, pop)
K500 / K601 pads: Good combination. Better than K500 / K500 pads. More bass but some details are gone. Same musicality as K500 / K500 pads
K500 / K701 pads: No. Better bass, but feelings and fun are gone.
K400 (LP) / K400 pads: Very Good. Fun and feelings are there. Even some moments of "wow, I cannot stop listening". But bass could be a bit richer.
K400 (LP) / K601 pads: Very Good too. Fun and feelings are there. More bass but some details are gone. Same musicality as K400 / K400 pads. Recommended
K400 (LP) / K701 pads: No. Too much pad. Fun and feelings are there. Even some moments of "wow, I cannot stop listening". But bass could be a bit richer.
but ....
K400 (EP) / K400 pads: That's it! Fun and feelings are there. Lots of moments of "wow, I cannot stop listening". And: No lack of bass, even with K400 pads !
 
All this with a combination of FiiO X5 and FiiO E12. These together do a good job on driving the AKGs.
 
Result:
K701: Sold it for a ridiculously high price (Euro 130,-) in the bay 3 weeks ago.
K500: Sold 2 days ago for an ok price. Maybe I should have kept it for the nice pads.
K400 (LP): Bought 2 pairs in the bay. Happy with them but then I read about the EP, MP and LP issue and bought
K400 (EP): Bought 2 pairs in the bay. Last one yesterday  ))
 
Having now 4 pairs of K400 this will give me enough spare parts for the rest of my life.
 
P.S. For those who don't want to browse for what "EP" means: EP ist the early production where AKG used full golden plated plugs. MP (middle production) - I didn't try). LP Leather head band and black plastic plugs with only a little gold.
 
Now have fun finding these gems.

 
Maybe you should post this in the AKG appreciation threads as well.

 

[JSBachFan]

If I ever find an affordable K501 I will compare it against K400 EP and LP with the different ear pads and let you know what I think from the fun/feeling point of view. Especially the K501 + K601 pads combination is something that some people seem to like. Maybe I have to change my name in K501Lover

 

[tdogzthmn]

I have the K702 Anniversary pads on my K400 EP and really enjoy the sound.  They add more body/bass to the sound and improve comfort of this already comfy headphone.  I still have yet to own a K501 which would be nice to compare against my K400.

 

[aeiou400]

hi.first post. just joined head-fi to contribute to k400 love thread and give feedback for pads not mentioned before.
 
akg k400 LP with akg k550 pads.
i do not know if k550 pads are available as spare parts. maybe only direct from akg. i got my pads from broken k550 that i threw away. only kept pads and cable. did not like k550s anyway. also got k601 pads that i swapped with k550 pads from time to time because i took less bass more treble k601 pads for more detail. it is not more detail just the impression of more detail because of over all lighter sound. k550 pads are more balanced. make k400 great allrounders. hiphop is fun. hiphop was the most suffering from too light bass and thin vocal. also classical symphony concert hall recordings benefit from less out of your head more 'real soundstage' because of more low level information. not to forget wearing comfort--feels much lighter on your head. pads much softer. it even looks pretty cool. i will show you as soon as i can post pictures here. 
 
removing the covers that protect the wiring looks **** but smoothens out treble peak i guess. anyway vocals sound smoother. 

 

[burgunder]

I came to ask if anyone had tried the AKG 812 pads and then I see, that you can use the K550 pads, perhaps I should try that. 
 
I enjoy my pair with K601 pads a lot these days, they are relaxed and offer great soundstage. 
 
I might need to get an amp though as I'm listening to them of an Ibasso D7, I almost never pass 12 o'clock on low gain, and listen at about 65 dB with 72 dB(confirmed with different cellphone apps). I'll have the Project Polaris as a loaner for two weeks as a part of a danish tour of the amp, I'm looking forward to see what it'll do for the listening experience. Do tell what you are using to amp these babies. 
 
Oh and one more thing, where do one go from these cans, it seem that it's rather impossible to match the soundstage, impact and relaxed tone these days, with most higher end dynamic cans being rather bright(HD800, K812 etc) or they are planars that can't match the soundstage. 

 

[tdockweiler]

Are the K400 EP pads the ones with the brown rings on the back?
I get all confused about all the versions of the actual headphone.
 
One pair I have has a driver that looks exactly like a K500 driver. This came with non-brown ring pads that are quite a bit deeper than those of the brown ones.
I think this one is an LP. I might have confused myself and will edit this later if so.
 
My 2nd pair came with those brown pads and I think it's an EP. It looks like a regular K400.
 
I prefer the brown ring pads..I'm assuming they're EP pads!
 
I need to double check both to confirm which I like best. I don't think I have a preference anymore.
 
Most of them collect dust since I use my modded Q701 the most.
 
K400 does seem to be quite musical and good for female vocals, but seems to lack the bass of even the stock Q701. Not as good of an all-rounded IMO.
 
This doesn't mean anything really and all preferences..

 

[aeiou400]

i do not think k812 pads fit k series.  i can only encourage you to try 550 pads. bass still could hit a little stronger deeper but is not missing at all. just rechecked 601 pads---uninvolving flat.
hrt headstreamer is my source/amp. volume between 25-75/100. headstreamer's 1.4V=108db SPL. 550 pads ~3db louder.

 

[qazxsw80]

  hi.first post. just joined head-fi to contribute to k400 love thread and give feedback for pads not mentioned before.
 
akg k400 LP with akg k550 pads.
i do not know if k550 pads are available as spare parts. maybe only direct from akg. i got my pads from broken k550 that i threw away. only kept pads and cable. did not like k550s anyway. also got k601 pads that i swapped with k550 pads from time to time because i took less bass more treble k601 pads for more detail. it is not more detail just the impression of more detail because of over all lighter sound. k550 pads are more balanced. make k400 great allrounders. hiphop is fun. hiphop was the most suffering from too light bass and thin vocal. also classical symphony concert hall recordings benefit from less out of your head more 'real soundstage' because of more low level information. not to forget wearing comfort--feels much lighter on your head. pads much softer. it even looks pretty cool. i will show you as soon as i can post pictures here. 
 
removing the covers that protect the wiring looks **** but smoothens out treble peak i guess. anyway vocals sound smoother. 

How do you change those pads? The K550's pads don't have a bayonet lock. 
 

  I came to ask if anyone had tried the AKG 812 pads and then I see, that you can use the K550 pads, perhaps I should try that. 
 

No, you can't use the AKG K812 pads with the K7xx/6xx/50x/40x. The bayonet lock is different. 

 

[aeiou400]

  How do you change those pads? The K550's pads don't have a bayonet lock. 

you just stretch them over the cups. pads cover like 10mm of the outside cup.

 

[JSBachFan]

Answering to the question how to find out if you have K400 EP (early production):
-> very easy: Full golden plugs (instead of partly made of plastic) are EP K400. EP also has plastic head band instead of a real leather one. Just look e.g. in Google or Head-Fi for K400 pictures.
 
I am completely addicted to the K400 EP musicality! But it has to be EP! LP do indeed lack bass. If you use other pads it gets better but then loses musicality (feeling).
Since I'm very affraid that they break one day, I bought 4 EP pairs in great condition in order to have enough spare parts for the rest of my life.... crazy? Yes !   
 
If you want to get addicted too, you should listen to them using the FiiO X5 + FiiO E12 combo.    Leonard Cohen to die for ...
 
I also sometimes drive my K400 with Audioquest Dragonfly 1.2.  This is ok for beeing on a business trip with a laptop, but this combo has not the slightest chance against X5 + E12.
 
Good luck finding these K400 EP gems. 
 
Tip:
I got 3 pairs of my K400 in "ebay Kleinanzeigen". Here German people sell their stuff avoiding ebay fees since "ebay Kleinanzeigen" is for free. If the seller offers PayPal you still have buyers protection. At least it says so in PayPal. Just try talking to them in english - it might work.

 

[Natsukawa]

Back again with some curiosity ;D
 
I got my 4th pair of K400 some days ago. No . . . i'm not addicted. Actually, i don't wanted a 4th pair xD But it came to me me by a coincidence and i got them so cheap, that i couldn't resist buying them (35€) ~ besides of that, they are in like-new-condition. Actually i wanted to give away this Pair, as a Gift for my Grandfather. I know, that he once had a Pair of K400s back then, when he was younger.
 
ANYWAY, it's the LP-Version with the Leather-Headband. Usually, i don't like this Version. I prefer the EP-Version by far, it's really a special thing for me. Thats the reason, why i sold all my LPs and kept my EPs. So at the moment i own 3 K400 EPs with the driver-versions, i like and the new arrived K400 LP. One of my EPs is especially good and i never found this Version again, in all these years. But enough of that. When my new LP arrived, i gave it only a fast listen, because i was in a hurry. I raised and eyebrow, because i noticed something strange in the sound. When i came home later, i gave it a longer session. It was  like a Love & Hate Relationship. The new arrived K400 LP sounds like a mix of my favorite EP Version . . . . and something else, that i don't like. I immediately took of the Pads, to take a look at the driver . . . . and what i saw astonished me. In my life, i had soooo many K400 EPs and LPs and i thought i've seen every Driver Version etc. But i've never seen this one before. But let me explain it with pictures (Yes, i was so amased by it, that i thought its time to take some pictures xD ). Please click the Pictures, so see them in Large / Original.
 
So here are all of them, side by side with 1 earpad removed. Funny, how every one of them has different Pad-Materials   ;D
 

 
 
 
 
The EPs let you see through the Pads, so you can take a look at the Driver. The LP i got, does not. The EPs Pads are softer and have a bronish / Violetish coloertone. The LPs are black:
 

 
 
 
. . . now the interesting part ;D  I'll show you the Drivers of every pair. My 2nd and 3rd EPs have the same Drivers and they even sound the same. The first one has a different Driver and is my Favorite:
 
 
My First EP:
 

 
 
 
 
My Second EP:
 

 
 
 
 
My Third EP:
 

 
 
 
. . . and . . . the newly arrived K400 LP:
 

 
 
 
 
. . . you see it? What is this thing?

 
 
 
 
. . . I removed that Cloth in the middle and what i see behind that thing is the same Driver as my first, favorite EP. Still, that plastic-thing annoys me, i think i'll try to remove it  ;-/  I'm sure thats, whats makes them sound different (in a bad way):

 
 
 
So have you guys seen that before? AKG reminds me of Frankenstein, Experiments everywhere x___X

 

[MDR30]

Back again with some curiosity ;D

I got my 4th pair of K400 some days ago. No . . . i'm not addicted. Actually, i don't wanted a 4th pair xD But it came to me me by a coincidence and i got them so cheap, that i couldn't resist buying them (35€) ~ besides of that, they are in like-new-condition. Actually i wanted to give away this Pair, as a Gift for my Grandfather. I know, that he once had a Pair of K400s back then, when he was younger.

ANYWAY, it's the LP-Version with the Leather-Headband. Usually, i don't like this Version. I prefer the EP-Version by far, it's really a special thing for me. Thats the reason, why i sold all my LPs and kept my EPs. So at the moment i own 3 K400 EPs with the driver-versions, i like and the new arrived K400 LP. One of my EPs is especially good and i never found this Version again, in all these years. But enough of that. When my new LP arrived, i gave it only a fast listen, because i was in a hurry. I raised and eyebrow, because i noticed something strange in the sound. When i came home later, i gave it a longer session. It was  like a Love & Hate Relationship. The new arrived K400 LP sounds like a mix of my favorite EP Version . . . . and something else, that i don't like. I immediately took of the Pads, to take a look at the driver . . . . and what i saw astonished me. In my life, i had soooo many K400 EPs and LPs and i thought i've seen every Driver Version etc. But i've never seen this one before. But let me explain it with pictures (Yes, i was so amased by it, that i thought its time to take some pictures xD ). Please click the Pictures, so see them in Large / Original.

So here are all of them, side by side with 1 earpad removed. Funny, how every one of them has different Pad-Materials   ;D







The EPs let you see through the Pads, so you can take a look at the Driver. The LP i got, does not. The EPs Pads are softer and have a bronish / Violetish coloertone. The LPs are black:






. . . now the interesting part ;D  I'll show you the Drivers of every pair. My 2nd and 3rd EPs have the same Drivers and they even sound the same. The first one has a different Driver and is my Favorite:


My First EP:







My Second EP:







My Third EP:






. . . and . . . the newly arrived K400 LP:







. . . you see it? What is this thing?






. . . I removed that Cloth in the middle and what i see behind that thing is the same Driver as my first, favorite EP. Still, that plastic-thing annoys me, i think i'll try to remove it  ;-/  I'm sure thats, whats makes them sound different (in a bad way):





So have you guys seen that before? AKG reminds me of Frankenstein, Experiments everywhere x___X

It's been mentioned by me and others in various K400/K500 threads. It's a presence/treble filter. The rotting foam can be replaced, or the plastic holder removed if you prefer it without filter.

 

[Natsukawa]

@MDR30. . . i 'd totally forgotten the K500 Love thread, i've read it again and found many answers for my questions ;D  I think I'll remove the plastic-holder, i already removed the foam. Tomorrow I'll open the back, to see if there's foam in the driver-hole, never had any K400, 401, 500 or 501 with foam in the driver hole x___x  How does it affect the sound, when its removed? I could imagine there will be more bass, when the foam is removed ~ similar as the Bassport mod on the K601/701/Q701 etc.?
 
I can't imagine the reason AKG tried something like this model. The treble seems to be more harsh to me with this variation and the instrument-seperation & soundstage is not as good as my other models. I'm pretty shure the plastic-holder is the villain in this story XD  I'll remove it and compare again ;D
 
By the way, do you know of a way to improve the bass on the K400? Similar stuff like the bassport mod? I already tried different earpads but it i wasn't satisfied, i like the K400 EP Pads the most.
 
EDIT:
 
 As i expected, no foam in the driver-hole again ;D  I removed the plastic-holder and the driver looks exactly the same, as my first K400 EP, and it also sounds the same now. Very Nice, i looked very long for a second EP with this driver-version, i would've never thought to find it in an LP <3

 

[MDR30]

Decided to refurbish my most worn K400 because it sounds best of the lot.
 
Got all replacement parts from AKG except one which is out of stock.
 
I'm looking for the cup cap, right side:
 

 

 
Spare part no 2458Z0802. If you've got one, send me a PM.