[dillon157]

Hey guys, I am a complete newbie to the audio world but simply put, I know I like good sounding music. I just purchased a pair of AKG 141M headphones but now that I have read further into the reviews I am starting to feel sick. I have time to cancel my order but I need advice, please.

Many have recomended the Grado SR60, SR80 and the SR125's but I am afraid of looking too far into them because I havent seen a single reviewer say that they are comfortable. Although sound is the most important factor, comfort is right up there... for this reason i was considering the AKG 240s Headphones.

What do you guys recomend... are the AKG's really that bad without an amp

*Used primarily for computer and ipod listening

 

[Andrea]

Hi,

Actually it may have been (a mistake). The K141M is a 600 ohm impedance headphone with comparatively low efficiency as compared to the latest generation of 'phones. Besides, the sound quality isn't spectacular.

My advice is, cancel the order and get yourself either a Sennheiser HD555 or an AKG K240S, according to your "inspirations" -- just be aware that, overall, the HD555 is the more neutral/refined, while the K240S is the more groovy.

 

[dillon157]

Great... Thank you so much for the reply!

 

[Andrea]

You're welcome, but thank head-fi not me

 

[imported_t_s]

there's comparisons thrown around for cans that sound completely different. It seems to me that you'll end up with a "different" sound depending on what you get. AKG and grado and senns come across totally different.

I'm still having trouble figuring out what the difference is between the akg "1" series and the "0" series. Directly comparing the 240S and the 271S, the former has more bass but that's just about the only difference. I wonder why on akg's spec sheet, they put them in two categories.

Anyway, I gotta admit I'm won over by akg. I started off a pure senn fan and my purchases reflected that. But more and more I'm finding them personally to sound mediocre compared to akgs. Just doesn't have that nice organic character. I didn't see akgs around that much so I was ignorant most of the time, but once I finally had a listen, I can't go back.

I admit that I'm officially biased, but my recommendation is stay in the family - get akg something. It's a beautiful thing.

 

[no1likesme]

i find the bowl pads very comfy

 

[Andrea]

t_s, I don't know what Senns you're speaking of, but for my standards, the HD555 are anything but mediocre. (I used to be an AKG fan)

 

[xxlMusikfreak]

Quote:

Originally Posted by t_s I'm still having trouble figuring out what the difference is between the akg "1" series and the "0" series. Directly comparing the 240S and the 271S, the former has more bass but that's just about the only difference. I wonder why on akg's spec sheet, they put them in two categories.

First thing is: The 271 is closed while the 240 is semi-open. And the 1 is just the successor. There was a 270 around a while ago but the 240 is nearly the same for several years now.

 

[technetium]

Using the senn 414 pads on grado´s will make them Ok comfy (team iron-ears

)

 

[kin0kin]

the 555s are fantastic for the price. it's really very musical and have many aspects of the higher end senns at a fraction of the price. I really loved it, will consider buying another pair if I find some cheap deals

oh btw, the bass is rather light, somewhere around the sr-60's volume.

 

[imported_t_s]

Quote:

Originally Posted by xxlMusikfreak First thing is: The 271 is closed while the 240 is semi-open. And the 1 is just the successor. There was a 270 around a while ago but the 240 is nearly the same for several years now.

well i know the open/closed part, but they mention how one's more suitable for monitoring, mixing, etc... looking at the intended applications seems a bit strange.

Personally I like the 240df>271s>240s

as for the senns - I don't know.. after a while i just feel like akgs make my music sound better. That's probably the most non-technical way I could have put it. The senns just don't really put a smile on my face anymore.

 

[dillon157]

I went ahead and bought the K240s and I think I'll be pretty happy with them.

I just wish I could give about a days worth of time to all the headphones in this price range so I could come up with some more complete conclusions, but like most of us, I just don't have the money to buy them all and try them out.

Anyway, thanks t_s for your recomendations and such, you make me feel comfortable with my purchase!

 

[imported_t_s]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dillon157 I went ahead and bought the K240s and I think I'll be pretty happy with them. I just wish I could give about a days worth of time to all the headphones in this price range so I could come up with some more complete conclusions, but like most of us, I just don't have the money to buy them all and try them out. Anyway, thanks t_s for your recomendations and such, you make me feel comfortable with my purchase!

glad you like it. It's times like this that makes it easier to convince myself that browsing and posting here is time well wasted. lol.

Two of my coworkers actually just ordered a pair of K240S's as well...
If anything, it's the midrange and the soundstage. With the HD600s, I feel like I'm removed from the music cause I'm sitting so far back... for stuff like grado it's right next to me. Interestingly enough, AKGs place me a perfect distance relatively close to the performance. If x was left/right, y was up/down, and z was front/back, I'd say my DT880s have a wider projection in the x and y directions, but the AKGs have more projection along the z axis. The HD600s... well they are too far along the z for my tastes, so much that even if there was some x or y, take the tangent for each plane and the x and y approaches 0. lol. Slight exaggeration, but it's a funny way of explaining it and has a decent amount of truth. That's mostly for classical stuff I find though - the pop/rock stuff out there, as much as I love that type of music, simply doesn't have much positioning in the recording itself in comparison.

Depending on your sound card, you're probably fine and spending a lot on an amp may marginally improve things (unless you have onboard sound... ewww). The ipod output in all honestly sucks though. First thing you notice even if you just plug it into your computer is that the bass tightens up. Even my pcdp sounds way better.

One thing I noticed though - after even just a little bit of use, the treble noticably opens up.