[arnaud]

Hi all,

Below are some comparisons I made today between four pair of headphones. I have owned a stock Sennheiser HD600 for about a year now. Last week, I bought a pair of AKG 240M that I was thinking to use with my not-so-good recordings.
I then heard about the newer AKG 240S and AKG 271S models, which many consider better than the old AKG 240M. I was curious about this and decided to order a pair of each and ... judge for myself.

The following comparisons are made using the HD600 as point of reference since these have been my favorite headphones for quite some time. The equipment used for the quick and dirty comparisons is a Jolida JD100A, Outlaw Audio PCA interconnects and a Meier Audio PreHead (AD version). I believe this equipment is quite adequate to judge headphones quality

. Music I listen to: old and new Jazz recordings, rock, a little bit of classical.

Out of the box AKG 240M: Humm, lets relax for now and enjoy the music...

- Bass is nice, but goes neither low nor loud enough. Satisfying by itself, although it takes a little time to get used to after being spoiled with the HD600. In comparison, the HD600 has more impact and goes lower. The drum kicks do not sound like a "toy drum" in the HD600.

- Midrange is wonderful. I actually prefer it to the HD600. My complain with the stock HD600 is that the high pitch in voice always sounds detached. If I remember well, the HD600 improve on this with an after market cable (I owned an Equinox briefly), but they still sound too bright to my ears to be natural.

- Highs are recessed (in comparison to the HD600), you have to pay attention to hear the details compared to the HD600.

- Soundstage is not as deep as the Sennheiser, you don't hear the room decay and other temporal cues as nicely. This is probably due to the recessed highs mentionned above. The AKG 240M does not resolve as much as the HD600, this is a fact...

- Resolution is inferior to the HD600. But on the other hand, I feel the HD600 tricks you by pushing the treble, which does not sound natural to me. So, I could give up resolution for a more relaxed and natural sounding headphone...

- Dynamic does not appear better than the HD600. Neither of those headphones are trying to impress you. For now it is ok. Below, I won't be as tender regarding this dull character.


Out of the box AKG 240S: Can this be true for less than hundred bucks!!!

- Bass is MUCH better than the old 240M. It seems to go just as low as the HD600, but sounds maybe a little more fat. The bass is actually almost TOO loud on the 240S! I never thought I would someday find a pair of headphones with too much of a good bass sound!! Don't worry, this bass driven headphone very quickly grows on you (at least, it did for me!).

- Midrange is unchanged compared to the 240M, LOVELY!

- Highs are more pronounced and extended than the 240M. The level of resolution now gets much closer to the HD600. However, it never sounds bright like the HD600 does at times. The sound is coherent from bass to midrange to highs, no detachment in the highs as experienced with the HD600.

- Soundstage does not seem to be very different from the AKG 240M, although I did not spend much time figuring this out.

- Resolution is definitely improved over the 240M although it is not over done. In that sense, the 240S sounds much more natural than the HD600.

- Dynamic is MUCH better than the 240M and HD600. Both of these sound anemic in comparison to the 240S. Here, the 240S is alive and rocking, the 240M and HD600 sound as if they're about to pass away...

Out of the box AKG 271S: Wow, a real let down. How can this be more expensive than the 240S???

- Bass is not as good as the 240S. It actually sounds muddier and does not go as low. The only good point is that it is a little less loud (the 240S is at the limit, I could not stand more pronounced bass).

- Midrange is simply ... WRONG!!! This pair of cans sounds really weird to me. The music is like coming out of a cavern!!! I hate this sound, I feel like trapped in a long cavernous room!! Grado owners, if you want to experience what I mean, put your hands on the open back of your cans... I think the problem here is simple with the 271S (closed design): the closed chamber is completely undamped and it is unbearable!!! Tyson has probably solved this problem with his trick to add cotton.
http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/showt...threadid=45197
Personally, my solution is to simply forget about the closed design and live with the much nicer sounding and cheaper 240S (semi-open design)...

- Highs are in the same bulk part as the 240S although the 271S sound harsh to me in comparison.

- Resolution is much higher than the 240S but at the expense of being completely unnatural. This time, you hear the temporal cues (room decay...) really well. So well I can't stand it in fact!!!

- Dynamic is similar to the 240S.


Conclusions:

- For less than $100, the AKG 240S is a steal. I seem to prefer it over my long time favorite HD600 for most rock and jazz music. For classical and excellent recordings, I believe I will still enjoy my HD600 because they are more subtle than the AKG. But well, for 3 times the price, they'd better be!

- The AKG 271S is a let down for me. I don't understand why they are almost twice as expensive as the 240S, while sounding that bad. I have read an Equinox cable will be out soon for these cans, but I don't think it will solve their problem. The good point is that the 3-pin cable adaptor is the same for the 271S and 240S so this after market cable won't be a waste!!!

- The AKG 240M has lived. If there was no 240S around, I'd keep it and enjoy its relaxed and natural presentation. But now that I have experienced the groove of the 240S, I can't justify the old 240M design... Having said that, I would be tempted to say that the 240M is actually better as a professional monitor because it is probably neutral sounding compared to the newer design. I care more for musicality, and the 240S are simply it to me!

PS: I want to thank lini for his excellent posts because he is the one who got me into trying the 240S out...

 

[wallijonn]

arnaud,

excellent review, man.

what about comfort? did the 240S get hot after awhile? I see that the 240S is also inefficient at 91 db and 55 ohms. How does it compare with the other headphones? Coulkd you talk about build quality a little more? How would you compare it to the K501?

 

[Geek]

That's odd. I thought the K271 beat out all other closed headphones I've ever heard (I liked it more than the CD3000, DT250-80, and DT770-250). It lacked in a bit of realism and resolution, but came fairly close to the HD600 in terms of what I consider an audiophile product. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that the K271 should be a closed headphone that would greatly complement a pair of HD600s in an audiophile's collection, and they are the hands-down best choice for LAN parties / noisy locations.

I thought the midrange was incredible for a closed headphone, the bass didn't seem hollow at all and actually rivals the HD600 (it's a tad tubbier than the 600's bass), and the highs were o.k. They lack finesse but have a very good intimate and relatively neutral sound for a closed phone.

Cheers,
Geek

 

[arnaud]

Quote:

Originally posted by wallijonn arnaud, excellent review, man. what about comfort? did the 240S get hot after awhile? I see that the 240S is also inefficient at 91 db and 55 ohms. How does it compare with the other headphones? Coulkd you talk about build quality a little more? How would you compare it to the K501?

wallijonn,

you raise very good points. I was soo focused on the music, I forgot about the ergonomics

.
The 240S, just like the 240M and the 271S will get a little hot after a while, because of the leather pads. Like many, I prefer the fiber pad of the HD600. On the other hand, the HD600 puts much more pressure on the head and the AKG headphones are more comfortable in that regard. The only headphone I don't feel comfortable with is the closed 271S. I am just too used to semi-open designs.
The build quality of the three AKGs is identical. I can't compare to the K501, having used it only 5 minutes in my life. The AKGs seem very sturdy to me to the exception of the cord attachement. I don't think it will easily fall off though.

In regards to the efficiency, the loudness was pretty much the same between the 240S, 271S and the HD600. The older 240M is way less efficient and will need an amp. I just plugged the 240S into my emac soundcard and it is loud enough. Note that I don't listen to music very loud though.

geek,

I guess I am very critical of the 271S because I have the 240S and 240M to compare with and that both sound heavenly in the midrange. Please note that I have zero experience with closed-headphones and this might just be that my ears have got used to semi-open designs. From memory, the CD3000s did not sound like that though.

Arnaud.

 

[lini]

arnaud: Nice review, really! And thanks for the backup!

I've been recommending the AKG K240S and the Beyerdynamic DT531 as priceworthy goodies for quite a while, now, after my own comparisions - so it's very nice to see that these finally seem to gain they popularity they deserve in my opinion.

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

P.S.: Walli: It get's hot under the pleather pads of the K240s (= M, DF & S alike) after a while. Long term comfort of the K501 or DT531 is clearly better in very warm surroundings. Build quality wise, the K240s are at least on par with the K501. Actually, the more compact construction of the K240s even makes a little more solid impression to me - and I'm a fan of the looks since I've bought my first K240M ~ 1984. I wouldn't call it backpack-proof, though. Efficiency of the K240S is not good enough to make it sing with weak portables (but it already works quite alright with my 2x 15 mW Grundig pcdp), anyway, and at very high volumes even a PortaCorda (powered with 9V NiMH cell and set to class A) has problems to drive it - I'd say it's about on level with most 250-Ohm-Beyerdynamics powerhungriness-wise.

Sensitivity-wise, it's clearly better than the 250-Ohm-Beyerdynamics, though, so runnig out of gain will rarely happen... Did I mention that the 55-Ohm-AKGs just seem to love low-impedance-outputs, btw?

P.P.S.: arnaud: I'm also not too fond of the K271S, yet - it shares some of the good traits of the K240S, but seems a bit compress and overly present in the midrange, which makes it somewhat shrieky to my ears. The K240S seems more relaxed, coherent and better balanced - and airier, too. A bit less focussed, though...

P.P.P.S.: geek: Uhm, no - I'd call the K271S a good closed headphone, but not better than the DT250/80 or the DT770Pro/250 - all of these just seem to err in their sonic balance: The DT250/80 by being recessed in the highs, the DT770/250 by having overpowering bass and the K271S by being overly present in the upper midrange. To my ears, the best closed headphone I've yet tried seemed to be the DT250/250 - and maybe also the DT831, but I haven't listened to that one long enough...

 

[TravelLite]

Nice write-up!

arnaud, off-topic, but at some point I hope you'll consider posting impressions of the LM6171 versus AD8610 Corda Prehead.

Currently, I think you and Jude may be the only folks in North America who've had a chance to hear both over an extended period of time!

TravelLite

 

[arnaud]

Quote:

Originally posted by TravelLite Nice write-up! arnaud, off-topic, but at some point I hope you'll consider posting impressions of the LM6171 versus AD8610 Corda Prehead. Currently, I think you and Jude may be the only folks in North America who've had a chance to hear both over an extended period of time! TravelLite

TravelLite, I don't have much more to add to the LM/AD comparisons of the Prehead I did at the last Detroit meet:

http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/showt...threadid=44538

The basic conclusions are that the AD version is more polite, a little less dynamic, but more forgiving in the highs. I feel the AD version has more body and suits better my taste. Some may prefer the precision and dynamics of the LM version. Tuberoller is one of those people who prefer the LM version, maybe you can PM him if you want the opinion of a legendary reviewer

Arnaud.

 

[wallijonn]

For those that missed it and are technically minded:

http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/showt...s&pagenumber=4

AKG K240S:

 

[ReDVsion]

Thank you VERY much for this review... finally something to convince me to do the very mild upgrade from the K-240Ms to K-240S. I'm a little worried about the "almost too much" bass response of the S version, but for a low impedance headphone, I won't be complaining all that much.

Haha! Feels good to finally have a definitive answer for the question "what headphone should I buy?".

 

[pbirkett]

Its interesting how one person (I) love the K271 Studio's so much, yet someone else despises them in equal measures

Seriously, I aint heard the K240S, but I did like the K271 enough to swap with my DT880, I like its energetic sound. But I found the K271 sounded pants out of my Rotel integrated (basically very similar effects to what you described), but it sounds great out of my Corda HA-1. I think perhaps the K271 is more amp dependant than what some think. But mine does not have any problem with bass, or treble, and sounds pretty focused to be honest.

Nice write up though, and it just goes to show how widely peoples taste and/or synergy with equipment varies.

 

[Tyson]

Euphonic the K271 is not

But it is pleasant to listen to, especially if you to the bluetak/cotton tweak and get a better cord for it. Some people just never like the sound of closed phones after living w/open phones. I've been comparing the 271's, the hd600's, and the ety 4p's pretty extensively lately, and the differences are interesting. The 600's are very laid back in comparison to the 4P's and the 271's, and have a very different soundstage presentation, and they dynamics are a little soft. The 4p's and the 271's sound very similar in a lot of respects. They are both more forward than the 600's, with the 271's have a little more focus on vocals, and the 4p's having a little more focus on instruments. Bass response is similar in both, and highs are about the same as well. The 4p's do have a bit better seperations of instruments and a little better bass tonality differntiation, but those are not huge differences. The 271's do have a more physical/percussive bass presentation. Overall I'd say if you like the Ety 4 sound and want a full sized can, the 271s will fit the bill very nicely. If you love the sound of the 600's, perhaps a closed headphone will not satisfy. . .

 

[pbirkett]

Tyson, have you tried a different cord on the K271's yet?

PS. I second that about closed cans - going from the DT880 from K271 was initially a shock (not for the better) until my ears got used to the 271's, and for me thats when their talents started shining through.

 

[Duncan]

...and there was me hoping that the 271s would be my answer for a closed 'phone for cheap...

...My primary concern with any headphone is that it has a realistic midrange - sure the RS1 is colored, but it is colored in a sympathetic way - a way to emphasise the mids - make them sound warm, and rich...

...I can't be doing with either unnatural, or harsh though... is a shame

Do AKG sell the various varients of the 240 in the UK?

 

[dd3mon]

wow great review - excellent insight to a few cans that I don't get the 'flavor of the month' treatment

thanks,

-dd3mon

 

[Tyson]

pbirkett,
Yep, got a much better cord for the 271's from www.boldercables.com - the bolder cord lets through more high frequency information and focuses the midrange quite a bit more than the stock cord. Only downside is the bolder cord is not as thin and flexible as the stock cord.

I need to get the 4p to 4s adapter cable, cause the 4p sounds a little muted in the upper mids and a bit rolled off in the highs compared to the 271's. The 4p's are definitely more euphonic than the 271's, which are just ruthlessly revealing. They are not analytical, not bright, and are quite smooth, but still very revealing. It's suprising how many recordings you will notice have extraneous noise on them. You can hear the noise faintly w/the 600's or the 4p's, but much easier w/the 271's. Which is why I want to hear the Ety 4S, cause I have a feeling (based on people's description of it compared to the 4P) that the 271 and the 4S are going to end up sounding very similar indeed.