[njseek]

Hey all!

I just ordered the 271 Studio, mainly to be used for music production on my laptop with a Echo Indigo Card and a Total Airhead.
I was wondering if there are any part of this setup that could use serious upgrading? Is the Total Airhead enough for this headphone? are there any cable upgrades that would be useful?

thanks

 

[dMoog]

As far as I know your system would benefit rather nicely from upgrading the amp... I don't know about cables though, depends on what you have right now.

 

[jpelg]

1. There is a pair of 271S's in the FS forum here for, like, a hundred bucks! Cancel yours and get those cheap!

2. I thought the Indigo had an amplifier built-in? For output from your laptop, it should be sufficient for the 271's. The Airhead isn't that great to warrant its use on top of the Indigo, IMO.

3. Stefan AudioArts sells an aftermarket cable for the 271's. Not much info on it yet, and I've never heard it/them myself. But that's a potential upgrade path for you.

 

[njseek]

Thanks for the heads up on the FS forum, however, I really am not sure if I will stick with these cans, as I have read wildly differing opinions and would like to try it out for myself, and see if I will keep them. I will look into that aftermarket cable. thanks!!

 

[Barista]

I just got my AKG K271s today.

I've changed jobs, and chose to leave my Grado SR60 cans at home since they are a bit loud for an open office (cubes). After much research, reading of much info from this forum, headwize, and finally headrooms blerb on the AKG K217s I bought a pair.

Listening to them, the first thing I realized was how much I would miss my Grados. I'm not going to seriously comment on the sound yet until they've spent a while burning in cause they sound pretty harsh and tinny right now.

Anyway, an initial thought on the 271 was how much lighter they were than they look. They seem very comfortable, not as comfort as the Grado's but not quite the clamping pressure as my friends Sennheiser HD 280 Pros. The ear cups are a little shallow and occasionally are a bit irritating during long listening sessions. However, the auto mute feature is very nice and when worn they are virtually silent from the outside. Which is a plus since it was one of my requirements.

They seem to be driven pretty easily by portable devices (I.E. Computer sound cards, MP3, Etc), about the same sensitivity as the SR60s and perhaps a bit more sensitive at times.

 

[gpalmer]

Don't be turned off by the lack of bass. These cans come in really tight but once they break in there is a LOT more bass. I was about to send mine back and decided to run them for 24 hours with a bass heavy track. The difference was amazing!

 

[njseek]

would the indigo be enough to run the 271? here are the specs of the card (from www.echoindigo.com):

Specifications:
Type II Cardbus interfaceStereo Headphone Output, 1/8” mini jack (x2)
Supports true 24 bit, 96kHz audio
High quality digital to analog converters
Motorola DSP
High quality headphone amplifier
Analog volume control knob
Greater than 111dB Dynamic Range (A-weighted)
Better than 0.003% THD+n @ -3dBFS, 1 Vrms output level
Frequency response of 10Hz – 22kHz, ±0.25dB
Windows: Supports WDM, Wave/MME, DirectSound, ASIO, and GSIF
Mac OS X: Supports CoreAudio

 

[Barista]

gpalmer,

I sure hope your right. I've read that here, so I'm being patient. Everything about them is top notch and I have high hopes for them, but I have to admit the sound out of the box is a bit worrisome.

I've got them roasting now, and will let them play overnight at a moderate 95-100db. If the bass (or lack there of) doesn't improve, they'll be reluctantly going back next week.

njseek,

It doesn't seem to take much to drive these loud, my sound card & MP3 player seem to do just as well as my Sony 333ES.

 

[gpalmer]

Quote:

Originally posted by Barista Everything about them is top notch and I have high hopes for them, but I have to admit the sound out of the box is a bit worrisome.

I was in exactly the same quandry when I got mine, as much as I loved the detail the bass was so bad I couldn't even listen to them long enough to let them break them in. I commented as much in one of these threads and Bangraman posted a dissenting opinion. Since he's had prety much every headphone ever created on his head I listened and without much hope put them on to Clint Eastwood by the Gorillaz at the same moderate levels you are using.

Bless him, he was right and the rest of the story you know, I hope it works out for you!

 

[Barista]

Yea, I've got Crystal Method on repeat now and will continue overnight. The phones are absolutely amazing quality; I would be so utterly destroyed if they didn't develop.

I'm patient, we'll see what happens.

 

[Barista]

Do K271 users normally EQ these headphones?

I'm used to other Audiophile grade headphones that sound very much perfect flat/no eq. The only way I can get these K271s to have "ANY" bass is to ramp up the bass on my player all the way +10.

I've only spent about 15 hours breaking them in, but honestly it would take a miracle to bring these things out of the slump they're in. They are amazingly detailed, and have mellowed out a bit, but the bass is so far a BIG no show.

Is it really possible for these things to change "that" dramatically with more break-in time?

 

[Steve999]

I don't believe in break-in but I do believe in listening to your headphones for a long time to decide if you like them. I had my AKG 271s for nearly a month and finally decided they weren't for me. From a detatched prespective I do admire the solid sound quality, isolation and comfort of the 271s -- it's a difficult feat to combine these three elements. There is a whole slew of closed headphones that pale next to the 271s (I've tried many of them). However, if you've listened to yours a lot, and it's just not happening for you, I'd suggest trying something else. There probably is a hi-fi headphone, and a closed one too, if that's what you're looking for, that will suit YOU better.

Quote:

Originally posted by Barista Do K271 users normally EQ these headphones? I'm used to other Audiophile grade headphones that sound very much perfect flat/no eq. The only way I can get these K271s to have "ANY" bass is to ramp up the bass on my player all the way +10. Is it really possible for these things to change "that" dramatically with more break-in time?

 

[Tyson]

I sold my AKG K271's for exactly the same reason, not enough bass. Got the Beyerdynamic 250-250's instead, and am very happy with them. Their bass is not overpowering, in fact it is close to "flat", with only the very lowest bass being slightly attenuated. Overall I like the Beyers quite a bit more than the AKG's.

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

Or you could just get the DT770 and liquify your earwax with more quality bass than you can shake a stick at

 

[Barista]

Well, the DT770 needs ampage, so that's out.

What about the 250-250? Need amp for them?

Anyone comment on the Beyerdynamic DT 831?