[AlexPerrotta]

Hi, I've finally grown tired of my blackberry stock in ear's and want to get a solid pair of starter headphones so i can finally experience the full extent of my music. I've narrowed it down between the AKG K240 MKII's and the Audio Technia ATH M50S le's. As you could probably tell from my join date i am quite new to the headphone game and would very much appreciate some insight on which pair is superior.
 
** I'd like to make a note that my main preference's are audio quality and comfort. Though an in depth comparison between the two would be greatly appreciated. **

 

[Mr Newyear]

Welcome to Head-Fi, sorry for your wallet!
 
Before we can offer help, we need to know a few things.
 
What kind of music do you listen to?
 
What is your source?
 
What kind of sound signature are you looking for?
 
Are you limited to those two options or will you consider others?
 
If so, what is your budget, and are you willing to buy an amp?

 

[AlexPerrotta]

1) i listen to  just about every kind of music, but mainly techno and new age rock (yeah wierd combo right?)
 
2)source? i assume as in what ill be listening from, well i would be listening from my ipod touch or my computer which is an hp aergo it has beats audio (my parents pressured me into getting it)
 
3)Good ones?
 
4)these are pretty much my main two im looking at i want to keep the price below $200( before tax b/c im Canadian)
 
5) budget: $200 before tax and i would be willing to buy an amp, but not too pricey
 
Money actually isnt the issue, though im still in highschool i have been able to amass quite a large bank account, however i'm really just looking for something to introduce me into the world of audiophiles (if you get what i mean).

 

[Mr Newyear]

Thanks for your preferences. I think both headphones are solid contenders, but be aware that the AKG is semi-open, so if you plan to use them in a portable manner, you may not get good isolation and sound may leak out. The M50 is a very highly recommended set of cans here, but it is also a topic of controversy. Both headphones have an extremely long cord unless you get the plain M50 (coiled cable) as opposed to the M50S.
 
Basically there is no easy answer besides buying both and returning the one you don't like
 
Basically, the M50s are extremely popular, are a good entry level headphone, provide a sound that has great bass and treble for the price, is closed which limits the soundstage, have somewhat recessed mids, and can be driven without an amp.
 
The soundstage on the AKGs will be better due to the semi-open design and they will have a more airy feel, potentially less bass, but they have a detachable cord unlike the M50.
 
Some other recommendations would be the Citiscape uptown by philips as a good isolating can with sound quality similar to the M50s (maybe even better?), or the Ultrasone HFI 580 (also a competitor to the M50). For semi open cans, check out the Superlux HD668b.
 
I hope this helps!

 

[ssrock64]

What he means by tthe sound signature question is, do you want something bassy? Something neutral (flat)? Something treble-driven? Mid-centric? What kind of sound do you want?

 

[AlexPerrotta]

Than neutral is what I'm looking for. What are both of the headphones classified as? And another conscern I have is sound isolation, I know the akg's won't be as isolated but I just hope there still is some isolation there

 

[AlexPerrotta]

Bump

 

[AlexPerrotta]

I need some more insight qick please! I plan on getting them tomorrow and I'm still not fully convinced on which ones to go for. PLEASE HELP

 

[tdockweiler]

If you don't want a slightly bass heavy headphone, don't get the M50. It sounds good, but it depends on if you want a fairly neutral headphone or some extra bass, more forward mids or less treble.
The M50 seems to focus on bass and treble and has very slightly recessed mids. Still somewhat balanced sounding.
 
I don't suggest the K240 Studio at all without an amp. They're 55ohm, but sound bad from portable players IMO and don't get loud enough.
 
You could get a $20 Fiio E5 and that would help somewhat. Some may be OK with it's sound without an amp.
 
You can also look into the Creative Aurvana Live, Koss Pro DJ 100 or KRK KNS-8400 or KRK KNS-6400.
Guitar Center has the last two and Best Buy has the DJ200 (same sound as DJ100) for demo.
 
I don't think the Creative is worth $90, but $65 is a good deal for it.
 
Best suggestion is to check out Best Buy's pro audio department and see what sounds the best to you.
They also have the HD-280, which is supposed to be fairly neutral. I need to try that out some more.
 
Some of the latest Philips headphones might be good too. I've never heard them, but Best Buy has those for demo too.

 

[ssrock64]

Either KRK would be a great choice if you want neutrality, and the HD280 is a tiny bit on the warmer side while still remaining neutral.

 

[wilyodysseus]

Neither the M50 nor the K240 are totally neutral. The K240 is groovy with a focus on warm mids. The M50 is a little bassy with recessed mids. The K240 is more comfortable. A blackberry may not have enough juice to drive the K240, unless you add an external amp; my iPhone needs to be at 80-90% volume to get even a reasonable listening level. The M50 isolates fairly well, while the K240 provides very little sound isolation. They're both good headphones, and neither are wildly colored.

I agree with ssrock64 that you should also consider the KRK headphones. They're more neutral than the M50 or the K240, provide good isolation, and are a little easier to drive than the K240. The KNS8400 is the better of these.

Try listening to a few models at Guitar Center before buying, if you have one near you.

 

[AlexPerrotta]

Bump

 

[blacknile]

Alex,
 
I used to own both. Both very very nice headphones. I agree with the comments on the AKG being more difficult to drive. I wasn't able to get the best out of them from my portable devices. However, once they were plugged in my amplifier's jack...wow.
 
Another comment regarding comfort: I loved the sound signature of my ATH M50s, but I ultimately  sold them because of comfort issues. They are quite heavy imho, but most of all they clamp really tightly to your head. I was using them while working in the office and was constantly aware of having them on, and was also having back pain due to their weight. A pity because they had this nice tight bass (mine were the later model, with white packaging), nice mids (not recessed in my opinion) and sparkling highs.
 
The AKG were much lighter and more comfortable, but kind of "dull" sounding out of my mobile devices.
 
Another comment regarding isolation. The AKG are semi open, the M50 are closed. You will hear less environmental noise through the M50 wrt the AKG. 
 

 

[AlexPerrotta]

Thanks for the feedback, I think I'm going to go with the akg's, but in your experience what amp did you use with them/ do you suggest to bring out their full potential?

 

[blacknile]

I tried them with a Little Dot MKIII tube amp which I had purchased to power my Beyerdynamics DT880 600ohm. Good synergy. Mostly though, I used them through the headphone jack of my speakers' integrated amplifier.