[vid]

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Interesting insight on the sum of parts aspect, but I only partially agree. While there might be the occasional "perfect" pair, I think people aren't giving enough consideration to how many parts make up that sum that is the Sextett. There are two different drivers, which make up the primary tonal difference between EP/MP and LP, and then there are the different baffles, that have a smaller but still significant effect on all 3 main versions.
 
Gosh, I really do need to get around to doing some detailed measurements on the Sextett while isolating the various factors, to see if there's a rational explanation for the variances, like I said I would. I could've had a field day with Tyll's measurement rig at CanJam, but with how long it takes to do one set of measurements, I wouldn't expect him to indulge me in doing dozens of combinations. 

 
Ever got around to measuring, Fitz? I've seen measurements for the EP and MP, but I don't think any for LP...
 
A lot of people seem to be reporting that there's not a lot of difference between the three models, and then a lot of people reporting that there is a lot of difference. I've only heard one pair of Sextetts, LP, though even that only had one working channel. Based on that experience, the sound was somewhat bright and with lean bass. In description it sounds totally different than what people are reporting for the EP, for instance. Also, in description, it sounds quite a bit like AKG's other models from the late 70s on (K 241, DF).
 
What I am curious about is the combination of people reporting LP to be leaner in bass than the EP and MP (and presumably brighter), and Fitz saying that there were two driver variations (presumably one for EP/MP and one for LP, if I understood correctly).
 
From what I gather, the Sextetts were free field equalized, which I suppose kinda shows up in the raw graph Tyll measured for the EP. However, based on my own measurements, the K 241, which came out around in 1979, looks to have been diffuse field equalized to some degree. I could be wrong, but that's what the raw response curve looks like. The K 241 is a bright-sounding model.
 
So my question is, has anyone measured the response of the LP – and whether it looked more like a free field or a diffuse field curve?

 

[Amarphael]

I had the MP and LP and while pretty similiar the i definiatly prefered the LP's for the more liveier treble and thighter bass, thus being more articulate sounding overall IMO. I think it's safe to conclude the LP's have the free-field EQ becasue the difference would've been far more dramatic otherwise.
 
Btw, I've been trying the Sony SA5000 pads on my LP's for a few days now and can say the improvent is clearly there. the bass gets noticeably tighter and a tad deeper and has very nice definition overall compared with the stock pads.
I hear no noticeable tonal change except slightly more prounced 'Sss" with  some material but defintlly not common trait so i take it as an improvenmt as the proper recorded suff like the Jesse Cook collection i'm listeniong to now sound pretty phenomenal. The sense of depth and the precise imaging are some of the best i've heard so far and come really close to what Stax lambda can achieve, sans the stage width.
 
Anyone know the actual price of a pair of these pads new from Sony USA? Seems like the only way to get a quote is via phone and that's a really a pain from past exprience with thier 'support' staff.

 

[Majestyk]

I think the price for these headphones are getting too high.  I see a cosmetically broken pair on ebay that are over $90 with 6 days left.  Seems like some desperation going on. I must have got the last K-240 Sextett bargain on ebay.  Last fall a seller had a near mint pair on ebay for a $65 Buy it Now.  It sat there for three days before I snapped it up.

 

[Tiemen]

Try to find a Philips N6330/99.
It's a Sextett LP with Philips nameplates glued on, which are easily to remove.
Underneath are the original AKG K240 plates.
They go from 15,- to 25,- Euro, even in mint condition.

 

[tdockweiler]

Has anyone heard a bass heavy LP?
 
My LP sounds kind of bass heavy. It's very warm and sound clarity isn't that good. Sort of muffled.
Vocals and the overall sound isn't really crystal clear.
 
It's mids are very forward without enough treble. Seems to focus on bass and then mids. Less treble than the K240 Studio on this pair I think.
 
My Sextett has been in the closet collecting dust for the last year. Just in pieces and I almost threw it away.
 
Today I recabled it again with Mogami W2893. Sounds a little better now.
 
It's also not too hard to drive. At around 30% volume with high gain on my Micro Amp. I know this doesn't mean much, but seems to do a good enough job.
 
Pearl Jam songs sound especially good with this sextett.
 
Seems to have fuller mids than my K240 Studio, but less treble and more bass.
 
I don't even really know what a perfect Sextett LP is supposed to sound like to be honest...
 
BTW for a semi-open headphone, the soundstage is quite good (and accurate).
 
Also..did new Sextetts come with any foam behind the pads on the outside of the driver? Probably not.
 
I'll try a bunch of amps and maybe even my receiver and see if I can get it to sound any different.

 

[Majestyk]

 
 

Try to find a Philips N6330/99.
It's a Sextett LP with Philips nameplates glued on, which are easily to remove.
Underneath are the original AKG K240 plates.
 
They go from 15,- to 25,- Euro, even in mint condition.

 
Not anymore.

 

[PurpleAngel]

What is currently the best know way of replacing the foam rings inside the cups of the K240?
Beside ordering replacements from AKG in Austria.
 
Edit, I guess what I really need is to replace the damping ring.

 

[Maverickmonk]

I have a terribly dumb question. Is there supposed to be a piece of foam or something between the space in the pads where your ears go, and the waffle shaped plastic of the driver housing? I just realized my AKG sextetts don't have any padding there, and I find that odd, and it's also probably the reason they feel uncomfortable after a few hours. If there is supposed to be some padding there, where do I get it?
 
Edit: I see tdockweiler just asked the same question, I guess its not so dumb afterall

 

[rhythmdevils]

With the Sextetts, there is not supposed to be any foam between ears and driver/grill.  Just the "waffle" shaped grill as you mentioned.  Which is painful as it hits your ears unless you have tiny 70's Austrian ears. 
 
Best fix is to re-screen them, which I wrote a "how to" for somewhere in this thread.  If you search my posts here you could find it. 

 

[scompton]

New pads help some  too.

 

[Maverickmonk]

The pads are new, my ears are just fairly much on the "pointy" side.
 
Rhythmdevils, that's a great mod, but I'm not sure that I want to go hacking on my vintage sextetts just yet. Is there any acoustically transparent foam that could be used in front of them? I feel like just a little bit of padding would go a long way

 

[Tiemen]

Quote:

The pads are new, my ears are just fairly much on the "pointy" side.
 
Rhythmdevils, that's a great mod, but I'm not sure that I want to go hacking on my vintage sextetts just yet. Is there any acoustically transparent foam that could be used in front of them? I feel like just a little bit of padding would go a long way

 
I put a piece of thin felt on it, and it helps a lot.

 

[Deep Funk]

Quote:

 
 
 
Not anymore.

You can get lucky, just be quick...

 

[Majestyk]

Which is painful as it hits your ears unless you have tiny 70's Austrian ears. 

 
I must have tiny 70's Austrian ears, as they do not bother me at all.  Actually I like that there is no material there...No wear and tear to worry about.

 

[tdockweiler]

Finally got these things sounding the way other people are hearing them. At least I think so.
Turns out my DAC was having issues or something, yet they sounded just as bad on other sources and gear. Weird. That could have just been poor synergy or something.
 
Previously they felt as if the bass was very bloated and overall they sounded very muffled. Almost like there was a severe lack of treble. Wasn't a lack of power or anything with the amp.
 
I was using my HRT MSII DAC on my laptop and it sounds fine with most every headphone. Turns out my USB ports were causing issues. Guess it wasn't giving the DAC enough power or something?!
I didn't notice the degraded sound from my DAC until I connected it to my downstairs desktop computer. It's as if my Q701 sounded about 10% better. Bizarre.
 
I was only able to recreate this on my laptop with a POWERED usb hub.
 
Ok, so right now everything sounds pretty  good. The mids are not even remotely thin and are thicker than on my DJ100 and K240 Studio. Very full sounding in most every music. Bass now doesn't seem bloated at all. Fairly well controlled too, but they don't have much sub-bass at all. On my music some sub-bass I hear on my DJ100 is completely gone on the Sextett (and on Q701, HD-598 and HD-600). Treble is fairly smooth and not an issue at all. I think the Mogami W2893 cable is helping with this. The upper mids and especially female vocals are a bit forward with some music. I wouldn't say it's fatiguing, but more forward sounding than on my DJ100. Maybe it's just a bad recording.
 
BTW the Sextett has lots of similarities in sound to my favorite DJ100. DJ100 just has more sub-bass, thinner mids (but not too thin) and is slightly clearer. Both have very smooth treble, which is nice. I'd say the Sextett might be the closest match to the DJ100 i've found, but maybe not. I'll have to listen to these some more. Sextett seems to have more mid-bass than the DJ100.
 
Soundstage is accurate, but not as large as on my DJ100 with the proper recordings. This kind of stinks, but no big deal. Feels like a closed headphone. Obviously for portable use the DJ100's soundstage is much smaller.
 
Also..I accidentally lost the screw that holds the side headband piece in place! Fingers crossed I can find one that fits. No huge collections of screws around. Hopefully it's not a special proprietary screw or i'm...screwed.
 
Love it's sound signature now that it's sound has cleared up. All my music is just how it should sound for the most part (except for that missing sub-bass).
 
These things have a lot of detail too, but it doesn't shove it all in your face like my KRKs do. Pretty musical and like my DJ100 it'll be hard to over-analyze their sound too much.
 
I'd take these mids over the crappy K550 mids anyday

 
BTW you wouldn't believe how many times i've had these things in pieces. Must have recabled them at least 4 times. I'm surprised i'm only missing one screw! So far the Mogami W2893 sounds OK with them. That's a "warmer" sounding wire and sounds bad with the Sennheiser stuff.