[G_T_J]

At Thomann, i paid about 8 euro's for 2 pieces + 2,50 shipment to the netherlands ( shipment to the UK is much more expensive however, 8 pounds if i remember correctly )
Maybe it's cheaper via you contact in the UK were you bought the elastics

Or maybe the foam in your headphones is still OK.

I hope the UK contact have those available too. The good thing is that by observing the cups from the outside, I can't spot any sign of deterioration to the stock foam. I guess if it was disintegrating, it would have been obvious? (nasty).Did you have to mention that those foam discs are for the original 1st gen K240 Sextett?

The headphone as a whole is in a surprisingly good shape with the exception of the headband which seems a bit thinned-out but not too bad (deformed). Certainly not to the extent the ad photos suggested! Happy days!

That said, it would be good to know how I'm supposed to get to that foam disc to replace in future.

Did I mention this little gem sounds AMAZING? - both driven from a DX3 Pro and a iBasso DX160. There's plenty of headroom left with regard to volume and driving authority through both devices. The Sextetts are noticeably easier to drive than the 400-ohm DT100 and I'd say on par with my DT150. That's a relief as I was fearing I'll have trouble to feed them with adequate swing voltage. I guess all those posts reporting under-powering issues date 10 (or even more) years back. Fortunately dedicated sound sources, DAPs and personal audio in general have come a long way ever since

 

[GreenNeedle]

Yes for both. I'll take some photos bot I can't recall anything like your pictures. Just that they always look flimsy.

 

[thee mutz]

I hope the UK contact have those available too. The good thing is that by observing the cups from the outside, I can't spot any sign of deterioration to the stock foam. I guess if it was disintegrating, it would have been obvious? (nasty).Did you have to mention that those foam discs are for the original 1st gen K240 Sextett?

The headphone as a whole is in a surprisingly good shape with the exception of the headband which seems a bit thinned-out but not too bad (deformed). Certainly not to the extent the ad photos suggested! Happy days!

That said, it would be good to know how I'm supposed to get to that foam disc to replace in future.

Did I mention this little gem sounds AMAZING? - both driven from a DX3 Pro and a iBasso DX160. There's plenty of headroom left with regard to volume and driving authority through both devices. The Sextetts are noticeably easier to drive than the 400-ohm DT100 and I'd say on par with my DT150. That's a relief as I was fearing I'll have trouble to feed them with adequate swing voltage. I guess all those posts reporting under-powering issues date 10 (or even more) years back. Fortunately dedicated sound sources, DAPs and personal audio in general have come a long way ever since

The foam rings i ordered are :

2073Z1502 K240 foam ring ( i think the ring fits all the K240 types )

When the foam rings are deteriorated you won't see the foam anymore or just some pieces , and when you hold the earpiece upside down and shake it a lot of small black foamcrumbs / dust will fall out.

Good to hear that you are happy with the Sextett. They are a bit addictive too, as now you want to know how the LP's sound compared to the MP's . or even the EP's.

I never had a dedicated amp to drive the 600 ohms AKG's. ( i have a K 141 monitor since the mid 80's ) I always used them on my telephone/ ipod / ipad / diskman / cassetteplayer or whatever portable audio device i had over the years. They always sounded good , and loud enough to me... But maybe they really sound even better when driven by a dedicated amp, i don't know....

 

[thee mutz]

Yes for both. I'll take some photos bot I can't recall anything like your pictures. Just that they always look flimsy.

13 euros is fine with me. I'll wait for your quality verdict however

 

[G_T_J]

The foam rings i ordered are :

2073Z1502 K240 foam ring ( i think the ring fits all the K240 types )

When the foam rings are deteriorated you won't see the foam anymore or just some pieces , and when you hold the earpiece upside down and shake it a lot of small black foamcrumbs / dust will fall out.

Good to hear that you are happy with the Sextett. They are a bit addictive too, as now you want to know how the LP's sound compared to the MP's . or even the EP's.

I never had a dedicated amp to drive the 600 ohms AKG's. ( i have a K 141 monitor since the mid 80's ) I always used them on my telephone/ ipod / ipad / diskman / cassetteplayer or whatever portable audio device i had over the years. They always sounded good , and loud enough to me... But maybe they really sound even better when driven by a dedicated amp, i don't know....

Thank you for the part number. I'll keep it handy just in case. For the time being there's nothing falling from the earcups thankfully, I assure you.

So to sum up, to take apart the headband I only have to remove the plastic round buttons (2 on each side) by undoing their screws and the headband will come off?

If I want to change elastics and foam rings I will have to open the cups and without necessarily dismantle the headband. Do you have to de-solder the capsules to change the rings?

I found a video of M220 being taken apart. Isn't that the same headphone essentially?


They are very addictive and I see myself trying the other versions too at some point, sooner or later!

Do you personally find any sonic differences between production lines? I have read that the alleged difference is mostly due to pad condition and possibly how worn out are the drivers themselves than anything else.

 

[thee mutz]

Yes, it is the same headphone essentially, so you can see how to open it up and how it is connected.

To disassemble the headband you have to remove the 4 plastic buttons. however: The round discs from the elastics will also come off as they are stuck between the two halves of the lower buttons

You don't have to de-solder the drivers to change the rings. You can squeeze the foam ring gently over the plastic earpiece or make a cut in the foam and wrap it around the driver and push it in place.

About the difference in sound: my opinion :

I have 1 LP and 1 MP , both with new stock pads and 1 mashup with MP drivers as shown on page 86 with used earpads.
As the mashup has older pads i can not really compare it to the other two, but in this state it sounds more like the LP. ( and that is a good thing )

The LP has a little more treble and the bass sounds cleaner. The MP has a warmer bass and the treble is not as sparkling .
If i had to choose between the two i would keep the LP


Do you hear a lot of difference in the sound when you listen to this headphones via your DX3 or via your phone or ipad or someting like that ?

 

[G_T_J]

Yes, it is the same headphone essentially, so you can see how to open it up and how it is connected.

To disassemble the headband you have to remove the 4 plastic buttons. however: The round discs from the elastics will also come off as they are stuck between the two halves of the lower buttons

You don't have to de-solder the drivers to change the rings. You can squeeze the foam ring gently over the plastic earpiece or make a cut in the foam and wrap it around the driver and push it in place.

About the difference in sound: my opinion :

I have 1 LP and 1 MP , both with new stock pads and 1 mashup with MP drivers as shown on page 86 with used earpads.
As the mashup has older pads i can not really compare it to the other two, but in this state it sounds more like the LP. ( and that is a good thing )

The LP has a little more treble and the bass sounds cleaner. The MP has a warmer bass and the treble is not as sparkling .
If i had to choose between the two i would keep the LP


Do you hear a lot of difference in the sound when you listen to this headphones via your DX3 or via your phone or ipad or someting like that ?

Yes I thought about the elastics but since I don't have them yet I'm going to reuse the stock ones for the time being. Anyhow to change those I will have to undo the earpieces so it's a whole different process.

With ''The round discs from the elastics will also come off as they are stuck between the two halves of the lower buttons'', I reckon you meant the elastic loops? I can see them attached to the 2nd (higher) button on each side, so I guess I will have to stretch the elastic to attach it back when repositioning the ''L'' and ''R'' plastics.

I think I have understood the process. I know sometimes I'm being pedantic but I really don't want to damage these gems

With regard to sound to be honest, this signature is pretty much the ideal for my liking. The bass is plenty and great in quantity but at the same time without being overpowering and retains its speed. On the other hand the treble is very detailed, shimmery but with natural splash and decay. Never fatiguing. So far if one asked me to make any correction I wanted in the way the headphone performs, I'm quite certain I would have left it untouched! That's a feeling I've only had with the Hifiman RE600 iems which coincidentally are very close tonally BTW. That's pretty much the ideal sound signature for me so I honestly I wouldn't know what to ask from an EP or a LP unit. I may as well end up trying those too but it will be purely for the sake of curiosity. I bet you feel me

Since yesterday morning I've been playing them constantly. I think I've had around 20 listening hours already with them. Initially I used my portable iBasso DX160 but now I'm mostly using the DX3. Out of both sources they sound amazing. The DX160 drives them to satisfying loudness at 60/100 volume on high gain while on the DX3 I'm currently listening at -30db volume (high gain) and there's a whole lot of headroom left. I bet they can be driven to ear-splitting levels! As I said above they are not so difficult to drive and my DT100 at 400 ohms are definitely harder in comparison in this respect.

Unfortunately I can't comment on any mobile phone option as my Note10+ does not come with a headphone jack. I have also a FiiO BTR5 which I haven't tried yet with the Sextett. Once I try it I will post my impressions.

 

[thee mutz]

Ok, thanks.

The elastics should be attached to the lower buttons as far as i know.....

 

[G_T_J]

Ok, thanks.

The elastics should be at be attached to the lower buttons as far as i know.....

True. I thought they were attached to the upper ones but now I'm having a closer look, you are right

 

[GreenNeedle]

13 euros is fine with me. I'll wait for your quality verdict however

Give me a few days, wife has me working on a garden project at the mo so only online every 2 or 3 days

Do you personally find any sonic differences between production lines? I have read that the alleged difference is mostly due to pad condition and possibly how worn out are the drivers themselves than anything else.

There is a difference between the lines. I have MP and LP. With the revised (cheap amazon / ebay) deeper standard pads that are memory foam and deeper the MP sounded better to me. They screamed clarity whereas the LP's bass seemed to drown the lower mids out. With the genuine AKG pads that changes and the LP sounds better. The bass is now controlled, they sound better basswise and clarity is about equal. Not that the MP is bad but withe stock pads they both have great clarity but the MP with stock pads just doesn't have as much impact.

I'm no basshead and neither the MP or the LP has as much bass as the Senn 580 but the tested together ignoring any other headphone and with the genuine pads the LP wins with its overall sound. ~With aftermarket pads then you never know. Depends on what you buy as they all change the sound from signature.

Either way there is just something about the Sextett sound that rules when it comes to proper rock, definitely the sort that is recorded in a live sort of setup. Meaning not congested, minimal overdubs etc. They struggle (IMO) when you get music that is congested with loads of overdubs, keyboard player who likes to program several tracks and multiple harmonies.

I am a massive MArillion fan. They are great for early Marillion (Fish era to early Hogarth era.) They cannot cope with modern Marillion (Hogarth from Brave onward.) The Senn 580 copes quite well with the modern Marillion. They handle the congestion quite well. Nowhere near as good as my speakers do though.

EDIT: I have it the wrong way round there. It was the LP I got first and loved, preferred it to the MP until I put new genuine pads on both. Now I prefer the MP.

 

[thee mutz]

Don't hurry, i can wait a few days.

Can you give me a link to the pads on amazon / ebay that you use on your MP's and which sound so good?

I have the opportunity to buy some EP's but i am in doubt because they seem to sound the worse of the three types.......

Edit: i bought a pair of EP’s. hope to get them next week....

 

[G_T_J]

Today I got the elastics and the foam rings but unfortunately I can't remove the badges, I ended up scratching them.
I'm thinking to apply heat from a hair dryer possibly for the glue to losen? There's no space to put anything underneath. They are very firmly stuck.

 

[thee mutz]

Sorry to hear that. Did you see my photo on page 87 where to start removing the badges?
Normally they come off quite easily, but i guess they fell off earlier and the previous owner glued them back on with strong glue.

Applying heat is a good idea. Not to much of course or the plastic will melt, i recommend a hairdryer first.

 

[GreenNeedle]

Don't hurry, i can wait a few days.

Can you give me a link to the pads on amazon / ebay that you use on your MP's and which sound so good?

I have the opportunity to buy some EP's but i am in doubt because they seem to sound the worse of the three types.......

Edit: i bought a pair of EP’s. hope to get them next week....

I bought some of the cheapies. can't remember where from, then trimmed the backs, sewed some elastic round them. Some pics in this thread:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/lon...-new-over-ear-headphones.873376/post-14112134

 

[thee mutz]

Ok, i see. Nice work! I see that you already tried the mod with the new elastics.
When i read your comments i get the impression that you like headphones with a clean sound, clear mids and treble and not a lot of bass. Did you ever try the akg K 400 ?