[Dystopic]

Hello again, head-fi geniuses!
 
I made a thread before (about a week ago) but wasn't entirely certain on bumping rules, so I just opted to make a new one.  They're not entirely related, anyway
 
Anyhow, to the point.  With suggestions from my last thread, I've narrowed it down to the two headsets in the title that I seriously considering.  The AKG K240S (or MKII, I know they're pretty much the same), and the M50S (which is getting a lot of praise, but I'm slightly concerned about the pleather/comfort).  If you guys have any opinions about these - how easy they are to drive, if I should get a cheapie soundcard/amp with them - actually, any recommendations here would be amazing because I only have the on-board sound - I would be very appreciative.
 
 
Thanks,

 

[CashNotCredit]

Quote:

Hello again, head-fi geniuses!
 
I made a thread before (about a week ago) but wasn't entirely certain on bumping rules, so I just opted to make a new one.  They're not entirely related, anyway
 
Anyhow, to the point.  With suggestions from my last thread, I've narrowed it down to the two headsets in the title that I seriously considering.  The AKG K240S (or MKII, I know they're pretty much the same), and the M50S (which is getting a lot of praise, but I'm slightly concerned about the pleather/comfort).  If you guys have any opinions about these - how easy they are to drive, if I should get a cheapie soundcard/amp with them - actually, any recommendations here would be amazing because I only have the on-board sound - I would be very appreciative.
 
 
Thanks,

I have the M50s, and they drive easily enough from both my father's laptop's onboard sound and my tablet's onboard sound. They're also pretty comfortable, IMHO.

Can't speak for the AKG K240s, as I don't own them. If someone would like to get some for me, I would be more than happy to give my unqualified opinions. (Kidding.)

 

[Supertoaster]

Quote:

I have the M50s, and they drive easily enough from both my father's laptop's onboard sound and my tablet's onboard sound. They're also pretty comfortable, IMHO.

Can't speak for the AKG K240s, as I don't own them. If someone would like to get some for me, I would be more than happy to give my unqualified opinions. (Kidding.)

The AKG is bass light (compared to the relatively bassy m50) and I think it's more balanaced as well. 
 
M50 > More for fun listening/musicality
AKG > Critical Listening

 

[wilyodysseus]

The AKG is bass light (compared to the relatively bassy m50) and I think it's more balanaced as well.

To be clear, the K240 is not bass light. It's known as "the groovalizer" because of its punchy slightly fat bass with a mid-bass hump. The M50 has a little more bass quantity than the K240. The K240 has great mids, while the mids of the M50 are somewhat recessed.

Both headphones have pleather pads; the ear cups of the K240 are much larger than the M50 cups, so I find the K240 more comfortable.

The M50 provides pretty good noise isolation. The K240 provides very little noise isolation.

The M50 can be driven out of any device, though the bass tightens up a little with an amp. The K240 is a little harder to drive; some portable players might have to be turned up to +80% volume to get only a reasonable listening level, but any desktop device or sound card should power it sufficiently. Neither headphone will be miraculously transformed by an expensive super amp. Whatever headphone you choose, run it out of your onboard sound for a couple of weeks, then add an amp if you find the volume lacking.

They're booth good headphones. I own both. I use the K240 everyday because of its better comfort and warm mids, but hardly every use the M50. This is purely personal preference, and other reasonable people will have a different preference.

 

[Supertoaster]

Quote:

To be clear, the K240 is not bass light. It's known as "the groovalizer" because of its punchy slightly fat bass with a mid-bass hump. The M50 has a little more bass quantity than the K240. The K240 has great mids, while the mids of the M50 are somewhat recessed.
Both headphones have pleather pads; the ear cups of the K240 are much larger than the M50 cups, so I find the K240 more comfortable.
The M50 provides pretty good noise isolation. The K240 provides very little noise isolation.
The M50 can be driven out of any device, though the bass tightens up a little with an amp. The K240 is a little harder to drive; some portable players might have to be turned up to +80% volume to get only a reasonable listening level, but any desktop device or sound card should power it sufficiently. Neither headphone will be miraculously transformed by an expensive super amp. Whatever headphone you choose, run it out of your onboard sound for a couple of weeks, then add an amp if you find the volume lacking.
They're booth good headphones. I own both. I use the K240 everyday because of its better comfort and warm mids, but hardly every use the M50. This is purely personal preference, and other reasonable people will have a different preference.

Which is built better?

 

[Dystopic]

Right now I'm leaning toward the k240 then, unless I get some other feedback.  Thanks so far!

 

[wilyodysseus]

Which is built better?

They're both very rugged headphones. The K240 has a detachable/replaceable cable, which is nice. The gold bits on the Studio look a little cheesy and very plasticy, so the MKII is better without them (but I don't find such a cosmetic difference enough to justify spending the extra cash).

Right now I'm leaning toward the k240 then, unless I get some other feedback. Thanks so far!

You won't go wrong with either one. It just comes down to personal preference. Many Guitar Centers carry both, so if there's one nearby you should have a listen before you buy.

 

[Supertoaster]

Quote:

They're both very rugged headphones. The K240 has a detachable/replaceable cable, which is nice. The gold bits on the Studio look a little cheesy and very plasticy, so the MKII is better without them (but I don't find such a cosmetic difference enough to justify spending the extra cash).
You won't go wrong with either one. It just comes down to personal preference. Many Guitar Centers carry both, so if there's one nearby you should have a listen before you buy.

Thanks!
 
Quote:

Right now I'm leaning toward the k240 then, unless I get some other feedback.  Thanks so far!

I should add AKG headbands are really comfortable but this is just me 

---

 

[Dystopic]

Thanks for all the feedback!  The AKG 240 MKII is on its way, and I'm sure it will be awesome

 

[Supertoaster]

Quote:

Thanks for all the feedback!  The AKG 240 MKII is on its way, and I'm sure it will be awesome

good luck.
 
I'm thinking of picking up a pair myself just because I love akg style headphones 

 

[BrownBear]

Yeah, let us know what you think of them when you get them. I really liked the K240 Studio I had.

 

[Dystopic]

Alright, after about two weeks' use..
 
Comfort: 8/10
 
These are very comfortable, especially after I switched to the velour pads.  The only problem is that my head a bit larger than "standard" I think, so It squeezes a tiny bit
I don't have any problems wearing them for extended periods of time though.
 
Quality of build: 7/10
 
I never had a pair of the old ones so I can't really compare them (I know a lot of people say that ones from Austria tend to be build better).  The build seems fine, no notable defects but it feels a tad - flimsy?  There are a few small areas (none that affect listening) where the plastic covering the logos and L/R indicators has "snagged" for lack of a better term.  Aside from those little things (again, none of which affect listening), these are well-built.  I also really love the automatically adjusting fit!
 
Quality of sound: ??
 
I don't have another good pair of cans for reference here (my only other headset was the Razer Carcharias, back when I was entirely sure that gaming headsets were the only way to go).  I don't think I can fairly give a rating here, but so far they sound very good to me!  So much detail, and very nice vocals.
 
I don't really do reviews, so I probably missed a bunch of stuff.  But the main point is that they're great so far!  Thanks for the help, Head-fi.