[Davidzak64]

I just ordered a pair ...

Davidzak64​

But let me say it straight.... I doubt that they will even match the AKG K240 sextett... Let alone my K340 ....

Where did you find the Mikros for sale at? Are there any more for sale?

 

[richard51]

I touch wood for now...
I wait for an answer from the seller...
No there is only one...

The thread about th3em is too big to read...
I just stumble on someone who prefer them to his HE6 ...

Anyway they will be very different than anything i own...

I dont need a new headphone but.... I am curious...

 

[tdogzthmn]

I just learned that the AKG K340 cannot be driven by aa tube headphone amplifier...

It is not just a question about raw power in watts because of his 91 Db sensitivity......

It is not just about his high impedence 400 ohms...

It is about the fact that two cells of 400 ohms each seems to ask a dedicated power amplification..

I am not knowleageable in electricity coupling factors...

But the K340 was designed at the times where there was no headphone dedicated amplifier with so much low impedance headphones in the market as today...

The K340 was designed with the idea that the headphonbe out of a regular power amplifier will do it...

The headphone amplifier with which i test it was a very good and known one, but the difference between the headphone out of my Sansui alpha was staggering...

The K340 is unique in his features and design... There is no other headphone like it...

If you drive it with an headphone amplifier and think because it is able to put it at listenable level that it sound good and optimal, then you have never listened to the K340 really...

It is my conclusion because the difference was so astounding on all acoustic count, that it was not the same headphone at all driven by an headphone amplifier even a powerful good one and the headphone out of my Sansui alpha... The most apparent lost when driven by an headphone amplification, even a tube one, was the lost of my holographical imaging and the lost of my "out of the head" soundstage even if all details of the soundfield was there ... And the mids frequencies body were thin and recessed...

If you have a K340 test it with a power amplifier... Keep the headphone amplifier for the other headphones...

Anyway well amplified i will never go to any other headphones at any price ... As i said already....

The ONLY and sole upgrading now will be the BACCH filters of Dr. Choueiri...

Anyway i am happy as i am now with no more illusion about upgrading anything especially amplification...

The Sansui alpha is a gem and not an obsolete technology from 35 years ago, i am now sure about this fact...

My best to all ...

I also found the K340 to be highly selective in terms of amp synergy.

Just because an amp has a stated power output of "x" number of watts does not seem to directly correlate into ability in properly driving the K340. Having tried a number of different headphone amps many tend to lack the ability to do the K340 justice.

Of the dedicated headphone amps I have tested the Bakoon HPA-01 using the current output does a great job.

Similar to your findings my Sansui AU-517 integrated amplifier sounds fantastic with the K340. It would make sense that integrated amps and receivers were how the majority of headphones would be powered at the time they were engineered (late 70's early 80's).

Anyone that owns a vintage receiver or integrated amp with a dedicated headphone output should definitely give it a try with their K340.

 

[Davidzak64]

I touch wood for now...
I wait for an answer from the seller...
No there is only one...

The thread about th3em is too big to read...
I just stumble on someone who prefer them to his HE6 ...

Anyway they will be very different than anything i own...

I dont need a new headphone but.... I am curious...

Well, did you snag the Mikros?

 

[richard51]

i wanted to....
I look for one for now....I trust you because you own the sextett as well as the K340 even if not optimized as i did it myself ....
I know already that they cannot best the the K340 on all counts sorry but i would like to have a closed relatively silent headphone to optimize my way especially this low cost very good one...

If you know someone who sell one please say it to me...

Well, did you snag the Mikros?

 

[richard51]

I just try my battery NOS dac SPS tda 1543 and a tube preamplifier Douk P2 with a SS amplifier Fosi sk 01 with the AKG K340. the result was surprizing... It is not on the same level of low electrical noise floor as with my bAttery dac Hidzs with the Sansui Alpha 607i but at least this cheap chinese pre and amp were able to drive them. Then it is not only power but more the synergy that matter. For sure my Sansui alpha low electrical noise floor and power cannot be beaten for me right now.... The last time i tried was with the Berning tube microzotl and it was dead silent but completely artificial digital sound without a natural soundfield out of the head...The timbre experience was artificial....I return it after an hour experience because of the high cost for me....( service of LTA is TOP and i trust them more than ever i dont doubt that as a preamplifier the ZOTL must be a marvel, i return it because of my budget, i wish i had keept it for my speakers preamplification not for the K340 only )

I used the Douk and Fosi especially for my AKG K240 sextett.... Very good pairing.... These chinese low cost products are marvel in the ratio S.Q. price and they had triple tone controls well done.... Incredible purchase i do not tregret... I bought the Douk tube preamp for my powered active speakers , which modified by me are now audiophile marvel ( i modified the tweeter waveguide and completely modified the rear porthole.)

I dont need any other headphone now... The AKG K340 is unbeatable if we compare it with anything save on some singular acoustic factor but not on the sum total of all factors sorry... The RAAL perhaps can do it ....No Stax can do that...

I am curious about the Martin Logan mikros 80 because of my friend here Davidzak64.... And it can possibly rival the K340 on some aspects perhaps... Not on the out of the head soundfield for sure.... Not on the timbre naturalness experience which is speaker like ... Not on the bass impact because i felt it with my body.... The K340 is not when optimized a sub par headphone but one of the best ever designed...

I also found the K340 to be highly selective in terms of amp synergy.

Just because an amp has a stated power output of "x" number of watts does not seem to directly correlate into ability in properly driving the K340. Having tried a number of different headphone amps many tend to lack the ability to do the K340 justice.

Of the dedicated headphone amps I have tested the Bakoon HPA-01 using the current output does a great job.

Similar to your findings my Sansui AU-517 integrated amplifier sounds fantastic with the K340. It would make sense that integrated amps and receivers were how the majority of headphones would be powered at the time they were engineered (late 70's early 80's).

Anyone that owns a vintage receiver or integrated amp with a dedicated headphone output should definitely give it a try with their K340.

 

[dpump]

How do you email Headphile.com? I don't see any way to email on his website and using headphile,com doesn't work. Not sure what I'm missing.

 

[dpump]

Anyone have a K340 for sale in working or non-working condition? I managed to break one of the terminals off of one of my grey dynamic drivers while modifying them. I could use one grey driver or a pair of red or green drivers. Or has anyone seen any drivers for sale anywhere?

 

[richard51]

I fail to buy the Mikros...
The seller do not want to ship it even when i offer 100 bucks instead of 50...

And how do you live with it now?
Will you sell th3e K240 or even the K340 ?

I am curious to buy a mikros but it seems a rare headphone...

Well, did you snag the Mikros?

 

[Davidzak64]

@richard51 . I just received a pair of bass heavy (black drivers). I now own the Green, Red and Black ones. I just need to get a pair of grey ones for a Full house.
PS. There is a pair of Mikros 90 on Ebay now.

 

[richard51]

The one on Ebay is sold...
I will wait my deal.... Anyway it is not because i need it but i want to play with it...

I dont doubt your review but my K340 is way too amazing to be beaten easily... I will be happy if he beat my K240 sextett which i enjoy as my main computer headphone , more for movie than music ...

I like to modify a bit and optimize an headphone , especially if it has a good potential... it is rare ...Or very costly like the Raal which is the only contender i guess about for my K340 ... but who knows... After all i had heard any of these two... It is just that there is a too wide margin between my K340 and any other headphone i tried...

 

[richard51]

It seems for 70 Dollars i will have one (Mikros 90 ) in mint state soon ...

my friend

@Davidzak64​

How is your experience now with the mikros 90 and our beloved K240 sextett and K340 ?

My only hope is that the Mikros will not be much worse compared to my optimized sextett...

 

[Davidzak64]

It seems for 70 Dollars i will have one in mint state soon ...

my friend

@Davidzak64​

How is your experience now with the mikros 90 and our beloved K240 sextett and K340 ?

My only hope is that the Mikros will not be much worse compared to my optimized sextett...

Unfortunately my Mikros quit working on me. I'll probably buy another pair when I have the chance. But they did sound Fantastic
IMO. The Sextett are not even close to being in the same tier as The Mikros and K340's.

 

[richard51]

i just received the Mikros 90...pay them 70 bucks...

Their main quality will be for me : isolation.

Nothing else i am afraid...

I will not even try to improve them as i did with all my other headphones with success.

I bought them to test them because one of my friend vouch for them over the K240 sextett and he claim that they even rival the K340...

I know that is impossible but i must buy them to test this claim...

the Mikros 90 is an average well done headphone... I say average not better ...

There is not a shred of comparison possible with the K240 sextett when optimized on any acoustics count at all ...Timbre naturalness, bass, imaging , soundstage ... zero comparison...

My friend who vouched for the Mikros probably had not optimized his sextett or K340 at the level where they are at their best and i know it is very difficult to do anyway ... It takes me 6 months 24/24 to figure out the K340 workings and i installed 6 modifications on them ... i did not recommend them because they are old and difficult to optimize... but they are one of the best headpghone ever designed no doubt, the only working true hybrid till today ( the Dharma is not it is a dynamic cell with a supertweeter with no resonators nor dual internal acoustic chamber as the K340 )... I never listened an headphone who even touch them... The sextett cannot even with also a set of tuned resonators...

The K340 already exceed by far the sextett on all acoustic factors, so good the sextett are and i love them as sexcondary choice for casual listening of movie but this put the Mikros in the beginners low cost headphone range far from the sextett or even far from the Akg K701 i disliked and with no relation at all with the sublime K340...

it is not surprizing to me because there is inside the sextett as in the hybrid 340 a set of tuned passive resonators that do marvel for sound quality...

the Mikros 90 isolate so well i will use them for listening documentary in my noisy house some days...

Thats all ... No music ever no movie either only interviews in noisy hours ...

In a last word i must say that i do not say they are bad. Only that they dont compare to my optimized sextett acoustically at all because of evident reason linked to the shell acoustics of the K240...
I will keep them with their good isolation for sure.... They are not bad only not on the same level ...