[Andrew Seeley]

I agree. These are getting a balanced recable and new pads ,

They are more focused and certainly more clear than even HD 800 IF YOU HAVE BRAINWAVES or Custom pads. They sound so ridiculously strange without a good seal.

For anyone reading, make sure that you have Real circumaural pads for them. Bass will probably be fine and it was a crime against headphones to sell such a unique design without a Sealing pair of pads...

I can't wait, these Kabuki-Cans are entertaining!!!

 

[Coug]

Just got some Brainwavz sheepskin XL for my 340s. Loses some of that high end energy, but really cuts some of the nasties (like the 2.5k peak that almost hurts). Really smoothed things out - green driver /bass light. Just a little bass boost on the EQ (0 at 80hz with gradual slope up to +4.5 at 20hz) perfect.

Now, one more time about inverting one driver plate too. This is really worth trying folks. Once done you can really tell a difference. Wearing the phones one way (left cup on left ear), it's like you're on stage. The other way (left cup on right ear), you're back in the mid rows. Now just imagine one ear up front and the other mid rows... That's stock. A little wonky. I think this is what turns some off to this headphone. I can only imagine this was a cost saving measure not to make a left and right driver plate. Anyone else tried the driver plate reversal? (Anyone willing to?) I think it turns them into the uber-Sextett they were supposed to be.

 

[Andrew Seeley]

Are you going to print the Fibonacci Baffle too? You must dew that and post picts

I just ordered pads...
3x bass heavy sets thru ebay. I might pay to measure these headphones along with others in the future

 

[Andrew Seeley]

I'll also try flipping right and left channels with and w/out the different pads when I recable...

Thanks

 

[Coug]

I saw the Fibonacci Baffle and liked it, but ultimately just cut out the original grill (impatient). The brainwavz have a cloth covering, so no more worries about getting shocked .

Not sure how the pads will work with the bass heavy version(s), let us know. I also went back to stock cotton on the modded pair (taking out the dynomat and other cotton attempts).

 

[Andrew Seeley]

I bought sheepskin and the Gel gamer/microsuede, plus Hybrid pleather velour pads, for my three pairs...

More next week then!

I'll probably etch the cloth to design and keep the tough fibonacci grills

 

[Andrew Seeley]

Deleted

 

[sixorfour]

Just got some Brainwavz sheepskin XL for my 340s. Loses some of that high end energy, but really cuts some of the nasties (like the 2.5k peak that almost hurts). Really smoothed things out - green driver /bass light. Just a little bass boost on the EQ (0 at 80hz with gradual slope up to +4.5 at 20hz) perfect.

Now, one more time about inverting one driver plate too. This is really worth trying folks. Once done you can really tell a difference. Wearing the phones one way (left cup on left ear), it's like you're on stage. The other way (left cup on right ear), you're back in the mid rows. Now just imagine one ear up front and the other mid rows... That's stock. A little wonky. I think this is what turns some off to this headphone. I can only imagine this was a cost saving measure not to make a left and right driver plate. Anyone else tried the driver plate reversal? (Anyone willing to?) I think it turns them into the uber-Sextett they were supposed to be.

I didn't want to mod my K340s when I first got them. I got lucky and ended up with the bass heavy version, and I just wasn't as confident in myself a few years ago. Reading your suggestion on this stereo mirror imaging immediately resonated with me though. It just made sense and I didn't realize they were made that way. As soon as I read your description of the problem it instantly clicked for me. They just seemed imbalanced right to left as you say.

I performed this mod tonight and it's a night and day difference. Thank you for posting this!

It's also encouraged me to reconsider other mods. I also have some new pads on the way as suggested by someone here (aliexpress ones).

TL;DR -- FLIP ONE OF YOUR DRIVER PLATES. It simply makes sense when you consider what a stereo image should look like.

 

[Coug]

Thanks sixorfour for taking a chance. Pretty simple and makes a big difference.

Finally got a pair of bass heavy (grey drivers). Like 'em better than the bass lights.

Here are some observations - Side plate reads ""eletrostatic-dynamic", earlier bass light (green drivers - 2 pair) read "electostat-dynamic". AKG on headband (same with the bass lights). Grey drivers look exactly like 240DF drivers. That is they look like early 240 Monitor drivers with one port/vent covered (attached pics). Really makes me wonder which came first... And really drives home the difference between the passive drivers (Sextett/k340) vs. cloth filters used on all non-sextett K240s.

The bass light came in red/green. They both look like sextett drivers, red being same color as the sextetts (same?). Then green looking similar, but green...(tuning change?).
Bass heavy in grey/black. The grey looking like 240DF drivers. Wonder what they sound like with Monitor drivers (Super bass heavy? - too muddy?).

Here's a pic of my "open" mod on the "Test Bed" pair. Hogged out the cup opening, and installed K702 grills to the side plates. The grill is just about the same size (if not the same size) as the emblem. The side plates were cut to keep the mounting slot for attachment to the headband. All the reflecting surfaces on the inside of the side plates were coated with blue tack. You can get a sense of the sound by removing the side plates from a pair and listening to them "open". Just be careful in handling them because the cups can now swivel 180 degrees. I like it, but it is a bit "I can't go back". Ya, I know, BLASPHEMY!

My advice - Try to get a bass heavy pair (check), do the driver plate rotation, maybe change pads (surely new pads), and call it good. Take the side plates off if you want a more "open" sound.

PS, I threw in a K140 and a K240 Sextett driver pic I had for comparison to the green driver.

 

[JadeEast]

Was curious if an alternative to the baffle flipping mod to make things symmetrical would be to tape over the back of the passive capsule opposite the crossover/impedance matching insert. Just tried it. Will listen to them like this for a bit. These types of mods are hard to A/B. But it's an interesting idea.

*ETA subjectively I think there's a small improvement in perception of balance. But it is Friday after a long week at work.

 

[Coug]

Was curious if an alternative to the baffle flipping mod to make things symmetrical would be to tape over the back of the passive capsule opposite the crossover/impedance matching insert. Just tried it. Will listen to them like this for a bit. These types of mods are hard to A/B. But it's an interesting idea.

*ETA subjectively I think there's a small improvement in perception of balance. But it is Friday after a long week at work.

Unlikely to make the same effect. What you have done doesn't provide a symmetrical representation to each ear, you've merely created another difference between each side. Think of some directional type speakers (old Bose (X)01s come to mind), two lefts or two rights wouldn't sound correct. Covering one of the reflecting drivers won't fix it. Flip one over and you have basically a left and right speaker (well maybe not, but you get the idea), symmetry is regained.

 

[SilverTrumpet999]

Dusted off an old pair of K340s today and figured what the heck, might as well try them with a THX 789 amp with the AAA circuitry before I maybe let them go.

I'm honestly blown away. I have the bass 'heavy' variant and remember these being somewhat muddy in the lower octaves. The 789 takes complete control and now not only is there substantial bass, their response is now tight and punchy - words I do not often see associated with these cans. My long-preferred reference headphones are the HE-500 which are known to have a punchy bass - the K340 on the 789 is very close to the HE-500. This is not at all what I remember.

My K340s are stock bass 'heavy' with stock single ended cable. No funny business. I can't imagine being in storage for circa 6 years is doing this, it has to be the amp.

Anyone else have a THX AAA amp they could throw their K340s on? I wonder if the feed-forward AAA circuit is somehow compensating for the wild impedance curves. I had tried these with a Bottlehead Crack and S.E.X. before they went into storage, and do not recall them sounding anything like this.

 

[Mellowship]

Dusted off an old pair of K340s today and figured what the heck, might as well try them with a THX 789 amp with the AAA circuitry before I maybe let them go.

I'm honestly blown away. I have the bass 'heavy' variant and remember these being somewhat muddy in the lower octaves. The 789 takes complete control and now not only is there substantial bass, their response is now tight and punchy - words I do not often see associated with these cans. My long-preferred reference headphones are the HE-500 which are known to have a punchy bass - the K340 on the 789 is very close to the HE-500. This is not at all what I remember.

My K340s are stock bass 'heavy' with stock single ended cable. No funny business. I can't imagine being in storage for circa 6 years is doing this, it has to be the amp.

Anyone else have a THX AAA amp they could throw their K340s on? I wonder if the feed-forward AAA circuit is somehow compensating for the wild impedance curves. I had tried these with a Bottlehead Crack and S.E.X. before they went into storage, and do not recall them sounding anything like this.

This seems to be a common effect of "not having listened to the K340 for a long time" and after the first songs, they sound amazing even when compared to much more recent headphones, including top of the line models.
We tend to believe the best is yet to come and the present models, as they should have better technology, are mandatorily better than the older ones. Many times this is not the case.
I never tried the K340 with many amps, as there are not many choices available for that kind of impedance/sensitivity. I own the allegedly "bass light" version with the driver in the green enclosure, and they still sound tight and punchy with some tracks, although the punch is not of a rumbling kind but more of a psychoacoustically induced punch, as the texture and information on the lower octaves is very present and very listenable.
My experiences are exclusively in full balanced mode (my K340 is modded with a new cable terminated in 4-pin XLR), using a Loxjie P20, which is a sensible (cheap) solution but provides for more than enough current when balanced (in single ended it is nothing to write home about). I can only imagine how the K340 would sound through a THX AAA, and furthermore how they would sound in balanced mode - which is a simple and easy mod if you are up to it - but I firmly believe the K340 are finally having amplifiers that are up to their specs in terms of quantity and quality after more than 40 years. They keep scaling and scaling, which is astonishing.

 

[arielext]

I strongly believe the same can be said for the K240 sextett. Those 40+ year old AKGs are still top dog if properly paired. That pairing is now available for the masses.

 

[DeweyCH]

I got a pair of these about a week ago. First impressions weren't great - I felt like I could hear the different driver types and it was distracting. A little more listening this morning and they sound better. They seem to like my SMSL SH-8 more than they like my Crack, which was surprising.

Another interesting note (interesting to me at least) is that I can't seem to get any of the pads I use on the K240 variants I have on them. They're just ever so slightly too big. So I've gone back to my Brainwavz solid pads, which are comfy and seal better. Anyone have any tricks for getting pads on these, specifically ZMF pads? Couldn't get them or any Dekoni pads on (the Dekoni pads are for TR-X00s, those have always worked well for my Sextetts and K240DFs).