Blackmore
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2006
- Posts
- 5,720
- Likes
- 99
Well guys here it is. My lovely AKG K340 arrived just week ago and I thought that it will be nice to let you know what my impressions are.
First of all I would like to say, I LOVE IT A LOT! In the beginning I thought What, muddy BASS with some echo sound. Just couldn't believe it that this will be it. But wait a minute, just 30 minutes later I was listen to a total different kind of phones. Not sure of that was some kind of warm up of my amp or some warm up of AKG K340. I have some idea because of fact that they didn't be used that much later, they need to warming up first. And now after just a week to playing with them I hear what I like very much. Is this me or it is just the fact?! But anyway, this is the music that I have been using:
Eric Clapton Unplugged
Old love
Sting Best off
When we dance
Its probably me
Candy Dulfer- Big Girl
2Milles
September
Pink Floyd-Delicate sound of Thunder live
Learning to Fly
Sorrow
Deep Purple-Banana
Silver Tong
Walk on
Miles Davis-Kind of Blue
The Rosenberg Trio - Suenos Gitanos
Vivaldi - Four Seasons
MASSIVE mixed by Marco V / Trance
Flying saucer
Exodus
Other phones that been used: RS2, AKG HEARO 888 DIGITAL.
I can say that those phones sounds the best with some Jazz/piano plus nice vocal. Piano and vocal are marvelous with them, such an excitement listen to it. But that's not all. Here it comes, I LOVE THEM WITH MASSIVE TRANCE/CLUB MUSIC!!! They are one of the BEST beasts I have ever heard with this style. However I like my K81DJ very much but those are just OVERWHELMING! Don't know which model I have, BASS SHY or HEAVY one, but if those SHY one I can only imagine how the HEAVY one will do.
They are very airy phones with HUGE soundstage. Not sure if its me, but I have that feeling that the music all over around you and you right in the middle of it. The vocal is kind of behind with perfect placing / separation of instruments, JUST AMAZING. The highs are very controlled and the midds are very balanced. The BASS is strong enough to kill any ear, IMO. Those phones are very sensitive to the record. If you have a bad one, they don't shy at all. But if you have a very good one, OMG they are superior.
Like others have mentioned, you have to close back them a bit to create a BIGGER and STRONGER BASS. Also they will sound FULLER in general. Just simple put your hands on the cups, not even close them fully, and here we go you created it. That's why I do believe that they need to be modded for sure, however they sound BRILLIANT as stock one as well. How the re-cabling will do, not sure. But I guess that this will be also a big improvement. The fact that those been made like between 10-25 years ago, I guess the cable industry have some big improvements as well in this period of time. One thing to mention. When you CLOSE them BACK a bit, they sound some "darker", if I can say so. And that's what I don't really like, cose their neutrality, liquidness and airiness will become something different. So you must be very careful with closing them to much. Just a little bit will do enough wonder, IMO.
And now how they sound compare to RS2. Well, they are total different one. Only thing what I think they share is amazing separation of instruments and very balanced sound, each for his own. But the rest is just the whole different story. RS2 is more analytical than K340. They sound up front of your face with a little soundstage, while K340 is more around you, where the space is the key plus the HUGE soundstage. You right in the middle of it and that is kind of amazing feeling.
My other AKG, wireless one, share the soundstage, which is pretty big as well, but only that, nothing more. I have some feeling that K340 is more like GS1 in the sense of refinement. Or would I say liquidness of sound. You can practically listen for hours to them and not having any issues with pain or any that kind. It is funny that I compare them to GS1, after my some negative impressions with them. But the whole problem which I had with GS1 was the OVERWHELMED, BUMMY BASS, which is whole different, comparing to K340. And I found them a bit boring as well. AKG K340 are much alive with very balanced overall sound. Enough brightness, brilliant mids, controlled highs and enough tight, balanced BASS. That's why I said, they are very sensitive to the record. If record have great bass, they just reproduce it and how, OMG. I was testing them with some TRANCE records and came to conclusion that K340 is AMAZING with it. I prefer AKG to RS to tell you the true. This phone reproduce the original record so beautifully that I was just amazed of the fact how they do.
Only problem what I had with them is the headband keep moving down. Yeah what can you do, this is general problem with them, I guess. Can be fixed with mods. However they are very BIG one, they are not that HEAVY, just a little issue with the head band. But ones again, if you fix that they will be o.k. Because my AKG 888 also a bit heavy, when you use them for a long period of time. And your ears will sweat a bit, because of leather PLUS the fact that they are semi-open one.
P.S. I think the whole secret of this baby's is that AKG have made an headphone that was REVOLUTIONARY in his kind, and still is, and that's why they don't make it anymore because the improvements since then are not that BIG anyway. This is the danger of the business, if I can say so. If you produce such a product you just walk on the edge of dead end. What I mean is, WHAT CAN WE DO MORE THAN THAT?! Of course I am a bit accelerating, but some true is there about this. Any company that produce some limited editions, of such high quality, realize that continue to do so can have a massive negative effect for other production. That's why they produce this kind of stuff once in 20-30 years, I guess. That is the limit of how long the phones can stand, isn't. What ever you can think of, but the time will come for AKG K340 as well, and the new "MONSTER' will be made. That's the circle of life, I guess. Or maybe K701 is the one, not sure… Don't see this phone be so popular like 15 years from now. K340 was like DM 450 25 years ago, a lot of money if you ask me. I think now it will be at least EUR 450 and will be only growing, if this was some "limited edition". Look if you buy K340 like for USD 150, stock, and mod them at least for USD 250, here we go ha… For a phone that between 10-25 years old, OMG… that's a lot of money, isn't. That's why I don't think that K701 is kind of replacement of K340, just don't see it like this. Don't think people will be invest extra USD 250 for mods of K701 10 or maybe 20 years later. So that's give us kind of hope that there will be "K" - WHAT EVER model in the future, I truly hoop so.
To make it short, I LOVE THOSE PHONES! They are brilliant for what they capable of and all mods will be more than only great look, I guess.
SOME PICS. CHEERS TO ALL!
Umm baby, your top is very nice looking
Thats the left side, not bad ha...
Some from the right, jammie...
Some intimacy from inside left, grrr
Some from inside right, well-well-well
Ohh baby, thats it
Who the hell is that?!
Oh no, not him again....
O.K. only for this time, but no more please...
First of all I would like to say, I LOVE IT A LOT! In the beginning I thought What, muddy BASS with some echo sound. Just couldn't believe it that this will be it. But wait a minute, just 30 minutes later I was listen to a total different kind of phones. Not sure of that was some kind of warm up of my amp or some warm up of AKG K340. I have some idea because of fact that they didn't be used that much later, they need to warming up first. And now after just a week to playing with them I hear what I like very much. Is this me or it is just the fact?! But anyway, this is the music that I have been using:
Eric Clapton Unplugged
Old love
Sting Best off
When we dance
Its probably me
Candy Dulfer- Big Girl
2Milles
September
Pink Floyd-Delicate sound of Thunder live
Learning to Fly
Sorrow
Deep Purple-Banana
Silver Tong
Walk on
Miles Davis-Kind of Blue
The Rosenberg Trio - Suenos Gitanos
Vivaldi - Four Seasons
MASSIVE mixed by Marco V / Trance
Flying saucer
Exodus
Other phones that been used: RS2, AKG HEARO 888 DIGITAL.
I can say that those phones sounds the best with some Jazz/piano plus nice vocal. Piano and vocal are marvelous with them, such an excitement listen to it. But that's not all. Here it comes, I LOVE THEM WITH MASSIVE TRANCE/CLUB MUSIC!!! They are one of the BEST beasts I have ever heard with this style. However I like my K81DJ very much but those are just OVERWHELMING! Don't know which model I have, BASS SHY or HEAVY one, but if those SHY one I can only imagine how the HEAVY one will do.
They are very airy phones with HUGE soundstage. Not sure if its me, but I have that feeling that the music all over around you and you right in the middle of it. The vocal is kind of behind with perfect placing / separation of instruments, JUST AMAZING. The highs are very controlled and the midds are very balanced. The BASS is strong enough to kill any ear, IMO. Those phones are very sensitive to the record. If you have a bad one, they don't shy at all. But if you have a very good one, OMG they are superior.
Like others have mentioned, you have to close back them a bit to create a BIGGER and STRONGER BASS. Also they will sound FULLER in general. Just simple put your hands on the cups, not even close them fully, and here we go you created it. That's why I do believe that they need to be modded for sure, however they sound BRILLIANT as stock one as well. How the re-cabling will do, not sure. But I guess that this will be also a big improvement. The fact that those been made like between 10-25 years ago, I guess the cable industry have some big improvements as well in this period of time. One thing to mention. When you CLOSE them BACK a bit, they sound some "darker", if I can say so. And that's what I don't really like, cose their neutrality, liquidness and airiness will become something different. So you must be very careful with closing them to much. Just a little bit will do enough wonder, IMO.
And now how they sound compare to RS2. Well, they are total different one. Only thing what I think they share is amazing separation of instruments and very balanced sound, each for his own. But the rest is just the whole different story. RS2 is more analytical than K340. They sound up front of your face with a little soundstage, while K340 is more around you, where the space is the key plus the HUGE soundstage. You right in the middle of it and that is kind of amazing feeling.
My other AKG, wireless one, share the soundstage, which is pretty big as well, but only that, nothing more. I have some feeling that K340 is more like GS1 in the sense of refinement. Or would I say liquidness of sound. You can practically listen for hours to them and not having any issues with pain or any that kind. It is funny that I compare them to GS1, after my some negative impressions with them. But the whole problem which I had with GS1 was the OVERWHELMED, BUMMY BASS, which is whole different, comparing to K340. And I found them a bit boring as well. AKG K340 are much alive with very balanced overall sound. Enough brightness, brilliant mids, controlled highs and enough tight, balanced BASS. That's why I said, they are very sensitive to the record. If record have great bass, they just reproduce it and how, OMG. I was testing them with some TRANCE records and came to conclusion that K340 is AMAZING with it. I prefer AKG to RS to tell you the true. This phone reproduce the original record so beautifully that I was just amazed of the fact how they do.
Only problem what I had with them is the headband keep moving down. Yeah what can you do, this is general problem with them, I guess. Can be fixed with mods. However they are very BIG one, they are not that HEAVY, just a little issue with the head band. But ones again, if you fix that they will be o.k. Because my AKG 888 also a bit heavy, when you use them for a long period of time. And your ears will sweat a bit, because of leather PLUS the fact that they are semi-open one.
P.S. I think the whole secret of this baby's is that AKG have made an headphone that was REVOLUTIONARY in his kind, and still is, and that's why they don't make it anymore because the improvements since then are not that BIG anyway. This is the danger of the business, if I can say so. If you produce such a product you just walk on the edge of dead end. What I mean is, WHAT CAN WE DO MORE THAN THAT?! Of course I am a bit accelerating, but some true is there about this. Any company that produce some limited editions, of such high quality, realize that continue to do so can have a massive negative effect for other production. That's why they produce this kind of stuff once in 20-30 years, I guess. That is the limit of how long the phones can stand, isn't. What ever you can think of, but the time will come for AKG K340 as well, and the new "MONSTER' will be made. That's the circle of life, I guess. Or maybe K701 is the one, not sure… Don't see this phone be so popular like 15 years from now. K340 was like DM 450 25 years ago, a lot of money if you ask me. I think now it will be at least EUR 450 and will be only growing, if this was some "limited edition". Look if you buy K340 like for USD 150, stock, and mod them at least for USD 250, here we go ha… For a phone that between 10-25 years old, OMG… that's a lot of money, isn't. That's why I don't think that K701 is kind of replacement of K340, just don't see it like this. Don't think people will be invest extra USD 250 for mods of K701 10 or maybe 20 years later. So that's give us kind of hope that there will be "K" - WHAT EVER model in the future, I truly hoop so.
To make it short, I LOVE THOSE PHONES! They are brilliant for what they capable of and all mods will be more than only great look, I guess.
SOME PICS. CHEERS TO ALL!
Umm baby, your top is very nice looking
Thats the left side, not bad ha...
Some from the right, jammie...
Some intimacy from inside left, grrr
Some from inside right, well-well-well
Ohh baby, thats it
Who the hell is that?!
Oh no, not him again....
O.K. only for this time, but no more please...
