[Tiemen]

@Vid: what is a CSD?
Google doesn't help.

 

[tdogzthmn]

Since picking up a Stax SR-507 I've been having trouble coming up with reasons to keep my K400. Maybe just because I love the way they look?

 

[tdockweiler]

Quote:

Since picking up a Stax SR-507 I've been having trouble coming up with reasons to keep my K400. Maybe just because I love the way they look?

 
Why not keep it since the most you could get for it is maybe $100. You'll probably regret selling it!
 
I have to admit that I hate the K400 with Radiohead and stock pads! Their recordings aren't the best to begin with..
 
My K400 must be the one with extra treble because it's almost a bit fatiguing at times, but mostly with bad recordings.
 
I really need to force myself to buy some K601 pads for a little extra mid-bass.

 

[tdogzthmn]

Their's something really appealing about the forward presentation with certain kinds of music which still makes them special.  I have the Anni pads on mine which does help to add more body.  I really enjoy Radiohead through the K400 actually.  Is there a particular song you find harsh on your K400?

 

[tdockweiler]

Quote:

Their's something really appealing about the forward presentation with certain kinds of music which still makes them special.  I have the Anni pads on mine which does help to add more body.  I really enjoy Radiohead through the K400 actually.  Is there a particular song you find harsh on your K400?

Yeah Radiohead would be much better with the K400 when using Q701 or Annie pads. I was using just the stock pads. I don't remember any particular song at the moment but it was on the "OK Computer" album. Maybe my pads are just weird. They're the ones with the brown foam ring on the back around the edges.  I really don't know why I bother with using stock pads since I only like how they sound with female vocals most (The pads I mean).
 
BTW do you have the version with the plastic headband? I've heard that one might have a little more treble than some other versions. It'll be interesting to compare it to my new pair that's on the way.
 
I'm using using the Schiit Modi as a DAC which is pretty flat to me but doesn't even have a touch of warmth at all. I'll try the Fiio E17 as a DAC some more.
 
My setup doesn't even have a touch of warmth, so that's not helping me any. It'd be interesting to see how the K400 sounds with my Onkyo receiver. Never even thought it try that. Probably sounds terrible.
 
I think the K400 with Annie pads and foam rings actually has more mid-bass than the Anniversary!

 

[tdogzthmn]

I have an older version with the Vinyl headband and larger gold plug.  My amp is a Bottlehead SEX 2.1 with a Halide DAC HD feeding it so I would say it's on the warmer side of neutral but very clean and detailed still.   

 

[tdockweiler]

Just got my new 2nd pair in. Looks mint and never taken out of the box, but it has a faint dusty smell from the box. Box looks like it came from the 80s! Still had the original price tag of $189 on it.
 
The difference for this pair is that the pads are much deeper. They almost seem to have a brown tint to them. You can see the drivers through the screen. Screen is totally clear. On my other K400 you can't see the driver.
 
Maybe I have K500 pads on my K400? That's what it came with. They have brown foam rings underneath the pad on the edges.
 
Does anyone know for sure if the pads with the brown foam rings are for the K501 or K500?
 
Still trying to hear any differences. Nothing sticks out yet. The Sigur Ros song "Gong" is painful to listen to, but that's generally the case on my other AKGs.
On the new K400 it sounds thin and very harsh.
 
EDIT: This pair is really sort of similar. Right now it mostly sounds thin and harsh. I guess I need to force myself to buy some K601 pads. I'll use Annie or Q701 pads until then.
 
K400 really does sound best with new pads. K400 stock is too bass light to me. At least the versions I have..doesn't mean I don't like it.
 
Just put Annie pads on it again. Think it really smooths out the sound a tad. The K400 to me is even more trebly to my ears than my Q701 (but not K702).
 
NOTE: Q701 pads definitely sound better than Annie pads on the K400. Not a fan of Annie pads really for some reason.

 

[DMax99]

I have bought a pair of k501 pads from someone here on headfi, they are see through in the middle but the colour is like dark grey, almost black

 

[tdogzthmn]

Quote:

Just got my new 2nd pair in. Looks mint and never taken out of the box, but it has a faint dusty smell from the box. Box looks like it came from the 80s! Still had the original price tag of $189 on it.
 
The difference for this pair is that the pads are much deeper. They almost seem to have a brown tint to them. You can see the drivers through the screen. Screen is totally clear. On my other K400 you can't see the driver.
 
Maybe I have K500 pads on my K400? That's what it came with. They have brown foam rings underneath the pad on the edges.
 
Does anyone know for sure if the pads with the brown foam rings are for the K501 or K500?
 
Still trying to hear any differences. Nothing sticks out yet. The Sigur Ros song "Gong" is painful to listen to, but that's generally the case on my other AKGs.
On the new K400 it sounds thin and very harsh.
 
EDIT: This pair is really sort of similar. Right now it mostly sounds thin and harsh. I guess I need to force myself to buy some K601 pads. I'll use Annie or Q701 pads until then.
 
K400 really does sound best with new pads. K400 stock is too bass light to me. At least the versions I have..doesn't mean I don't like it.
 
Just put Annie pads on it again. Think it really smooths out the sound a tad. The K400 to me is even more trebly to my ears than my Q701 (but not K702).
 
NOTE: Q701 pads definitely sound better than Annie pads on the K400. Not a fan of Annie pads really for some reason.

 
My original K400 pads are a dark grey with clear plastic and tannish foam.  The screens over the drives are a thin black mesh that's easy to see through.   

 

[tdockweiler]

Quote:

 
My original K400 pads are a dark grey with clear plastic and tannish foam.  The screens over the drives are a thin black mesh that's easy to see through.   

 
Ok, guess that's what I have too. Clear plastic on the back, but black foam.
On my first pair the plastic on the back isn't clear but black with a brown piece of material all the way around on the edges. Not foam I guess.
I'm guess they're just K500 pads. They don't appear as deep but maybe they're just warn and compressed a little.
 
It's really annoying to compare the K400 with Q701 pads to the Q701 with Anniversary pads. I like them both in different ways.
I learned to stop A/Bing everything so much because it ruins the fun really.
 
Wish I could try a K601 again with Anniversary pads.
 
Kind of wish I didn't get another K400 but it will be nice to have a backup pair.
 
I also noticed something strange about the new pair. The plastic driver is clearer and you can see inside it more. On the older one it's almost foggy.
Ok, i'm going to go take a picture and compare the differences.

 

[tdockweiler]

Picture of old driver:
 

 
new driver:

 
Strange. The new one sounds maybe a bit more treble happy, but could be my imagination.
If you look closely they're quite different.
 
EDIT: I've been searching through this thread and my guess is that the "new" one is the EP and the old is an LP or maybe middle production. Both have the plastic headband. The box this new one came in is VERY old.
The K400 from the 2nd picture looks identical to the photos that tdogzthmn took of his awhile back.
 
I just now realized I should probably try the Q701's foam over the driver with stock pads.

 

[tdockweiler]

I've noticed that the K400 driver above (bottom photo) is nearly identical to a K500 driver. Strange.
 
I think I was wrong on my early impressions of the two K400s. This new EP actually sounds a bit better maybe than the LP.
This EP seems a little darker and with slightly more forward upper mids. It does actually seem a bit smoother though in the treble.
 
Actually I'm so confused I don't know which is which. Both have the same types of headbands but different looking drivers.
 
My Q701 is actually more forgiving of harsh/bright recordings which is hard to believe...

 

[tdogzthmn]

The EPK400 and K500 are different drivers. Perhaps they adopted the K500 driver into the later production models if the K400? My K500 had a distinctly different sound from the K400 so it's unlikely they use the exact same part. I agree the K400 is more forward sounding with a smoother and darker presentation. Those are the attributes which make it so enjoyable I'm my opinion and what most other AKG models fail to produce.

 

[Natsukawa]

Recently I sold my AKG Q701, K702 and returned to the K400, K500 & K501. I can't explain why, but the new AKGs have lost the magic. The old ones have it and it works out so well. I also think, they sound much better than the k7xx series. K400 / 500 / 501 magicians, unite again  ;D
 
greetings from Germany

 

[tdockweiler]

Been addicted to the sound of this new EP K400. Definitely darker and smoother than the old pair.
It's also much warmer than the other one. Quite full sounding in the mids. The other pair was more treble happy and not really that warm at all.
Even with the Schiit Modi it sounds warm and I can't really detect any warmth in that DAC.
 
This K400 is actually so close to being dark! I like it though.
 
Q701 is way better then the first K400 I had, but we'll see how it does against this new one.
 
Really took longer than I expected to hear the differences between these two K400s.
 
I wonder what the general consensus is as to which version of the K400 sounds best? Guessing it's the EP because it's sounds smoother for sure.
 
EDIT: forgot that the other K400 almost requires K601 pads to sound not so thin/harsh. This one sounds perfect even with stock pads.