[roBernd]

Yeah, I used to own a pair, quite good, liked them more than the K701, sold them to a friend of mine.
From my experience this should be exactly the same as the K240MKII and the K240s
 
compared to the K240s, the K240 has a tamed bass, which is not as boomy as the K240s.
Which is due to the velour pads. The pleather have a bigger hole and the material is of course quite different.
Don't like the velours on my Sextett, but the tonal ballance of the stock K242HD is quite nice indeed.
 
wouldn't dare to use a semi-open can while commuting though. Loud train is loud... .etc
 
 
Quote:

There's still an odd AKG unsung hero can here and there, namely
the AKG 242HD - $200USD and no one wants a bar of them as
their portable pair ~ you can keep the M50, I'd take these any day.
 

 

 

[Gwarmi]

Quote:

Yeah, I used to own a pair, quite good, liked them more than the K701, sold them to a friend of mine.
From my experience this should be exactly the same as the K240MKII and the K240s
 
compared to the K240s, the K240 has a tamed bass, which is not as boomy as the K240s.
Which is due to the velour pads. The pleather have a bigger hole and the material is of course quite different.
Don't like the velours on my Sextett, but the tonal ballance of the stock K242HD is quite nice indeed.
 
wouldn't dare to use a semi-open can while commuting though. Loud train is loud... .etc
 
 


 

 
 Seen a pair or so of commuters make the brazen move to use these on public transport in Melbourne, no worse
 than a travelling SR80i git really (read: me ) ~ just turn down the volume, and if the chatter and noise is quite
 high then at least you don't disturb anyone next to you.
 
 That's what I recall from hearing the K240 ages ago ~ it did not have as much bass as the 242HD, really
 brief 'pick up and go' impression though so I won't say much more on that. 
 
 K242HD should land soon at the store near my place, hope to really put it through it's paces, might even pick
 up a pair and put my money where my mouth is ~ the M50 leaves me wanting as the No #2 portable.
 
 Surely a good alternative to the HD598 for some.

 

[DVDRey]

K242HD or K272HD are very good headphone, even excellent, specially for the price in Europe (110-130 euros), but are very dependant on amp unlike HD598/M50/SR80... K242HD or K272HD with an ipod/iphone... its very bad, like K701 and co.

 

[Joehandsome]

Will K550 be nice with ipod?
 
And keep the impressions comming!

 

[electropop]

Quote:

So I recieved the K550 today at work finally (yeah I'm in Sweden too). I gave them a brief listen from the Rega Ear-amp we use for bigger headphones and playing Puscifer - Momma Sed (Vis4V Mix) (From the "Sound into blood into wine" album) it felt like being stabbed in the eardrum a little bit with each hihat-hit. Used some Onkyo-cd as source. I left them on for burn-in when I left, so let's hope they settle down in the treble. Definately felt the same something along these lines when trying out a new pair of K701 a while ago, and they settled nicely later on. I'll get back in a few days with more impressions, but I was not overly impressed with the sound initially.
 
The build quality looked and felt fine, even though at first I noticed a little pressure at the top of my skull but tilting them slightly forward fixed that so comfort seemed real good as well. Could use a little bit thicker headband though. Real soft, comfy pads. Definately classy looks, nothing too plasticky. Isolation is fine.
 
That was some brief, first impressions at least. These are not vaporware

Can you yet comment on the isolation vs. the good ol' HD25-1, for instance, or any other good contenders?
 

 

[derbigpr]

Available in Croatia for a few days now, price is slightly under 200 euros, which is much cheaper than K701 and Q701 which are over 400 euros.  I don't see how K550 could be compared to K701's in terms of sound quality..

 

[Tetsuma]

Quote:

Available in Croatia for a few days now, price is slightly under 200 euros, which is much cheaper than K701 and Q701 which are over 400 euros.  I don't see how K550 could be compared to K701's in terms of sound quality..

My expectation is that it is they'll be more alike the K701s than any other headphone, just closed. It could make the two things people dislike about the K701 go away.
-Closed, ergo more resonance/bass/boomy-ness/faaat sound/ whatever superlative adjective floats your boat.
-Like above, it'll lose a certain airiness to it. I've seen people complain about the 'unrealistic soundstage' K701s have.
 
Why don't think they'd be good to compare? 
 

 

[funkmeister]

The open AKGs are more bloated sounding than the closed AKGs. They have a weird high-bass bump that overtakes too much of the sound. The old wisdom of closed is bloated doesn't apply to the midrange AKGs (K14x, K17x, K24x, K27x). The 700's are engineered to excellence so of course they're not bloated either. I assume there won't be any bloat in the K550.

 

[rhythmdevils]

Engineered to excellence eh?  Someone takes the back of the box way too seriously. 

 

[rhythmdevils]

Can soomeone provide evidence that the K242HD is NOT just a K240mkii with fancy letters?

 

[roBernd]

Quote:

Can soomeone provide evidence that the K242HD is NOT just a K240mkii with fancy letters?

same drivers, same EVERYTHING... but fitted with velours to begin with.
If you like the K240MKII with velours you'll like the K242HD... but, hence the lack of removable cable...

 

[electropop]

Quote:

Can soomeone provide evidence that the K242HD is NOT just a K240mkii with fancy letters?

Isn't it? Probably a cheaper china manufactured rebranded model. At least that is my understanding... Who claimed otherwise?
 
Are the studio versions manufactured in China nowadays as well?

 

[electropop]

Quote:

Engineered to excellence eh?  Someone takes the back of the box way too seriously. 

Hey, everything without sub-bass is engineered to excellence 

 

[Gwarmi]

Quote:

Isn't it? Probably a cheaper china manufactured rebranded model. At least that is my understanding... Who claimed otherwise?
 
Are the studio versions manufactured in China nowadays as well?

The AKG 240mkii and 242HD are spec'd exactly the same it seems,
 
15-25hz
55 ohm impedance
91dB/mW, 104dB/V
 
Different pads though.
 

 

[Libertad]

ive been desperately wanting the hx9 and kh-k1000 but these look like and seem to be the perfect match for my music tastes i cant wait for more impressions!