[GreenBow]

Please can someone tell me, do the N40 take time to burn in?

I just opened mine. Quite good out of the box. .... I am expecting them needing burn in. They say most transducers do, as the parts need time to get loose and flexible.

Nice sound though, but I am playing a Hugo 2 with them.

I find them more sound isolating than I understood they were. More cable noise too.

 

[GreenBow]

Eh! Wow.

You know because of the What HiFi review of the AKG N40, I pondered for a long time. ... They said that on poorer sound quality sources, the N40 treble can sound rather hard and incessant.

However I have taken my N40 off my Hugo 2, and put them on my Ipod Shuffle 3rd gen. (Literally a cheap 4GB ipod.) They sound great.

My Shuffle really took me by surprise when I put my AKG Y50 (£50 award winning headphones), on it. The sound was totally listenable and the sum, much more than the parts. The bass being slightly heavy, complimented the Shuffle perfectly. .. However these N40 are amazing. Yeah, the Shuffle is never going to be mind blowing, but perfectly acceptable portable tunes with N40. Not for critical listening but approaching it, and clearly excellent for tunes out and about. There's even a reasonable level of instrument separation. ... There is nice tonality, punch (oh yes punch), and just generally as good sound as you can expect (and more), with this pairing.

I can not express enough how well the Shuffle and N40 sound. The N40 purchase is a good buy. ... Even better is the fact that the N40 block out quite a bit of traffic noise. Yet leave just about enough traffic noise, to be able to know what's going on. It actually makes me more alert, because I am not being acoustically pounded at by traffic.


Make no mistake these are good headphones, even one hour after being taken from the box. They are more than worthy of using on lesser model sound sources. Please don't be put off like I was by the What Hi-Fi review. (I guess What Hi-Fi used a poorer sounding phone to test the phone/N40 performance.) It took me months of looking back at reviews, and re-reading them, to decide about these. I figured buy a reasonable audio player and I should be fine. I need not have worried, and they would have been good for IPod Shuffle alone. What Hi-Fi did praise the N40 overall though, and deemed them excellent on good sound source. (Sometimes I regret not buying a Poly for my Chord Mojo.)

I decided also that I needed a DAP though, and not just the Shuffle, a long time ago. I wanted more storage space, and a screen. I bought a Sony ZX300, and have had it for over a month, but not opened it yet. Haha. Well, I just got the headphones going didn't I? Therefore, I can not wait to get that going with FLAC rips and ZX300. It will sound better than Shuffle MP3 too. (Seriously, I can not manage iTunes either.)

 

[Noope]

Hi, I hope this thread is not dead yet. I got a used AKG N40 with only one filter by the rubber colour its gray. But I got a very strange problem one side is louder than the other, when I change the filter (left to right right to left) got the other side louder. Can be the filter somehow damaged? For me it's seems the same condition both side. I can order form Harman brand new filters for 45euro but first I want to know your opinion or solution. Greetings.

 

[maniac2003]

Maybe it's dirty?
Do you also have the difference if you try a different pair of filters? Or did you really get just one filter?

 

[anyworld1209]

Hi, I hope this thread is not dead yet. I got a used AKG N40 with only one filter by the rubber colour its gray. But I got a very strange problem one side is louder than the other, when I change the filter (left to right right to left) got the other side louder. Can be the filter somehow damaged? For me it's seems the same condition both side. I can order form Harman brand new filters for 45euro but first I want to know your opinion or solution. Greetings.

I have the same problem. The left is a little quiet on my N40. Like L: 9.5 / R: 10. First i though my left ear is gonna be deaf. But there is something wrong with filter. It seems normal and clean. Dunno what is wrong with it. So i soaked it with alcohol and blow it with dryer. After a while, it went back to normal now. Even though i still have some feeling that the right side is a little more clear that the left. Weird right?

 

[GreenBow]

Hi, I hope this thread is not dead yet. Greetings.

Yeah I hope not. I still want to hear from other people.

I have been playing music through these new N40. (I left them on some music playing overnight too.) I think there has been some of me adjusting to them, and some running-in. I get on with them even better now. They are really surprising on the Hugo 2. They exceed my (albeit cheaper) Grado SR225e. ... Although I would prefer non in-ear headphones for listening at my desk. Getting in-ear headphones in and out is not easy. Plus the cable is short at 1.2m, meaning less freedom of movement.

For on the go, they are bit boomy in footsteps and noisy with eating, due to isolation. Cable noise has not been an issue for on the go, except when moving cables.

The N40 are worth the money, and especially when at a reduced price. ... I am however glad I did not jump and buy some pricey top quality SE 846. I would have found them bad value for money, in respect to boomy footsteps for on the go.

 

[Noope]

maniac2003
I got it from ebay with only the stock filter. I'll try to clean it maybe it helps.
GreenBow
I got Q701 and DT 1770Pro for desktop. I want to use N40 with my LG V30 mainly.
anyworld1209
Did you tried it with another clean filter like bass or high? I'll try to clean it than its still an opinion to by a new filter but 45euros seems a little bit steal. ( I was an idea. It's sounds dumm, I know.There is a used RHA T20 betwen 85-100 euro, came wiht filters too. But I dont know is it the same screw or not and it coud make it sound worst even when it coud work)

 

[anyworld1209]

Did you tried it with another clean filter like bass or high? I'll try to clean it than its still an opinion to by a new filter but 45euros seems a little bit steal. ( I was an idea. It's sounds dumm, I know.There is a used RHA T20 betwen 85-100 euro, came wiht filters too. But I dont know is it the same screw or not and it coud make it sound worst even when it coud work)

Yes. And it's went back to normal. The RHA ones is not compatible with this. I suggest you go to local audio shop to buy it or send it back to the seller. Btw.. If you buy a new set of filters. Send me those old ones. I want to test them

 

[Noope]

UPDATE
I found a solution, its all about the filter is dirty but like bearly seen dust and fat. I left them in a warm soap water for an hour than I used compressed air to clean them and now its like new ones. To check how dirty is your filter just hold it to the window when sun is shining.

Like in this photo you have to see all the holes to make sure its perfectly clear, otherwise get that quiter sound.

 

[GreenBow]

maniac2003
I got it from ebay with only the stock filter. I'll try to clean it maybe it helps.
GreenBow
I got Q701 and DT 1770Pro for desktop. I want to use N40 with my LG V30 mainly.
anyworld1209
Did you tried it with another clean filter like bass or high? I'll try to clean it than its still an opinion to by a new filter but 45euros seems a little bit steal. ( I was an idea. It's sounds dumm, I know.There is a used RHA T20 betwen 85-100 euro, came wiht filters too. But I dont know is it the same screw or not and it coud make it sound worst even when it coud work)

I think the N40 will sound OK with the LG V30. ..... (I took a long time thinking if the V30 was for me.) It's said to be the best audio on a phone. Or rather that was said about the V20. I think the V30 is supposed to be the same, or a step up.

I tried the N40 with both my cheap iPod Shuffle and Pure PocketDAB radio. It made the best of them. I was really surprised just how good the Shuffle can sound. The PocketDAB radio was brilliant on higher bit rate channels.

Unless the N40 had some unusually bad synergy with the LG V30, I expect it will be OK.

 

[GreenBow]

My N40 must be run in now. They really are good headphones. Recommendable in a blink.

I have been reading about balanced, as I have a balanced output Sony ZX300. https://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/walkman/nw-zx300

Are either of the cables for use in balanced mode? Sorry please forgive me, if I am using wrong terminology. I am newbie to balanced.

Any advice about any of this would be awesome. ......... The Sony ZX300 balanced port is 4.4mm, so I look out of luck until I get an adaptor. If either of these supplied cables does balanced. (Both N40 cables being 3.5mm.) Or if I can acquire a new cable.

 

[Lurk650]

You cannot simply add an adapter to a 3.5TRS and be balanced. You can add an adapter to a balanced cable and run 3.5TRS though.

You need a new 4.4 cable. Lots are available on the internet. Amazon, Penon, AliExpress. I use either Amazon for quick budget cables or I use Triton Audio cables, who is a member on here ( @alpha421 ), and he does custom cables for a reasonable price.

 

[GreenBow]

I actually read a review that suggested that the N40 came with a balanced cable. http://majorhifi.com/akg-n40-review/

It says under the heading Out of the Box, quote, "Slightly hidden is the MMXC cable with the remote wound right behind them. With the rest of the contents being shown to you.".

Not sure if that means a balanced cable, and then I should get an adapter for 3.5mm to 4.4mm. Please if anyone knows or can test, I'd be thankful to know.

 

[Lurk650]

I actually read a review that suggested that the N40 came with a balanced cable. http://majorhifi.com/akg-n40-review/

It says under the heading Out of the Box, quote, "Slightly hidden is the MMXC cable with the remote wound right behind them. With the rest of the contents being shown to you.".

Not sure if that means a balanced cable, and then I should get an adapter for 3.5mm to 4.4mm. Please if anyone knows or can test, I'd be thankful to know.

Like I said, you can't go 3.5 to balanced (2.5mm or 4.4mm) unless its a TRRS. That's just a MMCX (connection type to earphone with a mic on it)

You need to buy a cable that comes terminated with 4.4. Balanced cables allow you to unleash more power from your device as Balanced outputs tend to produce more power which can lead to gear being easier to drive, along better separation and dynamics but the latter is dependent on the gear & more so the user experience.

Here is a great cable I recommend, I have it in 2 Pin and MMCX 2.5 and an 8 core in MMCX 2.5
http://a.co/d/6kQyjte

 

[maniac2003]

I actually read a review that suggested that the N40 came with a balanced cable. http://majorhifi.com/akg-n40-review/

It says under the heading Out of the Box, quote, "Slightly hidden is the MMXC cable with the remote wound right behind them. With the rest of the contents being shown to you.".

Not sure if that means a balanced cable, and then I should get an adapter for 3.5mm to 4.4mm. Please if anyone knows or can test, I'd be thankful to know.

No, the N40 only comes with a single ended 3.5mm mmcx cable and a likewise cable with a microphone. No balanced cable.