Anyone actually OWN the AKG K270S??

[elrod-tom]

I'm really interested in hearing from someone who actually owns these cans. Headroom says that they are crap, but I've seen other opinions that differ. I'm really hoping that some of you good folks have some experience with them, as I trust your opinion much more.

Personally, I'm hoping that the two-way design ends up emulating my current favorites, the AKG K340. That would make me very happy.

Anyone out there actually HEARD these???

 

[joelongwood]

Well, Tom, the good news is I own a pair. The bad news is I haven't heard them yet. My son, who lives in Manhattan, picked up a pair for me last week. I'll be seeing him in two weeks. Then I'll get to hear them.

 

[elrod-tom]

Quote:

Originally posted by joelongwood Well, Tom, the good news is I own a pair. The bad news is I haven't heard them yet. My son, who lives in Manhattan, picked up a pair for me last week. I'll be seeing him in two weeks. Then I'll get to hear them.

I'm looking forward to reading your impressions.

 

[darcangelo]

damn, these must be the most highly controversial phones ever... there have been lots of posts asking how they actually sound, yet noone seems to be able to point out to a coherent answer... BTW all those general reviews never really tell you anything about the 270s... they either say they sound great or crap, but they never compare it to other phones and use such adjectives as "transparent", "bright", "dark" or even mention the soundstage... leaving you with a pretty worthless review...

BTW, a while ago, I thought that the 271s are replacing the 270s but now I'm getting the impression that they're supposed to be just a complementary model with one driver per ear, not a replacement...

SMI²LE

 

[Don Quichotte]

I heard these a while ago - just listened for 10 - 15 minutes in less than optimum conditions. Think that K501 are light sounding? Think again! K270 have increddible light bass, I cannot comment much on the actual extension but the bass was very diminished and totaly lacked the impact the midrange and upper bass have on K501 (see the review I posted today comparing K501 and Senns HD600 for clarification about how dare I say K501 may have bass impact at all). The soundstage was deffinitely smaller than on K501. The highs were really good, more proeminent than on K501, just as much as needed, and very detailed. This is what this headphone does best, in my opinion. The K270's highs combine the strong points of the highs of HD600 and K501: they are as extended and detailed as the HD600's (from my memories, I didn't have the chance to A/B them) and at the same time are as focused, clean and natural as on K501 - just present in the right proportion to the mirange. Overall, I much preferred the K501, but it was hard to part ways with those highs... That's about all I remember. Oh, and they are hard to drive.

 

[darcangelo]

ahhhh... finally someone giving details about what's good and what's not. THANK YOU!!!

SMI²LE

 

[drewski]

Quote:

Originally posted by elrod-tom I'm really interested in hearing from someone who actually owns these cans. Headroom says that they are crap, but I've seen other opinions that differ. I'm really hoping that some of you good folks have some experience with them, as I trust your opinion much more. Personally, I'm hoping that the two-way design ends up emulating my current favorites, the AKG K340. That would make me very happy. Anyone out there actually HEARD these???

I once owned a pair of K340's- had the originally box and everything- until one day, thinking that since I never used my k340's, I figured I'd answer a wanted add on Audiogon... now I've gotten back into headphones, but my beloved k340's are gone

Hope you're enjoying your k340's- this is alouie from audiogon. Kind of wish I had something I could drive the K340's, because I definitely enjoyed them. I think the only thing that I had that could drive them was an old NAD integrated many, many years ago, but that's long gone now.

Sorry to butt in on this thread, but just wanted to say hello to you and my old k340's! Hope they met your expectations!

 

[elrod-tom]

Quote:

Originally posted by drewski I once owned a pair of K340's- had the originally box and everything- until one day, thinking that since I never used my k340's, I figured I'd answer a wanted add on Audiogon... now I've gotten back into headphones, but my beloved k340's are gone Hope you're enjoying your k340's- this is alouie from audiogon. Kind of wish I had something I could drive the K340's, because I definitely enjoyed them. I think the only thing that I had that could drive them was an old NAD integrated many, many years ago, but that's long gone now. Sorry to butt in on this thread, but just wanted to say hello to you and my old k340's! Hope they met your expectations!

I am enjoying them very much. Thank you for your kind offer to sell them to me. They are my favorite cans, without a doubt.

As an alternative, I'd suggest the K501...it's not quite as detailed as the K340's, but it's got sweet mids and highs, and soundstage to die for. A bit easier (but not EASY) to drive as well.

Thanks again...nice seeing you online.

 

[wallijonn]

Elrod,

aren't the K270S on the endangered list? I thought that they will no longer be produced.

Me, I'd like to see what they sound like with the second set of speakers phase reversed.

 

[elrod-tom]

Quote:

Originally posted by wallijonn Elrod, aren't the K270S on the endangered list? I thought that they will no longer be produced. Me, I'd like to see what they sound like with the second set of speakers phase reversed.

Not sure...of course my K340's are LONG SINCE out of production.

 

[elrod-tom]

Say there...JoeLongwood...any impressions on your AKG K270S cans? I'm thinking you've had them for awhile by now.

 

[jpelg]

The followup thread:

http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/showt...threadid=26822

 

[joelongwood]

This thread reminded me that I have completely forgotten about the K270s, as the DT880s and CD3000s have been taking up a lot of my listening time.
So..........I just plugged in the K270s to the Sugden and was pleasantly surprised. They are definitely not as bad as my first impressions indicated. I've been using them quite a lot to monitor some vinyl to MD recordings I'm making, and I've left them playing in another room for many, many hours. Pain in the ass, because when you take them off, the music stops. So I put them around a pillow to keep playing.
I don't know if break-in (which I've never been a true believer in) has kicked in, or my ears are hearing differently today (too many headphones to screw up my reference), but I'm kind of enjoying these things right now.
They are most definitely bass shy, but the incoherence I heard initially seems to be gone. I'm listening to the Nitty Gritty Dirt band, "Will the Circle Be Unbroken,"............a lot of instruments (guitars, banjos, fiddles, and a variety of vocalists). Instrument separation is very good, vocals have come forward a bit, whereas before, everything seemed to be coming from the bottom of a barrel. But vocals don't have the depth that either the DT-880s or the CD3000s have. But it's actually quite pleasant.
The missing bass is rather annoying, though. There's even less (a lot less) than the K501s.
I get the sense that the frequency response of these things is tilted upward somewhere in the upper midrange......and tilted downward rather drastically below around 100 Hz.
That's what I'm hearing today......of course, this could change tomorrow, depending what my new reference is.

 

[elrod-tom]

Quote:

Originally posted by joelongwood The missing bass is rather annoying, though. There's even less (a lot less) than the K501s.

Oh man...not the BASS thing again!!!

 

[joelongwood]

These things are weird......the drivers (2 in each cup...arrayed vertically) are totally exposed. No cloth....just a plastic grill over each.
Then there's some kind of porting system, which is very hard to explain, that seems to direct some of the sound to the front and the back of the earcup.
I've been listening to them for about two hours now and the brightness is getting to me. I took some old RS pads and placed them inside over the drivers. Big improvement. Smooths out the highs and brings them more in balance with the rest of the sound. I can actually hear a little bass now, as well.
The best thing about these is the very large soundstage. AKG seems to have that down pat. I gotta get back to the DT-880s.