[Hemlocke]

This is going back a few years, but bust wanted to say thanks for this recommendation. I've never heard guitars like the guitars I'm hearing with the K240 Sextetts. I have the LP version with new Shure SRH840 pads and the bass is perfect. Supposedly these are bass-light, but it's plenty - I can't Imagine how much more bass is in the MP and EP versions.

90% of what I listen to is metal and these are perfect. I'm hearings songs I've been listening to for the last 25 years for the fist time again.

Does anything even come close to these? I can't imagine it. If you're reading this, just get a pair, a vintage '70s receiver to power them and be done with it. There is none higher.

Where would you even find vintage Sextetts at a reasonable price? I see that AKG makes the K240 MKII with the same radiators the original had, but not sure if they would sound anywhere near the same.

 

[Monsterzero]

Where would you even find vintage Sextetts at a reasonable price? I see that AKG makes the K240 MKII with the same radiators the original had, but not sure if they would sound anywhere near the same.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/hea...timate-solution.715478/page-456#post-13299270

 

[Hemlocke]

Im not sure on the timeline of the sextett production but it ran from mid to late 70s...they were discontinued in favor of the K240 DF,which used diffuser material instead of the differently tuned passive radiators to save production costs.

All sextetts are 600 ohms.My vintage receivers get them screaming at 9 o'clock on the volume knob.My Magni Uber 2 doesnt have enough power to make them sound great IMO.

Other than the cup design I doubt there is much similarity between the Massdrop and sextetts.Its the six radiators that are working the magic in sextetts.

Dang, thanks for that. You already had points for having one of the cooler usernames on here, even though I’m more of a Destoroyah guy, but I do appreciate this.

 

[Monsterzero]

Dang, thanks for that. You already had points for having one of the cooler usernames on here, even though I’m more of a Destoroyah guy, but I do appreciate this.

Happy to help.
Props for recognizing that its not an energy drink reference!

 

[shuto77]

I received the Grado Hemp today. I've had maybe an hour with it. On my modest system, (Cavalli Liquid Spark and Schiit Modius) it sounds really good. The guitars sound fantastic and really seem to cut through the mix in most of the songs I hear. Maybe it's just a mid-forward presentation I'm hearing. I'm really not great at describing sound. It is really cool, though, and sounds like a live show where the sound guy just cranks the guitars up a few dbs in the mix.

Since it's a Grado, I was worried about the bass, even though I've read its bass is much better than most other Grados. And the bass is pretty good. Not sure if it's great, but definitely good. I don't have a big collection of headphones anymore so I don't have much to compare them to atm. I may compare them to my HE560 tomorrow. I wouldn't pick these for hip-hop or other bass-heavy music.

These seem tuned specifically for rock and metal, which is what we're here for. To be clear, this doesn't make these headphones bad by any stretch. These seem to be great for that use case. But if you only want to own one pair of nice headphones, they're a bit harder to recommend.

The treble doesn't bother me, but I was expecting a bit more detail and... sparkle. I'm not sure what what's going on there. Might just be that my system is on the warmer side, taming the treble.

Regarding the comfort, the only good thing I can say is that they are light. I kind of hate everything else regarding the comfort. To be fair, I have comfort issues with almost all headphones, which has contributed to my using them less over the last few years. This is completely expected for me. The on-ear pressure - which I think most people are concerned about - isn't too bad. But it's annoying if you wear glasses. It's less of a problem if you don't wear glasses, in my experience.

I'll keep using them and report on whether I get more accustomed to their comfort.

I've read these sound better balanced, but they don't come balanced stock, so I imagine very few people will experience them that way. My pair is balanced, but I'm using an adapter to use my SE amp. If I upgrade my amp, my impressions may change.

Highlights so far:
Milk Lizard - Dillinger Escape Plan
Tourniquet - Baroness
Curl of the Burl - Mastodon
Black Blood - Car Bomb
Admission - Torche
Deftones - My Own Summer

Edit: Here's a picture.

 

[RobbS]

For metal / hard rock I like to feel it as much as hear it. Obvious limitations with headphones in that regard, but the Audio Technica ATH-M50x's can absolutely slam. If you want a next step up I'd go HD650. Yet another step up Fostex TH900 mkii. The Fostex's have incredible detail and resolution without sacrificing the low end.

I also have HiFiMan HE400i's and while great headphones they don't have the energy as the others.

I'm surprised you don't like planars more! The Hifiman HE500 and Audeze LCD series are excellent for the genre with proper EQ.

 

[Garney]

Audeze LCD series are excellent for the genre with proper EQ.

Agreed. I'd never really "felt" the impact I so often hear folks talk about until I got my LCD-2. It's quite the experience (with EQ, of course). I've yet to hear any distortion either, even with a pretty substantial low shelf dB bump. I agree with @Moose246 in regards to the the 400i. They were my first pair of planars and they're by no means bass anemic (especially with EQ, which they take to quite well) but they're more what I'd call "punchy" in the bass region whereas the LCD's are much more impactful. I'm not great at describing sound quality attributes but to my novice ears that's what I hear.

The Grado Hemps have piqued my interest a little bit. Nice write up @shuto77. Good selection of song highlights you have there. I don't like the on-ear style but it sounds like the clamp force isn't too bad on the Grados and you can easily tweak the headband bend. It's a shame Grado doesn't get rid of the fixed cables.

 

[Moose246]

I'm surprised you don't like planars more! The Hifiman HE500 and Audeze LCD series are excellent for the genre with proper EQ.

Don't get me wrong, the HE400i's are great, they just sound less intimate to me than the HD650's and certainly the TH900's. Likely just my preference of having the music feel really close.

 

[shuto77]

Agreed. I'd never really "felt" the impact I so often hear folks talk about until I got my LCD-2. It's quite the experience (with EQ, of course). I've yet to hear any distortion either, even with a pretty substantial low shelf dB bump. I agree with @Moose246 in regards to the the 400i. They were my first pair of planars and they're by no means bass anemic (especially with EQ, which they take to quite well) but they're more what I'd call "punchy" in the bass region whereas the LCD's are much more impactful. I'm not great at describing sound quality attributes but to my novice ears that's what I hear.

The Grado Hemps have piqued my interest a little bit. Nice write up @shuto77. Good selection of song highlights you have there. I don't like the on-ear style but it sounds like the clamp force isn't too bad on the Grados and you can easily tweak the headband bend. It's a shame Grado doesn't get rid of the fixed cables.

Yes, the cable isn't great. It's quite thick and heavy. It's fine for a desktop setup like I have, but less than ideal for transportable portable use.

It's doubly bad for me because I have both a 4-pin balanced termination and an adapter. But this won't be the case for most people.

 

[RobbS]

Don't get me wrong, the HE400i's are great, they just sound less intimate to me than the HD650's and certainly the TH900's. Likely just my preference of having the music feel really close.

Ah, I understand now. Completely valid.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

An old fave to put the headphones through their paces. It's not fancy, but it's how I know if the low end is adequate.

 

[shuto77]

Update: I'm coming around on the Grado Hemp's bass and starting to appreciate it more. At first, I felt the sub-bass wasn't hitting hard enough, but after listening to them more, it's growing on me. It might be a matter of me adjusting to its bass vs the HE560 I've been listening to for the last several months. Or maybe it's brain burn-in. Or maybe it's me wanting to avoid feeling buyer's remorse. I don't think it's a matter of buyer's remorse, because I like them quite a bit. I still don't recommend them for bass-heavy genres, but we'll see if they change my mind.

I spent about two hours tonight listening to various bands that I like and am familiar with. I provided a list below of some stuff that I really enjoyed on the Hemp.

Highlights:
One of Use is the Killer - Dillinger Escape Plan - Dillinger has been one of my favorites for about 11 years now, so I've heard their stuff on many, many headphones and a few speakers as well.
Suda - Chon (more prog rock than metal, but lots of fun, complex and dynamic)
Painters of the Tempest - Part II -Triptych Lux - Ne Obliviscaris
Jambi - Tool - Everything about this song sounds "right" on the Hemp.
Roman Holiday - Every Time I Die
A Greater Call - Cult of Luna

Lowlights:
Coheed and Cambria - Welcome Home (not metal per se, but I always loved Claudio's guitar work and vocals.) Claudio's voice - which is pretty distinctive - doesn't sound quite right.

I hope this is useful to some of you in the group. Let me know if you'd like my impressions on a particular song. I have the Hemp, HIFIMAN HE-560 and the AKG K371 on hand. I'm not a huge fan of death metal, so I'm not sure how useful my impressions would be there, but I don't mind checking out something cool if it comes highly recommended.

Edit: formatting and words

 

[MatW]

Where would you even find vintage Sextetts at a reasonable price? I see that AKG makes the K240 MKII with the same radiators the original had, but not sure if they would sound anywhere near the same.

I just saw this:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/fs-akg-k240-sextett-mp-w-original-box.952970/

 

[immortalsoul]

Monsterzero's AKG K240 Sextett buying guide

Buying Sextetts can be tricky,so I will attempt to make it as easy as possible to ID sextetts from other AKG K240s,and also to explain the differences between the three versions.

<<<<<<<<<<This is a Sextett=All silver badging,Holes in headbands.*Note the term "sextett" does not appear anywhere on the HP.

K240 DF=not a sextett
k240 studio=not a sextett
K240 monitor=not a sextett
K240 MK ll= not a sextett


To repeat,must have all silver badging,and have holes in headband.If it doesnt have silver badging and holes in the headband do not even bother.

The K240DF is supposedly closest,but I cannot verify.DF=diffuser..Was used to replace the Sextetts as it was a cheaper way to make.

There are three versions of the Sextetts,EP,MP,LP. I own all three.

EP=Early Production=bass heavy
MP=Middle Production=medium bass
LP=Late Production=Light bass*some LP actually came with solid headbands.

IMHO the LP doesnt have enough bass for metal,YMMV,etc....I like both the EP and MP for metal,actually prefer the MP,but both will work.The way to ID which version is to look at the color of the six radiators.

Orange=EP sextett=bass heavy


Cream color w/ faint orange on edges=MP sextett=medium bass


Solid white=LP sextett=bass light.

You do not need to disassemble the headphones to ID which version of sextett youre considering.Simply have seller take a photo or two with a flash of inside of cup.

Price: I purchased all three of mine within the last year and didnt pay over 150.00 for any of them.Typically the EP is the most expensive,mostly due to rarity,followed by MP and LP respectively.

I have seen them listed as high as 350.00.Occasionally a pair with original packaging pops up.If that appeals to you then I guess I'd go 200.00 on that but its entirely up to you and your budget.

As Nox mentioned the sound far exceeds the price.They do not sound like 150.00 headphones! The only headphone that I have heard that combines the speed,thump,clarity and forward guitar presentation of the sextett is the original ATH AD2000(non X version),which is actually harder to find than the sextetts.I think the sextett is a more musical headphone than the AD2000,while the 2000s are faster and have a drier sound...both kick ass for metal!


Wear and tear are to be expected on 40+ year old headphones.The elastic headband suspension is one of the first things to go on these HPs,which is a laughably easy fix.If your pair of sextetts sag down while on your head a couple elastic hair ties will remedy this situation.

Amping:I drive mine using vintage receivers,and the combo is great,which isnt surprising since both were made in the same era of audio,when dedicated HP amps and easy to drive HPs didnt exist...so they were kinda made for one another.

Lower tier Schiit amps do not have enough to power these to their fullest capabilities.Hansotek reports great results from his Milo...im suspecting that theres a happy medium somewhere between a Magni,a vintage receiver and a Milo,tho.



For further info:

http://www.innerfidelity.com/conten...340-electrostatic-dynamic#Zwha7oZ6gM1TkVxu.97

http://www.head-fi.org/t/243339/akg-k240-sextett-gradod-akg

I just bought a pair of the middle production. I hope they are as good as you suggest

 

[Monsterzero]

I just bought a pair of the middle production. I hope they are as good as you suggest

Amping is critical with Sextetts. Theyre tough to drive. 600 ohms and low 90s sensitivity. Feed them plenty of amp and they rock!