[appophylite]

dave al'orange bought both the A130 and A250 back earlier in this thread. I think he did post impressions earlier in the thread as well

 

[soloz2]

I have both as well, and the A250's definitely outshine the A130's. I've only had the A250's for less then a week though so not long enough to really say too much.

 

[Disiskurt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by plywood99 They offer good Isolation but I think you could easily hear a baby cry with them on. The isolation is not as strong as an iem.

I respectfully disagree on your first point. The isolation on the A130 is a joke, the almost nonexistant clamping force and the dry, stiff earpads provide about as much isolation as an earbud.

 

[biged]

Dang, I was hoping they would be close to the 250's. Oh well, I'm sure they will be still decent.

Ed

 

[facelvega]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wualta I always assumed the drivers would be similar for economies of scale, but I see they're very different indeed. Does it resemble a KSC-75 driver?

It's actually a little smaller than a KSC-75 driver, to eyeball it, and doesn't really look quite the same, though as I say I didn't take the foam and cover off to see the front clearly. It quite certainly sounds better than a KSC-75 driver, though, never fear. I checked this thoroughly.

Quote:

Originally Posted by biged Dang, I was hoping they would be close to the 250's. Oh well, I'm sure they will be still decent. Ed

I'm one of the people who think an a250 sounds really very good, but I don't think an a130 sounds bad. Let me make it clearer in the spectrum of my headphones: identifiably a bit better than a K260, SR-60, or QP55x, and I think better than a K240M, though I haven't heard mine in months so I can't say for dead sure. I won't comment on the character of the sound because you can read it all above.

 

[prona]

Quick suggestion for A130 owners who find the highs a little too painful:

Open up the headphones and stuff a few sheets of toilet paper behind the driver. The more you add, the more it tames and soaks up the treble. I added 3 sheets of the finest and softest multi-layer Charms TP. It's MUCH better now!

My next mod is to put some holes through the back of the A130 to make them open. I'll post back with pics and results later.

 

[prona]

Since the A130's barely isolate, I just said 'ta hell with it!' and popped a bunch of holes into the backs.
Okay. Here it is:

Open A130's:





The difference is very noticeable, although not night and day. It still retains the same sound signature. More airy definitely. However, it still does not sound completely open. I'd need to drill 100's of holes to achieve that. Maybe when I get bored next time, I'll enlarge the holes or drill some more.

Well, to my surprise, I believe the amount of bass has gone up just a tad bit (could just be my imagination). The highs are no longer as piercing as they were before (even without the TP).

So all in all, much improvement! I might have to purchase some foam to place behind the drivers so the holes are not completely open.

 

[tyre]

Quote:

Originally Posted by facelvega Tyre, I can't remember if I've read what you're using for an amp, but I'm surprised to hear you say this, because-- though I still love the A250-- my K340 seem to have them beat across the board. However, the K340 don't come into their own with about half the combinations of amp/source that I have handy; only the beefiest ones can really drive them.

Oops, I didn't notice your reply. I usually just use whatever DIY amp I have lying around, but I've never really noticed a problem driving the K340's with any amp.

Quote:

Originally Posted by facelvega They do have flaws, though: they work best with a rig that complements their slightly brittle sound rather than exacerbating it, and the soundstage though broad seems somehow discontinuous, occasionally with funny positioning.

Well put, that's a good descriptions of their characteristics.

I recently removed all of the foam covering the inside of my A/250's earcups since it was slowly deteriorating anyways. It has made them sound noticeably brighter, which isn't really a good thing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by wualta I always assumed the drivers would be similar for economies of scale, but I see they're very different indeed.

I would have thought the same.

The A/250 driver does look rather nifty, with it's dark red colored voice coil wire, water clear transparent diaphragm and the white backside filter material showing through.

 

[plywood99]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Disiskurt /img/forum/go_quote.gif I respectfully disagree on your first point. The isolation on the A130 is a joke, the almost nonexistant clamping force and the dry, stiff earpads provide about as much isolation as an earbud.

Lol, sure you talking about the same headphone? Mine clamp a little too strong, had to bend the metal strap a touch to relieve the pressure. And the earpads are very soft...


Ply

 

[burgunder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by prona /img/forum/go_quote.gif Quick suggestion for A130 owners who find the highs a little too painful: Open up the headphones and stuff a few sheets of toilet paper behind the driver. The more you add, the more it tames and soaks up the treble. I added 3 sheets of the finest and softest multi-layer Charms TP. It's MUCH better now!

I received a pair of a130´s a month ago thanks to fellow headfier soloz2.
I used the seenheiser 433´s before and didn't use them much exept for gaming, so I'm not trained in listening to headphones. So I'm a novice and furthermore I'm listening straigth out of my old TB Santa Cruz soundcard, but I don't find the cans particullary bright exept when they are pushed hard by complex music like symphonies and the complex parts of Dark side of the moon(I guess my soundcard plays a role here too), they do well with more relaxed rock like another Pink Floyd album Wish you were here and worked quite good with a few songs by Black Sabbath. I also tried them with some jazz(Kind of blue and a Dexter Gordon recording from the old Montmatre jazzhouse in Copenhagen) 2 days ago and it was great, seems OK with Bach too.
I have not aplied any blue tak I just used some pieces of matches to tigthen the driver, and it improved the sound some, burn I haven't noticed but that might be because I listened some time without the driver mod. Other than this the comfort is great, and I get no headaches like I did with the Sennheiser's, they do get a little hot when I'm gaming (GTR2) in the long races but not as much as when I just got them. So all in all I'm pretty satisfied with the A130's and I will definately get a better source and/or amp before I will consider getting another pair.

 

[facelvega]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tyre /img/forum/go_quote.gif Oops, I didn't notice your reply. I usually just use whatever DIY amp I have lying around, but I've never really noticed a problem driving the K340's with any amp.

Usually for me an underamped dynamic headphone lacks bass and lower mid presence, but the K340 seems to be even trickier because of the electrets, so that the wrong amping also has an effect on detail resolution and presentation of the highs. Of my headphones, only the two German orthodynamics are more amplification-sensitive.

That said, my K340 honeymoon period is over, and now I'd agree with your original comment that the A250 is competitive with the K340. But I haven't done most of the usual K340 mods yet, and those, once finished, might tilt the scale back in their favor.

 

[SonicDawg]

I got really close to selling the A250 too, due to wrong system matching. But after rolling in the grey glass RCA, all the shrillness and leanness is gone. What's left is very good dynamic and great speed, and very good highs.. I am definitely reserving my intention of selling them, perhaps ever, now...

 

[SonicDawg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by facelvega /img/forum/go_quote.gif Usually for me an underamped dynamic headphone lacks bass and lower mid presence, but the K340 seems to be even trickier because of the electrets, so that the wrong amping also has an effect on detail resolution and presentation of the highs. Of my headphones, only the two German orthodynamics are more amplification-sensitive. That said, my K340 honeymoon period is over, and now I'd agree with your original comment that the A250 is competitive with the K340. But I haven't done most of the usual K340 mods yet, and those, once finished, might tilt the scale back in their favor.

I don't think the K340 and A250 can really compare, especially if the former is well tuned, modded and amped. The K340's magical midrange is unmatched, while the A250 even with the sweetest tube amp still sounds a little bit colored (instruments, especially brass ones, sounding hotter than it is natural). The A250 sound still inclines on the leaner side, which makes them great for certain music, while sounding inadequate for others. The K340's bass can be full and tight, which is something that the A250 cannot achieve (at least on my system). The double bass is very well resonated and deep with the K340, whereas A250's lean body just doesn't do it justice. Overall, I still think the K340 (well tuned, and well matched, that is) are still a league above the A250. That is not to say that the A250 are slouch neither; just vastly different sound signature. They do complement each other very well.

 

[ckhirnigs113]

Just as a quick update, I just plugged my A250 directly into my Turtle Beach Santa Cruz sound card and noticed a large improvement over my previous listening through a 5g iPod. I guess amplification is important to these cans. I need an amp now...

 

[AudioCats]

Quote:

Originally Posted by prona /img/forum/go_quote.gif Since the A130's barely isolate, I just said 'ta hell with it!' and popped a bunch of holes into the backs. Okay. Here it is: Open A130's: The difference is very noticeable, although not night and day. It still retains the same sound signature. More airy definitely. However, it still does not sound completely open. I'd need to drill 100's of holes to achieve that. Maybe when I get bored next time, I'll enlarge the holes or drill some more. Well, to my surprise, I believe the amount of bass has gone up just a tad bit (could just be my imagination). The highs are no longer as piercing as they were before (even without the TP). So all in all, much improvement! I might have to purchase some foam to place behind the drivers so the holes are not completely open.

Nice.... maybe just cut off all the back material and add a grill? and call it a Koss-1000? (another K1000?

)