[alexpea]

I received my K81's a week ago. Currently have around 30 hours of burn in on them

I think they're really awesome! But they weren't very comfy to wear, imo. And still, my Philips HP 910, which are open, are better imo. And they're the same price... Hmm...So I would actually recommend THOSE in front of the K81's... But hey, I think that the AKG's will get better after some playtime !!

 

[46and2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JMCIII If you are kidding with this comment - then OK. If not, then it's one of the most assinine comments I've ever heard. Markl has been vocal about his experiences with the K 81 DJ's, but then so have I and quitre a few others. The fact that this thread has 970 posts (and growing), and that so many other people have found the joys of owning the AKG's is all the proof anyone should need to come to the conclusion that they are not, have never been, and never will be FOTM. They are just good, fun inexpensive headphones. Here's a question for you. Do you own a pair?

Okay, just for you...

<sarcasm> ...the flavor of the month is over... </sarcasm>

Take it easy, Francis.

 

[rhythmicmoose]

Alright, an update on the velour pads. Here are my first impressions...

Comfort is improved slightly, but I think there's potential for that to be more significant. The Sennheiser velour is a bit scratchy and tougher than the velour pads on my DT-770s, which are heavenly. I think they'll get more comfortable the more I wear them.

The sound is a bit different. I'm using them now with the included Sennheiser foam. Compared to the pleather with foam removed, the upper mids and highs are definitely dryer, and bass impact in the lower registers seems slightly reduced, although the extension is still there.

Overall, I'm not sold on the new pads. I'd like to try them with the AKG foam instead of the Sennheiser foam, but I'm out of town at the moment and left those at home. I'll update you guys when I can try that.

UPDATE: After some more time with the velours, I've decided that some of the wording in this post might not be strong enough. Take all my comments and make them more extreme

. The velour makes the sound much dryer and harsher, with a definite loss of deep bass impact (and less bass overall). I'm going back to the pleathers until I can get back home and try the AKG foam.

 

[swt61]

Quote:

Originally Posted by philodox Cool, welcome to the team Steve. Too bad I didn't know about the Senn pads, might have had you order me a pair. Oh well, I actally like the pleather pads... they are nice and soft.

I have not recieved notice that my order has been shipped yet, so I just fired off an email to them to see if it's too late to add another pair of pads. I'll let you know when I hear back. You did want the Lavender ones right?

Quote:

Originally Posted by rhythmicmoose I'd like to try them with the AKG foam instead of the Sennheiser foam, but I'm out of town at the moment and left those at home. I'll update you guys when I can try that.

The AKG foam seems to be the ticket with these according to another Head-Fiers opinion. I'll get used to the stock sound sig. first then play around.

 

[JMCIII]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 46and2 Okay, just for you... <sarcasm> ...the flavor of the month is over... </sarcasm> Take it easy, Francis.

Easy it is - though you still didn't answer my question, do you or don't you Eugene?

 

[JMCIII]

Quote:

Originally Posted by VR6ofpain I think the K81DJ is far superior to the SR80. I sold the SR80 a while ago, so I cannot do a direct comparison, but considering how similar (good) the K81DJ sounds to my HF-1 (which I compared to my SR80), I can only conclude it would sound that much better than the SR80. The K81DJ isn't a giant killer, but when compared directly to one, it can more than hold its own. Honestly I think if sound quality dictated the price, then the K81DJ is easily a $100-150 headphone. Considering you can get them for $55 is both criminal and beautiful. [size=xx-small]Though I know part of their low price comes from them being made in China.[/size]

All I know is that I wouldn't own a pair of SR80's again if they were given me free. The 81DJ's are a much better sounding phone overall, and, surprisingly, more comfortable as well.

And I agree completely that they are a steal at $55 - or even at, heaven forbid, full retail!

 

[Meyvn]

They're here! I got home from a trip to Costco today and they're sitting on the garage doorstep. I open up the box, knowing it can only be one of two things, and it's the K81DJs. I went right inside, plugged them into the nearest headphone outlet (my mother's iBook in the kitchen), and put on some music. The first thing I noticed was how huge the bass was. I generally don't expect this in portables, but these definitely had it. I liked them instantly. They were engaging and exciting, and they isolated very well, quite surprising for not only non-IEMs, but not even circumaural cans. From the first minute or so, I knew they weren't going anywhere, and they were going to be my new portable cans. Upon further listening, I felt the highs and mids a tad veiled, so I took out the foam inserts, and oh man! Cymbals had a brilliant crash again. I don't even remember where I put those inserts, but I doubt I will be needing them again. After a more extended shot with these cans, I do find the bass to be a bit much for my personal taste, and the mids are a tad 'scooped.' However, I still do very much enjoy the sound, and given the fact that I'll be walking around with them, and therefore rhythm will be involved, I may get to enjoy the big bass. The way it sounds, though, I will say, I feel this is big bass done right. I vastly prefer this to the DT770 or the HD5/6xx bass (eh, they're not quite in the big bass department, but they're close).

The one qualm I have is comfort. While I actually like the tight clamp, I do not like pleather or leather pads 90% of the time, and these are not an exception. They're just too hot for my ears, even in a cool (69 degrees) environment. 80+ walking in the sun will only get worse. Fortunately I ordered the velour pads the day I ordered these, knowing I would feel this way, since I always have, so I'll be sure and post an update on how I like them with those. However, I really, really like the isolation these pads give me, as well as the tightness of the bass, so I'm sure it'll be somewhat of a double edged sword. We shall see.

p.s. Since the subject of lower end Grados are coming up, I should throw into the mix that for rock, I prefer these. for acoustic, still Grado, I think. I currently own SR125s.

p.p.s. In short, ladies and gents, I am, I believe, firmly in the AKG camp.

 

[tomjonesrocks]

Anyone worn/tried these things out on a plane yet? These are my headphones for work (and for that, they're absolutely IDEAL) but am taking a plane trip soon and these seem like the best choice *I* have in my "headphone arsenal" to bring along.

They certainly isolate OK in an office environment--a plane is a completely different story.

If they're not suited for this and I'm going to blast my ears out trying to outdo the plane though--I won't bother to bring them.

 

[kugino]

i got mine today as well and my initial thoughts are similar to mevyn's. bass is huge, even a bit too much for my tastes. i'm hoping burn-in tames them a bit. but on songs where there is little bass, i really like how they sound...i have some contemporary hawaiian music with a lot of acoustic guitar and they sounded really good. good separation of instruments, the right timbre of the guitar strings being plucked...very nice.

but the cord...why does the cord have to be so long??!! i'm definitely getting mine recabled so it's not too big a deal...

 

[46and2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JMCIII Easy it is - though you still didn't answer my question, do you or don't you Eugene?

Probably going to buy a pair Monday, hence the reading of the thread!

 

[JMCIII]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 46and2 Probably going to buy a pair Monday, hence the reading of the thread!

Cool. Then welcome to the club. Let us know what you think once you've got them burned in for a while. Bet you find, like VR6ofPain and I, that they are one of the great values in headphones today.

 

[46and2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JMCIII Cool. Then welcome to the club. Let us know what you think once you've got them burned in for a while. Bet you find, like VR6ofPain and I, that they are one of the great values in headphones today.

That's the consensus...

Funny part is, when I first came to Head-Fi I was looking for a cheap set of closed headphones. If AKG would have had thier butts in gear, I sure could have saved a lot of money! My ER6i's are great for flying, but I can't wear them for more than an hour... Not to mention the bass, or lack thereof.

 

[Gaughtfried]

This may seem somewhat odd, but can anyone tell me the thickness of the hd25's velour pads?

I used some old mdr-v300 pads which fit and all but where considerbly thinner then their k81 counterparts. I found that their sound blew major chunks; it sounded like I was literally listening to a guiter in a closet. No joke. I'm convinced this is due to how far the drivers set from the ear.

 

[IHaveNoSpaceBar]

Well..I tried to join you guys but It just wasn't meant to be.

I sold my A500's and bought these...I tried everything to stretch them..no luck, causes chronic ear pains after wearing them for an hour. I guess I have sensitive ears. Well I guess this means one thing, return and probably get the A900's.

Is everyone buying these for portable? I guess it was a big mistake to get them as a main can. I will probably ship these back for a return.

 

[dvallere]

I've been semi-regretting selling mine because the KSC35's I got to replace it just weren't cutting it. Those clip styles never shoot the sound into my ears, only out into the ether...

So I dithered for a few days but ended up buying a pair of Eggos just to try something different. But the K81DJ was exerting a very strong lure, especially since I'd been able to headband-mod my old ones the day before shipping them out to the buyer!