[cyberspyder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AkTheRipper /img/forum/go_quote.gif wow cyberspyder im shocked and a little worried haha ive been on the fs forum and it seems youve snatched up almost all the k81/518s being sold on there bit of a collector are we? nah i think ill stick to amazon though, the k81 is only an extra £10 free shipping and brand new infact i think i found some k518djs for the same price ... time to shop!

LOL, I only have two pairs...noone is selling them LOL.

Side note:

I believe I've confirmed the merit of burn-in for myself that it actually does work and definitely exists for headphones with dynamic drivers. I've had my pair of k81DJ's for a year and a half now with constant use at about 1200 hours, and compared to a barely used pair at about 100 hours, the sound's DEFINITELY different. Like I said above, one of the drivers on the k518's broke, so I swapped in one from my k81DJ and the difference is noticeable. The older driver has much tamer and tighter bass compared to the working k518 driver which overwhelms it. I've also noticed a volume imbalance....which annoys me so I think I'm just going to swap out the remaining k518 driver with the last spare...not waiting another 1200 hours for the volumes to equalize (if ever).

Brendan

 

[Mushrooshi]

Will be here on Thursday for me

 

[Mushrooshi]

Does anyone know the burn-in time for these? Pink noise or just normal music should work, right?

 

[ostewart]

wow epic read, just read all the pages on my nokia C3 (tookquite a few days) and was impressed. Im getting these on wednesday and i cant wait, will probably recable them, take out foam and then compare to my panasonic RP-HTX7. Amazingly long thread, great read tho. You guys are amazing

 

[MrPopo]

How do these compare to the 518s? is it worth an extra $10?

 

[cyberspyder]

Depends, the 518 and the 81 have slightly different sound signature. If only I still had two performing 518 drivers I could've given you a comparision.

 

[MrPopo]

hmm well maybe some one else will be able to compare, from what i hear they are both good

 

[supergolf]

Hope people are still interested in the K518 K81.  I made some mods to my K518 headphones.  Check out this thread for a quick guide!
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/559367/akg-k518-k81-detachable-cable-mod-single-entry-guide-lots-of-pictures
 

 

[nishan]

I have searched but didn't find answers to these specific "?"s...hope someone can help.
I've been interested in K81dj/518, ATH ES7 and senn HD-25-1ii.
It seems K81dj is the best bang for the buck, and i am almost 100% i want to get them.
 
here are my concerns/queries:

1. Where can one find the k81dj in BLACK ? i hate the white/silver accents. It seems the black one is only avail. in Europe? any way to get it in USA?
2. About the removal of foam inserts - is there a guide on how to do it? (really didn't read all 176 pages, I must admit. If there's one, is there a link/sticky on it?
2a; can an amateur perform that mod? I just don't know how to open them to remove the inserts, etc.
 
Thanks much in advance - I need to make a decision asap,

 

[supergolf]

Hi nishan,

1.
AKG K81DJ = black with silver trim. long cable.
AKg K518 DJ = Black with black insert like my ones above. long cable.
AKG K518 LE = Black with coloured inserts. short cable.

I don't know about getting them in the US but stick with those names and you should get the correct colour.

2. The foam pieces literally sit ontop of the drivers.  There is no DIY involved. You take the headphones out of the box you buy them in and you can pull them out without unscrewing or taking apart anything. Don't worry about this at all as it is obvious once you are holding them in your hand.

I don't think you will regret your purchase of the AKG K518.  A good entry level headphone.  I have blue tack modded my headphones and I think they sound great. I think the HD25 sound only slightly more detailed than my modded K518s but they cost about three times more here in the UK.  so I will stick to my AKGs for just now.

Good luck.
 
Quote:

I have searched but didn't find answers to these specific "?"s...hope someone can help.
I've been interested in K81dj/518, ATH ES7 and senn HD-25-1ii.
It seems K81dj is the best bang for the buck, and i am almost 100% i want to get them.
 
here are my concerns/queries:

1. Where can one find the k81dj in BLACK ? i hate the white/silver accents. It seems the black one is only avail. in Europe? any way to get it in USA?
2. About the removal of foam inserts - is there a guide on how to do it? (really didn't read all 176 pages, I must admit. If there's one, is there a link/sticky on it?
2a; can an amateur perform that mod? I just don't know how to open them to remove the inserts, etc.
 
Thanks much in advance - I need to make a decision asap,

 

 

[nishan]

Supergolf.
 
Appreciate your reply very much.
 
I did as you said and searched K518dj and all the hits were european websites
on the German and UK amazon sites, the black one is available even under the K81DJ name. I will be in UK in september, so I guess i can buy them there, (shipping from amazon UK too much to US), but I'd love to have them for the flight TO uk ... I have a few friends in UK and Germany...guess I can always ask them to buy a pair for me.
 
Thanks for explaining the foam removal, should be easy and i am hopeful now...
Going to read your link on the blue tack mod now....
 
Thanks again

 

[Toniblade]

Hi all!
 
I just joined here, but I have read alot of reviews and threads here, and now I finished reading all pages of this thread and decided to post.
I received my blue AKG K518 LE couple weeks ago. I started to read this thread after I received those, and I just have to thank you guys for some wonderful tips for these cans! Like foam removal and pushing it inwards. 
 
I guess I have sort of small head, because I can wear these for 8 hours before I feel my ears screaming mercy.
I just love these, I had AKG k404 before, pretty portable, but not as good as these. These look cooler, isolate better and the best, these even sound better! 
Using Fiio e3 with these makes the sound quite better than without an amp.

 

[Trolol]

So how do owners think of acoustic, pop, r&b on the k518's?
IMO, the clarity and detail of the highs aren't good enough, maybe it's because I haven't burned it in long enough?
btw, i have the foam pads removed already.

 

[Seidhepriest]

What're you driving them with?

 

[xyphe]

Quote:

So how do owners think of acoustic, pop, r&b on the k518's?
IMO, the clarity and detail of the highs aren't good enough, maybe it's because I haven't burned it in long enough?
btw, i have the foam pads removed already.

 
hey trolol, try the blu tack mod, it made a noticeable difference for me: better mids and less boomy bass. pinch and pull the pleather pad away from the can to remove it. you will then see 3 screws, loosen them all then gently pull the top side upwards. nothing holds it attached besides screws so dont worry about messing something up. now apply an even layer (1-2mm) of blu tack (this might be sold under different names, any store that sells office supplies has this, just ask them youre looking for that gum like substance to stick papers and such on the wall temporarily) on the cup that is the lower part (the one the driver is screwed to). just the base was enough for me, but i guess you can cover as much area as you want. do this on the other can and you should be good to go. theres only 1 way to reassemble the can, so dont worry about messing that up either.
 
after i was done with this mod, anthony kiedis' voice gave me the chills, it was awesome. guitars and vocals sound better now, and the bass is still there.
 
edit: whoops, didnt even check that post date because of the day 1 excitement.