I have always enjoyed the AKG house sound. My first serious headphones were a pair of K242HD and since then i have collected a few more. K141, k240M and the k260 are the ones i have from the good ole 600 ohm era. I also have a set of Q701. I have tried beyers, senns and other brands but there is something about the AKG sound..Love it. Recently got the K500 as well.
I was browsing Ebay recently, curious to see if I could find any older K702's (the Austrian version) for sale and found one barely used at £95 ($132 USD) and I bought it. This is now my third K702 in nearly 10 years, it seems to be the make/model I keep going back to..the K702 has been for me, the very definition of a "reference headphone". I've been in this hobby for a long time now and have owned too many headphones from different manufacturers to list, at this stage it's obvious to me that there is definitely something special about AKG in particular.
I have recently purchased a K400 (EP). It arrived this morning. It's in new condition and very rare to find such a gem in this condition. I have been listening to the K400 and comparing it with K7XX today. One word: K400 is better. Better in every aspect (except soundstage width which K7XX is very tiny bit wider; but depth, width and height is more balanced (compared to K7XX) on K400 and thus K400 sounds more holographic). And I can't believe the feather weight and comfort of this headphone. It feels lighter and more comfortable than any other full sized headphone that I have (pls. check my profile). K400 also delivers the most "reference type" of sound in my collection. It is my benchmark to compare every other headphone from now on. For pure listening enjoyment other AKG's in my collection may deliver something above K400, but, man this should be the sound for the HiFi seeker. I mean ridicilous, I paid only 50 USD for this gem (second hand but unused condition). Price/performance ratio is unbeleivable! PS: This HP one is 120OHM but needs power, I am driving them with a Darkvoice TH336SE (Psvane CV181 T and RCA 6AS7G JAN tubes).
I'm jealous. I just have a badgeless K500 built from parts acquired from multiple sources and a K401. I do love the K500. I've heard a K701 and didn't love it. Thought it sounded weird. The reviews of the K7xx dissuaded me from any interest in purchasing one. I'd love to have a K501 or K601 and wouldn't turn down a whacking great deal on a K701. My general impression is that in the 400/500, 401/501, 601/701 series, the lower number is the "fun" version. Little more punch.
I got a pair of k340s couple of months ago. It was my unicorn vintage AKG and the one I thought was the hardest to find. It's in mint condition more or less. It really is impressive blending both the warmth and bass from the k240m but with added sparkle and detail up top. But it is a heavy headphone and lacks the comfort because it's so big and bulky. The sound is something I really like though.
I'm eating my heart out with jealousy! I have wanted a pair of K400's or K501's for awhile; I hope it was a local find and not an internet pickup I overlooked
K7XX was my first real "audiophile" headphone. I picked up an old pair of K240 Sextett LP on eBay and they got here last week. They sound insane for the $68 I paid for them. I want to find an MP version to go with them.
It was a local find (Turkish second hand sales web site). Interestingly very recently I am seeing K240M, K240 Sextett, K240 DF on that site... I think people do not appreciate these gems. I am thinking of designing a special carry case interior for the K400. I mean I don't want this headphone to get any damage in the house (or while transferring). I am treating 50USD item like jevelery
After some small mods my K240 Sextett (MP) had elevated to a new level. I strongly suggest you to check the inner dampening foam of your Sextett (they deform and even becomes like sand after many years of waiting). Another suggestion is to change the earpads. I have tried at least 9 pairs of different earpads and obtained the best results with Brainwavz Angled Velour Memoryfoam Earpads. Angle of the earpads made them sound more holographic, more 3D. You can experiment different earpads for your like. The biggest sound change is because of the earpdas. There are some other minor mods like changing the cable (I have used Mogami Quad microphone cable and terminated it with 6.5mm Neutrik jack plug) and removing the old dampening foam and replacing them with some synthetic fiber. If you like the stock sound no need for any mods though... Anyway, I am a mod guy and generally put my hands on my headphones so wanted to share some info.
Oh yeah, I have those too. The K240M is a reliable and popular studio can but may not excite you like the sextett or the DF, which are both pretty special. I don't want to list all the AKG i have had (most of them are in my profile) but the only other vintage AKG that you might want to give a miss are the K250 and K260 Pro, though some say that there are many versions of the K250 and some of them are good? I actually have the version that was OEM for Radioshack and they sound muddy at best. K270 Playback are pretty awesome too. I haven't heard the K280 Parabolic.
Nice! I have a K240 sextett LP and I have seen a couple pop up on my look craigslist in the past little bit as well. Honestly, vintage audio stuff is the best! Cheap, plentiful, excellent quality and often easy to service.
I read a lot about K280 Parabolic and it seems like a big failure for AKG... So I lost my interest. I read some about K250 and K260... In conclusion (to my understanding) if you have a Sextett you may have the best all arounders for the similar design series of AKG (I mean 240-250-260 line, correct me if I am wrong for K240 Sextett (MP) vs K260). The only one headphone which I will be adding in the future is an K240 DF (I need to see a cheap listing first, than I will jump). Anyway, thanks for suggestions. I have moved to another city for weekend and is it possible to move without the audiophile gear? PS: Bottom photo is from my insta story...
Ive been on the lookout for a K240DF for awhile,but all the eBay listings are either too much $,or the headphones look like theyve been dragged behind a car. Sextetts are a great headphone. Ive been singing their praises all over this forum,and in my video review on YouTube. The K701s are fantastic thru a good OTL,not so much thru the solid state amps ive tried. Thru my GOTL the holographic staging is fantastic,as is the tone.
As a guy who owns several electrostatic and orthodynamic headphones and a variety of good headphone amps i kinda feel like a headphone that needs tube euphonics to sound good isn't worth much money to me.
Different strokes. I like tubes. Since I already own a good tube amp and picked up an old school K701 for $100.00,I couldnt be happier with the sound,esp for the price. Oddly,the Sextetts sound so much better to my ears out of a solid state vintage receiver than they do out of an OTL.
