AKG K240

[Deleted member 133]

I've mentioned before that one of the several pairs of headphones that I have kicking around are AKG K240s - from back in the model's earliest days. I used them for ages and then put them away for even longer. When I got back into headphone use it was basically Denon all the time.

Well a few weeks ago, when comparing the Denon D5000s with other Denons and the AKGs, I happened to leave the AKGs on my desk. The next time I wanted to use headphones at my desk I reached for them - because they were the only ones within reach. It's now been a couple of weeks and they're still being used. Sure I could get up, walk to the HT, retrieve the 5000s, and then use them, but I like the ability to kick the AKGs around and plop them down whenever I want. Whereas I treat the 5000s with the respect that their price deserves.

Now the 5000s sound great. Actually to me they're the greatest. But you know, those AKGs are not half bad - even for being a few decades old. Sure they have an octave or more missing on the low end compared to the 5000s, and sure in all other respects the sound is not quite as good. But I've grown to like them quite a bit and have been putting many hours of listening time on them. They're comfortable and sound good. You can buy at least two of the current versions of the AKG K240 for less than $100 each; you'll likely pay many times that for a used pair of Denon AH-D5000s. But for everyday listening, I'm still using the AKG.

Jeff

 

[Flint]

Great read. I, too, still have my original K240DF headphones from the 1980s and love them. One of their best attributes is their comfort on my head. Since I wear glasses, any headphone which puts too much pressure on my ears or temples causes pain over time. But most of the nicer AKG models do not, and the first time I experienced that comfort was with the K240. My only problem with my models is the cable is terminated with a 1/4" plug, which doesn't work for most of my causal listening source devices.

I, too, recommend to people with similar tastes to mine. In the same price range is the Sony MDR7506 which most people prefer because they are "punchier" and sound louder, like being at a concert, so I don't get to recommend the K240 that often.