AKG K 240 Semi-Open Studio Headphones

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List Price: $159.00
Sale Price: $99.00
Today's Bonus: 38% Off

• 55 ohms impedance, plug-in cable
• Self-adjusting headband for optimum fit
• Single cable for ease of use
• Semi-open, circumaural design
• 15hz to 25khz frequency range

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First, although K240 phones old and new surround your ears, they are vented. Ambient noise is not reduced greatly as a result, but this design improves sound quality.

I have used the 600 ohm K240M phones since 1986. The new K240S are 55 ohms making them far more compatible with todays lower voltage gear. Even better, this new design gives deep bass response that I never thought was possible from phones. Even a 32 foot bombarde pipe organ stop sounds quite real, although you will not feel the room shake. Listening to a signal generator through these new K240S phones gives an impression of powerful bass down to at least 40 Hz. The old K240M drops off below 100 Hz. A slight dip in the midrange(K240M) has been filled in, making the K240S more true sounding.

Both the new and old versions reproduce operatic voices without increased "ping" which can be very abrasive. Years ago I started using phones to judge voices on choral recordings, resorting to speakers only to judge the organ sound. Speakers can make some beautiful voices sound nasty. Producer John Culshaw documented this in one of his books on recording the Wagner Ring.

The open air design minimizes ear sweating while giving a more open perspective. "In your head" effects are greatly suppressed compared to many sealed type phones. When watching opera DVD I find no conflict between the phone perspective and the TV screen on DVD that are well mixed. Orchestral sound is excellent, as is piano. To my ears, these phones give a perspective and tonal balance that is very close to what I hear at Boston Symphony Hall, when I sit in the second balcony front. These seats overhang the stage. When I sing in a choir, the live perspective is even closer to what the phones produce, provided my position on stage is fairly central. This is, in my opinion, a valid sound perspective, even if it is quite different from the tenth row center sound I aim for when I build speakers. Non performers sometimes have trouble accepting this close a perspective at first, only because it is not familiar. Many other phones give a perspective that is too close for comfort, a good reason to avoid the low end.

It is good to bear in mind that individual ears are unique in shape and that phones are designed to work on a "standard ear" made with an average shape. Phones will give different response curves depending on how your ear pinnae and canal differs from that "laboratory standard ear" shape.

People with small heads will have trouble keeping the phones on. It is unfortunate that although this problem has been known for years, nothing has been done to correct this.

AKG did not change any parts that touch your ears and head, a very wise move. Some parts are interchangeble, as they have the same stock number on AKG parts lists. Unfortunately AKG has of late been hard to deal with, making part purchases difficult.

Consider buying the K 240 studio phones in the MK II version as you get a spare cord and spare ear pads with a velvet like feel. Having these extra parts on hand is worth the extra cost and makes this four star item a 5 star item.

Buy AKG K 240 Semi-Open Studio Headphones Now

I've had a pair of 240's for the last 8 years. About 2 years ago, I ran over the cable with my office chair, and basically ruined the headphones. I mended the cable, but they never really sounded right again.

So, I got a pair of Shure E40's, and they've been quite good. Yesterday, I finally realized that the jack on the AKG's was broken, not the wire. So, I replaced the jack, and for the first time in about two years, am using the headphones again.

The sound quality is leagues better than anything else I've used in the last two years. Better than the Shures, better than the Sennheisers I got through work. There's a huge amount of detail that I'd been missing with the other headphones. I'm not an audio professional, or even a hardcore audiophile, but I've been a musician since I was young, and have a good ear.

For the price, I haven't heard anything that even comes close to these headphones. Just watch the cord.

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I must have gotten the deal of the century in April 08 as I picked these up for $79.95 from BSW through Amazon. Currently the best price on Amazon is $125. These headphones are still worth it at $125.

I use these with a Ipod at work and wear them for 6+ hours a day. I've come close to depleting the battery only a couple of times (it's a 30 GB gen 5.5 Ipod). The bass and seperation sounds fantastic. You can crank these up to full volume without distortion (though I don't play them that loud to save my hearing). Most people in my department wear headphones and the most common comment when they put these on is "WOW".

The long cord is good and bad. It sometimes gets in the way, but not that big of a deal.

The comfort is something. They fit over the ears without pinching and as I stated above, they are worn for 6+ hours a day.

These replace Sony MDR-D777LP headphones which I paid way too much for in a brick and mortar store. These sound leaps and bounds better. The Sony MDR-D777LP headphones only lasted about 9 months before breaking ( a very common occurance).

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Edit: 12/2012

I no longer recommend these headphones, I feel the sound and build quality have suffered since the move to building them in China. They are still a decent buy, and I can't recommend another semi-open in this price range, but the closed offerings in the bracket are MUCH better options in my opinion. I'm talking about the usual suspects the MDR-7506 and ATH-M50 are my two favorites.

----Back to 2008 -----

These are considered the studio standard in circumaural open back headphones for good reason. The sound reproduction is excellent, with clear bass and midrange and a very balanced profile through the entire frequency spectrum. It makes me angry at how much I've spent on speakers and studio monitors, these do a better job at a fraction of the price.

They are circumaural they fit OVER your ears. I guess some people don't like that. I think they might change their mind if they tried these. If you're looking for a SUPRA-aural design look at the AKG K141

I find them extremely comfortable. I have literally forgotten I was wearing them more than once. The suspension system adjusts automagically and is excellent. At first I felt a little unsure about the security of the hold, I've been using these mostly as monitors while recording guitar and bass parts, but they've made it through some pretty enthusiastic headbanging without getting dislodged. It also prevents almost all the banging and noise you normally hear when handling your headphones.

The ear pads are soft and comfortable and have a nice synthetic cover which feels like glove leather and has just the right combination of grip and smoothness.

They are semi-open. In this case it means that with no sound coming out of them they are basically aurally transparent but when they are on it takes a pretty loud sound outside to be noticeable. They are excellent at the job I use them for, monitoring a master track while laying down new parts, because you can hear yourself and the room sound pretty naturally and still have a high quality monitor with no bleed through to the mic'ed amps. If you are intending to use these for monitoring during vocal track recording you might want to consider a closed back design, these can be a little loud close up, The K271 is an excellent option with an ingenious auto-mute feature that work off the same magical suspension system.

Other Cool Features:

mini-xlr connector on cord replace your mangled cord or make your own!

fully rebuildable and modular any component can be replaced if neccesary

Gripes:

It ships with a 3m mini-xlr to 1/8 cord w/ 1/4 adapter, I think most people would prefer the coiled cord which they sell as an option.

The suspension may 'feel' a bit insecure at first, and the pads may wiggle a bit if you shake your head really hard. a manual tension adjustment on the suspension might be a nice addition.

You really need a case for your studio headphones. As far as I know there isn't one available for these.

The AKG K240 Studio Monitor headphones are a pair that every musician, recording hobbyist and lover of sound and music owes themelves to try. They produce a soundfield much broader, accurate and detailed than many headphones sold at this price, and are incredibly durable and comfortable to wear.

I've gotten 10 years out of my first pair (they still work!) and recently picked up several other pairs for my studio. Many musicians i work with are swooned by their own performances the first time i let them monitor with these. A common reaction upon first experience is to quickly check to make sure the studio monitors aren't on too, as the stereo field is that life-like. This is due to the semi-open design, which allows the sound to breathe much more than just get piped into your head.

As far as the type of tone you get from most headphones, i've found that many cans sound really unbalanced. Sometimes the mids are blaring, boxy or occasionally non-existent. The bass response in headphones is commonly hyped up beyond realism and the highs cut off right at 20khz. While this is fine for most material on CD or most mp3's, modern recording mediums have transcended the 22khz 'wall' of what was once believed to be the peak of perceptible hearing. For what it's worth, these headphones accommodate that extended range, with sound reproduction capability 15-25,000hz (more of a feeling than a sound that low or high). This is perhaps part of the reason they sound so broad and natural in monitoring situations, or while listening to HD audio from Digital Radio or DVD's, for example.

I own many other brands of headphones, including a few pairs from Sennheiser, Grado, Sony, Denon, and Audio Technica. The type of headphone you get for this price-point is usually lacking in overall detail and stereo definition. The closest two pairs i own in quality and build are the Sennheiser HD-280 Professional Headphones and Grado Prestige Series SR80i Stereo Headphone. Sennheisers HD280 pro are aimed at recording professionals, and they pump bass and overall volume more powerfully, but the spectrum seems rather dramatic, with more of a scooped frequency response that dips around 2khz and pulls up below 90hz and above 6khz. This makes everything sound more 'excited' but not very accurate and fatiguing after more than a few hours. It is worth noting that the HD280 pro's are closed back, and designed to fit really snug. The AKG k240s's by comparison are more natural in tone to my ears, less powerfully slanted in the bass but accurate both in translation to other speakers and in terms of the stereo field. Grado's offering in this price range fare much more favorably; with a less excited low end, perfect midrange definition, and are likely a better purchase than the Sennheisers, but i still prefer the AKG's broad and open sound stage presentation and fatigue-less wearing.

There are some negatives to these headphones though. The semi-closed back design means that these headphones leak sound at all volumes. this means that using these at high volumes in places that require relative silence is an impossibility. Conversely, they won't block out the outside world all that well either unless turned way up. Using them in recording situations in proximity to microphones can be an issue, and the power requirements are higher than most portable amplifiers provide. In fact, you may even find yourself wanting more volume out of your laptop or computer's soundcard. I'm currently listening to them through an M-audio fast-track pro audio interface and have the volume at about 95%. in my studio, where i have a dedicated headphone amplifier i don't have this problem, but at the computer i occasionally hear material even at full volume that just isn't loud enough. If you plan on using these primarily with a portable audio setup, i would consider the power of your jack carefully before making this purchase.

All of this said, The AKG k240 Studios are a staple of my home and studio listening arsenal. True, you can find better headphones out there, but not for this price. In fact, you won't find a better pair for double this. Do your ears a favor and try these headphones.