AKG K242HD - The grandchild of a studio classic

[edsamac]

I would probably not go lower than 60 on the e7 with a k242 if it were me since those are 10dB less sensitive than the k141 hehehe.

My "relaxed" listening level is actually at around 50 on the e7.  When I'm feeling extra happy, I jump up to 60.   Haha!

[edsamac]

The run time on the E7 reads "4 days, 23 hours, 29 minutes" - and if that means anything, I've noticed that the sound is starting to open up.  My orchestral reference track sounds a bit brighter, and the complicated string movements are more discernible than they were the first time I tried listening to them with the E7.  The bass extension is also astounding - it's nothing seismic, but it has presence and body.  A little warm and full of life on some of my reference tracks.  All this and it works excellently at Bass boost 1.

Of course, I tried these with the indeed amp and I'm ready to eat my hat just to upgrade to a more suitable amplifier to power these cans.  You can really feel the extra juice that the E7 supplies, but it feels like it could still use some more.  These aren't as monstrously demanding as the K701s, but it's turning out to be quite the challenge to find an ideal "partner" for these cans.  I have my eyes on the X02 at the moment, but as it stands the E7 is a good starting choice at this stage of the game.

[edsamac]

I just passed by JBL Gallery at BHS and re-auditioned the K242HD, as well as the K518LE and K540...

I must say, I'm quite convinced that the SQ of the china K242HD is waaaay different than my K242HD... I don't know if it's burn in or what not... but I could hardly get any decent sound out of the China model with me E7.  The bass was anemic, mids were somewhat recessed, and the whole thing was smattered with sibilance... Dyaems was right... They ARE too sibilant.

In comparison to my K242HD, they are quite responsive at a normalized listening level of at least 35-40 on the E7.  Bass is nice and warm with good punch and extension at bass boost 1.  Mids are lush, and the highs have a slight high end veil to them.  Very... very different.

I tried messing around with the inner foam pads on their China model, and it felt a little bit different than my foam pads.  Somewhat stiff... maybe even thicker?  I don't know if that's what's messing with the sound.

Thanks to this little detour, I'm convinced that my K242HD is NOT sibilant... at least not as sibilant as I thought it was.  I'm quite happy my 242 doesn't sound as terrible as that... D:  I was quite bold enough to point out to the store attendant (not Marvin, unfortunately), that the K518LE was the show stealer in their show room (not including the Q701).  I kinda understand now why people go crazy over the K518 - but that's a different post all together.

[Za'afiel]

I just passed by JBL Gallery at BHS and re-auditioned the K242HD, as well as the K518LE and K540...

I must say, I'm quite convinced that the SQ of the china K242HD is waaaay different than my K242HD... I don't know if it's burn in or what not... but I could hardly get any decent sound out of the China model with me E7.  The bass was anemic, mids were somewhat recessed, and the whole thing was smattered with sibilance... Dyaems was right... They ARE too sibilant.

In comparison to my K242HD, they are quite responsive at a normalized listening level of at least 35-40 on the E7.  Bass is nice and warm with good punch and extension at bass boost 1.  Mids are lush, and the highs have a slight high end veil to them.  Very... very different.

I tried messing around with the inner foam pads on their China model, and it felt a little bit different than my foam pads.  Somewhat stiff... maybe even thicker?  I don't know if that's what's messing with the sound.

Thanks to this little detour, I'm convinced that my K242HD is NOT sibilant... at least not as sibilant as I thought it was.  I'm quite happy my 242 doesn't sound as terrible as that... D:  I was quite bold enough to point out to the store attendant (not Marvin, unfortunately), that the K518LE was the show stealer in their show room (not including the Q701).  I kinda understand now why people go crazy over the K518 - but that's a different post all together.

Many thanks for making that detour; it'll go a long way in helping future K242HD owners pick the right one.

From the sound of your impressions, it looks like a decent amount of burn-in wouldn't even be able to improve the MIC K242HD's performance to par.

[edsamac]

More on the MIA / MIC comparison...

1. The materials used to make the ear pads are different.  They're stiffer and more resilient to deformation, which I'm guessing means it has a higher amount of plastics in it.  The resulting sound is somewhat muted and cold.  I think removing the foam buffer between the driver face and the ear pad will help relieve the upper-end veil and bring out some of the mids that were drained from my original comparison.

2. MIC is very laid-back.  Perhaps this is due to lack of burn-in, but the singer in vocal tracks sounds distant and almost as if he/she is behind a screen.  The sound has the tendency to lateralize, but there's still space between the sound and my ears.  A kind of funky SQ if you were to ask me.

3. MIC bass is somewhat thicker than the MIA version.  This might be a good thing for people looking for a little more weight from the MIA version, but it comes at the expense of muddled highs.  They don't come anywhere near to sparkling, but I think you can get a decent amount of shimmer after removing the foam buffer.

4. MIC build is iffy.  The hem work on the ear pads is ugly, and the band doesn't fit properly around the ring of the driver.  This is because the actual ear-pad band looks like slightly flexible electrical tape, and the current MIC models have this tape-like material twisting in really weird ways.  Looks cheap.

5. 1/4" adapter included in the MIC version is silver - I'm guessing it's plated with silver or some combination thereof.  The previous MIC version I saw in high street had a gold-plated 1/4" adapter, IIRC... don't know what's up with that.

6. MIC seems to drive easier than the MIA.


Yeah, I might be overanalyzing things, but I just love these headphones - hence, the extra criticism on the MICs.  I'm quite adamant in the fact that it's a big shame that AKG had to shift production to China.  All this translates to is possibly sub-par quality for their successive headphones in comparison to MIA versions of the same model.  So for those of you with MIA models, do cherish them well.

[edsamac]

Finalized my resolve to have these re-cabled.  Dual-entry, no less.  Sir Roy, please work your magic on them!

[Tacoboy]

What is the AKG China model?
I'm looking at getting the AKG K242HD, I'm assuming that model is still made in Austria?
Does the K242HD come with a better quality cable then the other K240 models?
(I know the K240MKII has a detachable cable)
I just bought on eBay a used K240M 600-Ohm, I want to compare it to a Samson SR850 (Superlux), Senn HD558 and some AKG K240/242 model.

[edsamac]

What is the AKG China model?
I'm looking at getting the AKG K242HD, I'm assuming that model is still made in Austria?
Does the K242HD come with a better quality cable then the other K240 models?
(I know the K240MKII has a detachable cable)
I just bought on eBay a used K240M 600-Ohm, I want to compare it to a Samson SR850 (Superlux), Senn HD558 and some AKG K240/242 model.

If you look at the side of the cups where the AKG logo is inscribed, you should see a "Made In Austria" mark if it's still an Austrian model.  If that label is absent, then you're holding a Made in China model.

I'm pretty sure the cables within the 24x series are pretty much standard (99.99% OFC cables).  The difference between the HD iteration and it's older studio counterparts is the fact that the former is easier to drive (at only 55 ohms), while the studio variants range from 120 ohms (14x studio versions) to 300, and then 600 for the oldest studio variants.  That and the fact that the 242HD has a tethered cable, while (like you said), the MkII version of the 240, and even the 240s version both have XLR cables.

As for sound difference, I've only listened to an K240s (studio) in comparison with the K242HD.  The former has a richer, more lush midrange with controlled lows.  The HD iteration, on the other hand, has similarly clean mids, but not as visceral, and the lows are a bit more pushed and forceful.  The highs of both are rather comparable, and so is their soundstage.

For that reason, the K242HD is actually an attempt to turn the studio versions into a more efficient headphone, perhaps catering to segments who use devices like iPods or laptops.  Still, the K242HD will gain a lot from good amplification.  The other nice thing about the K242HD is that it's the only model of its brethren that comes in that sleek taupe with brown accent finish.  Also, it's the only model that has velour pads (unlike the other models that use leather pads).  Some say this veils the highs a bit, but the trade-off is better comfort and less heat on the ears.  You can rectify the issue by removing the high-pass filter, anyway, so it's a rather minor set back.

[Tacoboy]

If you look at the side of the cups where the AKG logo is inscribed, you should see a "Made In Austria" mark if it's still an Austrian model.  If that label is absent, then you're holding a Made in China model.

I'm pretty sure the cables within the 24x series are pretty much standard (99.99% OFC cables).  The difference between the HD iteration and it's older studio counterparts is the fact that the former is easier to drive (at only 55 ohms), while the studio variants range from 120 ohms (14x studio versions) to 300, and then 600 for the oldest studio variants.  That and the fact that the 242HD has a tethered cable, while (like you said), the MkII version of the 240, and even the 240s version both have XLR cables.

As for sound difference, I've only listened to an K240s (studio) in comparison with the K242HD.  The former has a richer, more lush midrange with controlled lows.  The HD iteration, on the other hand, has similarly clean mids, but not as visceral, and the lows are a bit more pushed and forceful.  The highs of both are rather comparable, and so is their soundstage.

For that reason, the K242HD is actually an attempt to turn the studio versions into a more efficient headphone, perhaps catering to segments who use devices like iPods or laptops.  Still, the K242HD will gain a lot from good amplification.  The other nice thing about the K242HD is that it's the only model of its brethren that comes in that sleek taupe with brown accent finish.  Also, it's the only model that has velour pads (unlike the other models that use leather pads).  Some say this veils the highs a bit, but the trade-off is better comfort and less heat on the ears.  You can rectify the issue by removing the high-pass filter, anyway, so it's a rather minor set back.

Thomann over in Europe sells the K242HD for $107 (US) + shipping ($40, to the USA), so can't really see the labeling till is arrives, they sell the K240MKII for $40 more then the K242HD (weird), I'm thinking of ordering from Thomann because I can get the K240/270/271 velour ear pads and still pay the same ($40) shipping price. I have three headphones (HD668B, SR850C, K240M 600-Ohm) that could use Velour ear pads. I would cost $70 more if I ordered everything within the USA. But I'm guess at $107 for the K242HD, it's made in china.

[Lyander0012]

Hey guys! First post here, and a proud owner of the K242 HD (the MIC version). Yeah, I'd noticed that the workmanship on the cans was a bit shabby, but as long as the sound's okay, then I'm willing to compromise on aesthetics :/


Anyway, would the e17 be a good match for the K242 HDs? I'm looking for an amp that I can carry around and plug in to my PDMP, as well as function as an external DAC for when I'm listening out of my laptop.

P.S.
Any idea where I can audition an Austrian-made K242 here in the Philippines? I want to A/B them myself and check if there are any discernible differences between the two.

[Tacoboy]

Hey guys! First post here, and a proud owner of the K242 HD (the MIC version). Yeah, I'd noticed that the workmanship on the cans was a bit shabby, but as long as the sound's okay, then I'm willing to compromise on aesthetics :/
Anyway, would the e17 be a good match for the K242 HDs? I'm looking for an amp that I can carry around and plug in to my PDMP, as well as function as an external DAC for when I'm listening out of my laptop.
P.S.
Any idea where I can audition an Austrian-made K242 here in the Philippines? I want to A/B them myself and check if there are any discernible differences between the two.

The E17 should be able to easily power the K242HD, the website Head-Fi is a good place to ask these kind of questions, Try the thread "The AKG Appreciation and Information Thread"

[edsamac]

Anyway, would the e17 be a good match for the K242 HDs? I'm looking for an amp that I can carry around and plug in to my PDMP, as well as function as an external DAC for when I'm listening out of my laptop.

Congrats on your purchase.

The E7 is already a good combination with the K242HD thanks to the bass boost options.  Remember that these cans don't really have a focus on the lows, so the bass boost helps in giving a little more roundness and warmth to the lows while keeping the mids intact.  I'm guessing the E17 would be more than a good combination for the K242, what with the even wider range of EQ settings you have at your disposal.  Otherwise, the K242s are relatively "easy" to drive, but they benefit a lot from amplification.  Go for it, I say.

P.S.
Any idea where I can audition an Austrian-made K242 here in the Philippines? I want to A/B them myself and check if there are any discernible differences between the two.

If ever you find yourself in one of the meets, feel free to audition my MIA K242s.   I removed the high-pass filter, though - but even with the high-pass filter on, the differences between the MIA and MIC versions are pretty blatant - and I'm talking SQ-wise.  Still, the current MIC versions are "okay", I guess.

[Lyander0012]

Thanks, OP.

Hmm, then perhaps I'd be better off waiting until I save enough cash to afford something higher up the upgrade ladder? After doing a bit of snooping around, I came across two potential amps that are from my perspective reasonably priced, and capable of lasting me a long while, even after I trade in my cans for something better: The Schiit Asgard and Valhalla.

Any owners here willing to give their impressions? Preferably someone who owns the K240 or any of it variants 

... Though to be honest, paying an additional 3.5k (minimum) for shipping is a bit of a pain. Might as well be worth it, though.

P.S.
I recall Schiit claiming that the Valhalla works well with high-impedance headphones. Would 55 Ohms qualify as high enough?

Cheers!

[Dyaems]

55ohms is somewhat normal. with the exception of the k/q701 which is really hard to drive even at 63 ohms. heck, my headphone has 63 ohms as well but even a sansa clip would drive it loud enough.

if were talking about high impedance, they are around 150ohms and above. never saw a 100 ohm headphone besides the k1000, which is 120 ohms.

if you can get yourself 50 posts, you can access the forum's actual marketplace and who knows, youll find an asgard there

[Lyander0012]

55ohms is somewhat normal. with the exception of the k/q701 which is really hard to drive even at 63 ohms. heck, my headphone has 63 ohms as well but even a sansa clip would drive it loud enough.

if were talking about high impedance, they are around 150ohms and above. never saw a 100 ohm headphone besides the k1000, which is 120 ohms.

if you can get yourself 50 posts, you can access the forum's actual marketplace and who knows, youll find an asgard there

Seriously? Wow, thanks for the tip! Still, I'll probably take my time about it (since I really don't like posting for no reason).

By the way, apart from the Schiit line (that name still cracks me up, to be honest), are there any SS/tube amps that would pair well with the K242s? Fiio seems like a good budget option, but I'm thinking of getting something that'll last me a long while.



EDIT (since it seems I was being somewhat vague):

I meant that I was looking for an amp of decent quality that's reasonably priced, so I won't be pressured into upgrading anytime soon. Maybe something from Headroom, Grado, etc.