AKG K141 mk II. Truly Amazing Cans!!!

[donunus]

Just some thoughts here...

I was thinking the new k242HD might actually be better than the older k240S that I have owned before just based on the choice of including the cloth pads in the package. I have a feeling that should get rid of some of the edge of the pleather pads. I am just guessing though since I havent heard the HDs. As for the K142, I like the leather type pads more so the cloth pads on the newer model is probably not the best choice unless they tweaked the sound a bit. Still the best one to get would still be the mkIIs of both the k240 and the K141 IMO since they have 2 pairs of pads and 2 cables in the package.

[Maniacal71]

I'm noticing the same distortion on the 242HD powered by the E7 at bass boost 1 and up.  Removing the bass boost helps reduce the distortion, but given these observations, I can't totally rule out if it's an AKG thing per se or something to do with the FiiO amps in general.  I've never gotten this distortion on my 242 > uDAC-2 > H/K AVR145 setup before - so maybe it's a mix of both?


Anyway, BTT - I recall listening to the 142HDs in the past and they were notably warmer than the 242s in that respect.  The MkII I think has a more neutral color signature to it.  I'd love to hear these in person.  I'm guessing the on-ear design isn't enough to faze you from listening to them non-stop, lol.

AKGs, They are light and comfy to wear for long periods, It could be like what Don mentioned, which is that they are distorting due to being overdriven, but thats not even loud for certain genres of music, imo.

[donunus]

I've been listening really loud and they haven't distorted for hours. Now they need to be pumped up in volume even higher to distort. I think burn in may have given them the extra excursion limit of the drivers.


More Observations on the sound: The Velour pads are really refreshing after using the leather pads for hours. Their slightly more laid back sound is hitting the spot right now

[Maniacal71]

I've been listening really loud and they haven't distorted for hours. Now they need to be pumped up in volume even higher to distort. I think burn in may have given them the extra excursion limit of the drivers.


More Observations on the sound: The Velour pads are really refreshing after using the leather pads for hours. Their slightly more laid back sound is hitting the spot right now

Great!! thats exactly what i wanted to know, yeah i like velour too, something that makes the sound more natural to me.

[donunus]

If I were to chose only one pair of pads, I would still choose the leather ones though. It is funny though because I always usually like velour pads more than leather pads with any headphone.

EDIT: I spoke too soon. I guess it depends on the music and the mood because the velours are stunning with some stuff too.

[donunus]

Listening to Suede using the Velour pads and the k141mk2 sounds better than my HD600s with this music. Just WOW!

By the way I also feel that the bass is loosening up on these cans. They are not as hard as they sounded out of the box.

[donunus]

Just figured out that the distortion on the k141 only happens with the e9 amp. With the E10, they sound stunning! I've always observed some congestion on the E9 amp with low impedance cans like my px100-II. the E9s just work better with high impedance cans I guess since they are okay with the hd600s. Not much congestion and no drivers popping out in the sound

[donunus]

After a few days with these, i am sticking with the velour pads. The leather pads are more fatiguing mostly because of the extra upper bass boost.

[Portmanteau]

After a series of listening sessions since yesterday (damn you, unscheduled seminar, for wasting my time ), I'm really glad I bought this pair. I initially thought it shared a huge similarity with my Grado headphones, but it actually lacked the brightness that Grados are known for, so it was less fatiguing to listen to during long periods of time. The bass is also there, albeit not that strong. But that's the way I like it.

The 2 different pads are also a plus. The velvet pads give a much more laid-back sound than the leather ones, but since I've been listening to rock recently, the leather pads are usually the ones being used

[donunus]

I'm glad you are enjoying them as much as I did. They are something special.