AKG Acoustics K240 Monitoring Headphones

I received a pair of these as a gift about 18 years ago, and they are fabulous. I finally had to replace them this year because the cord near the jack was having issues and I could only hear one ear. The headset is in excellent shape and should work fine once I replace the jack end of the cord. The new one has a flexible, rubber covering over the area where the cord connects to the jack, so it should not develop the same problem. Here is what I like about them.

COMFORT. The earpieces are padded and sit on your head, not your ears. I share an office so I wear them all day long, and I have never had any problems with comfort (most regular headphones give me a headache or earache after a while). Since they are semi-closed, they breathe a little, so my ears do not get hot. The headband is attached with elastic pieces so there is no adjusting - just put them on and they fit. The cord comes out of the left earpiece, so there is no annoying "Y" under your chin...Read more

I bought my first K 240 M in early 1986 for my sound studio connected to a music conservatory. These phones impressed all who used them. In 2005 I ordered a new pair and was very pleased to find that only the phone plug has been changed. There was no change in sound. This model has been replaced with the 240 S studio monitor.


AKG K240 MKII Headphones, ¹


The good news is that although the sound is different, it is clearly better. Bass response is now full down to at least 40 Hz and possibly lower. midrange is slightly boosted, compared to the 240 monitor, which I got used to quite quickly. Over time it became clear that the new midrange sound was correct. Distortion is much lower in the new K 240 studio, and like the old monitor, can be found in many Europeon studios...Read more

I'm not an audiophile like the other reviewers of these headphones, so I won't dispute their claims or contest their ratings. However, if you are considering the AKG K240M for use with an iPod, dream on. Although I also have the wonderful, lightweight, collapsable Sennheiser PX 100 and am very pleased with their sound with my iPod Video, I had hoped to get even better sound with the AKGs. Unfortunately, even at full volume, the iPod cannot drive these headphones; same result using iTunes. I guess the problem is the 600 Ohm impedance which I did not notice before I purchased them. I probably should have bought the Sennheiser HD-280. If any of you audiophiles can suggest the perfect iPod phones in the $100 range, I'd love to hear from you at phones at kensall dot com. Thanks!