Features:

  • n/a
  • Imported
  • Over-ear designfor comfort during long work sessions
  • Semi-open technologyfor solid bass and airy highs
  • Patented Varimotion 30 mm XXL transducerfor accurate signal transfer and great dynamic range
  • Self-adjusting headbandfor optimum fit
  • The choice of professionals around the worldstage and studio standard for more than two decades
Excellent sounding phones - semi-open and not super efficient but excellent sound, comfort, and value

I'm probably not an audiophile, but I have a very particular ear. Before becoming a professional classical musician I sold high end car stereos. Right now I'm doing a fair amount of mixing for the orchestra I direct. The Sony MDR 7506's that I had used for years had fallen apart and I was looking for an upgrade. After buying and returning some high end phones and spending a fair amount of time getting feedback from professionals I found the AKG 240 MK II's. Pros: * They sound AMAZING! That's really what matters most. They are clean but warm especially in the high and mids. Not a lot of punch down low but nice full resonance. Sounds more like what music really sounds like than BEATS or BOSE. Not artificiality to the response. Great for mixing or listening to the music the way the sound engineer intended. Incredible detail. The thing that attracted me to them most was the open sound plane. The semi-open design delivers a sound that feels farther away than speaker attached to your head. They really give you a nice 3 dimensional feel to the sound. Clear, full, warm, wide sound plane, no real spikes or harshness -- well done AKG! I spend a considerable amount of time in front of the musicians I'm listening to on these phones as I mix and it sounds as close to being on the podium as any set of phones I have tried. *Comfortable. They come with two sets of pads. I like the felt. Two cords. I like the coiled. They are comfortable and big. I wish they were a little less angled in but I can wear them for a couple of hours before I need a break. Cons: * Not super efficient. Listening to classical music on your phone or even iPod, sometimes you can't get it as loud as you might like. They are made to plug into a sound board or computer. *Not all that portable. The Sony MDR 7506 fold up smaller, came with a bag, and were just easier to throw in your bag. These are large, don't fold, and are not all that portable. *The semi-open design means that as I'm listening others can hear pretty easily what I'm listening to and I can hear other noise as well. If you want sound isolation then you're better off with a closed-ear design. Summary: I give them 5 stars because the cons are only cons if you are trying to use these phones for purposes other than the intended use of these phones. They aren't intended for jamming on the train or on the beach. They are intended for mixing or audiophile listening. Plug them into your amp or soundboard and they are an incredible value. I was at a radio station as they were playing some of our recordings and when they swapped the phones for the 240's I was sold. They are a fantastic, professional sounding phones at a bargain price. I listen to rock on them as well and they do fine but for a classical music lover I think they are even better suited. Everything is warm and clear and even. No harsh peaks like with the Sony's no exageratted mids and lows like the Sennheiser's I returned. What can I say, when I listen with these it sounds more like it sounds when I'm on the podium. That's what I wanted!

Wow. No, really.

After receiving these, as I listened to things I had listened to hundreds of times before, I realized that there were other instruments playing along and I could actually hear and classify them... I realized that some of the most complicated "middle parts" were so clearly available that I could even write them down if I wanted (well, with enough time ^_^ )... it was so amazing I'm now thinking of hyperbolic quotes from ridiculous characters to describe this, such as "a rose-tinted vignette of space and time existed within" these very headphones... That said, they are pretty comfortable as well; the headband part goes a little higher on my head than I was used to from my old headphones (Steelseries Siberia Frost Blue - they weren't meant to be monitors or anything so I'm not comparing the sound, just the comfort, since those things are SO COMFORTABLE), but they are not at all uncomfortable, even while wearing my glasses. I don't think they're QUITE as comfortable as that Siberia, but that's just because the material's a little harder - at least the basic structure is kind of the same so anyway they're beautiful and wonderful. They are completely monitors so if you're used to listening a certain way to music for enjoyment, they might provide a surprising experience. If you want to "normal listen mode" try setting equalizers or using other speakers/headphones, but anyway these are a joy for hearing EVERYTHING that is going on in a piece of music. Wow. ^_^ Very happy.

Great Headphones with a few cons...

Love these!!! These really do have a flat frequency response most of the time, and the frequency range went even lower than my previous headphones! I learned very quickly that my bass was boosted a little too high due to overcompensation. So as far as audio goes, this is a plus. Also for the price, you cant beat it. I also love the detachable cables. Another reason why i bought it due to most of my headphone jacks breaking often. Now for the cons, and most of these are just personal. My ears are pretty big, and though most said you can wear them for hours on end, Im kind of SOL because even the foam padded cups are uncomfortable after about 30 minutes to an hour. I also wear gauges and glasses, so it hurts even more lol. I was also not expecting that much sound leakage either. When they said semi-open, it's definitely a lot more open than you think. Overall, a great product, but due to the size and the leakage, you should probably only use this for your studio.

Great headphones for daily use on any device

These are outstanding headphones. Great balanced sound, lightweight, and very comfortable for long periods of use. I have a large head (hat size 7 3/4 to 8) and these fit very well. People should also understand that these are NOT noise-cancelling headphones. They are open-air, so they are not suitable for environments with lots of outside noise, for example on airplanes or when playing drums. On a related note, the open-air aspect means you don't get the underwater noises when the cable gets bumped or the constant static that you get with sealed or noise-cancelling headphones. These headphones are low enough impedance that they can be used with portable devices like phones and iPods and also as computer headphones. They come with two cables, one coiled and one long uncoiled, a 1/4 inch adapter, and also two sets of pads - a leather-ish pair and a cloth pair.

Fantastic!

I've always been a fan of AKG products and this is no different. I've been using the AKG K240 headphones for probably 7 years now, and finally upgraded to the MK II just a few months ago. Quality wise, they're just slightly better than the original K240 - the bass is a little more clear with these. Another thing I love about this one is it comes with interchangeable wires and interchangeable ear pads, which fixed my two biggest problems with the original K240 headphones. With the original, the pleather ear pads would eventually, after hours and hours of use, become cracked and sometimes even smell a little funky. They were hard to wash and hard to take off to change. The other problem I had with the original, was it only came with one straight, incredibly long cord that would often get caught on or under things. With the MK II, you get a nice fuzzy pair of ear pads, as well as a pair of pleather ones. Both of which are incredibly easy to remove, interchange and clean when needed. You also get two cords, one straight and one coiled. The coiled one is great for when you're listening to music on the go and don't want to worry about accidentally rolling over the cord with your chair or tripping over it. It also hardly ever gets tangled. However, if you prefer the original, long and straight cord, this come with that too. I've never written a review for an item before, but AKG definitely earned my positive review with this product. The product is great, especially considering the price, and 100% worth buying.

Great headphones from a respected company.

At the current price that Amazon is offering on these headphones, I consider them the best value on the market. These are balanced and clean sounding without overdone highs and muddy that mar the popular brand. I use them for both listening to music and playing instruments. The inclusion of two cables, one straight and one coiled, is great for musicians. I always use a straight cable when playing keyboard because I want the cable to hand down away from my arms. For listening to music I like the coiled cable so I can move around without getting tangled. If anyone asks me to recommend a set of headphones under $300 this is usually my starting point.

Stereophonic Feast For Your Ears

Slip these decadent cinabuns onto your ears and prepare to indulge. Sure, earbuds are good for isolating yourself from the people around you when you're forced to head out and face the world...but when you head off to your safe space to get away trust me when I say you want to wrap yourself up in these ear cocoons. Feeling a little edgy...go with the pleather pads...no you say, soft and fuzzy is more your speed...those are included too! Long and straight...sure, you can stay plugged in up to 9 feet away...or maybe you like the look of the corded phones of yester-year because they throw a coiled cord in there too! Listen, I'm no audiophile but when I swaddled my noggin with these muffins for the first time I swear I could almost smell the sound engineer sitting next to me...in fact they're even better than being in the front row at a concert because you don't get the performer's sweat and saliva on you (unless you're into that sort of thing). I'd give them 6-stars if I could.

Classical looks, smooth and relaxing sound.

Just got this today ( 15th May '15 ), so I still have to break them in properly. But right out of the box - first impressions ( aesthetics, build, comfort ) These headphones look really good and the design is old school classical/timeless. I do think the build quality especially with the strings that support the headband will be the first to give eventually. Two ear pads ( synthetic and velour - have to add the synthetic leathers have a *larger diameter with the *insides of the ear pads ) are supplied and both are comfortable - the synthetic ear pads on this AKG is way more padded/comfortable than those supplied on my M50's which I have since replaced with Brainwavz HM5's ,although have to say the headband does push itself on my head a bit ( fact the string supports are still stiff and brand new so give them time to stretch ). I also love that the cord/cables are detachable and there are 2 ( short and long ). These are my first AKG headphones and definitely won't be the last. I couldn't get the more affordable gold 240's since there is no shipping available to Australia.. but am actually happy that I bought this instead for the fact they have the 2 ( ear pads ) and 2 ( cord/cables ) as standard and blue is a fave color of mine. First impressions about the audio is positively good! It is clean, smooth and relaxing with really good honest soundstage. They aren't as open as my AD700X ( about the same price point ) if I can compare it with that since they are both.. well truthfully this 240 Mk2's is actually semi-open. Overall really happy about this AKG's.

Really Good Sound, Good Clarity, and Even Quality Across the Range

I'm not going to provide an in-depth review because there are a better reviews out here written by people who know audio and audio technology better than I do. These are *excellent* for the price; it will be hard to find comparable audio clarity for this price. Plus, they have that AKG sound. What I can say is that, being passionate about classical and vocal music and having worked in studio environment for seven years these headphones deliver the best audio I've heard for $100 (when I bought mine was paid over $100). Can you find better quality? Yes, but you'll have to spend considerably more. These are accurate, clear headphones that provide a super sound free of distortion. Some review noted these 'chirp' a bit on the S's (called sibilance) but that's not something I noticed; Burn in will help reduce this, and AKG headphones typically need a long burn in. The clarity and quality of music you get with these 'phones takes your breath away and if you close your eyes you'll almost believe you're in front of a live orchestra. Note, however, that the clarity of music with these "cans" is such that you can most definitely hear the difference between compressed and uncompressed music. Make no mistake, they will make just about anything you play sound phenomenal, but if you're going to treat yourself to a pair of headphones this crystal clear you'll want to upgrade your music from MP3 to full quality, unadulterated by compression.

The most comfortable headphones I own!

I purchased these after purchasing a less expensive pair of headphones that hurt my ears after extended sessions. These have great sound and are honestly the most comfortable headphones I have used. As another reviewer has pointed out, you can get the same thing for $20 less here. AKG K 240 Semi-Open Studio Headphones I've done some online searching and it appears that the MK II designation gets you an extra coiled cable (which I love) and some softer earpads which I replaced with the original because they fit my ears better. I may switch back but that's the point, for an extra $20 I get that option. Having said that, if I had known I could get essentially the same thing for $20 less, I would have gone with that option. I've also looked at the frequency response over at goldenearsdotcom. It has a fairly flat frequency response curve which is was I wanted. Others might prefer headphones with accented bass but I want to hear what the recording artist were hearing when they mixed the music so I prefer a more accurate headphone which is what this modes provides. The professional reviewers have mixed reviews on the sounds of this headphone with a majority stating they like the sound. One of the reviewers stated the headphones didn't have enough punch but I haven't found that to be the case and most of the professional reviewers didn't find that to be the case as well.

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