I’m not a big fan of headphones, not the kinds that go over my head, but a friend loaned this pair of AKG K240 Studio headphones to me, so I thought I’d write a few words (or paragraphs) about them. It was on sale at Amazon for US$68 with free shipping to Singapore, making it quite a good deal then.
AKG is renowned for two things: microphones and headphones. I’ve reviewed a bunch of their headphones some years ago, including their very pricey flagship K3003. They make good stuffs.
The K240 has a long family line of headphones, dating back to the 1970s. The K240 Studio reviewed here was launched in 2001. It’s relatively “new” in the K240 family, but there are newer versions, such as the K240 MKII.
The K240 Studio is a semi-open circumaural headphones driven by 30 mm transducers with 55 ohms rated impedance. It comes with a nice long 3 m detachable cable with screw-on jack, both 1/4″ and 1/8″.
The ear pads are big, and they are very comfortable. The PU leather on the pad is quite soft and supple. The drivers inside the ear piece are covered by some kind of foam material, so your ears won’t press against anything hard. The ear pads do seem a little shallow, which might be a little bit of a concern if you have big ears.
The self-adjusting head band has a flexible steel structure that is both flexible yet strong, allowing you to bend the headphones for single-ear use and durable enough to withstand some rough handling. The head band itself is unpadded, but it feels comfortable. The gimbal-type suspension allows the ear cups to cover the ears with just enough pressure for hours of comfortable use.
Sonically, the K240 Studio is impressive. The entire music is clear, well-defined and balanced throughout the frequency range. The soundstage is expansive. The semi-open design and large transducers help deliver sound that is really life-like and three-dimensional. My only complaint is that the bass could do with a little more oomph. As it is, I’d describe the K240 Studio’s sound as really balanced and neutral.
The K240 Studio is easy to drive from smartphones and music players, but you probably get the best results with a DAC and headphone amplifier.
Conclusion
The K240 Studio isn’t all that new, but it’s quite a bargain for the sound quality you get from it.
Pros:
- Impressive sound quality
- Comfortable
- Good build quality
Cons:
- Not very portable
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