AKG 240MKII for Classical Music

[slayerming2]

Hi I mostly listen to classical Music and was wondering if anyone can tell me if the AKG K240 MKII is good for classical music and if so why???

[CrowdAds]

[The DarkSide]

Wrong section to ask this question in: http://anythingbutipod.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=22

[JK98]

The AKG K240MKII is a reference headphone with a very flat frequency response, so it would be very good for classical music. It sounds very natural and neutral, and doesn't color the music. It is only 91 db/mw and 55 ohms, so it might not play loud enough with a low powered portable unless you use a supplemental amp. I suggest that you test it with your mp3 player before buying it.

[Omzz888]

I use my AKG240s as a reference in production. They're quite good but very fatiguing after long periods as they are very sparkly. I suppose classical music will sound good on sparkly headphones.

Bass is lacking though. If you want a good pair of overall reference headphones in the same price range, I suggest the ATH-M50s. Good punchy bass, accurate mids and highs.

[slayerming2]

Hi I usually enjoy listening to classical music on my laptop using CDs. I heard good things about the AKG K 240MKII so I decided to order a pair. However I heard to my horror that they aren't good for classical music. Is this true? Also am I going to need an amp for these when I use my laptop?

[slayerming2]

Do you think I'll need an amp if I use my laptop normally to listen to classical music?

[skip252]

Your extra post has been moved here. Please don't post the same question in multiple places.

[Omzz888]

Originally Posted by slayerming2

Do you think I'll need an amp if I use my laptop normally to listen to classical music?

You may need an amp if you're looking to use them on a portable device as they as they require a little more power than standard headphones - remember they are studiophile headphones so they aren't made to run on something like an iPod without an amp of some sort.

My production work is all carried out within the computer plus, I use both studio monitors (speakers) and headphones so I opted for an audio interface which is basically an external soundcard with lots of inputs and outputs for various things like microphones and instruments etc. Also, many laptop "line out" ports are not of great quality as they don't have dedicated sound cards. So if you do want a good sound to come from your laptop, audio interfaces are the way to go. You can buy audio interfaces fairly cheaply now and because you may only require it for headphones, I'm sure you don't need to go all out buying the extra bells and whistles. Nowadays, I think you can buy interfaces with only headphone outputs which is probably best in your case. They are fairly easy to connect too, usually require just one free USB or FireWire port. Remember, as with headphones, money usually buys quality.

The AKG's are good for what their intended use - critical analysis of music. My two main issues with the AKG's are sound leakage and fatiguing highs. I don't see why they shouldn't be good for classical but remember, they are analytical headphones, in which they don't make music sound "good", they are really for critical listening. This is the primary reason why many studio personnel and producers like these headphones, they highlight any possible flaws within a mix. Also, personally, I only ever use them for production because I just don't like their sterile sound signature - they don't make music sound nice to my ears, but that's not what they are intended to do. I much prefer warmer sounding headphones.