Nigel
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Post by Nigel on Mar 11, 2007 11:36:38 GMT
I appreciate these seem to be flavour of the month elsewhere, or was that last month? I never was too good at keeping up with current fashions, but I've always wanted to hear them. I know Mike has a lot of experience with these cans & rated them highly back in the day. I've been doing a lot of research concerning all things K340 lately & it's all a bit mind boggling. Bass lite versions, bass heavy versions, cutting away plastic meshes, girls hair bands, bluetak, cotton wool, velour pads, stockings, electrical tape etc. The cognoscenti will know what I'm talking about. I won a pair on Ebay - £68, took delivery last Friday. First impressions - bright, hardly any bass (my main 'phones are the Sennheiser HD650). Terrible on the head fitting, very loose. These must be the bass-shite versions I thought. However, it was still capable of allowing certain musical details that were not otherwise apparent via the HD650's. Straight to T*!co's to buy some stockings & hair bands then. The first thing was to replace the loose loops with some hair bands to improve fitting. I'm useless, even this mod took me about an hour to get right. I had to double knot the hair bands to get it as I wanted so it was a little awkward, I'll have to look for some smaller versions soon. Now, we have bass! This seemed to certainly improve things. What the hell, I set about the plastic mesh covering the drivers with my wire cutters with a vengeance & eventually had some stocking covered 'phones, covering the hole inside the driver housing with electrical tape & removing the cotton wool completely. Cor blimey! What a difference........... One thing though, I would swear these 'phones need to warm up for about half an hour playing music before it really starts to gel. Best, Nigel
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Nigel
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Post by Nigel on Mar 11, 2007 17:24:27 GMT
Cheers, incredibly from having no bass, I seem to have too much now. Guess I'll have to mess around re-inserting the cotton wool.
I tried to order some new parts on Friday from Harmon UK but they needed the correct part numbers. Mrarroyo, I see you posted a part number for the velour replacement pads on another site some time ago, I'll give them a ring tomorrow & order them, quoting that part number as well as an K501 headband - I believe this is quite a good fit.
Did you ever try the blue-tak mods?
Cheers,
Nigel
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Nigel
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Post by Nigel on Mar 11, 2007 17:43:49 GMT
Incidentally,
In a 1990 Hi-Fi Choice magazine I have it lists the AKG K340's at £191.
Quoting,
"Excellent. Heavyweight cans in most respects, the K340 with it's electrostatic tweeter is a very revealing headphone."
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Nigel
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Post by Nigel on Mar 13, 2007 0:04:54 GMT
Ordered a headband & the original replacement pads. AKG UK don't have the AKG K271 velour pads listed as spares. The guy I spoke too said he would look into it.
On a separate issue, the longevity of the electrostatic tweeter has been mentioned. Any thoughts? Do they deteriorate or simply fail?
Nigel
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Post by PinkFloyd on Mar 13, 2007 0:40:33 GMT
Ordered a headband & the original replacement pads. AKG UK don't have the AKG K271 velour pads listed as spares. The guy I spoke too said he would look into it. I think I was a bit optimistic reporting the K340's to be on the same level as the HD650's. Still, we will have to see. On a separate issue, the longevity of the electrostatic tweeter has been mentioned. Any thoughts? Do they deteriorate or simply fail? Nigel Karl Peschel is the guy you want to speak to at AKG (not this guy who is a totally different Peschel home.att.net/~SSPzHJ/KarlPeschel.html) Karl is THE man at AKG www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=karl+peschel+akg&spell=1 The_Peschel as I call him...... Mr. peschel, Karl, Karly_Baby..... he knows his onions. E-mail Service@akg.com FAO Karl Peschel and put your question to him Nigel.... Karl's your man. Last I spoke with Karl his take was the charge would last 30 years.... Our own Rick has mentioned the possibility of recharging with a battery cell..... the MAIN area to concentrate on.... forget about recabling and kinky "stocking" mods (how the hell could you buy a pair of stockings?? yoooo pervert!) recharging is the key that may open these beauties up. Energize them don't waste money on stockings! Rick will hopefully chip in here and I'm more than happy to experiment with your pair Nigel.... a watch battery and a bit of time could well do the job
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Nigel
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Post by Nigel on Mar 13, 2007 1:07:55 GMT
Cheers Mike.
When you had yours did you spend hours of your time messing around with the cotton wool, blue-tack mods etc?
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Post by PinkFloyd on Mar 13, 2007 15:30:07 GMT
"...forget about recabling and kinky "stocking" mods (how the hell could you buy a pair of stockings?? yoooo pervert!) ..." Thanks, I like being one! Hehe
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Post by zorander on Mar 14, 2007 5:07:34 GMT
PinkFloyd (Mike?),
Have you tested the K340 on the Solo amp? How did you find it and it compare to the other amps? I recently got a pair off Head-fi and, reserving my opinion for now, would like to know the opinions of more experienced listeners such as yourself.
Also, can you spare any details on how we can charge these electrets up with a cell battery? I'm certainly interested in finding out.
Cheers!
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Nigel
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Post by Nigel on Mar 14, 2007 11:35:16 GMT
Even before my new bits have arrived, I'm thinking about moving my pair on. I can't get them to sound as good as the HD650's with the Heed CanAmp. I can't imagine changing the cable will improve things that much really, I appreciate there may be better amp pairings but I haven't the money to find out.
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Post by dc on Mar 14, 2007 13:14:50 GMT
just got my K340 as well
mixed feelings about this sucker
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Post by PinkFloyd on Mar 17, 2007 13:42:00 GMT
PinkFloyd (Mike?), Have you tested the K340 on the Solo amp? How did you find it and it compare to the other amps? I recently got a pair off Head-fi and, reserving my opinion for now, would like to know the opinions of more experienced listeners such as yourself. Also, can you spare any details on how we can charge these electrets up with a cell battery? I'm certainly interested in finding out. Cheers! I tried them with the Solo, the X-CAN v2 and the Chiarra at the time and from what I remember they all sounded pretty weedy with them..... no bass to speak of but a really nice midrange. Rick had a theory about recharging the electrets with a battery cell.... maybe he'll chip in when he returns to the forum. Possibly the one biggest area to concentrate on is recharging the electrets as, according to Karl Peschel, their lifespan is only 20 to 30 years.... of course this plays no part in the bass department and to get any decent bass out of these guys you'll need to find an amp than can really drive them. Nigel reported a "lot" of bass and others have also reported the HEED as being able to drive the AKG K-1000 so maybe the HEED is the way to go with the K-340. If we can find a way to recharge the electrets then possible these guys will really sing a different tune.......... come in Rick!
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Post by zorander on Mar 17, 2007 21:14:55 GMT
I tried them with the Solo, the X-CAN v2 and the Chiarra at the time and from what I remember they all sounded pretty weedy with them..... no bass to speak of but a really nice midrange. Precisely what I discovered myself. My problem is not so much as 'no bass' but rather the lack of bass extension. It falls well short of what the HD-650 and K601 are capable of. Bass weight is about the same or slightly more than K601's. I don't know really if a beefier amp is going to make that much difference in this regard. I've just finished 'de-screening' my pair and it has really opened up (yeah, I used panty hose ...). Next I'm going to start messing around with re-wiring it. And I'll keep my eyes peeled for this 'electret recharging' idea on this forum. Cheers!
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Post by PinkFloyd on Mar 17, 2007 23:45:18 GMT
Do I sense a Nylon fetish here? What with Nigel's stockings and your "pantyhose".... these are turning into quite the fetish 'phones..... question is, do used or new nylons sound the best? Personaly I prefer the "reinforced" crotch section..... better on the bass......
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Nigel
Been here a while!
Watching over Gotham City keeping us safe
Posts: 2,064
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Post by Nigel on Mar 21, 2007 16:20:14 GMT
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Nigel
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Watching over Gotham City keeping us safe
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Post by Nigel on May 8, 2007 12:55:58 GMT
Still waiting for my AKG K340 spare bits after two months, got on to the company responsible today & they are waiting for them to be delivered from Vienna. Maybe the guy that's bringing them is a slow walker.
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Post by PinkFloyd on Apr 17, 2013 20:52:41 GMT
PinkFloyd (Mike?), Have you tested the K340 on the Solo amp? How did you find it and it compare to the other amps? I recently got a pair off Head-fi and, reserving my opinion for now, would like to know the opinions of more experienced listeners such as yourself. Also, can you spare any details on how we can charge these electrets up with a cell battery? I'm certainly interested in finding out. Cheers! I tried them with the Solo, the X-CAN v2 and the Chiarra at the time and from what I remember they all sounded pretty weedy with them..... no bass to speak of but a really nice midrange. Rick had a theory about recharging the electrets with a battery cell.... maybe he'll chip in when he returns to the forum. Possibly the one biggest area to concentrate on is recharging the electrets as, according to Karl Peschel, their lifespan is only 20 to 30 years.... of course this plays no part in the bass department and to get any decent bass out of these guys you'll need to find an amp than can really drive them. Nigel reported a "lot" of bass and others have also reported the HEED as being able to drive the AKG K-1000 so maybe the HEED is the way to go with the K-340. If we can find a way to recharge the electrets then possible these guys will really sing a different tune.......... come in Rick!
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Post by JohnnyBlue on Apr 18, 2013 21:35:37 GMT
Wow!
Responding to a thread almost 6 years old!
Is this a record?
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Post by videoguy on May 15, 2013 16:17:58 GMT
Thought I would join the discussion. I bought a pair on ebay 3 yrs. ago, they are what is referred to as the bass heavy 340's. I performed seven mod's; that changed them from a decent sounding phone to a great sounding one. With regard to the electrostatic drivers: they work perfectly. The thing to bear in mind is; if they have not been used in the last day or two the electrostatics need 15-20 minutes to achieve their optimum operating mode. These drivers derive their operating voltage from the step up transformer in each ear cup; the transformer ratio is approx. 1:8 step up.
The other consideration to obtain full performance is to be able to drive the K-340's properly. I am driving mine with my modified JLH Chiara amplifier. It uses an AD823 op amp, increased the current output of the output stage & stepped up the gain from 2 to 3, with no noticeable negative effect on the sound quality; did not implement the balance pot & installed a 23 step 100k ohm attenuator. A modded Chiara has no trouble driving the K-340's to their full potential. It is now a Rolls class amp. Also designed my own power supply which is in a separate case wit a 4 foot umbilical cord between.
Audio heaven!
Bill W.
P.S. The balance between the low & high freq. drivers is very well balanced. Instead of calling them bass heavy I call them very well balanced. Probably would not like the bass light version.
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Post by PinkFloyd on May 15, 2013 19:51:56 GMT
Hi Bill, Long time no see! Great to hear from you again How are the K340 headband tensioners holding up? That was the weak point (in a 20 year old plus) pair..... have you fitted new elastic to yours? It's so good to hear from you again Bill, All the best, Mike.
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Post by videoguy on May 19, 2013 18:03:29 GMT
Hi Mike: The bands on the K-340's are holding up. I performed 7 mod's on them & it really paid off; great sound stage, plenty of bass & velvety smooth top end. As Nigel pointed out earlier in this thread the 340's need at least 20 minutes of program material for the electret drivers to achieve their full potential, especially if they have not been used in a few days.
I am driving them with my "Not your Fathers JLH Chiara amp". Bought the pcb from Williams Hart, provided my own components, rolled in an AD823 op amp, used 23 step 100k attenuator in place of dual pot, increased the current output of the output stage (using the originl transistors) & built my own power supply in a separate enclosure w a 4' umbilical between.
There is absolutely no hum or hiss, just absolute silence with no program. Haven't had a lot oftime to listen ltely between my wife's heart problem (now solved w pacemaker) & video biz.
Looking for the net diy project like Jaycar amp. Have one I acquired from Australia already stuffed & ready to go into a Par Metal enclosure.
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Post by pcourtney1 on May 29, 2013 20:32:42 GMT
I have two 340's, one is used a lot (it was my Fathers before he gave it to me and is still stock, but I have had to change the tensioners a few times)
the other one is new, still in the box, I bought it in Munich about 20 years ago, have tested it a couple of times over that period and it does take about 10 mins to get going sonically, this thread has prompted me to do some serious testing of them both side by side and see if one is any better than other sq wise :-0
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Post by maxk on Jul 5, 2014 2:33:05 GMT
Karl Peschel is the guy you want to speak to at AKG (not this guy who is a totally different Peschel home.att.net/~SSPzHJ/KarlPeschel.html) Karl is THE man at AKG www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=karl+peschel+akg&spell=1 The_Peschel as I call him...... Mr. peschel, Karl, Karly_Baby..... he knows his onions. Last I spoke with Karl his take was the charge would last 30 years.... Our own Rick has mentioned the possibility of recharging with a battery cell..... the MAIN area to concentrate on.... forget about recabling and kinky "stocking" mods (how the hell could you buy a pair of stockings?? yoooo pervert!) recharging is the key that may open these beauties up. Energize them don't waste money on stockings! Rick will hopefully chip in here and I'm more than happy to experiment with your pair Nigel.... a watch battery and a bit of time could well do the job could anyone please shed some more light on how to "energize them" (AKG340) with a battery cell? That would be great, as I've never heard of that before.... thanks!
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Post by ivanouk on Oct 14, 2015 17:18:41 GMT
Listening the k340 with the V8p: amazing good, much more neutral that the V2, image and soundstage close to Stax.
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Post by dahoo1 on Nov 21, 2016 21:45:27 GMT
i have a pair of k340 and just noticed that there is some low hum sound when there is no music from the amp and if i put my hands on the metal enclosure of the amp, the hum would go away. i tested other headphones such as beyerdynamic dt990 without this issue. does this mean anything wrong with k340?
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Post by PinkFloyd on Nov 21, 2016 21:55:48 GMT
i have a pair of k340 and just noticed that there is some low hum sound when there is no music from the amp and if i put my hands on the metal enclosure of the amp, the hum would go away. i tested other headphones such as beyerdynamic dt990 without this issue. does this mean anything wrong with k340? Nothing wrong with your K340.... just keep your hands on the amp whilst listening. Problem solved
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