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Post by videoguy on Aug 17, 2010 1:19:36 GMT
:DAs I stated in my report on the Ft. Meyers Mini Meet, I fell in love with the K340's after hearing a pair that had been modified.
Found a pair unmodded in London, they arrived last mon. finally finished the mods yesterday & the rewiing for balanced today. They are a totally different phone once they are modded. I'm driving them with my modified Chiarra & they are sweet.
Mods. performed: Cut out the plastic screen over the drivers, leaving only a plastic ring. Drew some thin black acoustically transparent material tightly over the rings & glued with a form of super glue; then trimmed material on the outside edge of the rings. This gets rid of some unplesant resonances.
Next: Removed & inspected the drivers & removed original cotton behind them. Removed the original cable; this was either steel wire or the stiffest copper I have ever seen. Original cable measured 3ohms on common return & 4.7 ohms to the driver on the hot wire; this is nearly 8ohms round trip, impacts the sound negatively.
The original cable was terminated on the circuit board with fine wires going to the dynamic driver. I left the fine wires to the driver & terminated the Canare Starquad directly to the drivers. Also abandoned the wires feeding thru the wire hoops to the right ear piece. I now have a pair of conductors in the Starquad going to each ear piece. They are Y terminated to a 5' length of Starquad that will be wired for balanced configuraton, once the 4 pin XLR's arrive. There will be an adapter to operate them in the unbalanced mode when desired. Forgot to mention the ear pads were shot so used the ones left over when I put the AKG velour pads on my HD681's, an exact fit. They will have to do til I can afford the special pads from Israel. The resistance of the Starquad is only 0.3 ohms each side & 0.6 ohms round trip.
If you have only heard a stock K340, then you have never really heard what these phones are capable of. I have yet to audition Senny 800's or Beyer T1's & am anxious to see how they stack up with the AKG's.
Did you noticed the funny looking headband? The previous owner made it from an old rubber turntable mat; will try to get a 501 headband to replace it.
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Post by videoguy on Aug 17, 2010 1:29:17 GMT
K340
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Post by videoguy on Aug 17, 2010 1:31:17 GMT
Used heat shrink on the Y.
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Post by videoguy on Aug 17, 2010 1:32:28 GMT
Mesh coveringg.
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Post by clausdk on Aug 17, 2010 7:52:08 GMT
Looking good Bill Give me the measurements of the headband, then I will whip something up for you
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Post by Deleted on Aug 17, 2010 14:12:09 GMT
Bill, was this cotton replaced with anything else or left free? Which site did you use for the mods reference (as there are a few that differ slightly).
Chris
(ps keep trying to bag a pair of these, still trying!)
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Post by videoguy on Aug 17, 2010 14:55:02 GMT
Thanks for the offer of a headband Claus, I will likely take you up on your offer as soon as I am finished editing the last two weddings I shot (part of my retirement program).
Clarchez: I replaced the cotton with some fish aquarium filter material, not as much as I removed.
The bass is just about right, the mids clear as crystal & the highs sing. Stayed up till 3:30 a.m. trying different test cuts to check out the overall performance.
Bill W.
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elysion
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Post by elysion on Aug 18, 2010 0:50:28 GMT
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mrarroyo
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Post by mrarroyo on Aug 18, 2010 23:20:46 GMT
Get the velour pads, much more comfortable.
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Post by videoguy on Aug 19, 2010 22:15:17 GMT
I have discovered that K340's are great for orchestral recordings & some of the older pop music(Les Paul & Mary Ford, etc.). A highly processed recording (lots of e.q., compression & recorded in multi track mono) do not fare well on the K340's.
Since most of my listening is orchestral with some comic opera it sounds amazing. I have acouple of southern gospel albums where the female singers voice seems to fall in the region of the crossover between drivers & the voice is somewhat recessed. Using the HD600's for this performer & everything is great.
Just in case some are scratching their heads at my multi track mono comment here is an explanation. /when a lot of the R & R & C & W as well as pop music is recorded in a studio setting the singer & back up vocals are not miked in stereo; instead everyone is put on a separate track of the 24 track tape & their position in the mix is dtermined by where they are placed with the pan pot on that channel of the mixing console. The result is that the only aural clue as to where they are in the mix is one of the audo level. When miked with a stereo pair of mikes there are both level & time clues to locate the position in the stereo sound field.
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Post by videoguy on Aug 20, 2010 3:43:30 GMT
The other problem in recording studio technique in the states is the most of the mixers under 50, very likely have never heard a true stereophonic recording. In the classical arena some of the finest stereo rcordings were done by C. Robert Fine. He was chief engineer for all of the Mercury's Living Presence series recordings from 1953 til 1965. These records sound amazing today. Some of the series was reissued on cd in the mid to late 90's.
I was the sole installer/repair technician for a hi fi shop 1958-1964. The stereo recording of Tchaikovisky's 1812 Overature & Wellintons Victory was THE record that sold a huge amount of hi end hi fi equipment. It features real cannon fire done on locaton at West Point Military Academy & the carillon at the Riverside church in N.Y. These effects were blended with the music at the proper points in the score. No one has ever duplicated this effort. I have the mono record & the stereo cd of the recording. only 3 microphones were used to capture the entire orchestra.
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Post by videoguy on Sept 6, 2010 21:48:21 GMT
I have been using the ear pads left over from HD681's (after fitting 681's w AKG velour pads). just got word from Anatoli in Israel today that he has the special pads for the K340's. They are bigger than the originals & do not make your ears sweat.
Payment sent, looking forward to receiving them. While doing some cleanup I discovered a set of switchcraft 4 pin connectors. Now I can make up the balanced to unbalanced adapter for the phones & will be able to operate them in both modes.
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pjc68
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Post by pjc68 on Sept 6, 2010 22:05:00 GMT
Bill What did the 681,s sound like with the akg velour pads, sorry i wont hijack the thread. were they the 240 velour pads you used. paddy
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Post by videoguy on Nov 25, 2010 4:12:01 GMT
After living with the K340's for several months, rarely listen to my HD600's; which were my main phones.
The 340's have a solid accurate bass that extends lower in frequency than the 600's. Mids are very smooth & highs are outstanding w/o any hint of screechiness or distortion.
Just downloaded test cuts of 24/96 recordings from HD Tracks & the quality is outstanding; (sorry to say hd tracks are only available in continental U.S.).
The AKG K340 dynamic/electrostatics are hard to beat, once they have been properly modded & had the ear pads w the large oval opening from Israel installed.
AKG also brought out the D202E dual element dynamic professional microphone w crossover network at the same time; 1978. It still sounds good & was used for the lead vocal on a number of records. It is a testament to their design & manufacturing prowess that these products still sound great after 25 plus years. Can't wait to compare the K340's w Senn. 800 & Beyer T1 at the meet in Tampa Dec. 12th.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 25, 2010 4:51:58 GMT
Bill Actually, that's not quite correct. I have been a member for some time now, and get regular email updates (including today) If outsiders use Paypal it will normally permit downloading. If you want to get the VERY best from your 24/96 .flac DLs, then you need something like the +5V Linear PSU etc. as per my thread in the Computer section. Alex
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Post by videoguy on Nov 25, 2010 17:40:59 GMT
Alex: Glad to hear folks outside U.S. can buy from HD Tracks as long as they use paypal. Really like what I have heard so far; will check out your thread at computer.
Thanks: Bill W.
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Post by UzminiNu on Jan 5, 2011 22:41:35 GMT
The other problem in recording studio technique in the states is the most of the mixers under 50, very likely have never heard a true stereophonic recording. In the classical arena some of the finest stereo rcordings were done by C. Robert Fine. He was chief engineer for all of the Mercury's Living Presence series recordings from 1953 til 1965. These records sound amazing today. Some of the series was reissued on cd in the mid to late 90's. I was the sole installer/repair technician for a hi fi shop 1958-1964. The stereo recording of Tchaikovisky's 1812 Overature & Wellintons Victory was THE record that sold a huge amount of hi end hi fi equipment. It features real cannon fire done on locaton at West Point Military Academy & the carillon at the Riverside church in N.Y. These effects were blended with the music at the proper points in the score. No one has ever duplicated this effort. I have the mono record & the stereo cd of the recording. only 3 microphones were used to capture the entire orchestra. holy...goodness...im not a big fan of classy music but this is fun:!wish i had a better setup.
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Post by UzminiNu on Jan 26, 2011 20:59:56 GMT
Today i recieved my pair of AKG K340, and im now a proud member of the team "proud dumb ass idiot with a K340 and withot a decent amp" They sound different than aother headphones even out of my Neco. Its very tempting to hear it out of a supa dupa tube amp...have a good amp in my eye, so looking forward to it. The headphones are not in excellent condition, but OK for they age.Had to clean out the fuzz behind the earpads, Yaiks!!!
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Post by videoguy on Jan 27, 2011 5:10:32 GMT
Congratulations, you will really like them.
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Post by UzminiNu on Jan 28, 2011 22:56:50 GMT
Hello Bill, how are the new earpads for the K340? it is possible to get them somewhere?
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Post by videoguy on Jan 29, 2011 20:10:48 GMT
Yes, they are available thru a guy on another forum.
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elysion
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Post by elysion on Apr 20, 2011 19:02:21 GMT
www.ricardo.ch/kaufen/audio-tv-und-video/kopfhoerer/sonstige/casque-akg-k340/v/an640515276/I'm interested to buy the K340 in the Swiss auction above. Initially, the price was at 150CHF (IMO that was way too much), but it was lowered to 100CHF (still a lot money for OLD headphones). Does anyone recognise which version of the K340 is shown in the auction pictures? What would you pay for K340's in similar condition. I won't spend a fortune for those old 'phones, but I'm ready if I have a change to get it for a decent price. BTW: It's the first K340 I have spotted in Swiss auction in the last three years.
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Chris53
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Post by Chris53 on Apr 20, 2011 20:02:36 GMT
The other problem in recording studio technique in the states is the most of the mixers under 50, very likely have never heard a true stereophonic recording. In the classical arena some of the finest stereo rcordings were done by C. Robert Fine. He was chief engineer for all of the Mercury's Living Presence series recordings from 1953 til 1965. These records sound amazing today. Some of the series was reissued on cd in the mid to late 90's. I was the sole installer/repair technician for a hi fi shop 1958-1964. The stereo recording of Tchaikovisky's 1812 Overature & Wellintons Victory was THE record that sold a huge amount of hi end hi fi equipment. It features real cannon fire done on locaton at West Point Military Academy & the carillon at the Riverside church in N.Y. These effects were blended with the music at the proper points in the score. No one has ever duplicated this effort. I have the mono record & the stereo cd of the recording. only 3 microphones were used to capture the entire orchestra. holy...goodness...im not a big fan of classy music but this is fun:!wish i had a better setup. The recording videoguy refers to is the Dorati one where he conducts the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra in the 1812 Overture coupled with Beethoven's Wellington's Victory played by the LSO. It's still available on CD and is also still one of the best versions of the piece. : tinyurl.com/42jjbxrYou can also buy the same recording of the 1812 but without the Beethoven (and with more Tchaikovsky) as a part of Classic FM's "Full Works" range which is exclusive to HMV: tinyurl.com/36lslanWe used to use this as a demonstration disc in the various hi-fi shops I worked in during the 1970's. The real cannon and bells are pretty impressive and you need to be careful with the volume level when you play this disc (There was a warning sticker on the vinyl version). If you play it too loud you will need to be ready to catch your speaker cones
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Post by clausdk on Apr 20, 2011 20:10:26 GMT
www.ricardo.ch/kaufen/audio-tv-und-video/kopfhoerer/sonstige/casque-akg-k340/v/an640515276/I'm interested to buy the K340 in the Swiss auction above. Initially, the price was at 150CHF (IMO that was way too much), but it was lowered to 100CHF (still a lot money for OLD headphones). Does anyone recognise which version of the K340 is shown in the auction pictures? What would you pay for K340's in similar condition. I won't spend a fortune for those old 'phones, but I'm ready if I have a change to get it for a decent price. BTW: It's the first K340 I have spotted in Swiss auction in the last three years. I would not mind spending 150 CHF on a pair.. The one in the picture looks well kept.. Add to basket..
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Post by elysion on Apr 24, 2011 14:14:40 GMT
Claus, the problem was that the pictures have been grabbed from the internet (a few from head-fi). A quick Google search showed this.
I asked the seller if he could make photos of his K340. He changed the photos (same link as above). What do you think now?
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