[slapo]

so... the round Brainwavz, Hifiman Focus pads should be alright?

I haven't tried those, so I can't tell whether they wouldn't change their sound.

I have tried these in their 95mm variant:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2PC-Prot...r-45-110mm-Ear-Foam-pad-Cup-Case/202648112970
They fit great and are a bit deeper, so my ear wasn't right on top of the driver. The change to sound is miniscule, although that might be because my ears fill those pretty much entirely.
The stock pads are really on-ear for me, unless I pack my ears in. XD
These third party ones are... well, I can squeeze my ears into these more easily and I barely have to try.

 

[Cdog]

I wanted the K245's as soon as they were announced some two and a half years ago.

I gave up, moved on.

Now I see them everywhere for $80?

It looks as if Samsung is wasting no time in dumping these last hurrah from the old Vienna design team cans.

I just unboxed a set an hour or so ago. Calling these an open back design is a bit of a stretch. I have full closed back cans that leak more sound!
I sure wasn't ready for the depth and quantity of bass. They're obviously not linear, but old school rock and blues are kickin' with them. So far so good.

For $80.10 and tax these seem to be a no brainer.

 

[Cdog]

I’ve owned the K245 for a while now and feel comfortable in saying that it is one - if not the finest of frequency responses I’ve listened to in an open-back.
To my knowledge these headphones are also the last hurrah from some of the old school engineers before they left the Harman hordes, and sure here I am wholly speculating, but it genuinely sounds like they took a leaf or two from the ol Sennheiser cookbook.
Ever since I started sniffing around headphones there’s been the hardliner neutral heads that yearn for gear that tastes like a newly cleaned window ie like nothing - you get what was recorded in the studio/opera hall/shed....and then the others that like a little colour in the mix.
I am firmly in between ‘camps’ so to speak as I tend to dig the different expressions found in headphones..yet gun to my giraffe ‘choose only one!’-scenario, I’d opt for a Sennie 600.

This last week though has endeared me to the AKG in a big way. It harnesses the best bass I’ve ever heard from an AKG and anything in Sennie’s 6 series.
Interestingly enough it wields a bump in the lowest of lows, which is something I’ve never experienced before in an openback (never really heard a dynamic openback without any subbass roll-off either). Pass that the headphone sounds flat way up until we get to the treble, where I hear a slight raise somewhere around 10k...but very tastefully done mind you. Truth be told the overall behaviour of the presentation echoes the hd650 to these ears but with far better bass capabilities. Warm and natural sounding.
It’s an easy drive and changes beautifully for the more open and airy when connected to my Valhalla 2.

The fit is very nice as well. The pads are not über luxury mini sofas but they don’t need to be. The headphone is light and tends to disappear very quickly on the old noggin.
The build is excellent and exceeds quite a few cans I’ve owned that cost 5-7 times as much. Oh yeah I forgot to mention, I paid 99€ for this off of Thomann!
That’s basically daylight robbery as far as I’m concerned. The K245 should be the talk of the town in Can’s Land...but they’re probably too cheap

After going back reading some of the earlier post this morning it appears that I've plagiarized you a bit in my earlier post. It was unintentional. In my case I'm thinking it's likely two sick, no we'll go with great minds thinking very much alike...

While my 245 have very little head time, they certainly haven't displayed the wide open soundstage of other better known AKG open back cans. While not stuffy like many closed backs these are not what I'd describe as airy. My take, these are more of a vented closed back set of cans.

I have a pair of first generation K553's to my ears they are worlds apart. Completely different voice.

The upper mids of the 553 can be painfully aggressive, while the 245 are obviously much more subdued. Alison Krauss and Joni Mitchell's vocals sound great!

The bass gets your attention right from the start. It's not boomy or bloated, but it's there! It allows me to enjoy listening to many recordings at lower overall volume. The sub bass is likely as present on these as any headphones I've heard.

They're very efficient and have been able to reach painfully loud levels without any signs of distress.

The K245's don't really remind me of another set of cans I own. I believe they remind me more of a pair home speakers.

I've been using an XDUOO TA-10 with a new production Russian Mullard wannabe, flac files and Amazon HD streaming as my sources.

I've had these on my head for more than two hours at a time, the comfort is good, not great. The pad fit reminds me of the Audio Technica M series. Haven't really noticed the headband.

They definitely add their own color to the sound so these won't be for everyone or every genre. Flaws? Yes but their strengths are many.

 

[slapo]

After going back reading some of the earlier post this morning it appears that I've plagiarized you a bit in my earlier post. It was unintentional. In my case I'm thinking it's likely two sick, no we'll go with great minds thinking very much alike...

While my 245 have very little head time, they certainly haven't displayed the wide open soundstage of other better known AKG open back cans. While not stuffy like many closed backs these are not what I'd describe as airy. My take, these are more of a vented closed back set of cans.

I have a pair of first generation K553's to my ears they are worlds apart. Completely different voice.

The upper mids of the 553 can be painfully aggressive, while the 245 are obviously much more subdued. Alison Krauss and Joni Mitchell's vocals sound great!

The bass gets your attention right from the start. It's not boomy or bloated, but it's there! It allows me to enjoy listening to many recordings at lower overall volume. The sub bass is likely as present on these as any headphones I've heard.

They're very efficient and have been able to reach painfully loud levels without any signs of distress.

The K245's don't really remind me of another set of cans I own. I believe they remind me more of a pair home speakers.

I've been using an XDUOO TA-10 with a new production Russian Mullard wannabe, flac files and Amazon HD streaming as my sources.

I've had these on my head for more than two hours at a time, the comfort is good, not great. The pad fit reminds me of the Audio Technica M series. Haven't really noticed the headband.

They definitely add their own color to the sound so these won't be for everyone or every genre. Flaws? Yes but their strengths are many.

That's pretty much how the K550 and K245 sounded to me, except I found the bass on the K245 a touch too much at times. Now I find myself looking for a deal on them because they were kind of like a smoother, bassier Shure SRH-1840, which I really like. They actually also sound like a slightly better resolving and bassier K275, with almost the same level of isolation.
They're nice cans.

 

[metal571]

Pretty sure the 175, 245, and 275 have nothing to do with the Vienna team. Olive confirmed with me on Twitter already that they were produced before the company shifted to adhering to the Harman target. Iirc the K550 would be one of the last if not the last can designed by the original AKG team, but I could be wrong.

 

[Mad Max]

Got K275 and K245.
I'm liking K275 better as well; bit more clarity, strangely enough, even though they are both vented, just the K245 is vented more (though not as much as its appearance implies). K245 was the wider soundstage, but both are pretty close in overall sound.

They sport the "jointed cup" design from older, lower-priced AKGs that I don't like (it sacrifices potential isolation and often some of the bass, too) due to being designed with having swivel joints within the cups instead of on the outside.

The sound is definitely K553/K550-inspired. Tonal balance is uber flat, like a properly designed studio monitor. Superb! Clarity is great, too. Earpads are the same mediocre design of the K550 and K553 (first gens, I've no experience with the newer versions), but firmer on the exterior and the inner side is an unnecessarily wrinkly and soft texture which neither does nothing good for any headphone's sound in my modding experience, nor does it contribute to comfort either. It bottlenecks clarity a bit, nothing more.
AKG made something pretty impressive with K553 and now this K275, in my opinion. K275 is a worthy, cheaper alternative to K55x (ignoring Massdrop/Drop), and nearly as good plus it folds up for greater portability. Very little touches them in their combination of clarity, resolution, and tonal balance. ATH-M70x comes close but sounds a bit more opaque to the music and is a little midrange-centric (not to mention overpriced as it is not in a "greater league" than K55x/DT770/SRH840/HRM7/KNS8400/HD380 as its price tag implies), and the Pioneer HRM7 boasts greater clarity and resolution than the AKGs, but lacks the tonal balance as impressively flat as the AKGs. The M-Audio HDH50 comes close in tonal balance but sorely lacks the clarity and resolution of the AKGs. DT770 doesn't even come close in tonal balance, lol, but outdoes them in resolution.
Both the K245 and K275 are lacking acoustic damping inside their cups in order to sound as open as DT770 and especially HRM7. Nothing a bit of fiberfill can't fix, but it would be nice if AKG would bother to put it in for us, like Pioneer does in HRM7 and the MHR5 or Beyerdynamic in DT770/880/990 and the old DT660.

 

[brokengundam]

Mine don't quite sound as good since they got a wireless mod.



The plastic threads on the connector stripped.
I only used them in bed for a few days a week over a few months.
I liked the design (besides the springing headband sometimes grabbing hair), just not the fit or the sound from the fit.

 

[Mad Max]

lol, I've repaired Q701s with that mod now and then

 

[brokengundam]

lol, I've repaired Q701s with that mod now and then
it's a piece of cake with a solder iron and super glue, but most folks won't have the iron

Yeah, I have soldering equipment, just not really in a rush to fix them. I figure I'll put it back together when I have my gear out for soldering another project or two, kill multiple birds with one stone. At the latest, in April or May when I should have a mechanical keyboard kit show up, or maybe earlier if I happen to remember where I left a Boss Bass Flanger pedal so I can replace some opamps and caps on it in hopes of toning down its noisiness. Living in a small NY apartment means I have my soldering supplies buried in one of many storage containers stacked against a wall. I don't currently care enough for the K275 to shift stuff around to fix them, especially when I have other cans to use.

 

[MonoJon]

Oh man! I am so bummed! I've read great things about these sub-$100 "entry-level audiophile headphones" here and elsewhere. I just got the K275 and I'm not happy. My head seems to be too small for these. I'm listening to them right now at my office. The cable is horribly microphonic. Plus, the isolation is terrible and they feel way too loose. Granted, this is my first pair of over-ears, so I'm not sure exactly what to expect, but I expected more than this. The clicking of my keystrokes is clearly audible as I am typing and every little motion of the cable against my shirt goes "woosh-woosh" in my left ear.

What can be done?! Can it be easily modded to fit better, and better isolate? Is there something similar that might fit me better? What can be done about this awful cable?

Thanks ~Jon

 

[Mad Max]

Build your own cable with cotton + paracord sleeving using Mogami 2893 and your choice of connectors (mini XLR + 3.5mm stereo or 1/4" stereo, whatever works for you).
Isolation ain't going to improve, the design is fundamentally flawed for good isolation in typical AKG fashion.

For better isolation, fit, and less microphonics, look elsewhere. Return/sell the K275.

Edit: now that I try it with a few of my own tracks, K275 sounds super muffled. I think it was my brain adjusted to the sound when I tried it earlier, now I'm "de-calibrated".

 

[Cdog]

Been doing some more listening mixing components. First I've removed the tube from the chain on the K245's source. I used an old Schiit Magni 2 Uber amp and a Modi Multibit dac. The sound is much different. The bass clarity has changed the most. I don't know if it's what I'd consider as better, but the level is more balanced with the rest of the sound.

My next move was to switch the dac to the AKM built in the XDUOO with the M2 Uber. Again the bass was heavily effected. Compared with the Modi MB the AKM definitely enhances the bass level and what I perceive as better sub bass.

The combination of the AKM with tube preamp can with some music make the 245's come across a bit tubby. The Modi MB with the tube pre seems like a fairly balanced combo.

The upper mids didn't become offensive with any combo. This is a huge plus for my upper mid sensitive hearing.

My uneducated, unscientific conclusion is? The cans definitely are capable of responding to changes in what's up the chain.

Which is best? I don't know, Likely it'll depend on the day, etc!

 

[PDC3]

Oh man! I am so bummed! I've read great things about these sub-$100 "entry-level audiophile headphones" here and elsewhere. I just got the K275 and I'm not happy. My head seems to be too small for these. I'm listening to them right now at my office. The cable is horribly microphonic. Plus, the isolation is terrible and they feel way too loose. Granted, this is my first pair of over-ears, so I'm not sure exactly what to expect, but I expected more than this. The clicking of my keystrokes is clearly audible as I am typing and every little motion of the cable against my shirt goes "woosh-woosh" in my left ear.

What can be done?! Can it be easily modded to fit better, and better isolate? Is there something similar that might fit me better? What can be done about this awful cable?

Thanks ~Jon

Jon, I already owned Q701 so I never have used the K cable, but rather the (lime green, yowza!) Q cables. Neither is microphonic. As to isolation, you're wearing glasses, as I do? You might try a Brainwavz alternative ear pad, which I've found helps but does not "fix" the isolation to the level that removing my glasses does. If you're unhappy with NO glasses, then I think perhaps you won't easily be made happy by a mod that uses a round pad. Your head's shape may isolate better with phones that use an ovoid (egg-shape) ear cup.

 

[MonoJon]

Build your own cable with cotton + paracord sleeving using Mogami 2893 and your choice of connectors (mini XLR + 3.5mm stereo or 1/4" stereo, whatever works for you).
Isolation ain't going to improve, the design is fundamentally flawed for good isolation in typical AKG fashion.

For better isolation, fit, and less microphonics, look elsewhere. Return/sell the K275.

@Mad Max thank you. Is there a guide available for this cable construction? I'd be willing to have a go at it. I have a bunch of paracord and a basic soldering iron.

When you say "look elsewhere", do you have alternate suggestions? Could I not see an improvement with these using different ear pads and adding padding to the headband? Does the K553 MKII fit a narrow head better and isolate better?

Jon, I already owned Q701 so I never have used the K cable, but rather the (lime green, yowza!) Q cables. Neither is microphonic. As to isolation, you're wearing glasses, as I do? You might try a Brainwavz alternative ear pad, which I've found helps but does not "fix" the isolation to the level that removing my glasses does. If you're unhappy with NO glasses, then I think perhaps you won't easily be made happy by a mod that uses a round pad. Your head's shape may isolate better with phones that use an ovoid (egg-shape) ear cup.

@PDC3 , Thank you. Not wearing glasses is not an option for me, unfortunately. Do you have a suggestion for a sub-$100 set of 'phones with ovoid pads that is similar to the K275 or K553? I was also interested in the Beyer DT 770, but I think that's also a round pad. Fortunately, the cable on these is replaceable. The microphonics of the cable are so significant that I am surprised it hasn't been mentioned in this thread yet (unless I missed it). Which Brainwavz pad do you recommend? Also, are you aware of a reputable "extra thick" pad that would fit the K275? I am thinking I can maybe increase clamping pressure with something like that along with padding for the headband.

Ultimately, I think I may be expecting too much in terms of isolation since I am coming from IEMs, but it seems to me that the two-part earcup design, with the hinge built into the earcup itself may be to blame. I am wondering if the K553 with the one-piece earcup may be more satisfying in terms of isolation.

~ Jon

 

[slapo]

Brainwavz size pads boost treble too much.
I got these recently and they're really nice:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33057605882.html (95mm)
They're still a fairly snug fit (but I have rather large ears) and they bring up the treble just a hair. I think it's actually to a good effect, as it makes them sound a touch more open and without any sharpness that I could find thus far.
It doesn't help sound isolation, so they're still not good there, but comfort is really good now.

EDIT: As nice as the pads were when new, the foam degraded severely in about a year.