In order of acquisition:
- AKG K271 Studio (original mk1 version, broken)
- AKG K240 Sextett (broken)
- Koss Porta Pro (broken)
- Thomann t.bone (forgot exact model, broken)
- Beyerdynamic DT-770 Pro (250 ohms variant)
- Beyerdynamic DT-1770 Pro
- Shure SRH1540
The K271s were my first "proper" headphones (and also first "proper" audio reproduction devices in general), I bought them new in 2002-2003 and used them regularly for over a decade. IIRC they cost as much as 171 euros from Thomann back then. They are the original mk1 version with slightly better official specs than the K271 mk2s which replaced them in AKG's product catalog, though only came with one cable and one set of pads while mk2s are packaged with two cables and two sets of pads. No idea how they'd really compare to mk2s if measured. Seems even
the mk2s themselves may have
got some downgrades along the years... The mk1s were all "Made in Austria" of course, for what that may actually count. The design also looks maybe a little bit less cheap than that of the mk2s, unfortunately the glue keeping the little "K271 studio" decal on one side of the headphones eventually gave up and I lost it. It's probably not possible to get a replacement anymore except by buying another pair of K271 mk1s which I've contemplated doing.
After getting disappointed with a replacement cable and pads for the K271s bought from random Chinese eBay and AliExpress sellers and even an official AKG branded replacement cable -- it got stiff and broke in under 6 months, faster than the one I got from a random eBay seller actually -- I decided to give up on them go buy something else instead. Especially because one day I had accidentally stepped on the cable which caused the headphones to fly from my head and hit the floor pretty hard after which there was noticeably less bass on one side (the headband plastics also got damaged a bit but I managed to glue them together), and because the elastic band which is supposed to tighten the headphones on the user's head doesn't work that well anymore.
I always liked the sound of those K271s but since it was not possible to buy the exact same mk1 model anymore and since it seemed like AKG quality in general might not be what it used to be, I decided to get something else and chose the Beyerdynamic DT-770 Pros due to sturdy build and good parts availability.
On a whim I had also bought a pair of broken K240 Sextetts from eBay. I got them for almost just the postage. The cable would have to be replaced and the elastic band has completely lost its tension. Surprisingly the pleather pads seem to be in excellent shape. Perhaps the previous owner swapped those shortly before getting rid of the headphones. Note that I don't really believe the "hype" you can find for the Sextetts on silly forums like Head-Fi, in fact I suspect it's very likely that a successful repair -- which I'll eventually get around to -- will reward me with a pair of pretty average or even crappy sounding headphones by current standards. Just thought the six driver system is weird enough to get these for fun. I think the pads might also fit the K271s but I've not tried it.
The sound of the DT-770s definitely took some getting used to after the AFAIK relatively neutral K271s, and I wonder how badly the DT-770s will get destroyed if they're ever reviewed here. At least the treble peak shouldn't be as bad as on the DT-990s, I have tried a friend's DT-990s and the treble on those even managed to cause slight feelings of pain in my ears. On the plus side, some extra bass compared to the K271s was probably welcome, and the sound of the DT-770s was very "open" or "wide" compared to the K271s despite both being closed back headphones, I guess this is what's often called "soundstage" in headphones. The Beyer velour pads were also very nice and comfortable but started to flatten a bit too quickly with regular use in my opinion.
After using the DT-770s for a couple of years I bought the DT-1770s as my first headphones in a slightly more expensive price class. Again went for Beyers due to their sturdy build and parts availability, and also because I thought the DT-1770s would be just like the DT-770s, only better. Well, the DT-1770s certainly look and feel very nice (not that the DT-770s are too cheap or flimsy) but I'm not sure if the sound is really 300 euros better than on the DT-770s and I'm not sure if it's even "the same but better".
At about the same time I bought the SRH1540s used from eBay for a little less than 200 euros including shipping, mainly on a whim but I also justified it a bit to myself with their much lower impedance rating (yet very similar sensitivity) vs. the Beyers. New, they'd cost about as much as the DT-1770s, around 400-450 euros. Actually the packages containing the SRH1540s and DT-1770s arrived the exact same day. Again, the first impression was: really nice look and feel but I'm not sure if the sound is truly 300 euros better than on the DT-770s.
When I got them out of their boxes, I thought both the DT-1770s and SRH1540s had too much bass compared to the DT-770s and especially the K271s, with the DT-1770s actually having WAY TOO MUCH bass. At least on the SRH1540s the bass didn't seem to
almost drown everything else under it like on the DT-1770s. I even contemplated returning the DT-1770s in my two week tryout period but in the end decided to keep them because I didn't really know what else I'd buy with the money.
Again I have to wonder how badly the DT-1770s or SRH1540s would get destroyed here if ever reviewed!
After using only the SRH1540s for a while and switching back to the DT-1770s I noticed that there might be a slight channel imbalance problem on the DT-1770s, so I contacted Thomann and they sent me a new pair. Now I'm not sure if I just got used to bass (since the SRH1540s I was listening to while waiting for service or replacement are also bassy headphones), or if the first pair of DT-1770s was also faulty in some other way besides the slight channel imbalance since after receiving the new pair I don't find the bass on the DT-1770s offensive anymore.
I wish I had written down or photographed the serial on the first pair of DT-1770s so I could compare it with the new pair. I want to think the serial on the first pair was actually much lower than on the second pair (4xxxx vs 7xxxx), so I wonder if Beyer actually revised the design at some point and reduced the ridiculous bass. At least I'm pretty sure the hardcase that came the first pair had the old Beyerdynamic logo plus a "Professional audio" text while the one I have now has the new logo and no additional text, though of course that doesn't necessarily mean that the headphones themselves are different in any (intentional) way.
The SRH1540 pads seem like they might last longer with regular use than Beyer pads but we shall see. I got one used and one seemingly unused pair of earpads with the SRH1540s from eBay. On the other hand new original Shure pads are more expensive than Beyer pads, and it seems to be not possible to buy original replacement headband cushions at all. Apparently Shure sells a whole replacement headband incl. new cushions if you ask them directly though (haven't seen RPH1540s in stores), and certain Sennheiser headband cushions fit very well. I'll probably go with the Sennheiser option because buying something directly from Shure must cost quite a bit in shipping to Europe. I'll just live without the cushions for the time being, I still have some hair and the SRH1540s feel pretty ok to wear even without the cushion strips.
Currently I am mostly using the DT-1770s, but sometimes I switch to the SRH1540s for a while. The SRH1540s are also good to have around for the occasions I need to get audio out of something which struggles with the 250 ohm Beyers, such as my old portable game consoles. (not that they get a lot of use these days anymore...)
I don't think I'm going to buy more headphones any time soon, rather I'm going to buy some speakers next, but if and when I do I'll probably try some closed backs from Dan Clark Audio.
...and that's my lengthy headphone story. Did anyone even read it?
Maybe I should try to go back to the DT-770s now that I've only been listening to these much more expensive and supposedly better headphones for a while? Or even the K271 mk1s? (after they're repaired of course, or I manage to get another pair from somewhere for a reasonable price)
Why I'm not EQing my headphones? Mainly because I'm afraid that if I get used to it I can't live without it anymore, which will mean that audio sources other than a PC (or a smartphone but I don't like using those much anyway) could become problematic.
edit: oh yeah I almost forgot that I had also bought the Porta Pros, I'm not actually sure anymore whether I got them before or after the DT-770s. Sadly I managed to break the plastic part which attaches the drivers to the headband on one side relatively quickly by forgetting them in my pocket and sitting down on a bench with my fat ass. I still have the Porta Pros in storage but the cable has now stiffened and broken too. For a little while when contemplating what to buy after the K271s I also used some cheap Thomann store brand (t.bone) headphones I got for free from a friend but they weren't really anything to talk about. I also managed to break the plug on those by dropping a laptop they were connected to. Thankfully the laptop itself survived fine, and there was enough of the plug left in the laptop's headphone connector to easily pull it out!
