Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)AKG headphones are some of the best designed headphones you can buy, both in terms of product design (comfort, aesthetics, functionality) and engineering (sound quality is amazing!). The AKG K 242 HD's are no exception. They sound fantastic, are a joy to wear, and have a build quality rarely seen in products today (the gimbal suspension system for the earcups and the self adjusting metal wire frame are two very well designed features, unique to AKG). Like most high end audio equipment, one should expect a ramp up in sound quality as the product gets broken in (which is a good thing as they will only get better with use). Out of the box these headphones sound great (as far as my non-audiophile aural senses can discern). As is the case with most AKG headphones of this line the bass is a bit lean, but is very well balanced. In my opinion, the fact that I consider them bass-lean is simply a condition of the inferior quality of audio experiences most of us experience in our lives (see "movie theater bass overload").
All in all these are a great pair of cans, but not without criticism. The semi-open design is intended to be a solution to the delicate balancing between sound isolation (both user based and environment base; ie. exterior sound coming in and produced sound going out)and sound quality, however this pair is EXTREMELY poor at isolating sound. Even at unamplified, computer generated (I have no sound card or computer-based sound amplification) moderate volumes these headphones essentially broadcast whatever is playing inside the unit to the outside environment. There is essentially no sound isolation for the user either, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but if you expect to be using these headphones in a public environment (school, library, office, bus, etc.) expect to hear everything around you, and expect everyone else to hear everything you hear as well!
Now, I've spoken to some of my audiophile friends on this issue and a typical response is that "you're listening to your music too loud!". Not at all. I'm not talking about exorbitant levels of sound here; imagine you are listening to classical music at a sound level analogous to a quiet conversation, this level of sound is being heard by ALL, user and those around. What you hear is essentially what everyone else hears. The reason I speak so lengthy on a subject that has little to do with sound quality is because you won't find any reviews that speak of this problem. Either all the consumers of this product just don't care, or the issue is something that is trumped by the overall quality of the product (I will reiterate that the sound produced by these things are really great, I would have given five stars if it hadn't been for the sound leak issue).
Conclusion: These headphones are amazing!....that is for home and private use! Probably not the best for studio monitoring (sound leak will definitely leak into an open mike) and terrible for places where social etiquette should be observed (libraries, study halls, schools, offices, etc.). I would recommend, with caveats.
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The AKG K 242 HD high performance headphone is a must have when you desire the best personal listening experience from nearly any audio device.Deisgned to deliver the ultimate in AKG performance - high-output sound and the widest, distortion free frequency response -they are the ultimate high-performance upgrade for critical listening in today's high definition world. With an on-ear, semi open design that sits comfortably on the ear with ultrasoft velvet ear pads, the K 142 HD headphones deliver sparkling high frequencies, richer mid-range and the deepest bass from an AKG headphone. Their ultra-efficient design and 99.9% oxygen-free, single-sided, detachable cable means you have the purest sound transmission possible. Add gold plated contacts and plugs for the best connection and you have AKG's best listening experience possible.
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