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today a box was waiting for me at my doorstep, parts for a few of my akg headphones. while i do own a few pairs of more modern akg headphones, these parts are for the few vintage akgs i've been acquiring over the years; a pair of 600 ohm akg k240m[onitor], a k240df (diffuse field; 600 ohm), and a pair of k270p[layback] (75 ohm). all of these headphones are ~30-40 years old.
the parts in the box are just common wear parts; a foam disc that sits between the listener's ear and the driver baffle/housing, a foam ring that fits inside the cups of the k240, and a small elastic assembly (basically just a rubber hair tie attached to a plastic disc) which controls the self-adjusting headband.
despite these parts needing replacement, all the headphones mentioned are still very usable in their current form. after a decade or two, the foam parts start to disintegrate and the elastic loop for the headband starts to not retain its original size. and despite how plasticy these headphones can look and feel, it's high quality plastic that lasts decades. All of my vintage akgs look new on the outside.
if anyone's looking for a pair of headphones that will last a long time, or looking to get into vintage headphones/audio gear, i do recommend checking out some of the vintage akg headphones. prices are commonly $50-100 USD. a decent headphone amp is also recommended.
all that said, the modern akg studio headphones are a nice value, the ~$60 k240 studio is a common headphone found in professional studios, very serviceable and essentially uses the same common-wear parts as the k240s from many decades ago. I bought a pair of k271 mkii back around 2009, and they have been my go-to closed-back headphone for listening to music since then. they probably have close to 10k hours of use and still look and perform like new. only maintenance on them has been replacing the earpads+foam discs and the oem detachable cable (cable jacket began dry rotting after ~12 years).
sucks that harman ended up deciding to obliterate the akg brand and shutter their vienna facility (r&d department+factory), 7-8 years ago.
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bix
