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The K240S is an odd beast. It's not hi-fi by any means. The bass is big, boomy, and not particularly well-extended. The highs are somewhat recessed and don't convey a whole lot of detail. The sound is akin to a fat black woman shaking her booty on the dance floor. Not a lot of refinement...

But she sure knows how to have a good time.

The midrange on this headphone is where it shines. It's agressive and gritty yet somehow sweet. Guitar riffs are like spiked balls dipped in rich honey and jammed into your ears. Wonderful stuff. If you forget about what you know about hi-fidelity audio reproduction the flabby bass will move you, your head will bob and you will groove like never before. The trebles are recessed, yes, but listener fatigue is almost never an issue because of it.

The K240S sounds pretty OK out of portables and generic receivers, but I've never heard a headphone improve more with decent amplification. It was truly a night-and-day difference when I finally plugged these into a decent dedicated headphone amplifier. Bass tightened up significantly, trebles became clearer, and overall the sound was less muddy than before.

Soundstage on the K240S isn't collapsed like a grado, but it's not very expansive either. Because of this (and the flabby bass) I can't recommend these headphones for electronic music or classical. But despite their laid-back character they work quite well for all types of rock, especially classic rock. They also excel at jazz, hip-hop (particularly the oldskool stuff) and funk.

Although not exactly a 'portable' headphone, I really don't mind wearing these out and about. They're big, yes, but not unweildy, and the self-adjusting headband keeps them on your head fairly well. Comfort-wise, the pleather earpads can get sweaty and are not as comfortable as say, Beyer velour pads, although the headband is the most comfortable I've found on any headphone.

All in all, the K240S is a great headphone for certain genres of music, and entertains the listener better than most headphones I've heard. The fact that it's fairly inexpensive makes it a must-listen in my book.

I found these to be very overrated. I bought them expecting to 'groove.' Well, it was like trying to groove in quicksand. The bass is overwhelming. It is not like the tight, punchy grado type. It is slow and bloated. They definately need an amp. When I tried it with only soundcard, they were even more muddy/boomy. With that said, I still recommend these because for the price, they are quite good. Also, the build quality is excellent. I really like the self adjusting headband. Quite comfy, but the pads get pretty hot/sweaty.

These headphones are great for home use and while they improve with amplification, they dont need it. At their price point they are a great place to start and you can built a very good hi-fi system around them. They are very similar in sonic character to the AKG K271 Studio [see my review of them here]. The only differences would be that the K240S has more bass and the K271S is more refined overall. The K271S is also a closed headphone and as such it provides isolation.

All in all I would say that the K240S is the best headphone that I've ever sold. The only reason I parted company with it is because the K271S has everything and more. The K240S is a much better value than the K271S however and if you only plan on using them in a home system the choice is a no brainer. ;)

The look and the build quality of these headphones are great. They have good bass and are easy to drive. Lacking a little in the mids but nothing like the tri-ports.