[james444]

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What about asian-fail* instead of flawed? 

 
*Sorry, it's an Americanism

 
Excellent reply, cause it showcases the mindset behind your K3003 review in a quite entertaining way.

 

[k3oxkjo]

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If Itzhak Perlman's violin is unable to reproduce the tones that it should and Itzhak Perlman wants out of it, Itzhak Perlman's violin is "flawed" (maybe even broken.)
 
Similarly, if the K3003 is unable to reproduce the tones that it should and it's owner wants out of it, it is "flawed" (maybe even broken.)

 
OK, let's get rid of this issue once and for all. EVERY headphone/speaker is flawed. So saying something is flawed is a content-free statement. Fatally flawed would mean it is dead (duh), that essentially no one could enjoy the unit past its "fatal" flaw, clearly not the case with the K3003. So we can get back to the more interesting issue of the K3001's good and bad points, why it may be great for some and others may prefer something else.
 
Kevin

 

[ultrabike]

Quote:

 
OK, let's get rid of this issue once and for all. EVERY headphone/speaker is flawed.

Aero Dynamik is going to flay you hard!

 
Quote:

So saying something is flawed is a content-free statement. Fatally flawed would mean it is dead (duh), that essentially no one could enjoy the unit past its "fatal" flaw, clearly not the case with the K3003. So we can get back to the more interesting issue of the K3001's good and bad points, why it may be great for some and others may prefer something else.
 
Kevin

You mentioned in a previous post that you thought the FAD1601 were "tonally flawed", and based on what I've seen and read I would definitively see where you (and James444) are coming from. While the K3003 may not be analog telephone line like flawed, to some they have "fatal" flaws at their price point:
 
1) Good points (strengths): overall neutral.
2) Bad points (flaws): severe lack of coherence, rough high-mids/lower tremble, little bit bloated bass, and lack of isolation.
 
While some may disagree with you (perhaps because at the K3003 price point they expect less flaws), if you like them and think they have no "fatal" flaws, then life is good.

 

[tumburu]

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severe lack of coherence

Reading such statements have 2 effects on me: laughs and compassion.

 

[ultrabike]

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Reading such statements have 2 effects on me: laughs and compassion.

 
I know you like the K3003 quite a bit even with it's rough tremble brightness flaws. But perhaps you are not as sensitive to driver integration coherence flaws due to housing and crossover execution. I guess it's a good thing that such flaws don't bother you.

 

[tumburu]

Quote:

 
I know you like the K3003 quite a bit even with it's rough tremble brightness flaws. But perhaps you are not as sensitive to driver integration coherence flaws due to housing and crossover execution. I guess it's a good thing that such flaws don't bother you.

 
 
I'm not a fan or anything. IMO the only "problem" these IEMs have is what I call "hyper realism", that hi end ba based phones can provide. It's not a natural sound, they exaggerate detail while somehow reducing the dynamics. But this is a much more delicate subject.
 
The only thing that I can say bothers me is the peak at 5.5k, which I prefer to eq down a bit. Maybe I don't have audiophile ears, I only do audio engineering for a living, but I don't hear anything wrong with driver integration/crossover here. The peak in question could maybe leave the impression of some kind of "disconnection" with the rest of the spectrum, I don't know, we all hear nuances so different, but saying 3003 are flawed is such an exaggeration. Audiophiles never cease to amaze me.

 

[james444]

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IMO the only "problem" these IEMs have is what I call "hyper realism", that hi end ba based phones can provide. It's not a natural sound, they exaggerate detail while somehow reducing the dynamics.

 
I think we may be on the same wavelength in that regard. 

 
Though I must say, the 3003 have actually very good dynamics at low volume, they're probably my favorite phones for nighttime / in bed listening.

 

[lee730]

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I think we may be on the same wavelength in that regard. 

 
Though I must say, the 3003 have actually very good dynamics at low volume, they're probably my favorite phones for nighttime / in bed listening.

The FX700 were my favorite in that regard .

 

[McCol]

I bought the K3003 new and sealed from ebay a few days ago for £670, which is £330 less than retail here in the UK.
Now I'm not best qualified to comment about some of the issues/flaws that others claim but I find them to be the dogs bollocks as we say in the UK. By far the best iem I've owned/heard, and that's just listening through through my iPod nano and Blackberry 9900. Will be able to hook them upto my DX100 which should be back from China tomorrow after being repaired.

 

[McCol]

It's all about opinions though really. So far I don't hear these things from the k3003. I did however hear pretty bad sibilance from the Sony EX1000 and pretty bad veiling on the Westone 4. Doesn't make me right though because I know others don't hear or get affected by this.

 

[lee730]

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It's all about opinions though really. So far I don't hear these things from the k3003. I did however hear pretty bad sibilance from the Sony EX1000 and pretty bad veiling on the Westone 4. Doesn't make me right though because I know others don't hear or get affected by this.

Well regarding the EX1000, the treble spikes are clearly there in the measurements. Just because it doesn't bother most doesn't mean it isn't there either. Regarding the coherency of the AKG3003. I do feel it does lack in that area but is still a good IEM, just I've found alternatives that suite my needs more.

 

[McCol]

Thing is, I'm not disputing what people hear or think when listening or using different iem's, I'm just saying we are all different. I've never looked at a chart in my 10 years of buying and trying different iem's. I just go by what my ear hear and whether or not it suits my musical tastes. Take the Phonak 232, I love this iem, I've yet to hear a sibilant note on them but I know others do but I don't go in that thread and shoot them down for it.
Maybe as I get older I'm finding it harder to tolerate people's attitude towards each other on these boards. I've never been a big poster but until recently have always enjoyed reading people's reviews and opinions on this great hobby.

 

[McCol]

Sorry lee730, that wasn't aimed at you, just a general rant.

 

[music_4321]

Quote:

Well regarding the EX1000, the treble spikes are clearly there in the measurements. Just because it doesn't bother most doesn't mean it isn't there either. Regarding the coherency of the AKG3003. I do feel it does lack in that area but is still a good IEM, just I've found alternatives that suite my needs more.

 
One thing is to speak of a treble spike which may well show on a graph, an entirely different thing is to keep calling the EX1000s "garbage" for months on end on so many different threads. I think it's been generally accepted by now, and by many experienced people, that the EX1000 is one of the best universal IEMs out there. It may not be everybody's cup of tea, for sure, but it is a highly regarded IEM nonetheless.

 

[Aero Dynamik]

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[size=medium]Since the excellent thread: “[/size][size=medium]AKG K3003 — Impressions, Reviews & Discussion[/size][size=medium]” (started by the now banned “music_4321”) has been locked (can anyone please inform me of why?), I’ll just post here instead…[/size]

 
Thanks for the kind words.
 
As for why the thread was locked, my guess is that things were starting to get a bit heated and the mods probably thought it best to lock the thread before things got a bit nasty. I personally think it was rather unfortunate it got locked mostly because of the links found on the first post and some rather interesting exchanges / information found within the thread.
 
Glad to see you've found how wonderful the K3003a are. Unfortunately, these AKGs have been much maligned, which soon led to them being practically ignored / overlooked on HF. Like you, I imagine that if I had personally gone by some of the comments that have been posted here, I would not have been interested in these IEMs AT ALL.
 
Having said that, today is exactly 1 year and 3 months since I purchased my K3003s (2nd January 2012), and of all the earphones / headphones I've heard in my life, I have to say that I've only found the full-sized HD800 to be better sonically, though certainly not by much, mind you (I find the HD800 & K3003 remarkably similar). I am, in fact, now selling my FitEar TG 334, HF's current favourite universal IEM, simply because I find the AKGs better sonically, more balanced and very Hi-Fi. I've also noticed in the last few months that the K3003 is the one IEM of all my TOTL IEMs (TG 334, FI-BA-SS, PF IX, 1601SS, IE800) that scales better than any of them.
 
FWIW, if I could keep just one IEM, it would definitely be the K3003, followed by the PF IX, but the latter is a very peculiar IEM and not one I'd easily recommend as it's a very idiosyncratic / different IEM with a type of sound that, to me, certainly is an acquired taste.
 
In a way I'm certainly not affected / upset by the K3003 bashing by 2/3 influential people, quite possibly because I tend to be more averse to blind praise / hype, even of products I quite enjoy.

Unfortunately, the thread is still locked, and it must give newcomers an awkward impression, especially in combination with the many posts and reviews that malign the K3003 as seriously flawed. I'm sure it will make at least some newcomers suspicious and so maybe miss out on a really outstanding IEM. In all honesty, and on behalf of those newcomers, that makes me sad.

I haven’t heard the HD 800 or the FitEar TG 334. All I know is that they’re praised as some of the very finest headphones to date, also here on HF. However, judging from what I hear from the K3003, I’m not surprised that you (and others) find the HD 800 and K3003 remarkably similar. That, if anything, ought to be reassuring to any newcomers looking for a high end reference universal IEM such as the K3003.