[music_4321]

Quote:

... In the UK we only have the version with the remote which is a shame. It is the poorest part build quality wise. Unlike the metal earphone casings which seem durable and won't scratch too easily, the remote is a nightmare and micro scratches just wiping it clean. I don't know if its a fake metal, or just a very poor thin sheet of one, but that is undoubtedly the bit that will show wear first aside from any cable accidents.

 
Seems to me to be a thin piece stainless steel, which is nice in the sense that's it's not heavy but it does lack strain reliefs at both ends (even the new £25 Apple EarPods come with strain reliefs at both ends of the remote unit!). It's a shame AKG only seem to sell/market the remote/mic version of the K3003 in Europe and North America, but at least in Europe (though I'd imagine the same would apply in NA), if you contact AKG Austria directly, or an authorised AKG distributor in the rest of Europe, they can definitely get you the non-remote/mic version, or so I was told when I got my own non-remote/mic set (from AKG Austria).
 
Nice clear & balanced impressions, btw.

 

[jonstatt]

Quote:

 
Seems to me to be a thin piece stainless steel, which is nice in the sense that's it's not heavy but it does lack strain reliefs at both ends (even the new £25 Apple EarPods come with strain reliefs at both ends of the remote unit!). It's a shame AKG only seem to sell/market the remote/mic version of the K3003 in Europe and North America, but at least in Europe (though I'd imagine the same would apply in NA), if you contact AKG Austria directly, or an authorised AKG distributor in the rest of Europe, they can definitely get you the non-remote/mic version, or so I was told when I got my own non-remote/mic set (from AKG Austria).
 
Nice clear & balanced impressions, btw.

 
Thank you. I wasn't ready to give a "full" review yet but I wanted to tackle the hotly debated aspects of it   If I had been paying full retail price I would have gone chasing after the non "I" version. And I agree, it looks like it was more of an afterthought in the design with the lack of strain reliefs. The provided case is quite clever as you may have noticed it has a deeper cut-out along the side where it lines up with the remote when you wrap the cable. But I can tell the remote will get scruffy eventually while the rest of it will stay immaculate.

 

[jonstatt]

Accidental post. Deleted

 

[cooperpwc]

I finally heard the K3003 last week. Unfortunately it was only for a few minutes and the audio store was noisy with background music. Actually the K3003 isolated better than I expected (but my expectations were not high).
 
First impressions: These do sound very good.
 
Second impression: Might they be a bit polite?
 
Third impression: I don't have a third impression yet. I need to spend a lot more time with the K3003 in a quiet environment.
 
I am interested in these, in no small part because the cranky sparrow like them so much.   

 

[cooperpwc]

---

 

[music_4321]

Quote:

I finally heard the K3003 last week. Unfortunately it was only for a few minutes and the audio store was noisy with background music. Actually the K3003 isolated better than I expected (but my expectations were not high).
 
First impressions: These do sound very good.
 
Second impression: Might they be a bit polite?
 
Third impression: I don't have a third impression yet. I need to spend a lot more time with the K3003 in a quiet environment.
 
I am interested in these, in no small part because the cranky sparrow like them so much.   

 
    

 

[Aero Dynamik]

Quote:

I finally heard the K3003 last week. Unfortunately it was only for a few minutes and the audio store was noisy with background music. Actually the K3003 isolated better than I expected (but my expectations were not high).
 
First impressions: These do sound very good.
 
Second impression: Might they be a bit polite?
 
Third impression: I don't have a third impression yet. I need to spend a lot more time with the K3003 in a quiet environment.
 
I am interested in these, in no small part because the cranky sparrow like them so much.   

Well, I know "hype" isn't very highly regarded here, but "sound very good"? Isn't that a just a tiny bit lame? That's how I describe my Koss Porta Pro when people ask.
 
Yes, absolutely polite! Now, is that a good thing or a bad thing? I personally think it's a good thing. It feels like the sound waves very naturally (like real sound waves) flow in to the ears, whereas with my customs (EarSonics EM6) and my other TOTL universal (FitEar ToGo! 334) the sound waves feel more like "pumped" into the ears. I enjoy both, but the K3003 I find to be one of a kind to be able to deliver sound that is at least on par with the 334 and the EM6 without the "pumping" feeling.

 

[lee730]

Quote:

Well, I know "hype" isn't very highly regarded here, but "sound very good"? Isn't that a just a tiny bit lame? That's how I describe my Koss Porta Pro when people ask.
 
Yes, absolutely polite! Now, is that a good thing or a bad thing? I personally think it's a good thing. It feels like the sound waves very naturally (like real sound waves) flow in to the ears, whereas with my customs (EarSonics EM6) and my other TOTL universal (FitEar ToGo! 334) the sound waves feel more like "pumped" into the ears. I enjoy both, but the K3003 I find to be one of a kind to be able to deliver sound that is at least on par with the 334 and the EM6 without the "pumping" feeling.

Are you talking about the 334s being more forward in its presentation? If so I can agree with you. As if its forced on you in a way. Not sure if I would call the AKG polite though. They were very much detailed and the treble was on the peppy side. Not bad but not polite in my experience . I'd call the Heir 8A polite.

 

[tumburu]

Quote:

 a bit polite?

 

[cooperpwc]

"sound very good" is high praise from me. Most headphones bore me silly. But that really is all that I can say at this point. The environment was too loud and the listening session too short.
 
Polite is not necessarily bad if there is grace in the mix: nuance, layering....
 
I have to give the K3003 a proper listen.

 

[Aero Dynamik]

Quote:

"sound very good" is high praise from me. Most headphones bore me silly. But that really is all that I can say at this point. The environment was too loud and the listening session too short.
 
Polite is not necessarily bad if there is grace in the mix: nuance, layering....
 
I have to give the K3003 a proper listen.

Well, and to be honest, I pretty much thought so, especially as it was the words of a "Headphoneus Supremus". Nevertheless, good to hear, sigh of relief!

 
I look forward to hear about your future impressions, thanks!

 

[cooperpwc]

Quote:

Well, and to be honest, I pretty much thought so, especially as it was the words of a "Headphoneus Supremus". Nevertheless, good to hear, sigh of relief!

 
I look forward to hear about your future impressions, thanks!

 
Headphoneus Sepremus just means that I have too much time on my hands. 

 

[music_4321]

Quote:

Well, and to be honest, I pretty much thought so, especially as it was the words of a "Headphoneus Supremus".

 
"Headphoneus Supremus" simply means you've reached 1,500 posts, that's all, and is often a very misleading moniker. Some people post a hell of a lot and reach 1,500 posts within the space of a few weeks — many of these posters simply like to post a lot and quite often are not very experienced or have little clue about audio. Unfortunately, many new members (and lurkers) tend to pay more attention to many of these so-called "Headphoneus Supremus", all the more when they have very high post-counts.

By contrast, there are quite a few people out there with fewer than 500 posts, don't post very often, but are quite knowledgeable.

cooperpwc is an experienced and fairly credible HF'er.

 

[Aero Dynamik]

Quote:

Quote:

Well, I know "hype" isn't very highly regarded here, but "sound very good"? Isn't that a just a tiny bit lame? That's how I describe my Koss Porta Pro when people ask.
 
Yes, absolutely polite! Now, is that a good thing or a bad thing? I personally think it's a good thing. It feels like the sound waves very naturally (like real sound waves) flow in to the ears, whereas with my customs (EarSonics EM6) and my other TOTL universal (FitEar ToGo! 334) the sound waves feel more like "pumped" into the ears. I enjoy both, but the K3003 I find to be one of a kind to be able to deliver sound that is at least on par with the 334 and the EM6 without the "pumping" feeling.

Are you talking about the 334s being more forward in its presentation? If so I can agree with you. As if its forced on you in a way. Not sure if I would call the AKG polite though. They were very much detailed and the treble was on the peppy side. Not bad but not polite in my experience . I'd call the Heir 8A polite.

Yes, very well put! The tips must be "the right ones" for me, inserted as shallow as possible (but still with a good seal), the angle of the tips must be pretty exact, and the volume can't be loud (50% iPod Touch G4 is extremely loud and certainly much too loud for me with the 334). If one of these parameters fail the sound can feel pretty much forced with the 334. None of these issues are a problem with the K3003 (medium stock tips), not even the highs, which I find even a tad more transparent and detailed (especially with the treble boost filters) than on the 334. I never feel "under attack" with the K3003. However, when everything is in place and the recording is the right (for example "Essential by Yello"), the 334 sounds absolutely divine! Yes, maybe "forward" is what most people say when they describe what I call "pumped"/"under attack".
 
Thanks for your input/comment!

 

[Aero Dynamik]

Quote:

Quote:

Well, and to be honest, I pretty much thought so, especially as it was the words of a "Headphoneus Supremus". Nevertheless, good to hear, sigh of relief!

 
I look forward to hear about your future impressions, thanks!

 
Headphoneus Sepremus just means that I have too much time on my hands. 

You're being very humble! That really impresses me and makes me happy! Thanks!