AKG K3003 High End 3 Way System Headphone

[sup3r8]

Quote:

Step One: I am powerless over music. My ears have become unmanageable.

Step Two- my brain is overclocking trying to reason to my ears why my new earphones are so much better than the ones I sold. Cerebral symptoms are showing signs of refutal and
spasms akin to the last rebound love experienced in high school..aarrghh..upgraditis .. you leviathan..

 

[up late]

had these a few days and am digging them.

 

[music_4321]

^   Now, that's the sort of in-depth review we need round here! (apologies for the lack of smileys / emoticons)

 

[up late]

you post more than enough of those music. i've got nothing to add that hasn't already been said.

 

[music_4321]

Quote:

... i've got nothing to add that hasn't already been said.

 
You're actually telling me / us you're "digging" the massive K3003 incoherence, the awful treble spikes, the slooow bass… and, oh yes, the most recent (only a few days' old) official discovery the K3003s have grainy treble?! Something definitely wrong with Mr up late's hearing, I say.

 

[up late]

afraid so but i've obviously got no idea. anyhoo it's been interesting hanging with you earphone tragics. time to move on.

 

[Aero Dynamik]

Quote:

afraid so but i've obviously got no idea. anyhoo it's been interesting hanging with you earphone tragics.

time to move on.

Judging from what you write I take it you’re still a young person who hasn’t yet realized that it is the small things in life that really matters! 

 

[up late]

or it could be that I don't obsess over the small things because they're not big enough to worry about. it's just personal audio man. cheers.

 

[Aero Dynamik]

Quote:

Quote:

... i've got nothing to add that hasn't already been said.

 
You're actually telling me / us you're "digging" the massive K3003 incoherence, the awful treble spikes, the slooow bass… and, oh yes, the most recent (only a few days' old) official discovery the K3003s have grainy treble?! Something definitely wrong with Mr up late's hearing, I say.

Isn't "grainy" an understatement? I'd say "coarse sandpaper" would be a more proper description!
 
I guess this post will be nothing really new under the sun, but here is my take on what matters to me when it comes to reproduction of music and sound.

I believe there are two basic types of Head-Fi:ers; those who are looking for the most satisfying musical experience, and those looking for perfect sound reproduction in general. I believe (without elaborating) the latter type is basically out of luck.

Now, if someone who is looking for perfectly reproduced sound and has developed skills within this field hears the K3003, it may be that he or she will be able to discern serious flaws when compared to the specification of perfect sound reproduction (whatever that is). In this sense the K3003 actually may be quite horrible (although I personally find that challenging to believe, to say the least).

I belong to the type of Head-Fi:er looking for the most satisfying musical experience, and in that sense I find the K3003 to be one of a kind amazing. If I hear a (well recorded) violin through the K3003 it gives me more or less the same feeling as I get as when listening to a live violin (especially with the high boost filters). However, if we were to compare the graphs of the “K3003 violin” and the “live violin” I wouldn’t be surprised if they would look very different, perhaps as different as comparing the pictures of a cat and a dog. My point is, however, that it really doesn’t matter much to me at all. If what comes out of the K3003 gives me the feeling and sense of a live violin, then to me it is a live violin, even though from a clinical point of view it looks like the sound of a barking dog.

I believe looking for perfect sound reproduction is and always will be a hopeless endeavor, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the most skilled and experienced sound engineers never have this as their base or ambition.

 

[music_4321]

^   The latest recent "grainy" comment was quite frankly a joke, in my not so humble opinion, a joke in a long series of attempts (for a year now)—by a single person—to criticise the K3003s (and TF334) in favour of their own favourite IEM. I'll leave it at that.

As for those "looking for perfectly reproduced sound", people who apparently have "developed skills within this field" and their coming to the conclusion the K3003s have serious flaws, all I have to say is that there are also people with a pretty decent pair of ears who have rated the K3003s pretty highly. The K3003 may not be perfect (is there a perfect phone / IEM out there?), it may not be everybody's cup of tea—and that's cool—but some of the (very) harsh criticism and quite a bit of the parroting (read: regurgitating some of these few very negative comments made) has been completely unwarranted — once again, in my not so humble opinion.

AKG, since it's been owned by Harman, has been a favourite company to mock and trash by 'those [supposedly] in the know', and while AKG / Harman may not have come up with great phones in the last few years, the K3003 is a different beast—a different project—, an IEM one can tell really underwent true R&D, R&D to attempt to come up with something that several experienced people have considered to be an excellent-sounding phone. One of the K3003 major 'crimes' was to be one of the very first IEMs to retail for over $1,000.

 

[tomscy2000]

The K3003 is not at all "grainy". If anything, it's a bit too clean sounding --- a combination of the FR and the "peaks/valleys" type of treble which has a tendency of giving earphones the feel of a black background, leading to people believing it sounds a bit sterile. Even though I was personally not very high up on the K3003 when I heard it, I agree that it's been receiving undue hate since its release.

 

[badwisdom]

@music_4321
 
Your comments are refreshing. They made me buy a pair of AKG 3003 just to test them out.

I applaud your approach and agree with it 100%. One should love the sound coming out of headphones, not a sheet of paper.

 

[Aero Dynamik]

Quote:

^   The latest recent "grainy" comment was quite frankly a joke, in my not so humble opinion, a joke in a long series of attempts (for a year now)—by a single person—to criticise the K3003s (and TF334) in favour of their own favourite IEM. I'll leave it at that.

As for those "looking for perfectly reproduced sound", people who apparently have "developed skills within this field" and their coming to the conclusion the K3003s have serious flaws, all I have to say is that there are also people with a pretty decent pair of ears who have rated the K3003s pretty highly. The K3003 may not be perfect (is there a perfect phone / IEM out there?), it may not be everybody's cup of tea—and that's cool—but some of the (very) harsh criticism and quite a bit of the parroting (read: regurgitating some of these few very negative comments made) has been completely unwarranted — once again, in my not so humble opinion.

AKG, since it's been owned by Harman, has been a favourite company to mock and trash by 'those [supposedly] in the know', and while AKG / Harman may not have come up with great phones in the last few years, the K3003 is a different beast—a different project—, an IEM one can tell really underwent true R&D, R&D to attempt to come up with something that several experienced people have considered to be an excellent-sounding phone. One of the K3003 major 'crimes' was to be one of the very first IEMs to retail for over $1,000.

Very well put!
 
I think it’s funny, even strange, how those K3003 antagonists who themselves claim themselves to be clinical in their approach to evaluating IEMs obviously let things like brand, price and other people’s opinions affect their assessment of the sound.

 

[Aero Dynamik]

Quote:

The K3003 is not at all "grainy". If anything, it's a bit too clean sounding --- a combination of the FR and the "peaks/valleys" type of treble which has a tendency of giving earphones the feel of a black background, leading to people believing it sounds a bit sterile. Even though I was personally not very high up on the K3003 when I heard it, I agree that it's been receiving undue hate since its release.

For me personally, “sterile” is the very, very last word that comes to mind when listening to the K3003. I find it to be fuller of life, energy and saturation than any of my other headphones. It brings me very close to the soul of the music I’m listening to.

The only other IEM that I consider to be in the same league is the FitEar ToGo 334, which I enjoy equally much or more with some tracks, but still the K3003 is my favourite.

Since the K3003 wasn’t "very high up" when you heard it, which IEM was? Thanks!

 

[Aero Dynamik]

Quote:

or it could be that I don't obsess over the small things because they're not big enough to worry about. it's just personal audio man. cheers.

Well, for something that is just "just", I think you've spent an awful lot of time and money!