AKG K3003 High End 3 Way System Headphone

[up late]

fair enough dr no. like the k3003 a lot more than the ie800 myself but couldn't get a good seal with it. wouldn't mind giving it another shot tho. what's the deal with the tea bags?

 

[Dr No]

fair enough dr no. like the k3003 a lot more than the ie800 myself but couldn't get a good seal with it. wouldn't mind giving it another shot tho. what's the deal with the tea bags?

Tea bag paper or other type placed between driver and tip, provides a hi freq filter if you think treble is too hot. Like the different filters that come with the AKG I s´pose.

 

[up late]

ok thanks

 

[woodcans]

  I listened to the AKG 3003, comparing it to the Sennheiser IE 800, HD800, and HD700. Driven by HDVD800 with DAC input.
 
Sound:
AKG3003: Bass ok, not as deep and powerful as IE800 but ok. Mids are more pronounced (like HD800), on some recordings a bit too much resulting in a shouty sound, not as natural and smooth as IE800. Treble: BIG BIG trouble. Awful sibilance and not good at all. General impressions: a bit incoherent, probably due to 3-way drivers and phase incoherence. Mids/treble sound a bit "hard" and compressed. Bass more dynamic.
 
IE800: bass is really deep, but not bloated in the mid bass. Impressive depth brings sound to a new level. More impressive than the Stax 007 in bass department. On some recordings such as pop/electronica, bass might be too much, but this is very recording dependent. Mids: perfect classical sennheiser sound, compared to 3003 or Stax lambda series, the mids are a bit recessed, but to my ears sound more realistic and does not result in listening fatigue. Treble: initially a bit sibilant, however after 200 hrs of burn in the treble is really nice. Also like the bass, the amount of treble is very recording dependent. Tried tea bags but it flattened the sound across the whole freq range.
 
HD800: Weak bass, nice mids, too much treble. Result. Anemic sound, not very exciting to listen to. 
HD700: A bit more V-shaped than HD800, more fun, but not up to the level of IE800.
 
Winner: IE800 by a wide margin. IMO.To my ears that is!
 
The AKG3003 is heavily over-priced.

 
Regarding the 3003, I have the 3003i model and find the bass to be quite deep, tight and impactful. Probably the best I have heard from an iem. I don't have the ie800's anymore for direct comparison. The mids are lush, detail retrieval is fantastic, and headstaging is some of the best I have heard from an iem. Treble, to my ears is also the best I have heard from an iem. Cymbals sound like cymbals, etc. I have only experienced sibilance once or twice, and that was the recording's fault. There is absolutely no harshness, hardness or compression from mine unless it is coming from the recording. Transition from the low to high frequencies is seamless through my pair, entirely undetectable. When driven by my m8, with lossless files, this is the best sounding iem I have heard. I have literally sold off all of my other iems (except the PF's, of course) as these fulfill my sonic desires, and then some.
 
Your overall negative experience makes me wonder if your pair is faulty somehow or if there is some other issue in your setup.

 

[gnarlsagan]

Haven't heard the K3003 yet, but I have to disagree with Dr No about the IE800. It has too much bass, recessed mids and tizzy unrealistic treble because of its giant peak at 10k. Just to my ears of course. Frequencies should be somewhat evenly represented imo, and Stax pulls that off much much better than the IE800. I wouldn't compare them at all tbh. Two totally different sounds.

 

[Idsynchrono_24]

I don't mean to be combative nor reductive, but I agree with Woodcans that something's gotta be amiss. I was listenin to some solo piano and classical ensembles last night (how trite yeah?) and the K3K sounds remarkably even from a tonal perspective from the lowest registers/range to the highest. Not getting the compressed complaint either when the K3K has got some of the best dynamic range I've come across in a phone

 

[Dr No]

Well I just forward my impressions. It was my intention to buy the K3003 until I heard them. Maybe they will sound differently under other circumstances, I might give them another chance...

 

[Dr No]

Haven't heard the K3003 yet, but I have to disagree with Dr No about the IE800. It has too much bass, recessed mids and tizzy unrealistic treble because of its giant peak at 10k. Just to my ears of course. Frequencies should be somewhat evenly represented imo, and Stax pulls that off much much better than the IE800. I wouldn't compare them at all tbh. Two totally different sounds.

I agree stax 007 is very smooth sounding and presents an even freq response. Highs are lacking though and the bass in not as deep as IE800. Midrange is about equal though I think in terms of quality.
Regarding IE800 midrange recess, it might be relatively recessed compared to other phones, but it sure sounds smooth and natural. To my ears, other phones sound to midrangey.  
And the IE800 treble improved dramatically after 200hrs of burn in. Maybe the AKG K3003 also need to burn in to sound ok?

 

[Dr No]

I don't mean to be combative nor reductive, but I agree with Woodcans that something's gotta be amiss. I was listenin to some solo piano and classical ensembles last night (how trite yeah?) and the K3K sounds remarkably even from a tonal perspective from the lowest registers/range to the highest. Not getting the compressed complaint either when the K3K has got some of the best dynamic range I've come across in a phone

I suspect balanced armature have a distinct inherent sound signature, I perceive it as "hard" and compressed. Dynamic drivers are more easy sounding. Electrostats are somewhere in between with a very relaxed, flowing sound but somehow not as dynamic and hence compressed.
In the AKG K3003, being a 3-way design with dynamic bass, BA in mid and treble, together with 3-way crossover and phase- and time alignment issues, might explain my impressions???

 

[Dr No]

Reading the reviews of AKG K3003 here on headfi, my impression with the spiky treble is shared by many others as well...

 

[james444]

  In the AKG K3003, being a 3-way design with dynamic bass, BA in mid and treble, together with 3-way crossover and phase- and time alignment issues, might explain my impressions???

 
It might. But knowing all this beforehand might just as well have influenced your perception (no offense meant).
 
I personally hold both the IE800 and K3003 in high regard overall, but when I switch into "nitpicker mode", the Senn's note weight differences between bass and treble bother me more than anything on the AKGs.

 

[Inks]

K3003 has no phase alignment issues....it's more coherent than multi BAs, it's FR isn't that flat though but I bet it EQs well

 

[gmahler2u]

Take a listen to this masterpiece on a masterpiece called K3003:

[VIDEO]http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NwwhZGtcnSM[/VIDEO]

Great piece of music. I love it!!!!

 

[Audiowood]

Love both the ie800 and akg3003, very different sound signature.. Ie800 is when I want to rock hard with big bass, while akg3003 is always in my bags when I go for audio audition, it serve as a reference .. More like a sanity check.. I call the akg3003 my "zero" phone. Zero as my ref point.

 

[tumburu]

K3003 has no phase alignment issues....it's more coherent than multi BAs, it's FR isn't that flat though but I bet it EQs well

With a proper eq, only taming those treble spikes a few dbs in linear phase mode, you get a very balanced IEM. I find the result sublime.