[mongeddavid]

Are you sure they are not fake

 

[James Shoegazer]

Are you sure they are not fake

Why is this always the most immediate response each time I critique on audio quality of a product??. Nope I have followed threads here carefully to know what I am getting is not fake, and I paid full price from the OFFICIAL RETAILER

 

[bosiemoncrieff]

Mine are fake and they sound great.

 

[ruthieandjohn]

@bosiemoncrieff , I remember when you got these and was amazed that they were known to be fake but sounded great! Where did you get them... eBay?

 

[bosiemoncrieff]

Yes. Listening to them now. Sound thicker than kse1500 but with less ultimate resolution. Still clear as a bell though. And $300 rather than...six times that. Great soundstageand imaging.

 

[ruthieandjohn]

Comparison of Grado GR10e, AKG K3003i, and Sennheiser IE800

At long last, after having these IEMs for quite some time, I have gotten around to comparing them. I used the comparison method described here, which I have used for dozens of headphones over the past five years. In short, I use small snippets from four songs to compare and rank the three IEM on each of 10 acoustic features (transparency, sound stage, etc.). I give the best of the three 3 points for first prize (blue ribbon in chart below), 2 points for second (blue), and 1 point for third (yellow). Ties, when I cannot make a repeatable choice, are given 2.5 points if for first place (purple = blue + red) or 1.5 points for second place (orange = red + yellow).

I played CD lossless files from a FiiO X5ii via coax into a Schiit Gungir Multibit DAC followed by a Schiit Mjolnir amp, all in single ended operation.

A few comments about each IEM are in order:

Grado GR10e: These are the flagship of the Grado IEM line, upgraded as part of their overall movement to an e series of all of their headphones a few years ago. They are easily inserted, small enough to lie down on your side (and your ear) while listening, and are very quick and easy to insert. Other comparisons have found them preferable to the FiiO FH5 and Shure SE535LTD.

AKG K3003i: These used to be the top of the AKG line, until the entry of their N5005 line. They too are easy to insert and comfortable while lying on your side, though I have found the presence of an in-line transport control (the "i" of the "3003i") can add an intermittent connection, which does not interfere with the sound but does cause your music to jump around if used with an Apple iPhone or iPod (or another player, such as FiiO, that also support in--line controls).

Sennheiser IE800: Like the Grado and unlike the AKG, these IEMs use a single driver to span all frequencies, which some listeners say provides a greater "coherence" across the frequency band. (The AKG has two balanced armatures and one dynamic driver). They too are very small, easy to insert, and comfortable to lie upon while listening. They do use a Sennheiser proprietary earbud tip, spiraled on the inside to presumably provide greater fixture to the earbud tube (but which can come off in my ear).

Here are the results of the three-way comparisons. Each line is an acoustic feature (e.g., transparency), and each IEM is rated against the other two to produce a best (first prize, blue, 3 points), next best (second prize, red, 2 points), or third (last) best (third, prize, yellow, 1 point). Ties for first place are purple (2.5 points); ties for second place are orange (1.5 points). A total, reflecting the number of times of the 10 acoustic features a particular IEM has won over the others, is shown on the bottom line as a total.

The AKG K3003i clearly won more of the three-way compares than the other two, which were roughly tied. All three are wonderful IEMs. While the GR10e had the greatest transparency (an effect of strong treble content), the AKG K3003i scored higher in other measures of treble detail, such as drum "twang," bass pitch perception (which depends on higher harmonics), and the reedy ripping quality of organ and trumpet. The Sennheiser IE800 excelled in deep bass.

 

[Vyyy]

Had used GR10 for a 2 years and now K3003i 3months. I can completely agree on whats above.
Source MojoPoly SD playback

 

[Vyyy]

Is there anyone using Hugo2 with these?

 

[NickleCo]

to the above question dated 23/06,
I’m selling my mmcx modded K3003 at a fraction of its cost finally....after being with me for years. I think the drivers have been surpassed by the surge of many new offerings i.e. CA, JVC, Noble, CIEM brands. I don’t think it’s justifiable to pay that exuberant asking price for brand new K3003. Frequency wise it isn’t fantastic as I found the bass doesn’t possess deepness and quantity. It lacks speed and separation for music with demanding technicality and complex passages. I would still give it praise for its crisp resolving highs, clarity and tonality of midrange but everything else such as body was disappointingly too thin for my liking.

I agree with your thoughts. My experience with the k3003 wasn't all fun and laughs (at one point I almost lost one of the filters while changing it in the car so there's some element of fear lol). Highs were very crisp with tons of resolution BUT it was also accompanied with sibilance and harshness. Mids were too thin for my liking and was often masked by the treble. Bass was weird (to say the least)I found it was better with reference filters than with the actual bass filters but they did the job pretty well none-the-less. As for the stage, the most double-edged technicality this monitor posses, the fact that it was wide was both it's pro and con. Due to it being too wide I often found myself not being able to focus on the song causing me to space out most of the time admiring the width making me replay the song countless times just to listen to the singer alone. As for fit and isolation, it was bad BUT(!) like all things, it also has some silver linings. I found that playing chesky recorded albums while walking outside gave it a uniquely surreal experience as if the band was playing a couple of feet away from me all the while blending to the ambient noise outside (trippy I know lol).

 

[rtm33]

According to previous pictures in this thread my AKG K3003i is fake. I get them from online auction for about 200€. I took some photos and sent to Harman support and the answered that they looks legit. Anyway they sounds very good.

 

[bosiemoncrieff]

I think they fake ones may sound better than the real ones

 

[ruthieandjohn]

Has anyone compared the sound of the AKG K3003(i) to the newer AKG N40?

 

[tracyca]

I have booth and I still love my k3003i. I will always keep them. The n40 is real good but needs some power to get the full sound quality it can produce.

 

[Scblacksunshine]

Sadly my beloved K3003i finally went bye bye since the 3.5mm stopped working. First the L/R balance is off, then one side would cut out completely. I know it has something to do with the actual pin. I eventually cut the wire and was hoping to solder a new jack as replacement. Unfortunately my soldering skill is not up to par and can't get it to work. Anyone know where I can send it in so they can solder in a new plug? I am in SoCal so if anyone know of a shop that can do that would be great.

In the meantime, got myself a new pair of FIIO FH7..let's just say the FH7 is definitely a worthy successor to the K3003i and then some. I feel this is a good replacement for K3003i than the N5005 would be for less money.

 

[tracyca]

My pair went faulty also and I sent them in to moon audio and they put on a new plug.