AKG's New Flagship IEM - N5005
Apr 21, 2018 at 4:21 AM Post #438 of 1,508
That's sort of my impression as well, or rather calling it V shape, I say the mids are more recessed compare to K3003. At the end of the day it just didn't win me over from the K3003, so RMA requested and will be going back to AKG. At least their return policy is really good.

Same here. I had these for a day and felt they're pretty much on par with the K3003, but their design is less ergonomic and comfy for me. Personally, I'd say the reference tuning represents a slight v-shape. Treble seems a little less spiky to my ears than the graph that's been posted might suggest (possibly a coupler resonance?). But tbh, I didn't hear a noteworthy upgrade in treble quality vs. my old K3003.

Overall, a decent pair of IEMs and a very complete package with all the cables, bluetooth and stuff... but still a little underwhelming imo, considering how much time has passed since the launch of the K3003.
 
Apr 21, 2018 at 4:35 AM Post #439 of 1,508
Same here. I had these for a day and felt they're pretty much on par with the K3003, but their design is less ergonomic and comfy for me. Personally, I'd say the reference tuning represents a slight v-shape. Treble seems a little less spiky to my ears than the graph that's been posted might suggest (possibly a coupler resonance?). But tbh, I didn't hear a noteworthy upgrade in treble quality vs. my old K3003.

Overall, a decent pair of IEMs and a very complete package with all the cables, bluetooth and stuff... but still a little underwhelming imo, considering how much time has passed since the launch of the K3003.
Never really tried the 3003, couldn't fit them. They must have been quite good.
 
Apr 21, 2018 at 5:32 AM Post #440 of 1,508
Same here. I had these for a day and felt they're pretty much on par with the K3003, but their design is less ergonomic and comfy for me. Personally, I'd say the reference tuning represents a slight v-shape. Treble seems a little less spiky to my ears than the graph that's been posted might suggest (possibly a coupler resonance?). But tbh, I didn't hear a noteworthy upgrade in treble quality vs. my old K3003.

Overall, a decent pair of IEMs and a very complete package with all the cables, bluetooth and stuff... but still a little underwhelming imo, considering how much time has passed since the launch of the K3003.

Do you think the bass is similar at all to 2000J? Did you find 2000J more spiky than 3003?
 
Last edited:
Apr 21, 2018 at 2:39 PM Post #441 of 1,508
Do you think the bass is similar at all to 2000J? Did you find 2000J more spiky than 3003?

From memory (since I still have the K3003, but not the 2000J) I'd think that bass has similar qualities to the 2000J, but is a little more emphasized. Both the N5005 and 2000J have slightly tighter sounding bass than the K3003.
 
Apr 22, 2018 at 4:42 AM Post #445 of 1,508
The Fiio F3 eartips fit like a glove on the N5005 - these are my favorite tips at the moment:



Thanks. What size tips are you using? S/M/L???

What is the balance between Bass/Mids/Treble with these?

Soundstage?

Is it possible to purchase these FiiO F3 ear tips separately somewhere?
 
Last edited:
Apr 22, 2018 at 8:54 AM Post #446 of 1,508
As noted by many the supplied tips don't sound very well. In fact the frequency response curves were so horrible looking I thought my gear wasn't working.
I am currently using comply 500 isolation and the above measurements were done with them.
It makes one wonder what their research and engineering staff was thinking.

One the other hand, the Bluetooth adapter is phenomenal. It may have either dual Dacs or some type of balanced output with separate ground to achieve such low crosstalk.
I have queried tech support about this.
 
Apr 22, 2018 at 3:24 PM Post #447 of 1,508
Thanks. What size tips are you using? S/M/L???

What is the balance between Bass/Mids/Treble with these?

Soundstage?

Is it possible to purchase these FiiO F3 ear tips separately somewhere?

Was using the Large Fiio F3 tips. Compared to the AKG supplied Spinfit tips they have marginally better soundstage and slightly reduced bass (wider bore).

TL : DR
+3% soundstage, -3% bass vs the Spinfits

As the eartip sealing point (widest part) is closer to the IEM body it keeps the IEM more flush against the ear I found - YMMV.

I haven't been able to find the tips for sale - I gifted a family member Fiio F3 and they use the small tips so I copped the large ones.

Unfortunately the ridge left behind from manufacturing causes itchiness after prolonged use:


Alas, I found an even better solution for my weird ear canals! I inserted the AKG Spinfit Large inside a smaller silicone eartip which has a wider bore (from an old pair of "Headrush" cheapo earphones). Sound is unchanged but the isolation exceeds that of the stock Spinfit tip and it's the very first tip config that I was unable to lose a seal with when moving my jaw... can't figure out why but awesome nonetheless :)



Video:


Picked up two packs of Comply tips from... My LOCAL BEST BUY??? I had no idea they were sold locally in Canada!

They are the new Comply Audio Pro and Sport Pro "Smartcore" one-size-fits-all core... not planning on trying them for a while as the above solution work great but will let you all know how they work out, when I do.



[edit] I tried the new Comply smartcore - they are AWESOME!!! The core is flexible rubber and stretches easily over the IEM nozzle BUT they can also be removed easily without damaging the foam, by pushing it out from the core on the IEM side. The core is much thicker than before, but also much more flexible

[edit2] I hate to say it but like others in this thread, I've come to the conclusion that Comply tips are the best for the AKG N5005 - I'm loving the "Audio Pro SmartCore" model
 
Last edited:
Apr 24, 2018 at 10:34 PM Post #448 of 1,508
^Great info, thanks!

So far
the best ear tips for me overall are still the Sony Medium White Silicone tips (with green/teal tube in the photo below).

I REALLY like these as far as overall tonal balance & staging. They are a tight fit on the N5005 IEM tube though. The fit, seal, and comfort in my particular ear canals are good with these, but the tiny ridge around the perimeter of the outer flange from the molding/manufacturing process does cause some discomfort, as was mentioned with some others previously.


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001RB24V4/

41iqMOtumxL.jpg


Using the "Reference" Filters, for my ears and preferences, I've found that most of the tips with a 1/16" (~1.6mm) or slightly smaller opening always have the best overall FR and tonal balance along with great sound stage.

So while the Comply TSX-500 tips are really comfortable and seal well, the large bore or opening doesn't provide a good frequency response for me...there's not nearly enough low end and low-mids.

But I am interested in trying those Medium Comply SmartCore Audio Pro Premium memory foam tips, so thanks for the suggestion.

And regarding the Cable Cinch, I've just temporarily wrapped it with electrical tape so that the cable on the one side doesn't keep coming out anymore. But I'm planning on replacing the tape with a section of Heat Shrink Tubing over it, or perhaps separately instead.
 
Last edited:
Apr 25, 2018 at 12:14 PM Post #449 of 1,508
So far the best ear tips for me overall are still the Sony Medium White Silicone tips (with green/teal tube in the photo below).

I REALLY like these as far as overall tonal balance & staging. They are a tight fit on the N5005 IEM tube though. The fit, seal, and comfort in my particular ear canals are good with these, but the tiny ridge around the perimeter of the outer flange from the molding/manufacturing process does cause some discomfort, as was mentioned with some others previously.


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001RB24V4/

41iqMOtumxL.jpg


Using the "Reference" Filters, for my ears and preferences, I've found that most of the tips with a 1/16" (~1.5875mm) or slightly smaller opening always have the best overall FR and tonal balance along with great sound stage.

So while the Comply TSX-500 tips are really comfortable and seal well, the large bore or opening doesn't provide a good frequency response for me...there's no low end or low-mids.

But I am interested in trying those Medium Comply SmartCore Audio Pro Premium memory foam tips, so thanks for the suggestion.

And regarding the Cable Cinch, I've just temporarily wrapped it with electrical tape so that the cable on the one side doesn't keep coming out anymore. But I'm planning on replacing the tape with a section of Heat Shrink Tubing over it, or perhaps separately instead.

I agree those sound great. If you lock them to the edge of the nozzle as I did a few pages back, make sure to tighten the filters once in a while, you can grip the tip lightly and turn it clockwise lightly. In that scenario the tip is essentially sitting on the side of the filter, they will get loose over time when inserting/twisting the IEMs. I agree the Comply tips do affect the sound, I keep switching back and forth between silicon and foam for that reason. That's the beauty of smartcores, you can remove them without touching the foam so tip swaps are easy
 
Apr 28, 2018 at 9:36 PM Post #450 of 1,508
I was at the Apple store looking for some Bluetooth workout earphones I can throw around. While I didn't like any of them, they hand you a sealed pair of eartips to try the earphones with, which they let you keep (think hygene). While it's probably against the rules to encourage going to the Apple store to get a free pair of eartips, I'm sharing the experience I had while shopping around for Bluetooth buds.

So I get home and thought I'd try the eartips from the BeatsX on the N5005 - why not?

I think these are the ones boys!

-long stem so they fit perfectly without spacers, mods, with space left to go so that the filter doesn't sit too close to the opening
-bore size same as Sony hybrids which bbfoto and myself found to sound great with N5005
-good material and manufacturing, no ridges on the outer wall of the dome

I'll post pics and sound impressions later tonight or tomorrow morning.

[Edit] So while I was at the Apple store the sales guy suggested I try the Jaybird Freedom as well, which uses different eartips than the BeatsX. Naturally I kept those tips as well. I think I like these better than the BeatsX tips.... Wide bore (same width as the filter), shorter stem (I'm using 2mm spacers). The eartip dome seems thicker which helps keep its shape in the ear better when compared to the thinner BeatsX eartip which "creaks" when opening jaw reminiscent of driver flex (it's not actual driver flex... I guess it's tip flex as I've never heard driver flex with any other eartips and I've tried tons).
 
Last edited:

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top