Sooo.. my 003s just crossed the first threshold where others owners have said there is a pretty dramatic change in the sound (50 hrs or so). To minimize bias, I did not keep track of how many hours I had been listening to the 003s since I bought them. So it could've have been 30 hours, or it could have been 70 hours.. one thing is for sure.. they underwent a pretty dramatic change smack dab in the middle of a late night listening session a couple of days ago.. I'm 100% sure of it. I was a little skeptical how much these would change cause I was pretty damn impressed with the sound right out of the box. If you are/were ever a skeptic of the "burn in" concept, what these guys do at 50 hours will make a believer out of you.
Out of the box, they sound very, very smooth for a FA master series phone.. almost too smooth. There was good clarity & definition, but the narrow soundstage made the sound feel a bit more compressed than I expected. Also, as I settled into hearing the nuances of the 003s for the first 50 or so hours, I began to notice there was <gasp> a veil ! That explained why the cans sounded a bit too smooth to my ears. The bass also felt a little too quick.. out-of-the-box it was very tight & defined, but the quickness didn't provide enough decay to create the impact & presence I desired. Thanks to others who mentioned this when they received their 003s, I expected this. Having a great amount of time with the DBA, 004, & Silver Bullet.. I wondered where those sweet signature-FA mids were? Where was the famous imaging and separation? The sparkly highs? Where was the textured, authoritative bass? When LFF said these were "neutral champs", he wasn't lying! But that neutrality began to get a little boring.. until a couple of days ago..
At 50 hours, the 003s felt like they came out of a gentle, blissful cocoon in which they were hibernating. Every part of the frequency range just awoke and filled out with vigor and emotion. I use those terms because the change was as audible as it was visceral and sensory. The signature FA midrange came to life like I had not heard before (giving the DBAs a run for their money!).. if you felt the DBA mids lacked some warmth and their bass dropped off too quick.. the 003 are here to save the day! A big point of contention out-of-the-box, the quick bass, loosened up and filled out with total authority to my amazement. Anyone who thinks the 003 can't do full, textured, accurate, deep bass hasn't listened to them long enough or is flat out CRAZY. These bad boys can THUMP when required! I've thrown a ton of bass heavy tracks & albums at them, cranked it up, and have been unable to get them to distort. After 50 hours, they effortlessly extend to sub bass levels if your source is of high quality (very important).
My favorite part though is how the veil I heard had clearly lifted. The wonderful FA-sparkle emerged as I heard the treble gain extension and definition. The narrow soundstage was nowhere to be found now.. well recorded tracks presented themselves as 180 degrees panoramas. The quality of instrument separation & definition made a significant improvement too (which was impressive to begin with). The soundstage gained some width, but improvement in the depth is what jawdropping. Listening to Thievery Corporation's "Radio Retaliation", I would close my eyes and it felt like I was being whisked away on a cloud somewhere! AWESOME.
With all these parts of the phones' sound transforming, the 003s imaging, clarity, and detail too stepped up a notch. I had to pinch myself when I could clearly hear the bow of a violin gently bounce on strings a moment before play began! On many of my records, the inhale & exhale breath of the vocalist could be clearly heard and in many cases, it was so clear, one could get a sense of the echo around the voice so I could tell just how far their mouth was from the actual mic! It might sound ridiculous but I'm not trying to blow smoke up your asses.. I was wide-eyed ! On many live studio recordings, I was able to get a great idea of the physical spacing of the instrumentalists in the studio as they played. It felt like I was sitting right there with them as the sound took a three dimensional quality.. INCREDIBLE!
With all these changes taking place, the 003's balance and neutrality remained in tact. I'd assumed that through the drastic morphing the 003s underwent, I'd hear some coloration.. but none of it was to be found. They STILL remain steadfastly neutral which makes them such a relaxing phone to listen to.
It all really does come to life after the drivers log some hours on them. Being a HiFi can, these are not very forgiving on poor source material.. they'll get by but GIGO is the name of the game here. The 003s combine all the sonic advantages armatures-based phones provide (detailed mids, instrument separation, accurate timbre, sparkling, extended treble etc.) while supplementing it with the authoritative bass & presence great dynamics are known for.
A note on the comfort.. out-of-the-box, the clamping force can feel a little uncomfortable but as you continue wearing them (or stretching them around a box, for example), they loosen & contour to the width of your head very well and become sinfully comfortable. I had a bit of a mild headache when I first got them due to the clamp force but after about 20 hours of wearing them, they have perfectly formed to my head. This, and the fact the plush leather pads lift the drivers so they never touch your ears, the 003s have become the most comfortable phones I've ever worn.
One more really great thing about these.. while an amp tightens the entire presentation and adds some soundstage (the 003s already have an impressively open, airy sound for a closed can),, everything I experienced above was straight out of a iPhone 3GS.. no amp was used! If you own an adequate DAP with good output and found they don't sound like they can drive the 003s well, wait until their burn in for 50 hours.. you'll be surprised how good they sound unamped. Bottom line, they sound GREAT out of an iPhone 3GS (no EQ).
Are they perfect at this point? No, I think they'll continue to improve as they seem to be becoming more and more transparent with every hour. While the bass and lower-midrange made a grand entrance at the 50hr mark, they're still a tad loose and a touch warmer than I would like. Coming from the DBAs which I've been listening to a lot recently.. a lot of phones sound quite warm in comparison. The midrange and treble aren't as crisp as the DBA but this too is improving with every hour. Next up, I'll be ordering wood cups for them.
How does the various "stepping" (3, 6, 8) of the cups alter the sound? I'm assuming this is an indication of how the sound would be if you were 3, 6, or 8 rows back in an amphitheater? So a 3 stepped cup would bring you a closer, more forward sound vs an 8 stepped cup which would add more of a soundstage? For those who have logged 100+ hours on the 003s, how did they sonically change again? I'd love to hear those impressions.
Oh, and speaking of amps.. guess what arrived today? My Headstage Arrow HE.. I'll keep reporting back on my impressions of the 003.. hope this helps!
Also looking forward to hear your impressions of it with the Arrow.
