[JAnonymous5150]

Misfortune and fortune came at the same time.

The missing UPS N5005 arrived. Good part.

UPS placed the package directly on a driveway right outside of my garage door…
I stepped over the N5005 with my 2ton car.
Package destroyed.


Lucky part.





AKG packaged N5005 very very well. No wonder it’s called a flagship. Contents seemed still ok, uncertain if that’s functional or not. I will update this post later.

I’m not sure about the refund AKG mentioned. If I get, wow thank you as xmas gift! If not fine.

If anyone have same delivery pending situation, it may worth your 10min calling them, if lucky you may get a chance of free gift


[update…] right ear IEM is damaged…

▶︎fit issues (one of weirdest fit, Wu is hard to fit one for me as well, probably need nose extended type like one of those spinfits)
you can see the angle of nozzle is weird, and the way MMCX pin sticking out of shell also didn’t match with mine. A small IEM, but hard to fit for some.
Left is HEXA, right is N5005.

Once you removed MMCX, it’s extremely to put it back. The shape of IEM is too round and there is not point you can add force to click MMCX on to the IEM. Bad design…Harman.

▶︎sound: clear & reference-y style, great
But very low in bass, not sure it’s a fit or breakage on right IEM. I hear bass-light. Harman-neutral with primary priority in imaging. Great balance between thin&thick, note weight isn’t too light nor too heavy, I see AKG’s aesthetic here. I can see this tonality is a little bit warm compared to Moondrop’s Dusk/Variations. Pretty close to Blessing2, with leas highlighting around upper-mid, which makes sound very pleasant.

N5005 is tuned as gain spot avoiders, it takes evasive actions (dip) around pinna gain area, and harsh sounding area. That makes N5005 a very pleasant to listen IEM. I love it actually.m

Diffusion firld natural? No. It’s a piano concert stage type

▶︎fit issue adjusted: using spinFit W1, still have little uncomfortableness, but N5005 starts to shine. Great tuning! One of very coherent IEM. Balanced and no sign of distortions that you feel from blessing2’s or any dd+BA dynamic’s “change in driver type” of response speed lag (timbre inconsistencies), I forgot if N5005 is a hybrid or not, but it certainly is very timbre consistent

▶︎N5005 has one BA directly located inside nozzle camber, like the ones you can find in KBEAR Lark, KZs,

▶︎acoustic filter test:
-Changed ear tip back to stock, white one(a spinfit copy, with harder silicone). W1 somehow lowers bass floor, so it’s not a particularly good match unless you want a dead flat neutral bass.

Bass boost acoutfilter:
Pretty satisfying warm U-tuned, Modern IEM tuning.


—Is it worth $199+tax? YES. Great! Packages, sound, all flagships premium.

500? Maybe? RSV is 730.

At asking MRSP 1k? Hmm not for me.

I will do a detailed review later on.

The package getting run over sucks, but getting free functional N5005s is pretty amazing. It's nice to see another convert to the N5005 cult. I like mine so much that I bought them again after my first pair got stolen. They really deserve more recognition, but because AKG isn't a sexy brand right now, the N5005s get largely ignored. The silver lining is that they now sell them for much less so we can snag them for pretty cheap. Congratulations on the N5005s!

 

[gadgetgod]

Misfortune and fortune came at the same time.

The missing UPS N5005 arrived. Good part.

UPS placed the package directly on a driveway right outside of my garage door…
I stepped over the N5005 with my 2ton car.
Package destroyed.


Lucky part.





AKG packaged N5005 very very well. No wonder it’s called a flagship. Contents seemed still ok, uncertain if that’s functional or not. I will update this post later.

I’m not sure about the refund AKG mentioned. If I get, wow thank you as xmas gift! If not fine.

If anyone have same delivery pending situation, it may worth your 10min calling them, if lucky you may get a chance of free gift


[update…] right ear IEM is damaged…

▶︎fit issues (one of weirdest fit, Wu is hard to fit one for me as well, probably need nose extended type like one of those spinfits)
you can see the angle of nozzle is weird, and the way MMCX pin sticking out of shell also didn’t match with mine. A small IEM, but hard to fit for some.
Left is HEXA, right is N5005.

Once you removed MMCX, it’s extremely to put it back. The shape of IEM is too round and there is not point you can add force to click MMCX on to the IEM. Bad design…Harman.

▶︎sound: clear & reference-y style, great
But very low in bass, not sure it’s a fit or breakage on right IEM. I hear bass-light. Harman-neutral with primary priority in imaging. Great balance between thin&thick, note weight isn’t too light nor too heavy, I see AKG’s aesthetic here. I can see this tonality is a little bit warm compared to Moondrop’s Dusk/Variations. Pretty close to Blessing2, with leas highlighting around upper-mid, which makes sound very pleasant.

N5005 is tuned as gain spot avoiders, it takes evasive actions (dip) around pinna gain area, and harsh sounding area. That makes N5005 a very pleasant to listen IEM. I love it actually.m

Diffusion firld natural? No. It’s a piano concert stage type

▶︎fit issue adjusted: using spinFit W1, still have little uncomfortableness, but N5005 starts to shine. Great tuning! One of very coherent IEM. Balanced and no sign of distortions that you feel from blessing2’s or any dd+BA dynamic’s “change in driver type” of response speed lag (timbre inconsistencies), I forgot if N5005 is a hybrid or not, but it certainly is very timbre consistent

▶︎N5005 has one BA directly located inside nozzle camber, like the ones you can find in KBEAR Lark, KZs,

▶︎acoustic filter test:
-Changed ear tip back to stock, white one(a spinfit copy, with harder silicone). W1 somehow lowers bass floor, so it’s not a particularly good match unless you want a dead flat neutral bass.

Bass boost acoutfilter:
Pretty satisfying warm U-tuned, Modern IEM tuning.


—Is it worth $199+tax? YES. Great! Packages, sound, all flagships premium.

500? Maybe? RSV is 730.

At asking MRSP 1k? Hmm not for me.

I will do a detailed review later on.

man :/ that's a sad day. Waiting so long for something and then looking at the damaged box :/ I would cry myself to sleep for the next few days

 

[AmericanSpirit]

man :/ that's a sad day. Waiting so long for something and then looking at the damaged box :/ I would cry myself to sleep for the next few days

Thanks buddy…especially it’s a nice porcelain piano black piece of art one…well the design is purely for the outlook, and once if you plugged mmcx off, the shape makes super hard to reattach the cable, but who cares! It’s nice looking

 

[AmericanSpirit]

The package getting run over sucks, but getting free functional N5005s is pretty amazing. It's nice to see another convert to the N5005 cult. I like mine so much that I bought them again after my first pair got stolen. They really deserve more recognition, but because AKG isn't a sexy brand right now, the N5005s get largely ignored. The silver lining is that they now sell them for much less so we can snag them for pretty cheap. Congratulations on the N5005s!

Haha thank! Maybe a free gift maybe not.

Yea Agree. For $1k maybe it’s tough call right now, but hey $199!! It’s a killer.

I like N5005 over Blessing 2. N5005 has lower distortions and great timbre that deserves some audiophiles attention.

It comes with 4 tuner filter, a BT adapter, 2.5mm cable and 3.5mm cable, SpinFit-ish tips, Sony-ish tip, A case with your serial numbers on. Spot on premium feeling.

In this world of Chinese products taking the mainstream, W80 / N5005 is a good reminder that orthodox approaches are not built in a day.

The moment you noticed a silica-gel is placed at the very back of the package box, a cost is spent on taking care for the IEM and its contents…
This is how you build a trust.

 

[ericp10]

I couldn't help myself. I thought I could get through a second Holiday season without purchasing anything new, but I failed. I took a flier on the AKG N5005. Last year I actually bought a used pair on Mercari, but I ended up getting a refund when the IEM's weren't sent out. I watched no less than 5 reviews, and I remember @ericp10 raving about them, and so I bought them new thru AKG. Why not? Great reviews and 4 tuners and three cables. They'll be here next week.

Hello, FreeWheelinAudioLuv2:
I still enjoy mine and a bit jealous of the great price fellow head-fiers can purchase them for now (I paid about $800 for mine back in the day...lol). I probably will buy a second pair when I catch them on sale again. Enjoy!

 

[r31ya]

Someone complain on their KZ PR1 Pro wasn't started to ship after few days.
I relay it to KZ rep in KZ Discord that several people complains about it. (and noted that my own KZ PR1 Pro took 5 days and my ESX took 11 days before it start to ship)
Now KZ have this disclaimer on CCA FLA Launch
---
https://www.kztws.com/products/cca-fla


---
This disclaimer apparently only for KZ official store bought only which apparently KZTWS.com and KZ official store on ali.
tough not sure what so special about FLA, its umm.. another $15 KZ/CCA...

based on the blown out schematics, a new DD it seems. a DD with holey bottom
"energetic, clear bass with perfect subbass" it seems KZ back to try to upgrade the sound quality of their bass.
Since their flagship HM20 bass quality deemed to be lesser than the budget CXS by several reviewer, hopefully this will be good.

talking to KZ rep about this, its not that confidence inspiring.
it seems FLA driver is not one of their special projects like CRA superthin membrane or CXS custom Magnets.
apparently they want more mainstream audience with the shell looks and tuning.

 

[szore]

Now you see why I have been telling folks to get a set. Brilliant tips.

I got them off your recommendation.

 

[Dsnuts]

I got them off your recommendation.

A bit of a tip on the tips. Thanks to @lanus for the heads up. Dunu official site has them now and they have a 25% discount if you buy 2 sets of 3. https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256...tewayAdapt=glo2usa4itemAdapt&_randl_shipto=US

Apparently these tips opens up a bit of the trebles for IEMs. I do know due to awesome seal you get the best bass possible for IEMs.

 

[lushmelody]

talking to KZ rep about this, its not that confidence inspiring.
it seems FLA driver is not one of their special projects like CRA superthin membrane or CXS custom Magnets.
apparently they want more mainstream audience with the shell looks and tuning.

Just a tuning focused marketing? With such generic shells... Definitely contrasting the CRA innovative tech and cool design

 

[danieldvk]

https://a.aliexpress.com/_mP60qme

 

[danieldvk]

 

[mochill]

Got one coming

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

Misfortune and fortune came at the same time.

The missing UPS N5005 arrived. Good part.

UPS placed the package directly on a driveway right outside of my garage door…
I stepped over the N5005 with my 2ton car.
Package destroyed.


Lucky part.





AKG packaged N5005 very very well. No wonder it’s called a flagship. Contents seemed still ok, uncertain if that’s functional or not.

I’m not sure about the refund AKG mentioned. If I get, wow thank you as xmas gift! If not fine.

If anyone have same delivery pending situation, it may worth your 10min calling them, if lucky you may get a chance of free gift


[update…] right ear IEM is damaged…

▶︎fit issues (one of weirdest fit, Wu is hard to fit one for me as well, probably need nose extended type like one of those spinfits)
you can see the angle of nozzle is weird, and the way MMCX pin sticking out of shell also didn’t match with mine. A small IEM, but hard to fit for some.
Left is HEXA, right is N5005.

Once you removed MMCX, it’s extremely to put it back. The shape of IEM is too round and there is not point you can add force to click MMCX on to the IEM. Bad design…Harman.

▶︎sound:
clear & reference-y style, but very low in bass, not sure it’s a fit or breakage on right IEM. I hear bass-light. Harman-neutral with primary priority in imaging & Variations like Sub-bass L- lift. I can see crinacle wouldn’t value this coloration for treble.

It’s a bit rough, but reference tuning is that of Variations without 3khz pinna gain peak, and little spice added for staging effect.

What that dip&peak for? It’s to pull out “voice in your head” out, then actually widen the spotlight light area to the whole grand piano on the stage.

The dip/peak is an artistic expression, and of course it will divert from technical accuracy.

Visual Example: Technically Accurate


Visual Example: Artistic


Which one is better?

It’s up to listeners preference, where you like to see the musical with all lights on— technically correct — or You want to see spotlight emphasizing main actors. N5005 belongs to later one.


—Reference Tuning filter
Great balance between thin&thick, note weight isn’t too light nor too heavy.

I see AKG’s “AESTETICA NEUE” here.

I can see this tonality is a little bit warm compared to Moondrop’s Dusk/Variations. Pretty close to Blessing2 in overall tonal weight balance, highlighting around upper-mid but avoiding peaks, which makes sound very pleasant.

After proper sealing, N5005 has sub-bass elevation even with reference tuning, which I do like quite a lot.

N5005 is tuned as gain spot avoiders, it takes evasive actions (dip) around pinna gain area, and harsh sounding area.

That makes N5005 a very pleasant to listen IEM. I loving it.

Not a typical Harman curve coming out of Harman Flagship, wow.

Diffusion field natural? No. It’s a piano concert stage type, decent spotlighting on the grand piano on the stage (not like moondrop’s spotlight on female vocal’s mouth style, N5005 has wider range of spotlight)

▶︎fit issue adjusted: using spinFit W1, still have little uncomfortableness, but N5005 starts to shine. Great tuning! One of very coherent IEM. Balanced and no sign of distortions that you feel from blessing2’s or any dd+BA dynamic’s “change in driver type” of response speed lag (timbre inconsistencies), I forgot if N5005 is a hybrid or not, but it certainly is very timbre consistent. (Confirmed N5005 is 4BA+1DD.

▶︎How the bass DD? It’s still out of box, so I’m not still sure. Not as fast as LCP ones you find in Variations/HEXA. But not too sloppy as well like the ones you find in blessing2s, Tea, Yume, etc.

▶︎N5005 has one BA directly located inside nozzle camber, like the ones you can find in KBEAR Lark, KZ ZAX.
1BA(probably mid-range to my ear) in the nozzle, 3BA inside housing.

To my ear it sounds like 2BA(supertweeer)+1BA(upper-mid)+1BA(mid- upper bass) + 1DD (subwoofer) 4 way composition. Of which 1BA inside the housing for mid thru upper bass having a coverage for the driver transition from BA to DD, to smooth out timbre consistency. The upper-mid BA in the nozzle for mid body articulation.

But that’s just a wild guess, it also could be the nozzle BA as
super tweeter, and 2BA for upper mid, 1BA for lower mid to bass transitional liaison. Need some time for a detailed listening session for a better understanding.

▶︎acoustic filter test:
-Changed ear tip back to stock, white one(a spinfit copy, with harder silicone). W1 somehow lowers bass floor, so it’s not a particularly good match unless you want a dead flat neutral bass.

Bass boost acoutfilter:
Pretty satisfying warm U-tuned, Modern IEM tuning.


—Is it worth $199+tax? YES. Great! Packages, sound, all flagships premium.

500? Maybe? RSV is 730.

At asking MRSP 1k? Hmm not for me.

I will do a detailed review later on.

▶︎N5005’s cable is better made than W80’s and on top of that, N5005 has 2.5mm balanced MMCX vs 3.5mm SE MMCX of Westone’s. For this alone I’m so happy since I have very few mmcx cables that goes TRRS. Below is W80 with N5005’s 2.5mm stock cable.

—Any change on W80 with this cable? YES HUGE. I see 3-4db of opened up treble (4-7khz) a lot more visibility on W80 than stock cable. I love this tuning on W80. Almost VX like tonality.

Don't expect a refund. I spent all that time asking for a refund due to the N5005 being "out of stock", and yet, I got a shipping tracking number today. What is going on here with AKG/Harman?! I didn't want it shipped after the fact, because I bought it another way because you told me IT WAS OUT OF STOCK! So now I have two coming in? So don't expect a refund for something they sent out to you. Damn I'm furious right now.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

LZ A7


Currently $162.35 USD (during current sale, ends Dec 9th), pre tax


For anywhere around $165, I would buy them again, without hesitation. The excellent reviews (link to Head-Fi reviews) have covered it all.

The highlights for me:
(above all else) Fit. This shell gives the least amount of discomfort (for long sessions), while not needing repeated adjusting, to keep a good seal.
Detail retrieval
On demand sub bass

Didn't do nothing for me. Sold them after about a month. Not sure why, but it just didn't tickle my fancy at all.

 

[AmericanSpirit]

Don't expect a refund. I spent all that time asking for a refund due to the N5005 being "out of stock", and yet, I got a shipping tracking number today. What is going on here with AKG/Harman?! I didn't want it shipped after the fact, because I bought it another way because you told me IT WAS OUT OF STOCK! So now I have two coming in? So don't expect a refund for something they sent out to you. Damn I'm furious right now.

AKG has some logistics problem.. I had issues with N400 deliveries too. Furthermore I recommended to my coworkers, some had hard time as well. Thier kids was waiting it for xmas gift then, same hotpoles they ran into. If you explain what happene, I’m pretty sure they will take care of it. It’s Samsung’s group after all. They have good customer care program.