AKG K3003 part2: General analysis [UPDATED]

As pointed out by Inks, there was acoustic leakage on my new occluded ear simulator, which I bought for  an IEM measurement only. Now the issue has been fully resolved with my good ol' glue gun, I measured K3003 all over again. With the leak successfully blocked, the sub-bass level not only increased, but also the distortion in that range has been greatly reduced. NOW THAT WAS CLOSE.. *phew* Thanx again, Inks!

PRO: Very low harmonic distortion figure, even with 3-drivers linked up in parallel. It is the lowest I've seen from an IEM with a balanced-armature transducer implemented. AKG fine-tuned this IEM quite impressively. The channel matching is excellent, too.

CON: It is such a pain to insert this bulky IEM into a small ear canal; It is actually bigger in size than Ultimate Ears Triple.Fi 10 Pro! With the reference gray filters equipped, there is a lot of emphasis in the bass region, which makes the bass kind of slow and fun at the same time, in my humble opinion. The dynamic driver decays slower than the balanced-armature! And lastly, are you sure its high frequency goes up to 30 kHz, AKG?

ON SECOND THOUGHT #1: This IEM changes its frequency response by a great degree, as the insertion depth changes. Interestingly, the insertion depth AKG intended to achieve is ~3mm away from the reference plane of the occluded ear simulator. This frequency response variation caused by different insertion depths will be discussed in the upcoming part 3.

ON SECOND THOUGHT #2: First, as the frequency goes up the impedance rises. Second, bundled acoustic dampers come with different acoustic resistance. Third, there is a slit ventilation port. These factors grant such a technical potentiality to AKG K3003. In other words, an user-oriented fine tonal equalization is possible once an intellectual treatment is given appropriately. This will be discussed in the upcoming part 3 as well.


Continued to Part 3.