AKG N5005 Reference In-ear Headphones with Customizable Sound, Black $199.99

Anyone have any feedback on using these headphones - is this a good deal since it seems to be heavily discounted?

It's the best price quality you can get, just need a good seal and some hours of burn in (after some hours of use the treble Becomes softer). I have some headphones like Sony z1r, and this n5005 is very good.

Sony z1r still goes for well over $1k.

Why is this in the $200's everywhere? What happened?

Is it worth it in 2023? In other words, is it better that Chinese iem such that are around $50?

I think it's a bit of a stretch to say the N5005 is outlclassed by $50 chifi IEMs. I can't speak on whether the N5005 was ever worth $1k, since I've never owned any kilobuck IEMs. However, I do own several IEMs ranging from $200-700 and can say that, in today's market, the N5005 is probably more competitive in the $200-400 space.

Crinacle, a well-known audiophile reviewer, gave them a "B" rating on his list [crinacle.com], which is a compliment, considering how strict he is with his grading standard. Audio preferences are highly subjective, but several of Crinacle's collaboration IEMs, including Blessing Dusk and Salnotes Zero, are very popular and sell well so I think it's fair to say his opinion holds some credibility.

I think the primary reason the N5005 has dropped so steeply in price is because 1) low hype and possibly poor marketing (here are hardly any reviews on the N5005 by any of the more well-known, more respected audiophile reviewers), and 2) the ever growing overcrowded, highly competitive IEM market. If you're going to spend $1k on an IEM, you're going to do so on a class leading product. N5005, as good as it was on release, never made waves in that regard so was passed over by IEMs like the ThieAudio Monarch or 64 Audio U12T.

I purchased a set a few weeks ago and can say the tuning and sound quality, wired, are good. I haven't tried the BT connector, so can't comment on that. The N5005 was tuned according to the Harman curve, much like several AKG products, so will supposedly sound pleasing to most people. AKG knows how to tune their headphones well. The AKG K371 is considered one of the top closed-back headphones in its price bracket, punching well above its price point, albeit with questionable build quality. I personally find N5005 pleasant and easy to listen to and think it's a good purchase at $200, especially considering all the included accessories that come with it. If this is your 1st $200 IEM and you can only get one, then the 7Hz Timeless is almost universally loved and considered class-leading in the $200 space. I'd recommend that over the N5005. The Moondrop Kato, Moondrop Blessing/Blessing Dusk and Mangird Tea 2 are other great, more popular alternatives in the $200-300 price range.

Thanks for your detailed response. I think I am going to buy it!
Personally, I had a great experience with Akg especially with n700nc m2.