Latest Thread Images

Multi-IEM Review - 352 IEMs compared (Pump Audio Earphones added 04/03/16 p. 1106)
Dec 21, 2010 at 7:10 AM Post #1,547 of 16,931
Great review as usual!  I agree with pretty much everything you said.  I also found the lows to be a bit shy at the lowest limits and was less appreciative of the treble than yourself.  I was one who fell into the unrealistic soundstage camp you mentioned, just couldn't do it.  Otherwise I'm in sonic agreement.  They reminded me of a BA version of the MD focused more on the technicalities while the MD was more about being fun.  Kinda soulless by comparison, sort of like listening to Andreas Bocelli versus Carreras.  I just never got engaged to the same level.  The lack of that 'wow' factor made it a sort of Jack of all trades, master of none sort of sound to me.  I do have to raise some questions on the scoring though.  Build quality seems rather high IMO.  I've honestly never used an IEM I was more worried about breaking in my life.  From the barely attached housings to the unreinforced nozzles that could snap like a twig.  In fact of all the IEMs I've ever had in my sig, they have to be the most poorly designed housings and nozzles I've ever experienced.  I did LUV the cable though!  Least microphonic in my experince.  I also wonder about the value score too considering they cost near $400 w/ respect to some of the competition.  I will say this, I certainly hold the SM3 in higher regard than the 530 and much higher than the TF10 granted I'm not a fan of it at all.  
 
Dec 21, 2010 at 8:15 AM Post #1,548 of 16,931
10/10 for the SM3 ?
 
 
i think this may be too much - then again we should wait until you grade the GR-10
 
Dec 21, 2010 at 8:19 AM Post #1,549 of 16,931
Finally, the SM3
smile.gif

 
Earlier, I was confused over how the new rating system would be. Would I see scores of 9.875? But this makes better sense, even though I hate to see my beloved DBA-02 drop to 9.75.
 
I agree with Anaxilus about the build quality of SM3. Even though I have it in my possession only for a couple of days, every time I handle them, I am worried about breaking them. None of my other IEMs make me feel this way. May be I'll get used to it, may be not.
 
Dec 21, 2010 at 10:10 AM Post #1,550 of 16,931
Looks like the SM3 pushed everything down in the sound ranking :p Nice review of them and I enjoyed reading it but it doesn't look like it is for me and I probably won't be able to hear them anyway.
 
Just curious but do you ever plan on having your customs make an appearance in this thread over time?
 
Dec 21, 2010 at 10:54 AM Post #1,553 of 16,931
It is "in progress".
 
Quote:
rawrster said:
Looks like the SM3 pushed everything down in the sound ranking :p Nice review of them and I enjoyed reading it but it doesn't look like it is for me and I probably won't be able to hear them anyway.
 
Just curious but do you ever plan on having your customs make an appearance in this thread over time?
Click to expand...



 
Dec 21, 2010 at 11:12 AM Post #1,555 of 16,931
ljokerl, exactly the same with your experience, now i hardly skip any songs.
It may just be end of the road for me.
Hopefully there is no sorry anymore for my wallet. :)
Thanks for the all fantastic words in SM3 review.
 
Dec 21, 2010 at 2:46 PM Post #1,559 of 16,931
Quote:
anaxilus said:
Great review as usual!  I agree with pretty much everything you said.  I also found the lows to be a bit shy at the lowest limits and was less appreciative of the treble than yourself.  I was one who fell into the unrealistic soundstage camp you mentioned, just couldn't do it.  Otherwise I'm in sonic agreement.  They reminded me of a BA version of the MD focused more on the technicalities while the MD was more about being fun.  Kinda soulless by comparison, sort of like listening to Andreas Bocelli versus Carreras.  I just never got engaged to the same level.  The lack of that 'wow' factor made it a sort of Jack of all trades, master of none sort of sound to me.  I do have to raise some questions on the scoring though.  Build quality seems rather high IMO.  I've honestly never used an IEM I was more worried about breaking in my life.  From the barely attached housings to the unreinforced nozzles that could snap like a twig.  In fact of all the IEMs I've ever had in my sig, they have to be the most poorly designed housings and nozzles I've ever experienced.  I did LUV the cable though!  Least microphonic in my experince.  I also wonder about the value score too considering they cost near $400 w/ respect to some of the competition.  I will say this, I certainly hold the SM3 in higher regard than the 530 and much higher than the TF10 granted I'm not a fan of it at all.  
Click to expand...
Quote:
kunlun said:
4/5 on build quality for the SM3 was a surprise. Many people have had theirs snap, crack or pop apart.
Click to expand...

Quote:
esanthosh said:
Finally, the SM3
smile.gif

 
Earlier, I was confused over how the new rating system would be. Would I see scores of 9.875? But this makes better sense, even though I hate to see my beloved DBA-02 drop to 9.75.
 
I agree with Anaxilus about the build quality of SM3. Even though I have it in my possession only for a couple of days, every time I handle them, I am worried about breaking them. None of my other IEMs make me feel this way. May be I'll get used to it, may be not.
Click to expand...
Sorry, I haven't read anything about others' experience with the build of the SM3. If I'd gone through the appreciation thread this review would never have seen the light of day. Sadly I don't have the time nor the resources to stress test each one of these earphones so I can only rate them on initial build quality. The inclusion of much of the <$30 junk in the review really skews the scales, too, so pretty much anything with a strong cable and proper strain reliefs will get a 3.5/5 or higher. I'll add a note about durability but I can't back it with experience - I didn't feel they were any less durable than my W1/W2.
 

Quote:
proedros said:
10/10 for the SM3 ?
 
 
i think this may be too much - then again we should wait until you grade the GR-10
Click to expand...

It's a relative scale. Not saying that the SM3 is perfect - just that I put it a bit above the CK10/CK100/DBA-02 (which aren't perfect either)
 

Quote:
rawrster said:
Looks like the SM3 pushed everything down in the sound ranking :p Nice review of them and I enjoyed reading it but it doesn't look like it is for me and I probably won't be able to hear them anyway.
 
Just curious but do you ever plan on having your customs make an appearance in this thread over time?
Click to expand...
 
Eh, you probably wouldn't like them too much. And yes, the 1964-T will be added to this thread but I'm probably going to start with a separate review for it.
 
Quote:
izaku said:
ljokerl, exactly the same with your experience, now i hardly skip any songs.
It may just be end of the road for me.
Hopefully there is no sorry anymore for my wallet. :)
Thanks for the all fantastic words in SM3 review.
Click to expand...
Quote:
sdhobbs said:
Perfect description and review of the SM3!  It was worth the wait!  Thanks ljokerl
Click to expand...
Quote:
mythless said:
Good review on the SM3, very similar to what I thought about them.  I found them to be a bit too thick for my taste, but overall the SM3 are pretty good.
Click to expand...


Ha, agreement seems to be split ~50/50. A little worse  than I expected but not too bad. Thanks, everyone!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 3 (members: 0, guests: 3)
Back
Top