Phew, happy to hear you managed to remove them without breaking anything 
Concerning the sound, I did not say it's better or worse, just that it's different. I still don't know whether I like it or not, but I agree with you: they are too bright now. I could do with a filter in between.
I'm amazed to hear the difference a simple filter can do.
And those who like their SM3 with the filter probably won't like the sound without, but those who complained about the veil or the recessed highs should give it a try. I'm thinking of slaters, music_4321...
Well, no chance for me to try your experiment as I sold my SM3s already; they were shipped 9 days ago, but your experiment sounds quite interesting, to say the least, but not interesting enough to make me purchase a second set of SM3s. The filters are also there to protect the 'insides' of the IEMs from earwax and dirt so they should not be removed, I believe.
Now that I've also sold my SE535s - even when a particular head-fi member tried his best to spoil my sale - I've purchased another top-tier universal IEM I've been wanting to try for some time, just to be 100% sure whether the UM3X is really the one universal IEM for me or not. And no, it's not the TF10.
Won't say which one it is as I've made a decision to practically withdraw from from head-fi and me saying which other IEM I'll be trying in the next couple of days might just generate unsolicited 'opinions'.
So, here's some really exciting news for some: I'll go back to what I did a few months back (for a period of about 6 months), ie either not post at all or post very rarely. I did so then because I didn't like a few things I saw round here. I'm sorry to say that my 'comeback' hasn't exactly been a great experience. There are still some great people around head-fi, yes, but a few I've come in touch with have left a very sour taste, enough for me to withdraw. And unlike someone who recently stated they'd now become just an 'observer' but have not been able to resist the temptation (addiction?) to post again, I'll pretty much stick to my decision.
If I decide to post my latest findings, rest assured I'll do it in a new thread so that fans of X, Y and Z IEMs don't get too irritated/ threatened/ defensive.
. And back to the SM3. When I get home I think I am going to try that mod @ Photofan. I think the treble is decent the way it is, but I am curious how much the sound changes without the filters. I do have the SM2 here with me, and whereas the arms are more sturdier on these earphones, I might try that mod now with the baby brother. I'll let you guys know how it works out if I do.
