Earsonics SM3 Appreciation Thread - Third Time is a Charm? - Page 68

- thanks for the replies guys!

 

i had a chance to get a hm601 at a lower price, but i do not know if the resulting sound signature would be too warm and midcentric. the SQ of the itouch 3g was certainly not cutting it for me... in comparison of to the 3gs, it sounds a little stale and sterile imo. 

 

 

i shall try the j3 out! i hear there were good reports of synergy between the two (=

Edited by LRY32 - 7/5/11 at 6:58pm

No more gushing bout the SM3s? Ok well I'll gush then.

[Begin gush] Just listened to these after spending the last week without them. Left em in a friends place but just couldn't find the time to go get them. Busy wit work etc. Listened to the ck10 all week instead. When I put on the sm3s today I literally got chills listening to them. Read into that what you will. But no other iem I've owned so far gives me such a thrill. For that alone, they're keepers in my book. [End gush]

They are so neutral. If anything, they need a tiny bit more power to the lows, but other than that, they're the most balanced IEMs out of my UM3X and Shure SE530s. The bass coupled with the huge soundstage is really great. It's definitely not the end of the road, but it does everything very well so that you can't really lay any criticisms against it. Good, balanced sound. Review to come soon! I am happy I got them, though :).

Glad to see another happy Sm3 owner. I agree with all you said tho I feel the bass is very adequate for my tastes. Any more than that I suspect it may be too much for me. The mids are the main attraction in the Sm3's sig IMO, tho the lows and highs are just as excellent.

 

Be warned tho, there is quite a number of ppl who criticize the Sm3 for the very same reasons we love them. Different strokes and all.

 

Edited by Heret1c - 7/24/11 at 10:21am

Had the SM3 v2 for about a week now :)

 

Gonna get the custom earmolds.

Not really sure why people are saying the SM3's dont react to EQing much. I tried them on my Motorola Atrix using poweramp - max treble boost and gave myself a headache after 30 seconds.

Maybe I haven't seen such comments but I do know that average_joe is of the opposite opinion. See this thread: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/476315/top-tier-universal-iem-comparison-chart-frequency-response-charts-discussion#post_6458074

 

Personally, i too have found it reacts really well to EQ but I havent really found a need to actually EQ it as i found the stock sig / FR to be just to my liking. Especially with the new wider bore tips. I can't stress this enough. Those tips really make a difference, IMO.

 

My Sony X sounds great with my SM3 V1, much better than with my Rockboxed Clip, Ipad 2, iPhone

My wide bores keep getting left in my ear when I take out my phones....haha.  Oh well I still love the sound!

Just spent the better part of today listening to Adele's 21 and Christina Perri's Lovestrong on the Sm3, sourced by an imod (loaded with flac) and Arrow amp. Both these albums are great albums and with the Sm3 the vocals just 'popped' for me. Really enjoyed the vocals more than anything else although it was all there, nothing missing to these ears. Vocals were upfront, yes, and is to be expected with the Sm3's forward mids but also rich and luscious. I feel the warmth in the Sm3's sig really adds to this kind of music and helps. It wasnt lacking for detail and texture IMO and was just such a great listening experience.

 

Thus far I've mostly been listening to rock / metal and some soundtracks but today felt the need for some easy listening soulful female vocals. Great choice of albums for my listening pleasure today, made even better with the Sm3. Yes, my torrid love affair with the Sm3s continue and I think now I may just be starting another with Adele's music!

Good for you man! I am also psycho-dazzled by Adele's music with SM3s forward mids...after trying and a/b'ing alot of headphones, it's better to appreciate what you have and invest more on some good music.

 

Happy Listening!
 

 

Ditto!

 

ps: but it still doesnt stop me lusting for more IEMS and customs! lol

 

Just here to say how much I love these frickin IEMs.. The sound quality is incredible!!!!! Been using mine for 4 months now and I am still amazed by the sounds it puts out, specially trance music.. INSANE.

The default ones were absolutely horrid. I actually thought I was ripped off when I used them. The bass literally overpowered everything, and the sound was so horribly low resolution and uncontrolled. Then, I pulled out my UM3X tips and put on the tri-flanges, and the sound was instantly 20x better. Even now, however, I'm not floored with the SM3 sound, as I would have hoped because I think I can pull out better sound from the SM3s. I just don't know what tips to use. From the transformation that took place between the stocks and these Tri-flanges, I have the impression that these are quite tip sensitive... and I want to unleash the full potential of these IEMs. That said, my Shure foam olives from my SE530 don't fit around the spouts, so I'm at a loss.

 

Does anyone have any recommendation as to the best tips for the SM3s?

Edited by Pepper - 9/18/11 at 2:53pm

Back in the day there was a lot of fuss and praise for the Sensorcom dual-flanges.

http://www.sensorcom.com/product.asp?P_ID=1142&PT_ID=268

Really?  I bought some Olive tips from Amazon the day after I got my SM3 v2's and they fit fine, don't really even need to force them really.

 

These really are beautiful iem's, every time I try any of my other headphones as soon as I put these on later I realise again what a good choice I made getting these, for a long time I was considering getting the custom moulds for them but now I just worry I would lose some sq from doing so.