[Bennyboy71]

Quote:

What else are you doing to yourself right now Benny?  I know I'm going to regret asking this.....

 
Performing hypnosis on my credit card, trying to get it to regress to a previous life.
 

 

[lucozade]

Quote:

What else are you doing to yourself right now Benny?  I know I'm going to regret asking this.....

LOL 

 

[knubbe]

For those that like sparkly treble I found the RX gave its top end a little more energy than the iQube, which I thought was very neutral.

 

[Bennyboy71]

^ Interesting comments Joe, thanks for those.  In my case, I had an iPod Classic (7th gen) and an Arrow and was using my SM3s with them until fairly recently. But, although that combination sounded great, something kept nagging away at me about the sound quality.  Out of the headphone output, the Classic sounded too fuzzy and warm with the SM3, but via the line out and the Arrow it just seemed too cold and clinical, albeit with more space in the soundstage.  I was frustrated and looking for a halfway house, and the lack of custom eq options on the iPod meant I couldnt do much about it. 
 
So I sold the Arrow and the Classic and got myself a J3. Now I use the SM3s ampless from the Cowon and I get that lovely compromise between detail and warmth that hits my ears' pleasure buttons.  Plus, totally unlike the iPod, the J3 is an EQ fruit machine for sound junkies - you can just keep pulling the levers and hoping for the jackpot.  It's addictive.
 
At lunchtime today, I got chance to borrow my colleagues Classic, knowing he had the same album on it as I did on the J3 - the utterly fantastic Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse album 'Dark Night Of The Soul'.  In an experiment, I played the lead track off the album on both his and my players, listening through the SM3s.  The difference was immediately striking. The Classic sounded comatosed, brown, wilted and bored out of its tree with the ace music it was being asked to reproduce.  The Cowon, by contrast, was like a technicolour monkey butler pumped full of caffeine, dancing around, eager to show you what it could do with its Earsonics bag of tricks.
 
A remarkable difference, in fact, and it absolutely vindicated my decision to break those Apple shackles. 
 
 

 

[slaters70]

Enough already. No one is trying to sway anyone. I made a comparison, a legitimate one, as to why I favor one IEM over another. After all, I did own the SM3, so I have a right to post here.
 
I'll leave it to the HF members hereabouts to decide who seems to need to launch personal attacks to get their jollies. Sorry to disappoint you, but no, I am not miserable. Quite the contrary. But why you continue to launch personal attacks is really on you, not me. I will just let readers decide who took the thread into this scenario. Name calling, personal attacks. I don't believe you'll find them in my posts. I guess it's fairly clear as to why you rushed to Ericp10's defense so vehemently, birds of a feather and all that.
 
Quote:

I never said that anyone is wrong for their observations that the SM3's are lacking treble, just noted they're in the minority. You are the one who always points out that someone is in the minority for their views and then proceeds to berate them, insinuating that they're hearing is suspect. I honestly can never figure out why you feel this need to 'sway' everyone into your camp. Are you that insecure of a person? Gee Tom, it really must be miserable being you. You're also apparently great at pulling things out of context, because I am equally familiar with shigzeo's review of the SM3's, and in addition to commenting that the treble is not as pronounced as some phones such as the FX500, he goes on to say they're the closest thing to perfection he's heard, saying that Earsonics hit a home run with them. 
 
Also, I'm truly happy that you've found your audio nirvana, not in the SM3, and have been able to save so much cash. Perhaps now you can go gamble it away at the poker table. 

 

[lucozade]

Children ,please stop all this silly bickering and play nicely together now ,this is getting boring !, this used to be an usefull and interesting thread ,lets get it back to the way it was shall we. Thank you 

 

[slaters70]

Well, it may seem one way to you, but that's not my intention. Some of my best friends on HF love the SM3s, and I have no intention of trying to lessen their enjoyment, not at all. No one is discrediting anyone. Please show me were I say anyone is wrong for liking the treble on the SM3? I would love to see that. All I said was it was too warm for me, period. Why is that so hard to understand, enlighten me.
 
And I agree, I prefer more treble emphasis that the SM3 provides. No beef with you, but I would read more carefully. I am allowed to compare a phone I own with the SM3s, having owned both. Others have compared them to the e-Q7, the FX-700, the IE8. In fact, I believe James444 made a lengthy comparison post of the SM3s with 3 other IEMs. That's what this is supposed to be about.
 
I never have tried to discredit anyone. And if you, again, read my posts carefully, I actually praise the SM3 and say if it had just a little more treble energy, the sparkle, if you will, I would have kept it. So please, try to read the posts before commenting on them.
 
Could it be someone who prefers a $150 IEM over a $300-$400 IEM is causing some dissonance with the latter group. Not sure. I never said anyone who prefers/loves the SM3 is wrong or misguided. Of that, I am sure.
 
 
 
Quote:

It never ends From an outsider's point of view (being me) it seems like you do have a problem with people enjoying their SM3 and at the same time not jumping to get a pair of the DBA-02. Also regardless of who that reviewer is (even if it shigzeo who has an opinion that I regard highly) at the end of the day it is just one person's opinion. Lack of sparkle is depending on user preference. Eric, dweaver, cn11 and I'm sure a bunch others like the treble on the SM3 and find it suitable so why discredit their opinions about the treble. It seems to be that this is just personal preference as some of them do prefer dynamics until the SM3 came along. You just happen to enjoy phones that have more treble emphasis than some people who have the SM3.
 
Also you seem to be enjoying the DBA-02. That's great. It's time to move on from the SM3 then.

 

[slaters70]

Nothing like a mature adult to enter the discussion. These things happen on HF. And this thread stopped being useful and interesting a long time ago. Also, I'd lose the popcorn icon, using it is as boring as it gets on HF.
 
Quote:

Children ,please stop all this silly bickering and play nicely together now ,this is getting boring !, this used to be an usefull and interesting thread ,lets get it back to the way it was shall we. Thank you 

 

[ericp10]

lol with cn11. He is so simple buddy. Let him kick and scream on his on. lol
 
Quote:

Tom-
Well, for someone who's only been on HF since May of this year, you sure have detailed experiential info to share from that conversation of ours a couple years back. That was as tstarn06, buddy. Just sayin'. Don't know who tstarn is?.... doubtful. 

 

[ericp10]

I must excite you and turn you on in some sort of way that I find creepy. I have moved on from your jibber jabber, yet  you still like to type my name in your continual rants. Why can't you and your other two or three pals just move on? To continue this cycle of "I don't like what he says in his post, so I don't like him" is really boring, tiresome and quite elementary school-like. I thought you had us on ignore? Quit lying about it and be about it Tom. You may be on the verge of having this page shut down again. Move on dude.
 
Quote:

Enough already. No one is trying to sway anyone. I made a comparison, a legitimate one, as to why I favor one IEM over another. After all, I did own the SM3, so I have a right to post here.
 
I'll leave it to the HF members hereabouts to decide who seems to need to launch personal attacks to get their jollies. Sorry to disappoint you, but no, I am not miserable. Quite the contrary. But why you continue to launch personal attacks is really on you, not me. I will just let readers decide who took the thread into this scenario. Name calling, personal attacks. I don't believe you'll find them in my posts. I guess it's fairly clear as to why you rushed to Ericp10's defense so vehemently, birds of a feather and all that.
 

 

 

[ericp10]

lol @ Bennyboy, Anaxilus and luco. By the way @ luco buddy, give those disgruntled fanclub members a refund please, but deduct a 25 percent restock fee for membership card usage and privileges. That is all..

 
Quote:

LOL 

 

[lucozade]

@well ericp buddy i was not going to give them a refund i was going to charge them extra for bringing the fanclub into disrepute , off course if they slip me a few bucks on the side i will give them a free ericp doll they can stick there vodoo pins in ,so if you get any unexpected ache's and pains you will know what is happening buddy . lol 

 

 

[music_4321]

Quote:

My take: SM3 treble is very good, detailed, and realistic sounding.  It does not overpower the rest of the spectrum, and actually does seem like it tapers off.  The EM3 Pro has a little more treble volume and the Tesla T1 has much more.  Not much more in the way the FX700 had to my ears, but much more.  When I compared the FX700 to the SM3, the FX700 sounded like it had an artificial boost and because of that emphasis, did not sound a liquid and natural as the SM3.  The CK10 treble sounded metallic to my ears in comparison (as midoo said long ago but I didn't notice until A/Bing with the SM3).  The CK90 Pro, which I still have, doesn't sound that way for some reason.
 
I think many of the "audiophile" or popular IEMs/headphones that are expensive have an either accentuated or very present treble, which is in contrast to the SM3.  I think it is something you could get used to if you spend enough time with them and that is the new "normal."
 
My experience with sources/amps for the SM3 is that the source is the biggest factor.  Meaning, the SM3 is ultra resolving and any improvement in the signal path (DAC) will be noticed.  Where the greatest differences occur to me is the way the space is presented.  For example, I just sold my Rx and picked up a T3.  I sold the Rx because, while great with some of my IEMs, I liked the presentation and form factor of the Arrow better and my Rx wasn't getting used. 
 
The T3 isn't as spacious as my Arrow with the SM3.  I wouldn't say the difference is large, but for me, noticeable when A/Bing.  If I were to grab one one or the other and just listen after not listening to anything I wouldn't know which one I grabbed.  On the flip side, if I use my iPod HPO vs. the line out I would notice a difference when critically listening.  The differences consist of subtle things like the space between instruments, sharpness of notes, textures, etc.  For me, the resolution of the DAC and the amp stage make the biggest difference.  Playing around with capacitors, I think that the capacitors (many amps have capacitors in the signal path to remove DC offset voltages of DACs and amps as well as for protection) combined with amp circuit design also make a difference.  That is where the improvement lies for me; your experience may vary with different players etc.

Joe, I've found your posts, in general, quite balanced & useful.
 
Your latest post finally made me hit the send button and the SM3s have just been ordered.
 
 
 

 

[ericp10]

LMAO @ lucozade, buddy!! See, I knew I could count on you man. That's why I made you - OUCH!!!!! -  treasurer and manager of the Ericp10 Fanclub...lol. Very funny man!!

Quote:

@well ericp buddy i was not going to give them a refund i was going to charge them extra for bringing the fanclub into disrepute , off course if they slip me a few bucks on the side i will give them a free ericp doll they can stick there vodoo pins in ,so if you get any unexpected ache's and pains you will know what is happening buddy . lol 

 

 

[Bennyboy71]

Nice one. Cant wait to read your impressions - any idea when you'll get them?

 
Quote:

Joe, I've found your posts, in general, quite balanced & useful.
 
Your latest post finally made me hit the send button and the SM3s have just been ordered.