[Heret1c]

Quote:

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?

 
Really? Which stock tips are you using? The Complys or the biflanges? Are the biflanges of the wide bore variety? I'm am using the new wide bore biflange from ES with my SM3v1 and I have to say they are the best so far. Not veiled to my ears. In fact narrow bored tips from Westone and Shure sound veiled in comparison.Not sure about Shure Olives but I have never liked them, sonically. You might want to try Monster tri-flanges as well but you'll need to modify them with a spacer or use the Monster eartip adapter to get them to fit tho. Or those sensorcom biflanges but I've personally not tried those.
 
You are right tho, these IEMS are very tip sensitive indeed.You do have to find the right one to get the best out of them.
 
 


 

 

[Nulliverse]

Having spent several months researching a multitude of threads on this site, I am beginning to realise that resistance to the bug of audiocentricity is futile...
 
I started out with some PFEs which were a real eye (well, ear) opener, and a perfect IEM to get started. I decided recently however that it was time to up the ante and got me some SM3s.
 
They arrived in just 2 days which was impressive, and upon their arrival I was amazed and dazzled by their magic. Alas this indulgence lasted for just one day, and ended abruptly after I noticed a sudden right / left imbalance. Upon examination I quickly discovered that this was due to the filter falling out of right ear.
 
I have no idea how, or why this came out (have read the mod threads) and am obviously disappointed, as it is nowhere to be found. 
 
So my question is, has this happened to anybody else, and if so, are Earsonics happy to replace the filters?

 

[arcticears]

Sorry to hear about your problem Nulliverse.  I have had my SM3's for about a year and have never had the filter come out, in fact they are very difficult to get out.  In looking to mod the SM3's to get a little more treble I researched the filters and they seem to be standard Knowles acoustic dampers.  The ones in theSM3's are the green 1500 ohms dampers.  I picked up some 1000 ohm dampers (brown) and 500 ohm dampers (white).  I have tried each of the dampers out and find that the white dampers (filters) work best for me.  They add some treble giving a somewhat brighter sound ( not bright by any means but brighter than before) this makes them less dark and allows treble details to come through better. This is just what I was looking for.  You might ask how does this address my problem, well I have found that the new dampers (filters) do not fit as snug as the old ones, in fact I went to using a touch of rubber cement on the side of the damper to make it stay in.  I used rubber cement because it is easy to remove and does no harm to the plastic of the iems.  You can get the dampers from many sources just google Knowles acoustic dampers and they are cheap.  You might even find an audiologist who will sell you some as they are used in making hearing aids.  I is a good idea to obtain extra dampers just to replace them as they can clog as other filters can. 
 
I have no idea if Earsonics makes the dampers available but it would be a good idea if they did.  This is standard procedure for Etymotic who use damper also and they supply a changing tool and extra filters with their iems.

 

[Nulliverse]

Thanks for the info articears - I think I'll purchase some of these once my SM3s are sorted. That said, I should have been more clear in my initial post - it was the acoustic tube, as well as the filter, that fell out of my phones (nowhere to be found). I take it this is a faulty?

 

[Heret1c]

Sorry to hear about your problem Nulliverse.  I have had my SM3's for about a year and have never had the filter come out, in fact they are very difficult to get out.  In looking to mod the SM3's to get a little more treble I researched the filters and they seem to be standard Knowles acoustic dampers.  The ones in theSM3's are the green 1500 ohms dampers.  I picked up some 1000 ohm dampers (brown) and 500 ohm dampers (white).  I have tried each of the dampers out and find that the white dampers (filters) work best for me.  They add some treble giving a somewhat brighter sound ( not bright by any means but brighter than before) this makes them less dark and allows treble details to come through better. This is just what I was looking for.  You might ask how does this address my problem, well I have found that the new dampers (filters) do not fit as snug as the old ones, in fact I went to using a touch of rubber cement on the side of the damper to make it stay in.  I used rubber cement because it is easy to remove and does no harm to the plastic of the iems.  You can get the dampers from many sources just google Knowles acoustic dampers and they are cheap.  You might even find an audiologist who will sell you some as they are used in making hearing aids.  I is a good idea to obtain extra dampers just to replace them as they can clog as other filters can. 
 
I have no idea if Earsonics makes the dampers available but it would be a good idea if they did.  This is standard procedure for Etymotic who use damper also and they supply a changing tool and extra filters with their iems.

Hey articears, did the filters come with a changing tool or did you have to source one from elsewhere? Also, is it just the white filters which dont fit snugly or both the brown and white?

Thanks for the info articears - I think I'll purchase some of these once my SM3s are sorted. That said, I should have been more clear in my initial post - it was the acoustic tube, as well as the filter, that fell out of my phones (nowhere to be found). I take it this is a faulty?

oh wow...the whole sound tube? Is this the V2 or V1? Thats got to be covered by the warranty, I hope! Sorry to hear about that, Nulliverse.

 

[Nulliverse]

Heret1c - Yup, the whole sound tube... after just 1 day of use. Disappointing is an understatement, though I'm sure they'll replace them. Just don't want the hassle and waiting time. They are v2.
 
Regarding the dampers themselves, Knowles apear to supply an extraction tool as a seperate product:
 
http://www.knowles.com/search/family.do?family_id=BF&x_sub_cat_id=15
 
 

 

[Heret1c]

Heret1c - Yup, the whole sound tube... after just 1 day of use. Disappointing is an understatement, though I'm sure they'll replace them. Just don't want the hassle and waiting time. They are v2.
 
Regarding the dampers themselves, Knowles apear to supply an extraction tool as a seperate product:
 
http://www.knowles.com/search/family.do?family_id=BF&x_sub_cat_id=15
 
 

Hmm, i'm wondering if its worth the effort. I have no qualms with the SM3s sound especially after moving to the large bore biflanges (my vi came with the older narrow bore ones). The treble sounds just right and adequate and when it isnt enough, i just EQ a high self filter at 2kHz by 2-3dbs. That does the trick for me.

 

[Nulliverse]

Quote:

Hmm, i'm wondering if its worth the effort. I have no qualms with the SM3s sound especially after moving to the large bore biflanges (my vi came with the older narrow bore ones). The treble sounds just right and adequate and when it isnt enough, i just EQ a high self filter at 2kHz by 2-3dbs. That does the trick for me.

 
Agreed. I have no intention of changing the filters myself. Thankfully I have now spoken with them and they are sending me a replacement tube and filter. Hopefully it'll stay in this time.
 
Regarding your tips, are you using the v2 stock biflange or Sensorcom? I ordered some sensorcom only to find that my stocks have a wider bore.
 

 

[arcticears]

@Nulliverse:  Wow the whole sound tube, glad they are going to correct that for you.  I have not found anywhere they sell the extraction tool with the filters.  I use a Etymotic filter tool. 
@Heret1c:  I found that all of the dampers I have are a little loose.  I agree that a small boost in that region will brighten thing up, I have used a 3 db boost at 2.5K to do the same thing.  I just wanted to see what the dampers would do and since they are easily replaced I just played around with it. 

 

[Heret1c]

Quote:

 
Agreed. I have no intention of changing the filters myself. Thankfully I have now spoken with them and they are sending me a replacement tube and filter. Hopefully it'll stay in this time.
 
Regarding your tips, are you using the v2 stock biflange or Sensorcom? I ordered some sensorcom only to find that my stocks have a wider bore.
 

it's good that their willing to replace the sound tube and filter for you but personally I'd have preferred a whole new set or at least a replacement right earpiece. You'd still have to attach the tube and filter yourself now and who's to say it won't drop off again? A bit disappointed with ES in that respect.
 
I'm using the v2 stock biflange which I had to purchase from the ES website as it did not come with my V1s. Prefer this much more over the previous stock tips and any other tip I've tried. Never tried the sensorcoms tho as they dont ship to Malaysia. However if the new stocks have a larger bore, then I guess I'm not missing out on much eh?
 

 
Quote:

@Nulliverse:  Wow the whole sound tube, glad they are going to correct that for you.  I have not found anywhere they sell the extraction tool with the filters.  I use a Etymotic filter tool. 
@Heret1c:  I found that all of the dampers I have are a little loose.  I agree that a small boost in that region will brighten thing up, I have used a 3 db boost at 2.5K to do the same thing.  I just wanted to see what the dampers would do and since they are easily replaced I just played around with it. 

Thanks for the reply, arcticears.
 
Personally, which do you think sounds better and more natural, the white or brown filters or EQing? Is there a big difference in the highs between the 2 filters and EQ-ing? I'm using the Rockbox EQ on an iMod btw. Thanks in advance for your reply.
 

 

[arcticears]

Quote:

it's good that their willing to replace the sound tube and filter for you but personally I'd have preferred a whole new set or at least a replacement right earpiece. You'd still have to attach the tube and filter yourself now and who's to say it won't drop off again? A bit disappointed with ES in that respect.
 
I'm using the v2 stock biflange which I had to purchase from the ES website as it did not come with my V1s. Prefer this much more over the previous stock tips and any other tip I've tried. Never tried the sensorcoms tho as they dont ship to Malaysia. However if the new stocks have a larger bore, then I guess I'm not missing out on much eh? 
 
Thanks for the reply, arcticears.
 
Personally, which do you think sounds better and more natural, the white or brown filters or EQing? Is there a big difference in the highs between the 2 filters and EQ-ing? I'm using the Rockbox EQ on an iMod btw. Thanks in advance for your reply.
 

I think that both sound natural.  I find the brown filters do not quite give the top end I was looking for.  Neither make the SM3 bright or unatural sounding they just make the iem less dark.  I think they also add a little more depth to the sound stage and provide better instrument placement.  I like to use the filters more than Eq.  Both Eq and the filters can sound natural but Eq is harder to get right as there are so many variables to play with.  I seldom use Eq as I like to keep the music chain as simple as possible.  I use a tip similar to the sensorcoms and they help. I have not tried the new standard tips.

 

[Heret1c]

Quote:

I think that both sound natural.  I find the brown filters do not quite give the top end I was looking for.  Neither make the SM3 bright or unatural sounding they just make the iem less dark.  I think they also add a little more depth to the sound stage and provide better instrument placement.  I like to use the filters more than Eq.  Both Eq and the filters can sound natural but Eq is harder to get right as there are so many variables to play with.  I seldom use Eq as I like to keep the music chain as simple as possible.  I use a tip similar to the sensorcoms and they help. I have not tried the new standard tips.

Thanks for that, arcticears. I think I'll stick to Eq-ing for now as I think I have got it right for the SM3, making it less dark as you say.Might consider filters later when I am just a little more brave as I'm kinda nervous about mucking about with them.

 

[arcticears]

Quote:

Thanks for that, arcticears. I think I'll stick to Eq-ing for now as I think I have got it right for the SM3, making it less dark as you say.Might consider filters later when I am just a little more brave as I'm kinda nervous about mucking about with them.

Right, when you find what is right to your ears why mess with it.  I do think that the slight boost in the 2.5K to 3.5K region really helps and fixes many of the problems many express about the SM3s.  Either through Eq or the change in filters.  These remain at the top of my list.
 

 

[Nulliverse]

 
Quote:

it's good that their willing to replace the sound tube and filter for you but personally I'd have preferred a whole new set or at least a replacement right earpiece. You'd still have to attach the tube and filter yourself now and who's to say it won't drop off again? A bit disappointed with ES in that respect.

 
I can't say I'm impressed with their customer service thus far - I've had to send multiple emails with follow up phone calls to get any sort of response. Anyway, they finally sent me some new sound tubes (with filters) which was helpful. When I went to insert the sound tube however, I noticed a green filter jammed precariously at the very bottom of the nozzle. I attempted to remove this which unfortunately caused it to drop down and disappear into the earpiece.
 
I was pretty disappointed, as they were clearly like this out of the box and faulty upon arrival, so I requested a replacement. They have replied saying that that they will repair it rather than replace it, and only on the condition that I cover all postage costs.
 
Am I being unreasonable in thinking that this is bad customer service?
 
Also, how much is this likely to affect the sound? I'm listening to them at the moment and they still sound balanced.
 
 
 

 

[Guidostrunk]

I hated how the sound of them with the filters out, to my ears they become sibilant and the bass disappears. I actually replaced the green filters in mine with some black foam from a pop filter on a microphone. Did A/B tests till the sound was on par from the factory. I kept having one of the green filters almost falling out, so i improvised.
Quote:

 
 
I can't say I'm impressed with their customer service thus far - I've had to send multiple emails with follow up phone calls to get any sort of response. Anyway, they finally sent me some new sound tubes (with filters) which was helpful. When I went to insert the sound tube however, I noticed a green filter jammed precariously at the very bottom of the nozzle. I attempted to remove this which unfortunately caused it to drop down and disappear into the earpiece.
 
I was pretty disappointed, as they were clearly like this out of the box and faulty upon arrival, so I requested a replacement. They have replied saying that that they will repair it rather than replace it, and only on the condition that I cover all postage costs.
 
Am I being unreasonable in thinking that this is bad customer service?
 
Also, how much is this likely to affect the sound? I'm listening to them at the moment and they still sound balanced.