[scuttle]

Quote:

Thanks for the feedback. My SM64's are sitting on my doorstep for when I get home from work. I will post my impressions in a day or 2.

 
It would be interesting to hear what they sound like with and without the EQ shoved to the floor at 15kHz. This is the trick HifiMan players use - most people can hear very little if anything above 15kHz, especially when they are out of their 20s, but sounds on these frequencies do contribute to distortion products on frequencies that people do hear clearly (which is often what people mean by harshness and fatigue.) If you filter away the top end and give your ears a few minutes to adjust, you might like the result. (This simple trick works for HiFiMan players - people call it a warm sound and attribute it to the DAC of all things!)
 
(Knocking out the top 5000 of a 20,000Hz range isn't nearly as drastic as it sounds - human hearing is logarithmic frequency wise - octaves a truer expression, and you're losing just the top octave of ten, rather than a quarter of the range.)

 

[RatFarm]

Ok, I  briefly listened to the SM64's straight out of an iPod Classic 6g. I could be very wrong but the SM64's sound EXACLY like what I am looking for. Wide open soundstage, nice bass and crystal clear mids. A good first impression! A better review will follow in a day or 2. 

 

[RatFarm]

Quote:

 
It would be interesting to hear what they sound like with and without the EQ shoved to the floor at 15kHz. This is the trick HifiMan players use - most people can hear very little if anything above 15kHz, especially when they are out of their 20s, but sounds on these frequencies do contribute to distortion products on frequencies that people do hear clearly (which is often what people mean by harshness and fatigue.) If you filter away the top end and give your ears a few minutes to adjust, you might like the result. (This simple trick works for HiFiMan players - people call it a warm sound and attribute it to the DAC of all things!)
 
(Knocking out the top 5000 of a 20,000Hz range isn't nearly as drastic as it sounds - human hearing is logarithmic frequency wise - octaves a truer expression, and you're losing just the top octave of ten, rather than a quarter of the range.)

Good idea. I'm 48 so my hearing in the upper ranges is not what it used to be. Too bad the iPod classic doesn't allow for EQ changes like that without resorting to rockbox.

 

[RatFarm]

I decided I do not need to wait a day or 2 to form my opinion of the SM64's. They are flat out awesome and I do not intend on trying out other IEMs at this point.
 
Bass: After owning the JVC FXZ200's I didn't think bass could get better but it does with the SM64s. It's not that the SM64s have more bass but the quality exceeds all other IEMs I have tried. Sub-bass in particular is muscular and appropriate. At times I got the sensation of a subwoofer playing in the room.
 
Mids: The mids are see-thru quality, smooth as hell and extremely life-like. So far I have listened to the Carpenters, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Patricia Barber, Led Zeppelin and Wilson Pickett. I have not heard all of them presented so perfectly natural in a sound stage that is so unlike an IEM. In comparison, the X10, TF10, FXZ200s and IE7s sound so fake and artificial.
 
Highs: This is where I am a bit surprised. I was expecting the SM64s to be a tad bit bright but if anything they sound a bit tame on top until you realize that all the treble details are there. Highs are presented so naturally it initially fools you into thinking they are not very present.
 
Sound stage: Just perfect. I can place instrument locations easily and hear studio wall boundaries when present in the recording. Vocals do not feel like they are squashed inside your brain as they do with the 200's. The SM64s offer a 2nd row perspective.
 
Fit and comfort: I am not used to using over the ear wires with IEMs so it took a bit of practice to get the fit right but once in place they stayed and fit perfectly. The double-flange tips that come already mounted offer great isolation and to my ears fit like a glove.
 
As far as amping is concerned, the volume level coming out of my iPod Classic is just barely enough at the max setting to provide comfortable levels for most music but is not quite enough for all. I think a portable amp is helpful with the SM64s.
 
I think I got very lucky. I found a perfectly balanced IEM that has all the sonic attributes I was looking for and value and has exceeded my expectations on all fronts. The search has ended for me.

 

[scuttle]

Quote:

As far as amping is concerned, the volume level coming out of my iPod Classic is just barely enough at the max setting to provide comfortable levels for most music but is not quite enough for all. I think a portable amp is helpful with the SM64s.
 

 
Yes, this sounds like a case where a portable amp actually would be useful. (Or you could switch to a Cowon J3 with its meatier amp, maybe.)
 
How close do the SM64s come to your Tesla?

 

[RatFarm]

Compared to the T1s I would say that the SM64s offer nearly the same detail and greater mid-bass and sub-bass response. The T1's still have the upper hand when it comes to the soundstage but I think this is just due to the physical limits ... for example speakers are generally better than headphones which are generally better than IEMs for soundstage presentation. At concerts we sit in front of musicians (speakers) with a large acoustic space between, with headphones we are confined to left-right over our ears with a very small acoustic space and then with IEMs we are almost directly coupled with left-right info right to the ear canal with no physical acoustic space. The T1s are closer to reproducing ácoustic space'than the SM64s just due to the technology. Of course this is my own theory/opinion and I am not a qualified auditory engineer!

 

[scuttle]

So it would be fair to say the SM64s are roughly equivalent to the Teslas in quality? Not the same, but head roughly as often as they are behind? That's incredible - they're starting to sound like a bargain!

 

[RatFarm]

I guess pretty much. They are close enough to the T1's (which I love) for me to be completely satisfied and the SM64's have better bass to boot!

 

[scuttle]

I did say I wasn't going to buy any high end IEMs after certain cat related incidents, but I'm now seriously tempted. Have you tried them with rock for bass punch? 
 
Btw you might be interested in this:
 
http://www.earsonics.com/store/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=26&products_id=47&PHPSESSID=5acb2dd00cea2b2007a31cc7031f020f