Best sounding iems- SM3 deserves it's top tier status; they easily beat lesser iems and even sound more impressive than other top tiers I own. (I was blown away on first A/B attempt with my ie8; they make the IE8 sound boring)
They performed admirably in all genres of music, however I prefer my ie8's soundstage presentation a bit more. Nevertheless, I was so impressed by the sound quality these that I bought them as an upgrade to my IE8. (was demo-ing westone 4, Ortofon e-Q5 at the same time against my IE8)
However, they are slightly uncomfortable for to wear over the ears and the short Y connector hugs your neck. Can be painful and annoying to wear for prolonged listening

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Btw please check out my review of the JVC (Japan Victor Company) HA FX700, Sennheiser IE8.

These earphones have the worst isolation amongst all my top tier iems. (SM3, TF10, IE8)
As a result, JVCs sound thin unless you try to hold them in position.
Also, these iems sound softer compared to the others on the same volume and they do not provide any discernible improve/edge in sound quality over SM3, TF10, IE8. (Unless you really want to nitpick-  take the midrange/low/high/soundstage of this earphone and say it is better than that like this- earphone A > B = C... to me, it doesn't say much about the overall sound it produce.) End of the day, it boils down to whether the overall sound stands out to your ears.
Important rules I learnt from this purchase:
1) Always audition review with your own ears. (I auditioned the SM3, TF10,IE8 myself before buying) 
2) Be wary of headphones that have little exposure- few users (1.Limited only to Japan 2. Not many dealers- if they were good, why wouldn't there be more dealers-eg westones, unique melody)

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Btw please check out my review of the IE8 & SM3

It is not fantastic for the price..

These need burn in to sound their best.
Burning in helps to bring out the mids and highs on the ie8 and slightly tame its bass;
The ie8 also made me realize the importance of iem build quality and comfort; so far, none of my other iems (Ultimate Ears Triple Fi 10 Pro, EarSonic SM3, JVC HA FX700) can match the ie8 in those aspects.
 
 
       



Btw please check out my review of the JVC (Japan Victor Company) HA FX700, EarSonics SM3.