I've owned 4 of these players now, not to say four have broken but I went through a bit of an ebay buying spree and ended up with several at once. Compared to newer players they are left wanting in many ways, sound quality isn't as good as my a846, for example. Battery life isn't as good as some players, especially when they are more than a year old. The 8gb capacity of the largest isn't much by today's standards, considering this was Sony's premium player at launch. Also there's no large, touchscreen, no apps, no phone, etc..
 
However, this was meant as an mp3 player and it does that rather well. Like all Sony's it produces a warm sound which, paired with the wrong earphones, can sound rather heavy on the bass. It is a tiny player which fits in any pocket, has a good/simple user interface and the entire case is metal rather than the plastic of a lot of cases of other players. Some complain of the hold button positioning but I can't think of a more logical place for it, it falls to the touch very naturally.
 
Value very much depends on when/where you bought/buy it. My first one cost me a lot of money (I forget quite how much, it can't have been that bad) and the last one I bought was under £30 from ebay. ebay is one of the few places to find these nowadays, usually, lightly used or reconditioned. make sure though to bid on a a810 series not the a800 series, they look the same but the latter are a pain to use with the sony software that must be used in conjunction, the a810 series allows direct drag & drop and you can throw the cd in the bin.
 
A few things annoy me about the useability of this player which are worth mentioning. There's no flac support, gapless albums will have a 2 second gap put in between the songs and you can't delete any songs directly off the player. All minor points but when combined with a relatively small capacity it means mine has been relegated to a gym mp3 player now. Being so tough it's ideally suited, i've dropped mine countless times now.
 
Depending what you want in a player, don't dismiss this one too soon, it sounds/works better than a sansa clip for less money. I would comment on the included earphones but have forgotten what they sound like, this is head-fi after all.

 
Well, what was I expecting on hearing these at first? Very hard question to answer really, probably a darker sound than the w2’s, an altogether more complete sound than the dtx100, less detail than the hf5 (courtesy of Benny) and a rather dodgily put together earphone which will apparently wow me like no other earphone. Was this what I got? In short, pretty much, no, if you’re not bored yet then read on. If you are then I doubt it’ll get better.
 
My first thoughts on opening the parcel from Benny was along the lines of: “Ooh, Radius do nice cases for their earphones don’t they?” Westone should take note even though as far as cases go theirs are far from the worst. Anyway with my trusty Sony a818 I plugged them in and opened up the taps, I think the first song I played was “A feeling of the all thing” by Kelley Polar. Sound came out of them. That’s all good, don’t get me wrong, but that’s not a particularly impressive party trick for most earphones, was it a sound that wowed me? No, it wasn’t. I was immediately impressed with the bass extension but that was about it. Five minutes later I had sore ears and was looking for some other tips to use. I tried a lot of tips, the sensorcoms doubles didn’t sound right at all, the balance was off to the extent I thought a driver was damaged, the jays were uncomfortable, Shure olives weren’t bad but fit better on my w2’s, most ety tips had fit problems, the modded tri-flange Ety’s weren’t bad sound wise but hurt. I spent about 4 days taking my sm3’s to work with as many tips as would fit in my Beyer dtx100 case (the biggest reasonable one I had). Eventually I put on some double flange tips I didn’t recognize and promptly got sidetracked. I still had them on an hour later when I realized that they hadn’t yet driven me mad and it turned out they were the stock double flange tips from earsonics. I’m still using them.
 
Did they wow me? No, they didn’t, was I disappointed with that? No, the last earphones to wow me were my first pair of cx300’s about 5 years ago and if an earphone wows me now I don’t consider it a good thing. The sound is quite a lot like I was expecting. With the amount of talk the sm3’s generated on head-fi I was fairly confident I knew more or less their sound signature. I consider them a good upgrade over my dtx100’s which a little under a year ago I considered the finest things since cheese straws. The bass extension is better than any other earphone I’ve used which, listening to a lot of electronic like I do, is a good thing, I don’t need greatly enhanced bass, that’ll be in the recording if it’s needed, but a lot of tracks suffer if there’s nothing underpinning the track where there really should be, it’s also one area I came to realize wasn’t actually that great on the 100’s. I haven’t a/b’d the sm3 much with any of my other earphones so mids/highs are harder to define but I haven’t found detail to be too lacking compared to the hf5/w2. I imagine I would find they’re not quite as good in that area but I don’t really find it a problem.
 
Audio Nirvana. Well, how about that phrase. What does it mean? (I haven’t finished on the sound yet, this is an aside) Anyway back in February of this year I bought myself a set of MA GS10’s and coupled them up to my modded CA 640 and either a Dual-Mono TPA Dac or a Rega P2. I have to say it sounds bloody spectacular. I can listen to it at virtually any volume and whilst in any mood and lose focus to music every time if I want to. I bought that set-up and it does its job, sends me away from the world, straight up the staircase to Nirvana. However, when I use my earphones I have just woken up, I am half way through a criminally strong coffee and am about to be rushed off my feet until about 10 hours time. In that case all earphones should do is block out most of the noise and panic of the outside world and cut down as much of the illusion of time as possible on the way to work. Every earphone has done this since my trusty Sony’s back in 2004. So what do you get with the sm3’s that you don’t with earphones at a tenth of the price? When you use them in a darkened room with no background noise it seems a very silly question but on the street? You get a better sound, no contest, the soundstage of the sm3’s is one I might actually call a real soundstage it’s why I think the sound holds together so well. This is where the diminishing returns kick in big time. To my ears they are considerably better than the dtx100 but to many the price difference will not be worth it. After all, the 100’s have an easier fit, are just as well built if not better and sound good in themselves. To me though, the sm3 makes my trips to work a lot nicer. They will never be able to match my gs10’s if merely for the presence of sound but for an hour every morning I keep finding myself forgetting the world around me because i’ve slipped into audio nirvana, I just came in the back door.

I love the look of Sleek's sa1, the rosewood body of them and the overall build quality is unsurpassed at their price. That is enough in a lot of people's eyes to convince them, they do, however, have a few problems.
 
The sleek customizability is not one of them though. They come with quite an array of tips of several types as well as sizes and two tuning filters. You may argue that the whole system is superfluous and whether someone can tune the sound to their liking is up to the user, but it is hardly a hindrance of them. When I got these I was going through a bit of a down-tempo electronica phase (bonobo, bluefoot project, shazam, cut copy, etc), so I went with the bassier port and small dual flange tips.
 
What I got was plenty of bass, mids that were quite good and recessed highs. With the other port I got harsh highs which distracted from the rest of the sound so that wasn't the one for me and I switched them out soon. Sound-stage of these tiny (6mm) drivers is quite impressive and wider than a lot of other iem's i've heard (for the price). Separation is also good and it's easy to get lost in the music with the good isolation they provide.
 
What is lacking in my opinion is clarity and detail. It's not bad by any means but there are a lot of earphones in/near the price range of these and several do it better.
 
Would I recommend them? Well, at retail price, buy them if you love the look, you should find a sound you like and they will serve you well, they are also built like mini tanks. If the looks don't bother you there are better out there so wait till they're on a special offer.

Ultimate ears metro.fi range are often overlooked on these forums. There is a simple reason for this, they are not worth the price they quite often retail at. They are, however, frequently on special offers and very good deals, i've even seen them being given away with other things costing only about £50. Obviously when earphones are on special offer they should be compared to others in their new price range and when they are they fare much better.
 
I bought the metro.fi 200's quite a while ago for not much less than retail price and was disappointed with them. I was looking to move away from the sennheiser sound which I had tired of and I didn't have much success with shure. Not having the benefits of head-fi at the time, ultimate ears was worth a shot.
 
They are an improvement on the budget sennheiser's of yesterday make no mistake but i expected much more for the price. They have a warm sound with strong but fairly clear bass and the rest of the range is presented quite well too but they don't stack up to close scrutiny for too long. The treble is quite compromised at the top-end and the bass lacks quite a bit of clarity. The sound just doesn't excite and you get bored of it quite soon.
 
Also, while micro-phonics aren't too bad due to the solid earpiece, the cable is not very good and didn't last long on mine. Also i was expecting half decent isolation but it was pretty poor actually.
 
If these earphones are the price I paid for them walk away but these and the newer 170/220 are frequently available at discount prices, in fact, I nearly bought a pair of 220's recently at £15. you can't go wrong at that price. These are not worth the retail price which is why the ratings may appear harsh, I paid nearly full price for them, you might not have to.

Rega have been producing turntables for a long time and this one is a credit to the brand name. I consider myself to own a good dac which can be passed through a reasonably good amp and to some good speakers. I listen to most of my music this way. I also, however, have a wide taste in music and some record labels still release all their music on vinyl only and i have one of these beauties for such music.
 
As much as I enjoy music when it's played through my dac, the whole process of getting an lp out of the sleeve, setting up the turntable and setting the tone arm is much more rewarding. It sounds stunning! You can enjoy the music much more on a turntable. It may be purely placebo but it sounds more detailed, vibrant and transparent and is a joy to use.
 
I use my P2 with an Ortofon cartridge and a Rega RB301 tone-arm which it had when I got it and it even looks great sitting on top of my CD player. With any turntable 90% of the amplification to speakers is done by the phono pre-amp so it's important not to skimp on that part, I use one derived from a Nelson Pass design but there are many good, suitable ones available. The base of the unit is strong, heavy and rigid and as a result it feels stable. I can't think of a single way to get the sound quality at the price (maybe another turntable I havent tried). Regardless, the Rega P2 is a great turntable at a good price.
 
I whole heartedly recommend the P2, with, obviously, a good phono-stage.

I bought my pair of cx400 to replace my cx300 and was expecting it to be a more refined version. I was, it's pretty safe to say, disappointed. The sound you get from these is far too similar to the 300's for their own good. I had the same problems with the cx400 as the 300. So I got boomy bass which drowns out the rest of the range.In this day and age I can't think of one good reason why you should buy the cx400's, there are earphones out there which are just as cheap and do everything better. They're certainly not worth the full retail price.
 
The shallow fit and comfort could be a good selling point but because of this and the cable design micro-phonics and isolation are not very good either. As with most sennheiser's there are many fakes of varying quality out there.

Like many other people, I got my cx300's as they were widely available on the high street with not much competition at the time. They are mostly known for their bass which is very abundant. The problem with that much emphasis on bass is the rest of the range suffers. Treble, in particular, suffers quite badly and is drowned out. Add to this very little clarity in the bass which doesn't have great extension anyway and for sound you are soon left wanting.
 
The trusty cx300's are quite comfortable to wear but isolation is not that good due to the shallow insertion and cable noise can be quite bad. You just get the feeling they were designed for a 13 year old who just thought more bass was better, people's ideas have moved on since then. Overall there are  much better for the price out there. Also there are many fakes out there which are worse but come without a warranty (which you may need).

These earphones have been on the market for a long time now and as such, good though i'm sure they were when first released, things have moved on a bit since. They are a single BA driver iem which on first sight are very good with an impressive array of accessories, the hard case, in particular, is very nice.
 
They use a memory wire over the ear system to achieve their fit which I found to be ok though it's down to personal preference. Micro-phonics are low as a result and isolation once a good fit is achieved is also good. I can wear these for several hours before they start to really annoy. The problem is that comfort I get is overshadowed by the awkwardness of the system when you move.
 
On to the sound. The word I use to describe their sound most often is constrained. They produce sound, and that sound is better than stock ear-buds, but bass is lacking in presence and focus which shifts all the focus of the listener onto the mids/highs which are not the best and rolled off at the top end. It's like watching the world outside through your letter box, you just know that you have missed something important and it's not nearly as much fun as going outside. The letterbox (sound stage) is just too narrow to make you forget that you're sitting on a cobbled floor with pins & needles in your foot.
 
As a result I find it impossible to recommend these earphones, even ultimate ears have all but replaced them now so your money is better off elsewhere.

 

There is a microphone version of these iem's (mmx100) available at a slight premium but they come with far fewer competitors at the price.
 

There is a microphone version of these iem's (mmx100) available at a slight premium but they come with far fewer competitors at the price.
 

There is a microphone version of these iem's (mmx100) available at a slight premium but they come with far fewer competitors at the price.
 

Beyerdynamic's dtx80 is a dynamic driver iem. It has a bass focussed sound which unlike the dtx60 I like. Bass heads may find less than, for example, Sennheiser's cx***, but the doesn't need to take over the music when it provides a nice mattress for the rest of the layers to lean on. I don't enjoy massive bass but these are fun to listen to! With those solid underpinnings the mids sound strong and realistically take centre stage. As the frequencies get higher the dtx80's do get a bit more dependent on source and are prone to be occasionally harsh. this effect isn't nearly as bad as the 60's though and isn't noticeable most of the time.
 
These earphones, like the others in the range are very subtly designed. They don't look like $100 earphones and while that could be a good thing in many ways it means they feel cheap and don't inspire a lot of confidence, even if they haven't yet fallen apart. Comfort is very good and I was quickly able to get a good seal with the stock tips. They cannot be worn over the ear but microphonics with them on a shirt clip are very slight.
 
Depending on sound preference these could suit anyone with a budget just under $100. There are some serious contenders at the price but these hold up well.

Beyerdynamic's dtx60 is a dynamic driver iem sitting below the dtx80/100 in the range. It has a bass focussed sound which may be fine for some people but I don't enjoy massive bass when there is little definition which is what this earphone is lacking in that department. Mids and vocals are fairly well presented however and come across as good for the price. Highs to me seem harsh rather than detailed. The effect is worsened when listening on an ipod nano 3g although it is still a problem to me on my Sony sources.
 
These earphones are of a very conservative design which I think works in their favour as it means it is easy to get a good fit and reasonable isolation. It also means they are unobtrusive and subtle. They cannot be worn over the ear so if that is needed then look away but microphonics with them on a shirt clip are very slight. Comply do produce tips that fit but I had no fit/seal problems with the stock tips despite not many being included.
 
I had high hopes of these iem's after hearing the dtx80 but if I was in the market again at the price I would put my money elsewhere or stump up a bit more for the 80's. Not bad by any means but there are better options regardless of desired sound signature.