[piphil]

The CAX Susvara :

I feel the same and agree with the comments about the cable, but, for now and for me, the bottle does not matter as much as the drunkenness…
The weak point is the fit in the ears ; I think and hope that adapted earhooks could solve this.
The sound is so grand !!!, i could forgive the imperfections if that solved the problem.

 

[baskingshark]

In an earlier post I was on the fence on whether to jump on the Smabat M5 Pro Golden or not. My curiosity got the best of me and I bought them just before their crowdfunding period ended.

Here's a picture of the box. Smabat going radical with their packaging... The package graphics had me thinking they really upped the ante in the tuning of the M5 Pro Golden.


Open the box for a view of the cover insert.


Very nice faux leather felt lined case. 3 sets of full foams and the M5 Pro buds.


Braided cable terminated with 3.5mm SE plug and MMCX was inside the case.


Left - ST10S B&G 150Ω / Right - M5 Pro 150Ω. The ST10S is meant to wear over ear style and comes with a hook cable. The M5 pro is also meant to be worn over ear as well, but comes with a straight braided cable. I guess you can wear the M5 pro hanging down, but with them hanging down they don't sound right to my ears.


Note the orientation of the labeling. I thinks it's pretty clear Smabat designed the M5 pro to wear over ear style just like the ST10S.


I do like the M5 pro cable, but the braided cable is too thick and a bit uncomfortable for wearing over ear style. So I swapped it out with an over ear hook TRN cable. The TRN cable also has interchangeable 2.5mm Bal., 3.5mm SE, and 4.4mm Bal. plug ends. The 4.4mm Balanced plug is shown below, but for my listening comparisons between the ST10S and M5 Pro I used the 3.5mm SE plug since the ST10S cable is 3.5mm SE terminated.


First listening comparison was ST10S (fixed 150Ω driver) vs M5 Pro with M4-ST10S 150Ω add-on driver. Let me put it like this, in a blind test you might not be able to tell which set you were listening to. Having said that, there definitely is a difference in sound between the sets. Both have excellent bass extension and are "U" shaped in tuning. The main difference is the upper mids / treble. The ST10S has that 2k / 3k hump which sometimes results in some piercing high end. From what I'm hearing the M5 Pro body is tuned to control that 2k / 3k hump resulting in a much better and enjoyable upper mids / treble region.

Second listening comparison was ST10S (fixed 150Ω driver) vs M5 Pro Golden 150Ω driver. Even though both drivers are 150Ω, they are not the same. Well if they are the same drivers, they are tuned differently. It's like a night and day difference in how the ST10S and M5 Pro Golden sound. While the ST10S is classic "U" shaped tuning, the M5 Pro Golden has a very balanced tuning. While they do have good bass extension, the midrange and treble are tuned to bring out details without being harsh. Overall nice soundstage and instrument / vocals separation, but not over the top. The M5 Pro Golden are very easy to listen to for hours.

I think Smabat learned their lesson with the missteps of the M4 and rolled out a set of buds that are finally worth getting in the M5 Pro Golden.

Wow thanks for taking one for the team.

How is the sub-bass on these babies? The ST10S Black Gold and the OG ST10 had massive sub-bass for a earbud caused of the conch lengthened acoustic tubes which dissipated treble. I think they employed that system here too.

 

[cocolinho]

I had inquired about the price of the CAX susvara black dragon. It's $1150 plus shipping & pp fees. Comes with 6 months warranty and 3 months lead time.

What...
I really wonder what can justify such a high price.
I mean we see big planar headphones or premium 50mm dynamic driver headphones for such a price , also with longer warranty period and shorter leadtime.

 

[Kyonnie]

I am awaiting my set from him until he is not so busy. I don't want to inconvenience him... But I do hope to have a set pretty soon. From what I am hearing about them, they are beyond anything else he has done to this point.

Tbh I'm quite curious myself being an active reader both here and in @DIY Earbuds thread (that just recently made an acc lol) to see how this hobby is evolving more and more leaning to DIY for TOTL Earbuds is very interesting

 

[Qualcheduno]

What...
I really wonder what can justify such a high price.
I mean we see big planar headphones or premium 50mm dynamic driver headphones for such a price , also with longer warranty period and shorter leadtime.

There is a bunch of reasons:
-DIY/Boutique projects like that cannot mass manufacture, so it's more expensive for them to source/make their components
-limited supply + limited competition=very rigid offer
-people are willing to pay that price

 

[BCool]

In an earlier post I was on the fence on whether to jump on the Smabat M5 Pro Golden or not. My curiosity got the best of me and I bought them just before their crowdfunding period ended.

Here's a picture of the box. Smabat going radical with their packaging... The package graphics had me thinking they really upped the ante in the tuning of the M5 Pro Golden.


Open the box for a view of the cover insert.


Very nice faux leather felt lined case. 3 sets of full foams and the M5 Pro buds.


Braided cable terminated with 3.5mm SE plug and MMCX was inside the case.


Left - ST10S B&G 150Ω / Right - M5 Pro 150Ω. The ST10S is meant to wear over ear style and comes with a hook cable. The M5 pro is also meant to be worn over ear as well, but comes with a straight braided cable. I guess you can wear the M5 pro hanging down, but with them hanging down they don't sound right to my ears.


Note the orientation of the labeling. I thinks it's pretty clear Smabat designed the M5 pro to wear over ear style just like the ST10S.


I do like the M5 pro cable, but the braided cable is too thick and a bit uncomfortable for wearing over ear style. So I swapped it out with an over ear hook TRN cable. The TRN cable also has interchangeable 2.5mm Bal., 3.5mm SE, and 4.4mm Bal. plug ends. The 4.4mm Balanced plug is shown below, but for my listening comparisons between the ST10S and M5 Pro I used the 3.5mm SE plug since the ST10S cable is 3.5mm SE terminated.


First listening comparison was ST10S (fixed 150Ω driver) vs M5 Pro with M4-ST10S 150Ω add-on driver. Let me put it like this, in a blind test you might not be able to tell which set you were listening to. Having said that, there definitely is a difference in sound between the sets. Both have excellent bass extension and are "U" shaped in tuning. The main difference is the upper mids / treble. The ST10S has that 2k / 3k hump which sometimes results in some piercing high end. From what I'm hearing the M5 Pro body is tuned to control that 2k / 3k hump resulting in a much better and enjoyable upper mids / treble region.

Second listening comparison was ST10S (fixed 150Ω driver) vs M5 Pro Golden 150Ω driver. Even though both drivers are 150Ω, they are not the same. Well if they are the same drivers, they are tuned differently. It's like a night and day difference in how the ST10S and M5 Pro Golden sound. While the ST10S is classic "U" shaped tuning, the M5 Pro Golden has a very balanced tuning. While they do have good bass extension, the midrange and treble are tuned to bring out details without being harsh. Overall nice soundstage and instrument / vocals separation, but not over the top. The M5 Pro Golden are very easy to listen to for hours.

I think Smabat learned their lesson with the missteps of the M4 and rolled out a set of buds that are finally worth getting in the M5 Pro Golden.

Thanks for taking the plunge!

I think the drivers are compatible with the M4 modules so this has swayed me to picking up one of the M5 black body units.

 

[samandhi]

In an earlier post I was on the fence on whether to jump on the Smabat M5 Pro Golden or not. My curiosity got the best of me and I bought them just before their crowdfunding period ended.

Here's a picture of the box. Smabat going radical with their packaging... The package graphics had me thinking they really upped the ante in the tuning of the M5 Pro Golden.


Open the box for a view of the cover insert.


Very nice faux leather felt lined case. 3 sets of full foams and the M5 Pro buds.


Braided cable terminated with 3.5mm SE plug and MMCX was inside the case.


Left - ST10S B&G 150Ω / Right - M5 Pro 150Ω. The ST10S is meant to wear over ear style and comes with a hook cable. The M5 pro is also meant to be worn over ear as well, but comes with a straight braided cable. I guess you can wear the M5 pro hanging down, but with them hanging down they don't sound right to my ears.


Note the orientation of the labeling. I thinks it's pretty clear Smabat designed the M5 pro to wear over ear style just like the ST10S.


I do like the M5 pro cable, but the braided cable is too thick and a bit uncomfortable for wearing over ear style. So I swapped it out with an over ear hook TRN cable. The TRN cable also has interchangeable 2.5mm Bal., 3.5mm SE, and 4.4mm Bal. plug ends. The 4.4mm Balanced plug is shown below, but for my listening comparisons between the ST10S and M5 Pro I used the 3.5mm SE plug since the ST10S cable is 3.5mm SE terminated.


First listening comparison was ST10S (fixed 150Ω driver) vs M5 Pro with M4-ST10S 150Ω add-on driver. Let me put it like this, in a blind test you might not be able to tell which set you were listening to. Having said that, there definitely is a difference in sound between the sets. Both have excellent bass extension and are "U" shaped in tuning. The main difference is the upper mids / treble. The ST10S has that 2k / 3k hump which sometimes results in some piercing high end. From what I'm hearing the M5 Pro body is tuned to control that 2k / 3k hump resulting in a much better and enjoyable upper mids / treble region.

Second listening comparison was ST10S (fixed 150Ω driver) vs M5 Pro Golden 150Ω driver. Even though both drivers are 150Ω, they are not the same. Well if they are the same drivers, they are tuned differently. It's like a night and day difference in how the ST10S and M5 Pro Golden sound. While the ST10S is classic "U" shaped tuning, the M5 Pro Golden has a very balanced tuning. While they do have good bass extension, the midrange and treble are tuned to bring out details without being harsh. Overall nice soundstage and instrument / vocals separation, but not over the top. The M5 Pro Golden are very easy to listen to for hours.

I think Smabat learned their lesson with the missteps of the M4 and rolled out a set of buds that are finally worth getting in the M5 Pro Golden.

WOW! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on these. And, congrats on your new shiny!

As for the cable, IIRC the ST10S actually came with a straight cable when they first came out (unless I am mistaken). By the time I bought a set, the "over ear" version was all that I was able to get at that point. Well, put it this way, maybe I am wrong about being straight down or over ear, but they DID change the cable at one point or another.

So, your saying that these have even less of an "ice pick" sound than the ST10S (which in turn has much less than, say the M4)? If that is the case, Smabat might just have put themselves back into the lineup for some TOTL sound.

Tbh I'm quite curious myself being an active reader both here and in @DIY Earbuds thread (that just recently made an acc lol) to see how this hobby is evolving more and more leaning to DIY for TOTL Earbuds is very interesting

I just want to remind those that aren't familiar that he makes these in his spare time and pays the cost of the materials himself. He never "sells" them and is not interested in doing so.

 

[Kyonnie]

I just want to remind those that aren't familiar that he makes these in his spare time and pays the cost of the materials himself. He never "sells" them and is not interested in doing so.

Yeah I'm well aware of that kinda jealous of you guys who have em haha

 

[Kyonnie]

On the mean time I ordered Fiio FF3s and will be receiving them on the following days to keep me busy I hope they sound like the original FF3 with non detachable cable

 

[samandhi]

On the mean time I ordered Fiio FF3s and will be receiving them on the following days to keep me busy I hope they sound like the original FF3 with non detachable cable

I haven't really heard from anyone yet as to whether they sound the same or not. I have always suspected that they would sound similar, but not the same because of the shell material change and stem shape change. I would love to hear from you as to whether this is true or not?!

 

[Kyonnie]

I haven't really heard from anyone yet as to whether they sound the same or not. I have always suspected that they would sound similar, but not the same because of the shell material change and stem shape change. I would love to hear from you as to whether this is true or not?!

I would like to but unfortunately I don't have the original FF3 I intentionally waited for the FF3s before purchasing tbh I kinda feel worried about it haha but after this review I felt a bit comfortable

 

[Kyonnie]

Tho I doubt it'll be that different but I could be wrong because stem vents and shell material do alter the sound quite alot

 

[mt877]

Wow thanks for taking one for the team.

How is the sub-bass on these babies? The ST10S Black Gold and the OG ST10 had massive sub-bass for a earbud caused of the conch lengthened acoustic tubes which dissipated treble. I think they employed that system here too.

If you have the the M4-ST10S or M4-Super One drivers, then expect good sub-bass performance. The Golden 150Ω is an LCP driver, versus the ST10S 150Ω is a Titanium Dome driver. That would explain why the two drivers sound so different. The 150 Goldie does go deep, but because of the mids/treble prominence (due to balanced tuning) may shade some of that sub-bass.

Thanks for taking the plunge!

I think the drivers are compatible with the M4 modules so this has swayed me to picking up one of the M5 black body units.

WOW! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on these. And, congrats on your new shiny!

As for the cable, IIRC the ST10S actually came with a straight cable when they first came out (unless I am mistaken). By the time I bought a set, the "over ear" version was all that I was able to get at that point. Well, put it this way, maybe I am wrong about being straight down or over ear, but they DID change the cable at one point or another.

So, your saying that these have even less of an "ice pick" sound than the ST10S (which in turn has much less than, say the M4)? If that is the case, Smabat might just have put themselves back into the lineup for some TOTL sound.

Thanks guys. There is a difference in the M5 Pro and M5 bodies. M5 Pro has ST20P conch-shaped maze acoustic structure and M5 has ST10S maze acoustic structure. So the 2 bodies will have different tuning. I'm liking what I'm hearing with the M5 Pro body. @samandhi, the big difference is most likely because of the ST20P tuning in the M5 Pro body.

BTW, the M5 Pro (Golden full set) is still available for $89.00 direct from Smabat. The picture below shows $83.00, but it's not correct.
https://www.smabat.cn/smabat/products/53896983.html

 

[baskingshark]

So, your saying that these have even less of an "ice pick" sound than the ST10S (which in turn has much less than, say the M4)? If that is the case, Smabat might just have put themselves back into the lineup for some TOTL sound.

If you have the the M4-ST10S or M4-Super One drivers, then expect good sub-bass performance. The Golden 150Ω is an LCP driver, versus the ST10S 150Ω is a Titanium Dome driver. That would explain why the two drivers sound so different. The 150 Goldie does go deep, but because of the mids/treble prominence (due to balanced tuning) may shade some of that sub-bass.



Thanks. There is a difference in the M5 Pro and M5 bodies. M5 Pro has ST20P conch-shaped maze acoustic structure and M5 has ST10S maze acoustic structure. So the 2 bodies will have different tuning. I'm liking what I'm hearing with the M5 Pro body.

BTW, the M5 pro (Golden full set) is still available for $89.00 direct from Smabat. The picture below shows $83.00, but it's not correct.
https://www.smabat.cn/smabat/products/53896983.html

I've been burned by the wicked icepick upper mids of the Smabat house sound, but if it is toned down on this set, I might be willing to give them a chance again!

 

[samandhi]

If you have the the M4-ST10S or M4-Super One drivers, then expect good sub-bass performance. The Golden 150Ω is an LCP driver, versus the ST10S 150Ω is a Titanium Dome driver. That would explain why the two drivers sound so different. The 150 Goldie does go deep, but because of the mids/treble prominence (due to balanced tuning) may shade some of that sub-bass.




Thanks guys. There is a difference in the M5 Pro and M5 bodies. M5 Pro has ST20P conch-shaped maze acoustic structure and M5 has ST10S maze acoustic structure. So the 2 bodies will have different tuning. I'm liking what I'm hearing with the M5 Pro body. @samandhi, the big difference is most likely because of the ST20P tuning in the M5 Pro body.

BTW, the M5 Pro (Golden full set) is still available for $89.00 direct from Smabat. The picture below shows $83.00, but it's not correct.
https://www.smabat.cn/smabat/products/53896983.html

I've been burned by the wicked icepick upper mids of the Smabat house sound, but if it is toned down on this set, I might be willing to give them a chance again!

Hmmm, very interesting. I feel the same way. Just MIGHT give them another chance... Their drivers are of some of the best quality out there, as seen by some excellent DIY stuff using those drivers.

So, you got the M5 Pro, and not the M5? Do the M4 drivers fit this, or do you need to order those separately? Currently I have the 150 TI, 100 SO, and whatever POS driver is stock from the M4...

Edit: NM, it looks like you answered my question in a round-about way in your first sentence... I should learn to retain what I read, huh? haha