[Mochan]

"The most affordable high priced..."
 
Gotta love 'em oxymorons.

 

[average_joe]

Well, first, you gotta love the new forum cutting the thread title off...
 
And then the paradox, which is true for me
 
The 2 IEMs I have sold and 2 more for sale more than make up for the price of the SM3, and I don't miss any of them   Money in my pocket for other stuff.  Hmmm, maybe a EM3 Pro...

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

I think one of the 'exaggerated bass' items is that dynamics tend to move a lot more air than ba earphones. Even if the bass is pretty linear, they move a lot more. I tend to like both presentations, but for different reasons. Again, the Radius TWF11R is phenomenal. The SM3 is soundwise maybe my new bird - not sure yet. 

Hmm, your Radius review seemed like you warmed up to them almost instantaneously.  I worry a little if i have to let a phone 'grow' on me.  I've found myself ABing before and picking apart this or that one half or the other only to listen to the 'better' phone for a long session only to get bored w/ them.  I think my problem w/ reference phones has been that I tend to start doing other things and forget I was even listening to music in the first place.  I like my MD's because they have the opposite effect, I want to stop what I am doing and listen to the music.  On that note I have actually had the chance to AB 2 different MD's and may have stumbled onto a possible flaw or quirk differentiating the same models.  I need to listen more just to be sure I'm hearing right. 

 

[average_joe]

Could a phone 'growing' on you be burn in you didn't think existed?  When I first got them I had "what did I just do" thoughts running through my head as I was NOT happy with the warmth and ensuing veil.  Even though Franck from EarSonics said there was no burn in, but something has dramatically changed with mine, taking them from being overly warm to just right.  At first people agreed that they were too warm, now people comment on how realistic the sound is, making other headphones sound like a not so accurate reproduction.  The SM3's accurate reproduction from a realism standpoint is captivating to me and has greatly expanded my appreciation for many many bands.  You have to hear it to believe it, but they grow on you

 

[Anaxilus]

Burn in isn't an issue for me.  I extensively burn in my phones before serious listening because I am one of those uninformed fools that actually believes in burn in from both an intellectual and experiential perspective.  The kind of burn in I don't like is what i used to do w/ the 530's.  I used to force myself to listen to them for 10-15min to attain a psychoacoustic effect or mental burn in so I could live w/ them for the rest of the session.  That's the kind of scenario that scares me.  Back to the SM3.
 
Since these are $400+ anyone know how these compare to custom Livewires or Unique Melody's in the same price range?  I know its not fair custom versus universal but seeing they are all BA's and roughly similar in price I figured I'd ask.

 

[GuyDebord]

Quote:

Could a phone 'growing' on you be burn in you didn't think existed?  When I first got them I had "what did I just do" thoughts running through my head as I was NOT happy with the warmth and ensuing veil.  Even though Franck from EarSonics said there was no burn in, but something has dramatically changed with mine, taking them from being overly warm to just right.  At first people agreed that they were too warm, now people comment on how realistic the sound is, making other headphones sound like a not so accurate reproduction.  The SM3's accurate reproduction from a realism standpoint is captivating to me and has greatly expanded my appreciation for many many bands.  You have to hear it to believe it, but they grow on you

This was exactly my experience with the EM3pro's, and the radical change happened around the 200hr mark. And yes! they grow on you!

 

[snedanator]

Happy postman just handed me my SM3's . Gonna put them in now

 

[KLS]

Quote:

Happy postman just handed me my SM3's . Gonna put them in now

I don't think the postman enjoys his work as much as you enjoy your hobby

 
Keep us updated!

 

[shigzeo]

Enjoy! Again, the SM3 is ascending the top of my personal Universal ladder...

 

[Photofan1986]

Guys and gals,
 
The more I read this forum, the more I think of the sentence "Sorry for your wallet"! They couldn't have thought of a better sentence ^^
Now, a question for those who had IE8 and the SM3. I really like my IE8, the warm sound, not harsh yet extended treble, very smooth midrange ( to my ears anyway), and of course, the soundstage.
I know I don't really like bright sound signatures, and prefer warmer sounding phones.
What I would like to see in an upgrade to the IE8 would be a slightly better balance across the spectrum, better detail, faster bass (IE8 bass is a bit slow), good soundstage and yet a warm, relaxing sound.
Do you guys think that the SM3 can bring that to me? (please say NO

)
Thanks!

 

[KLS]

Hi @photofan1986,
 
The SM3 is not 2x better than IE8. They both have different sound signature.
 
I am using stock comply tips with SM3 and medium silicone stock tips with IE8. Below are some of my brief comparison:
 

1. SM3 has a more laid back highs compared to IE8.
2. SM3 has a fuller and forward midrange compared to IE8.
3. SM3 has a tighter bass compared to IE8.
4. SM3 has better 3D presentation, better soundstage depth compared to IE8.
5. SM3 has better instrument separation compared to IE8.
6. I hate to admit this but, to my ears, IE8 has better treble details, compared to SM3 with stock comply tips. Detail is there on SM3, but you have to strain youirself to pick details up. I am going to get some custom sleeves for SM3, and hope that the sound will improve even more.

 
 
Or visit this link for more comparsion between IE8 and SM3.
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/484989/need-new-iems-maybe-um3x-or-e-q7s#post_6584729
 
Have a look at this too.
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/485632/earsonics-sm3-appreciation-discussion-review-thread-aka-the-most-affordable-high-priced-universal-iem/105#post_6614051

 

[Photofan1986]

Thanks a lot, mate!

 

[koonhua90]

Quote:

Hi @photofan1986,
 
The SM3 is not 2x better than IE8. They both have different sound signature.
 
I am using stock comply tips with SM3 and medium silicone stock tips with IE8. Below are some of my brief comparison:
 

1. SM3 has a more laid back highs compared to IE8.
2. SM3 has a fuller and forward midrange compared to IE8.
3. SM3 has a tighter bass compared to IE8.
4. SM3 has better 3D presentation, better soundstage depth compared to IE8.
5. SM3 has better instrument separation compared to IE8.
6. I hate to admit this but, to my ears, IE8 has better treble details, compared to SM3 with stock comply tips. Detail is there on SM3, but you have to strain youirself to pick details up. I am going to get some custom sleeves for SM3, and hope that the sound will improve even more.

 
 
Or visit this link for more comparsion between IE8 and SM3.
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/484989/need-new-iems-maybe-um3x-or-e-q7s#post_6584729
 
Have a look at this too.
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/485632/earsonics-sm3-appreciation-discussion-review-thread-aka-the-most-affordable-high-priced-universal-iem/105#post_6614051

Thanks for the comparison. Hey KLS, do you have the FX-700? To me at least, the FX does all of the above, but it actually has a treble that is more sparkling than IE8's...the only thing is that the FX has a soundstage width (depth notwithstanding) that is smaller than IE8's, but that also contributes to a much more forward sounding mid.

 

[KLS]

@koonhua90, no I don't have the FX700...
 
@average_joe has posted a comparison between SM3 and FX700 on the first post

 

[koonhua90]

yo Average Joe, what kinda tip you have been using with the FX? Have you tried the smallest silicone/ smallest monster supertips? I tried it, and recommended it to Erip10...result: we both stayed up pretty late that night...