[dweaver]

 
Quote:

Well that amount of people given that not so many people own them isn't a good sign. It's not like they have had them that long either so Earsonics really needs to up their build if it breaks so easily.

 
That I agree with wholeheartedly

 

[james444]

Quote:

So thats not A LOT of people but ...

... enough to make me treat my loaner pair with kid gloves. 

 

[Bennyboy71]

Quote:

... enough to make me treat my loaner pair with kid gloves. 

You've had those a while now eh? Thought you didn't like them?

 

[MKang25]

Anyone here have the "updated" edition of the SM3 and can comment on their build quality? 

 

[james444]

Quote:

You've had those a while now eh? Thought you didn't like them?

 
Quote:

Pros:
- Most refined balanced armature IEMs I've heard to date
- Bass has top quality and just the right quantity for me
- Extremely detailed and attractive mids
- Almost equally good highs that never get too sharp
- Most realistic timbre of all balanced armature IEMs I know
- Large Soundstage
- Excellent separation
- Decent isolation
- Very good cable
 
Cons:
- Forward / in-your-face mids can be fatiguing with some music and/or prolonged listening
- Not among the best in clarity, highs are slightly recessed
- Only minimal forward projection of soundstage ("surround effect")
- Cable too short from earpiece to Y-splitter
- Only average wearing comfort
- Cheap and fragile looking housing

 
Does this read like I'm hating them? I don't think so.
Like all other top tiers I know, they have their pros and their cons. I just don't worship them, that's all.

 

[lucozade]

Quote:

Doing a quick check through the thread it looks to me like 4 people have had breakage or faulty IEM issues EricP10, Lucozade, myslef, and KLS (his broke twice but he feels the 2nd break was because of the custom tips which also happened to be made by Earsonics). So thats not A LOT of people but this is also an IEM that won't have A LOT of customers yet, so percentage wise it's not a lot of people

My SM3 has never been broken and is in fact in perfect condition and i have no issues with my pair  ,

 

[cn11]

Quote:

Amazing how much that description of the FX700 treble vs. the SM3 is almost identical to Average_Joe's initial take on it. Guess that rules out ever buying the FX700 for me, but on the flip side, the SM3s were a little too laid back on the treble for me. Think I found an excellent middle ground with the DBA-02s. I hope Fischer sells a triple driver some day.
 

 

Well that's good for your poker scratch fund I suppose. Kudos. 

 

[slaters70]

Yes, and the bad news is they are opening a casino within a 5-minute walk from my house. Now that is very, very dangerous.

 

[anomalouscode]

the right side of my sm3 died.
 
not literally "broken" but still broken.

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

the right side of my sm3 died.
 
not literally "broken" but still broken.

K, this is getting scary.  Thanks for my warranty Monster.
 
My sympathies anomolouscode.

 

[IDK]

Would the Iphone 4 and SM3 be a good Match for each other?
 
Would I still need an amp to make the sm3's really shine?

 

[anomalouscode]

cheers anaxilus, was a sad day indeed, but earsonics just said send them back and they'll fix em.
 
i must admit though that the build was one of the reasons i decided to upgrade to the em3,... i'm not the most careful of people after all.

 

[baglunch]

They sound great out of the iPod Touch 3G, which I think has the same audio circuitry as the iPhone.  You won't be disappointed.  The SM3s will still have room to grow, but I think you'd need to improve your source to find the improvement.  There are iPod/iPhone attachments people here like, but I don't know about them.  Otherwise the biggest sound improvement will come from using a better mp3 player (cowon, hifiman, etc.) or using a desktop DAC and amp.

 

[iponderous]

Quote:

 
 
Does this read like I'm hating them? I don't think so.
Like all other top tiers I know, they have their pros and their cons. I just don't worship them, that's all.

 
How's that four-way earphone comparison coming along?
 

 

[rawrster]

Quote:

i must admit though that the build was one of the reasons i decided to upgrade to the em3,... i'm not the most careful of people after all.

I'm sorry to hear that your SM3 broke. Looks like everyone should take care of these as best as I can. I hope they come with a good case at least. I'd probably turn them down if anyone offered me a loan unless their build gets better..although I usually take care of my stuff.
 
@James: thanks for more of your thoughts on these. I can easily ignore everyone else and just hear one voice that I want to hear Although it's more their treble than anything..if recessed a bit I'd probably wouldn't like it as much since the treble of the e-Q7 is pretty borderline for me.