EarSonics SM3 Appreciation, Discussion, & Review Thread - Technically Best Universal? (see first post for reviews and info)

[KLS]

@average_joe, you mean this?
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/485632/earsonics-sm3-appreciation-discussion-review-thread-aka-the-most-affordable-high-priced-universal-iem/300#post_6637665
 

 

[average_joe]

Yep.  It was odd that all the other quotes came through other than that one.

 

[KLS]

Nice information and pictures of the tips @average_joe

 
In case people missed the update:
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/485632/earsonics-sm3-appreciation-discussion-review-thread-aka-the-most-affordable-high-priced-universal-iem/0#post_6592319

 

[MayaTlab]

Quote:

SM3 Tips: because tips are important to getting the best sound out of any IEM...
 
NOTE: the more I try different tips, the tips with large openings sound less warm and the treble is more prevalent, sounding more balanced.  All of the long, thin opening tips can sound very warm and treble lacking, depending on the insertion angle.
 

 

Tip​	Notes​	seal ​	isolation ​	comfort ​	sound ​
Sensorcom Single flange	he bottom flange is full silicon and they have a wide opening.  When I used a spacer for my right ear, they seal fine and give a nice airy sound.  But because of the spacer, the tip came off in my right ear.  I need a smaller space (space made from the multifiliment stalk)	5​	5​	8​	7​
Sensorcom Double flange	As you can see in the background of the pic, these have a long stalk.  The opening is large, which is a good thing. These work well for me some of the time, but bend other times.  I need to cut them down a little bit and see if that helps.	8​	6​	7​	9​
Sensorcom Puresound	hese are contoured to the ear, ribbed for, well, a seal.  These have large openings.  These are uncomfortable to wear for me for extended periods of time, especially with my left ear and are a pain to get in place due to the angle	10​	9​	5​	8​
Sensorcom Curved profile	Similar to the Puresound but without the ribs and a little harder silicon.  These come in a set of four sizes, and you need to buy 2 (one for each ear, unless your ears are different sizes).  These have large openings.  My left ear loves the large, this is ultra comfortable and seals real well.  My right ear is another story as it must be at an odd angle. Day two of using these and now I can get a good seal with both ears.  It helps to lubricate the tips before insertion.	10​	10​	9​	9​
Sensorcom multifiliment	Closest to a triple flange, but soft and easy on the ear.  These have a long stalk and a small opening.  I cut off a bit of the stalk for my left ear, and these seal real well.  But these must bend in my ears since sometimes they have less treble than others.  But their treble is always less than the other tips with a wider opening.	10​	8​	5​	2​
Ear Plug Superstore triple flange	The Ear Plug Superstore triple flange is a Shure copy.  The small opening seems to be a limiting factor with these tips, as this tip does not work with my ears, creating a dark, muffled sound.	7​	7​	4​	1​
Ety triple flange cut to bi-flange	Similar to the above tip.  Bi-flange is too small and won't seal.	0​	1​	N/A​	1​
Stock foam SM3 tips	Pinched before insertion, and pushed the tip down below the nozzle.  These are very comfortable, but seem to reduce the liquid sound of the treble a little bit as well as attenuate the treble.  The treble also sounds a little less detailed and the presentation less airy.	8​	9​	10​	4​
MC Triple Flange (need spacer)	I use a Shure olive core as a spacer due to the shape, and these stay on OK.  They have a wide opening.  Extremely comfortable with all the details really coming through, however, they can be bent during insertion, causing a dark sound.	7​	5​	10​	10​
MC gel under silicon (need spacer)		​	​	​	​
MC super tip (need spacer)		​	​	​	​
Shure black foam AKA Olive (large)	Shallow insertion with a wide opening.  The sound is tipped toward a warmer presentation.  Treble is still there, but there is added warmth.  The bass power is very prevalent.	10​	10​	5​	4​
Ety foam (large)	I installed them backward so the opening was larger and so there wasn't a wall of foam.  Sound is excellent with great impact, balance, and detail, but they do give up a little in the naturalness of the sound.  These feel great and work great, but don't isolate as well as the olives.	10​	9​	10​	6​
Ety Glider	Nice shape with a small opening.  Sound is very good, but the treble isn't what it is with some of the others.	8​	8​	10​	6​
Shure black foam AKA Olive (regular)	Shallow insertion with a wide opening. Too small for my ears.	1​	2​	9​	4​
Shure foam		​	​	​	​
Atrio foam		​	​	​	​

Your results may vary.
 
 
Not included in this list as all need spacers and didn't achieve desired results: bi flange, standard silicon, sony hybrids, large MC silicon.  One tip I may try is the RE series large bi-flange in a spacer...
 

May I ask which one of the top ones (MC triple flange, Sensorcom curved profiles) provide the best dynamic ? You said, if I remember correctly, that the stock complies had very good dynamics. Is that still the case with the triple flange MC and the curved profiles ?

 

[dfkt]

Wow, I somehow overlooked average_joe's extensive list of tips. Great job! I will definitely try modding some of my usual favorite 5mm diameter Super.Fi tips to work on the SM3. Or maybe the PFE tips, which have an 'engineered' diameter to give improved treble response (as their engineer told/showed me).

 

[koonhua90]

I think he just updated it not long ago. Joe didn't put the sq score back then, as sound quality isn't really quantitative, but I requested it once and he added it. Thanks a lot Joe. 

 

[dfkt]

I'm trying the Phonak PFE tips at the moment, and they fit the SM3 quite well without spacer. A bit loose, but not bad. The last paragraph in this article about the PFE I wrote might be interesting for you guys to read.
 
These tips indeed bring out the treble rather well. I certainly wouldn't call it overly 'recessed' anymore. In any case, I only found it recessed with several tips, I never found the SM3's treble to be rolled off at all, no matter what tips.
 
Quote:

Bass quantity of the SM3 is quite a bit less than the FX700, but quality is on par. SM3 extends to the lowest octave without breaking a sweat, bass has fast attack and is textured. It has no midbass hump (the SM3 is somewhat veiled with certain material, but that's something in the midrange, not in the bass or midbass). It's not quite as punchy as the FX700 at lower listening levels, the SM3 needs a certain SPL to get really dynamic. For me that's a bit of a disadvantage, I prefer listening at quieter levels. There's this "timbre" or "resonance" of the FX700's bass - I'm not quite sure yet what it exactly is, but I like it - that the SM3 (or any other IEM I know) doesn't have.

 
In retrospective, what I wrote about their bass might have sounded a bit too negative. I should state that the SM3 have perhaps the best quality bass I've heard out of a balanced armature IEM so far. It's tighter and more refined than the UE11 bass, it's linear unlike the SE530's midbass-only presentation, it has more quantity than the PFE's, and so on. It can compete with the best dynamic driver basses in several aspects (when played a bit louder).
 

 

[dfkt]

Shure Olive inner tube for safe fit, foam from a standard drug store ear protector, Phonak PFE tip with wider inner diameter. Now they fit and sound much better than with their stock tips, and they isolate well too.

 

[KLS]

Those white tips are Phonak tips? They look very similar to large Sony hybrids.

 

[dfkt]

They have a tiny bit wider inner diameter, and the nozzle is somewhat flared at the entry point. The PFE tips make more difference to my ears than the Sony ones (which I also tried just now). Or maybe I'm imagining things, and I should give the Sony tips a longer listen.

 

[KLS]

Black Friday

 
 

 

 

[average_joe]

@ dfkt, glad the other tips are working better for you, and thanks for clarifying your statements on the bass.  I agree that the SM3 does not have the quantity of bass the FX700 has (although I have not tried to EQ it), but for a BA it is close to the Copper, but much tighter, faster, and more detailed.
 
@ KLS

  That sucks.

 

[KLS]

 
Quote:

They have a tiny bit wider inner diameter, and the nozzle is somewhat flared at the entry point. The PFE tips make more difference to my ears than the Sony ones (which I also tried just now). Or maybe I'm imagining things, and I should give the Sony tips a longer listen.

Thanks for the information @dfkt. I was trying with the large Sony hybrids instead of PFE tips (which I don't have), and the result is not bad. It retains some of the dynamics, yet offer some clarity in the mids, and treble becomes better. However, my experiment ended within 10 minutes...
 
@average_joe, this is the first time I actually touch a BA driver! I think I can fix them with cellotape, but not in the mood now...Just emailed Franck.

 

[dfkt]

KLS - ouch, I hope it's just snapped apart and not broken? Good luck with that.
 
Also, which tips do you like the best with the SM3? I'm sure I read it already somewhere, but can't find it.

 

[average_joe]

@ dfkt...forgot to mention, thanks for trying something different, I hadn't thought of your combo (so many tips already to try).
 
@ koonhua: I just added a sound number for how I think they perform overall, with the sound characteristics in the notes.  My observations may change with time, as I thought the Ety foam sounded great, but as time went, the sound wasn't as good as some others.  Not sure if I am already wearing out the foam as I have squeezed them at least 50 times for insertion (why won't people just leave me alone).
 
@ MayaTlab: Both are very similar in dynamics.  For me, the deeper the insertion of the tip, the better they dynamics.  So, any of the deep insertion (triple flange, multifillament, curved profile, double flange with a long stalk from sensorcom, etc) offer the best dynamics.  With shallower tips, the SM3 becomes a little more polite.  Not that the bass impact is lessened of they become less liquid, but something I have yet to pinpoint changes.