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

[Qonad]

I just ordered a pair.. Couldn't resist

I checked with Franck and he said that I could request for silicon tips to be included with my purchase. But i think the tips would just be regular standard single flanges. Wait till i receive them and we shall see..

I came from tf10s.. I found them very grainy on the high end and that in turn made me fatigue after long listening periods of rock. Other "slow" genres were very good though. I liked their lower frequencies, seperation, detail and soundstage.
 
Hope I won't regret my new purchase!
 
*Fingers crossed*
 
On a side note:
 

  * r a n d o m *

 

[MayaTlab]

Quote:

I just ordered a pair.. Couldn't resist

I checked with Franck and he said that I could request for silicon tips to be included with my purchase. But i think the tips would just be regular standard single flanges. Wait till i receive them and we shall see..

I came from tf10s.. I found them very grainy on the high end and that in turn made me fatigue after long listening periods of rock. Other "slow" genres were very good though. I liked their lower frequencies, seperation, detail and soundstage.
 
Hope I won't regret my new purchase!
 
*Fingers crossed*
 
On a side note:
 

  * r a n d o m *

if there is one word that does not even exist in the Earsonics kingdom, it is "grainy" .

 

[shigzeo]

Quote:

The SM3 fit flush into my ears, they're in a whole other league of comfort than the horrible TF10. Maybe people with smaller ears might have issues with the edges on the housing, but for me the SM3 are very comfortable.
 
In-ear photo: http://anythingbutipod.com/images/forum/dfkt/iems/_MG_0303.jpg

Nice beard! yeah, the SM3 are amazingly flush; they fit flat and deep into the ear. If you have fit problems, it won't be anything like the UE earphones. Westone and Earsonics are very similarly flush in the ear and very comfortable. The SM3 are the only earphone I can sleep with.

 

[crocandy]

I do not have a lot of experience with IEMs, but i find these a lot more comfortable than my old Shure 500s.

 

[Qonad]

Quote:

I do not have a lot of experience with IEMs, but i find these a lot more comfortable than my old Shure 500s.

How do the SM3s compare in sound?

 

[Woody469]

Quote:

I just ordered a pair.. Couldn't resist

 

Congrats man !   

 

[dfkt]

 
Quote:

I do not have a lot of experience with IEMs, but i find these a lot more comfortable than my old Shure 500s.

Quote:

 
How do the SM3s compare in sound?

I find the SE530 a bit more comfortable than the SM3, due to their more rounded shape and more "wiggle room" in my ears. Both are definitely above average comfortable, also for sleeping, IMO. Both have what I consider the optimal form factor for an IEM: flush fitting housing with bent nozzle and over-the-ear cable entry.
 
SM3 has a bit more treble detail and even sparkle (only with the right tips, PFE tips in my case), yet SE530 have more sibilant treble. SM3 have a more (!) forward midrange, SM3 has a small amount less bass quantity - but a bit better distributed towards deeper bass, less midbass than the SE530. SM3 sound more dynamic and punchy than SE530 at equal SPL levels. Soundstage is perceived about the same for me, but that always depends for me on my mood, how much I concentrate, and such (I never found the IE8 to have exceptional soundstage, for example). On the downside, SM3 sound more veiled than SE530 despite them (SM3) having more precision and detail. It's that weird midrange veil I still haven't gotten used to.
 
SM3 also hiss much less with portable players than the SE530. Much less. This is the part I always hated the most about the SE530.

 

[krismusic]

Thanks for the replies.

dfkt, I'm concerned to hear that the SM3's have a midrange veil. It is that aspect of the IE8's that is driving me to look at other IEM's.

 

[Big Kev]

I've ordered them now, although I had to sell my IE8's and MTPG's that I'd only received on Saturday

.
 
This hobby is goddam expensive though.

 

[average_joe]

So, after playing around with tips and the concept of burn in on these, while I do think there was some change from when I first got them to now, I put more weight on brain burn in and especially tip selection.  I can get a semi-veiled sound, or a non-veiled sound depending on tips.  It really comes down to insertion depth, material (foam vs. silicon, and what type of foam for that matter), and size of the tip opening.
 
Now, I wouldn't call them veiled, but full and very revealing with a sound that to my ears is more natural than any other IEM I have owned.  But alas, different people with different ear canal size/shape and different brains (that affect perception and have different preference) will alter how people hear them.  Of course, there will be many things that are the same across people such as resolution, bass performance, detail levels, etc.

 

[average_joe]

Quote:

I've ordered them now, although I had to sell my IE8's and MTPG's that I'd only received on Saturday

.
 
This hobby is goddam expensive though.

Congratulations!  Interested in hearing how you like them.  And yes, expensive it is (sorry for your wallet).  Plus, IMO the only place to go from the SM3 is up, which is why I sold/will sell my other top-tier IEMs. 

 

[Big Kev]

Quote:

Congratulations!  Interested in hearing how you like them.  And yes, expensive it is (sorry for your wallet).  Plus, IMO the only place to go from the SM3 is up, which is why I sold/will sell my other top-tier IEMs. 

The only way from the SM3 is up, that doesn't sound good

.  I also bought some Puresound and curved profile's (I could only find these in beige

), so I should be up and running in a couple of days.

 

[average_joe]

Quote:

The only way from the SM3 is up, that doesn't sound good

.  I also bought some Puresound and curved profile's (I could only find these in beige

), so I should be up and running in a couple of days.

Doesn't sound good, or on the flip side, sounds excellent!  The pic of the curved profile tips was beige, but the tips I got were clear, so may be the same for you...
 

 

[crocandy]

 
Quote:

How do the SM3s compare in sound?

I prefer the sound of the SM3s.  To me they seem a lot more intimate.  As i said i do not have a lot of experience with iems, but i found the sound to be breath taking in places.  When I first used my Shure's i was amazed at how much more of the music i could hear and how much i had been missing.  However, i think the SM3s take this to a new level.  The first track i listened to and always tend to use as a test track was The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony.  The strings sounded so clear and for me the way that the volume increases over the first part of the track as it heads towards the bass mirrors my excitement.  Needless to say i was not let down in anyway.  I have used these for approximately 5 - 10 hours only and as i said have little experience, but i am not disappointed.  I was always going to replace my Shures with new Shures, but living in the UK this was going to be a pain, however, due to a slight bit of luck i ended up with the SM3s and couldn't be happier.

 

[JMGM]

wow I'm glad I didn't get the IE8 now. Do you think the SM3 is a good IEM for trance (or "Techno" whatever you call it) ? I'm going to France by the end of this summer and if it's this good I might get the sm3 from there with a detax( 290 euro * 1.23 = 350$!) .