[Bennyboy71]

Hello everyone.  When I had the SM3, I nearly made smoke come out my nostrils with all the eq-fiddling I did on my J3.  In the end I tweaked the treble a bit and it did the trick.  But then I sold the SM3, so what do I know?

 

[mythless]

Anyone know where I can find frequency response and maybe other graphs for the SM3?  I currently have a pair loaned out to me and I want to verify something.

 

[dfkt]

The frequency response was posted five posts before yours.

 

[mythless]

Thanks!

 

[Confispect]

Quote:

I know what you mean, but of course, this comes down to personal preference. You can also tame the first two freq bands, by setting the first around 150 hz and the second around 300 hz, and then reducing the level by 3 or 4 db.
The best thing to do is to play with the eq and find what fits the best your tastes.

 
 
Agreed.
 

 

[vert]

I've got them hooked up to a Millett Minimax and a high end digital source. OMG, they sound amazing. So musical, effortless, and natural. For awhile I thought it was me, that I didn't like IEMs, but I guess it was just the source. I was going to put these up for sale, but now I have to reconsider.

 

[meurglys0]

Quote:

I've got them hooked up to a Millett Minimax and a high end digital source. OMG, they sound amazing. So musical, effortless, and natural. For awhile I thought it was me, that I didn't like IEMs, but I guess it was just the source. I was going to put these up for sale, but now I have to reconsider.

 
Maybe most IEMs require time to adjust, I don't know, but considering the number of people who didn't like it at first and then absolutely loved it, the SM3 is surely one that requires from one to spend some solid time with it. And yes, in the course of this the source plays a very important role.
 

 

[kingice10]

Newbie here in the realm of IEMs...I recently purchased Earsonics SM3 and this really is an amazing product! Although I am not an enthusiast on Music Reproduction or have a trained ear on deciding a good music reproduction, I think in my opinion this is better than my previous headphones I purchased (Senn EH and HD555) or maybe my best headphone so far! I really am influenced by the guys here in Headfi on purchasing this product (although I auditioned IEMs available like UM3X, W3, 535 and IE8). You guys are the best!
 
However I wonder if you have experienced difference on wearing SM3, you have a different result because at first I was wearing them with the cable twisted at the back of my ears then I changed them to how you normally wear a on-ear phone (though I just followed to wear them according to the orientation of the SM3 Logo) and the sound was better. What should be the best way to wear this phones to hear the ?
 
Note: the sound coming from these phones are more natural and depends on the music, I have a friend who likes the kind of phones that the highs are not sparky (because he has a ear discomfort on shreaky high tones), and he does not like it when he tried these phones. For me, I also don't like to hear those kind of highs. So I tried them and I found out, it depends on the song (some songs, I hear them and some are not)
 

 

[moonboy403]

This review will be broken down into two parts:
 
Part I: 
 
When the SM3 arrived, I was pretty excited to hear what the fuss is about. I played my usual reference tracks through the SM3 with a silicone tip but what I heard disgusted me. First of all, it reminds me of the sound of the HD650 with the black silk baffles drivers: overly smooth, veiling sounding, a very thick lower midrange, recessed treble. And even with the veil, the details are there from top to bottom although the bass lacks the punch that I'm looking for. 
 
The veil of the SM3 makes it very hard to listen into the ambiance and decays of a live recording. It's borderline stuffy sounding. Moreover, the vocals are so in-your-face that any spacious feelings created by the wider than usual soundstage (but not enveloping) are gone. Due to its overly in-your-face vocals, many tracks that pan vocals slight left or right lost or lessen that effect considerably. 
 
Overall, the SM3 sounded very dull and I hated the it. 
 
Part 2:
 
I was baffled as to why there are so many positive praises of the SM3. So I decided to give it a second chance by switching the tips from silicone to the Shure olives and I'm sure glad I did. The SM3 improved tremendously. The sound improved so much that the SM3 did not sound anything like the HD650 anymore. The treble is a lot more present. Along with the improved treble, the lower midrange bump is still there but has improved considerably hence alleviating most of the stuffy-ness and brought out more ambiance but the SM3 still lacks the palpable presence that I crave. 
 
Decays of the SM3 are still short of what I'm used to. The overly in-your-face vocals with the silicone tips are now replaced by a pleasantly smooth but slightly forward midrange. Instrument separation has also improved because the soundstage is now a lot more spacious since vocals aren't as forward as before. However, I still feel that the soundstage is a bit too flat, lacking height and depth. I still wish the SM3 has more bass punch and crispness to its sound.
 
Overall, my impression of the SM3 changed tremendously from unlistenable to an enjoyable experience. 

 

[dfkt]

Quote:

Overall, my impression of the SM3 changed tremendously from unlistenable to an enjoyable experience. 

I had the same experience. I absolutely hated them when I got them, and now they are my favorite IEMs by far.

 

[Photofan1986]

^ same here, really strange

 

[SolidVictory]

Quote:

Quote:

I know what you mean, but of course, this comes down to personal preference. You can also tame the first two freq bands, by setting the first around 150 hz and the second around 300 hz, and then reducing the level by 3 or 4 db.
The best thing to do is to play with the eq and find what fits the best your tastes.

 
 
Agreed.
 

 
I did this a lot with my Cowon S9, and then after a month of eq'ing and doing slight treble increases (like Bennyboy71), I eventually just turned off the EQ. I can now say that I am truly satisfied with the sound of my Cowon S9 +SM3 

.

 

[meurglys0]

 
Quote:

Quote:

Quote:

I know what you mean, but of course, this comes down to personal preference. You can also tame the first two freq bands, by setting the first around 150 hz and the second around 300 hz, and then reducing the level by 3 or 4 db.
The best thing to do is to play with the eq and find what fits the best your tastes.

 
 
Agreed.
 

 
I did this a lot with my Cowon S9, and then after a month of eq'ing and doing slight treble increases (like Bennyboy71), I eventually just turned off the EQ. I can now say that I am truly satisfied with the sound of my Cowon S9 +SM3 

.

 
What setting sets the EQ off in S9? There is a "normal" in the X7 EQ settings, is that it?
 

 

[moonboy403]

Quote:

Quote:

Quote:

I know what you mean, but of course, this comes down to personal preference. You can also tame the first two freq bands, by setting the first around 150 hz and the second around 300 hz, and then reducing the level by 3 or 4 db.
The best thing to do is to play with the eq and find what fits the best your tastes.

 
 
Agreed.
 

 
I did this a lot with my Cowon S9, and then after a month of eq'ing and doing slight treble increases (like Bennyboy71), I eventually just turned off the EQ. I can now say that I am truly satisfied with the sound of my Cowon S9 +SM3 

.

If I am to do any EQing at all, I would look to eliminate the lower midrange bump first. That bump annoys the heck out of me. 
 
 

 

[meurglys0]

 
Quote:

Quote:

Quote:

Quote:

I know what you mean, but of course, this comes down to personal preference. You can also tame the first two freq bands, by setting the first around 150 hz and the second around 300 hz, and then reducing the level by 3 or 4 db.
The best thing to do is to play with the eq and find what fits the best your tastes.

 
 
Agreed.
 

 
I did this a lot with my Cowon S9, and then after a month of eq'ing and doing slight treble increases (like Bennyboy71), I eventually just turned off the EQ. I can now say that I am truly satisfied with the sound of my Cowon S9 +SM3 

.

If I am to do any EQing at all, I would look to eliminate the lower midrange bump first. That bump annoys the heck out of me. 
 
 

It annoys me so much I am seriously considering finding a neutral IEM that has a wide soundstage, tight, controlled bass and smooth, non-shrill highs like the SM3. If there's such an IEM please let me know...