[Anouk]

Hi, After a few more songs, I can say that I really like the sm3 soundstage since it really seems 3d, at times guitar and singing really seem to come from the front and seem to float in the air not between your ears. It is not artificallly wide but when the song calls for it instruments can REALLY sound far away. Sadly, at this tim ethough the midrange really isnt doing it for me though. I want to be focussed on midrange first when I hear a song, fall into a voice so to speak and let it lead me away and with these i focus on the drums and other instruments because vocals are just not really there right in the middle of the mix where they should be, they sound a bit muffled (although not neccessarily veiled) in the background, not sparkly as if they are not too important. Just my opinion though./... Greetings, Anouk,

 

[Anouk]

Hi, Sorry for the many post. I just popped back in my fad sb and it struck my how RIGHT their midrange is for me compared to the sm3, a bit sharp maybe but really really there in the mix at the forefront not muffled or background at all. Note that I tried pulling out the sm3 slightly but that didnt really better the situation. I think bass and certainly soundstage are better on the sm3 though but midrange is really number one for me on an iem and tbh soundstage isnt that bad on the fad either. Also I prefer the feel of the fad cable and the earpieces are just way easier to pop in and out and are more comfortable. Sadly they do provide less seal. Greetings, Anouk,

 

[cn11]

Anouk-
Sorry to hear the midrange is not living up to your hopes. One thing about the SM3 is that there are big rewards to be had for experimenting with tips you have on hand. If you have any other IEMs which have the thin nozzle, by all means try out their tips on the SM3. One thing that is much liked about them is the midrange, so I'm hoping it's just a tip/fit issue for you.
 
Best of luck, and hope you manage to get the mids more in line with the rest of the sound. 
 

 

[Anouk]

Hi, I am not sure if I am having fit issues, i somehow doubt it in fact) the rest of the sound is very beautiful, pianos in particular the midrange is just a bit unasuming, polite for me. especially when i compare to my fad. I am usin gthe silicon tips and rather hesistant to try the included comply tips because they muddy up the sound. I am listening now to piano and violin and they sound just like they should, I really guess this is just the way this iem is tuned. I will try it with my mobile though to see if that changes things (now trying with dacmagic +ibasso t3d). I guess also that the midrange might seem pretty good if you have not heard other iems that do it differently (in my case better). Greetings, Anouk,

 

[Inks]

Well the upper midrange is tuned down in these and so something like a trumpet or female vocals are put back a bit and pianos are put more forward because they're located in the lower midrange.

 

[Anouk]

Hi, Well, I hear it with male vocals as well. They sound in the background and just softish and non-aggressive non-impactful non-harsh. I guess I could listen to these for hours (if the top of the iem did not touch my ear) but they just dont grab me. Greetings, Anouk,

 

[SolidVictory]

Quote:

Hi guys, I tried my sm3 for the first time today. I had a bit of difficulty when inserting them (I am blind and the housing just felt plain weird, a bit like the ie8 housing) but in the end it went ok, sinc eyou can only put them in one way when wearing over the ear so that the housing closes off the hwole ear. Really reminding me of the ie8 there. The fit with the standard silico ntips is a bit tight and the top of the iem presses on my ear at times but overall fit and seal (especially seal) is pretty good. They sound reasonably open although I still need to compare them to my fad. Soundstage is how I like it broadwise although I have not hyet been able to test depth. The bass is very nice, has nice impact but not too much, good for rock and pop. Guitars also sound good. Where my problem is is treble and midrange. High notes just dont come through as clearly and vocals (the most important part of the music for me) seem subdued, not neccessarily by the bass but because there is not as much treble sparkle. The iems just dont seem to be all that focussed on the midrange, while I think a headphone should grab my attention with its midrange and soundstage while not disappointing in the bass region. I will keep listening and try different sources (the t3d might not be ideal, that is what I am using now. Greetings, Anouk,

The SM3's best attribute are probably its mids. I think the mids are the most prominent and focused part of the SM3. I think you need to give some time for brain burn-in, since you've just started listening to them.

 

[tigon_ridge]

I'm hearing the same thing as Anouk - at least playing through the uDAC. However, I also discovered a beautifully effective cure using EQ. With this EQ, vocals sound right (to me, anyways) again. I attenuated the frequencies between 60 and 200Hz by approximately 2 dB.
 
Here it is, versus the re0...
 
Turns out that while the sm3 has significantly better bass control and extension, it also sounds quite a bit thicker and bassier. Vocals are weightier and not in a good way. Female vocal loses a bit of that feminine delicateness from the sm3 - male vocal is also similarly colored except, obviously, to a less detrimental degree. I actually sort of miss the re0's treble, although I still think its just a tad too bright. The re0's slight brightness, imo, is less detrimental than the sm3's more invasive bass. Soundstage and imaging beats the re0's easily. I could hear more details from the sm3, probably due to the wider soundstage and excellent imaging. Treble quality-wise, I don't find a big difference, if any, between the two IEMs; the sm3 certainly has plenty sparkle, just attenuated in comparison, and is a bit more sibilant - still very tolerable, that is. Yes, the mid-range is focused in these IEM as SolidVictory stated; however, the mid-range seems to have a hump in the lower region, which is probably an extension of its already copious bass (that is, imo, even slightly more focused). In summary, if I could just get a tiny bit more treble energy and significantly less mid-to-upper bass from the sm3, I'd probably get a just exactly what I wanted.
 
That said, using the EQ above makes the sm3 sound like an upgraded re0 to my ears.

 

[Inks]

It sounds like you would like it better filterless. 

 

[tigon_ridge]

Quote:

It sounds like you would like it better filterless. 

Yea, I thought that might be so, too, at the get go. I'll save that experiment for another day, as that prospect looks iffy. I don't want to accident damage or lose any anything. For now, it sounds very nice and bit more treble energy would be just the icing on the cake.

 

[tigon_ridge]

Edit: "male vocal is also similarly colored except, obviously, to a less detrimental degree."
 
I should've said soprano* male vocal, as I would imagine the lower-register vocals wouldn't be so negatively affected.
 
Add. Edit: I now find that the treble quantity is actually about equal to the mid and sounds fine the way it is, so I will not remove the filters. Also, these IEM are more efficient than the re0; I only have to turn the volume knob about 80% of the way to equal the re0's loudness through the uDAC's hp out.

 

[meurglys0]

After 6 months of usage, I have come to appreciate the "veiled" or "laid-back" nature of the mids of the SM3 so much that even a flat and delicate IEM like the e-Q7 sounds harsh and too treble-some to me. The beauty of the SM3 for me is at its easy-on-the-ear-ness. I'm never tired of listening to music with the SM3; I use it for hours and hours and I'm never bothered by treble harshness or boomy bass or obtrusive vocals yelling in my face. Elsewhere I might have said the SM3 mids (especially the lower mids) are too in-your-face, but now I have came to the conclusion that the SM3 is a perfectly balanced IEM ("almost perfectly" at least). Not that its only quality is its non-fatiguing balance... just that it makes me enjoy all of its wonderful qualities even more. I honestly think there's more than enough treble, adequate sparkle, sufficient upper midrange... +2 db to the upper mids and highs on the EQ works quite well for me... 
 
Those who got theirs just recently should give it time. In the end the SM3 will win you or lose you, but if the former happens, I think you will have hard time finding any other IEM that's easily comparable to it.
   

 

[average_joe]

Perspective. Reading this page of the thread to me screams about how perspective plays such a big role with the SM3. What you are coming from, a FAD, RE0, or whatever, will help form your perspective of the SM3. Given time, chances are the SM3 will sound closer to "right" or maybe even correct.

 

[tigon_ridge]

Quote:

After 6 months of usage, I have come to appreciate the "veiled" or "laid-back" nature of the mids of the SM3 so much that even a flat and delicate IEM like the e-Q7 sounds harsh and too treble-some to me. The beauty of the SM3 for me is at its easy-on-the-ear-ness. I'm never tired of listening to music with the SM3; I use it for hours and hours and I'm never bothered by treble harshness or boomy bass or obtrusive vocals yelling in my face. Elsewhere I might have said the SM3 mids (especially the lower mids) are too in-your-face, but now I have came to the conclusion that the SM3 is a perfectly balanced IEM ("almost perfectly" at least). Not that its only quality is its non-fatiguing balance... just that it makes me enjoy all of its wonderful qualities even more. I honestly think there's more than enough treble, adequate sparkle, sufficient upper midrange... +2 db to the upper mids and highs on the EQ works quite well for me... 
 
Those who got theirs just recently should give it time. In the end the SM3 will win you or lose you, but if the former happens, I think you will have hard time finding any other IEM that's easily comparable to it.
   

I pretty much agree with the first bolded sentence, except I think it has more than adequate sparkle. Regarding the second, I've heard, reheard and re-reheard quite clearly that the sm3's vocal clarity is greatly compromised by its excessive bass and lower mid-range warmth; time will not likely fix that issue for people like myself who favors soprano vocals. There were times, without EQ, that I could only barely hear treble instruments even at relatively loud volumes. That's a big no-no, I don't care how "relaxed" that's supposed to be. Now, I listen to vocals that tend to be, by nature, very soothing and/or romantic; such beautiful vocals can never be too in-my-face, yelling. I just switched from vocal-centric songs (mostly love songs) to techno and rock, and WOW - I don't remember the re0 being anywhere near that super fast and extended in the lower end; I could hear very low notes that I couldn't hear before with the re0. And that was the sm3 attenuated by 2.5 dB in the low registers. The re0 has muddy bass in comparison. The outstanding soundstaging mixed with imaging ability of the sm3 makes the re0 sound like a little blob stuck inside your head struggling to grow and escape. Again, I repeat, the sm3 - with EQed bass - sounds to me like what I would like my re0 to perform better in. More bass tightness and extension, more details, more ambiance. Total WIN

 

[Anouk]

Hi, I dont really believe in eqing stuff and it isnt often possible for me anyway since I use spotify. I also dont believe i nmoving filters since it is impossible for me anyway and I think it would void the warranty. But it is also a principle for me. Iems are designed a certain way by their manufacturer. If that certain way does not sound good to me than thets just it. I am also rather skeptikal about brain burn in because I havent really found that working ofr me and I cant really imagine that a headphone with udnerstated mids for me will suddenly after a while totally grab me by its midrange and make me get lost in them. Also, Why would i go along this venue when i HAVE an iem around htat does mids just right for me... Also I dont like the feel of the sm3 cable and they are always a bit uncomfortable for me and it always takes a while to put them in. I do like their soundstage but as said before soundstage, while being quite important tome comes AFTER midrange. Greetings, Anouk,