[Gilly87]

Yeah, they are something special.

 

[go0gle]

^indeed they are.. I am totally addicted to them  
 
Quote:

Which tips are the most popular: double flange or Comply, both come with the phones?

Give a try to the shure olive as well.. they work for me quite well. 
 
 
 

Originally Posted by Gilly87 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 comply core + reversed sony hybrid + generic wide-bore biflange (the ones I use are sennheiser I think but they are pretty standard biflanges).
 
However I really did this mod for ease of insertion/removal as I used them at work; I think sound with the stock biflanges is probably a smidge better.

That is an interesting set up.. I might give it a go, even tho I am very happy with medium olives or the stock biflanges. 

 

[Gilly87]

I want to get some custom sleeves for my SM3s...any good ideas? Has anyone had this done?

 

[nyonya]

Quote:

I want to get some custom sleeves for my SM3s...any good ideas? Has anyone had this done?

I don't have them, but I know Earsonics themselves make custom tips - probably the first place I'd look.  I believe they're cheaper than what Westone charges as well.

 

[Gilly87]

I was more curious about a full molded custom sleeve for the SM3, like not just the tip but something that encases the SM3. I'm partly looking to protect them.

 

[lja1125]

hi
 
i just bought  sm3 few days ago.
 
actually i used triple.fi 10pro, then, it was broken, so i bought sm3.
 
I use it with my iphone4s, and ipad.
 
i read a lot of review of it, but, now, it doesn't sound good to me.
 
i've listened it for 5 or 6 hours. 
 
its stage is smaller than triple.fi, and treble and bass is weaker than triple.fi.
 
do i need to burn-in it?? I'm thinking to exchange it to ie80 or triple.fi.
 
what do you guys think??

 

[SolidVictory]

Quote:

hi
 
i just bought  sm3 few days ago.
 
actually i used triple.fi 10pro, then, it was broken, so i bought sm3.
 
I use it with my iphone4s, and ipad.
 
i read a lot of review of it, but, now, it doesn't sound good to me.
 
i've listened it for 5 or 6 hours. 
 
its stage is smaller than triple.fi, and treble and bass is weaker than triple.fi.
 
do i need to burn-in it?? I'm thinking to exchange it to ie80 or triple.fi.
 
what do you guys think??

 
Brain burn-in. Give it a week at the very least.

 

[soullinker20]

give it 24 hours of burn-in.. the vocals will start to open.. then the instruments starts to be in place.. 
 
the bass is soft in character maybe that's why compared to tf10

 

[lja1125]

Thanks, SolidVictory and soullinker20.

I'll try to burn-in.

 

[Gilly87]

The SM3 is a lot more enveloping than the TF10 in terms of presentation, but the sound isnt as engaging as the TF10; I find that the SM3s sound best when I close my eyes and really try to feel like I'm there. That's when their realism of its presentation and timbre will really start to hit you.

 

[Gilly87]

The thing with comparing the TF10 to the SM3 is that the sound signatures are not only completely different, but the presentations are on two different levels as well, IMO. The SM3 gives an acuity of positioning and a clean, but not overly emphasized, separation of instruments that just isn't present in the TF10. With complicated electronic music like Infected Mushroom and Shpongle, you can really see their two different strengths: the TF10 is a very airy, powerful, impressive sound with great dynamics, punchy bass, and a wide soundstage, while the SM3 is more neutral to dark, with a very well-rounded soundstage, more realistic instrument timbre, and has a kind of incredible ability to seemingly project vocals from within. It's most noticeable in songs with vocal emphasis or a strong focus on a central instrument, like a guitar solo: the SM3 creates this feeling of making a space that is completely isolated and exists in this sphere that begins inside your head and radiates outward, whereas the TF10 sound-space exists more directly in your ears, somewhat inside the head, and out to the sides. Once you get used to it, you will see that the SM3 presents instruments in a more realistic, well-blended but less crowded manner than the TF10. It also has, IMO, better bass extension than the TF10, with more weight in the real low-lows, even though its not as powerful at the TF10, it's still pretty fast and has a nice sense of authority when it's really called for. It can't match the realism of TF10 bass...until you buy an Etymotic filter removal tool and take those out I think that might void the warranty, but it gives the bass a little more punch and brings the tonality from slightly dark to almost neutral, with a little bit more mid emphasis and a slightly more forward sound overall. I rather like it.
 
If you really want to be impressed by the SM3, listen to Noisemaker by Infected Mushroom (actually BP Empire on the whole is a great album for the SM3; I prefer the TF10s for most of my Infected Mushroom listening, but BP is the big exception), and compare it to the TF10. You will see how the bass of the SM3 can outshine the TF10 in the low lows and its sense of weight (as opposed to raw power), and makes the overall presentation of the music more well-rounded and realistic. The atmospheric nature of this track really shows of the completeness and coherency of the SM3s soundstage when compared to the TF10. The TF10s still sound great, but they don't give you that "private music cave" feeling that the SM3s do; they are much more wide open, less intimate. And the bass on this track...the TF10 suits most psytrance really well with it's punchy midbass, but this song in particular, for some reason, shows off the potential for bass weight that the SM3 carries, and its not just in straight up volume or extension or any one thing in particular, but there is something about the bass hits on this track that really showcase the SM3's ability to give powerful, deep bass that you can feel, but still stays out of the way of the rest of the music.

 

[Gilly87]

Disclaimer: I actually prefer the TF10 to the SM3 for daily use. But I have to say that SM3 is a technically better earphone, and while it is not as fun sounding as the TF10, it definitely reproduces the music much more accurately and naturally. I prefer the TF10 for my daily IEM because it pairs exceptionally well with most electronic music, which comprises most of my diet, and the super wide soundstage is impressive without being too immersive for me to enjoy casually (ie on the train, on my break at work, outside smoking a cigarette, etc.) The SM3, on the other hand, has such an immersive presentation that you really have to devote your attention to it to fully appreciate the level of realism conveyed by its ability to image, place instruments, and create an isolated and coherent sonic space. The SM3 is a better all-rounder, IMO, because it is less colored, more neutral and balanced throughout the spectrum, with better bass extension, and a generally "flatter" sound. The SM3 is definitely a studio-worthy IEM; while IMO the TF10 is great for personal listening, and maybe even stage use for less critical musicians, it is simply not up to the par that the SM3 sets for triple driver IEMs when it comes to realistic reproduction of the musical notes, sonic space, and microdetailing.

 

[ztromata]

Hello head-fiers, i revive this post in search of desperate help, i hope you can help me! I have had a SM3 v2 pair for the last 2 months and everything with the sound is ok for me, well not ok, very good. But couple days ago i noticed that the left earphone started to sound diminished. I have checked the filter and it looks good to me. To get things worst that same earphone shell opened by half just like that, i didn't dropped or hit the earphone any close to hard. Everything inside the shell seem normal (not that i really know how normal is), at least nothing is broken, the sound is still diminished. I'm truly desperate with this situation... that was such an investment for me I haven't tried removing the filter, but as i can see that small thing seem clean. have anyone else here had this problem before? advice? Thanks in advance!

 

[Gilly87]

Send an email to Earsonics, this is a well known issue. They should repair or replace for free.

 

[soullinker20]

i am so lucky I didn't have this issue.. would be really worst thing to happen since I live in the Philippines