[i2ehan]

That's great to hear! While I absolutely love my SM3's, I too experience the cable "choke" from time to time, hence the improvement there appeals to me. Looks like I'll bite, yet again.

 

[Geruvah]

So here's my review of the SM3 v2. 
 

 
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[size=medium] Cost: Buying the v2 itself is $489(US). But I went the route where mine was upgraded from a v1. So it cost me $492 in total, plus the custom eartips ($160.45). So altogether, the SM3s came in my place of business, took a bat, destroyed my store and asked for $653 for “insurance.”[/size]
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[size=medium] The custom eartips: I’ve worn these things for a long time. The entirety of Daft Punk’s Alive 2007 and a 2 hour mix I’ve done. The seal is better than your mouth when your wife would ask if her pants make her look fat. The SM3's shell is perfectly streamlined with the concha; it won’t stick out which is a fear some people may have. I had no problems wearing this around Manhattan where the taxi drivers are known to honk their horns at even a person convulsing at a crosswalk because their razor thin patience. I will be using these tips for this review, which will likely give a different sound than bi-flanges or comply foams.[/size]
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[size=medium] Wires: The Y is perfectly fine for me. It could be problematic for those with long faces that would wear their wires in the front. The memory wire that goes around the ear isn’t my thing…usually. See, with my experience with Ultimate Ears is that these wires go around my ear before it terminates to a regular cable. Not so here. The wire stops right at the helix of the ear, This means I can wear things like my sunshades comfortably.[/size]
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The glasses make me look cool. The headphones make me unable to hear people say otherwise.
 
However, the jack (L-shaped) is big. If you’re using the bumper with the iphone or itouch, it won’t fit. I never use the iphone as my player anyway. I use my ipod 5g and my rockboxed clip+. Personally, I like the jack this size. It doesn’t feel as cheap as discount hookers.
 
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I refuse to buy anything without a coupon code.
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Oh and before I forget, don’t worry about microphonics. Totally nonexistant here. Reminds me of my budget after buying these.
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So we’ve got the physical aspects out of the way. Now for the…[/size]
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[size=medium] Sound Quality[/size]
[size=medium] The desk is lit by the warm glow of my hanging lamps as the tube amp lay cool next to my HD-650’s. My apologies to my home rig as my attention is now on my portables. Yes, you heard me little Senns, you won’t be shaking my ears tonight, but it’s for a good cause I swear.[/size]

 
 
 
 

[size=medium] Bring the volume to a level that would make your brain explode and it won’t distort. The only time there was ever any distortion is through equalizing with the iPod (stock OS), but then again, that equalizer sucks. However, with the Rockboxed Clip+, the distortion is nonexistant (keeping it at a reasonable level, I didn’t turn the bass up to the roof). [/size]
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[size=medium] Transparency? It’s freaking clear. It’s a clean, transient, very detailed sound without sounding analytical. If you consider the Westone 4’s clarity is like the crystal clear water in an aquarium, this thing is the unscratched glass that’s clear enough for you to see the bits of floating poo the fish are swimming in that water. But Audio Technica’s ck10 would be the microscope that lets you really see how dirty the water is. Personally, I don’t like hearing the micro-details. That gets rid of the fun of listening to the music as it gets rid of the warm signature the SM3’s have. It’s weird to think of having an IEM that’s still accurate yet comfortable to listen to.[/size]
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Like a capella? You will like hearing them through these. Voices sound smooth and sounds almost as natural as can be. You want to hear a live recording? If it’s recorded well enough, you’ll hear your music live, not your music recorded live. I will say that the mids are done really well for me.
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I played a bit of bass limbo with my SM3’s. Basically, I wanted to see how low they can go. At 50% volume on the iPod, I heard the bass reproduction go all the way to 20 hertz. Nice. But if you’re like me, you’re tired of hearing EVERYONE on Head-fi say that the bass is “tight.” It got to the point where I think it’s standard to say that about bass on any pair of headphone in any class on any budget. So I decided not to generalize my bass review here. We all know it’s not muddy. If it was anywhere near, the SM3 wouldn’t be anywhere near the top-line IEMs. However, I can say that the bass here is solid. You can tell the difference between thundering bass and deep bass. So it goes without saying that when it comes to the low-end, it’s certainly not lacking here. The SM3 is warm by nature, but because my custom tips have a widened bore, clarity has been upped while bass is slightly pulled back, but the Clip+ is at that sweet spot for me. So bass won't be excessive. Last thing I want is the fartcan-muffler equivalent of headphones. So don’t worry about listening to bass-intense songs like Slats Slats Slats by Skrillex. You won’t be disappointed unless you really need that excess amount. Personally, if I am to listen to this on my iPod, I will look at the digizoid ZO since dfkt says it actually is something that won’t hurt the SM3’s sound.
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[size=medium] In the highs, the SM3 is definitely laid back. No surprise there, the v1 is likened to be the IEM equivalent to the HD-650’s and I’ll agree to that. v2 is no different. This could be a good or bad thing, depending on the listener. Personally, I am sensitive to highs (when cars have that dog-whistle sound when braking, I almost want to blow it up).[/size]
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[size=medium] As it is the SM3 certainly has visceral impact. It’s not as good as, say, my HD-650’s or my t200b speakers (an unfair comparison), but I can certainly feel the music as much as I hear it. I certainly feel it better with the Clip+ than the iPod. Drums remain impactful (when recorded right), with noticeable texture. As such, you will hear the subtle stuff as well with its great low-level resolution, practically feel the palpable realism of snares and the richness of brass. Using the “Percussion Imaging Test” done by Richard Crooks, I can clearly hear the depth in the recording when he reaches 6 ft from the mic, something I couldn’t hear with my super.fi 5 Pros.[/size]
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[size=medium] Now, of course, out-of-head-imagine will always sound better on full-sized cans. With IEMs, sounds that should float free in space will be a bit hard to achieve, in my opinion. I have no experience with customs, but I’ve yet to find a pair of IEMs that really makes me happy with this aspect. The SM3 does it really good here and will best a lot of competitors, but compared to other phones in its class, for me, there’s no winner. This doesn’t lack depth. It’s certainly heard. It’s just not perfect or great, but it’s way better than I’m used to. This may likely be a non-issue to many, including me, since these are portables and to be quite honest, when I’m out and about knowing full well there will be even SOME noise in the background, I’m not intently listening to this while walking down the street. In fact, I’ll likely be listening to a song that doesn’t really test depth perception a lot. But all in all, these won’t feel at all claustrophobic.[/size]
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[size=medium] If you’ve ever heard of the jack-of-all trades, master of none, that’s how I would describe the SM3s. For many who felt the v1 was uncomfortable, that issue is fixed with the v2. If you have the money, the v2 will replace the v1 for any user for sure.[/size]

 

[izaku]

@Geruvah, like your writing style!

 

[Bigbuddha]

@GERUVAH - awesome review/roundup of the V1 vs V2.  I couldn't agree more with what you wrote.
 
Cheers 

 

[battosai]

Quote:

Quote:
 
Ditto.

 


Quote:

Just tried the 15% code, and got the following msg:
 

 


Quote:

the current 15% off coupon doesn't work - specifically excludes earsonics and a few other brands. the coupon he used before didn't exclude the earsonics. 


 

What I did was simple, I registered to their newsletter, I got 2 coupons, one 20% off excluding Earsonics, one 15% off valid for a bunch of brands but not Earsonics. I played the dumb and told them by email that I am having a hard time with ordering and that the two coupons didn't work for me and asked if they could do something for me. Got an answer saying that I should be able to use the 15% off on my SM3 V2. I tried again, it didn't work. I called the gyt sending me the email and he offered to send me a paypal invoice for the SM3 V2 with the 15% deducted, which he did and I bought them for $365. Hope it helps!

 

[Cecala]

Thanks GERUVAH for this much needed info.
 
Can you touch upon the difference in quality of the new housing compared to the old one, are the plastics of superior quality and finish.
Also can you compare the SM3's more to the W3 as I am trying to decide between the two.
( I at the moment have the IE8's and am getting real tired of that mid-band spike).
 

 

[Geruvah]

I've no experience with the W3. I would suggest looking at the 170 IEMs reviewed and compare the W3 to the SM3 (even though it's v1, it's the same sound).
The new housing is way better in quality. It feels a little heavier, the plastic isn't as flimsy and looks more solidly built. I wish it was clear, but I definitely remember the v1 felt a little fragile (and turns out it really was). The plastic is a smooth finish.
 
Quote:

Thanks GERUVAH for this much needed info.
 
Can you touch upon the difference in quality of the new housing compared to the old one, are the plastics of superior quality and finish.
Also can you compare the SM3's more to the W3 as I am trying to decide between the two.
( I at the moment have the IE8's and am getting real tired of that mid-band spike).
 

 

 

[kxx7]

Thanks Geruvah for bitting the bullet I wasn't so sure if i should buy the v2s but after reading your review looks like my wallet is gonna take a dent. Are you using the v2's with an amp by any chance?
 

 

[Geruvah]

None. If I did, I would use the digiZoid ZO. No other amp.
 
Quote:

Thanks Geruvah for bitting the bullet I wasn't so sure if i should buy the v2s but after reading your review looks like my wallet is gonna take a dent. Are you using the v2's with an amp by any chance?
 

 
 

 

[meurglys0]

Quote:

So here's my review of the SM3 v2...........................

Nice review Geruvah.
 
Someone mentioned the V2 housing is bigger than V1's; is that true? And if so, I cannot imagine how the V2 can be more comfortable with an even bigger body. For me the cause of the hurt is V1's fitting barely between antihelix and concha, the parts of my ear that start to hurt after about 90 minutes. In a Pavlovian sense all I must have learned by now is that music hurts. 
 

 

[svyr]

>For me the cause of the hurt is V1's fitting barely between antihelix and concha,

+1 however it maybe the contour of v2 is more ergonomic...V1 was shaped like a slightly rounded brick

 

[illquid]

The digizoid is not really an amp, more an EQ that boosts bass, I don't know if that is necessary for the SM3s at all. It is a nice looking thing though.

 

[shotgunshane]

According to the zo engineer who posts here occasionally, the zo has an output of 415mW @ 16 ohms. It boosts the entire frequency range, as well as letting you increase bass response. At lower settings you can hear the boost in treble.

 

[Geruvah]

It's bigger as in thicker, not in the way that it'll stretch your antihelix (so put the astroglide down). It should be more comfortable for sure.
 
Quote:

Nice review Geruvah.
 
Someone mentioned the V2 housing is bigger than V1's; is that true? And if so, I cannot imagine how the V2 can be more comfortable with an even bigger body. For me the cause of the hurt is V1's fitting barely between antihelix and concha, the parts of my ear that start to hurt after about 90 minutes. In a Pavlovian sense all I must have learned by now is that music hurts. 
 

It's not necessary. It would be a nice supplement. Both dfkt (who's opinion I hold in high regard and is the guy who's review sold me on the v1) say it doesn't need one (and I recall him saying amping it could even hurt the SQ). But then he made this post (http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/504037/mini-review-digizoid-zo-portable-subwoofer/135#post_7477992) and it made me really curious.

 
Quote:

The digizoid is not really an amp, more an EQ that boosts bass, I don't know if that is necessary for the SM3s at all. It is a nice looking thing though.

 

 

[alphaman]

I'll be curious how it compares/contrasts to Head-Direct RE-262 (RE-272), IE-8 and Westone 4, Ortofon eQ-7 and Audio-Technica CK-100