aras
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Great comparison, thank you! Seems like mids are not too creamy like SM3s which was the biggest letdown with SM3s for me. I will definitely give these a try.
Earsonics SM64: The Impressions Thread
- Thread starter zach915m
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Oh boy...did not see that coming 
Almost on par with the TG334 and the 3003i? I love my SM64 and I know that they are high-tier equipment, but that comparsion is still a bit suprising.
But on the other hand, I havn't listened to the TG334/3003i so far and will most likely never do it.
Thanks for the very interesting comparsion!
Almost on par with the TG334 and the 3003i? I love my SM64 and I know that they are high-tier equipment, but that comparsion is still a bit suprising.
But on the other hand, I havn't listened to the TG334/3003i so far and will most likely never do it.
Thanks for the very interesting comparsion!
knubbe
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Splurged on these, figuring I could return them if I wasn't absolutely impressed. So far these seem like a keeper. Compared to the SM3:
1. Mids aren't as thick, but are still on the warm side.
2. Bass hits harder, to my pleasant surprise. Listening to some DMZ (my sub-bass test) and these can go deep
3. Treble not as laid back, but still smooth. Sibilance not a problem at all.
I tend to be wary of reviews that only say gushing things about a product, so I will say soundstage depth still doesn't seem to be a strong suit. Mind you, I'm only listening through my laptop hp out, and haven't given these a proper dac/amp yet. Also, there may be some slight bass bleed in the 150-200hz area, but the subbass is so good I don't even notice it.
All in all, I am definitely gonna listen to these a lot more in the next few weeks. Soundearphones was nice enough to send me a govibe martini+ too, even though I didn't put in the promo code figuring I was way too late. I'll probably put them up in the classifieds so the price tag isn't quite so painful
1. Mids aren't as thick, but are still on the warm side.
2. Bass hits harder, to my pleasant surprise. Listening to some DMZ (my sub-bass test) and these can go deep
3. Treble not as laid back, but still smooth. Sibilance not a problem at all.
I tend to be wary of reviews that only say gushing things about a product, so I will say soundstage depth still doesn't seem to be a strong suit. Mind you, I'm only listening through my laptop hp out, and haven't given these a proper dac/amp yet. Also, there may be some slight bass bleed in the 150-200hz area, but the subbass is so good I don't even notice it.
All in all, I am definitely gonna listen to these a lot more in the next few weeks. Soundearphones was nice enough to send me a govibe martini+ too, even though I didn't put in the promo code figuring I was way too late. I'll probably put them up in the classifieds so the price tag isn't quite so painful
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Really in love with my SM64's, I do have to say though I am a little surprised that they are right up there with the FITEAR's as the price is just so much more and also the "cult" like status they have gained. The SM64 amaze me every time I put them in though and for me they are clearly better technically and enjoyability wise then the 4ai's and Westone 4 of which I have owned both....just sold the 4ai.
delancyst
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Good to hear such favorable comments on the new version.
Can't wait to get mine back.
PolishedLake
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Quote:
If you bought it from soundearphones.com, you can send it back to them in Ohio for warranty return or replacement. Just make sure you include this in the package: http://assets.soundearphones.com/docs/se-rma-form.pdf
I've also received excellent customer service from them. They reply to emails by the next day: adam@soundearphones.com.
If you bought it from soundearphones.com, you can send it back to them in Ohio for warranty return or replacement. Just make sure you include this in the package: http://assets.soundearphones.com/docs/se-rma-form.pdf
I've also received excellent customer service from them. They reply to emails by the next day: adam@soundearphones.com.
ericr
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Just bought a pair. $500 freaking dollars! There goes the fisheye lens for my DLSR I've been saving for. Here's hoping these a quite a bit better than my TF10 and W4 (too veiled for me).
Thanks to whoever mentioned the free amp - the FREEAMP code said it worked during the orderittt. ng processing but nerl qqqss -butbnever
With the free overnight shipping they should be here Monday - and of course I'll be out of town
I was on the verge of ordering the Ortofon EQ-5 as they are on sale now for $200. More than twice that for 64s. After the disappointment with W4s I'm worried I won't like them, but am also excited I could really love them.
Thanks,
-Eric
Thanks to whoever mentioned the free amp - the FREEAMP code said it worked during the orderittt. ng processing but nerl qqqss -butbnever
With the free overnight shipping they should be here Monday - and of course I'll be out of town
I was on the verge of ordering the Ortofon EQ-5 as they are on sale now for $200. More than twice that for 64s. After the disappointment with W4s I'm worried I won't like them, but am also excited I could really love them.
Thanks,
-Eric
Oh boy...did not see that coming
Almost on par with the TG334 and the 3003i? I love my SM64 and I know that they are high-tier equipment, but that comparsion is still a bit suprising.
But on the other hand, I havn't listened to the TG334/3003i so far and will most likely never do it.
Thanks for the very interesting comparsion!
Ok. Well I do not agree. The SM64 is awesome & I love the sound and fit. It is to my ears slightly better than the SM3 & W4 but is in the same tier. The TG334 as much as I have problems with it's weight and fit is in a different class. The TG334 is better that the ES5. It is a visceral organic force of engineering audio bliss & sound-wise shares more in common with the LCD-2 than the SM64. That being said, I love the SM64 & will sell my Westone 4 as a result of the purchase.
jackrabbitslim0
100+ Head-Fier
Gotta thank you guys for posting those useful and accurate impression on earsonics sm64.
Today, I just tested sm64, fitear 111, ultrasone iq. Each I listened for 20min.
My rigs are ak100 -> Furutech interconnect -> ibasso t5 (high gain), while ak100 set at max vol as Vinnie of red wine audio commented max ak100 vol should be similar as line out.
I listened to audiophile vocal and Steven rochin THTST 24/192 flac.
Ultrasone iq is not so amazing as I expected,
The bass too boomy, not so clear to me,
And for other spectrum I don't feel my W4R is inferior to it.
Fitear 111, I almost fell for it, it is airy and wide, but the mids are too emphasized, kind of artificial to me. Though I am into female vocals a lot, I just not wanna alter the sound too much.
At first, I can't tell the difference between my W4R with SM64. After a few minutes, I felt sth funny, seems everything so in the direction of W4R but also so varied in the performance.
Mids are truly clear, not too outstanding yet, just of the right amount to please me. Highs are extremely fine and accurate like counting hairs but not irritating, and actually giving me refreshing feeling. Bass exists without exaggeration, punchy and solid.
it is an interesting iem.
After purchased this SM64, I keep comparing it with my SRH1840, my sole benchmark headphone. I sense that it is as accurate and revealing as my SRH1840 but SM64 is more natural to me, or more comfortable.
I am not good at describing sound quality or signature of ear/headphones.
Simply find that the soundstage is comparable to my IE80.
SM64 is a natural, comfortable, precise and adorable iem ( I am talking about the sound ).
As the housing is light and ergonomic, after a few minutes I forgot its existence in my ears.
The the magic comes, a wide plane reality of sound and music grows across my head.
Listening to the lossless soundtrack of RIVEN ( the sequel pc game of MYST ), I can't help dreaming that I am in the mystic world of the game.
OMG, I really love this SM64!
This is so far the most satisfying iem I have ever owned.
Today, I just tested sm64, fitear 111, ultrasone iq. Each I listened for 20min.
My rigs are ak100 -> Furutech interconnect -> ibasso t5 (high gain), while ak100 set at max vol as Vinnie of red wine audio commented max ak100 vol should be similar as line out.
I listened to audiophile vocal and Steven rochin THTST 24/192 flac.
Ultrasone iq is not so amazing as I expected,
The bass too boomy, not so clear to me,
And for other spectrum I don't feel my W4R is inferior to it.
Fitear 111, I almost fell for it, it is airy and wide, but the mids are too emphasized, kind of artificial to me. Though I am into female vocals a lot, I just not wanna alter the sound too much.
At first, I can't tell the difference between my W4R with SM64. After a few minutes, I felt sth funny, seems everything so in the direction of W4R but also so varied in the performance.
Mids are truly clear, not too outstanding yet, just of the right amount to please me. Highs are extremely fine and accurate like counting hairs but not irritating, and actually giving me refreshing feeling. Bass exists without exaggeration, punchy and solid.
it is an interesting iem.
After purchased this SM64, I keep comparing it with my SRH1840, my sole benchmark headphone. I sense that it is as accurate and revealing as my SRH1840 but SM64 is more natural to me, or more comfortable.
I am not good at describing sound quality or signature of ear/headphones.
Simply find that the soundstage is comparable to my IE80.
SM64 is a natural, comfortable, precise and adorable iem ( I am talking about the sound ).
As the housing is light and ergonomic, after a few minutes I forgot its existence in my ears.
The the magic comes, a wide plane reality of sound and music grows across my head.
Listening to the lossless soundtrack of RIVEN ( the sequel pc game of MYST ), I can't help dreaming that I am in the mystic world of the game.
OMG, I really love this SM64!
This is so far the most satisfying iem I have ever owned.
Others have done a MUCH better job of describing their (positive) experiences w/ the SM64 than I can hope to. After just a few days, I can say I have zero buyer's remorse. And that takes into consideration the fact I'm having a hell of a time finding ear tips that will work for me. I have largish ear canals, and tend to need something that has longer stems/bores..whatever the hell they're called in order to get a good seal. Right now I'm using the cores from the supplied Complys & sliding Phonak Audeo single flange gray tips over them. It sounds great, but sometimes the Audeo tip will slide off the Comply core when pulling the earpiece from my ears & the Audeo tip stays lodged in my ear canal. The skinny stem/nozzle/bore of the SM64 just doesn't match w/ the larger bores of the ear tips I had on hand. I've ordered several different tips & have the feeling I'll be spending lots of time & $$ trying to find the right tips.
Quote:
Westone should be selling these "Star" tips as a separate accessory sometime in the future. I believe they planned on selling them at the beginning of this year but there seems to be a delay. They look like they might suit you well (should fit well with its narrow stem designed for Westone products and the pair at the top of picture seems apt for larger, deeper ear canals).
Source
Westone should be selling these "Star" tips as a separate accessory sometime in the future. I believe they planned on selling them at the beginning of this year but there seems to be a delay. They look like they might suit you well (should fit well with its narrow stem designed for Westone products and the pair at the top of picture seems apt for larger, deeper ear canals).
Source
Quote:
Nice....thanks for the heads-up. I'll try to track whether Westone makes these available as a stand-alone purchase item.
Quote:
Westone should be selling these "Star" tips as a separate accessory sometime in the future. I believe they planned on selling them at the beginning of this year but there seems to be a delay. They look like they might suit you well (should fit well with its narrow stem designed for Westone products and the pair at the top of picture seems apt for larger, deeper ear canals).
Source
Nice....thanks for the heads-up. I'll try to track whether Westone makes these available as a stand-alone purchase item.
Quote:
A lot of people praised the Sensorcom tips as the best tips for the SM3.
So maybe you could take a look at the stuff they offer.
http://www.sensorcom.com/prodtype.asp?PT_ID=266
A lot of people praised the Sensorcom tips as the best tips for the SM3.
So maybe you could take a look at the stuff they offer.
http://www.sensorcom.com/prodtype.asp?PT_ID=266
And now my small review 
(Warning: broken english ahead)
(I'll borrow ljokerls review layout here)
Accessories: Because I was one of the first person to order the SM64 from Earsonics (ordered them literally 5 minutes after they were announced) I received one of Earsonics CIEM-box-thingys as a small bonus ( http://www.head-fi.org/g/i/752551/dfx-jpg/sort/display_order/ ). Besides that the accessoires are just the standard stuff you get with every IEM. Works for me.
Build Quality: Nothing to complain about here. I love this (Westone?) cable ♥
Isolation: Fit is 98% perfect for me with the included bi-flange tips. Never had any IEMs that fit so well.
Microphonics: Not really worth mentioning. Tends to zero.
Comfort: Seal is great and the ergonomic design too....so how could the comfort be?
Sound: I'm using a Cowon J3 with mostly flac-files as my source (soon to be supported by an Arrow 4G)
Bass:
Goes pretty deep and has a good punch to it! On some tracks I even get something like a subwoofer-effect. The SM64 always deliver the right amount of bass songs need. It's not overemphasized or to shy. It's just right on the spot, very natural and precise. Waaaay better than with my old TF10 (less quantity but overall just a lot better).
Mids: After the Earsonics upgraded my SM64 the mids are more forward than before. Overall more present but they never try to steal the show from the superb bass and highs. Even tough the mids are more forward than the other frequencies, the SM64 still maintain a more or less neutral sound signature. I really don't have any idea how mids could get any more transparent than on this in-ear.
Highs:
I love the highs of the SM64 with a burning passion. No, really. They could maybe be the best part of this IEM. Again, they are not emphasized or something like that, but just really really accurate and natural. They manage to get really high but only when the recording needs them to be. They can sparkle like nothing I have ever heard before. My brother has been playing drums for seven years now, and trust me, I know how cymbals sound. These IEMs manage to reproduce the sound of a cymbal perfectly. I'm pretty sure that there are just a few other in-ears out there that manage such a difficult task. They are not harsh or anything like that, but just very natural.
Soundstage/Precision/etc:
The soundstage is HUGE with an awesome 3D-feeling to it. One of my favourite songs has a few parts in it where you can only hear some "nature sounds" (see, there is the bad english :| ). It sounds like somebody just put a mic in a forest at night and recorded what was going on there. Anyway, the amount of details you can pick out of this sections with this IEM is just stunning. You can almost tell how many meters the birds you hear are away and how tall the tree is on which they are sitting on! There is a train passing by in the far distance and you can follow his track perfectly. I can't really put my enthusiasm in words, sry The soundstage is shaped something like this (borrowed that graphic from a SM3 review because it seems to be the exact same shape and amount) ( http://cdn.head-fi.org/5/5c/1000x500px-LL-5c20dead_1000x500px-LL-f5fc1cdf_SM3_Soundstage.jpg ). That shape makes live-recordings a whole new experience because you really feel like you are standing right in the middle of the crowd...you ofte even get the feeling that you can hear people behind you, which is a bit weird at first These IEMs are fast and precise as hell. I can't really imagine how you could improve the SM64s performance in that sector. They can handle songs like this ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpfqpE6JoH4 ) like it's a simple lullaby!
So, yeah...that is my review of the IEMs I fell in love with.
I don't really have any other fancy in-ears I could compare them with and maybe you should take my review with a tiny grain of salt, because I did not test them with any kind of electronic music at all. Mainly listened to Metal, Jazz, movie scores and Rock. The sound did not really changed after ca. 250 hours. My brain just needed some time to change from TF10 mode to heavenly SM64 mode.
Overall these are very natural and precise IEMs with the best soundstage I could imagine.
You can take Earsonics really serious if they say that these earphones are all about "Headstage and Musicality"
(Warning: broken english ahead)
(I'll borrow ljokerls review layout here)
Accessories: Because I was one of the first person to order the SM64 from Earsonics (ordered them literally 5 minutes after they were announced) I received one of Earsonics CIEM-box-thingys as a small bonus ( http://www.head-fi.org/g/i/752551/dfx-jpg/sort/display_order/ ). Besides that the accessoires are just the standard stuff you get with every IEM. Works for me.
Build Quality: Nothing to complain about here. I love this (Westone?) cable ♥
Isolation: Fit is 98% perfect for me with the included bi-flange tips. Never had any IEMs that fit so well.
Microphonics: Not really worth mentioning. Tends to zero.
Comfort: Seal is great and the ergonomic design too....so how could the comfort be?
Sound: I'm using a Cowon J3 with mostly flac-files as my source (soon to be supported by an Arrow 4G)
Bass:
Goes pretty deep and has a good punch to it! On some tracks I even get something like a subwoofer-effect. The SM64 always deliver the right amount of bass songs need. It's not overemphasized or to shy. It's just right on the spot, very natural and precise. Waaaay better than with my old TF10 (less quantity but overall just a lot better).
Mids: After the Earsonics upgraded my SM64 the mids are more forward than before. Overall more present but they never try to steal the show from the superb bass and highs. Even tough the mids are more forward than the other frequencies, the SM64 still maintain a more or less neutral sound signature. I really don't have any idea how mids could get any more transparent than on this in-ear.
Highs:
I love the highs of the SM64 with a burning passion. No, really. They could maybe be the best part of this IEM. Again, they are not emphasized or something like that, but just really really accurate and natural. They manage to get really high but only when the recording needs them to be. They can sparkle like nothing I have ever heard before. My brother has been playing drums for seven years now, and trust me, I know how cymbals sound. These IEMs manage to reproduce the sound of a cymbal perfectly. I'm pretty sure that there are just a few other in-ears out there that manage such a difficult task. They are not harsh or anything like that, but just very natural.
Soundstage/Precision/etc:
The soundstage is HUGE with an awesome 3D-feeling to it. One of my favourite songs has a few parts in it where you can only hear some "nature sounds" (see, there is the bad english :| ). It sounds like somebody just put a mic in a forest at night and recorded what was going on there. Anyway, the amount of details you can pick out of this sections with this IEM is just stunning. You can almost tell how many meters the birds you hear are away and how tall the tree is on which they are sitting on! There is a train passing by in the far distance and you can follow his track perfectly. I can't really put my enthusiasm in words, sry
The soundstage is shaped something like this (borrowed that graphic from a SM3 review because it seems to be the exact same shape and amount) ( http://cdn.head-fi.org/5/5c/1000x500px-LL-5c20dead_1000x500px-LL-f5fc1cdf_SM3_Soundstage.jpg ). That shape makes live-recordings a whole new experience because you really feel like you are standing right in the middle of the crowd...you ofte even get the feeling that you can hear people behind you, which is a bit weird at first These IEMs are fast and precise as hell. I can't really imagine how you could improve the SM64s performance in that sector. They can handle songs like this ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpfqpE6JoH4 ) like it's a simple lullaby!So, yeah...that is my review of the IEMs I fell in love with.
I don't really have any other fancy in-ears I could compare them with and maybe you should take my review with a tiny grain of salt, because I did not test them with any kind of electronic music at all. Mainly listened to Metal, Jazz, movie scores and Rock. The sound did not really changed after ca. 250 hours. My brain just needed some time to change from TF10 mode to heavenly SM64 mode.
Overall these are very natural and precise IEMs with the best soundstage I could imagine.
You can take Earsonics really serious if they say that these earphones are all about "Headstage and Musicality"
RatFarm
100+ Head-Fier
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Nice review. I also think the SM64s are special. I'm confident that these are top class IEMs and spending more money will not get you much, if any, additional sonic bliss.
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