[jjmai]

Kudos for simply including FMJ.  I would've thought Titan would've been your last ever experience with Skullcandy.
 
Quote:

Added dB Logic EP-100 and Skullcandy FMJ.

 

[battleaxe]

Right now I am stuck between the Custom 3 and Turbine as both are on substantial mark downs at the moment, and not sure which one would be the better upgrade from my CX300-II. I have heard the turbine Pro and found that to be very good, and even found the Jamz to be solid, but I haven't sampled the Turbine themselves. Nor have I heard any IEM from Klipsch(and it seem like no where in L.A. has Klipsch IEM to sample). I notice joker gave both very solid ratings, with both having similar cons, a weak cable. I am not sure which is going to really fit my needs better. I can't find any place to try the Klipsch. Nor can I tell from a short listen if either will cause fatigue or the such. I like the current bass level on my CX300-II, but just want wider/powerful sound stage with more balance and if possible maybe even a little more natural sound to the IEM. Thanks

 

[ljokerl]

Added EarSonics SM3.
 
The entire rating system has been rescaled, with most earphones simply moving down 0.25 pts in the 'Sound' rating. Some of the ones that were borderline remain unchanged as I was a bit more picky with rounding off than previously.
 
Quote:

Right now I am stuck between the Custom 3 and Turbine as both are on substantial mark downs at the moment, and not sure which one would be the better upgrade from my CX300-II. I have heard the turbine Pro and found that to be very good, and even found the Jamz to be solid, but I haven't sampled the Turbine themselves. Nor have I heard any IEM from Klipsch(and it seem like no where in L.A. has Klipsch IEM to sample). I notice joker gave both very solid ratings, with both having similar cons, a weak cable. I am not sure which is going to really fit my needs better. I can't find any place to try the Klipsch. Nor can I tell from a short listen if either will cause fatigue or the such. I like the current bass level on my CX300-II, but just want wider/powerful sound stage with more balance and if possible maybe even a little more natural sound to the IEM. Thanks

I don't think the Custom 3 will satisfy you if you're expecting CX300-like levels of bass but the turbines should. The $60 price is pretty good and I think the Turbines are quite a bit better than the Jamz on the whole. Soundstaging is not their strong suit but they should still fare better than your Sennheisers and shouldn't be fatiguing in the least. If you miss the Turbine sale the new Silver Bullet rev.2 might be worth taking a look at.

 

[xXFallenAngelXx]

Thnx for adding in the sm3..got to add it to my list of things to consider..that makes about a million now lol

 

[Golden Monkey]

Finally!  Been looking forward to your SM3 evaluation.  Thnaks man!

 

[battleaxe]

How is the bass(all around) on the Custom 3? Because, I think part of the fatigue is a bit due to the bass. I keep hearing that the Turbines are boomish, but I don't really want boom. I would take both would offer more detail vs the CX300? Was that the case in your testing?  
 
We pretty much live around the same area, do you know anywhere I can try out the Custom 3? I tried DXC but they don't carry any Klipsch nor does Guitar Center anymore. I would like to try them out and compare both in store before I make a final decision. Thanks. 

 

[Poetik]

YES FINALLY THE SM3!!!

 

[ljokerl]

 
Quote:

How is the bass(all around) on the Custom 3? Because, I think part of the fatigue is a bit due to the bass. I keep hearing that the Turbines are boomish, but I don't really want boom. I would take both would offer more detail vs the CX300? Was that the case in your testing?  
 
We pretty much live around the same area, do you know anywhere I can try out the Custom 3? I tried DXC but they don't carry any Klipsch nor does Guitar Center anymore. I would like to try them out and compare both in store before I make a final decision. Thanks. 

All around - clean and tight, a bit on the dry side but not bad at all. The KC3 is a very solid all-rounder for the money but don't expect the bass to sound like a dynamic driver would. No idea where you can audition IEMs, especially Klipsch ones.  
 
I don't think the Turbines are nearly as boomy as the CX300-1 (haven't heard the -II).

 

[Painful Chafe]

Fantastic review of the SM3.

 

[battleaxe]

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All around - clean and tight, a bit on the dry side but not bad at all. The KC3 is a very solid all-rounder for the money but don't expect the bass to sound like a dynamic driver would. No idea where you can audition IEMs, especially Klipsch ones.  
 
I don't think the Turbines are nearly as boomy as the CX300-1 (haven't heard the -II).

How would you say the C3 compare to the Turbine Pro(either gold or copper) out of curiosity(I see a gold one not sure if real or fake going for 120 used on amazon)? Would you say the C3 are really worth the extra vs the current price of the Turbines? 
 
I kind like the idea of the C3 as they were originally $300 but now going for 100, but I don't want to purchase something I haven't heard(or at least haven't heard from that brand yet). I guess I can do the 30 day thing but that a bit more trouble that its worth. 
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[shadowfox42]

Ah, Earsonics Sm3, the review I had been waiting for. Fantastic job ljokerl, that was incredibly detailed

 
I might consider purchasing these someday, though it won't be for awhile since I recently forked out $260 on my ck10's. I'm still waiting on them -_-

 

[Photofan1986]

Joker, your review of the SM3 is SPOT ON! Great writeup, You definitely have talent for this
 
Quote:

As an earphone that does very few things wrong, it is not unique – other top-tiers such as the Ortofon e-Q7 and HiFiMan RE252 have no empirical flaws either – but they also do few things outstandingly well while the SM3 seduces with its enveloping soundstage and thick, creamy midrange.

That's exactly how I feel about my RE-252 and SM3. But it took me months to find out why

 
Again, fantastic job, and many many thanks for your effort!

 

[yliu]

Do you own all these IEMs???

 

[s0lar]

Quote:

Added EarSonics SM3.
 
The entire rating system has been rescaled, with most earphones simply moving down 0.25 pts in the 'Sound' rating. Some of the ones that were borderline remain unchanged as I was a bit more picky with rounding off than previously.
 

 
Seems almost all just plunged 0.25? I can't help to feel this is not really accurate.
A .125 scale might be a better idea now.
Ok, nothing is really accurate in rating 2 different IEM's. Perhaps a good way to say this would be, rating IEM's is a flawed concept. 
I assume you previously scaled to the CK10, that review perhaps needs to be updated as well. It still tells us it deserves a 10/10.

 

[ljokerl]

Quote:

How would you say the C3 compare to the Turbine Pro(either gold or copper) out of curiosity(I see a gold one not sure if real or fake going for 120 used on amazon)? Would you say the C3 are really worth the extra vs the current price of the Turbines? 

The KC3 compares very well and I'm sure many will prefer it to either of the Turbine Pros I think that the Turbine Pro will be more up your alley. I would definitely be wary of fakes and also buy from a legit reseller to get the lifetime warranty.
 
Quote:

Fantastic review of the SM3.

Quote:

Ah, Earsonics Sm3, the review I had been waiting for. Fantastic job ljokerl, that was incredibly detailed 

Quote:

Joker, your review of the SM3 is SPOT ON! Great writeup, You definitely have talent for this
 
Quote:

As an earphone that does very few things wrong, it is not unique – other top-tiers such as the Ortofon e-Q7 and HiFiMan RE252 have no empirical flaws either – but they also do few things outstandingly well while the SM3 seduces with its enveloping soundstage and thick, creamy midrange.

That's exactly how I feel about my RE-252 and SM3. But it took me months to find out why

 
Again, fantastic job, and many many thanks for your effort!

Thanks, everyone

. This one took me way longer than most partly because it took me close to three weeks to get used to the SM3 and partly because changing all the scores took forever.
 

Quote:

Do you own all these IEMs???

Not at the moment. Many of the higher-end ones were loaners and I do try to sell off whatever I'm not using as a benchmark so I can acquire new ones.
 
 

Quote:

Seems almost all just plunged 0.25? I can't help to feel this is not really accurate. A .125 scale might be a better idea now.
Ok, nothing is really accurate in rating 2 different IEM's. Perhaps a good way to say this would be, rating IEM's is a flawed concept. 
I assume you previously scaled to the CK10, that review perhaps needs to be updated as well. It still tells us it deserves a 10/10.

Yes, most plunged .25 pts. That's what happens when a new performance benchmark is introduced into a comparative scaling system. I wouldn't say that the rating system is a flawed concept but it should be taken for what it is - comparative rather than empirical. And yes, the CK10 was the previous 'bar', so to speak. I'll make the necessary correction. I'm sure there are others that should be made.
 
Unfortunately decreasing the scaling interval only leads to more problems. Do I really trust myself to compare earphones so accurately? I'm not sure.