keanex
Keeper of The All-New Headphone Buyer's Guide
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2010
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Pros: Fit, build quality, removable wax filters, low and high-end extension.
Cons: Cable is hard to remove, mid-bass can be assertive and soundstage feels a bit cramped.
Style: Over-ear moderate insertion IEMs.
Tonal Balance: Mid-bass centric
Listening Set-Up: Musicbee (Wasapi) -> Oppo HA-1, Sansa Clip+ (Rockboxed), Sansa Clip Zip (Rockboxed)
Cost at Time of Review: $600
Reviewing Process
The SD-3 have had music played through them for 30 hours in 3 10 hour sessions and then at least 30 hours of head time in multiple settings with various music. I feel that during my time with these I have gained a good understanding of their sound with a variety of music. The thoughts expressed in this review are simply my opinions and I urge those reading to always consider other opinions, as well as your own ears (when possible) before making any purchases.The review is written as listened through the Oppo HA-1 on my desktop set-up.
Headphone Background
The SD-3 are the last iteration of the StageDiver series with 3 drivers per ear. The universal shell has been created by using over 500 ear scan images to create a custom-like look while providing great fit and comfort. The SD-3 are tuned towards the low frequencies, aimed at those who enjoy electronic music.Accessories
Included with the SD-3 is a hard plastic carrying case, ¼’’ stereo jack, cleaning wipes, and s/m/l single flanged tips.
Build and Fit
(I find that the build quality and fit (despite the difference in size) remain the same as the SD-1s to my examinations. Therefore I am copy and pasting the same information from the SD-1s for the SD-2)TL
RThe SD-1S are an easy IEM to insert correctly into the ear, sitting at a medium depth, while providing great isolation and comfort. The build quality is top notch, not one alarm goes off under my scrutiny, these appear like they will last with proper care. My one complaint is that the cables are difficult to remove, I’m afraid to remove them because it requires more force than I feel comfortable exerting on them.
Build
Starting at the top the SD-1S are made of a seamless acrylic housing that is lightweight and molded to look as a custom IEM would. The housings offer no reason worry and are cleanly finished and glossed. The nozzle looks a little rough and could use a proper finish, but I have no reason to believe that it is a weak point*. This has been pointed out to me to be purposeful as to allow the tips better grip as to not come off when removing the IEMs.
The cable is entered into an indent of the housing which hides the prongs of the removable cable. The cable itself is very hard to remove though and I don’t feel comfortable attempting more than I have for fear of breaking the prongs. The positive in this is that once inserted the cable is secure.
The cable itself is a thing of beauty, braided with a clear protective coat over the silver internals. The cable feels wonderful, slightly flexible and super high quality with a tendency to avoid tangling. It reminds me of a rope chain actually. The cable has a y-split with a simple clear plastic cinch. The cable terminates in a 90 degree angle and feels sufficiently protected from stress.
Fit
The SD-1S are rather easy to insert, sitting at a medium depth in the ears. They block out a great amount of noise to my ears, conversations are incredibly difficult for me to have with no music playing, for instance. I find the SD-1S to be rather easy to position and to put into place, it only takes a second or so for me to insert each into my ear optimally. Comfort is great, I’ve had no issues wearing these for 2+ hours. Once inserted though, the SD-1S sit firmly in my ears with absolutely no signs of microphonics.
Sound Quality
TL
RThe SD-3 are the bassier big brother of the SD-2. A bit more mid-bass focused, sacrificing some clarity and details of the SD-2 to provide a more fun tuned sound. Outside of the bass I feel that the SD-3 are tuned the same as the SD-2, clean mids and highs with good extension and presence between them. These aren’t made for those who want a neutral sound, rather those who want enhanced bass without sacrificing the rest of their sound quality.
Bass
The sub-bass extends well with great clarity and texture with enough enough presence to satisfy my non-basshead side. I find that the SD-3 controls the sub-bass well, there are no signs of bloat, the sub-bass is capable of moving quickly and decay times are more than acceptable. While the sub-bass is done very well, providing ample sub-bass presence, I wouldn’t call these basshead IEMs as the SD-3 provide only a mild to modest amount of rumble despite being well extended and textured. The sub-bass is integrated nicely into the mix, even on bass heavy tracks. To my ears the sub-bass here is only slightly north of neutral.
The enhanced bass seems to have settled in the mid-bass region of the SD-3. The mid-bass is just as controlled, clean, quick, and textured as the sub-bass, but I find that it’s biggest weakness is it’s tendency to share the spotlight with the mids. I don’t find the enhanced mid-bass obnoxious, as it’s free of bloat, but many classic songs sound a bit too warm, notably Steely Dan and The Beatles. Some genres the strong mid-bass works really well though, lively pop music comes to mind, as do some forms of electronic music. Drums sound punchy and energetic, but tracks that shine due to balance may not sound stellar through the SD-3.
Overall the sub-bass quality is impressive for many reasons, as is the mid-bass. I believe that the SD-3 would benefit from losing a dash of weight in the mids and moving it to the sub-bass though to balance out the bassiness of the lows.
Mids & Highs
I feel that the mids are incredibly well done here, often times intimate and warm, with great detail, clarity, and energy. Unfortunately, and I touched on this earlier, the mid-bass has a tendency to come off too forward, which can take the focus off of guitars, vocals and etc. By forcing the mids to share soundstage presence with the mid-bass I find that energy of the tracks can be lost in some cases. I’ve found that mids sound incredible with progressive rock bands like Porcupine Tree or indie rock bands like Bloc Party, which use the drums as a huge focal point. On the other hand I’ve found that female vocals often times come off a bit distant and thin, Sara Bareilles suffers from this. The mids are very reminiscent of the SD-2’s mids, though with the SD-3 they have the mid-bass sharing the spotlight.
The highs are well-extended and clean with no added sibilance. There’s actually a slight sense of air in the upper regions, noted during cymbal hits. Hi-hat hits are notably clear and present, while brass instruments sound fantastic.
Overall the SD-3 are clean and detailed, but the focus is often shared with the mid-bass unfortunately, which sometimes steals the thunder of the mids and highs.
Presentation
The SD-3 has an intimate sound, sometimes coming off a bit cramped. Width is average, as is depth. I get no real feeling of immersion in the soundstage, nor do I get any great location cues from the sound other than left to right. Instrument separation is decent enough for most tracks, but the SD-3 don’t have the soundstage to save a track that sounds cramped to begin with.
As someone who loves a large soundstage I feel a bit disappointed with the presentation of these.
Overall
As I’ve said before, the SD-3 are tuned to have a stronger bass presence than the previous headphones in the StageDiver series, providing a more “fun” sound, rather than a strictly technical and accurate sound. By doing so I feel that the SD-3 make for a better complimentary IEM rather than an everyday use IEM. I feel that the SD-3 do drums and lively pop tracks extremely well, but they have some shortcomings that make them less appealing for some genres (notably strong female vocals).
With that being said I think that the SD-3 are good IEMs, but I’m finding them hard to recommend outright due to how I perceive their cost to performance ratio. If you find yourself in the market for a $600 universal IEM that is tuned towards bass then these are worth considering, but I think that they are better suited as a complimentary pair rather than a main IEM.
Come see more photos here.
