The All New Earsonics SM3 Appreciation, Discussion and Review Thread!

[cn11]

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i feel like i ought to take a bow, lol

Hey Mark, congrats on the purchase. Look forward to your observations on them. 

 

[mark2410]

i suspect you may not be the only one chris

 

[Rip N' Burn]

Is there an equivalent of April fools day in the UK?
 
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Good news is I have now sold my SM3s

 

[Bennyboy71]

The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was persuading the world he'd sold his SM3s....
 
I am Keyser Soze, watch me limp....
 
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Is there an equivalent of April fools day in the UK?
 

 

[Rip N' Burn]

Keyser Söze is great at fabricating stories....

 

[ericp10]

I have not been persuaded... The devil is a liar!!! LOL
 
Quote:

The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was persuading the world he'd sold his SM3s....
 
I am Keyser Soze, watch me limp....
 

 

 

[ericp10]

So @ Photofan, I did try your mod, but with the SM2, not the SM3. Right off the back I had mishap................and sucesss.
 
Mishap: Didn't have a screw, but used a straighten paper clip as Bennyboy tried. First filter popped right out, but it popped out and fell onto a multicolored carpet. I couldn't find that filter to save my life...lol. Okay, so now I am feeling like I can't have one filter out and one filter in, so I attempted to pop the other filter out. This filter basically gave me the "finger" and said, "Hell no Eric! I will not go!!" What it did decide to do was to slide all the way back into the sound tube and almost into the burrow were the sound comes out of the drivers. The paper clip was too thick to pull it out, but I knew it would affect the sound severely if I left that filter all the way down there with the other filter out. Oh, to make matters worst, the filter also tore a bit inside of the tube. Eventually I found a thinner small safety pin and bent it so that it would hook a little bit. After an hour of fishing and almost pulling the filter out only to have it slide all the way back down on me again, I finally hooked the little bugger just so and popped it out too. I don't know where it went, but it was ruined anyway. Only thing I could think at this point was, "Thank God I didn't try this on my SM3, but I hope I didn't mess up my SM2 because I kind of like them a little bit more than the SM3 right now."
 
Okay, now for the results regarding sound without filters in the SM2: I had the same reaction Bennyboy had with his SM3. The highs were too bright and too shrill! Yes, it brought out the treble more (although the treble in the SM2 is a bit more forward than the SM3's), but it made male voices unnaturally higher than their regular octaves in recordings. Now, however, I am without the filters to put back in, so what to do? I'm thinking I'm screwed!!
 
Success: Ah! Thank God for quick thinking. My inclination was to find something that could serve as the a filter for the SM2. I'm also surprised at how a little piece of material can have such a profound effect on the sound. The filters seemed to be some sort of plastic, so I was out of luck. Then the light bulb came on. I went the media room of my office and found an unused microphone cover of low-density foam. I cut two small pieces of the foam and stuffed them into the SM2 holes. Wow! The shrillness was gone instantly, bass got even deeper, mids were about the same, but the treble seemed to disappear even more. Oh, I should add that the bass got deeper but muddier. I was like I have really done it now!!
 
Then I thought to myself again, why not pull the foam out and cut it again, I mean cut it to the most minimum amount I possibly can, allowing it to be a small piece of fiber that basically just block that entrance hole. Well, I did that and Damn!! 
 
What I got in the sound now this time was more forward treble without the shrillness still, mids with more clarity and transparency and the original bass. In addition, the high mids were brought forward some, and the overall sound seemed a bit louder than it would have in the original configuration. I basically changed the SM2 sound signature with my mod to give it more of an e-Q7 sound - that is if the e-Q7 had way more bass and more forward treble. So yes, eureka!! It wasn't intentional, but I struck gold with my SM2 sound sig mod. I loved it the way it was, but now I'm IN LOVE WITH IT!  The mid drums just have a more realistic sound, timbre and decay, which I found so alluring with the e-Q7,
 
Am I going to muck around with the SM3 filters now? I think I better leave well enough alone. I'll leave the mod in the capable hands of the SM2 and just let SM3 be itself.

 

[Anaxilus]

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Music bird - I will not try to guess your choice out loud on the internet, much as I am itching to, and will respect your decision with much, erm, respect. Good avian creature.
 
For myself, I have news: today I received a pair of Ety HF5s from Amazon.  Bought completely on a whim after reading so much Etymotic love in head-fi recently, my interest had been piqued and I took the plunge. Had previously owned the ER4(P and S) and was curious what seventy quid could get me these days.
 
I've just been listening to them on an epic 2 hour walk home from work, playing the same favourite playlist of songs I have been grooving to recently with my SM3s. 
 
Result?  I am going to sell my SM3s and stick with the HF5s.  No joke. Ultimately, I can happily sacrifice the 3D expansiveness of the Earsonics for the supreme clarity, natural, solid reproduction of vocals and instruments, brilliant isolation, plug'n'play fit of the triple flanges, and build quality of these Etys, which amazingly (to me at least) are half the price of the ER4P and actually put more of a smile on my face and a spring in my step than the SM3s. 
 
So there you have it - from £300 triple driver to £67 single in one fell swoop.
 
Therefore, if any of you UK dwellers out there would like to purchase my ex-ear lovers at a bargain bucket price (how does £175 with special recorded delivery grab you?), drop me a pm.  I'll stick them in the For Sale forum tomorrow, but will give anyone reading this thread a head start, cos I love you people like family.
 
End of message.  Let the shaking of heads begin.
 

I won't shake my head, except to nod.

 

[Kunlun]

 
Quote:

So @ Photofan, I did try your mod, but with the SM2, not the SM3. Right off the back I had mishap................and sucesss.
 
Mishap: Didn't have a screw, but used a straighten paper clip as Bennyboy tried. First filter popped right out, but it popped out and fell onto a multicolored carpet. I couldn't find that filter to save my life...lol. Okay, so now I am feeling like I can't have one filter out and one filter in, so I attempted to pop the other filter out. This filter basically gave me the "finger" and said, "Hell no Eric! I will not go!!" What it did decide to do was to slide all the way back into the sound tube and almost into the burrow were the sound comes out of the drivers. The paper clip was too thick to pull it out, but I knew it would affect the sound severely if I left that filter all the way down there with the other filter out. Oh, to make matters worst, the filter also tore a bit inside of the tube. Eventually I found a thinner small safety pin and bent it so that it would hook a little bit. After an hour of fishing and almost pulling the filter out only to have it slide all the way back down on me again, I finally hooked the little bugger just so and popped it out too. I don't know where it went, but it was ruined anyway. Only thing I could think at this point was, "Thank God I didn't try this on my SM3, but I hope I didn't mess up my SM2 because I kind of like them a little bit more than the SM3 right now."
 
Okay, now for the results regarding sound without filters in the SM2: I had the same reaction Bennyboy had with his SM3. The highs were too bright and too shrill! Yes, it brought out the treble more (although the treble in the SM2 is a bit more forward than the SM3's), but it made male voices unnaturally higher than their regular octaves in recordings. Now, however, I am without the filters to put back in, so what to do? I'm thinking I'm screwed!!
 
Success: Ah! Thank God for quick thinking. My inclination was to find something that could serve as the a filter for the SM2. I'm also surprised at how a little piece of material can have such a profound effect on the sound. The filters seemed to be some sort of plastic, so I was out of luck. Then the light bulb came on. I went the media room of my office and found an unused microphone cover of low-density foam. I cut two small pieces of the foam and stuffed them into the SM2 holes. Wow! The shrillness was gone instantly, bass got even deeper, mids were about the same, but the treble seemed to disappear even more. Oh, I should add that the bass got deeper but muddier. I was like I have really done it now!!
 
Then I thought to myself again, why not pull the foam out and cut it again, I mean cut it to the most minimum amount I possibly can, allowing it to be a small piece of fiber that basically just block that entrance hole. Well, I did that and Damn!! 
 
What I got in the sound now this time was more forward treble without the shrillness still, mids with more clarity and transparency and the original bass. In addition, the high mids were brought forward some, and the overall sound seemed a bit louder than it would have in the original configuration. I basically changed the SM2 sound signature with my mod to give it more of an e-Q7 sound - that is if the e-Q7 had way more bass and more forward treble. So yes, eureka!! It wasn't intentional, but I struck gold with my SM2 sound sig mod. I loved it the way it was, but now I'm IN LOVE WITH IT!  The mid drums just have a more realistic sound, timbre and decay, which I found so alluring with the e-Q7,
 
Am I going to muck around with the SM3 filters now? I think I better leave well enough alone. I'll leave the mod in the capable hands of the SM2 and just let SM3 be itself.

Eric, this was no small thing you have done. This was The Universe giving you a sign. You should become a maker of earphones. Go forth and create. Millions will flock to your banner. The Ericp10 iem will change the course of history. You will bear the hopes and dreams of a world on your shoulders. You will give your lifeblood to lift up humanity.
 
Everyone: Read, believe, understand. In 2,000 years, this will be our religion. The religion of Ericp10.

 

[ericp10]

 OH to hope and dream @ Kunlun, but if so many reject the current religions that are out there, I already know that very few followers will embrace the Ericp10 way. But hey, then again, I'm even evoked when others talk about making an exit from head-fi and leaving permanently, so who knows?? At least I have you and lucozade as true disciples @ Kunlun. So go forth @ Kunlun and spread the word!! Go forth son!! 

 
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Eric, this was no small thing you have done. This was The Universe giving you a sign. You should become a maker of earphones. Go forth and create. Millions will flock to your banner. The Ericp10 iem will change the course of history. You will bear the hopes and dreams of a world on your shoulders. You will give your lifeblood to lift up humanity.
 
Everyone: Read, believe, understand. In 2,000 years, this will be our religion. The religion of Ericp10.

 

[james444]

 
 
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Result?  I am going to sell my SM3s and stick with the HF5s.  No joke. Ultimately, I can happily sacrifice the 3D expansiveness of the Earsonics for the supreme clarity, natural, solid reproduction of vocals and instruments, brilliant isolation, plug'n'play fit of the triple flanges, and build quality of these Etys, which amazingly (to me at least) are half the price of the ER4P and actually put more of a smile on my face and a spring in my step than the SM3s.

 
I reckon you've already PMd iponderous to change the thread title to HF5 appreciation thread...
 
On a more serious note, am I the only one who thinks this is kinda lame? Basically you're blitz-selling your SM3s for some of the same weaknesses that others have been pointing out and you kept denying and sneering at them in countless posts.

 

[ericp10]

I don't believe him @ James444. There's some jankery afoot!!
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I reckon you've already PMd iponderous to change the thread title to HF5 appreciation thread...
 
On a more serious note, am I the only one who thinks this is kinda lame? Basically you're blitz-selling your SM3s for some of the same weaknesses that others have been pointing out and you kept denying and sneering at them in countless posts.

 

[Bennyboy71]

Colour me lame James, but I can't help it, I've never been able to walk in a straight line....
 
 
Quote:

 
 
 
I reckon you've already PMd iponderous to change the thread title to HF5 appreciation thread...
 
On a more serious note, am I the only one who thinks this is kinda lame? Basically you're blitz-selling your SM3s for some of the same weaknesses that others have been pointing out and you kept denying and sneering at them in countless posts.

 

[Hero Kid]

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On a more serious note, am I the only one who thinks this is kinda lame?

I'm with you James. This is not cool Mr. Benjamin. I suppose if you're happy that's the main thing, but still...

 

[Bennyboy71]

But still what? Jeez, I was loving my SM3s until I tried the HF5s and everything fell into place for me suddenly like a lightning bolt of pleasure. Prior to that, I'd bent over backwards to supply the sensorcom tips to people all round the world - over 75 pairs of the things - and shared my thoughts and ideas on EQ settings etc.  I guess you could call  me a fanboy to that degree, but it was done out of love for the SM3s and a desire to let people hear the best out of theirs, nothing more than that.  I haven't 'sneered' at anyone on other threads or this one for selling theirs, just raised an eyebrow maybe at the speed with which they've had them arrive then shipped them out.  This forum is not a court of morality or principle and if it was, i wouldn't be here in the first place.  I don't aim to be 'cool' or uncool, just to say what's on my mind and reach out to others with similar interest.  Sometimes that takes the form of a handshake, sometimes as a fist, but thats how it has to be if you're committed to being honest with yourself. To say you are able to treat everyone's view as equal is rubbish and you're lying to yourself if you think it's possible.  Some like to sit and ponder and draft and stroke their chin before committing finger to keyboard, which is fair enough, but its not my bag at all. I like to record snapshots of how I'm feeling at any time.  Verbal polaroids, if you like. And that can raise hackles, naturally. But then, as i've said, I operate on a level of instinctiveness that perhaps others don't. 
 
If I have upset anyone by appearing to be a turncoat in doing this 180 degree turn, I apologise, but believe me, its not through any desire to offend. More to just be myself and document my journey through this costly, mind-bending quicksand of in-ear nonsense to the sonic promised land that hopefully awaits. On the subject of which, I will quote from Wikipedia at this point. By the way, I am not Jewish (in fact I'm an atheist):
 
According to the Hebrew Bible, the Tribe of Benjamin (Hebrew: בִּנְיָמִין, [size=smaller]Modern[/size] Binyamin [size=smaller]Tiberian[/size] Binyāmîn) בִּנְיָמִין was one of the Tribes of Israel.
From after the conquest of the land by Joshua until the formation of the first Kingdom of Israel in c. 1050 BCE, the Tribe of Benjamin was a part of a loose confederation of Israelite tribes. No central government existed, and in times of crisis the people were led by ad hoc leaders known as Judges. (see the Book of Judges) The entire tribe of Benjamin, women and children included, was almost wiped out by the other Israelite tribes after the Battle of Gibeah. The remnant of the tribe was spared and allowed to marry women of another town, whose husbands had been killed, to enable the tribe to continue.
 
With the growth of the threat from Philistine incursions, the Israelite tribes decided to form a strong centralised monarchy to meet the challenge. The first king of this new entity was Saul, who came from the Tribe of Benjamin, (1 Samuel 9:1-2) which at the time was the smallest of the tribes. He reigned from Gibeah for 38 years, (1 Samuel 8-31) which appears to have been his home town
 
 
So give me a break - if history repeats itself,  I'm due to marry all your wives. You think you've got it tough?  Sheesh.

  But despite all the difficulties, I will eventually rise to become King, so watch your tongues!
 
p.s. I have not had my morning coffee yet, so I am probably completely over-reacting, but hey, what kind of boring world would we live in without over-reaction?
 
 
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I'm with you James. This is not cool Mr. Benjamin. I suppose if you're happy that's the main thing, but still...