[airwax]

I have both the SM3 and HD600. They do not sound anything alike to me. I love them both. And they are not worth comparing to me. Different design, different purpose.

 

[latent]

Quote:

@Latent, to drift off topic just a tad, are those Sony's you show above open (in other words is that an open grill showing on the IEM on the right) versus completely sealed? If so does that grill allow much outside sound into the earphone?

I'm sorry but I'm not sure if I understand your question. With grill you mean these circles in the middle?
 
 

At the other side it is (definately) closed showing ''L'' or ''R'' (left or right in-ear monitor). I really don't know if those parts shown in the picture above are open or not (and part of the design), hard to see (I just had a look). What I can say is that you do hear a lot of wind as outside noise (when I use them and am riding my bike). Besides that, I think they isolate fairly well from outside noise. I think it may be a bit worse than the isolation of SM3, but not that much worse? With both IEMs I still hear people talk in the train when I have the volume at a low point. With volume at medium-ish both IEMs block most outside noise, by going any higher in volume everybody will hear what music you are playing (for the Sony ones as for the SM3).
I don't know if they leak more or less sound than then SM3, I would have to test that.
I hope that answers your question, else I would try google.

 

[vert]

Gotta admit I'm enjoying every minute of these now.
 
It has to be the brain wave, user break-in everyone's talking about. These things are like liquid ear cocaine.
 
Never thought I'd say that about listening to mp3s.

 

[LRY32]

hey guys, i have been following head fi (this thread and the previous appreciation thread) and have only just joined head fi to express my views about the SM3.
 
my choice of music is mainly melodic metalcore and hardstyle, and hell was i ever attuned to the boomy kind of earphones (i was ready to put my wallet out for a pair of IE8s)
 
so far i got it only 3 weeks ago and upon taking it out, it sounded (IMO) lacking in bass and a little tinny. but within the 2nd week, it really did CLICK for me as mentioned by a fellow head fier - it sounds so downright immersive, with the studio like recording soundstage, as i you are jamming with the band; as if you could feel their presence. now when i have understood (or would people usually say, brain break in,) i loved my SM3s. 
 
no more crying babies for it isolated like a champ, and only just musical nirvana every time i board the trains and buses. 
 
 
oh and one last thing though, what i did to my double flanges was that i inserted  a straw that is slightly larger than the tube of the flanges and put them into a bottle of hot water, which i left for a day. i felt that it really did opened up the treble and its now much more comfortable to wear since the rubber is softer than it originally was. i wanted to try the sensor comms but it would take too long, and the double flanges worked pretty well for me.
 
try it out and see of it works for you (=

 

[Bennyboy71]

metalcore and hardstyle? 
 
Quote:

hey guys, i have been following head fi (this thread and the previous appreciation thread) and have only just joined head fi to express my views about the SM3.
 
my choice of music is mainly melodic metalcore and hardstyle, and hell was i ever attuned to the boomy kind of earphones (i was ready to put my wallet out for a pair of IE8s)
 
so far i got it only 3 weeks ago and upon taking it out, it sounded (IMO) lacking in bass and a little tinny. but within the 2nd week, it really did CLICK for me as mentioned by a fellow head fier - it sounds so downright immersive, with the studio like recording soundstage, as i you are jamming with the band; as if you could feel their presence. now when i have understood (or would people usually say, brain break in,) i loved my SM3s. 
 
no more crying babies for it isolated like a champ, and only just musical nirvana every time i board the trains and buses. 
 
 
oh and one last thing though, what i did to my double flanges was that i inserted  a straw that is slightly larger than the tube of the flanges and put them into a bottle of hot water, which i left for a day. i felt that it really did opened up the treble and its now much more comfortable to wear since the rubber is softer than it originally was. i wanted to try the sensor comms but it would take too long, and the double flanges worked pretty well for me.
 
try it out and see of it works for you (=

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

 
oh and one last thing though, what i did to my double flanges was that i inserted  a straw that is slightly larger than the tube of the flanges and put them into a bottle of hot water, which i left for a day. i felt that it really did opened up the treble and its now much more comfortable to wear since the rubber is softer than it originally was. i wanted to try the sensor comms but it would take too long, and the double flanges worked pretty well for me.
 
try it out and see of it works for you (=

Ah crap, I've been contemplating the best way to make that permanent.  Forgot about boiling water!  Doh.  Time to play w/ my extra set of Klipsch BiFlanges.

 

[dfkt]

Here's the frequency response of the SM3:

 

[Anaxilus]

I wonder what it looks like filterless.  

  Honestly that bass response surprises me.  I guess that makes sense but something about the SM3 lower extension seemed off to me.  I'll have to rethink what it was that was missing.  Probably a square wave issue at 30-50hz.

 

[Photofan1986]

Cool! Finally a freq response graph! Thanks!
I would be very curious about filterless response, too

Or with a litte foam added in the nozzle
Wouldn't you like to know, dfkt?

 

[Old_Snake]

I just got my SM3's and it sounds great (even on first listen)! It also isolates very well which is a requirement for me.
It's detailed and smooth. The bass is just enough for me. Like the other guy said, it's addicting to listen to these IEM's. I'm currently using the stock double flange tips. I can't imagine this sounding any better. I'm still waiting on triple flange tips from Sensorcom.
 
Some minor qualms (is it just me!?): it feels and looks flimsy, the cable seems short because it's almost choking me. I'm thinking of removing the transparent cable manager to have better extension (is this going to void my warranty?). The thick part of the cable attached to the earphones are digging into my skin. 

 

[LRY32]

@ ben



Haha more specific subgenre of metal and techno/trance respectively

 

[cn11]

Quote:

Here's the frequency response of the SM3:

Awesome, thanks for posting that. The response graph looks great, as I would have imagined. Nicely extended treble out to almost 20Khz, as I knew existed. 

 

[Bennyboy71]

Um, you want the Sensorcom double flange tips, not the triples, as they're different....
 
Quote:

I just got my SM3's and it sounds great (even on first listen)! It also isolates very well which is a requirement for me.
It's detailed and smooth. The bass is just enough for me. Like the other guy said, it's addicting to listen to these IEM's. I'm currently using the stock double flange tips. I can't imagine this sounding any better. I'm still waiting on triple flange tips from Sensorcom.
 
Some minor qualms (is it just me!?): it feels and looks flimsy, the cable seems short because it's almost choking me. I'm thinking of removing the transparent cable manager to have better extension (is this going to void my warranty?). The thick part of the cable attached to the earphones are digging into my skin. 

 

[latent]

Earsonics SM3 are now (temporarily) cheaper with its price set at 299.00 EUR (first this was 345.00 EUR). 
As you can see here:
 
http://www.earsonics.com/osc/catalog/index.php?cPath=1

 

[violinvirtuoso]

Quote:

Um, you want the Sensorcom double flange tips, not the triples, as they're different....

You could always just snip off the third flange. Is there any other difference?