[i2ehan]

Indeed my friend. As content as I am with my decision, it's here to stay for quite some time.

 

[i2ehan]

And the winner is...
 

Spoiler: Spoiler!

ESS EMM THREE!​

 

 
 
Reasoning:
 

Spoiler: Spoiler!

To be honest, I've never felt more engaged with my music, simple as that! This is the very signature I was looking for, and it took some time to hit me, but when it did, it was an obvious smack in the face! To keep things short and sweet, it offers me the best mixture of all the top tiers, and rest assured I'm not turning back! 

 

[i2ehan]

I want to thank everyone from the very bottom of my heart for your kind encouragement and motivation! Everyone here was a big contribution to my final decision, and I can't thank you enough! I can now stop being so critical and finally enjoy the music! You guys are the absolute best! 

 

[DaBomb77766]

Quote:

And the winner is...
 

Spoiler: Spoiler!

ESS EMM THREE!​

 

 
 
Reasoning:
 

Spoiler: Spoiler!

To be honest, I've never felt more engaged with my music, simple as that! This is the very signature I was looking for, and it took some time to hit me, but when it did, it was an obvious smack in the face! To keep things short and sweet, it offers me the best mixture of all the top tiers, and rest assured I'm not turning back! 

...can't...read the spoiler...text too small.
 
-pastes it into my browser-
 
SM3?  Awesome, so all of the others are gonna go?

 

[Anaxilus]

That a SM3 v1 or v2?

 

[Carlsan]

[size=10pt]EarSonics SM3 (V1) is what was tested. [/size]

 

[Warlax]

Glad to hear you found something that worked for you!  I'm even more glad that it was the SM3! lol.  I must say I mentioned before I tested between the SM3/TF10/MTPC and I liked the SM3 hands down over the others and this just makes me ever more confident in my decision (I don't have the funds to test out all those other phones).  Also, that song you posted is definitely amazing!  Enjoy your Sm3s and thanks again for all the work you put in!

 

[HynchSidrick]

I just dont see sm3 beating w4 IMO

 

[Warlax]

The beauty of sound interpretation being subjective
 
Quote:

I just dont see sm3 beating w4 IMO

 

 

[EraserXIV]

Quote:

I just dont see sm3 beating w4 IMO

I don't think it's about beating, more than it is about preferring.
 
Also, he has owned all of them at the same time and spent extensive time A/B'ing the two into oblivion, which cannot be said about most people who have only briefly heard one of them or owned them both at different times. Basing opinions off "memory" can be highly misleading in the audio world.

 

[MaxwellDemon]

I don't know if I like the idea of creating a 'winner' in a top tier showdown... but hey, you spent an enormous effort and money to compare and contrast so many expensive IEMs, so it is fully in your right to say which IEM did you end up liking the most.
 
Quote:

Also, he has owned all of them at the same time and spent extensive time A/B'ing the two into oblivion, which cannot be said about most people who have only briefly heard one of them or owned them both at different times. Basing opinions off "memory" can be highly misleading in the audio world.

Personally, I think there needs to be a fine balance between A/B-ing IEMs into oblivion and comparing from what you only remember. From my experience, A/B-ing IEMs into oblivion literally does that for me. I just stop caring about the differences and my mind just filters it out.
 
It is a little bit like sampling colognes. Smell too many of them, they'll all just start smelling like overpowering fancy alcohol. You need a whiff of fresh air before you can tell which scent is which again.
 

 

[Anaxilus]

The fact that he liked the MDs and W4s so much, it makes PERFECT sense he'd prefer the SM3 IMO.  That's basically what you get if you combine the two.

 

[KaliKot]

Congrats on your choice I wouldnt pick the SM3 as I listened to it again yesterday and I still don't prefer it over the other top tiers but like they all say YMMV
 
I'm glad you found the right one for you. I was surprised though because I was pretty sure you were gonna pick the Westone 4
 
Also your comparison with the Coppers and the MD's make me want to hear these if they are better than the Coppers. I don't know if I can justify spending for them though seeing how much I spent for the Coppers 

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

 
Also your comparison with the Coppers and the MD's make me want to hear these if they are better than the Coppers. I don't know if I can justify spending for them though seeing how much I spent for the Coppers 

They aren't better.  The Coppers and MD's are quite different and your choice depends on your tastes and needs.  Check out the threads and you will see if it's worth your time and money.  All the info is there.
 

 

[kingice10]

@i2ehan, i didn't see this one coming!
 
I actually thought you will prefer the W4 as your winner iem,as you were always making W4 as a base iem in your reviews. Or one of the Monster iems as you were fond of them last time and even prefer them to the top-tier dynamic such as Sony's EX1000. I wonder how you chose with all other iems with you and come up with one winner. But still you did your own time listening to them and still sonic preferences still matter after all.
 
Congratulations on your picking and enjoy your music with your audiophile gear!