G'day mate,
I've owned both the um3x removable cable and the sm3 v1 and v2
The sm3 I've sold twice and just recently bought it again, while the um3x sold it, but haven't thought about buying them again.
What I'm going to be using them for:
- Normal music playback (both are good, but with poorer studio recorded music, the sm3 will suffer more, as its more track dependent)
- Taking them to the gym (not for running) -(both bout the same I reckon) but westone has 2 year warranty, though earsonic customer service is excellent, though a year. never had any probs with v1, but v2, had a bouncy shell sound when tapped, and got it replaced easily) Isolation is prob a bit better the um3x, but if you use shure olive foam tips with the sm3, they're about the same
- My taste in music is pretty eclectic. I listen to electronic, rock, R&B, and the occasional country song with electronic music being listened to roughly 80% of the time. (Favorite song at the moment: Obedear by Purity Ring; to give you an idea of my tastes) With electronic music, soundstage isn't an issue with that genre, so UM3X's narrow soundstage shouldn't matter, but with other types of music, it's intimate presentation style might be too much if you want to relax.. The upfront vocals might be intimidating if you don't like upfront music and can sound too clinical. But there is a lot of detail that's for sure) The SM3 you can relax more into the music, as the singer is singing to you, not at you like the um3x. It's also a preference thing in terms of bass. UM3x if you like hard hitting bass but not so much weight, SM3 if you like sub bass reverb, a bit slower, but more oomph)
- Comfort, reliability, and sound isolation are pretty important as well. Although they are both comfy, I think the sm3's tend to b a bit less comfy than the um3x for extended listening sessions, even with the redesigned shell. Its a bit wide for smaller ear sizes. and comfort really depends on the tips you choose. shure foam olives are pretty comfy with both, but you might not like the sound. I don't mind it.
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- Will also use them for the occasional movie or video game. SM3 may be better, as it has a bigger soundstage and more accurate positioning and being able to throw music further away
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- Anything under $450USD.
***If you decide either, and only purchase one and not the other, I'm sure you'll be happy, as you haven't heard the other. But if you get to listen to both, once you grow or get used to the SM3's unique signature, you will understand that you get to listen to how music is recorded in its natural state, so different songs will change in sound more than the same intimate soundstage you get with the um3x. So having heard music sound differently with the sm3, I always wonder how the song really sounds when played with the UM3x, so I switch back to the SM3. However I can understand how ppl who like intimate sound and being up close to the singer would enjoy the um3x, but that can be a claustrophic experience switching from the sm3
)
but if you listen to electronic music mostly, you won't notice the soundstage
Cheers
James