Some notes on the SM3 from the 15 or so hours I've put into them:
- The SM3 don't really seem to have a sound signature of any sort. More so than any other phone I've ever owned, or listened to, they are transparent in the sense that they present whatever the recording engineer intended. I recall being underwhelmed when I first put them on because the track I was listening to was mastered in a way that made the recording seem very flat and distant. Every pair of phones I've ever owned has a sort of sound signature; qualities that are imparted to the music regardless of mastering. Phones like the SA5k or FX500 will pump out prodigious details that lends an exciting "feel" to the music due to the fact that they have a sort of V shaped response curve. The DDM has a very lush sounding midrange and textured bass, and this will lend some things a sense of weight even when that weight isn't called for (delicate strings for instance). The SM3 on the other hand are very hard to describe since their characteristics will change even from track to track on the same album. The soundstage and bass are two such characteristics. If the track isn't mastered to sound very large and spacious, it will come across as flat and constricted, and details and vocals will seem distant. Intimate recordings however, will present vocals as very close to you which will be dripping with details. The sound stage and presentation honestly changes more so with the SM3 than any other phone I've ever listened to. Similarly, if a song calls for lots of bass, the SM3 will easily fill that space with all the punch you could ever want unless you're the sort who gets their jollies off to Dr. Dre branded fartcannons.
Things that remain constant from track to track: balance. To my ears, the SM3 are very balanced. There isn't anything lacking or missing or recessed in the sound spectrum. As I stated before, they will only present to you what's in the track, which is what initially threw me off of them. The SM3 are very quick and nimble. I suppose that's to be expected since they are balanced armature phones. That means that transient attack speeds are extremely fast, but at the same time, the amount of decay is just right. The SM3 are very interesting in that they offer the speed and clarity of balanced armature phones, and yet, don't sacrifice the texture, timbre and bass response of dynamic driver phones. In fact, the SM3 can pump out a surprising amount of bass, nearly on par with the DDM when it calls for it, which is incredible for a single BA bass driver.
A problem that I have with the SA5k is that with their nano composite drivers, they were too fast. Things that were supposed to reverberate, or resonate simply didn't, and that made them sound off with certain instruments. The SM3 doesn't suffer from this. Whatever level of attack or finesse is required, they easily rise up to the occasion. A test track that I have to test speed, attack, vocals and sound stage is "Sytrofoam Boots" by Modest Mouse. And this is easily one of the best reproductions I've ever heard of this track; playing through my iphone, the SM3's performance easily rivals my SA5ks properly amped. Vocal clarity, stereo imaging and speed are extremely good. There is a point midway through the track where Jeremiah Green enters into the song with some thunderous drumming crystal clear drumming. Listening to a pair of speedy phones such as the SA5k, the attack on the drums scares me every single time. The shift in dynamics in that instant are huge, and the SM3 is easily on par with the SA5k in rendering that split second. Towards the end of the song, Green goes into warp overdrive, and the SM3 easily keep up the beat without smearing. This same feat is pulled off on Baba O' Riley's synth riff which is played throughout the song. I even played some Racer X for shits and giggles, and the SM3 had no problem keeping up with Paul Gilbert and co.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, they are capable of rendering extremely fine and delicate details as in strings and vocals. Vocals on the SM3 are nearly on par with the SA5K in terms of clarity which is extremely good as the SA5ks, due to their clinical presentation, churn out the most realistic and detailed vocals I've ever heard. Go ahead and put on some Roy Orbison or The Righteous Brothers or hell, some Andrea Bocelli and prepare for fucking goosebumps. I'm almost willing to bet that these things might even make me somehow enjoy Josh Groban. It's that good. Similarly, the control and dynamics on string swells as in Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 show a level of refinement that the DDM just can't match. The DDM lends too much weight to the strings, and they aren't fast enough so the double bass section lingers a bit too long. It just feels off after listening to the SM3 as the bass comes across as boomy and flabby in comparison to the SM3's taut and controlled bass. In contrast, the SM3 renders details so finely, and so delicately, it's almost like they're just conjured from thin air. And it's because of this, that on the best recordings, you just forget you're even listening to phones. (Which has lead to me listening to a lot of recordings from the 70's through 90's, before the loudness wars)
The FX500 may have more boisterous levels of bass, and the SA5k might be more electrifying, and the DDM might render guitars with an organic level of grit, but I think much moreso than the other phones, the SM3 just does everything right to my ears. It isn't fatiguing and congested like the FX500, it's not laid back and viscous like the DDM, and it doesn't suffer from a recessed bass like the SA5k. Even moreso than with the DDM, I don't feel like I should have to analyze what I'm listening to, nor wonder if I'm missing something in the mix, everything simply... just feels right to me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go listen to some DSotM.
