Comparison.

I’m going to combine EM3/5 in the comparisons to other IEMs due to similarity in bass and mids, while noting separately about EM5 treble difference. In every test, I volume matched each pair.

EM3/5 vs EN700Pro – EM soundstage is noticeably wider while both have a similar depth. EN bass hits harder, deeper sub-bass, more impact in mid-bass, but overall bass is not as controlled and not as articulate as EM. EM lower mids are leaner and more neutral while EN is thicker and with more body. Upper mids presentation of EM is more forward, more layered, more resolving, while EN is smoother, warmer, detailed but not as resolving and pushed a little back in comparison. EM treble also has more sparkle, more control, better definition. Besides a superior technical performance, the main difference here is EN being warmer, smoother, less layered, while EM is more audiophile tuned with a better technical performance, improved resolution, more forward mids, and wider soundstage.

EM3/5 vs iBasso IT03 – both have a very similar soundstage expansion, in both width and depth. IT bass hits harder, both in sub-bass and mid-bass, while EM is more neutral in comparison. EM bass is a little faster with a shorter attack and a shorter decay. Lower mids are not too far off, though I feel IT gives a sound a little more body. IT mids have a pushed back presentation, as detailed and resolving, but smoother and a little warmer, while EM mids are pushed more forward, brighter, colder, and even more resolving in comparison. With treble, IT has a more noticeable 6k peak which can get a bit harsh with some poorly recorded song, while EM 6k peak is more under control. The treble between IT and EM3 is very similar, while EM5 pushes it to the next level with more sparkle and crispiness.

EM3/5 vs Campfire Audio Andromeda – Andro has a wider soundstage with more depth, making it more holographic in comparison. While Andro bass slams harder, they both have a similar sub-bass extension, while mid-bass in Andro is slower. In comparison, EM bass is leaner, more controlled, faster and with a little better articulation. Lower mids in Andro have a little more body, while EM is neutral. While I wouldn’t call Andro a mid-centric tuned, it’s more W-shaped tuned where mids have a similar presentation as EM. Both have a similar upper mids, detailed, resolving, layered; the only difference with EM upper mids being a little leaner while Android is a touch smoother/warmer. With treble EM3 is smoother an a little rolled off in comparison to Andro, while EM5 is as crisp and bright, just the lower treble 6k peak in Andromeda is more defined and could be harsh depending on pair up.

EM3/5 vs HiFiMAN RE800 – remarkable resemblance between these two, especially EM5 vs RE800. With soundstage, both have a very similar soundstage width and depth expansion. RE has a touch more sub-bass rumble, but overall both have a fast, articulate, well controlled bass. With mids, both have lean lower mids and bright, resolving, micro-detailed, layered upper mids. EM3 treble is more controlled and a little smoother in comparison to more aggressive treble of RE. Contrary to that, EM5 treble is on par with RE800, except RE has a spike around 6k which makes it more sibilant with poorly recorded songs.

EM3/5 vs Westone UM Pro 50 v2 – while soundstage depth is similar between these two, EM has more width. UM Pro 50 bass his harder, more sub-bass rumble and more mid-bass impact, but bass is not as tight or controlled as EM which is leaner and more articulate and faster. Big difference here in lower mids where EM is lean and has less body, while UM is ticker and with more body. Upper mids are smoother and warmer in UM, while more forward, leaner, and brighter in EM. UM treble is a touch smoother than EM3, and a lot smoother than EM5. Biggest difference here is UM Pro 50 having more bass slam and more body in lower mids.

EM3/5 vs 64 Audio U4-SE – very similar soundstage expansion, in both width and depth. In tonality, this comparison reminded me of the one with UMPro50, where U4 bass slams harder with a healthier sub-bass rumble and a punchier mid-bass, while EM had a great sub-bass rumble and mid-bass punch, but it’s scaled down in quantity. Both have a tight well controlled bass. Lower mids of U4 have more body but not very thick, while EM in comparison is a lot leaner. Upper mids of U4 are smoother and warmer, while EM is more revealing, more transparent, and more micro-detailed in comparison. With treble, EM3 sounds similar to U4SE, but EM5 steps it up with more sparkle and more crispiness.

By a number of requests after posting this original review, I added a comparison between EM3 and a few other popular 3way hybrids.

EM3 vs Oriveti New Primacy – EM3 soundstage is just a touch wider. NP mid-bass hits harder, while EM3 bass is more balanced, more linear. I also hear a little more sparkle in treble with EM3, while NP is equally well defined, but has a touch less sparkle. The biggest difference here is in mids, where EM3 has a lot more neutral lower mids and brighter, more transparent upper mids while NP lower mids are thicker with more body and upper mids are a little warmer and more organic. Also, EM3 mids presentation is pushed a little back in comparison to more forward NP mids.

EM3 vs Hi-fi Boy OSv3 – Here, OSv3 has a little wider soundstage. While mid-bass is similar, OSv3 sub-bass has more rumble in this comparison. Also, EM3 lower mids are more neutral in comparison to a fuller body OSv3 which also gives OSv3 upper mids a warmer, more organic and less revealing characteristics. EM3 with it’s more neutral lower mids have a thinner, brighter, more revealing upper mids. Both have similar treble, just with EM3 having a little more airiness. Overall OSv3 is warmer, smoother, while EM3 is more transparent, more layered, and more revealing.

EM3 vs Dunu DN2000J – With soundstage, DN is a little wider and more out of your head. The sound signature is similar, actually very similar here. While EM3 might have a little deeper rumble, overall the quantity and quality of the bass in both are rather similar. Lower mids are also similar with a more neutral tonality, and the same goes for upper mids where you have a more transparent, more revealing brighter sound. The big difference here is in treble where EM3 has more control and a more natural sparkle, while DN has a little more sibilance and a brighter crunch (and I’m actually using foam tips with DN).

Pair up.

In this pair up testing, I used only 3.5mm connection. Both EM3/EM5 are easy to drive, though due to its 101dB sensitivity, EM series requires a few more clicks to raise the volume to my preferred listening level.

Cowon Plenue 2 mk2 – w/EM3 I hear a wide soundstage, dynamic sound with a deep rumble and punchy mid-bass, mids are forward, clear, brighter, detailed, treble is crisp, well controlled. EM5 treble is crisper, brighter, a little more extended. Both pair up great here.

Cayin N5ii – w/EM3 soundstage is wide and even deeper, sound is closer to W-shaped with more sub-bass rumble and a little stronger mid-bass punch, making sound more balanced. Mids are still forward, bright, detailed, colder and more analytical, treble is crisp and extended. EM5 pair up pushes treble with more crispiness, making it brighter and more sibilant. Personally, I prefer EM3 in this pair up.

Shanling M3s – w/EM3 soundstage is wide and a little deeper, sound is more balanced with deeper sub-bass rumble and stronger mid-bass munch. Mids are a little forward, very detailed, and have a hint of smoothness here, treble is crisp and well controlled. EM5 has a very similar sound in this pair up with an exception of brighter and crisper treble which is tolerable, not as harsh as in N5ii pair up, and the sound is a little airier. Both pair up great.

Lotoo PAW Gold – w/EM3 soundstage is still wide but a little narrower in comparison to other pair ups, while staging depth goes deeper. Sound is more balanced, more w-shaped where mids are not as forward due to a stronger mid-bass punch and more lifted treble. Mids have more micro details and improved layering, treble is crisper and lifted a little more. EM5 adds a more piercing treble which makes sound crisper. LPG gives treble a lift which works ok with EM3 but for my personal taste not as much with EM5.

FiiO X7ii – w/EM3 soundstage is wide and has a nice depth. The sound is dynamic, more mid-forward signature here. Bass goes deep, punches fast, mids are forward, bright, very detailed, a little on a colder analytical side; treble is crisp and extended. EM5 pushes treble higher in quantity with crisper, more vivid details, making it brighter and harsher and giving it more air. Unless you like your treble crisp and sizzling, EM3 pairs up better here.

TheBit Opus#2 – w/EM3 soundstage is wide and goes a little deeper, the sound is more balanced with W-shaped signature where bass is lifted a little more, though mids are still pushing forward. Bass goes deep with a nice beefy rumble, mid-bass punches hard, surprisingly mids have a little more body, giving them a touch more organic tonality while still being detailed and layered, treble has a nice sparkle and well controlled. EM5 mids are a little more forward due to more energy and crisper treble which is brighter and more lifted, but still tolerable. Both pair up great with Opus#2, and together with EM3 it was one of my favorite pair ups.

Hiby R6 – w/EM3 soundstage is wide and deep, great pair up without a need for iEMatch, sound is more balanced with bass lifted, mids more balanced, and treble is a little up too. Sub-bass rumble goes deep and mid-bass has a fast and powerful punch. Mids are a little smoother while still being micro-detailed, layered, and not as cold; treble is crisp and very well defined with a good extension and airiness. EM5 gives treble more clarity and sparkle, making it a little brighter, yet still under control. Both pair ups are great, and EM3 is also among my favorite here.

A&K SP1000 SS – w/EM3 soundstage is very wide and has more depth, the sound is more mid-forward with a brighter tonality. Very nice sub-bass rumble and fast punchy mid-bass, mids are micro-detailed, layered, transparent, a little more on a colder more analytical side, while treble is very crisp and airy. With EM5 the sound is similar except treble is brighter, crisper, a little harsher, and right on the edge of sibilance without crossing it. Here, I preferred EM3 pair up better than EM5.

Sony WM1Z – w/EM3 soundstage is wide and has more depth, the sound is more mid-forward with a brighter revealing tonality. Sub-bass rumble goes deeper, mid-bass is fast and punchy, mids are micro-detailed, layered, more analytical, treble is crisp and well defined and still under a good control. With Em5, treble becomes crisper, harsher, and more sibilant. Here, I preferred EM3 pair up over EM5.

Conclusion.

Simgot slogan of “Salute to Art and Science” could be easily interpreted as them paying as much attention to the art behind the design as they do to the science behind the tuning. And it’s true. I know it probably sounds cliché, but this new EM series takes Simgot iems to a whole new level of a more mature audiophile tuning with a more expanded soundstage, a deeper sub-bass rumble, more revealing and resolving mids, and extended airy treble. And the design is pretty cool too!

But what I found the most interesting here is how much EM3 and EM5 have in common. We are not looking at two entirely different tuned iems, but rather at EM5 as an enhanced treble version of EM3. That will be the deciding factor when choosing between these two iems, in addition to a price difference due to extra Knowles drivers and higher-grade cable. For me personally, I preferred EM3 with its more controlled smoother treble extension. But if you want an airier more micro detailed sound with enhanced treble, EM5 will suite you well.