Customer Reviews

Etymotic Research HF5 Portable In-Ear Earphones (Ruby)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Packaging: Simple packaging that wasn't difficult to get into. No tools/scissors required. No excessive plastic or cardboard.

Included Items: HF5 IEM, Small Etymotic pouch, Standard Etymotic tri-flange tips, Baby blue tri-flange tips, Large dark grey foamies (not the mushroom type), Filter changing tool, Spare filters

Cord: Seems sturdy enough. Has a slider above the "Y" junction. Shirt clip already on the cord. Cord doesn't seem too thin or too thick. Plug is straight instead of having a bent or "J" shape.

Initial Impression: Good lord, I have to insert these deep to get a seal with the stock tips!

Sound: Very clean. Bass is tight, fast, a little anemic for my taste, but definitely there and not completely disappointing. (Note to those who want warmer sound from these: With a small 4-5 dB boost in the 40-60 Hz range and a 2-3 dB boost in the 250-450 Hz range, the bass/low mid range is just about right) Mids are neutral. They don't sound either forward or recessed. Highs are fresh, airy, energetic, and crisp but without being piercing or shrill. These have the least sibilance I've heard from an IEM. I can only hear sibilance with "ch" sounds, not "s" or "sh". Even then it is barely detectable.

Recommended Genres: Pretty much anything but hip hop. These sound great with vocals, piano (wow), guitar, and anything which doesn't require massive bass response. I suppose you could even do a few hip hop songs, but they have to have the bass pretty much built in to the song (such as Flo Rida's "Low"). Anything with bass that focuses on a warm, constant mid-bass + low, low (30 Hz or less) bass in the background (Hurricane Chris's "Hand Clap") with few bass spikes will not sound good with these.

These are especially great for anything that requires a fast bass response (Metal/Symphonic Metal/"Fast" Rock) or energetic, airy highs (Pop/J-Pop/Guitar + Vocal/Classical/Orchestral). Or both! (Think of Ministry) I can't lavish enough praise on these for how well I think they render pianos. I literally want to reach out and start playing (my fingers unconsciously twitch!) whenever I hear a piano with the HF5.

Soundstage: Honestly, the music is somewhat constrained here, probably in large part to how deep you have to insert these puppies. Your music isn't going to surround you or anything. The instrument separation is great with these, but the sound feels a bit like it's been squeezed into a small room (Maybe a small recording studio?). That or if you have these cranked loud enough you could consider that you're standing on the stage or in the first row instead of being in the crowd. Once in a while you'll be able to place something off to the side, but it won't be as often as with a fair number of other IEMs. This is also highly dependent on the quality of the seal you have. The better the seal, the better the soundstage is with these.

Microphonics: Bad and lots. Luckily (and somewhat annoyingly) the shirt clip is attached straight out of the box!

Isolation: Good and just okay. Good on first insert. Without music playing I can hardly hear conversation in the office, and even then it's an undecipherable mumble. After a period of time the seal loosens up a bit and it's more like a standard IEM, where you can listen to conversations if you want with no music playing, but it's not going to bother you while listening. I just had a coworker open a can of soda no more than 3 feet away from me and I could only hear it because I was listening for it (Listening to Eric Johnson's "East West", which isn't really a complex, loud song).

IMPORTANT NOTE: Quality of seal is almost inversely proportionate to comfort if you have medium to large ears. This applies to stock tips only and will not be an issue with foam tips or your favorite tip that fits the Etymotic HF5 nozzle.

Comfort: Starts off poor with the initial seal. These are a pain to get a seal with, and I don't really have large ears or ear canals. I generally use medium-sized tips on everything but my Klipsch Image X10. After the seal loosens up a bit (helps to yawn lightly), they aren't bad, but you'll know they're there.

IMPORTANT NOTE: YOU CAN SLEEP WITH THESE ON! They rival the Klipsch Image X10 for comfort in this regard!

Comfort - Tips: The HF5 tri-flange tips are interchangeable with Klipsch gels and Future Sonics bi-flanges. The sound stage improves with the Klipsch gels, as well as warming up the sound a bit.

Overall Sound Quality: 4.5 out of 5, only because of the small soundstage and just-barely-too-low low end response.

Overall Value: At the $99 I spent, 4.5 of 5. At MSRP of $150, I'd say 4 of 5. Microphonics (shirt clip not withstanding), no airplane/volume attenuator, lack of various tip sizes, diminished soundstage, and just-too-little low end response (for my taste) bring the HF5 down. However, the sound reproduction is excellent, and I am personally quite happy with the signature overall. With a slight EQ boost on the low end and low mids, these are a very enjoyable IEM. The Etymotic HF5 has the least sibilance I've heard from an IEM. Also, you can sleep with them on no problem. These were definitely worth my money.

After losing my noise canceling Audio Technica ATH-ANC7 headphones on a trip, I was miserable. I was forced to turn my music up to turn the outside world down. After 3 months, I just couldn't take it. Did a few days worth of research and decided on the HF5s finally.

WOW!!!

These earphones are exactly what I've always wanted, just never knew existed--excellent music inside my earplugs. I'm bad at handling noise that is out of place (neighbors stomping upstairs, blasting TV downstairs, extremely loud individuals on the subway (+ the subway noise itself), car alarms...). These guys completely block all of it out. I can sit and study in the middle of a cafeteria and not hear a soul. I'm no longer that grumpy old guy (24 is the new 75) that asks everyone to "pipe down you noisy kids." The noise isolation is so good that my wife constantly surprises me even if she's trying to get my attention--I just don't hear her calling me--as she comes up to me.

As far as the sound quality goes, these are far superior to the AT (just like in the noise dept). There's no hiss of the noise cancellation and the music is just much more clear. So many little sounds are heard hat I just didn't know were part of the music or the show. I'm periodically turning around when I think someone's behind me--nope it's just the 3D sound that these things give off.

PROS:
*Sound Isolation. 10/10. I use extreme ear plugs and these are better (plus there's music inside).
*Small Package. 10/10. Completely fit inside pinna (outer ear), so there's nothing protruding. Can sleep in these comfortably if so inclined.
*Sound Quality. 9/10. I'm not at all an audiophile. I just hear much more detail in a lot of the music I have and the shows I watch. May seem a bit 'tinny' for some, but that's 'cause they're not dull and bassy.

CONS (small issues):
*3-flange earpieces. Will scrape ALL of your wax out if you don't really clean your ears. Get gunked up quick. Keep cleaning those ears.
*3-flange earpieces. May be a bit uncomfortable if put in dry or slightly off. Have to make sure to push in all the way (stop BEFORE it hurts).
*Rubbery cord. Kind of annoying. Grips tables, so it won't slide when you lean on it or try to push it over a bit with a textbook or something. Harder to untangle (not slippery).
*Cord transmits movement sounds unless wrapped around ears. Should be preshaped or stiffer at the ears to make wrapping easier. Not perfect as is.
*L/R designation written in least visible place on earphone--underneath, in thin white lettering. This is a pet peeve, the chords or phones can easily be marked by a tiny something to distinguish between them.

Conclusion:
These headphones provide me with complete noise isolation and excellent sound quality. They have been tested in cafes, NYC Subway, home, office. If you're looking for quiet, stop looking!!! Plus there's music inside!

After reading several glowing reviews of these headphones, I ordered a pair here on amazon just a couple of weeks ago. Upon receiving them, I opened up the package, jammed them into my iphone and ears, and cranked up some of my favorite tunes.

The first thing I was struck by was the understated bass. Bass guitar seemed to have vanished from every track I listened to. I was dismayed to find that bass solos sounded like they were coming through the wall from another room. This problem was identical with anything in the sub 500Hz range.

On the flip side, the mid- and high-range was absolutely stellar. Vocals were detailed in ways I had not experienced before with my Etymotic 6i's, Shure's, or my new pair of Apple's next-gen in-ear 'phones.

I figured that I'd get them to work, where I do most of my listening via Winamp on my PC. A little judicious work in the equalizer to make up the difference, and I'd be happy as a peach.

Unfortunately, I was wrong. Adjusting the equalizer on any device I tried resulted in crackling bass as the signal overwhelmed the inadequate drivers in the HF5's. Adjusting bass down on my PC and my Harmon-Kardon home receiver eliminated the problem. Adjusting back up slowly would let the crackling creep back in. This happened regardless of the source music, so long as there was bass content to be had. I wasn't using anything so powerful as drum & bass music, either. Metallica's Death Magnetic tracks all exhibited the problem, and they're known for being bass-averse. Nine Inch Nails, Mudvayne, Seether, Breaking Benjamin and even trance tracks exhibited the issue.

I am in the process of returning these. Anyone who enjoys music with accurate bass should stay far, far away from these earphones. I would only recommend these for someone who stuck to classical or jazz tracks, or wanted to listen to audiobooks.

Good sounding and very accurate for the money. Not huge bass but the bottom is there. Using with 5G nano and the power output on the nano is a little weak. Great for classical music not the best but for $100 it is only a little worse then a westone um2 I heard which is 2-1/2 times the price , more even from top to bottom and not as much bass and lower output. The westone is much to warm sounding and not as accurate.

My office mate can be having a conversation while I'm listening to music with these in and I can't here anything she is saying. They are awesome!

I read a review here saying the HF5 was even better than the Etymotics 6i because it has better bass. That is not true. These ear phones lack the clarity and crispness of the 6i. The bass is louder, but the entire spectrum is affected in the same way. The sound seems slightly muddy. Get the ER 6i instead.

I got these primarily for wear in a vertical wind tunnel, since wearing earplugs and a helmet are boring. These act as my earplugs and provide my tunes to give me a great work environment. I also use them while flying and they come in handy when sitting next to or near anyone annoying and children. Even when I you are not supposed to use electronics devices, you can use them as ear plugs to tune out everything. At one point, one of the earphones was muffled and after pulling the earbud off I noticed some wax build up in the small tube that houses the earphone components. I used the end of the paperclip and carefully got the majority of the gunk out and it worked fine. Overall I am happy with my purchase. If you want the ability to tune out ambient noise and enjoy your favorite tunes these are a good buy.

I also own Klipsh S4, Senns OCX880, Hifi man RE0. The HF-5 are a great addition closely matched to the RE0.

The base is not very thumpy however they are very accurate and even across the spectrum. They do everything else so well that it makes up for the lack of base.

The sound takes some time to get used to. The manufacturer claims there is no burn-in required, however I'm not convinced.
I found that if you don't focus on the base and treble and focus on whatever vocal or instrument takes the fore front, it will bring new dimension to your listening pleasure. Synthesizers, horns, acoustic & electric guitars and symbols are crisp and well textured. I find myself liking songs that I previously did not like with the full Base IEM's.

After listening to these and then going to the S4, the S4's sound bloated and muddy. When going to the OCX880's. their bass sounds bloated and the rest of the spectrum sounds slightly muddy. When going from the the HF-5 to the RE0, the RE0 sound like they have good base. IMO these are slightly more accurate than the REO and my favorite of the bunch.

Pros- Accurate, even across the spectrum, excellent isolation, durable.

Cons- If you like big Base, these may not work for you.

I had a previous edition of these and liked them well enough. I only use them when doing cross-country motorcycle touring. They do a great job of keeping out the wind noise even when not using them to listen to music. As for music quality, they are fine in that environment but I would not use them for home listening, they just are not that great even when you get them sealed properly in your ear, and they are now my backup set of earbuds for riding. My primary set (custom molded to my ear) sounds about the same, but are more efficient and so get much louder then these do for a given volume setting. Finally apparently I have fairly small ear canals; both this set and the previous set are only good for about 4 continuous hours and then I have to remove them as my ear canals start to ache from chafing. That is why I purchased the custom ones, I can wear those for 10-12 hours of riding and no problem. The custom made ones do however clog up and need to be cleaned frequently. The Etymonic do not and are easy to maintain when they do. Your mileage will vary.

i like the accuracy this little guy pumps out. the range of tone covers much of the music i listen, jazz and pop.

it is slightly brighter and has a tiny bit more bass than the ER-6 i've lost. what i mean by "slightly"? it is like making toast from a 3 on the dial to a 4. i can hear it, but, the difference isn't that pronouce.

for editing movies and etc er-6 is the ticket on portability, clarity, and neutral. for day to day music, this is perfectly fit the bill and i don't have to worry losing. just like its big brother, both are very energy efficient. on things i had to use 1/4 on volume on ear coving headphone, i can use 1/5 or 1/6. this means longer iphone time for me and lesser charge time. sweet.

hf5 isn't perfect. they aren't very comfortable to my ear canal with the flanges. er-6 has much softer ones.

noise isolation is still the king for off the shelf in-ear-monitor. i would change to the ER5-14C for better fit, so, I can ride motorcycle with them with a voice GPS playing mp3.

couple improvements are:
it doesn't use the plastic "skin" like the er-6, which i broke after about a year.
the plug of this has a slanted angle which would average out the life of the cord that end.
wire is more thicker and better grip feel; i won't be as concern breaking them like the er-6.

to my ears, it sound way complete than mid class, Sennheiser CX300-B.

my current preference is:

er-6
er-hf5
Shure SE315-K
Yamaha EPH-50BL
Sennheiser CX300-B
Sony MDR-ED21LP (best bang for the buck for less than $12.)
JVC HAFX67B
headphone comes with mp3 and phones.