Quote:
Originally Posted by FeedMeTrance
wud love to see whether these are similar to er4 or not
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The short version is they don't really sound like ER-4P. They're closer to "super" ER-6i.
The long version:
I have the HF5s, and I'm as happy with them as I've ever been with an IEM. I have had the most ridiculous time trying to find an earphone I like, going through nearly every major player in the earphone market.
In my experience every one of them was so severely deficient in one area or another compared to my fullsize headphones that I just couldn't tolerate them. Some earphones had deficient sound quality to my ears... be it rolled off treble (common) to recessed mids (common) to anemic bass (not as common but still common). Many earphones had serious practicality issues, such as terrible microphonics or a convoluted and drawn-out insertion process.
The HF5 is very reminiscent of the ER-6i in many ways. I owned and used a pair of 6i for nearly four years, making them the earphone I've owned longest and have had the most experience with. The shape of the HF5 may look more like a sexier ER-4, but the sound signature and the build "feel" is much closer to the 6i.
They look fragile, the cord is rather thin compared to the ER-4 and especially compared to Shure IEMs. But like the ER-6i, which also looked and felt very fragile, the HF5 are proving to be more durable than they appear. They don't have the tank-like qualities of the Shure E3c I once owned but they are not a pair of Skullcandies that fall apart if you stare at them crosseyed. The cord is also much shorter than most IEMs; it's more of a length appropriate for an earphone used with a portable device, measuring at 48 inches. I'm not really fond of the iPhone-compatible straight miniplug, as I prefer a sturdier right-angle type, but it feels robust despite the thinness.
Compared to both the ER-4 and the ER-6i, practicalities are vastly improved. The earphones themselves are lower profile than the ER-4, but not as tiny as the 6i, so they don't have the problem of "vanishing in ones' ears" making them hard to remove without tugging on the wires (which is obviously bad). Microphonics are
vastly improved from both the ER-4 and the ER-6i, both of which have an absolutely terrible cable.
Sound quality is very good, especially when using Shure black foams. The default tri-flange tips I cannot use, as they do not seal well and result in a marked lack of bass response and isolation, as well as causing extreme discomfort. Your mileage may vary, however. [To my ears] the sound signature of the HF5s is virtually identical whether using the stock foams that are packed in with the earphones or when using the Shure black foams, but the black foams are easier to insert (no "roll and insert" needed) and can be cleaned and last far longer.
As I said earlier, the sound signature is closer to that of the ER-6i than the ER-4. The extreme detail of the ER-4 isn't present in these and neither is the extreme focus on high frequencies. In this respect, as well as the bass (which is better and more present than the ER-4P) the HF5s are clearly much closer to the ER-6i. Only better. The HF5s have a nicer "overall sound" than the ER-6i as well. Sibilance, as the OP pointed out, is near nonexistent. They are less sibilant than the other two Etys, and this is a blessing considering how ear-destroying the ER-4P were with certain tracks and albums.
I bought my HF5s at full price; the $99 deal came after I purchased mine (and I was a little annoyed at this fact), but I don't regret it at all. They're not perfect; no IEM is, I don't care if it's a cheap Sony canalphone or a UE11. No balanced armature will ever measure up to a fullsize driver in my opinion, and because of this fact I'm sure to wind up with ESW9 as my portable cans sometime in the future.
However, what they do well, they do very well, and their idiosyncrasies are much easier to tolerate than other earphones. If you like the Etymotic "house sound" at all and want something a little more refined than the ER-6i but don't want to deal with the impracticalities, finickiness and sibilance of the ER-4, these would be a solid choice.