Member Reviews: Etymotic Research HF3

As I am still a bit of a noob, don't expect everything I say to be absolutely, 100% correct. I ordered the HF5's on Amazon for 99 a while back, and they arrived just last week.   Design:   Wonderfully classy and subtle design. Too many headphones out there are either boring and ugly, or garish and vulgar. The Hf's are fortunately neither of those. Looks great, but you won't see much of it anyway when they're in your ears.   Fit and Finish:   Top notch, as one would expect from Etymotic. They've spray painted the body with a matte-type finish, and it feels really, really nice. Cable is kevlar reinforced (or so I've heard) and feels really durable....

  After being disappointed by the Apple In-Ear Headphones with Remote and Mic, I decided to explore a set from a well-regarded company in the audio world. I had to pick something with Apple's in-line iPhone controls that could get good isolation and fit. Those were my complaints with the Apple product. The HF3 seemed to be well designed, and more importantly, they offered a custom-fit program at a very reasonable price.   The first problem was tracking the product down in a store. Etymotic lists the Apple Store, London Drugs, and Carbon Computing as the only authorized Canadian dealers. Not a lot to choose from there. Several attempts to get the HF3 from Carbon were a...

To keep things short: These headphones are a step up from everything else that I have owned. The isolation is great (better than my Shure's) and I LOVE the sound signature. Like my previous headphones, I heard more detail in my music than I did before. For $180, you would expect these headphones to be perfect however the only complaint I have with them is the earbuds they come with are uncomfortable. While you are able to get custom earbuds made, it is difficult to get my ears molded where I live. Other than the uncomfortable buds that I will most likely get used to, the headphones have exceeded my expectations.   UPDATE 6/12/2011: I have tried different tips and I take back...