The Etymotic HF5 suffers from a marked lack of bass. It might not be immediately apparent to many listeners, as the majority of pop songs produced in the last 5-10 years reproduce the “sound” of bass in the midrange so that listeners will “hear” bass through virtually any speakers. A good example of this type of “bass” is Lil Jon’s “Turn Down for What.” (don’t worry, that song has plenty of “real” bass, too)

However, after listening to “Turn Down for What” on the HF5, then listening to a song where the baseline doesn’t bleed into the midrange, such as “Beastie Boys - Check It Out,” it is clear that the HF5 is almost inaudible below about 100Hz, and anemic throughout the typical “bass” range (up to 1kHz). Anemic bass makes the HF5 not only unenjoyable for hip-hop, but for virtually any genre; cellos and bass drums sound particularly bad / nonexistent on the HF5. This lack of bass brings forward the HF5’s midrange and treble, which some describe as “analytical,” but that I would describe as thin, shrill, and fatiguing.

The HF5’s cable is extremely thin with terrible microphonics. Isolation isn’t drastically better than any other IEM when used with silicone tips. Build quality is poor.