in praise of etymotic HF5 - Page 10

I really do love the sound of my Etymotic hf2s, but I'm conflicted. I've had issues with the cord 3 times (on the original hf2 which had a straight plug, and twice on the 45-degree plug). Maybe it's something with me, but it's the third time I've had an issue with them getting frayed right near the connector, and since I'm out of warranty now it's a tough decision.

I had similar issues with the ER4s I used to have, so I'm seriously considering (and probably leaning toward) switching away from Etymotic, unfortunately.

But yeah, the sound of these are really great. Maybe they didn't quite measure up to the ER4 on sound quality but from my memory of a few years back, the bass on the hf-series is a touch stronger, and the microphonics were drastically improved.

Who knows, maybe I'll be right back using them in a few months though.

I do wish the plug was more of an L shape and it had better strain relief but the audio quality is definitely very good. I occassionally miss the bass other dynamic based IEM's have given me but I do have a couple cheaper IEM's that fill that need but I only miss that bass occasionally and have actually started to prefer the bass of the HF3 for most of my music inlcuding alot of classic rock.

I've owned my HF5 for two months now. I learned first hand how important it is to have a headphone output less than 2 Ohm and getting a good seal. Shure olives and Fiio E5 came to my rescue. Bass is totally satisfactory to me now, In fact I found the sound signature murky on some recordings. I recently tried a a DIY impedance adapter of 10 Ohm (total impedance 26 Ohm)and it seems to have done the trick! Articulation is improved, words are easier to follow. Not sure if I'm hearing something that resembles the ER4P, I never tried one, but if the driver is the same design and spec, the later a bigger if, then it should be pretty close. If you want to try yourself here's a drawing by Mrvile :

Edited by markanini - 1/22/12 at 6:32am

To clarify, the impedance mod is worth trying if you want to reduce murkyness/veil, increase articulation, increase presence, increase separation, make drums hit harder. The downside might be increased harshness on some recordings. You could also try a value of 82ohm to simulate ER4S responce, I haven't tried this myself yet. If you prefer a laid back sound signature it's probably not for you. 

Edited by markanini - 1/22/12 at 6:42am

Anyone else tried the impedance mod on their HF5? I'm curious to know how others experience it....

I just bought ety HF5 in a IT Show about 2 weeks ago... cost about SGD 200 I not sure if its cheap or expensive... I just bought it straight away the reasoning behind it was... ety product is rare in Singapore especially when you have very limited distributors.... I other earphones... comparing it with HF5 I would say "Thanks Head-Fi.org Forum". I become much clearer on what type of earphones is good to listen on or what new earphones is out there.

 

So back to the question is it cheap or expensive ? My answer is I do not care anymore... I just pick a gem in the IT Show.

 

Bass Level : neutral ( good enough )

Mid : Very clear and crisp

treble: excellent for me... not too painful to my ears

 

Another thing I like is it precession as well..