Re a couple earlier questions about the hf2 and hf5:
Yes, the hf2 is sonically the same as the hf5, but is the headset version with mic and control button on a little module on the right-hand cable. (That button acts as play/pause/next-track/prev-track on iPhone, iPod Touch, and late-model iPod Nanos; I'm not sure whether it's recognized on the Classic. It's very useful, IMO.)
The hf2/hf5 is excellent. It is a very noticeable sonic upgrade over the ER-6i. It is also more efficient than any other Ety earphone, so a good option if you have quiet source material and/or a Euro volume-capped player.
Compared to the ER-4P I would say this: most people claim the ER-4P doesn't need an amp with a portable source, but not all of us find an unamped ER-4P really satisfying. It does exhibit some of the typical unamped-headphone deficiencies, though not to a degree that bothers most people. Personally I really prefer an unamped hf2 to an unamped ER-4P. To my ear the hf2 is simply cleaner and better when driven unamped than an ER-4P is. (If I'm going amped, of course, I'll skip the ER-4P and go with an ER-4S (or 4P with P->S adaptor) every time. But that's a whole different discussion.)
So in my opinion - which is by no means universal - an hf5 or hf2 is preferable to an ER-4P unless are planning on the ER-4P as a stepping stone to amped listening, possibly with the ER-4P-to-ER-4S adaptor. Not only do the hf's sound better unamped (IMO) while being easier to drive, they also have a less microphonic cable (unless Etymotic has redesigned the ER-4 cable again, which they may have by now) and they are a little sleeker, without the slightly bulky module at the joint of the cords that the ER-4 series have. And if you have the budget for an hf2 and a player that can make use of the play/pause/ff/rew button and/or the mic, that's a further benefit.
But the ER-4P is terrific too, and even unamped it's a good stepping stone to higher things. If you like the Ety sound, you won't really go wrong with either an ER-4P or an hf2/hf5.
Yes, the hf2 is sonically the same as the hf5, but is the headset version with mic and control button on a little module on the right-hand cable. (That button acts as play/pause/next-track/prev-track on iPhone, iPod Touch, and late-model iPod Nanos; I'm not sure whether it's recognized on the Classic. It's very useful, IMO.)
The hf2/hf5 is excellent. It is a very noticeable sonic upgrade over the ER-6i. It is also more efficient than any other Ety earphone, so a good option if you have quiet source material and/or a Euro volume-capped player.
Compared to the ER-4P I would say this: most people claim the ER-4P doesn't need an amp with a portable source, but not all of us find an unamped ER-4P really satisfying. It does exhibit some of the typical unamped-headphone deficiencies, though not to a degree that bothers most people. Personally I really prefer an unamped hf2 to an unamped ER-4P. To my ear the hf2 is simply cleaner and better when driven unamped than an ER-4P is. (If I'm going amped, of course, I'll skip the ER-4P and go with an ER-4S (or 4P with P->S adaptor) every time. But that's a whole different discussion.)
So in my opinion - which is by no means universal - an hf5 or hf2 is preferable to an ER-4P unless are planning on the ER-4P as a stepping stone to amped listening, possibly with the ER-4P-to-ER-4S adaptor. Not only do the hf's sound better unamped (IMO) while being easier to drive, they also have a less microphonic cable (unless Etymotic has redesigned the ER-4 cable again, which they may have by now) and they are a little sleeker, without the slightly bulky module at the joint of the cords that the ER-4 series have. And if you have the budget for an hf2 and a player that can make use of the play/pause/ff/rew button and/or the mic, that's a further benefit.
But the ER-4P is terrific too, and even unamped it's a good stepping stone to higher things. If you like the Ety sound, you won't really go wrong with either an ER-4P or an hf2/hf5.
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