Etymotic HF5 opinions

Never heard the D2000s but the low end were non-existent to me ears with the stock tips and foams. 

However, it is a very easy fix as you simply have to switch the the Shure Black Foams aka Olives and the bass is plentiful. Or you can simply use eq on your player as these respond very cleanly to EQ

I've had the HF5, and briefly heard the Denon D1001, but not D2000 -- assuming it is not vastly different than the D1001, the D2000 will seem boomy compared to the HF5.  The HF5 is very clean, clear, detailed and balanced.  It responds to EQ very well, so that if you give it some bass boost, either thru amp or source, it will give good clean bass, but not boomy bass.  You will probably appreciate the different sound signature.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZARIM 

The HF5 blockout most noise and it sealed tight in the ears, so heavy bass maybe not ideal but it produce moderate level bass. It serve all genres music with balanced soundsignature and clarity is amazing across all frequencies range.

+1. I love mine with klipsh tips.

Are the hf5 durable? I'm currently planning on buying a pair but I hesitate because of the build quality.

Build quality is excellent + they have great customer service. Only small complaint I have is that the cables doesn't like to stay straight. Apart from that built is solid and they have a 2 yr warranty. 

If you're coming from the d2000 the sound signature would be vastly different. You'll probably first think they are too thin and lack the rich bass and mids of the d2000. If you use the hf5 exclusively for a long period It'll start to sound better after adjusting to the sound signature.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rangerid 

Never heard the D2000s but the low end were non-existent to me ears with the stock tips and foams. 

However, it is a very easy fix as you simply have to switch the the Shure Black Foams aka Olives and the bass is plentiful.

I use the Etymotic HF3's with the Shure black foam tips.  At first I didn't think the bass was strong at all but the more I listened to them the more I noticed that the bass was definitely there and very well defined.  It doesn't try to draw attention to itself.  I really like these IEMs a lot.  I use them the most out of my collection, especially since I have a built in microphone and 3 button control.  The HF5 is the same as the HF3 minus the mic and remote.  I highly recommend the black foam Shure tips.  
 

Yep, they are one of the best tips. Complys will soften and become useless after a short time if you have oily ears, bi.triflanges dont fit perfectly and hybrid tips are not so comfortable.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by greatpratty 

Thanks for everyone's replys. I will look for those Shure "olive" tips.

 

Just got a pair of these for Christmas and to my (admittedly classically trained) ears they sound fantastic! You know, I never quite got why people complain about the bass response on these. I'm using the stock 3-flanges and to me they sound wonderfully articulate all over the spectrum with the low end even being a just a hair "woofy" to me even - but then again my usual cans are the AKG K271S and being a classical musician I love me a good, clean, analytical sound. 

You might be warned, this definitely could be an issue with IEM insertion for many people - you REALLY have to align the ear canal EXACTLY by pulling up on the pinea and (slowly and gently) push them in a pretty good distance. I mean, I have some medical training and I found the procedure for getting a good seal to be pretty involved but a piece of cake once you teach yourself how. These aren't your crappy Koss pseudo-IEMs....they're gonna feel weird at first as your ear canals aren't used to having stuff in them that deeply, but you'll get used to it soon enough. Once you figure it out with the right ear tip I'm sure you'll be golden. They're wonderful cans.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AdenosinePush 

Just got a pair of these for Christmas and to my (admittedly classically trained) ears they sound fantastic! You know, I never quite got why people complain about the bass response on these. I'm using the stock 3-flanges and to me they sound wonderfully articulate all over the spectrum with the low end even being a just a hair "woofy" to me even - but then again my usual cans are the AKG K271S and being a classical musician I love me a good, clean, analytical sound. 

 

You might be warned, this definitely could be an issue with IEM insertion for many people - you REALLY have to align the ear canal EXACTLY by pulling up on the pinea and (slowly and gently) push them in a pretty good distance. I mean, I have some medical training and I found the procedure for getting a good seal to be pretty involved but a piece of cake once you teach yourself how. These aren't your crappy Koss pseudo-IEMs....they're gonna feel weird at first as your ear canals aren't used to having stuff in them that deeply, but you'll get used to it soon enough. Once you figure it out with the right ear tip I'm sure you'll be golden. They're wonderful cans.

 

 

 

When someone says no bass, they actually mean, lack of punch and/or body.  The HF2s have barely enough punch to not be a complete negative, but the body is really just lacking entirely.  Lack of a body creates a lack of presence when listening to music.  EtyKids somewhat attack this problem, but don't entirely fix it.  I'll agree though that Etys have some of the best mids that I've ever heard, in essence it's jaw-dropping. :p  Really missing the mids on my Phonaks...  Well, too bad we can't have everything, right?

I did not care for my HF5s and returned them.  They seemed quite inefficient with my iPhone compared to the Shure SE210s I had previously -- I could turn them all the way up without discomfort which did not bode well for traveling on airplanes.  I did not burn them in though, so perhaps they might have improved.  They seem to get good reviews here and elsewhere, so I was disappointed.