you say that from experience ?
 

build quality, sound quality, isolation.
 
THE LOOK.(especially LTD version)
can't go wrong.

Etymotic has a track record of excellent customer service/warranty : My dad used to have a pair of ER-4B, and after 1 year or so of daily usage the left side stopped working altogether. He contacted Etymotic representative in my country and they sent him a replacement left side!
 
They're also widely available, which means it is likely for you to find replacement parts and/or technician who can repair it around where you live in case anything happened.
 
Haven't got any experience with Shure's customer service since my SE215 is working perfectly anyways, but from what I heard they seem to have a good customer service track record.

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hito kun said:

you say that from experience ?
 

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yup. i admit to having my HF5s' right side go out, and the warranty service was good and fast. i bought it from amazon.com, so they were completely ok. probably, if anyone complains, it's because they bought the product from an unauthorized seller or something along those lines.

Ergonomic and sound quality issues dissuaded me from the SE215. For less money, you can get the UE700 IEMs. Advantages over the SE215: comfort, no micro phonics, more balanced sound signature with less weight at the low end, and some crystallinity in the HFs which lends brighter, broader ambience. The UE700 can't be beat for portability.

On the other hand, the SE215 warmth gives a organic texture to acoustic that lacks slightly on the UE700.

My preference leans towards the UE700 which I use ~5x more than the SE215. That means my line up in my signature needs rearranged once again. Sigh . . . .

Quote:

seekky said:

build quality, sound quality, isolation.
 
THE LOOK.(especially LTD version)
can't go wrong.

Click to expand...

I have to agree that the SE215s are more liked than the HF5s among the mainstream consumers. The Shures (kinda) win in build quality besides that problem with the faulty sets that I hope was solved by now, but I can affirm that the HF5s have superior isolation to the SE215s and have more detail and better clarity. I undoubtedly prefer the HF5 to the SE215, but the whether the signature fits the user is the current question. Analytical vs. Mid-focused

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eastpride said:

I have to agree that the SE215s are more liked than the HF5s among the mainstream consumers. The Shures (kinda) win in build quality besides that problem with the faulty sets that I hope was solved by now, but I can affirm that the HF5s have superior isolation to the SE215s and have more detail and better clarity. I undoubtedly prefer the HF5 to the SE215, but the whether the signature fits the user is the current question. Analytical vs. Mid-focused

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If ur trying to enter the audiophile area or buying first pair of quality IEM,
I strongly suggest SE215.
The sound signature won't even need times to burn in (your ear,not headphones,both are not required)
They are so easy to taste
Good bass Good vocal, once u put them on the first time, u know what i mean, u will like them.

Quote:

eastpride said:

yup. i admit to having my HF5s' right side go out, and the warranty service was good and fast. i bought it from amazon.com, so they were completely ok. probably, if anyone complains, it's because they bought the product from an unauthorized seller or something along those lines.

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Is good to know they do a good job. I'll need to check with the seller on eBay about warranty, though
Quote:

ipodhappy said:

Ergonomic and sound quality issues dissuaded me from the SE215. For less money, you can get the UE700 IEMs. Advantages over the SE215: comfort, no micro phonics, more balanced sound signature with less weight at the low end, and some crystallinity in the HFs which lends brighter, broader ambience. The UE700 can't be beat for portability.
On the other hand, the SE215 warmth gives a organic texture to acoustic that lacks slightly on the UE700.
My preference leans towards the UE700 which I use ~5x more than the SE215. That means my line up in my signature needs rearranged once again. Sigh . . . .

Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll check out those UE700
Quote:

seekky said:

If ur trying to enter the audiophile area or buying first pair of quality IEM,
I strongly suggest SE215.
The sound signature won't even need times to burn in (your ear,not headphones,both are not required)
They are so easy to taste
Good bass Good vocal, once u put them on the first time, u know what i mean, u will like them.

Click to expand...

Sounds good, but I think I want some 'phones without a strong sound signature as the shure seems to have. Is not like I think it is a bad thing, but what I really wish right now is to get details I cannot hear with the heavily coloured cheap buds I got to use. Maybe in the future I'll check out the Shures, but for now, the Etymotic seems like the winners

Did u check out the RE0?

@OP what kind of music file are you using? If you are using low-bitrate files, I would suggest getting Shure instead of Etymotic. If your collection consists of high-bitrate/lossless files, then I'd suggest Etymotic. Being a very "honest" IEM Etys tends to make low-bitrate, crappy-quality files sounds even crappier while Shures tends to smooth things up.

Quote:

seekky said:

Did u check out the RE0?

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Not really, but the high impedance and the hassle to import is kinda a turnoff
Quote:

deadlovestory said:

@OP what kind of music file are you using? If you are using low-bitrate files, I would suggest getting Shure instead of Etymotic. If your collection consists of high-bitrate/lossless files, then I'd suggest Etymotic. Being a very "honest" IEM Etys tends to make low-bitrate, crappy-quality files sounds even crappier while Shures tends to smooth things up.

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Mostly CD's or lossless rips, I really only listen to lossy encoded when streaming on Grooveshark

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hito kun said:

 
Im guessing that, price-wise, the ones to compare with the SE215 are the XBA-2, so the XBA-3 should be a no-brainier
 

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Yeah, It could be a a weird comparation, the problem with the sony is just the cable, i wouldnt like to have to buy another ones in the next five months, so i wanna be really 
 sure about what im buying, you know.... if Shure SE215 sounds a llittle worst than Sony XBA3, but Shure has better cable quality id rather go for Shure, but if Sony has improved their cables, obvoiusly ill go for the XBA3... =)

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kurofye said:

Yeah, It could be a a weird comparation, the problem with the sony is just the cable, i wouldnt like to have to buy another ones in the next five months, so i wanna be really 
 sure about what im buying, you know.... if Shure SE215 sounds a llittle worst than Sony XBA3, but Shure has better cable quality id rather go for Shure, but if Sony has improved their cables, obvoiusly ill go for the XBA3... =)

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Sony has vastly improved the cables on the XBA lineup and are of their best IEM build quality yet (not including the EX600 and 1000). The cable is much more flexible and the housings are extremely sturdy. However, in terms of cable robustness and thickness, they are not the greatest because of the hybrid flat cable Sony used, and the cable lengths are not equal for both sides, the left side approximately one-third the length of the right. The cable doesn't tangle like many of the Sony variety and can withstand environments much better too. Really, the only issue that could pose a significant usability problem would be the unconventional (and inconvenient) cable lengths and the hybrid cable style Sony incorporates. I would rate the overall build of the XBA3s as on par with the SE215s. Both have extremely sturdy housings made from plastic, the SE215s have a more beefy cable but is less flexible than the XBA3s, the SE215s have an untrustworthy detachable cable while the XBA3s are not detachable and have abnormal cord lengths.
 
I would go for the XBA3s though.

Well, it's been a while since the last post. Just wanted to give a little update for proper closure.
 
I finally got the Etymotics HF-5. And want to throw some thoughts:

1. I was blowned away by the quality. Amazing little buds. 100% recomended to anyone looking for IEM's. This are the best sounding earphones I've ever listened to, period (That's not saying much though, since I have not listened to other High-End phones).
2. It's been about a month since I got' em, but Im still having a little comfort issues. This has improved since day one, but still is a bit annoying. The fit is good, but I cannot stand them for long periods of time. Maybe I should try more tips.

 
And that's pretty much it. Despise the comfort issues, this has been one of the best purchases I've ever made. Im just hopping to find some better tips so I can use this little fellas comfortably.

sounds good. definitly seems like you made the right choice.