took me a while to figure this out too. shure black sleeves = shure olives apparently the tips look like olives to some ppl, hence the name. but the official name is 'shure black sleeves': Shure - Black Foam Sleeves

so I received my hf5s last week. coming from a pair of pfes, i was really disappointed in these. well i just got my shure black sleeves today....put them on the hf5s and WOW! such a huge improvement. the sound is more 'full' now and the bass is much, much better. cant believe that sleeves make...

thanks ALOT for the input guys! Since I'm not planning on getting an amp and instead using them straight with my cowon s9, I think I'll save that $50 and go for the hf5. I previously had the pfe, which was amazing sq-wise btw, but had to return it since it literally broke down in my hands...

im thinking about getting either the ety hf5 or e4p as a replacement for my pfe. is there any drastic improvement in the e4p that i should shell out the additional $50 or so to get over the hf5?

I don't think I can wait for the newer models now so I'm opting for a refund now after a month of waiting. I loved the sound that the PFEs had, so does anyone have any suggestions for alternatives that have a similar sound signature--and hopefully a comparable price too?

would these work with other mp3 players apart from ipods..for example the cowon s9?..and are these better than the re2 and pk3? thanks