[Macgirl]

If you haven't made your choice yet, there's also the thinksound ts02+mic and the Westone T1 (coming soon).
 
The ts02+mic are warm but not overly bassy and isolate well enough.  I like that the plug fits well with the iPhone4 with a cover. It's a one button remote though and I miss having volume control but works perfectly otherwise.
 
I have the Westone UM1 and they are very comfortable, can wear them practically all day, and isolate very well. Not bassy but not warm but not analytical either, just flat and clear. I would think the T1 would fit similarly but sound a bit warmer, but it's yet to be seen.

 

[rroseperry]

I've had Etys and seriously, the insertion is not that deep.  But some people simply don't like to put things in their ear canals.
 
You can get quite good isolation with Comply tips, but they tend to damp the highs (in my experience, others might differ). Foam is going to be pretty comfortable for you coming from ibuds.  I'm not sure there are Comply's that fit the MC5, though.  You should check.

 

[shane55]

P-series and T-100 (Tx also) fit the MC5.
 
Comply's will tend to absorb a small amount of the upper highs. This is why some of us trim the overhang flat to the core. Corrects that problem.

 

[DaBird]

Ok - thanks for all the tips and suggestions. I went ahead and ordered the Ety HF5s. I'll post again later with my impressions, which I'm sure will not be very eloquently written. Many of you are really good at coveying your experiences with abaer of IEM's into words. Pretty fun to read.

On a sidenote, is there a proper way to break these in? I read at least two accounts of people not being overly impressed initially, but after leaving them playing overnight to "burn them in", they turned into something awesome. I'll use the search feature to see what's already discussed, but if anyone has specific advice for HF5s, I'd love to hear it.

 

[legcramp]

Well you're coming from the iphone 4's buds (which I do have and listened to for o about 2 minutes), you will be blown away at the difference. Just listen to them a lot or keep them playing even when you're not using to burn them in. You can speed up the process by running pink noise etc etc. But YMMV on the results of burning in. Either way enjoy the huge upgrade from your ibuds

 

[macrocheesium]

I always leave my 'phones playing 24/7 (unless I have to use them out) for 4 days, to get roughly 100 hours. I usually hear the biggest difference between 1 and 50 hours.

 

[Macgirl]

There's a free app for iPhone called Burn-In that plays white or pink noise. You can set timers also.

 

[shane55]

Quote:

There's a free app for iPhone called Burn-In that plays white or pink noise. You can set timers also.

Seriously ?!?!?!
Brilliant.
 

 

[Macgirl]

Worked great. Used it over Christmas to break in my thinksound's when I didn't have as much free-time to listen to music. Just plugged in my phone and let it go overnight. Noticed the lows tighten up a bit.

 

[murano]

I just use this website to burn-in
 
http://www.jlabaudio.com/burn.php

 

[PANGES]

I would think since he picked up the Etymotic's, that they don't really need any burn-in at all, since they're BA's. I've had my Etymotic ER4S for quite a while now, and use them quite a bit, and I haven't noticed any changes.

 

[DaBird]

Got my Ety hf5 and just now getting a chance to listen ad I type.

I can't believe what a difference this is! Flipping awesome! I'm coming from ibuds so take it for what it's worth, but wow. The bass is the best part of these things. Absolutely perfect for me. I can hear the detail of each line now in the utmost clarity; not muddied. Love it! The next best part of these is the clean-ness of the different parts of the music. I can hear the separation of the instruments. The mids and highs sound very crisp and clear to me.

I get what people mean by "balanced" now - everything is just there in true form. Nothing stands out as overdone or exagerated. Just the music in it's pure mix.

Seriously, I'm on an adrenaline high right now and I can't wait to go back through my library and listen again.

Vocals sound amazing - listening to an airy ballad with some piano and winds and the vocalist on this song got more real. Bass is underlying the melody just right.

Enough said I guess. Wow. $109. Money well spent.

So, have you hear "Overcome" by Live? Just came on. I don't even like this song. But, I'm going to listen to it because the Cello at the entrance sounded like it should. Hahahaha! Yes!

 

[ej8989]

Quote:

Got my Ety hf5 and just now getting a chance to listen ad I type.

I can't believe what a difference this is! Flipping awesome! I'm coming from ibuds so take it for what it's worth, but wow. The bass is the best part of these things. Absolutely perfect for me. I can hear the detail of each line now in the utmost clarity; not muddied. Love it! The next best part of these is the clean-ness of the different parts of the music. I can hear the separation of the instruments. The mids and highs sound very crisp and clear to me.

I get what people mean by "balanced" now - everything is just there in true form. Nothing stands out as overdone or exagerated. Just the music in it's pure mix.

Seriously, I'm on an adrenaline high right now and I can't wait to go back through my library and listen again.

Vocals sound amazing - listening to an airy ballad with some piano and winds and the vocalist on this song got more real. Bass is underlying the melody just right.

Enough said I guess. Wow. $109. Money well spent.

So, have you hear "Overcome" by Live? Just came on. I don't even like this song. But, I'm going to listen to it because the Cello at the entrance sounded like it should. Hahahaha! Yes!

i remember when i first had my cx500 as a replacement for my ibuds

 

[rank08822]

lol just wait until you realize how good they are at isolating

 
you'll never even think of going back to ibuds
 
Quote:

Got my Ety hf5 and just now getting a chance to listen ad I type.

I can't believe what a difference this is! Flipping awesome! I'm coming from ibuds so take it for what it's worth, but wow. The bass is the best part of these things. Absolutely perfect for me. I can hear the detail of each line now in the utmost clarity; not muddied. Love it! The next best part of these is the clean-ness of the different parts of the music. I can hear the separation of the instruments. The mids and highs sound very crisp and clear to me.

I get what people mean by "balanced" now - everything is just there in true form. Nothing stands out as overdone or exagerated. Just the music in it's pure mix.

Seriously, I'm on an adrenaline high right now and I can't wait to go back through my library and listen again.

Vocals sound amazing - listening to an airy ballad with some piano and winds and the vocalist on this song got more real. Bass is underlying the melody just right.

Enough said I guess. Wow. $109. Money well spent.

So, have you hear "Overcome" by Live? Just came on. I don't even like this song. But, I'm going to listen to it because the Cello at the entrance sounded like it should. Hahahaha! Yes!

 

[loremipsum]

Quote:

If you haven't made your choice yet, there's also the thinksound ts02+mic and the Westone T1 (coming soon).
*snip*

$189 for the T1, which I'm assuming is the same as the W1 but with a mic doesn't seem like a very good deal to me