[burningyen]

I'm a long-time Shure E2c user who just got a new pair of HF5's a couple of days ago.  I loved the sound of the E2c's enough not only to replace the plug when it started shorting out, but to keep repairing the replacement plug when that too started to go.  But after a couple of years of this I finally got fed up with the constant repairs and got the HF5's.  I like the sound of the HF5's well enough.  They have crisper treble and recessed mids relative to the E2c's.  It's hard for me to say which is the more accurate sounding, not having a high quality reference system to compare them against.  The HF5 cable is super microphonic, but the included shirt clip works well to tame that.  I really wish it were longer, though.  It's too short for me to use at my desk at work.  The seal with the big tri-flanges is excellent; it's so good that I worry that if the earbuds were to be accidentally yanked out they might suck my eardrums out with them.  But despite the excellent seal, the isolation is only fair.  The E2c's are much better in this regard, but I can compromise.
 
So, onto the problem: when I'm walking outdoors with the HF5's, even the slightest breeze creates a whistling noise in my ears.  And where I live, on the water here in NYC, there is a constant strong wind, which means the whistle turns into a loud wail.  When I cup my hands around my ears the whistling stops.  Has anyone else had this problem?  I'm going to try using the foam tips and see if that helps.  But long term I'm hoping for some other solution, because I hate foam tips.  Having to squeeze them and wait for them to settle in my ears drives me nuts, plus they seem like the least sanitary type of tip.  For some reason mine didn't come with glider tips, even though I bought the HF5's new from a retailer.
 
Any suggestions?

 

[goodvibes]

For isolation, you may not be pushing them in far enough. They should be as good as any IEM. Wind noise will require the cable go over your ear. HF2 has a very linear mid so it's probably just some getting used to.

 

[Marcus_C]

Quote:

For isolation, you may not be pushing them in far enough.

 
Second that, foam tips can help with cable noise a bit, as for glider tips, I personally don't think you're missing anything, either ety have realised there isn't enough demand for them and stopped providing them or yours were left out. Have you asked the seller? Detail and isolation are the strongest points of the hf5. Try as many tips as you can, even non-ety ones if you have/can get any. The rule with ety insertion is if you hit brain you've gone too far, less than that and you probably haven't gone far enough....

 

[burningyen]

OK, after work I experimented.  First, I used foam tips.  Isolation was much improved, but the whistling remained.  So then I wrapped the cable up over my ears.  This is much harder to do with HF5's than it was with my E2c's.  In order to get the cable to stay put with these HF5's, I had to keep it under slight tension by pulling the cable retaining ring all the way up to my chin.  Not exactly comfortable, but you know what, it worked!  No more whistling!  So I guess the cable itself was catching the wind like whiskers, and because it's so super microphonic, the noise was shooting straight up the cable into the earbuds.  I'm glad I solved that problem, albeit with a less than ideal solution.
 
I'm reading that Klipsch gels fit the HF5, so I think I'll try those out and see if they isolate as well as the foam tips.  Anyway, thanks for the suggestions!

 

[Bennyboy71]

Klipsch ovals do offer great comfort and fit, but they isolate less well than the stock triple silicones, and they change the sound for the worse in my opinion.
 
As for microphonics, I can't understand what people are on about when they say the HF5 cable is very microphonic.  I walk with mine and aside from noticeable rustling between songs, its negligable when music is playing.