[Dilwar]

I purchased the Cobalt HF3 version for around £110 under two years ago and they have been great since day 1. They have been through everything with me and naturally through vigorous usage the cable split near the inserts which made the sound cut out in the right channel.
 
I sent them off for warranty repairs to Etymotic last week (warranty lasts 2 years) and they arrived today. I received a brand new Black HF3 headphones (apparently the other colours are discontinued) and I could not praise Etymotic customer service any more. Once these new pair of headphones die out then I will follow Etymotic's out of warranty program and upgrade to the ER-4 headphones.
 
Just wanted to add an anecdote on my experience with these headphones and Etymotic service.

 

[sodermalm]

just got mine yesterday. really loving the sound on these. i've been released from my apple IEM prison. but wow, the reviews were right. the tips included are pretty terrible. the triple flanges are hard to get a seal and are painful after about 10 minutes. 
 
i loved my shures... may get shure olives or comply or something. wishing i didn't pitch my extra shure olives when my shures died.

 

[jl514]

depends on your ear size obviously... the triples fit so well on me

 

[Saoshyant]

I know I can only enjoy the triple for around 30 mins before ache sets in

 

[SilverGrey]

I recently switched to a new set of triple flange tips and experienced discomfort, but after about a week, they were comfortable like my old set. The tips do soften over time, and I find them to be very comfortable and I can barely tell they are in. In my experience, it's worth persevering.

 

[saxon48]

Just ordered a pair today after lots of research. Managed to snag them for $70 on Amazon in like-new condition. It'll be the first substantial IEM I've ever owned. Very excited for these!

 

[Spyro]

  Just ordered a pair today after lots of research. Managed to snag them for $70 on Amazon in like-new condition. It'll be the first substantial IEM I've ever owned. Very excited for these!

While bass is a bit lean, your jaw should hit the floor with regards to the amount of detail you will hear.  Best IEM under $100 bar none.

 

[Wheezy]

I ordered a pair of HF5s from amazon.  They came in a generic box with both HF5 and HF3 markings.  Turns out they sent me HF3s with the remote on the cord.  They sound good.  The smaller 3 flange tips fit great for me and are comfortable. 

 

[Wheezy]

Well it looks like I might need to send these back to amazon.  I can't use them with my amplifier which takes a 1/4" input.  When I plug the connector fully into an adapter I don't hear all the sound.  If I partially pull the connector out of the adapter I hear the correct audio briefly but then it's gone.
 
The plug on the HF3 has 4 individual sections instead of 3, I guess it's only intended to be used with apple products.

 

[Saoshyant]

That extra section is just so the mic works on the HF3. It could be the plug is bad, or your 1/4" adapter is faulty.

 

[squallkiercosa]

  Well it looks like I might need to send these back to amazon.  I can't use them with my amplifier which takes a 1/4" input.  When I plug the connector fully into an adapter I don't hear all the sound.  If I partially pull the connector out of the adapter I hear the correct audio briefly but then it's gone.
 
The plug on the HF3 has 4 individual sections instead of 3, I guess it's only intended to be used with apple products.

In short: the problem is the ground pin inside  the 1/4 adapter.They were not designed with 4 conductors in mind. (left, right, ground, mic)
 
In any case, get one of these.
http://www.amazon.com/CE-Compass-Stereo-Y-Splitter-Adapter/dp/B00APEI7OC/ref=sr_1_15?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1402136060&sr=1-15&keywords=adapter+splitter+mic
 
http://www.amazon.com/Headset-Buddy-Adapter-Smartphone-01-PH35-PC35/dp/B00332DPDG/ref=sr_1_10?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1402136060&sr=1-10&keywords=adapter+splitter+mic

 

[Wheezy]

I'm all set now.  Amazon immediately sent me out a replacement and this time they came in the normal packaging instead of the generic cardboard box.

 

[Mormonsloot]

.

 

[squallkiercosa]

  I had a set of HF5 a long time ago & they had a straight i-jack.  They changed this to an angled jack, correct?

Yep. 

 

[Sullane]

-Sigh- I just lost mine. I guess I'm back in the market for another pair of <150 IEM's. I don't want to buy the same headphones again even though I loved these to death, but new headphones will have high expectations in order to match this.