I'm still waiting for my TF10 (expected next Friday....and I got the price down to $50). I own the HF5, the E530 by Shure and Denon D2000. I never considered myself a mids listener, but the older I've gotten (early 40s) the more I've grown to appreciate the mids. With that said, the etymotics are currently my favorite of all the phones I own. I don't know if that will change once my TF10s come in, but if you guys are saying the mids are way recessed, I already know I want like them much. This is the main reason I don rank the Shure's higher (I love the bass on the E530s, but they seem to overpower the mids a tad too much for me. I like the bass on the D2000 and think they are good cans, but the mids are far too recessed for me. I've always been a a basshead, that is why I'm shocked that I now prefer an earphone generally not thought to have much bass. But I've found that not to be totally true with the HF5s. I use the small (or medium if the smalls are being clean) Shure black olives on my HF5s, and they give a nice solid tight bass. Granted, not overbearing as the etymotics are a balanced phone, but solid and tight! Now, on my 120 gig ipod classic (last year's model) if I eq to R&B, the bass definitely stands out on its own and is quite noticable. It is quite controlled, yet doesn't overpower the mids or treble (I don't care about treble that much at all, but i love the detail I hear there with HF5). The HF5s have an impedance listed at 16 ohms, so my understanding is: low impedance = more bass. If that's the case, it makes sense. I see on Amazon you can get an HF5 for as little as $106. I think that's one of the best bargains out there for a phone (if not the best) of the one I have actually heard. Once you get hook on that etymotic sound...I see what others mean. I'm fairly new to the earphone experience and new to this forum... Now, I'm really interested in what the grado gr8 and Japanese ortofon e-q7 sound like, but not ready to spend $300 or $400 on earphones unless they can blow Shure, Ultimate Ears, Westone and especially Etymotic out the water (considering I've spent a $100 or less for the Etymotics and UE TF10s). But if it's proven they are far better than what I have, I will take the plunge. Oh, I think my love for mid-range - now that I think of it - has developed from my loudspeakers that I've owned since '99 -- B&W's Nautilus 804s. By far the best mid-range I've heard on any loudspeaker. It's like Miles' trumpet and Billie's voice are actually in my living room, and I don't even have the top of the line cables connected to them. Love this forum.
