Etymotic Research ER23-HF3-BLACK Noise-Isolating In-Ear Earphones with 3 Button Microphone Control,Black,With Mic

After spending several months researching headphones, I finally settled on the Etymotic HF5 Earphones. I already owned a pair of Sennheiser 595's, which are some of the best headphones money can buy (in that price range, anyway :), but those headphones utilize an open design, which does provide a wonderful room-like listening experiences and superior sound quality, but also allows a tremendous amount of outside noise to bleed through (which can be good or bad) and, likewise, bleed a substantial amount of noise to anyone close by; also, while the Sennheiser's are extremely comfortable, they are big and bulky--not easily portable, or suitable for many day-to-day activities. As such, I was interested in finding the best quality in-ear headphones that would be comfortable, provide excellent sound reproduction, and also sound isolation through noise reduction--a tall order, especially if you want to spend less than $200. I'm happy to say that the Etymotic HF5's have met my needs.They are not perfect, and, for instance, I would say that the overall sound quality and comfort (in a quiet environment) is still better with my Sennheiser 595's, but they are definitely the best in-ear headphones I have tried by a landslide. Some care is required for proper insertion into your ears. They have a helpful video on their website showing how to properly insert the various included tips into your ears to ensure a proper seal--which, if you don't have a proper seal, you will be disappointed because the noise isolation will be severely diminished and the bass response drops considerably. After a little bit of practice (learning to pull my upper ear back at the right angle, rather than out away from my head, for instance) I was able to get the default flanged tips to fit fairly comfortably and also provide an exceptional amount of noise isolation. Again, it did take a little practice to insert the tips properly and make a good seal, but, once I had that figured out, I was extremely happy with the quality. Obviously everyone's ears will be different, but I would wager that with a combination of practice putting the tips in, and also making sure to use the best tips for your ears (they provide several options included with the headphones), anyone should be able to wear the headphones reasonably comfortably and enjoy a good bass response as well as superior outside noise reduction.I have experimented with listening to several genres of music, from Jazz, to Rock, to Metal, Classical, and even that stuff Enya does :), and the headphones have performed excellently. (For those who care, I've only used a 4th Gen. iPod Touch and my laptop computer so far, but both serve as an adequate driver in my opinion). Highs are crisp and clear, and the mid-tones and bass are well represented. I would prefer a little more articulation in the bass, but I don't find that it detracts too much from the listening experience.I would highly recommend this product to anyone looking for in-ear headphones in this price range. They offer exceptional (though not perfect) sound quality, reasonable comfort, and incredible noise reduction.I should also note that the cord-noise that is almost inescapable on in-ear headphones is actually not so bad on these; yes, you do hear it occasionally, but by adjusting the cinch on the cord and using the attached clip, the noise is virtually eliminated. Even during the times when I do hear it, I don't find it as distracting as it is on most other in-ear headphones.For what it's worth, I consider myself an audiophile. I've done sound reinforcement for about 6 years and I also play the piano, drums, and guitar, so my opinion is at least semi-educated and based on a fair amount of experience.UPDATE: I originally bought these headphones in January of 2011. Now, about a year and a half later, I'm happy to say that they've held up extremely well. I do my best to take good care of my headphones, but these being my go-to, daily-use pair that I carry around with me, I wouldn't have been surprised if they got a little worse for the wear--but they haven't. At one point the cord-clip broke (which I recommend using whenever you wear them, since it will all-but eliminate cord-noise) and I somehow lost the leather storage pouch (also highly recommended, since it makes for a safe, convenient way to carry the headphones around), but it was very easy and inexpensive to order replacements from Etymotic. I've also found that the flange-style earpieces seem to have adapted somewhat to the shape of my ears, and between that and habit, it's gotten very easy to achieve a proper fit with a good seal (needed for the noise reduction effect to work, as well as the full extent of the bass response) almost every time; every once in a while I might have to make an adjustment after putting them in, but not often. The only maintenance required is an occasional cleaning of the flanged tips, if earwax builds up. All in all, I'm very impressed with how well these are holding up after a year and a half of heavy use.

I've owned / own a lot of headphones. In the earbud game, I've been searching for a while for a perfect pair. I started my journey with the Sennheiser CX-something or others. They were decent, bass-heavy, but extremely fragile. I went through 3 pairs before I decided to look elsewhere. My journey then brought me to V-Modas. I still own them, as they're a great balance of being cheap with halfway decent sound. The sound profile, however, is pretty muddy and overly bass-heavy. I then picked up some Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10's ( Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10 Noise Isolating Earphones ) during a Goldbox deal ($150). They were pretty nice, but definitely not what I expected out of headphones that retail for $400... Would have been unhappy had I paid full price.I digress. The HF5 / HF3's are a great balance of all of the positives and negatives of my past earbud journeys. The sound quality is very impressive. As with most higher-end headphones, they will expose ALL of the flaws of whatever source they're playing -- so if you're still rocking low-quality music, be warned. It'll sound bad. After a burn-in period, the sound profile is fantastic. Most easily compared to the Grado SR-80 ( Grado Prestige Series SR80i Stereo Headphone ) sound profile -- neutral and accurate with a large stress on quality. The sound stage (how wide / "3D" music sounds) isn't super wide. I've read reviews that compare it to being in a smaller, more sound isolated room, and I agree. All together, on-par with the TripleFi 10's in terms of sound quality.Price point is pretty awesome for what you get -- definitely did not feel like I wasn't getting my money's worth. Build quality is much better than most in the price range -- metal parts covering the drivers, relatively robust cords (not replaceable like others, but oh well).Only negative of these is the slight discomfort while getting used to the triple flange tips. I know there's lots of mods out there (another positive with these) -- a quick Google search will provide relief if the discomfort is too much -- but I've found that once I tweak the fit for a good seal without feeling like somebody's blowing a balloon up in my head, they're pretty comfortable. So bottom line there is that they're uncomfortable, but keep fiddling.All in all, definitely worth the money. My journey is done for now.

Pros:-FANTASTIC noise isolation with the triple flange, had Shures before and these are WAY better-excellent clear response. Combined with the noise isolation I'm hearing all sorts of little detail I never heard before-Very lightCons:-Not bass heavy. I've gotten so used to earbuds/headphones with bass boost it sometimes sounds wrong. This isn't really a con, but you should know.-For the first week I'd thought I'd wasted my money, I actually bruised my ear canal putting them in. I thought my ear canal was too small. Later realized I had large each canals, and I needed the large tip so that it would properly seal (I guess before I was ramming the small tip too far in my ear.Tips for wearing:-You MUST get it in your each canal. Once you get used to it, it's easy, but it takes a while to find them consistently.-Try the different tips.-I usually put a tiny bit of moisture on the first flange (it's gross but I touch it to my inner lip). Not too much, or it'll just out (and feel really disgusting and itch).-Put it in 90-180 degrees from the angle you want and "twist" it in to place as you're inserting.

Das Produkt als solches ist hervorragend. Ich nutze diese Kopfhörer seit Jahren, und kaufe sie immer wieder nach, wenn ich sie zerstöre oder verliere. Allerdings ist das Modell HF5 das ohne Freisprecheinrichtung!HF3i (für iOS) und - ich glaube - HF2 für sonstige sind die entsprechenden Modellnummern.Ich habe diese Fehler in der Beschreibung bereits am Amazon gemeldet.Der HF5 eignet sich zum Sport besser als die Modelle mit Freisprechfunktion, da diese sehr Anfällig gegen Feuchtigkeit sind.Klanglich sind beide m.E. hervorragend, dass die Bässe weniger dominant sind liegt zum einen daran, dass viele andere Modelle diese überbetonen, und hängt auch damit zusammen, dass der entsprechende 'Druck' nur dann zustand kommt, wenn die Ohrhörers perfekt sitzen. Das kann etwas Übung erfordern.

Auriculares perfectos para ir por la calle y disfrutar de una calidad de sonido de primera.Tienen un aislamiento muy muy bueno, a veces hasta peligroso si vas por la calle.La calidad del sonido es excepcional. Los mejores agudos y medios, y con los graves en su sitio, sin estridencias. No están recomendados para los que les gusten los graves desmesurados.Son del tipo "in ear" y para escucharlos correctamente hay que introducirlos bastante en el oido y hay que acostumbrarse. Aun así son cómodos, ligeros y robustos.El control incorporado permite subir/bajar volumen, controlar música y contestar llamadas por el microfono incorporado si lo conectas a un iPhone.Una de mis mejores compras.

いろいろとイヤホンにハマリ、だいぶムダ金使ったあげくのマイセレクト３本のうちの一本がこれです。他はＵｌｔｉｍａｔｅ　ｅａｒｓの600ｖｉ（これは音にパワーがあるので、主に通勤電車内使用）、ＤＵＮＵのＤＮ2000（これはオールマイティに使用。コンプライ装着で飛行機内旅行時等に最適）ですが、このｈｆ3は、じっくり音楽に浸りたい時にはおすすめです。但し、エージングが絶対必要で、聞き始めは、まったく奥行きもなく、音の分解能もそれほど感じない代物でした。まあダメもとでもうほとんど一日中、大音量でダンス系音楽やジャズやらを、まるまる三日ぐらいかけたところ、音が大化けして、超絶音がよくなりました。私の場合、付属のイヤーチップがどれもこれも合わず、（めちゃくちゃでかい、痛い）そこで、コンプライのＴＳ100のＳサイズという、一番小さなコンプライをさらに「逆刺し」して、音の出口を極限まで出して、さらにコンプライを小さく小さくつまんで、耳の穴の奥までスーと入れて、フワ～と広がるのを待ってから聞きます。もう遮音はもとより、音が脳内をかけめぐりますので、やばいです。若い方のように超重低音や超高音が聞こえない、おやじ耳には、これはヤバイです。！！

I've had more earbuds than I can keep track of. Usually they break after a year. I'm glad they did because otherwise I wouldn't have fund these extremely well-balanced buds.The trebels come to life for songs I had been listening to on other sub-10k yen earbuds.The bass isn't over done and doesn't overpower the mids and highs like other buds in this price range.My recommendation is to use the small, round gray foam tips instead of the triple flange or large foam tips. These act like a direct plug into your brain, leaving no separation between you and the music.My last buds were the MC2s with the inline remote and were noticeably more muddy than these.