Home > Consumer Reviews > Etymotic Research HF2 Earphones / Headset (iPhone Compatible) - Black

I am a college student working at a car wash for the summer and have been wearing these earbuds for hearing protection because of the sound isolation aspect. Aside from the amazing sound quality, they have been subjected to constant water mist and spray from my coworkers incompetence. Two weeks ago they fell out of my polo shirt in between the buttons where I hang them when they are not in my ears. I didn't notice them until I was stepping on them!!!!!! The clicker and the earbuds were stepped on and are still working perfectly! Seriously.

At first I was frustrated with these earbuds because of three things.

1. The lack of bass. I miss have thumping bass but now that I am accustom to these I feel that the sound balance is much better without that increased bass in there.

2. The earplugs and rubber fittings weren't working for me. They were very uncomfortable. WAIT FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS!!! Give them a second to get worked in and then they are perfect. It's like they were custom made after a few wears.

3. The clicker didn't seem to work at first. Give it a couple of good hard clicks and it will start working. One to answer calls, one to end calls. Same for starting and stopping music. Two for jumping ahead one track. Three for moving backwards a track. When you plug in the headphones, click once and the music starts right up.

The cord is very easy to untangle as well. They are going in and out of my pockets at all times and I never take more then five or so seconds to jiggle them loose and put them in. GOOD LUCK!

I purchased these to replace the ER-4P earphones that I lost. Since I was quite happy with the ER-4Ps, I returned to Etymotic and tried the next generation.

I was not disappointed.

I've been using them on the train for half a year now and they are holding up well. They block out most of the noise of the vending machines and trains outside and the passenger noise inside. The music blocks out the rest .

The packaging is excellent. The carrying case is nicely done and small enough to fit comfortably in your pocket. I can't remember if spare tips are provided, but I never used the spares for the ER-4Ps, so a) I understand Etymotic's decision not to include so many, and b) it's not a problem for me anyway since I have all the spares from the ER-4Ps which appear to be interchangeable.

It seems that cheap and expensive earphones alike all suffer from the transfer of sound from their cords rubbing against your body while you walk. These are no exception. However, the rubber cords on these do a better job of insulating the noise then the ER-4Ps, but they aren't perfect. There is now a little cinch strap (located where the cords separate) that you can move up to pull the cord tight under your chin. This reduces the transferred noise to near zero when you walk.

These earphones also don't stick out as much as the ER-4Ps, and have a really cool color.

So, I'll bump my review to 5 stars for these earphones. But I'd like to see Etymotic keep working on reducing the noise transferred through the cord so that I don't have to choke myself with the cord to eliminate it :-).

I took the plunge and this is a very initial review, not even after a full day of use (only a few hours).

Firstly, the stock rubbery tips (either pair) would not work for me; no matter what I tried. I guess my ears are strange. I was very disappointed in the lack of bass without good seals, and I gave it time, toyed with them, tried different things. When 'seated' they would provide decent bass (these are not bass heavy headphones, but more accurate 'phones), though using the rubbery tips the 'phones would always slip out and not stay seated properly.

So, I had to try the foam tips, which do take some tinkering with. So far, they work much better for my ears. They keep external sounds more isolated, and the proper bass is now there. I believe I'll have some more tinkering and adjusting to do to get the foam tips to work properly, but overall a very good sound; and they stay in place, unlike Apple's earbuds (everyone has a different experience with these, depending on their ear).

At present, I can't even hear myself type, while writing this, and the volume isn't cranked.

There are strange internal sounds from cables, chewing food, talking, etc., but that is the nature of the beast with this type of headphone. I previously had a pair of Sony sound isolating 'phones for an iPod Touch I used to own and was freaked out by them as well. If you give this 'issue' about 2 weeks to get used to, you should be fine. You must be patient. If you can't get over this issue, noise isolating headphones are not for you (you'd be better off with buds or over the ear type 'phones).

I also don't think the HF2 pair I have yet are broken in, and that may take a bit of time. Depending on use, some of the phones can take a week to break in, and/or get used to.

My initial review is about a 3.5 stars out of 5. I can't give these 5 out of the box, as the price is pretty darned expensive for them. The 2 year warranty is nice. I did not get tons of extra foams or rubber tips, as some have indicated. I basically have three sets of tips, each different, and no duplicates.

For the money, I'd probably be just as happy with a pair of mid-priced Sony's in the $70 or $80 range, but they have not entered the iPhone market with a microphone controller (at least not that I'm aware of). Do these sound nicer than the Sony's? Yeah, slightly, but is it worth that much extra? To me, personally, not really; at least not at this time.

EDIT: Yes, they are better sounding than the Sony's. High price to pay, but they are quite detailed (except that some will complain about the accurate and not booming bass). If you wish for more bass, you can EQ your music device and probably add a bass boost setting.

If my opinion changes over time, I'll certainly try to return and add an edited review.

EDIT: Do watch the online video on installation for your ears. Don't assume you know what you're doing. You may be proven wrong.

Give the break in and comfort issues time, before making hasty decisions.

These 'phones aren't going to work for everyone, but I suspect for those who can get them to seat properly, they'll be quite satisfied. One simply has to ask whether the extra cost for R&D and testing is worth it to them.

I've been using the Etymotic Research ER6i Isolator In-Ear Earphones for over a year now and have totally loved them, so I was very excited to try the Etymotic HF2's to incorporate them into cell phone/music player scenario. I'm even happier with the HF2's.

One concern that I always have had with the ER6i's is that the cable always seemed like it could snap away from the earbuds. Now, that has never happened to me in the year of constant use in New York City - but still, they seem fragile. The same connection in the HF2's has been redesigned and now it looks very sturdy. The wires are connected to the earbuds by a sturdy rubberized-plastic anchor piece, built right into the earbud housing.

The cord is about six inches shorter than my ER6i's, but is still plenty long to have the phone/player tucked in my back pocket. Wires seem sturdy and is one solid cable all the way down to the male plug, which looks cleaner (instead of two smaller cables stuck together like the ER6i's).

The voice/microphone hangs at just the right level to my mouth and works easily. There is a little 'bump' switch that sticks out and you use that to activate the mic and take/hang up on calls. Works exactly as it should and you don't have to worry where it is . . you just put your thumb there and trust that it will 'click'.

The sound is fantastic - nice and clean. I know these might seem expensive, but if you love music and don't want to destroy your ears with overly cranked audio - then invest in a good pair of earbuds. With these isolator type earbuds, I can totally hear everything in the music - even on the subway - and keep the overall sound level down. I probably listen to music at less than half the volume on these earbuds than most people do with regular earbuds - and have a much better listening experience.

My first pair of high-end earbuds were the Ultimate Ears super.fi 5 Pros. Those were great, but I did have a problem with my first set and had to get a replacement pair. Those also suffered from the same disconnection, cable to earbud, and I stopped using them. They had a great sound -nice and full - but I always felt like the earbud was too big and heavy, and wrapping the stiff cable around the back of my ear was a bit much.

My second pair of high-end earbuds were the ER6i's - great full sound, very bassy. Nice and light, easy to put in and remove, and have proven to be very sturdy (I'm pretty rough on equipment).

The HF2's are the next step in audio for me. The sound is extremely clear and balanced. In some ways the bass isn't as big as the ER6i's- but I think in the better way, meaning the overall sound is more accurately representative of the music. It's like there's more presence to the sound, meaning I can listen to things even quieter but still enjoy hearing every instrument or nuance to a song. The bass end has more clarity rather than pump.

Overall, I love 'em. Cheers.

As soon as it arrives, you know they've tried to create something special here. Open the magnetic-clasped black box and, on the left, a brochure and business card. On the right, a smaller box, packed with extra earpieces, a maintenance tool, a little zippered carrying case, and the earphones themselves.

To insert these properly, you'll have to pull on your ear a little to straighten the ear canal. To remove them, you're supposed to twist them a little. Once in, it's not a soundproof seal; with no audio, I can still hear some office noise, for example if someone is talking in the vicinity. One pair of foam seals is included, which may block off more noise, but I prefer the triple flange seals.

The wires are thick and stiff enough to untangle easily. There's still the bassy, scraping noise whenever the wires brush against something, e.g. whenever I move my head, but that's the case with all earphones, I guess. But how does it sound?

As far as I'm concerned, they sound great. Whether it's Bach's violin concertos, Gluck's Dance of the Furies, Dire Straits, Johnny Cash, or Jefferson Starship, the audio sounds true, that is, the instruments and voices sound natural. The bass sounded distinct, as with the other instruments, not muddied up. I hear details I don't normally hear when listening (maybe because that's usually in the car).

Since I don't have an iPhone, I wasn't able to try the microphone.