Product Description

The HF2 is a high-fidelity, hands-free noise-isolating headset and earphones combination - but it's really much, much more than that. The HF2 provides a near-perfect music experience. Made by Etymotic Research, the people who created in-ear earphones, the hf2 delivers Etymotic's world-renowned sound quality in a comfortable, convenient wireless phone headset, so you'll never miss a call! Headset includes a high-sensitivity microphone and a Music/Call button that allows you to quickly answer calls while contolling your music. You'll be able to hear and be heard, clearly, even in a noisy environment. The HF2 includes the in-ear headset and earphones, assorted eartips so you can find the ones that fit you best, carry pouch and filter changing tool with filters. Works with iPhone and other music phones that operate with a 3.5 mm/4-contact phone + stereo plug. Compatible with most music players (e.g., iPod, mp3, CD) that accept a 3.5 mm stereo plug. HF2 headset + earphones can be worn with the cables in front or in back of the head. The cable slider can be adjusted by moving it up or down for a snug fit.

Product Details

• Color: Black
• Brand: Etymotic Research
• Model: hf2
• Dimensions: 3.80" h x 5.90" w x 2.00" l, 2.00 pounds

Features

• Headset and earphones for iPod, iPhone and other mobile phones
• For music phones and music players that take 3.5 mm/4-contact phone plus stereo plug
• Highest noise isolation of all competing headsets
• Exceptional sound quality
• 20Hz-16kHz frequency response accuracy, 16 Ohms impedance

From the Manufacturer
The hf2 is a high-fidelity, hands-free noise-isolating headset and earphones combination. But it's really much, much more than that. The hf2 provides a near-perfect music experience. Made by Etymotic Research, the people who created in-ear earphones, the hf2 delivers Etymotic's world-renowned sound quality in a comfortable, convenient wireless phone headset, so you'll never miss a call!

The HF2 is perfect for your music and movies, as well as for clear, distortion-free voice calling

Earphone response is measured on a KEMAR® mannequin
with the same acoustic properties as the average head and ear

The headset includes an in-line microphone and a Music/Call button that allows you to quickly answer calls while contolling your music. You'll be able to hear and be heard, clearly, even in a noisy environment. The hf2 includes the in-ear headset and earphones, assorted eartips so you can find the ones that fit you best, carry pouch and filter changing tool with filters.

Works with iPhone and other music phones that operate with a 3.5 mm/4-contact phone + stereo plug. Compatible with most music players (e.g., iPod, mp3, CD) that accept a 3.5 mm stereo plug. hf2 headset + earphones can be worn with the cables in front or in back of the head. The cable slider can be adjusted by moving it up or down for a snug fit.

What They're Saying

"On the whole, sound quality is excellent at this price. Each balanced armature driver responds to frequencies between 20Hz and 16KHz -- about average -- producing a clean sound, with tight highs, bold mids and a clear, smooth bass riding underneath. John Otto's drums on Limp Bizkit's early album Significant Other are, sound wise, one of our favourite studio drum recordings. Through the hf2's, the skull-crushing snare drum rim shots pounded our ears into dust, while tight hi-hat rudiments shone with gorgeous clarity." -- Nate Lanxon, CNet.co.uk

How Etymotic Research Measures Response Accuracy

The accuracy score is perhaps the single most important tool for earphone design. A perfect recording of a live performance played through earphones with 100% accuracy would produce the same sound at the eardrum as the live performance. A complicating factor is that the acoustic resonance and horn effects of the ear change a flat signal entering the open ear to an eardrum signal with the approximate frequency characteristic of the target curve. A perfect earphone will create that same frequency characteristic at the eardrum.

Target Curve

Target curves on Etymotic Research graphs indicate 100% accuracy: The open ear diffuse-field response of the KEMAR® mannequin modified to compensate for the high frequency boost added to high-quality recordings. This modification (approximately 5 dB at 10 kHz) is necessary to avoid earphones sounding too bright on commercial recordings. Commercial recordings have a high-frequency boost that compensates for the high frequency roll-off in studio monitor loudspeakers and high-quality stereo loudspeakers and earphones.

Earphone response is measured on a KEMAR® manikin that has the same acoustic properties as the average head and ear. 25-band accuracy scores are calculated by summing the difference between the earphone response and the target response in each 1.3 -octave band from 50 Hz to 12.5 kHz.

In the 1970s, Consumers Union used an "Accuracy Score" to rate loudspeakers. Consumer Reports reported that it was possible to predict listeners' loudspeaker ratings within 8% from a calculation based on one-third-octave frequency response measurements converted to loudness in sones. The average error in loudness from a perfect system, subtracted from 100%, gives the accuracy score. Etymotic Research extended this 21-band calculation to a 25-band calculation and routinely uses the 25-band accuracy score in all earphone designs.

Other in-the-ear earphone manufacturers do not report accuracy scores, but Etymotic Research has tested all competitive products. The accuracy scores of Etymotic Research earphones are higher than those of most loudspeakers, and well above all competitive earphones, except electrostatic headphones that cost thousands of dollars.

Customer Reviews

Typical Etymotic sound quality, but a high price for a mic
You've seen those people with earphone-mic combos for those phones - you know, *those* people who walk around, holding the mic up to their mouth, who might as well pull out the earphone and just hold the phone up to their ear. Are they uncomfortable, thinking that the mic won't pick up their voice, or are they compensating for a lackluster microphone? If the latter, that will not be necessary with the Etymotic HF2 earphone headset, whose mic is every bit as strong as the one built into most phones, if not better.

I tested this set with an Iphone 3G, and those on the other end were not able to guess that I was on a headset microphone rather than the Iphone's admittedly high-quality mic - that's a great compliment right there. The mic, which hangs about three inches below the right earphone, seems to be able to filter out background noises, as well. As for controls, it's simple - there's one button on rectangular microphone unit. Press once to answer or hang up a call, twice to send a call to voicemail.

As for sound quality of the headphones, they're fantastic, and that's no surprise given the pedigree associated with the Etymotic name. I'm an Ety fan - I have a pair of Ety ER6i as well as their "big brother" the ER4P, and the sound quality of the HF2 ranks right around the ER6i, which should be excellent for most people. Those not familiar with the "Etymotic sound," it is extremely clean, and many may find it lacking in bass, but it is very true to the recorded sound, unlike many other cheaper (and sometimes similarly priced) earphones. What you hear with Etymotics is a very accurate, if sometimes stark, representation of the sound that the artists captured. They are not good headphones for those looking for huge bass response. Those who enjoy jazz and great detail in their music might just love the Etymotic sound - they truly are an audiophile company. And when it comes to calls, there's also a small thrill to be had that first time you talk to someone and hear them in stereo through these earphones if you've never experienced it before. The world is blocked out due to the earphones' superior sound-dampening abilities, and the caller on the other end is extremely clear.

A note about fit and sound quality: these in-ear 'phone are meant to seat deep in your ear, sealed with your ear canal. When seated properly, they will deliver incredible sound quality and beautiful, solid bass - but not the deep, head-rattling bass you may be accustomed to from other head-and ear-phones. If they aren't seated properly, wet the tip just slightly, insert, and then turn just a bit to get them "snug down." The fit shouldn't hurt, but may feel odd at first. I found it took some getting used to and, yes, you will likely notice some earwax - you are, afterall, closing up your ears, so they will get warm. Clean the triple-flange tips from time to time and make sure your ears are as clean as possible. It sounds like a ritual, but it really is worth it for the extrmely high sound quality these earphones are capable of creating.

Other small details: where the two wires for the earphones connect to join into one is a slider to sinch up the wires . . . I assume if you want them close to your neck? Included on the wire is a clip that I found more annoying and cumbersome than useful. Thoughtful, yes, but not easy to remove, and I feared damaging the wire sleeve in doing so, so it stayed put. It simply made winding the wires up to put into the handy zipped leather pouch a job a little more clumsy than necessary. Also included are foam tips and smaller triple-flange tips for the earphones, replacement filters, and a filter replacement tool.

For owners of the first generation Iphone, the headphone jack is sized to fit into the recessed jack - no need for an awkward adapter.

So why only four stars if I enjoy these so much? (It would really be 4.5 stars if Amazon would let me offer it.) I balk a little at paying almost the price of the 8gb Iphone for a mic/earphone headset, even as high-quality as this one is. Another thing, and this is true of any headset, and so I don't mark this one down for it, your speaking voice does not come through the earphones. Normally that's not such an issue, but when you are listening to the other party in stereo, and you can only hear yourself as if through plugged ears, it's a little disorienting, and I found myself fighting the urge to speak louder. It would be nice if there were some way for your voice to be able to feedback into the earphones.

Overall, however, these are fantastic - miles above most typical headsets, but the price reflects that, too. If you spend a significant amount of time both listening to music and talking on your phone, and you truly treasure sound quality, these may make perfect sense.

Superb
I have to admit, I was a long time believer in the law of diminishing returns and did not believe in buying high end electronics for a very small incremental return. We held out against HD TV until our old TV died. When we finally got HD we were amazed so much we ended up rewatching nearly our entire DVD collection to see everything we have been meeting.

I had the same reaction when I first tried these ear buds. I was amazed at the sharpness of the high tones. The first song I listened to was the dresden dolls and I could make out every drum beat and each key stroke on the piano rang out. I really was like HD audio without any changes to the media or ipod. It took a while to be able to just be listening to music again, I was so impressed by the clarity.

There were two big reasons I wanted these head phones. First I wanted to be able to listen to my Ipod touch on my bus commute without having to crank up the volume. This worked perfectly, I can now greatly reduce the volume and get far more clarity than I was getting before with the buds that came with the ipod. Watching movies is also far easier now because the isolation makes hearing dialog much easier. The second reason I got these was to use with the upcoming iPhone 3G. I am looking forward to using it when I get one.

Here are the Pro's and Con's as I see them.

Pros

These have by far the best sound I have ever experienced in headphones. They are comfortable, or at least after a couple of days to get used to the feel of them. Once properly inserted, I had full mobility with no fears of them slipping out. I was worried about replacement covers, but then I looked into the box again and found the two bags that contained dozens of replacement covers - very nice touch.

Cons

These are the first isolating headphones I have used. It does cause some strange internal sounds, like if you try to eat while listening to music, the chewing noises are very loud (kind of like chewing with your fingers in your ears.) Also there is some noise that gets transmitted from the cords into the ears. Also, they seem a little overpackaged, or at least the version I got. I still feel a little uncomfortable with the price, $180 is steep for me, and now that I have tried them, I'm not sure if I can go back. But the quality covers the price difference, as well as the few cons I can think of.

These are truly great. Much like the iPod it's revolutionalizing my listening experience. I can now understand audiophyles.

Best in-ears I've used.
I've used in-ear headphones and monitors almost exclusively for just over two-years now, both for use on-stage music monitoring, and for day-to-day ipod listening. Obviously, comparing in-ear monitors to in-ear headphones isn't quite fair -- they don't do the same thing. But, judging each pair for how well they succeed at their given task, i would definitely say the ER HF2s are hands-down the best pair of headphones I own.

(I currently use a pair of EarPeace LiveWires for on-stage music monitoring, and have used Shure E2s and E3s... And, having just started using an iphone, I decided to upgrade a little from the Ultimate Ear super-fi 3s I was previously using for my ipod.)

The HF2s are clean and transparent -- I won't go too far into detail about that here, given the glut of other reviewers saying the same thing. I will say, though, that the HF2s are really very impressive across the volume board -- they seem to provide the same punch for low-volume listening as they do at higher volumes; unlike my UEs, there's no "sweet spot" that they need to be set at in order to reproduce well. And unlike any other pair of in-ears I've owned, I truly can forget that I'm listening through headphones with this pair; unlike so many others that constantly make you aware of exactly how much they're coloring the tone (for better or worse), the HF2s really just step back and let the pure tones come right through. Highly impressive.

(Of course, the casual headphone buyer is probably not willing to spend this much dough for headphones -- so I won't spend too much time pointing out that if you're used to having your home or car EQ goose your bass way up, or if you use a pair of phones that have super-jacked-up bass drivers, you'll be disappointed with these.)

Cable noise was a concern for me based on the other reviews, but I decided to take the plunge anyway -- and let me just say, the reviews are right. If the HF2s have any drawback whatsoever, that's it right there. The provided clip does very little to help -- and, as previously noted in another review, wearing the cables "over-the-ear" (which would greatly minimize the amount of noise generated by the cable rubbing against a collar or lapel) is almost impossible with the HF2s -- the microphone would be too far away from one's mouth if worn that way. And, despite the fact that the dB isolation is really incredible with the HF2s (up to 42dB!!), the rubber on the cables -- AND the rubber on the driver housing itself -- picks up TONS of sound, most noticeably wind noise. (Even my relatively-cheapo UE super-fi in-ears didn't do that!) So a lot of what gets blocked out winds up getting re-introduced via transduction, at least at low-volume listening levels. (I was quite shocked when I first heard the sound of the wind hitting the driver-housing being reproduced in my ears. Now I don't mind it -- I actually sort of like it; it makes it seem as though you're not QUITE so isolated from the world around you. But if you're used to other in-ears, this might take some getting used to.) Be warned -- if cable-noise is a deal-breaker for you, you might want to look elsewhere.

That said, I wouldn't trade these in for anything. I'm even planning on getting a pair of fitted Sensaphonics sleeves to replace the drivers -- an expense on TOP of already expensive in-ears. But that's how great I think they are. As for the cable noise -- I'm planning on using a little piece of tape, to affix the cables to the top of my shirt, instead of the clip -- that should cut the noise to almost nothing, making these PERFECT. I highly, highly recommend them to any iphone user -- it will change your mp3 player from a toy to a audiophile-worthy piece of gear.

(P.S. -- I'd take these down to 4 1/2 stars if I could, because of the cable noise, but since I can't give it a "half" star, I'd place it closer to a "5" than a "4".)