Built with a single balanced-armature driver per ear, the Etymotic ER23-HF3 IEMs deliver accurate sound and impressive noise isolation rated at 35 to 42 decibels. In fact, many have compared them to the legendary R4 in terms of sound quality Read More
Yes, the mic works fine most of the times. Sometimes i have to eject & insert the jack again to make it work. However, the buttons (except the centre pause button) don't work on Android. I've tested it on 3 different Android phones & on none did the forward/backward/volumeUp/volumeDown buttons work.
Also a five or six year user here. I took the next step up in the process. I got the custom silicone tips. For the bit of cash you save here, put it towards them. Much more comfort on long listens. You can use these upgrade tips on ER4's too. A good compromise to this are Shure olive tips.
The correct amount of accurate bass is better than gobs of sloppy bass. Highly recommended.
I did have a set of these a long time ago (Galaxy S2, HTC M8)(now have hf5's) and the HF3's did do volume attenuation, but I couldn't use them to skip ads in podcasts, so I'm now using hf5's and suffering through ads.
Also used these headphones exclusively for 6 years, multiple pairs because I destroyed them. Amazingly clear, sounds like you're in the recording studio. Isolate sound great. Wear them, minimum ~4 hours a day, never uncomfortable.
Have had the HF5 version of these (no mic) for a few months now, and they have become my new reference IEMs. Great clarity, great balance across the spectrum - really top notch at this price. Prior to purchasing them, I read many reviews saying they lacked bass, but that truly is an issue of a good seal in my experience. And their claim of better isolation leading to less need for volume is true in my experience as well. Just know that getting good fit/seal is absolutely critical to their performance, and it's not necessarily a given.
I couldn't get a good seal with anything other than the foam tips (which, honestly, make the headphones look kind of odd). However, when I got the foam tips sealed up tight, these really sounded great across the spectrum, including a very natural, very present bass.
I wouldn't recommend them for hip-hop, or other heavily bass-oriented music. But for just about everything else they really are a very good example of crisp, balanced sound.
Be prepared to tinker with the fit, though, and also know that the flange tips sit pretty deep your ear canals, and can be uncomfortable. Much better with the foam for me.
If you can make the fit work, the sound is unequivocally worth it at this price.
I’ve been wearing these on my commute every day for the past 5 years. They’re great. Hands down the best isolation of any headphone I’ve tried. I pitted them against a few noise cancelling and noise isolating headphones and these performed better.
I have nearly identical story, except its been 6 years.
I wear these 5-8 hours a day, no fatigue, very light weight, superb sound, very accurate. Not for Bass heads if thats your thing.
Not for bass-heads, you're right, but most of the complaints about bass are from people using the wrong tips or not inserting them properly. With a good seal, there is real bass from these. They are awesome.