AAUG Reviews

by Chris Tofteberg, AAUG Member

For as many iPhone accessories as there are out there, it is amazingly difficult to find a good stereo headset. Etymotic has your solution, and its name is hf2.

I’m one that appreciates nice packaging, and Etymotic nailed it. The solid and attractive box alone made me giddy. And what was inside the box was even nicer. The hf2 stereo headset is beautiful to look at, much less listen to. The hf2 is available in three colors: Black, ruby and cobalt. Most headsets or earphones include perhaps two or at most three different sizes of eartips (that is the piece that seats the speaker in your ear), but Etymotic includes 4 pairs of eartips with their hf2. They also include a little tool you can use to help change out the small plastic insert (they call it a filter) inside the eartips, should you need to. And they throw in a handy storage pouch to boot.

This is a phone headset, so it has an inline button you use to answer calls. On the iPhone, this button also serves as your play/pause button, your skip button, and your rewind button. The action is determined by how many times you press the button. A surprisingly simple but often overlooked feature with the talk button is the shape. On some headsets, the casing is round, making it difficult to find the darn button. The casing on the hf2 is a flattened shape, making it easy to find and use the talk button.

“Yes, but how do they sound?” you ask. Etymotic is known for their quality sound, and the hf2 does not disappoint. They are rated at 20 Hz to 16 kHz, so they essentially cover the range that the human ear can hear. Crisp highs and clear lows with a nice mellow mid-range make these ideal music listening speakers. One note on that though: I found that I had to seat the earpieces much farther into the ear canal than I’m used to in order to capture the low Hz end. This was not a deal breaker for me, but some with sensitive ear canals may not find that comfortable. As for phone calls, they are as clear as the cell signal you’re getting, and the microphone performs just as well.

As for the fit, you can certainly find an eartip size and style that you enjoy among the many eartips included. Most of the included eartips use the triple-flanged design which do a great job isolating noise, perhaps the best of any design I’ve used. The generous 4-foot cable makes it easy to put your iPhone away in your pocket or even your purse or backpack.

If you’re going to use your headset for music in addition to taking phone calls, you should consider the hf2. Etymotic is a trusted and respected brand in the earphone arena, and the hf2 perpetuates their reputation.