The Bottom Line
Pros
- Fits both old and new iPhones
- Comfortable in-ear fit
- Comes with assorted eartips and a carrying case
Cons
- Expensive
Description
- This headset lets you listen to music and make calls on your smartphone.
- It works with any music phones that include a 3.5mm/4-contact phone and stereo plug--including the iPhone and the iPhone 3G.
- The cable is 4 feet long, and includes a clip so you can position the cord and the microphone where they're comfortable.
Guide Review - Etymotic hf2 Headset +Earphones
Your smartphone may double as your MP3 player, so you need headphones that will let you listen to music and make calls. Enter Etymotic's hf2 noise-isolating Headset + Earphones, which provide a handy—though, at $179, expensive—way to enjoy your phone's music features.
The Etymotic hf2 Headset + Earphones are compatible with both the original iPhone (which lacks a standard headphone jack) and the newer iPhone 3G (which includes the standard jack). They also work with the BlackBerry Curve, and any music phones that include a 3.5mm/4-contact phone and stereo plug. You can also use the earphones with some—but not all—MP3 players.
The headset achieves its noise isolation by creating a seal when the earbuds are inserted in your ear. The earbuds come with a plastic tips attached, as well as a set of longer foam tips. To create the seal, you have to insert the earbuds firmly and fairly deeply into your ear, but I found them quite comfortable. The noise isolation worked well, even when walking along a busy city street
Music automatically pauses when a call comes in, and you can answer it by pressing a small button on the included microphone. I found I could hear my callers very well, though they sometimes had trouble hearing me. Music playback automatically resumes when you disconnect the call.
In addition to answering and ending calls, the mic's button can be used to control music playback. Taping it once will pause a song, tapping it twice will skip to the next song, and tapping it three times will move you back a song. Music quality was very good most of the time, though I did occasionally hear a slight hiss.
The Etymotic hf2 Headset + Earphones is the most comfortable in-ear headset I've tried. It provides very good music quality and is easy to use. If only it weren't so expensive, I could recommend it without reservation.