Review on 🎧 Etymotic Research HF3: High-Fidelity Noise-Isolating In-Ear Earphones with Advanced 3 Button Microphone Control by Allison Carpenter

These are my first real IEMs. I prefer the DT 770 and Sennheiser 650 headphones. I expected them to be less and better than my favorite headphones. I mainly use them to protect my ears when riding a motorcycle. My Triumph Tiger isn't that loud but when you drive at 70-90mph the wind noise is deafening. Traditional isolating headphones don't isolate enough, and while you can hear music very well at speeds of up to 40 mph, you really need to turn the music on. I already have some tinnitus and I don't want it to get worse. The amazing thing is that (with the foam plugs in place properly) I can dial the music down to a safe level and even when I'm going faster I hear everything just fine. The clarity is fantastic. They're not bass-heavy, but they lack bass, they just sound natural. If you're also a motorcyclist, I recommend using Waze for directions. You can listen to music and the app gives you turn-by-turn directions and alerts you to traffic hazards and the police when there's enough traffic for people to report the app. This is a great way to really focus on the road and focus on situational awareness. When I'm not using them, I keep them in the plastic tape container I always keep in my jacket. I don't know how durable they are but I try to tolerate them because they sound so good. My only disappointment is that the flanged tips don't fit my ears well and I have to buy new matching tips from time to time. However, these IEMs really are better than anything I've ever heard, insulates better than anything on the market, fits closer to my head and works better under my helmet (modular helmet) than any other in-ear headphones. Complaining about having to buy the right attachments every now and then when no other headphones work as well seems pointless. Nothing else in this price range was as good.