Design and features:The TONE Free HBS-F110 has an integrated microphone and music player play/pause and cellphone call connect/disconnect controls for use with paired Bluetooth devices. Included with the earphones is a storage/charging collar that can be worn around the neck; when the earphones are not in use they can be docked in the collar to top off the earphone's battery charge and keep them from getting misplaced. Additional features include three tone adjustment presets and a defeatable vibration mode to indicate when messages are received. In addition to the charging collar this model comes with two pairs of ear pieces of various sizes and a USB charging cable. The free LG Tone & Talk app is available for download to Apple and Android mobile devices; it can be used to change the tone control presets and for setting up the other earphone features. The optional SDT-F110 charging cradle/recharger battery is also available.
Sound quality: We found the TONE Free HBS-F110 delivers sound quality that falls in the good range - it reproduces music and voice reasonably well despite the obvious shortcomings in its sound. The overall sound can best be summarized as somewhat thin and gritty. In the Bass (default) setting the bass (as in bass drums, bass guitars, stand-up bass, etc.) has decent impact and detail, but is a bit subdued and the deepest bass is lacking. The midrange (voices, guitars, horns, etc.) is somewhat thin, hazy, and gritty. The treble (cymbals, the upper range of violins, etc.) is extended, but is sizzly (sounds that should have a delicate shimmer have a sound reminiscent of bacon frying) and a bit prominent. The sound has a decent sense of liveliness and is somewhat open -- sound-wise it almost seems like you don't have anything plugging up your ears. The various EQ settings, which can be changed using the app, have a noticeable effect that but result in even less bass.
Comfort: The Tone Free HBS-F110 has a hybrid ear-insert/ear bud design - the earpieces insert into the ear canals and are intended to seal them as with typical ear-insert models, and they are also intended to be supported by the earbowls like an ear bud model. We found that this model probably provides the best fit for users with medium sized ears. The largest ear piece it comes with fits users with medium size ear canals, so users with larger ear canals will not be able to get a good seal and will not be able to hear the best sound quality that this model can provide (the bass will sound more subdued than it should). Users with larger earbowls may find that the body of the earphones don't feel like they fit securely in place. Users with small earbowls might find that the body of the earphone does not fit into their earbowl at all and that the earphones are just held in place by the section of the earphone that is inserted in the ear canal. As typical of in-ear models they produce a sense of pressure in the ear canal opening that might be uncomfortable for some. The earphones controls aren't particularly finicky, but pushing the control buttons drives the earphone deeper into the ear canal which may cause some users discomfort.
