Design and features:These earphones have an integrated microphone and volume, music player function, and call connect/disconnect controls for use with paired Bluetooth devices. The Freedom F5 has a charging clip/battery pack that is used for headphone charging and can be clipped on to the headphone to extend battery life. It can be Bluetooth connected to a second Freedom F5 to allow both earphones to hear the same Bluetooth source, and it can be used with the free MySound app download for Apple or Android mobile devices to change the sound of the earphones. This model is claimed by the manufacturer to be water resistant and comes with six pairs of ear pieces in various types and sizes, three pairs of removable ear bowl supports in various sizes, a USB charging cable, and a carrying pouch.
Sound quality: The Freedom F5 comes with free app download that allows customization of its sound. The tone settings of the app do have a noticeable effect on the sound of these earphones, but our tests were done with the tone settings bypassed. We found that the Freedom F5 delivers sound quality that falls in the very good range - it reproduces music and voice very well although it does have some noticeable sonic quirks. The overall sound can best be summarized as somewhat boomy bass with a lean midrange and a bright treble. Bass (as in bass drums, bass guitars, stand-up bass, etc.) has good impact, but is somewhat prominent and boomy, and doesn't go deep. The midrange (voices, guitars, horns, etc.) is thin and slightly grainy. The treble (cymbals, the upper range of violins, etc.) is extended, but prominent and sizzly (sounds that should have a delicate shimmer have a sound reminiscent of bacon frying). While the sound has a good sense of liveliness it is somewhat closed-in -- sound-wise it is somewhat obvious that you have something plugging up your ears.
Comfort: We found that these earphones fit and stay in place with no problem, and the ear bowl supports make the ear pieces very stable even with vigorous head movement. As typical of in-ear models they produce a sense of pressure in the ear canal opening might be uncomfortable for some.
