Phone interviews Does interviewer's unenthusiastic tone imply a higher chance of 'ding'?

Nah. Some interviewers just have a tone like that. The important part is for you to not let your energy flag. Because of scheduling conflicts, I did 6 of my 7 SA first rounds this year over the phone, with 4 of them sounding completely unenthusiastic. I kept my energy up though, and had superdays with all 7. Some interviewers use lack of enthusiasm as a test: Will this guy end up falling asleep at work if everyone else around him is tired? Or is he going to be a self starter who doesn't cave to the energy (or lack thereof) in his environment?

nah, i don't think so. some of them actually write down what you say as you interview with them...so there might be some awkwark moments...i found that usually HR ladies are very bubbly.

Its a toss-up. Some people just have really dry personalities.

On the other hand it is easier to talk to someone who's more enthusiastic and establish rapport. Also, if they sound uninterested, maybe they really are for a multitude of reasons. Maybe they're stuck interviewing you and they have more important shit to do. Maybe they just hate recruiting. Maybe they already for some reason decided to ding you so they're just going through the motions.