earphones

Dubliz Gunmetal

Friday November 6th, 2015

In-Ear: Die Ohrhörer im mittleren Preissegment sind äußerst robust und wirken recht schwer, was beim Tragen aber nicht negativ auffällt. Das 1,25 Meter lange Kabel besteht aus gedrehten, mit Kevlar-Fäden verstärkten Kupferdrähten und ist mit lastik überzogen. Eine Fernbedienung gibt es nur beim 20 Euro teureren Modell. Neben vier verschiedenen Ohrpassstücken wird eine Transporttasche mitgeliefert.
Die 8-mm Treiber mit Doppelmembran erzeugen ein umfängliches Klangbild mit ordentlich Bass, das für alle Musikstile geeignet ist. Im Test waren leider wegen der geriffelten Oberfläche Windgeräusche zu vernehmen. stm

Wertung

Hersteller: Fischer Audio
Preis: 99,90 Euro
Web: www.headsound.de

+ gutes Klangbild, satter Bass

– Windgeräusche, keine Fernbedienung

NOTE: 2.0

Fazit: Fischer Audio macht mit dem Dubliz unserem Favoriten, dem Momentum In-Ear von Sennheiser, Konkurrenz

DBA-02mk2, TBA-04 (German version)

Thursday February 12th, 2015

Fischer Audio – hört sich nach bester deutscher Wertarbeit an, oder? Ist es aber nicht. Also, zumindest keine deutsche, sondern (Überraschung!) russische Wertarbeit.

Die in St. Petersburg angesiedelte Firma Fischer Audio baut seit 2006 Kopfhörer, Headsets, Accessoires und In-Ear-Hörer, die den Vergleich mit der Weltspitze nicht scheuen müssen, und zwar weder in Bezug auf Verarbeitungsqualität noch auf den Klang. Wir fühlen den Topmodellen aus der Master Series, den DBA-02 MK2 und den TBA-04, auf den Zahn.

Balanced Armature?

Beide In-Ear-Hörer zeichnen sich durch elaborierte Technik in Form von Mehrwegesystemen aus. Im DBA-02 Mk2 arbeiten zwei Schallwandler, einer für den Bassbereich, einer für den Mittelhochton. Im Topmodell TBA-04 sind es sogar derer drei: Bass, Mitten und Hochton kommen in den Genuss gänzlich frequenzgetrennter Treiber und Beschaltung. Ein weiteres Highlight: Fischer Audio verwendet in beiden Modellen sogenannte Balanced- Armature-Treiber. Das Balanced-Armature-Schallwandler-Design (wörtlich: ausgewogener Anker) soll in erster Linie den elektrischen Wirkungsgrad durch den Wegfall der Belastung auf die Membran erhöhen, wie es charakteristisch für die meisten anderen andere Antriebsarten ist. Das Balanced- Armature-Prinzip besteht aus einem Permanentmagneten und einem genau in dessen Magnetfeld zentrierten, beweglich gelagerten Anker mit Spulenwicklungen. Im Zentrum des Magnetfelds gibt es keine resultierende Kraft auf den Anker, daher der Begriff „ausgewogen“. Wenn nun Strom durch die Spule des Ankers fließt, magnetisiert der Anker, so dass er leicht in die eine oder andere Richtung bewegt wird. Die Membran am Anker befestigt und erzeugt durch die Bewegung Schallwellen. BA-Treiber werden aufgrund ihrer geringen Größe und niedrigen Impedanz normalerweise in Ohrkanalhörern (In-Ear-Ohrhörern) und Hörgeräten verwendet. Nachteil: BA-Treiber spielen normalerweise nicht ganz so breitbandig.

Auch erfordern sie eine höhere Abdichtung nach außen als andere Treiberarten, um ihr volles Potenzial liefern zu können. High-End-Modelle wie die beiden Fischer-Audio-In- Ears können mehrere BA-Treiber verwenden, um das Klangspektrum besser darstellen zu können. Mithilfe von passiven Frequenzweichen werden diese zu einem Gesamt-Klangbild kombiniert.

From Russia with love

Die beiden Fischer-Audio-In-Ears sind in Anbetracht der verwendeten Technologie durchaus als noch günstig zu bezeichnen. 149 Euro ruft der deutsche Vertrieb Headsound Audio für das mittlere Modell aus der Master Series der St. Petersburger auf. Für den dritten Frequenzkanal, das aufwendigere Keramikgehäuse und die minimal bessere Ausstattung des Topmodells werden weitere 100 Euro fällig. Beide In-Ears sind sehr gut ausgestattet. 8 (DBA-02) beziehungsweise 9 Paar (TBA-04) verschiedener Ohrpassstücke liegen bei, ein Clip zum Befestigen des Kabels am Revers, je zwei Ohrbügel für festen Halt ohne Zug am Kabel, und eine stabile Transportbox finden sich in den äußerlich fast identischen Verpackungen. Im Gegensatz zum 130 cm langen Flachbandkabel des DBA-02 verwenden die TBA-04 ein 120 cm langes, verdrilltes Kabel. Letzteres ist leicht und bietet durch die Verdrillung bereits etwas Elastizität, und es gibt eine Art Puffer als weitere Zugentlastung im Kabel. Des Weiteren positiv hervorzuheben ist, dass linker und rechter Kanal bei beiden Modellen eindeutig und leicht erkennbar gekennzeichnet sind – im täglichen Umgang ist das eine echte Hilfe.

Dass weder DBA-02 noch TBA-04 über eine Headsetfunktion verfügen, ist angesichts des highfidelen Anspruchs verschmerzbar, führt aber zu Abzügen in der B-Note – schließlich wollen auch audiophile Businessmenschen gerne mal telefonieren, ohne die Ohrhörer herausnehmen zu müssen …

Sitz und Sound

Die breite Auswahl an Ohrpassstücken sollte jedem Besitzer perfekten Sitz der Ohrhörer im Gehörgang ermöglichen – nicht nur unterschiedliche Größen sind im Angebot, sondern auch Aufsätze in unterschiedlichen Formen sowie mit und ohne Schaumstofffüllung zur besseren Schallisolierung – vorbildlich! Als besonders angenehm empfinde ich die im Einsatz kaum spürbaren Ohrbügel, da sie ein fast schwereloses Tragegefühl der nicht gerade kleinen Buds ermöglichen. Die Schallkanäle beider Ohrhörer sind so abgewinkelt, dass sie optimal in den Gehörgang passen. Die TBA-04 sitzen hier für meinen Geschmack noch einen Tick sicherer und weniger spürbar im Ohr, beide Modelle fühlen sich jedoch recht sicher an. Nutzt man die beigelegten Ohrbügel nicht, empfiehlt es sich, dennoch die Kabel über die Ohren nach hinten zu führen, da die spezielle Formgebung beider Modelle das Kabel nach oben aus den Gehäusen herausführt. Die ersten Töne mit dem kleineren Schwesterchen, den DBA-02 Mk2, verblüffen: Selten habe ich eine derart hohe Auflösung und luftige Raumdarstellung mit einem In-Ear gehört. Percussion und der Hall von Stimmen und Instrumenten scheinen eindeutig von außerhalb meines Kopfes zu kommen, hier gibt es keine Spur von Im-Kopf-Lokalisation. Tonal bewegen sich die mittleren Master-Series-In-Ears definitiv auf der brillanten, schlanken Seite.

Der Bass ist zwar da und reicht auch tief hinab, doch fehlt es ihm gerade mit elektrischer Musik oder Heavy Metal an Druck, Fülle und Konsequenz. Mit Jazz und kleineren Besetzungen fällt das weniger auf, zumal die DBA-02 Mk2 Umgebungsgeräusche recht gut dämmen und so die Konzentration auf die Musik möglich machen. Am entgegengesetzten Ende der Frequenzskala dagegen üben sich die DBA-02 Mk2 nicht in Zurückhaltung. Mit stupender Attacke und Geschwindigkeit sowie beeindruckender Auflösung holt der Balanced- Armature-Treiber alles aus der Aufnahme, was drauf ist. Im Zusammenspiel mit dem betont schlanken Bass ergibt sich ein insgesamt eher helles, funkelnd-prickelndes Klangbild. Das ist ein Statement und eine Abstimmung mit Charakter statt absoluter Neutralität – prinzipiell ist das ja nichts Schlechtes (auch wenn die Sibilanten dem einen oder anderen Hörer zu scharf betont sein dürften), aber man muss darauf stehen und bei Elektro und Rock auch damit leben können. Einfacher macht das der geradezu als „erdendes Element“ fungierende Mitteltonbereich. Er ist das Sahnestück bei den Fischers, auch, so viel vorweg, beim TBA-04: Unglaublich offen, transparent, räumlich in der Darstellung – allein das Wort geschmeidig mag mir nicht so recht in den Sinn kommen, dazu sind (vielleicht ein Tribut an die insgesamt analytische Abstimmung der DBA-02) auch nach ca.

24 Stunden Einspielzeit noch zu viele Ecken und Kanten hörbar. Was uns zu den TBA-04 bringt. Denn die machen alles das, was die DBA-02 Mk2 so gut können, noch einen Tick besser, und lassen den kleinen Unstimmigkeiten des Schwestermodells gar nicht erst eine Chance. Ein wärmerer, vollerer Bass, im Vergleich leicht zurückgenommene Höhen ohne Betonung des S-Lautebereichs, und ein noch offenerer, stimmigerer und, ja, geschmeidigerer Mitteltonbereich zeigen, dass der dritte Kanal des Topmodells nicht nur mehr kostet, sondern auch tatsächlich ein Plus an Klangqualität bringt. Die Bassdrum auf Yellos „Fat Cry“ hat mehr Wucht und Druck, und so runden die TBA-04 das im Hochton noch natürlicher anmutende Klangbild um die fantastisch differenzierten Mitten herum kongenial ab. Ein Familienklang ist bei Fischers unbestreitbar vorhanden – auch wenn die TBA-04 eher in Richtung Neutralität tendieren als die DBA-02 Mk2, zeigen beide Modelle einen offenen, transparenten und schlackefreien Klang, der audiophile Hörer ziemlich anmachen, für Einsteiger und Technojünger aber eine Herausforderung sein dürfte.

Fazit

Die Empfehlung geht trotz des Aufpreises an den TBA- 04, der universeller, neutraler und angenehmer klingt und so die vorhandenen Talente des DBA-02 Mk2 vollends kultiviert.

Eterna Review

Tuesday July 1st, 2014

Summary/Details:

Cost: RRP £89.99/’Street’ Price £60/Price at Purchase £37.94
Style: Over-the-ear
Cable Length: 1.25m L-Plug terminus
Driver: Dynamic
Impedance: 18 Ohm
Sensitivity: 110db
Freq. Range: 8-22KHz

First Impressions:

The Eterna comes in a package that is soft on the eye and yet visually attractive at the same time. It features a ‘window’ that allows you to view the IEMs without opening the box – a nice touch, but somewhat unnecessary in my opinion.

In terms of accessories provided, Fischer Audio ship the Eterna with a cloth pouch (branded with the Fischer Audio logo), some over-the-ear cable guides (not featured in the picture), and three sets of tips – two silicon single-flange tips and a set of silicon bi-flange tips – pretty basic and simplistic, especially compared to the offerings from other brands.

On removing them from the packaging I immediately noticed the build quality, the housing – whilst plastic – feels solid, the nozzles have metal filters, and there is more than enough cable relief. The cable itself is thick and feels durable, but does retain some memory properties – not enough to be irritating but certainly noticeable. The cable also features an in-line remote and microphone, housed in the same plastic.
In terms of comfort, the drivers are quite sizeable compared to other IEMs (such as the E10s/PL50s/CX-range/VSonics offerings) but are, assuming you do not possess smaller ears, very comfortable over long periods of time, with the angled nozzle aiding this.

Sound:

This is the area the Eterna’s excel in. They have a ‘fun’ sound signature, with plenty of bass presence. A quick look at the frequency response graph for the Eterna will confirm this – but it will also highlight the warm mids and slightly laidback treble. These headphones are by no means bass-monsters; the bass is there, and in good quantities, but overall the Eterna has a sound that is easy to listen to, so utterly non-fatiguing, and a real pleasure to listen to.
Its soundstage is forward, with good separation (a lot of IEMs can sound distinctly as if they are in your head, the Eternas are more like being 1-2 rows from the front of a gig). They possess good clarity and separation, and neither the bass nor the mid-bass get bogged down in fast flowing tracks, though in some heavily layered or very complex tracks there are moments when the clarity cant quite resolve the full picture.

Bass: Warm, forward and deeply extending. Very little bleed into the midrange.
Mids: Presence of a mild mid-bass hump warms the mids, they are engaging, smooth and sweet.
Treble: Slightly rolled towards the top frequency, which can be noticeable in some tracks and genres. The treble is smooth, however and entirely non-fatiguing.

Isolation is good, they are excellent transport or gym phones – although isolation can be improved by changing the ear tips out for Comply Foam Tips or Shure Olives – neither of these impact the sound to my ears.

These headphones are also easy to drive, I’ve had no issues powering them from a Moto G and they sound excellent through an mp3 player or DAP such as the Sansa Clip+. There isn’t much different at all under amping, you do see a slight increase in the power and clarity of the bass and sub-bass however.

Concluding Comments:

These headphones have become my go-to for portable use. They are light, compact, and comfortable for long periods of time. More importantly, they really do make music sound fun again. I have yet to hear a set of IEMs that can deliver such fun across the board. There really isn’t much more I can say about these without drooling over the keyboard, so I shall end it by quoting a few comments from ClieOS and ljokerl:

“What the Eterna does best is deliver the fun factor in a completely unadulterated form. The sound of the Eterna is big, smooth, and powerful…it doesn’t fatigue and never becomes boring.”

“Eterna is a pair of very musical sounding IEM – it is not about accuracy of the sonic reproduction, but the 110% dedication to fun and music enjoyment.”

Consonance V2 – An interesting revision to my favourite budget earphones

Sunday June 29th, 2014

Packaging & Accessories: 8/10
Build Quality: 9/10
Design & Look: 8/10
Microphonics (higher ratings means lower cable noise): 8/10
Isolation: 8/10
Comfort: 8/10
Audio Quality: 8/10
Value: 9.5/10
My final Rating: 9/10

Purchase Date: June 2014
Purchase Price: £60

First of all I would like to thank Sergey for sending me these out to review.
You can find out more information about the Consonance V2 and purchase it on Fischer’s website. These can be found on AmazonUSA.

I had previously reviewed the original FA Consonance, and when I saw the V2 announced I was very much intrigued to see how it sounded and performed. The biggest flaw of the original Consonance was its wire quality – which meant that there was an issue with longevity. With that said, I really do love the Consonance and thus why they made the IEM awards 2013. At their price range, the FA Consonance is and still is to my ears the best buy in its price category. I should note that I’ve used the original Consonance almost every other day playing football in the park, and they’ve still held up to quite a lot of abuse.

Packaging, accessories, box content, overall first impressions (look wise)

Packaging:
The packaging that is provided with the FA Consonance V2 is updated and for the better. It looks like a better product from the outside now and something that you could see on the shelves of high-street stores.

Accessories:
The contents of the package are decent, although not perfect. In the package you get the following:
-Earphones
-S, 2x M, L silicone tips
-3.5mm conductor adapter for older devices
-Soft carrying pouch

As you can see the accessories aren’t amazing, but I love the fact that Fischer Audio thought about the backward compatibility of these in-line mic enabled earphones with older devices.
This comes from the jack on newer devices being different from older devices. Essentially it means when you plug in these 4-conductor earphones in an old device or not-made for mic source, the sound will be at 50% and distorted.

To put into perspective: When I plug the Consonance V2 in a Samsung Galaxy S1, the sound isn’t full until I hold down the mic button and thus get the full range from the S1 – this is where the adapter comes in and helps with you not having you needing to press down the mic button at all times. With the Galaxy S3 on the other hand, I have no problems with the Consonance V2. As I said it is for older devices or have a different layout with their input 3.5mm jacks (like my Denon AVR-X500 AV receiver, which has the same problem as my Galaxy S1 with the Consonance V2).
So, top mark to Fischer Audio – I’ve not seen it on any full-size headphone let alone earphone; yet it is a fundamental aspect of any operations for any audio equipment.

I would have liked to see more tips included, especially some foam tips.

Overall first impressions:
Overall I was impressed by the initial package it comes in and furthermore the thought process of including the adapter with the earphones. Overall, a great initial impression.

Build Quality

Now the biggest concern for me on the older version of the Consonance was the overall build quality. The wire being the biggest concern.
I am pleased to say that the build quality of the Consonance V2 is vastly improved, top to bottom.

Starting fromt he jack, it is a right-angled 3.5mm gold plated jack. The jack itself also looks very good with the rest of the earphone (as the earphones can be found in 3 different colours: White, Black and Orange – my version being Orange) – the jack is thus coloured in Orange to fit the theme of the rest of the earphone. Then moving up the wire, we have well made and protected splitter – that yet again is also themed with the colour of the earphones.
As we move closer to the earphones themselves, on the right hand side, we have a microphone and a single button remote. The button controls play/pause and for Android when held down launches Google Voice. The mic works brilliantly and sounds good on the receiving end.

Now as mentioned earlier the wire is what was of concern to me and in the V2 model, I really love the wire that’s been provided. The wire itself feels durable and more so doesn’t get tangled, which is a problem that I found with the older version of the Consonance. The wire also has little microphonics, despite it still being present it is much better than it was before. When worn over the ear, just like the older version, the microphonics are completely eliminated. I can’t quite stress how much of an improvement the wire is for the earphones. It really makes a lot of difference for day-to-day usage.

The earphones themselves are also very well made, with a solid strain relief that allows the wire entering the earphones to be well protected. The earphones themselves have a metal enclosure with a plastic frame on the outside. This means that the earphones are very tough, however that does come at a price; the earphones are heavier than their old brothers. This isn’t something that is too concerning as it isn’t heavy enough to fall out of your ears, but it does mean that it isn’t as light in your ears, thus you do feel it in your ears and unlike the older Consonance isn’t as comfortable to wear with the wire straight down. You can’t have everything I guess so there must be some give and take.

Finally, one thing I noted about the build quality is the left and right indicators on the earphones are a little hard to see. They are written on the black strain relief, in black. This means in the dark it is almost impossible to see – your best indication of which is left and right is to see where the microphone is (right side). it is something that can be ignored due to the microphone, but I would have liked a better indication of the left and right side, either by a right and left indicator written on the earphones themselves or the current writing in orange (or the selected theme colour).

Overall the build quality is a huge improvement on the old version – I really like what Fischer Audio have done and give them top marks. It isn’t quite perfect but it is almost there.

Now the overall look, comfort and isolation

Look:
The looks to me is a huge improvement as well – the looks are very nice and can be seen as fashionable, especially with its striking orange colour.
As said in the build quality section it is nice to see the theme colour throughout the earphone – from top to bottom you can see the orange theme and it’s nice to see. I also should state that the wire really does look cool and gives it a high-end earphone look, that can be found on certain earphones.

Isolation:
The isolation of the earphones is decent, although not perfect. Due to its construction you get passive noise cancellation, but you won’t get that increased isolation that you’ll find on bigger structured earphones. Furthermore, at the back of the earphone there’s a hole (which I presume is used for the soundstage and lows to be a little more open and prominent) – this however affects the isolation of the earphones.

Finally the comfort:
The earphones are quite comfortable, but as noted before they are heavier than the old consonance and thus means that they aren’t as comfortable as the older version of the Consonance. I do find that the comfort levels are absolutely fine, but they could be better if the earphones were lighter. In other words they are above average and actually quite pleasant to wear for long periods of time, but sometimes when I’m playing football with them on, I find them slipping out of my ear due to their weight, whereas with the older consonance that wouldn’t ever happen.

Sound Quality

The sound quality is something I was worried about, as with the new construction of the housing and the new revision, I thought the sound would be greatly effected, which would make me not like them as much as the older version. There is a difference in the sound quality of the new revision and the older one, and unfortunately I have to say I prefer the older version quite a bit more, mainly due to its mids and highs being just that little more prominent. What I found about the V2 was that it sounded a little muffled and “restricted” – I had to also increase the volume more than I did on the older volume, which could suggest there is a more demanding driver inside now.

Lows:
The lows are very similar to the first version of the Consonance, but this time I felt that there was that little bit more emphasis on the mid-bass than there was before. The sub-bass is identical, where it doesn’t quite extend fully but does an amazing job, especially when pushed and EQ’ed. Thus I feel the mid-bass has become louder, and I’m not sure if that’s the best of things, as the older version had the amount and level just perfect for its price range.

Mids/highs:
The mids and highs have both decreased in quality in my honest opinion. I feel that the mids have become even more recessed than they were before and thus made the earphones sound more V shaped than they did before. The highs are still very good, but feel as if they roll off just that little bit earlier than before. It isn’t that noticeable at first, but after A/Bing them against each other, I could definitely hear a difference.

Soundstage:
The soundstage on the other hand has improved and I think that’s linked to the metal construction of the earphones. The V2 model has better decay and positioning to it.

Sound Quality Ratings
Lows: 8.5/10
Mids: 7/10
Highs: 7.5/10
Soundstage: 8.5/10

Conclusions and final thoughts

Overall, I’m yet again impressed by Fischer Audio and especially the FA Consonance, I really like what they’ve done with this model, however I was a little disappointed to find slight audio differences and unfortunately negatively effected my experiences. Despite the original model having wire annoyances, they were easy to get over. The audio on the other hand from the V2 is hard to get over as that can’t be “fixed” or “helped” – it’s what you get and you cannot changed that, even with an EQ. I thus feel that Fischer Audio did a good job improving the other aspects of the earphones, but also changed the quite-incredible sound that the previous model had. I wish they had not changed the sound characteristics and just improved the overall build quality.
With that said, when the V1 gets discontinued, the V2 will still be one of my top recommendations. They’re excellent earphones and I really do like them, just not as much sonically as the V1.

Hope you enjoyed my review!
–TotallydubbedHD

Bullets 6mm – A cute yet powerful earphone

Sunday June 29th, 2014

Packaging & Accessories: 8/10

Build Quality: 9/10
Design & Look: 10/10
Microphonics (higher ratings means lower cable noise): 6/10
Isolation: 6/10
Comfort: 9/10
Audio Quality: 7/10
Value: 9.5/10
My final Rating: 8.5/10

Purchase Date: June 2014
Purchase Price: £37

First of all I would like to thank Sergey for sending me these out to review.
You can find out more information about the 6mm Bullet and purchase it on Fischer’s website.

I had previously reviewed the Fischer Audio Silver Bullet’s, which look very similar to these 6mm bullets (let alone having the same word in their title) – with that said, they were never a progression of the older bullets nor are they similar in any way, in almost every single aspect.

Packaging, accessories, box content, overall first impressions (look wise)

Packaging:
The packaging that is provided with the FA 6mm Bullet looks like something you could see on the shelves of high-street stores. Good job on the packaging from Fischer!

Accessories:
The contents of the package are decent, although not perfect. In the package you get the following:
-Earphones
-S, M, L silicone tips
-M dual flange tips
-Shirt clip
-Carrying pouch

The accessories to me feel a little mixed. It seems weird to not get more dual flange tips, when one size has already been included. With that said at its given price range the rest is great – especially the pouch which I really love for carrying around the earphones in.

Overall first impressions:
Overall I was impressed by the initial package it comes in and liked what I found within the package for its given price range.

Build Quality

The build quality of these earphones is absolutely spectacular. I really love it from top to bottom.
The earphones are terminated with a right angled gold plated 3.5mm jack and their wire is an extremely light and flexible wire.

The wire is especially nice as it doesn’t get tangled and has a nice “smooth” feel to it. It’s hard to describe and weird to bring up in an audio review, but the cable really feels nice in hand. With that said, it unfortunately has quite a bit of cable noise – and thus to eliminate this, you have to wear the earphones over-the-ear to eliminate it. As you do this, the splitter that is used to split the left and right channel comes further up your chest and unfortunately is a little high for my preference. Thus, it can be a little annoyance to some, but it is something I observed when wearing them.

Other than that, the earphones are very well built and it is especially seen by the construction of their housing. What I love about the housing is their “bullet” design – just like the FA Silver Bullets had – the looks are really well done. Furthermore, the left and right indicator is very well done, by a small ring around the earphones showing blue for left and red for right. A very small touch, but it makes a huge difference to a consumer – and being one of them I really love it. More products in the FA range and other earphones out there really need to have this small left and right colour touch to them, in order to make it easier for consumers to find which channel goes where.

I should also mention that the weight of the silver bullets is really light, meaning it is quite comfortable to wear!
overall, the build quality is superb, especially at its price range – really pleased!

Now the overall look, comfort and isolation

Look:
The looks are simply stunning to me – from the cable to the earphone’s housing themselves. Everything looks great and Fischer Audio have done an excellent job in this domain. I can’t quite emphasise how much I love them. I really did like the Silver Bullets, but the 6mm Bullets do a better job, in reproducing this “bullet” look.

Isolation:
Due to the size and nature of these earphones, the isolation is not that great. They have a small port on them (which I presume is for the bass and soundstage), and thus coupled with the physical size of the earphones, the 6mm Bullets aren’t that effecting at blocking out external noise.

Finally the comfort:
As these earphones are very small, they fit nice and snug in my ears. Alongside that, their overall weight as an earphone is very light. Thus the comfort levels are absolutely top! The only problem I had with it is the fact that I had to wear them over-the-ear to avoid microphonics and thus this mean that the splitter was further up my chest (just by my chin) – and thus why the 6mm bullets didn’t get a flying 10/10.

Sound Quality

The sound quality had a lot to live up to to the silver bullets and in fact to the other products in the FA line-up. The 6mm bullets were decent but nothing spectacular. Due to their size, they were, in my honest opinion limited to shine. Their soundstage was very narrow and the lows were very tame.

Lows:
The mid-bass was existent but not at all controlling. The sub-bass was also poor. Despite it trying, you could hear it stopping and cutting off the low-end frequencies after a certain extension in certain low-end pounding songs.
The bass is thus decent, but definitely not something I would shout about. The silver bullets to me really did pronounce a nice low-end, that not only had a good slam but also had an amazing extension. That’s the price you (6mm bullets) pay for looking fabulous!

Mids/highs:
The mids are its strongest point – the mids are not veiled nor really over emphasised. I really do feel the mids are excellent, especially at its price point.
The highs on the other hand were a little give or take – despite being good, you can hear them roll off. Furthermore, at times I felt that the earphones were a little too sibilant and that comes from over accentuated highs.

Soundstage:
The soundstage I feel is what let them down more than anything. However, this is due to the size of the housing and thus the driver itself. There’s been very few earphones that have a small housing that have actually been able to produce a nice soundstage. This model unfortauntely wasn’t one of those exclusive rare-to-find earphones. The soudnstage sounded muffled and more so, the separation of the instruments wasn’t great. It still is decent and above average for its size, but when compared to other earphones, notably the FA Silver Bullets, there’s a huge difference.

Sound Quality Ratings
Lows: 7/10
Mids: 8/10
Highs: 7.5/10
Soundstage: 6/10

Conclusions and final thoughts

Overall, I loved the small-factor design that the 6mm Bullets bring to the table. They’re an above average earphone to own and coupled with its design and looks, I would definitely recommend them to people looking for earphones that are small but yet very precise in their mids.

Hope you enjoyed my review!
–TotallydubbedHD

Enigma & Consonance (Czech version)

Wednesday September 26th, 2012

V oblasti audiotechniky máme zafixované země, které dokážou vyrábět kvalitu. Každý si představí německý Sennheiser, rakouský AKG, americký KOSS nebo některého japonského výrobce elektroniky. V posledních letech situaci zamotaly čínské firmy (např. VSonic), ale na mapě audia jsou stále velké bílé místa. Například takové Rusko si spojujeme hlavně se zlatými edicemi jinak rozumných výrobků pro tamní zbohatlíky.

Jednou z mála ruských firem, které dokázaly tento stereotyp prorazit, je právě Fischer Audio. Velmi populární je například model DBA-02, který je považován za slušnou konkurenci například pro VSonic GR07 – čili špičku. O “Fišeru” se však dá říci, že má pro každého něco; nabídka firmy obsahuje tucty a tucty sluchátek různých konstrukcí. Firma se příliš nedrží tradičních designových předloh a její sluchátka bývají často prazvláštní.

Jako první vzorek dnes máme dva modely sluchátek do uší (špunty) – Enigma a Consonance. Značka se už dostala i na český trh, tyto modely stojí 1 090 Kč, resp. 1 790 Kč, což je velmi populární cenová kategorie.

Consonance jsou v testu v šedé verzi, ale častěji se v prodeji setkáme s černou. Kromě toho si můžete koupit bílé a červené. Enigma je rovněž dostupná ve dvou verzích – v1 a v2. V testu je originální verze, která se zdá být s nástupcem prakticky totožná.

Fischer Audio Consonance a Enigma

Oba testované modely se dodávají v malé kartonové krabičce; přední strana se dá otevřít, čímž se odhalí průsvitné okno do obsahu. Příslušenství je v obou případech poměrně spartánské, ale dostatečné. K sluchátkům Enigma je přiložen textilní sáček a malý držák na náhradní špunty. Ten velmi nevyužijeme, protože dostaneme pouze základní páry nástavců ve třech velikostech. Model Consonance je obdařen sedmi páry nástavců různých tvarů včetně dvojitých a trojitých, nechybí tvrdé plastové pouzdro.

Enigma je už napohled levnější model. Jsou to velmi malá sluchátka vyrobená z tvrdého plastu, půlkulatý tvaru. Ačkoli pouze plastová, působí solidně, napohled bych tipoval, že jde o nějaký starší model s tlakovými měniči. Jako ozdoba slouží chromový proužek.

Odlišení kanálů je řešeno pouze červenou a modrou tečkou, což je v slabém osvětlení neviditelné a při delším nepoužívání to může mást. Zvukový výstup o průměru 4 mm (tzn. užší než obvykle) je chráněn filtrem. Od sluchátek pokračuje velmi kvalitní a pevný (no, i dost nepoddajný) gumový kabel až k masivní rozdvojce a na konci s masivním 90° konektorem. Celkově jsou sluchátka velmi kvalitně zpracované a měly by sloužit dlouho.

Consonance jsou na tom vyhotovením ještě o třídu lépe. Použitý plast je kvalitnější a plášť je dvouvrstvý, na vnější straně tentokrát najdeme malý otvor. Označení kanálů je tradiční L / R, ale pouze vyryté, takže stejně špatně čitelné. Zvukový výstup je tradičního průměru 5,5 mm, také chráněný kovovou mřížkou. Kabel tentokrát dostal podobu textilní šňůrky, což znamená absolutní pevnost. Konektor má formu 45 ° hokejky.

Po pár týdnech používání se začala z těl odírat barva, ale jinak jsou Consonance zpracovány robustně. Výrobce by si v obou případech jen mohl dát záležet na lepším označení kanálů a delší kabel by rovněž neškodil – při nošení za ušima a zároveň za krkem mi dosahoval sotva k opasku.

Menší jsou pohodlnější

V oblasti pohodlí jasně vyhrává Enigma. Drobná a lehká sluchátka dobře zapadnou i do jemných uší a to poměrně hluboko, přesto netlačí. Tvar a průměr je zkrátka zvolen velmi vhodně. Poměrně tvrdý kabel trochu překáží při nošení za ušima, ale je to jen otázka vhodného nasměrování. Každopádně kabel nevyrušuje mikrofonovým efektem, takže se špunty dají bez obav nosit i klasicky kabelem dolů. Izolace je na slušné úrovni, hudba se dá poslouchat bez rušení okolí, avšak ne za hranicí bezpečnosti. Běžný městský provoz budete vnímat.

Consonance jsou postaveny jinak a to se projevilo i na pohodlí. Tyto špunty asi nebudou vyhovovat každému. Jsou hrubé a s vystupujícími hranami, takže ucho si na ně musí zvyknout a i tak se pocitově nikdy úplně neztratí. Osobně jsem měl problém i s tím, že se mi ze sluchátek při vybírání stále svlékaly silikonové nástavce a zůstávaly v uchu. Špunty jsou zkrátka vhodnější pro širší ušní zvukovody.

Problém představuje i velmi silně „mikrofonový“ kabel, který do sluchátek pouští nepříjemné škrábání, nošení za ušima je tedy téměř nezbytnost. Při větru se rovněž třeba smířit s hvízdání, které slyšet již při jemném vánku. Na druhé straně jsou Consonance schopny velmi kvalitní izolace – z okolí propustí pouze velmi silné zvuky.Více na: http://avmania.e15.cz/fischer-audio-dva-sluchatkove-pozdravy-z-ruska-test/ch-3855#utm_medium=selfpromo&utm_source=avmania&utm_campaign=copylink

Fischer Audio DBA-02 MK2 – For detail lovers…

Tuesday June 5th, 2012

Earphones have increasingly been the focus of audiophile attention especially since the switch to balanced armature and the detailed control advantage over the more bass and sound stage orientated dynamic drivers. While dynamic is still the majority player in the earphone market particularly at the volume or mass consumption level due to the simplicity for the roll out, balanced armature is increasingly seen as the precision tool for audio reproduction for the more discerning listener. Once the domain of custom companies such as Unique Melody and JH Harvey, BA (balance armature) is now creeping into the mainstream with Westone, Sony and now Russian upstarts, Fischer Audio who have been making waves for great sounding headphones and earphones recently at pretty competitive prices.

Fischer Audio initially caught my eye with their recent roll out last year of the ’00’ series headphones number 001 – 3 and the very attractive wood editions that came along with the standard edition also. But it is in the earphone market that Fischer Audio have been making waves with good value and excellent performing earphones. The original DBA-02 (MK1) was very well received indeed and compared favorably with higher priced similar BA earphones from other more established manufacturers, in most particular, if memory serves right, the Westone UM3.

The package itself is very well presented and a suitable size for earphones without being overkill. The foam is a bit complicated on the inside but once you pry out the earphones and accessories you pretty much receive an excellent kit which builds on the success of the DBA-2 MK1 with a superior build quality, flat cables, a little touch of branding flair and some excellent ear clips to go along with a wide assortment of tips of which you got to be of the oddest ear size if one of them does not fit your ear comfortably. My ears settled on the flanges but your mileage may vary.

The earphones themselves are much more subdued in appearance than the older MK1 version with a plain black shell and flat cables. Some might find this a tad underwhelming but the build quality is excellent and they look very durable. The carry case is functional in the shape of the classic pill box with some nice branding touches but can be a tad tight when you have the earclips attached to the earphones and you simply want to pack them away in the case. There are some instances of microphonics with the cables but nothing that would distract me from the overall listening quality of the DBA-2 MK2 and even more so with the ear clips.

Comfort and Fit

With a wide range of tips including foamed foams, hybrids, silicone and flange types I am pretty sure you will get the right fit. I found the flange to be the surest fit and very comfortable whilst providing the best isolation. The driver units themselves are pretty light and unobtrusive with no stress points putting pressure on your ear like some large models. The earclip provides excellent support and fit very comfortably around the ear.

Technical specs:

Impedance 43 Ohm
Cable Length 1.3 m
Sensitivity 108dB
Accessories Hard case, clip, earguides, 3 pairs (S/M/L) of foamed sony hybrid clones, 2 pairs of sony hybrid clones (M/L), 3 pairs of silicone tips (S/M/L)
Frequency Range 20 – 24000 Hz
Drivers Closed Dual balanced armature

Sound Quality

Just for testing info we primarily used the DBA-02 MK2’s out of a Cowon X7 and the FiiO E17/E9 combo and yes we cheated a touch now and then with the EQ bass options up to 4 on the E17 and BBE Headphones option on the Cowon X7. What can I say I like to tweak now and then!

Right off the dual balanced armature give a fantastic edge in detail and attack with a forceful mid-range that takes center stage as the DBA-2 MK2 main calling card. The 2004 King Arthur OST from the aforementioned movie shone with excellent clarity and pace with zero sibilance in the top end. The sound stage is very impressive with a nice wide open and airy presentation that allow most of my tracks to breathe. Instrument separation is good without being too detached or feeling artificially placed.

Tonality wise the DBA-2 MK2 err’s more to the neutral/bright and cold side than dark or warm. The center stage of the mids really dictate the tonality with them being slightly to the bright side of neutral but not in any way piercing or fatiguing. I would suggest for lovers of vocals they might not be the strongest but for those who love to squeeze lots of detail out of their tracks or those with complicated listening collections the DBA-2 MK2’s are going to be very hard to beat. Guitar virtuoso lovers in particular should enjoy the dexterity in the dual BA ability to convey complicated solo passages such as Stevie Vai’s “For the Love of God” (1990) which is crisp clear and very involving.

The upper mids and treble reproduction on the DBA-02 MK2 is wonderful for a mid-range earphone in my opinion. Very fast attack, very articulate and balanced without being boring. The treble to mid range is fantastically involving and as mentioned before really the star of the show for these phones. Eric Johnson’s seminal 1989’s “Ah Via Musicom” – a classic album of amazing guitar chops sounded majestic and as clean as the day it was recorded with a superb airy sound stage that really is perfect for this nimble and subtle album.

Bass is tight and punchy but doesn’t reach as deep as say a hybrid or a dynamic driver can achieve but then I didn’t expect that on a dual BA. Upping the EQ on your DAP will compensate but dont expect huge extension and retrieval from the lowest end of any any bass heavy tracks. This earphone is all about speed and articulation and not ‘phat beats’.

Note: Careful with the positioning of these earphones with the flanges though. On initial insertion I was about to ask where did the bass go but a subtle move down brought the bass back into play quick time.

Summary

The DBA-2 MK2 is an earphone for detail freaks. For those who love extracting layer upon layer of instrumental glory, for those who enjoy every drop of a pin in their recordings then you can;t put a foot wrong with these earphones. For those who err to the side of warm organic and husky and place lot of emphasis on soothing vocals then the DBA-02 MK2 might struggle to lead from the front and there are other earphones more suited to the challenge. Careful with your positioning of the tips to ensure you extract the maximum bass potential and sit back and enjoy fast articulate and accurate treble reproduction that is incredibly balanced.

Eterna: the basshead’s quality earphone

Friday March 23rd, 2012

When In Manila and you seek for an earphone to accompany you date to day with both sub-woofer like impactful and deep bass that does not sacrifice much of the highs and mids of your music, then the first earphone that I can recommend you is non other than theFischer Audio Eterna. Fischer Audio is an audio brand hailing from Russia and currently has a distributor in the Philippines under Bluefish gadgets. The Fischer Audio brand has been around some time and they began to be known because of the Fischer Audio Eterna‘s impactful and deep bass while keeping ample clarity and detail.

Build/Packaging:

The Fischer Audio Eterna comes in a simple carton box with 5 pairs of earphone tips and a set of ear hooks. The Fischer Audio Eterna are meant to be worn over the ear, so if the cable kind of annoys you, you can option to have the ear hooks on the cables to keep them in place. The Fischer Audio Eterna also comes with a pouch with “Eterna” designed on to them.

Pretty neat!

On the build of the Fischer Audio Eterna, it is made entirely of plastic and weighs average. They are quite big though, so people with small ears might have to adjust wearing them. They have big driver housings which makes me assume that they might have a larger than normal drivers to give that monstrous impactful and deep bass. With the Fischer Audio Eterna‘s cables, nothing special but they are built to last. The Y splitter at the middle of the cable is built like a high-end headphone’s because of how well restrained and built it is. Nearly impossible to break the cable from the middle split for sure. The 3.5mm jack is also well done since it the cable restrain is hard rubber and not just an easily bendable cable restrain, it is same with the cable restrains on the earphone housings as well, the cable restrains along the end of the earphone is of hard rubber.

Pretty neat!

Sound quality:

I had the chance to use the Fischer Audio Eterna with not just my iPhone, iPod and amps since I recently received the hisoundaudio RoCoo P which is an amazing portable player made specifically for hifi listening due to it’s clean and powerful A class internals. Plugging the Fischer Audio Eterna to the iPhone of course normally showed the very impactful and deep bass that it has. It is very punchy and goes down very deep! It does bleed into the midrange, but heck, this is just plain bass fun! Although running theFischer Audio Eterna on the iPhone and iPod somehow gave the mids a veil that sounded like there was a cloth covering the mids, there was still ample clarity. Having the Fischer Audio Eterna paired with the RoCoo P gave it much much more quality and bass resolve. It’s as if, veil and cloth covering the mids had lessened and the highs were more refined. The bass had more power and were extending more in a 3D way than just hitting from the back. The overall bass of the Fischer Audio Eterna is sheer raw power. It is very punchy and the sub-bass goes down really deep and does rumble, and yet retains quality and does not go too muddy or distorted sounding. So if you’re looking for an earphone that has powerful bass and yet has good clarity and presentation, the Fischer Audio Eterna certainly packs the needed punch.

Read original version at When in Manila

Double Down!! Genesis and Golden Wasp Written by Kiler

Sunday September 11th, 2011

Introduction

To start this, I would like to greet David from Frogbeats for making this review possible. A great customer service, so be sure to check out their site.

Fischer Audio is known for their great Audio Eterna IEM, which managed to deliver a “full” sound without compromising much the rest of the spectrum. Today I will review two models from Fischer Audio: the Fischer Audio golden wasps and the Fischer Audio Genesis. Will any of these following alternatives be up to their predecessor?

As I said in my former reviews, my primary musical choices are electronic music, dance, drum and bass and some dubstep. I wanted very much to give a listen to the eternity as they are said to have a lot of bass without compromising much the rest. I love bass and I have it as a guilty pleasure, so bass-heavy headphones are never a problem for whenever I want to hear something more relaxed.

Description

“Fischer Audio Genesis

A fun sounding IEM with a massive bass response. Ergonomic fit and a strong textile cable make these some great and enjoyable earphones.”

“Fischer Audio Golden Wasp

No details have been missed to make this look like the name! A budget IEM from Fischer Audio that is punchy and fun sounding. It also looks absolutely brilliant! Bzzzz.”

Technical Data Genesis

Impedance 18 Ohm

Cable Lenght 1.2m

Sensitivity 104dB

Accessories 7 Silicone Ear Tips (S/M/L), Storage Case, Warranty Card

Frequency response 5 – 20,000 Hz

Driver 9mm dynamic driver

Golden Wasp

Impedance 16 Ohm

Cable Length 1.2m

Sensitivity 98dB

Accessories 3 Silicone Ear Tips (S/M/L), Storage Case, Warranty Card

Frequency Range 20 – 20,000 Hz

Driver 9mm dynamic driver

Packaging

Both packages display the same kind of approach when it comes to the design of the box. Both have a little window that allows to see the phones themselves and the carrying case. The window is stuck with some Velcro. Both packages have the same kind of design: one big vertical name display, along with the series name, the company logo and a picture of the IEM. On the side we also see the same kind of display when it comes to lettering: the name of the series, the name of the IEM and the company logo. On the back of the package we can find the specifications of both IEM. When the window is open, besides seeing the IEM, each side has a different print on each package. On the Genesis, we can see an image displaying the qualities of the IEM. On the Golden Wasp, we can see a definitively not naïve approach on the packaging, displaying a wasp and many “ZzZZZZzzZZZZZ”. Overall, both packages are very nicely concealed, displaying quality in their design.

Accessories

I’ll start by the accessories of the Audio Wasp, as they have less to say. As we open the box, we reveal a plastic tray, which contains the phones, the “carrying pouch” (which I’ve put in inverted commas because it really isn’t one, but more on that later) and 2 sets of tips along the ones already pre-installed. The carrying pouch isn’t really nothing, because I can’t really use it to storage the IEM, because it’s flat and the phones don’t fit in.

On the genesis packaging we can find 7 pairs of tips (5 pairs of which single flange, 1 pair of bi-flanges and 1 pair of tri-flanges), one carrying case and the phones themselves. The carrying case allows to storage the IEM along with 2 pairs of tips, cause you never know when you might want to change them. The case allows to wrap the cable around it, and the jack sits on the mid of the case between both casings.

Build Quality

On the Golden Wasp, the first thing I noticed is the plastic from which the housing is made of. It just doesn’t seem durable, being much like the plastic from really low end products, but of course we can’t expect any kind of perfect build quality for thecheap price of them. Going down, we can find very solid built stress reliefs on the housings, and a little lower we can find a sort of a braided cable, with a plastic feel to it. Nevertheless, it feels solid and a good cable that will take some abuse. On the Y-split, we can find a metal splitter with “wasp” printed on it. On the 90º angled jack we can find a very nicely conceived stress relief, alongside a gold plated plug.

On the Genesis, we can find chrome housings, along with some black plastic and the name Genesis printed on the housing. The cable is protected by cloth, which means it could handle some accidental pulls, while maintaining intact. Also this cable helps reducing the microphonics. On the back of the housing, we can find a “bass enhancing port”. On the y-splitter there’s a plastic slider, that allows to adjust the cable length. The splitter is made of plastic and has a nice stress relief. On the jack we can find an hockey stick shaped jack, also with a good stress relief, and a gold plated plug.

Overall I think that while the Genesis is well designed in what concerns to build quality, the Audio Wasp could have had a little bit more effort in the housings (at least they put a lot of effort in its stress reliefs). But of course, they’re different price range products, so it’s normal a little bit of differences.

Comfort/Isolation

On the comfort chapter, there isn’t much to be said about both. They are not the best performers in comfort due to their bulky size (specially the genesis), but they are not a problem either. Just make sure you got the right tips (for me on the genesis the included dual flange, and on the audio wasp, the large from SoundMAGIC), and you’re ready to go on a voyage with them. Unfortunately, neither of them is very comfortable while wearing over the ear (basically on the genesis you can’t), so you’ll probably end wearing them straight down. At least the genesis has an ergonomic fit for straight down use.

On isolation, neither of them provides a deep insertion, so the isolation you get from them is really average. But due to dual-flanges (in my case) and the ergonomic fit, the genesis wins in this chapter by a fair margin. The kind of sound signature of the genesis also helps in camouflaging the outside noise, but more on that later. With this being said we can resume that the Golden Wasps perform mediocrely on this chapter, and you should be looking somewhere else if looking for isolation. The Genesis perform very well in isolation and comfort, but you shouldn’t buy any of these if pure isolation and comfort is what you need. Also neither of them suffer much from microphonics, which is a relief as these are not the best to be worn over the ear (one of the ways to reduce microphonics).

Sound

Source – Rockboxed Sansa Clip +, laptop (LG R400), TMN A1 (Huawei Pulse)

Files Used – 256 to 320 kbps and FLAC

Both of these are IEM which I think gain a lot from burning them in. The Audio Wasp sounded “meh” and with not much detail, I thought Fischer had made a mistake. The Genesis sounded bloated, with bass jumping all over the place, and not so detailed highs.

Burn-in

My burn-in consists in pink noise along with a playlist that is composed of the songs I usually hear on my daily basis.

At first when you hear the Audio Wasp, you feel like “WTF? What is this? No musicality, no dinamics, no nothing”. The best word to describe them is “meh”. After burn-in they change dramatically. The bass gains punch, the mids become a little bit more forward, and the highs timidly appear.

On the lower end you can feel that these pack a punch, but nothing overwhelming. They manage to reproduce bass-lines quite well, just with the little bit lack of detail with more complex bass-lines (or some dubstep parts). The bass doesn’t bleed in to the midrange, and it does a competent job.

The mids are reproduced nicely, and are in the right place, where they should be. I think they are best suited to male voices rather than female, I feel that in certain songs, like the ones from Dido, where I think that the voice isn’t just the best, comparing to other IEM.

The highs are where these phones lack. The cymbals feel dry, not crispy, and with a lack of detail. Also they have a recessed present in comparison to the forwardness of the mids and bass.

Their soundstage is medium, the normal for an IEM, and the positional accuracy is fairly good as well. On an overall note, they feel right for the price, but they only compete within their price range, not like other budget IEM that managed to jump out of their price bracket.

Now to the pricier, but far more exciting (for me at least) genesis. When I first put these on, I tried the song from Flux Pavilion – “Bass Cannon”. My reaction was like “BASS,BASS,BASS, am I wearing full sized cans?”. The bass was completely overwhelming in comparison to other frequencies. So I let them burn…

After settling down, I have put them on again. Now I felt that they were tamed. The bass is now controlled and doesn’t bleed in all directions. The mids now come forward and the highs are crisp. But it is still a sound signature dominated by the lower end. Luckily to me, I like it that way.

The lower end, it’s not like it’s involved by a “blob” of bass. Instead the bass allows the overall sound to gain dynamic, to be felt. And also it’s not a boomy bass, where the bass has no definition. Here the bass has texture, and definition to it. It allows to involve the listener to an experience I though could be only achieved by headphones. I don’t know, as I don’t have listened to the Hippo VB, but from the reviews, I say it could be something like that.

As said before, the bass doesn’t bleed into mids, thus not altering it. The mids are nice and smooth sounding, with the voices blending into the “darkish” nature of the sound. Nothing really of much relevance, the voices sound like they should be, and with attention to detail. Of course these aren’t IEM focused on the mids, so you can’t appreciate them in all their greatness. But when they’re prompted to, they’re there, and this is always a plus, because this is where many bass-focused IEM fail.

On the higher end of the spectrum, the highs don’t let anyone down. The cymbals feel crisp, and are present when needed. They aren’t of course that much forward, but they’re not as recessed as the ones from the Audio Wasp. They feel right, and without that plasticky feel that many bass-focused IEM have.

Their soundstage is pretty good for a closed IEM and the positional accuracy is also fairly good aswell. Overall, they are my phones for when I feel that need to feel the bass. I should call them “my guilty pleasure IEM”. Of course, these aren’t for everyday listening (or are they?) if you feel fatigued from the bass, but if you need something that produces really good results from the bass department, here you have.

Conclusion

On what concerns to the Audio Wasp, I can’t really recommend them. I say, they’re still “meh” sounding, I mean they sound ok, natural with slight emphasis on bass, but I feel that is something that is lacking. And there is got to be something special with an IEM in this price range for it to be recommended, due to the abundance of exceptional price-to-performance products out there, like the ones from DUNU. So I’ll say, not really worth getting.

On the other hand the genesis… These headphones, as much as I like them, should be only acquired in 2 cases: for a first IEM to the bass-head or on the second case as a fun IEM to have along with others. I love them, but I think you can’t have only them, because you will almost certainly get fatigued of them. I mean, they have quality bass, good mids and highs, but still, they’re not for everyday use. They’re like that old cigar, that you keep stored for the perfect time. It pretty much resumes them. I love them and I keep them near me for whenever that bass feeling comes along, but I couldn’t keep it as a main. That being said, it’s a wonderful IEM for bass delivering what it promises: hard thrilling bass, it feels your ears with filth, and makes you like it. It’s on the top of my list for listening music with hard hitting bass. Of course you wouldn’t be hearing something delicate with these will you?

DBA-02 MKII in Review – Bittersweet

Tuesday March 29th, 2011

Fischer Audio have updated their best-selling DBA-02. And what an update it is. The DBA-02 MKII is a delightful earphone replete with comfort and an accessory kit that is the envy of the earphone world. How about its sound, you ask? I’ll be singing praises soon enough.

First, let’s yabber about WOWs.

Package and accessories
The first WOW for me came when I picked up the chunky DBA box. It’s cardboard, not plastic, but it’s not run-of-the-mill cardboard. In Star Wars terms, it’s a Corellian cruiser, not Princess Leia’s transport; or better yet, it’s an imperial Star Destroyer, but without the two weak testicles at the top. Depending on how bony your bum is, you can sit on box without crushing it. The importance here is twofold. First: it’s a great place to keep the myriad accessories. Second, when the audiophile gear buying urge gets you bad enough, you can even hide away an amp or two from your wife. Third (and most important): it is a breeze to open. I feel that I’ve not been tough enough on certain manufacturers. Some still insist on sealing their goods with hard, finger-cutting plastics that necessitate scissors, a medical degree, and the application of pressure and hurried calls to 911. Yes, I’ve actually bled after opening certain earphone boxes. Not with the DBA-02MKII.

Inside the box, you get a wonderfully small (and therefore practical) zippered carrying case. (It is semi-hard, and will keep your DBA-02 MKII safe and snug with enough room left for a backup pair of ear pieces, and have room enough left over for an iPod shuffle or Nano.) Then, there are dozens of ear pieces for you to play with. There are three sets of hybrid pieces – though, I should admit that calling them hybrid is unjust to true hybrids as they are merely silicon flanges with a bit of foam on the inside. Nevertheless, they fit well and isolate well. Then, there are triple flanges, transparent flanges, and still more: there are loads to choose from, and each one is comfortable. Finally, there are two ear-guides and a shirt clip to keep the DBA-02 MKII put.

Let’s start with the shirt clip.

What it’s all about, I don’t know. Why do I say this? For starters, it’s a bugger to get on the cable. I really want to fasten cable after the y-split, but no can do. And even when I get the bugger into position before the y split, it does almost nothing to keep the cable next to my body nor touch noise down. And I’m no fool. I graduated from York University (the audience roars with laughter). With a degree in English literature (they gasp for air, hammering their sides).

It was an honours degree. (Someone in the second row falls over from cardiac arrest.)

I’ll preface the next section merely by saying: the shirt clip is the first strike against the DBA-02 MKII’s ergonomics. It isn’t the last.

Build quality and cable
The DBA-02 MKII is well made. It’s housing is tough, comfortable, and compact. It won’t unnecessarily weigh down the cable, or easily snag on loose clothing. The plug is nicely relieved. It is either melted to the cable or stuck there with adhesive, reinforcing internal contacts. It is not, however, L-shaped, meaning it will be under more stress, particularly if you use it with a portable player. L-shaped plugs withstand drops and pressure much better. That said, my CK10, which I consider the best-made earphone in the world, has straight cable. It is still going strong after years of combined usage. All that is to say: the DBA-02 MKII is well made, certainly in its price range.

But the cable is rectangular, not round.

Yay, so it doesn’t tangle as badly as some other designs. Yay, flat cables generally are stronger singular products than round or twisted cables. Yay. And, it’s in style. Hell, even Final Audio use flat cables on their excellent FI-BA-SB earphone. Yay Bob. Flat cables by nature stress their internal wires more because weight isn’t evenly distributed. Wires on the outside of cable tend to get stretched more than inside wires do. That leads to shorts. I’ve seen it with the a-Jays FOUR, and Monster Beats Tour.

That said, the DBA-02 MKII cable is better than those two. It is more snug, and better relieved than either. I expect it to last much longer, too, but I don’t think it belongs in a flagship product.

Fit
Praises ahoy. At least as far as comfort goes. The tiny size of the DBA-02 MKII is a wonder-worker for both small and large ears alike. It is supremely comfortable. The DBA will fit into any ear, you’ve got my York University Honours degree on it…

The ear pieces are excellent and come in so many sizes that at least one is bound to fit perfectly in your ears. Even so, I take advantage of the small sound tube to fitfitting SHURE Olive hybrid foams or Comply tips that I use on theWestone 4.

My opinion sours, however, as the cable fits into the equation. Square are buggers to use.

Let me illustrate. The logo on the DBA suggests it is meant to be worn with the cable over the ear. Great. Most good earphones are made to be worn in the same way because it keeps the earphones in the ear, relieving stress from the earphone and cable connection, and thus eliminating grand portions of touch noise. However, if you are to wear the cable over the ear, you necessarily need a cable cinch to keep the cables from flapping all over. The DBA lacks one. Big omission. The combination of ear guides and shirt clip are not enough. The ear guides do not work well if you have glasses, and even without, may not keep the earphones in your ears anyway. As stated earlier, the shirt clip requires a master’s degree to operate.

In the end, I gave up wearing the cable over the ear. Even twirling the cable around itself didn’t work to keep the earphones in. Good news, though, wearing the DBA down is easy, and comfortable. Thread the cable through your shirt and Bob’s your uncle. He’s a loud one though, as that cable transfers a lot of touch noise to the ears no matter how careful you are.

Sound
Here’s where we get back to the WOWs. In 2010, I called Earsonics’ SM3 a Star Child. It still is. The DBA-02 MKII may well be another one. Its overall voice is similar, though more tipped to the treble and upper mids. In a similar vein, it is smooth, mostly flat, and detailed. Some people find the DBA-02 MKII to be extremely detailed. I don’t. Any more detailed and the DBA would fall flatly into the categorical demon, “analytical”. It isn’t though, and instead, allows for a smoothly detailed high range that is open well into the mid range. Lovely.

One thing iPod and iPhone users will notice instantly is that they don’t need much volume to hit very loud listening levels. The DBA is quite sensitive even at its middling sensitivity rating of 108dB. If you are careful with your ears, old records need just a minor volume bump to a third on iPhone 4‘s volume slider. Volume war records of the last twenty years need much much less. Because of this, you may be able to pick out background noise even from very clean sources like Apple’s new iDevices and high end headphone amplifiers. Fischer balance this sensitivity with a relatively thick-skinned 43 ohms, which is great for most portable sources. It allows players with high output impedances to retain resolution even in passages where low can disappear.

And works it does.

As long as you are not a basshead, the DBA-02 MKII will bring a smile to your face. The signal certainly does reach low, but does so with prejudice. Marcus Schultz’ Mainstage won’t roar in the background as it does when powered by lower voiced earphones like the Victor FX500 or my personal favourite, theRadius, but its overall balance is better. Low notes are round, firm, and decay in perfect time. In my opinion, they trump my favourite CK10 by their more natural timbre.

With a good fit, I can listen to the DBA for hours with no fatigue. That isn’t to say that this earphone isn’t detailed. You will hear details like a Madeleine Peyroux’s tongue click against her palettes and though you won’t be able to sense the shape of the guitar player’s thumb, there are loads of moments that can only be described as pornographic. Fortunately, they are soft porn. If you expect Etymotic exactness, you needn’t look here.

To some, this will be a blessing, to others, it will be a curse. Earlier, I compared the DBA to the Earsonics SM3. I promise you, it wasn’t ingenuous. Fischer’s flagship earphone is cooler sounding than the SM3, emphasising upper mids more than bass, but it is equally as smooth within a different metric. That is, bass and mids flow together perfectly, better than almost any earphone I’ve heard at any price.

(The biggest audio quality caveat with the DBA, however, is fit. In order for midrange detail and clarity to be milky and sweet, perfect fit is imperative. I found that pushing the stock ear tips in too far caused the midrange to be harsh, tinny; long term listening became uncomfortable. For my ears, the DBA sounds better with a shallow fit, or with Shure Olive ear pieces. Your mileage may vary.)

Getting on, high frequencies: cymbals in particular, decay quickly, and shimmer just enough. High frequencies are less grating than those of direct competitors, again trumping my beloved CK10. I think the dime will fall to heads for some, and tails for others, as even this great balance will for some be too bright. Again, I fall into the category of worshippers of this sound.

You may or may not fall into that group. Remember, thought the low-mid frequency transition is extremely smooth, high mids to ultra high frequencies are aggressive. If you don’t like bright earphones, you probably won’t love the DBA-02 MKII. If you do, however, you will find lots to love. Lots.

Fischer claim that the DBA-02 MKII reaches 24.000kHz. I don’t doubt that it can reach that high, but not without a LOT of fall off well before that mark. Obviously my ears aren’t sensitive to those levels, but they do a good job of categorising various earphones. To these ears, there appears to be less overall sound pressure in the extreme high frequencies than some of my other favourites.

And that is a good thing.

In summary, the DBA-02 MKII is a smooth sounding earphone aimed at midrange detail. Lows and highs are plentiful, but neither forefront. With good fit, you can enjoy wonderful vocals, strings, and percussion with the DBA-02 MKII. For trance listeners, there is good enough space and soundstage to keep you thumping in that imaginary universe, but not enough to cause you to get lost. Rockers, the wonderful transition between bass and mids is wonderful, with the promise of fast, pleasant cymbal decay. I cannot really recommend the DBA-02 MKII for hip hop lovers, however, as bass simply isn’t duffy enough. There is no driver wobble; too much kilter, really.

Out and about
With a long cable and great carrying case, the DBA-02 MKII should be the perfect walking/trekking/commuting earphone. But unless you can quiet the cable down, I guarantee you will be annoyed by its energy and touch noise. Still, the overall combination is good, and with the right tips, you can really push background noise out of your music. Again, Shure Olives are great for this.

Conclusion
What more can I say? Fischer have upgraded an instant classic. They have nearly perfected an already wonderful earphone. For listeners who love details but shy away from the sometimes screechy Etymotic ER4 and CK10, this is the earphone for you. It is smoother and more natural in its transitions from bass all the way to highs than the almighty SM3. Wow. But this level of natural perfection doesn’t come without its own set of caveats. Nope. You’ll have to put up with a rectangular cable that only a mother, or, judging by the sudden onslaught of such cables, hip music lovers who’ve never had anything better, could love. For me, it’s a bittersweet romance, and one good enough for a warm grab, though honestly, I’m dying for a kiss.