The Russians Are Coming

Fischer Audio FA-002W Master Series High Edition Headphones

Fischer Audio is a relatively new European headphone manufacturer whose performance aspirations are high, but whose products are not yet well known in the U.S. Judging by the sample of the firm’s flagship Master-Series FA-002W High Edition headphone ($395) reviewed here, however, Fischer is a name that headphone enthusiasts will want to get to know, and for all the right reasons. But first, some background is in order.

The Fischer Audio web site (www.fischeraudio.com) says only that the firm “was born when the expertise of four professionals decided to join forces.” As best we can tell, at least one of those professionals was German, as the official name of the firm is—in traditional German style—Fischer Audio, GmbH. However, it is also apparent that the firm has roots (and, it would seem, manufacturing headquarters) in Russia, since our review sample ‘phones shipped from an office in St. Petersburg in the Russian Federation. Accordingly, documentation for the FA-002W headphones came printed in Russian (complete with the obligator Cyrillic alphabet) and in English.

As you might expect, you can see both German and Russian influences in the FA-002W ‘phones, which offer both a clear, precise sound and a certain fineness of fit and finish that reminded me of upper-tier designs from German firms such as Beyerdynamic and Sennheiser, yet also exude wonderfully Russian qualities of soulfulness and strength. Indeed, the overall vibe of the Fischers reminded me of some of the rugged yet elegant and sophisticated Russian submariner’s wristwatches I’ve admired in the past. When you first lift the FA-002W’s from their padded travel case, then, you can’t help but feel that you’re holding headphones of substance whose beauty runs more than skin deep (there is nothing flimsy or cheaply-built in this product).

The FA-002W is a closed-back headphone whose ear cups are precisely machined from exotic hardwoods (several options are available) and that offers high sensitivity (105dB) and presents–in the special High Edition model–a medium-to-high impedance load (200 Ohms). Fischer also offers a lower impedance version of the FA-002W plus an open-back version called the FA-002, but for now we will focus on the closed-back High Edition model. As you’ll see in a moment, the FA-002W High Edition makes an impressive entry in this keenly contested market segment.

FEATURES

• Closed-back design: The FA-002W is a closed-back design featuring precisely machined hardwood ear cups. According to Fischer 23 different wood options are possible, many of which will be offered in the USA, including Rosewood, Zebrawood, Snakewood, Bubinga, Karelian Birch, Paduk, and more. Our samples came in a lovely dark red hardwood called Amaranth.

• Headband/Frame: The adjustable headband of the FA-002W features what appears to be a beefy spring-steel top strap that fastens via robust mounting brackets to articulated, molded thermoplastic ear cup “arms,” which are finished in gloss metallic gray. The only potential drawback I could see was these arms allow the ear cups to swivel vertically, but not from side-to-side. As mentioned above, the headphone looks and feels sturdy and very well built, as if meant to stand up to years of use.

• Leather Padding in All the Right Places: The top strap of the FA-002W features a nicely made leather pad whose inner surface features a fabric liner that gently caresses the top of your head. The ear cups, in turn, feature soft, thick, leather-covered ear pads that are extremely comfortable to wear and that achieve a much better than usual degree of isolation from external noises. The only price to pay for this sense of isolation, however, is that clamping pressures with this headphone are higher than many others in its class—though not to a degree that I personally found at all uncomfortable. So, let’s simply say the fit is “snug.” Our review samples came with an alternative set of fabric-covered ear pads, recognizing that some prefer the feel of fabric to leather.

• Signal cables/connectors: Fischer provides a detachable, 3.5-meter “Y-shaped signal cable. The cable features a gold-plated 3.5mm plug and a threaded ¼-inch phone plug adapter, also gold-plated.

• Case: The FA-002W comes with a heavily padded, canvas-covered travel case. How sturdy is it? Let’s just put it this way: The Fischer headphones shipped in this case, with no outer box whatsoever, within a thin, plastic Russian Federation postal pouch, and made it all the way from St. Petersburg, Russia to Austin, TX without the slightest hint of damage.

• Warranty: Never let it be said that the Russians and/or Germans lack a sense of humor. On the Fischer Warranty card, the company includes a brief list of types of product failure not covered by the warranty, including these:

“…circumstances out of the control of Fischer Audio, including, with out limitation, fires, storms, earthquakes, floods, stupidity or maniacal stubbornness. Failure caused by the acts of God, fall of asteroid, Martian attacks, hungry piranhas and/or swallowing by Ravenous Bugblatter Beasts of Traal, is covered by Fischer Audio if such accident has been proven.”

Hey, you can’t make this stuff up.

SONIC CHARACTER

One of the things I learned early on is that the “characteristic sound” of the FA-002W tends to be somewhat more amplifier-dependent than is the case with some other headphones in its price class. On paper, nothing would suggest that the Fischers are difficult to drive, though their impedance rating of the High Edition model is higher than some, but in practice they worked significantly better with some amplifiers than others, meaning it will be worth your while to spend time finding a good match. Two specific amplifier recommendations would be the Burson Audio HA-160 and HiFiMAN EF-5, both of which gave great results with the Fischer headphones.

Heard at their best, the FA-002W’s turn out to be one of the most impressive offerings in the sub-$700 price class. Here’s why. For starters, the Fischers give you everything you would expect from a fine closed-back design, such as very effective noise isolation and taut, deep, well-controlled bass. At the same time, however, the Fischer’s somehow manage to produce the sort of vibrant, transparent, and dynamically free-flowing sound that many listeners associate with today’s better open-back designs. If you’ve bought in to the myth that closed-back ‘phones invariably sound a bit compressed and overly tightly constrained, the Fischers will quickly make you change your mind, in part because their sound is remarkably open and fine-grained—especially so in light of their less-than-stratospheric price.

Highlights include terrific purity of timbres and some of the finest resolution we’ve heard from any dynamic driver-based (as opposed to planar magnetic driver-equipped) headphone in this class. These qualities are further underscored, as you might expect, by the very quiet listening backgrounds these closed-back ‘phones provide. Frequency response is very smooth, though I think some listeners might perceive the FA-002W’s overall tonal balance to be tipped just slightly to the warmer (or “darker”) end of the audio spectrum. This perception is influenced by the fact that—if you choose your amplifier carefully—the Fischer’s’ bass will be quite deeply extended and powerful, though never loose sounding or under-damped. Similarly, the headphones’ highs are, or at least can be with the right amplifier, pleasantly extended yet almost eerily smooth. Listeners who equate faint traces of treble edginess with “accurate highs” may mistake the Fischer’s’ smoothness for treble rolloff, which I think is not the case.

One point I would like to emphasize is that the FA-002W’s midrange presentation is remarkably energetic, dynamically expressive, and alive. I believe this is partly attributable to the headphone’s midrange transient speed, which is excellent, but also attributable to the apparent ease with which the headphone delivers “energy on demand” when high-powered transient sounds come along. Two good examples might be the almost volcanic eruptions of sound that occur, say, when a snare drum is struck forcefully or an electric guitar is plucked vigorously. Under such circumstances, the Fischers speak with real authority and punch, making some competitors sound almost “choked” by comparison. Some might feel, in fact, that the Fischer’s’ transient response can be—especially in the midrange—a little overwrought at times (though I find this problem arises only when using amplifiers that are inadequate to drive the FA-002W in the first place). Even so, the power and force with which midrange transients ramp up in energy can be a little unnerving at first—though I personally feel this is also a quality that helps make the Fischers consistently expressive and enjoyable over the long haul.

Put all of these qualities together and you have what we regard as one of the most compelling mid-priced headphones we have heard in a long time.

MUSICAL EXAMPLES

We could probably cite dozens of examples to illustrate the sonic qualities we sketched above, but in hopes of being concise we’ll limit ourselves to just two.

To hear both the subtlety and sheer power of the FA-002W on display at the same time, play “Tin Pan Alley” from Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Couldn’t Stand The Weather [Sony Legacy]. On this track Vaughan’s famous backing band Double Trouble provides percussion work that is at once subtle and delicate, yet high in impact, plus rock-solid low-frequency bass guitar support. But most of all, you’ll hear the full range of both Stevie Ray Vaughan’s voice and his famous Fender Stratocaster guitar, which has perhaps never been captured more powerfully or eloquently than on this track.

Listen carefully to the way the Fischer’s handle the sound of the drum kit, and you’ll be floored by how distinctively they present (and effortlessly they differentiate) the voices of each individual drum and cymbal. Where some headphones leave you somewhat in the dark as to how players are managing the dynamics of their instruments, the FA-002W’s show you exactly what is going on. On the bass guitar, the Fischers reveal both the instrument’s sheer depth and weight, while also showing you bassist Tommy Shannon’s deft touch and timing on the fingerboard, which means the right supporting notes always appear at precisely the right moments and with just the right level of emphasis (or de-emphasis, as the situation warrants).

But it is Stevie Ray’s Stratocaster that steals the show, in part because the Fischers are able to show how the instrument can—in the master blues man’s hands—speak with soft, almost subliminal runs of notes and trills at one moment, and then turn on a dime to fairly explode with fierce outbursts of sound in the next moment. In it’s ability to capture stark dynamic contrasts like these, the FA-002W High Edition reminds more than a little of the sound of today’s superb planar magnetic headphones, which are real champs in this area. Sure, most headphones manage to get louder when electric guitars are cranked up, but they don’t always capture the explosive rise in energy and acoustic power as immediately or as effectively as the Fischers do. Given the veritable guitarist’s “master class” that Stevie Ray Vaughan put on in this track, its almost inevitable to fall under the Fischer’s’ spell, so that even if you plan to listen to “Tin Pan Alley” for just a few minutes, you may wind up listening to it from end to end, simply because the sound is addictive and compelling.

Next, let me reference another audiophile favorite that showcases many of the FA-002W’s strengths: namely, the jazz standard “Bye Bye Blackbird” from Patricia Barber’s Nightclub[Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, SACD]. This is a track that, admittedly, tends to sound very good on most headphones, but what the Fischer’s made be realize all over again is how very intimate and realistic the MFSL/SACD version of this record really is. Literally everything about this recording is not merely good (or even very good), but downright great—as the FA-002W helps you realize. If you listen carefully, which the Fischers certainly invite you to do, you’ll hear distinct variations in touch as Barber’s fingers work across the piano keyboard, subtle variations in finger pressure, attack, and release as Marc Johnson works his magic over the fingerboard of his acoustic bass, and the sure, deft, precise and yet expressive feel that percussionist Adam Nussbaum supplies as he crafts the rhythms that drive the song forward. My point, here, is that you don’t just hear instruments at play, per se, but rather hear the ultra-subtle sonic cues that let you know these performers are listening intently to one another and responding accordingly—together creating a group sound that is greater than the sum of its parts. It takes a very fine headphone to let you hear this kind of group expression, craftsmanship and communication, and it is one of the things separates truly fine headphones from merely good ones.

Most of all, though, listen to the way the Fischers capture the intricacies of phrasing, articulation, enunciation, and tone that Barber brings to her vocal lines in this song. Like many writers, I suppose, I’ve sometimes used the words “smoky” or “sultry” to describe Barber’s voice, but the Fischer’s invite you to make finer distinctions than that—revealing delicate shades of tonality that show why, where, and how Barber shapes her vocals to convey those qualities of “smokiness” or “sultriness.” All of this is perhaps a roundabout way of saying that the Fischer ‘phones have sufficient resolving power and finesse to take you deep within the innermost recesses of recordings to see what really makes the music tick.

CONCLUSION

Consider this headphone if: you want a mid-priced, high performance, closed-back headphone that combines the best sonic elements of both closed-back and open-back designs. Consider this headphone if you like the idea of a headphone that is for the most part accurate, yet never sterile-sounding or overly tightly constrained. This headphone offers extremely good resolution and fine-grained sound for the money, and is—or with the right amp can be—extremely dynamically expressive. In short, one of the best mid-priced high-end ‘phones we’ve heard in a long time.

Look further if: you want a relatively light headphone; the FA-002W is comfortable, but a little too hefty for some tastes. Also look further if you aren’t prepared to match this headphone with an amp that can do it justice (the FA-002W tends to sound a bit thin, edgy and somewhat midrange-forward when driven by inadequate amps). Finally, look elsewhere if you prefer to stick with familiar and time-tested brands; Fischer is a comparatively “new kid on the block,” though one we think you’ll want to know better.

Ratings (relative to comparably priced headphones)

Tonal Balance: 9.5 (somewhat amplifier dependent)
Clarity: 9.5
Dynamics: 10
Comfort/Fit: 10
Sensitivity: 9.5 (but even so, the FA-002W is amplifier sensitive)
Noise Isolation: 9.5
Value: 9.5-10 (though only time will tell if Fischer products deliver the kind of unit-to-unit consistency and quality that are expected in this class)

BOTTOM LINE

The Fischer FA-002W is a wonderful debut product, and one that has immediately become one of our favorite dynamic driver-equipped designs in this price class.

We hadn’t received the FA-002W at the time we prepared Playback’s recent Editors’ Choice listings for headphones, but if we had it would certainly have won a place on our “Headphones Priced Between $250-$699” list. They’re that good.

SPECS & PRICING

Fischer Audio Master Series FA-002W Headphone
Frequency Response: 11Hz – 27kHz
Drivers: Details not specified
Sensitivity: 105dB (no reference power level specified)
Impedance: 200 Ohms
Weight: Not specified.
Warranty: One year, parts and labor.

Packaging & Accessories: 10/10
Build Quality: 10/10
Design & Look: 9/10
Isolation: 9/10
Comfort: 5/10
Audio Quality: 8/10
Value: 8/10
My final Rating: 8/10

Purchase Date: July 2012
Purchase Price: £245

First of all I would like to thank the lovely Tanya, from Fischer Audio for sending me out the FA-002W Master Series High Edition Headphones!
Before getting into the review I would like to say that Fischer Audio was to me, an unknown, but yet a very established brand in Asia. Thus it came to my delight when I found these earphones being listed around the EU a little more; For example, the FA-002W’s can be bought from Top Dog Headphones, who are also an authorised dealer!

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

For my initial impressions and unboxing video – Click here

Packaging:
The packaging of the FA-002W’s was very nice and it doubled up as a carrying case. The case itself is very good indeed, as it has an inner foam material protecting the headphones. The case also is quite handy to have as it also can be carried around, due to the inclusion of a little strap that allows you to carry the case with you.

Accessories:
The accessories that come with the headphones are just right. As the headphones are made to be used indoors, due to the long cable, and the quite bulky size of them, it wouldn’t make sense to have a carrying pouch. Thus the case is great for storing the headphones at home, and protecting them. There is also included a 1/4 to 3.5mm adapter, and a pair of extra pads (more on the pads later). Finally there is the warranty and manual included too.

Overall first impressions:
Overall, my first impressions of the headphones were very good, especially with the look and finish of the headphones themselves. I quite liked the carrying case too, as it proved to come in very handy when storing the headphones at home, and more so carrying it outside the house.

Build Quality

The build quality of the FA-002W’s is incredible. These headphones are really built to last, as the whole construction of the headband assembly feels sturdy and more so not flimsy like the Denon AH-D2000’s that I own.

The removable cable is also a very nice feature of the headphones, as this allows the users to play around with cable size. The left and right indicator of both the wire and the headphones is clearly marked with blue and red colours respectively.

The wire itself is very long, but well built and well terminated with a 3.5mm, gold plated jack, and as said above, finished with colour coded sides.

The headband itself, apart from being sturdy is actually also very much comfortable, with nice leather padding situated at the top of the headband, and the inner lining (where it sits on your head) made out of a soft and stretchable material.

The assembly of the headphones is made out of a plastic material, that seems to be protected with a rubber-esk material. Which means that it provides a nice surface and good finish to the product. There is also left and right indicators “painted” on the side of the headphones, which makes it very easy to distinguish left from right.

I also found the adjustment of the headphones very well done, with markings indicating how much they had been opened. This is ideal and great for adjusting the headphones to your head.

Another thing to look at is the ear pads. The ear pads are interchangeable, and are done so very easily by simply twisting the ear pad and removing the ear pad with its plastic ring from the headphone’s driver. To change ear pads, it is very much easy to do so by carefully removing the plastic ring and applying it to the new set of ear pads.

Last but not least, the build quality of the wooden cups themselves, is immaculate. Here we can see the beautiful workmanship of Fischer Audio coming into play. The wooden cups are well made and very nicely engraved with the Fisher Audio logo and information of the headphones.

Overall the build quality is one of the best headphones I have had, or even in comparison to some I have tried. The build quality has a lot going for it, and should really be admired for the overall attention to detail that FA has put in.

Now the overall look, comfort and isolation

Look:
The look of the headphones, on their own is very beautiful. They look as my mother said: “for a professional executive, who has a strong passion for audio”. The wooden finish gives these headphones a look of master-class. The overall finish as well makes these headphones look quite elegant and classy.

It should be noted however that these headphones are huge on one’s head. They really do stick out, and you can see why these are made for indoors use.

Isolation:
The isolation of the headphones is very good too. This is mainly because of the quite strong clamp, making the headphones stick to your head. Also due to the fact that these are close-back cans, it means that there is little to no music that is leaked or entered. I felt these are one of the best passive noise cancelling headphones I have tried.

Finally the comfort:
The comfort is something that really annoyed me. Due to the size of the headphones, and its ear pads, it means that the overall clamp on your head is quite substantial. I felt uncomfortable wearing these for over 1hr due to that very reason. More so, with glasses it becomes even more apparent of the strong clamp. After 2hrs of listening to these with glasses on, I had a terrible pain above my ear, due to the ear pads pushing against my head, where my glasses were situated.
I gather this does depend from head to head, as all head sizes are different, however for me, I found these vastly uncomfortable, especially seeing as these are made to be used for long period of time (as they aren’t made for portability, but for indoor use. Thus meaning you should be using them on your head whilst being indoors, and that often means using them for several hours).

The pads themselves however are comfortable. I would strongly suggest using the leather-esk pads, as they don’t irritate you for long periods of listening. However, I did find the velvet-esk pads to be more comfortable regarding the clamping force. So it really was a hit and miss of which pad to use.

Overall, the comfort for me was the biggest let down of the headphones. They weren’t comfortable to wear, and I was even “forced” to use the velvet-esk pads instead of the leather-esk ones, simply because they were a slight bit softer on my head.

Sound Quality

The sound quality of the FA-002W’s is quite intriguing. I found them to be very much source and amp dependant, in other words, pairing this up with something not strong enough to drive them, would lead you to wanting more for the headphones, and putting this to an amp that’s not “made” for it, would lead to a very unnatural sound reproduction.
Thus these headphones were very picky, but when sourced and amped correctly, these shined. That said, the sound signature was very open, mainly due to the soundstage feeling very deep (due to the wooden cups). The FA’s were also quite sibilant with an emphasis on the mids and highs. Meaning at times the headphones were actually unbearable to listen to, and also very hard to tell if the reproduction of sound was accurate. I also felt that the lows were completely missing – it felt as if they had no bass, and literally no sub-bass, almost reminiscent to the DBA02-MKII’s

Lows:
The lows on the FA-002W’s I felt was the weakest factor of the sound quality. I felt there was no real punch or detail to the bass: The sub-bass is non-existent, and I felt that the extension of the lows wasn’t very well pronounced. The mid-bass is a little more present, however its extremely faint, and not really worth mentioning. I feel the emphasis of bass wasn’t on FA’s list, which I’m sure some people, like the mid-centric folk will prefer.

Mids/highs: 
The mids and highs are very much accurate, however at times I felt that the highs were a bit too sibilant and the mids were a little bit too accentuated in their reproduction. Thus at times, with different amps/sources, it felt as if the sound wasn’t natural, and sometimes even unbearable to listen to. It is a point to bear in mind, however not a point to critisize, as when paired perfectly with the right things, the FA-002W’s becomes very much enjoyable and extremely accurate to listen to.

Soundstage:
The soundstage I felt was very deep, and sounded vast. I quite enjoyed listening to these, however at times it felt the sound was too far from my ear. That said, the soundstage is overall very well presented and very much enjoyable. The onyl reason I dropped 0.5 in its rating was the fact that it felt a little too deep at times, unlike open-back headphones which sound very open.

Sound Quality Ratings
Lows: 5.5/10
Mids: 9/10
Highs: 9/10
Soundstage: 9.5/10

Conclusions and final thoughts

Overall, I couldn’t give these headphones more than a 8/10 overall rating, despite them being very accurate in the mids and highs. This is because they were so source and amp dependant that most would give up and end up returning the headphones. If you are one of those that has managed to properly pair it with an amp or source that works for you, then congratulations. I felt I could match these to my setup, such as with the EPH-O2D, however felt at times it wasn’t that perfect, and enjoyable in comparison to my Denon AH-D2000’s for example.

I did want to run this through different setups and make other people try it, and after letting other people listen to the FA-002W’s they had the same perception as me regarding the source and amp selection, and more so with the sound quality factors of these headphones. I’m glad I wasn’t the only one to think that. I also had the chance to run this through some very expensive headphone amps, and found them to be much better detailed and overall sounding in comparison to your “average” amp and source.

The value for money is there on these headphones, especially with the whole package in mind. I would like to have seen FA concentrate on making these a little more generic and not super specialised in their reproduction.

Hope you enjoyed my review!
–TotallydubbedHD

****NOTE***

These are my opinions. Please take them as such.

These are strictly subjective impressions based

upon careful and critical listening over an

extended period of time. YMMV.

***NOTE***

 SPEC’S:

• › Frequency range: 11-27000 Hz
• › Sensitivity: 105 dB
• › Impedance: 200 Om
• › Length of a cable: 3.0 M
• › Color: Cherry Wood/black
• › Etc: additional velour cushions, 6.3mm screw-on jack adapter, 003 cups, carrying case

 EQUIPMENT USED ON THIS REVIEW:

• Please see my profile for a list of some of the equipment I own.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Where to start!? The Good? The Bad? The Beautiful? Let’s go in reverse…

 THE BEAUTIFUL

These headphones are gorgeous. The craftsmanship in the cups is flawless and no matter how many pictures I take…it doesn’t do it justice.

The laser engraving is also skillfully done. The cursive type of “High Edition” looks beautiful, elegant and flawless. Even the guys from Audeze were impressed by the wood and engraving.

These headphones are an absolutely beauty…remaining light and comfortable at the same time.

THE BAD

BAD…from Fischer Audio?!…YES!

The FA-002W High Edition is a picky bastard! They are very picky in regards to amp matching. These are not like the regular 003’s or 002w’s in that they will sound good out of most any amp or even some portable players. No. These can sound just awful out of certain amps and downright painful on others. These did not sound good straight out of my portable players. These did not sound good with my EMU-0404 and they did not sound good with most of the neutral amps I have. They sounded bass light, mids slightly peaky and bright but not shrill. Never has a Fischer Audio headphone sounded this bad out of my amps. Why, they sound almost as bad with my amps as the HD-800 did with them…hmmm.

THE GOOD

The only decent sound I got from these was with my Heed CanAmp which is tube like in its sound quality. Even then…it was decent. Hmmm….time to find some tube amps….(a few days go by…the magic of reviews…ahh some good tube amps…wait…So. Cal. Meet!!…..Eddie Current…DNA…)…

With a good tube amp these sounded amazing…better than the HD-800 in some regards, “worse” in one. With the proper amp, these headphones shine like few other dynamics do. The bass is articulate, deep, extended and punchy. The mids become those luscious mids that Fischer Audio has become synonymous with and highs are detailed, fast and coherent. These are amazing to listen to on a good tube amp. This is the type of sound I have come to expect from Fischer Audio.

On a nice tube amp, the bass is low, extended and tight. You don’t get the “one-note” bass problem with these headphones like you do with the HD-800. The midrange and highs are very good. The purity of tones as well as the resolution is just wicked good with the right amp. These are the qualities with lead me believe that the FA-002W High Edition can play with the big boys. The part where the FA-002W High Edition falls short in comparison with the HD-800 is in soundstage. The soundstage is not as expansive as it is with the HD-800 but it is still accurate. If you ask me – it’s not a bad compromise at all, especially since the soundstage remains accurate.

CONCLUSION

Once again, I wish I could shake someone’s hand over at Fischer Audio and congratulate them for having such great sounding products at affordable prices. This is the first product they have which I feel is finicky but, when paired with the right amp, you will have truly high end sound at a fraction of what you would normally pay…less than 1/3 to be honest. If you have lusted after an HD-800 but could never justify its price or the looks or [insert your excuse here], then pick up the Fischer Audio FA-002W High Edition. You will not get the expansive soundstage of the HD-800 but you will get better sound, accurate soundstage and an amazing bargain. Current owners of the FA-002W or FA-003 will be happy to note that Fischer Audio will be selling an external adapter to convert those headphones to High Editions for under $100.00 USD!

Those of you who usually read my reviews will also notice I didn’t list any music this time around. This is because I wanted to keep this review short and specific. I found a lot of variation between set-ups using the same song. If I had listed the music, I would have had to write different descriptions for each set-up. As I said before…the Fischer Audio FA-002W is finicky – probably more so than the HD-800.

While these can be viewed as the “Poor Mans HD-800”, do keep in mind that they need the right amp to sound good. Also keep in mind that I am comparing these to stock HD-800’s and not the modded ones owned by Purrin and Anaxilus. The modded HD-800’s are clearly superior to both the stock HD-800 and the Fischer Audio FA-002W High Edition. I would highly recommend that any of you considering this headphone listen to it before buying it and preferably give it a good listen on your equipment to make sure it mates well. At the recent Southern California meet many people heard the FA-002W High Edition and some did like it very much. Interestingly enough, those that did like it a lot were using tube amps. I can already see that the Fischer Audio FA-002W High Edition will be a can that will create polar opposite camps – those that will love them and those that will hate them. Which camp you will fall into will depend greatly on your sound signature preferences and your equipment. If you are a fan of the HD-800 on tubed equipment, then you might just be a fan of the FA-002W High Edition.

With the right amp…HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

If you don’t have the right amp….get the regular Fischer Audio FA-002W or FA-003.

Tube Amps I tried:

Eddie Current Balancing Act and Super 7

Donald North Audio 2A3 -> sounded best with this amp!

Schiit Lyr

We have come across Russian indie brand Fischer Audio before with their excellent value DBA-02 MK2 earphones so when the FA-002W was offered for review I jumped at the chance to see what these guys could come up with in the mid-tier level headphone category. I mean the wood cups are just really enticing if you are a woody fan and not just one wood selection but a whole bunch of tasty grains are on offer in a well put together if substantial padded nylon case. The design is not unique to Fischer Audio with similarities being shared with the Brainwavz HM5 headphone and of course the FA-003 with its more standard metal cups (note you can actually change the wood out for the metal cups) is really the FA-002 in design with the added wood. They do look unique and striking and to be honest you are not going to forget these in a hurry looks wise.

Sadly at the time of writing their website was down for redevelopment but what I can tell you from discussions with the team is that the FA-002w is part of their Master Series brand of headphones and they have a number of woody versions from Walnut, Ash, Mahogany, Wenge and plenty more though feedback suggest the sound signature stays much the same from version to version. The insides of the cups are stepped (5 in total) and its in these steps you get much of the core tonality. They retail in and around $300 to $400 depending on the wood in the cup being used and at that price your in with some stiff competition such as the Senns HD600 and HD650 and you are above the Amazon pricing for the AKG K701/2 series also.

Technical Specs

Design: closed
Frequency range: 10-26500 Hz
Sensitivity: 105 dB
Impedance: 64 Om
Input power: 120 mW
Plug: 3.5mm
Length of a cable: 3 M
Color: athracite/black
Box: soft case
Set: additional cushions, 6.3mm jack adapter

The FA-002W comes well packaged also with a nice cushioned soft nylon square zip bag much like the Beyer DT full size series bags and stuffed inside you get a spare set of velour pads, the detachable cables, the metal cups (in case you want to go FA-003) and some Russian/English pamphlets. There is a hint to late 40’s/50’s styling in the branding of the headphones but not as direct as their newer Jubilate line of headphones which we have a review of coming out shortly also. In all its a well thought out package that more than caters for what is undeniably beautiful looking headphone.

Comfort wise they are not the lightest given the large cup radius and the weight of the wood itself but they do sit pretty comfy on the head actually and being an over-ear there is not going to be any long term ear discomfort. You might want to wear in the pads just a touch so they soften up a bit for the extra bit of comfort. Out of the box they are still relatively stiff which press in against your head but nothing major. Being a closed headphone the seal is pretty good and isolation is above par once the music starts rocking. I didn’t go for the metal cups for this review instead staying with the wood for the burn in and beyond. The connectors are 3.5mm marked with red and blue and slot in pretty easy as a dual entry system housed at the bottom of the cups.

I mentioned burn in and whilst there are some who believe and some who do not I have to tell you these need it out of the box and second to that think hard about the matching amp because they can be a tad picky also. Out of the box this is one big u-shaped tonal monster with a ton of bass (oh joy say some) and shrill hot treble (oh boo say others) with rather thin and recessed mids. Testing this initially out of the FiiO E09k I moved it to the Burson HA-160, a Little Dot 1+ and the Hifiman EF5 and my initial judgement remains from these tests – they perform better out of a tube amp period or a very warm signature solid state. They are pretty darn good out of the Burson also but the Burson has a warm signature with great bass impact so that didn’t seem surprising. I settled on the Hifiman EF5 even though its a tad too powerful at times as having the smoothest delivery but the Little Dot 1+ was not too bad either but just looses out slightly to the big boys. The EF5 had the edge on maximizing the sound stage and generally gave the FA-002W a thicker more lush mid-range. I even decided to go full CD with the Meridian 506 through a Beresford DAC just for the sheer hell of it rather than a pure digital approach – 20-bit analog sounds about right. No excuses for the FA-002W now eh?

So back to pre-burn in tonality. If you like your bass thick with a big mid-bass hump and sparkling but hot treble then out of the box this is your headphone. After reading a few stories of more determined individuals give it a few more hours burn in time with some success I decided to go down the same route with some success but I must warn you this did not turn into some sort of HD600, the core tonality remains. This is a u-shaped headphone which works pretty darn well with dance, R&B, hip-hop and some more guttural rock and metal but mid’s guys this is the K550 anti-Christ so be warned. Moving them to the Hifiman EF5 amp gave some much need thickness back to the mid’s and this brings me back to amp matching – get a tube amp and they can sing, get the right genre and these can sing, get it wrong and they howl.

I have to mention the atmospherics on the FA-002w are excellent with above average sound stage reproduction and great image accuracy. Throwing in the tubes helps substantially with vocal reproduction without loosing any impact from the dominant bass signature. I should note the sound stage though above average is not open can wide but rather conveys a more cavernous sound stage that is deep but a tad narrow.

At the top end the initial hot edge and shrill reproduction dies down significantly with the Hifiman EF5 amp. Female vocals lose any harshness and sibilance and flow a lot more smoothly also and the mids come into the fore much better than on the FiiO and Little Dot. “Love is the Drug” by Carla Gugino and Oscar Issac (2011) is a great example of a nice accurate initial intro with the background bar room ambiance moving into an orchestral style Latino beat that is warm yet slightly thin and energetic. It excites and irritates in equal spades and octaves. When its on groove its a great little musical headphone with plenty going for it but throw in some fast cymbal crashing and fast paced guitar flowing and sometimes it can get a tad overexcited and go back to screeching.

Another good example of this is Testament’s seminal 1992 offering ‘Electric Clown” which is just about one of my favorite Bay Area Thrash anthems ever. Low down this headphone is rocking, I mean really musical and captures that driving beat immaculately. Speed wise it can cope and detail is very accurate with a deep but narrow sound stage that copes admirably well. Moving through the mids and highs the detail is still there and the articulation is spot on but the heat starts to build up and the cymbal crashes can be very hot indeed. It’s not a harsh headphone by any stretch of the imagination, just that u-shape house wont be for all. Throw in Deadmau’s 2009 “Bot” and the u-shape matches just a treat with snappy but deep bass and fast responsive trebles. I think I found where this headphone is going to appeal.

So who will love these and who will not? If you have a $300 in your back pocket and your a dance and bass heavy rock fan you are going to enjoy the FA-002W headphone – it’s musical, fun and beat centric in that respect with strong highs that paired with the right amp will give you a pretty darn good listening experience. If your into complex mid-centric music, indie rock, cymbal work and massive shredding this might not suit you so well. Cheap solid state amps might not do it justice also – go with tubes. If your going to buy a $300 headphone you may as well plug it into a decent amp also and the Hifiman EF5 does hit the spot pretty well. The Burson HA-160 a level up does an excellent job also with some added slam. I have heard mention of cable swapping but sadly at this time I can’t comment on that other than to suggest a bit of Denko on these might work wonders.

Final Words

I have to admit I am growing a bit partial to them after a week of solid listening to them on certain genres and they do look pretty darn good in wood over the more industrial FA-003 version. Try before you buy and see what you think yourself though – not everyone is going to have the right amp and this is going to be the big challenge. At $300 plus though this is not a casual purchase so I would expect those thinking of this have a decent headphone amp. Think carefully how you will match it and you will get a good return out of this, even more so if you give it about 50 hours plus burn in and throw into a nice tube setup. It’s in with the big guys at this price range but it’s a unique headphone, more striking then most and pretty well built. Interesting times for Fischer Audio I think.

Join the Forum discussion on this post

Put all of these qualities together and you have what we regard as one of the most compelling mid-priced headphones we have heard in a long time.

Technical specs:
Frequency Response: 11Hz – 27kHz
Sensitivity: 105dB (no reference power level specified)
Impedance: 200 Ohms
Weight: Not specified.
Warranty: One year, parts and labor.

We could probably cite dozens of examples to illustrate the sonic qualities we sketched above, but in hopes of being concise we’ll limit ourselves to just two. To hear both the subtlety and sheer power of the FA-002W on display at the same time, play “Tin Pan Alley” from Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Couldn’t Stand The Weather [Sony Legacy]. On this track Vaughan’s famous backing band Double Trouble provides percussion work that is at once subtle and delicate, yet high in impact, plus rock-solid low-frequency bass guitar support. But most of all, you’ll hear the full range of both Stevie Ray Vaughan’s voice and his famous Fender Stratocaster guitar, which has perhaps never been captured more powerfully or eloquently than on this track.

Listen carefully to the way the Fischer’s handle the sound of the drum kit, and you’ll be floored by how distinctively they present (and effortlessly they differentiate) the voices of each individual drum and cymbal. Where some headphones leave you somewhat in the dark as to how players are managing the dynamics of their instruments, the FA-002W’s show you exactly what is going on. On the bass guitar, the Fischers reveal both the instrument’s sheer depth and weight, while also showing you bassist Tommy Shannon’s deft touch and timing on the fingerboard, which means the right supporting notes always appear at precisely the right moments and with just the right level of emphasis (or de-emphasis, as the situation warrants).

But it is Stevie Ray’s Stratocaster that steals the show, in part because the Fischers are able to show how the instrument can—in the master blues man’s hands—speak with soft, almost subliminal runs of notes and trills at one moment, and then turn on a dime to fairly explode with fierce outbursts of sound in the next moment. In it’s ability to capture stark dynamic contrasts like these, the FA-002W High Edition reminds more than a little of the sound of today’s superb planar magnetic headphones, which are real champs in this area. Sure, most headphones manage to get louder when electric guitars are cranked up, but they don’t always capture the explosive rise in energy and acoustic power as immediately or as effectively as the Fischers do. Given the veritable guitarist’s “master class” that Stevie Ray Vaughan put on in this track, its almost inevitable to fall under the Fischer’s’ spell, so that even if you plan to listen to “Tin Pan Alley” for just a few minutes, you may wind up listening to it from end to end, simply because the sound is addictive and compelling.

Next, let me reference another audiophile favorite that showcases many of the FA-002W’s strengths:

namely, the jazz standard “Bye Bye Blackbird” from Patricia Barber’s Nightclub[Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, SACD]. This is a track that, admittedly, tends to sound very good on most headphones, but what the Fischer’s made be realize all over again is how very intimate and realistic the MFSL/SACD version of this record really is. Literally everything about this recording is not merely good (or even very good), but downright great—as the FA-002W helps you realize. If you listen carefully, which the Fischers certainly invite you to do, you’ll hear distinct variations in touch as Barber’s fingers work across the piano keyboard, subtle variations in finger pressure, attack, and release as Marc Johnson works his magic over the fingerboard of his acoustic bass, and the sure, deft, precise and yet expressive feel that percussionist Adam Nussbaum supplies as he crafts the rhythms that drive the song forward. My point, here, is that you don’t just hear instruments at play, per se, but rather hear the ultra-subtle sonic cues that let you know these performers are listening intently to one another and responding accordingly—together creating a group sound that is greater than the sum of its parts. It takes a very fine headphone to let you hear this kind of group expression, craftsmanship and communication, and it is one of the things separates truly fine headphones from merely good ones.

Most of all, though, listen to the way the Fischers capture the intricacies of phrasing, articulation, enunciation, and tone that Barber brings to her vocal lines in this song. Like many writers, I suppose, I’ve sometimes used the words “smoky” or “sultry” to describe Barber’s voice, but the Fischer’s invite you to make finer distinctions than that—revealing delicate shades of tonality that show why, where, and how Barber shapes her vocals to convey those qualities of “smokiness” or “sultriness.” All of this is perhaps a roundabout way of saying that the Fischer ‘phones have sufficient resolving power and finesse to take you deep within the innermost recesses of recordings to see what really makes the music tick.

CONCLUSION

Consider this headphone if: 

you want a mid-priced, high performance, closed-back headphone that combines the best sonic elements of both closed-back and open-back designs. Consider this headphone if you like the idea of a headphone that is for the most part accurate, yet never sterile-sounding or overly tightly constrained. This headphone offers extremely good resolution and fine-grained sound for the money, and is—or with the right amp can be—extremely dynamically expressive. In short, one of the best mid-priced high-end ‘phones we’ve heard in a long time.

Look further if: 

you want a relatively light headphone; the FA-002W is comfortable, but a little too hefty for some tastes. Also look further if you aren’t prepared to match this headphone with an amp that can do it justice (the FA-002W tends to sound a bit thin, edgy and somewhat midrange-forward when driven by inadequate amps). Finally, look elsewhere if you prefer to stick with familiar and time-tested brands; Fischer is a comparatively “new kid on the block,” though one we think you’ll want to know better.

Ratings (relative to comparably priced headphones): 
Tonal Balance: 9.5 (somewhat amplifier dependent)
Clarity: 9.5
Dynamics: 10
Comfort/Fit: 10
Sensitivity: 9.5 (but even so, the FA-002W is amplifier sensitive)
Noise Isolation: 9.5
Value: 9.5-10 (though only time will tell if Fischer products deliver the kind of unit-to-unit consistency and quality that are expected in this class)

BOTTOM LINE

The Fischer FA-002W is a wonderful debut product, and one that has immediately become one of our favorite dynamic driver-equipped designs in this price class. We hadn’t received the FA-002W at the time we prepared Playback’s recent Editors’ Choice listings for headphones, but if we had it would certainly have won a place on our “Headphones Priced Between $250-$699” list. They’re that good. 

Read original version at AV Guide