Needs More Fischer Audio! - Page 2

Interesting, the Eterna has been out for 2 years?!?

imago-nomad, what are your preferred IEMs? You like the RE0 a lot, but are there other IEMs that you like just as much, or better, regardless of the price?

And I agree, the more reviews of the Eterna we can get, the better as there are many people desiring it after ClieOS's review, but it is not available in many places currently.

average_joe yes that's true, i got it at the late autumn 2007
as for preferred IEMs - it's quite a difficult question for me, first of all for now I prefer crisp, detailed, clarified sound, with good frequency and instruments definition, but not too bright. Some of preferred styles - art/prog rock/metal if interested. For example Phonaks PFE sounded almost great and they are really "perfect fit", but the highs are too bright with a lot of sibilance... they seemed even "overbright", and the bass is not quite "tight" for me. Sleek SA6 have a really good sound (although a bit dull by default), especially with bass ports and filters tuning, but their fit is far from comfortable for me. As far as I remember I liked much some of earlier Shures (E3 or E4, don't remember exactly). And I also owned and listened to several Fischer Audio earphones, and agree that Eterna has one of the best bang for a buck (but not the perfect sound for me). But a lot of people agree that Enigma and Silver Bullet (FA newer models) has more detailed and balanced sound than Eterna and other FA earphones. Unfortunately I had no chance yet to check it by myself
Anyway I am sure that all of FA models play in the "middle league" meanwhile, maybe "middle-high" for the couple of models, but not "high". And after I heard RE0 it become clear for me that they are definitely the members of the "high" league and their sound is the most close to what I'd like to hear in the earphones than anything I heard before. And this is all without any troubles with deep insertion like many BA earphones! High impedance and low volume level bring not so much problems to me indeed. That's why it's hard for me to say what IEMs I like just as much.
Sorry for my English, I hope you got the idea.

Overstating the case here. I think one HFer sent back his UM3X for the PFEs, using an amp. I also touted the PFEs, but if you look back, I said they seemed on par with the W3s when amped (and the W3s were not amped). However, when I found the right tip combo for my ears (which seemed to take two months for some reason), the W3s stayed and the PFEs were sold (I didn't want to deal with an amp most of the time), along with the IE8s. Also, I now have the UM3X with UM56s, and the PFE can't compete with that combo, amped or otherwise.

I would say the PFEs were more than a FOTM phone. Their downfall, really, has been durability, not SQ. The vast majority of owners really liked them, including me. But the cracking and cable issues caused a lot of consternation, understandably so. If they had been durable, the negativity would have remained at a minimum, with the 4-5 PFE haters (I say that because as Joe said, it did get very intense).

However, I too would like to here the Eternas, but frankly, I am getting burned trying these mid-to-lower-priced IEMs. For now, I am happy with the S4s on that front, along with my $14 Altec-Lansing im616s (used with the $115 UM56s custom sleeves, LOL). A weird combo, but I can't believe how nice it sounds. Now that's bargain-fi (since I already owned the UM56s for my Westones).

But back to the topic. I would like to hear the Eternas too, just out of curiosity.

Sometime I wonder if people read a very positive review then willing to jump into a pair of headphone regardless of sound signature or personal preference (to regret later, I presume) - don't get me wrong, I have no interest in defending my own review on Eterna, as there is no need to. I expressed my own opinion honestly, and that by itself is already justifiable. What I do want to point out is, Eterna is a very fun sounding, musical IEM that I find it to blend everything right and make music 'joyful'. What it doesn't do is 'accuracy' or 'rightness', which most of us will likely to associate with the so called higher end universal. To me, Eterna is like freshly baked crispy bacon, sinful to eat but I can never get enough (yes, my doctor has warmed me countless times). If you are looking for a conventional idea of a high end IEM (better high, deeper low, sweeter mid, wider stage, etc), perhaps it is time to look elsewhere. But if you don't mind getting 'something else' a chance, then perhaps Eterna can surprise you as it did to me, at least that is what I believe.

I guess the point is, do you know what you really want? Find the answer to that, then the road to audio salvation will get easier.

imago-nomad, thanks for the additional information, it helps me put it all into perspective.

Hi Clie, I agree, knowing what sound signature you prefer makes the listening experience all that much better and allows one to find their perfect headphone, if it exists! I am still looking, as my perfect headphone would be the IE8 with the WM2 bass (I don't hear too much like shigzeo). I do think the Eterna might be a good fit for me as the wide soundstage combined with the rest of your description is what did it for me.

How would you say the soundstage compares to the IE8 soundstage? That is the biggest strength of the IE8 IMO.

It has been long since I auditioned the IE8, so I can't and won't say in definite on which has the best soundstage - but for a fair guess, I think IE8 would probably win out.

That is the one thing that is keeping the IE8 in my possession. The WM2's soundstage is close, but every once in a while, there will be a song/album where the IE8 blows away anything else I have heard.