Review: Fischer Audio's DBA-02 - Page 289

 

Without channel imbalance? 

Really diggin' these.

The reshelled DBAs touched down at my house about an hour and a half ago.. 1964Ears, once again, did a fantastic job.. the fit is perfect and feels identical to my Quads.  Full range of motion with my jaw/mouth w/o losing the seal.  From them receiving my DBAs to delivery today, the lead time was three weeks and a day... review after the pics..

 

 

 

 

In the last pic, you can see that 1964 included the filter from the original DBAs.. which was very attentive of them to do.  As has been discussed, those missing the filter on their DBA/B2 experienced a lot of sibilance and distortion in the overall sound.

 

All listening was done unamped, from the iPhone 4.  BlueSkyBlackDeath's "Noir" was the music I used to run the reshelled DBA through it's paces.

 

Sound wise, no drastic changes... which I feel is a good thing.. but the DBA most definitely improved in (some important) places.  1964Ears said they verify that the original tuning and fq response is in tact after reshelling.  To my ears, they followed through on that promise in spades.  The signature DBA sound is 100% there, but the reshelled version sounds cleaner, more dynamic, natural, and better balanced than its former (universal) incarnation.

 

Bass impact hasn't changed immensely to my ears, but the custom fit certainly improved the overall presence and clarity.  I can probably attribute this improvement to a custom seal more than any (real or perceived) tuning changes.  Note: I got a very good seal with the original DBA and was quite happy with the punchy, fast bass.  The reshelled DBA does present lower bass frequencies with improved clarity.  The entire bass FQ range (the mid-bass, in particular) has better body & balance, to my ears.

 

The midrange and treble sound very very balanced to my ears.. this is where I hear the most change/improvement vs. the universal.  The signature BA crispness is there in all it's glory.. but there is a very slight (and welcome) touch of smoothness.  To my ears, the aggressiveness of the stock DBA led to some grainy, rough edges in sound.. not so with the reshelled version.  Both the midrange & treble sound noticeably better to my ears.  Both areas.. much like the bass.. sound more "rounded" with better body & weight.  This was really nice to hear cause one of the chief complaints of the DBA was a thinness in the overall sound.  The reshelled DBA seem to go a long way in remedying this.

 

Soundstage has improved to my ears too.  It isn't on the Silver Bullet level or anything, but it certainly doesn't sound as closed in as the stock DBA did.  I'd say it's slightly wider than average.  "Noir" is an excellent album to listen to for this cause there are lots of sweeps, imaging cues, and ambient sounds.

 

To summarize.. reshelling the DBA resulted in better overall clarity, dynamics, note body, bass presence, and tonal balance.  The increased "fullness" in the bass response combined with a slight touch of smoothness in the overall sound led to a more natural listening experience.  Instruments have more weight and sound more rounded.  The soundstage is wider and imaging improves.  In many ways, it sounds like the stock/universal DBA got a high quality amp installed in each driver, along with the benefits that come with a custom fit.

 

Did I find the reshell worth the cost in terms of sound and service?  Absolutely.  This is obviously going to be a subjective, qualitative opinion but in my case, I felt the DBA (noticeably) improved in all the places it needed to and the overall customer service experience with 1964 was worth the premium.

Edited by FlySweep - 8/22/11 at 4:37pm

Congratulations FlySweep. Glad they worked out for you my friend.

Thanks Eric.. I'm enthralled with the DBA-CR  right now.  Pumping them through the Arrow+DAC cable w/ my laptop.. these sound so musical but balanced at the same time.

 

1964 did an awesome job with the shells.. they look clear in the photos.. but they are, in fact, a translucent, "smoke" color (same effect as on my quads)..  Initially, I didn't even realize it thinking I had mistakenly ordered clear shells.. until I looked at them closer & under different light.  A very nice touch by Vitaly & co.

Edited by FlySweep - 8/22/11 at 10:57pm

^+1

Cheers for the little insight :) Cannot wait to get my hands on a pair of 1964s Triples, and maybe get my Westone 2's reshelled.

 

However, the cable on my W2's is broken (at the top of the left earpiece, it's beginning to snap) do they change the cables or would I need to get new cables to get that fixed?

Would like to get mine reshelled but the asking price 1964 is way up my price tag. I mean 200$ then i need to pay for shipping and impressions and I believe extras for a detachable cable.
Im looking at 350$ for a reshelled DBA.
If I went the cheaper rout of lets say Kozee, or Fischer Hearing. Will there be a major difference or no.?
Or should I just the DBA and get the triple 1964??

^  That's wisdom.  I can pretty much guarantee you'll find opportunities to use both.  I know nothing of the trips though.  I just like the idea of one universal and one custom hopefully complimentary signatures.

 

Edited by Anaxilus - 8/23/11 at 9:17pm

I agree with Anaxilus.. I had my DBAs for over a year.. then got the Quads.. loved them.. with the B2 available, I got restless and decided to let 1964 reshell the DBA.  No regrets.. but it obviously isn't the best way to use your money if you're thinking about getting customs for the first time.  I paid $250 total for the the reshell w/ detachable cables (1964 already had my impressions from the Quad order).  I would have had to drop $350+ if I wanted a new custom with a DBA-ish sig so I opted to go for the reshell.

 

I've read nothing but good things about the Triple.  Pairing its smoother (1964 house) sound with the more aggressive DBA and you'll have plenty of reasons to use both often.  I'd recommend checking out the JH5 too if you're looking for a budget oriented custom with the DBA flavor.. I haven't heard them but many say it's essentially the DBA on steroids (in a good way, of course).. it's $400 too.

 

BTW, the DBA-CR sound excellent unamped.. but pairing them with the Arrow & DAC really let's 'em shine.  I'm having an extremely hard time taking them off!

Edited by FlySweep - 8/23/11 at 11:31pm

Get the JH5 (: you will not regret it. DBAs on steroids. Tight, punchy bass, very clear and natural midrange with slight warmth, and a beautiful treble that extends just as well as the DBA. Will receive mine from refitting soon (: But i've used it extensively before though (:

I meant to say.. Sell the dba and use the money to get a Triple or Quad 1964.sorry

I finally got a replacement set after sending the one with the channel imbalance back 3 months ago. There is no channel imbalance but I noticed that the hiss is a lot louder than the pair with the channel imbalance. The one with the imbalance use to be silent when connected to my uDac-2 and this one has a hiss that is a little louder than my Creative ep-630. I've tried it with different sources and the hiss is definitely louder than my ep-630. It doesn't bother me too much so I'm probably not gonna send it back and wait months to see what happens. How loud is the hiss on your DBA-02 when nothing is playing?

Damn, the hardened cables near the earpiece is beginning to crack. The sound is intact but I fear it won't be long before it just breaks apart. Does warranty cover crack cables?

Hi.

I tried to buy them,but I was asked about size.

What is this?