i had read that... with the c421 (from JDSlabs) be considered serious amplification?  I have had it for a couple years and it has been awesome.  I was contemplating upgrading to their c5 but decided it really wasn't needed.  I was playing with bass boost on the cmoybb - i don't think these headphones need the boost given that they are already naturally pretty strong on the low end...
 
I am curious still... is the spacial feeling I get listening to certain music coming from the fact that these are open vs. the total hard shell?

Kinda late (I've only just joined) but I had a desktop cmoy with a tube stage for a little while and while it was quite powerful, it didn't really do the headphones justice. I've purchased the FA-011 recently and have it matched with the Audio-gd SA-31 which is ridiculously powerful (10W into 40ohms) and they just sing. I think you might get OK performance from a portable but these really do scale up with a good, strong desktop setup.

Yes, the 'spatial' feeling you get is from the open headphone although there are some closed phones out there with wide soundstages as well.

These phones keep impressing me more and more - the amp/headphone combo is 90% of the way to my previous hi fi setup which was about $5k - for under $600 AUD...amazing. As kiler said - just superb...

Rumor is that a brand new edition of FA-011 is to release soon.
 
It may be called the 10th Anniversary Model.
 
Dunno if any difference in sound, but changes are to be better pads, aesthetics cosmetically and possibly a bump up in quality build.

luvmusik said:

  Rumor is that a brand new edition of FA-011 is to release soon.

Click to expand...

I'd like to share with you, guys, information i've got from FA about two months ago :
 
As to the updated model, which we have dated to the 10th anniversary of our company, it will be characterized by the following details:
1. Brand new wooden cups.
2. The presence of a removable cable with connectors miniXLR.
3. The headband is made of genuine leather.
4. New components for the manufacture of acoustic filters. Drivers will remain the same, as they are very good quality. Ear cups are likely to remain the same as the creation of analogues of more expensive materials with the same effect on the sound will elevate the price of the headphones...
 
In late March, we plan to collect the first copies of the new FA-011. Test samples are ready and on display at the exhibition in Singapore, and are now sent for testing to our partners in France.
 
And at last a picture of the new FA-011:
 
http://www.facebook.com/fischeraudio/

lifan said:

I'd like to share with you, guys, information i've got from FA about two months ago :

As to the updated model, which we have dated to the 10th anniversary of our company, it will be characterized by the following details:

1. Brand new wooden cups.

2. The presence of a removable cable with connectors miniXLR.

3. The headband is made of genuine leather.

4. New components for the manufacture of acoustic filters. Drivers will remain the same, as they are very good quality. Ear cups are likely to remain the same as the creation of analogues of more expensive materials with the same effect on the sound will elevate the price of the headphones...

In late March, we plan to collect the first copies of the new FA-011. Test samples are ready and on display at the exhibition in Singapore, and are now sent for testing to our partners in France.

And at last a picture of the new FA-011:

Click to expand...

Looks very nice! I may stay with my current FA-011 cans but I hope these renew interest in them in any case.

Very, very interested in these! Especially the detachable cable...

Just wanted to pipe in and say how much I love these again. I bought the Fidelio X2's looking for a direct upgrade from these, but to my ears, it was a downgrade. Mids are significantly more recessed on the X2's and the entire sound signature is just further away, more sterile, and laidback in comparison. Bass is lacking significantly in depth, size, and detail. It's like I went from sitting in the second row with singers serenading me to the furthest back row and maybe a little cotton in my ears. 
 
Bass guitars that once sounded prominent, string-like, and full of depth on the FA-011 now sound like a rubber band being twanged between two fingers on the X2. What's funny is that some people say that the bass on the X2's is forward, full, and greater than neutral. Either I got a bad batch, or I have a poor ears for low frequencies. 
 
I'm still looking for a direct upgrade to the FA-011 should one exist, but haven't found one yet. Does anyone know of one?
 
I'm also looking for a good amp or dac/amp to pair the fa-011 with but I don't know whether solid state or a tube would be a better choice for this headphone. 

So we are in the same boat it would seem... I've been thinking about upgrading mine to an x2 but it sounds like a bad idea. I'm going to wait for the new 10th anniversary edition to come out and I might get that. Have also been very tempted by the Massdrop Fostex TH-X00 purple heart. As far as amps go, I've read that the FA-011 pairs well with tubes. I'm pairing mine with an Audio-gd SA-31 (non SE) and it is fantastic. They are only available second hand but I got mine for AUD250 and it can drive almost anything (possibly even the Hifiman HE-6) with 10W into 40ohms. Here is the link to the SE product page (discontinued). http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/SA/SA31/SA31EN.htm
There is a massive thread on it here:http://www.head-fi.org/t/617667/audio-gd-sa-31-head-amp-preamp-a-powerfull-head-amp-with-diamond-difference-design
The pairing is brilliant as the FA-011 needs plenty of juice and this really provides. What are you pairing yours with?

My experience is the total opposite. Haven't been using the FA-011 since I bought the X2. I brought them out once when I acquired the Burson V2+ a couple of months ago. It still sounded dark, muffled and lacking space and soundstage compared to the X2's so it went back to its box again.

So obviously ymmw as usual

peter123 said:

My experience is the total opposite. Haven't been using the FA-011 since I bought the X2. I brought them out once when I acquired the Burson V2+ a couple of months ago. It still sounded dark, muffled and lacking space and soundstage compared to the X2's so it went back to its box again.

So obviously ymmw as usual

Click to expand...

i've been listening to it more over the night and i'm starting to appreciate the x2's sounds, and i can agree that the soundstage is larger and it is overall clearer sounding than the fa-011, albeit to me minor. However, the mids on the x2 still sound so recessed and unmusical to me in comparison to the fa-011s, and the bass isn't even comparable. There is no impact at all; a bass kick sounds like a tin can hitting a bed sheet. But overall they are still nice, just way too neutral and "far back" for my tastes. I like forward mids, strong tight bass forward bass, and forward and airy highs. Basically everything forward and in your face, but with a nice soundstage. I think the X2 has the soundstage and highs, but the mids and bass lack too much to me.
 
I'm starting to think the only headphones that are a direct upgrade might be the grados with soundstage (like the ps1000's), the lcd models, and maybe something like a beyerdynamic t1. all of those are out of my budget so im stuck until i find something else lol 

heybaroo said:

So we are in the same boat it would seem... I've been thinking about upgrading mine to an x2 but it sounds like a bad idea. I'm going to wait for the new 10th anniversary edition to come out and I might get that. Have also been very tempted by the Massdrop Fostex TH-X00 purple heart. As far as amps go, I've read that the FA-011 pairs well with tubes. I'm pairing mine with an Audio-gd SA-31 (non SE) and it is fantastic. They are only available second hand but I got mine for AUD250 and it can drive almost anything (possibly even the Hifiman HE-6) with 10W into 40ohms. Here is the link to the SE product page (discontinued). http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/SA/SA31/SA31EN.htm
There is a massive thread on it here:http://www.head-fi.org/t/617667/audio-gd-sa-31-head-amp-preamp-a-powerfull-head-amp-with-diamond-difference-design
The pairing is brilliant as the FA-011 needs plenty of juice and this really provides. What are you pairing yours with?

Click to expand...

i've been looking at those fostex's too. I was reading some comparisons between the thx00s and some fidelios and people were saying the fidelios were more musical. if thats the case, then the thx00's definitely arent for me lol. plus they are about twice the price even if i got them for the discount on massdrop
 
the 10th anniversary edition looks nice but i don't think they are worth twice the price; i'll probably just find another pair of fa-011's once these explode or completely fall apart. i have the original v1's with the dark wood and curly cord so i probably wont find an exact replacement but hopes to the replacements sounding the same

vonx said:

i've been looking at those fostex's too. I was reading some comparisons between the thx00s and some fidelios and people were saying the fidelios were more musical. if thats the case, then the thx00's definitely arent for me lol. plus they are about twice the price even if i got them for the discount on massdrop

the 10th anniversary edition looks nice but i don't think they are worth twice the price; i'll probably just find another pair of fa-011's once these explode or completely fall apart. i have the original v1's with the dark wood and curly cord so i probably wont find an exact replacement but hopes to the replacements sounding the same

Click to expand...

Noisy Motel here in Australia still have the latest/last edition in stock. This is the version I have and is apparently the closest on sound to your original. Lighter wood though...and yours aren't likely to explode just yet

heybaroo said:

Noisy Motel here in Australia still have the latest/last edition in stock. This is the version I have and is apparently the closest on sound to your original. Lighter wood though...and yours aren't likely to explode just yet

Click to expand...

. I have to admit, mine look pretty ugly now. After 5 years of constant use, the golden insignias on each side popped out and came unglued, so now there are open holes on each side. I think they actually sound even better! Plus the earpads are pretty mangled and don't look that pretty. But yes, I'm hoping they continue to last for a very long time because I think I may have got a uniquely good pair and I heard they can be inconsistent in quality and sound

FWIW mine are a few years old and may very well sound different from the ones sold now. The latest posts here would indicate that they do as the only thing I hear my FA-011 do better than the X2's are bass quantity.
 
Anyway I'm happy that there's some activity in this thread again since I've got a kind of romantic relationship to my FA-011 being one of my first "serious" headphones 

peter123 said:

  FWIW mine are a few years old and may very well sound different from the ones sold now. The latest posts here would indicate that they do as the only thing I hear my FA-011 do better than the X2's are bass quantity.
 
Anyway I'm happy that there's some activity in this thread again since I've got a kind of romantic relationship to my FA-011 being one of my first "serious" headphones 

Click to expand...

For me the biggest difference I notice between the two is the lower mid suckout on the X2's. x2's overall sound clearer, but tonally strange. Voices sound a little thin and artificial. Guitars are behind the mix. I do have the gibson version with the non bass pads so that could attribute to some of the differences in our interpretations. 
 
I now have the Audeze SINES to throw in the comparison mix too. Much clearer sounding than both the FA-011's and X2's, bass and instrument decay is better, tonality is better, soundstage is obviously a bit smaller than both but it is closed so that is to be expected. An upgrade in every department except for soundstage, however, they don't fit my ideal frequency response curve (downward slope). 
 
They are quite neutral, maybe even a little n shaped sounding with some mid emphasis. Like a closed back hd 650 or something. Someone compared the sound frequncy graphs and they look very similar. Analog and digital EQ for the bass helped a bit but I still don't get enough pleasure listening to rock and edm with them.
 
All in all, mine are up for sale because, moar bass