I had the first edition Bose earbuds that looked like little hairdryers. One day I accidentally destroyed them by dragging them on the ground through the streets of NYC accidentally, and picked up some red Ety HF5s because they were the same color as my iPod at the time. That was the day I...

I was thinking the same thing.  I'd be reluctant to call myself an audiophile and (having heard them) think the Beats are abysmal.   Call me old school, but if you're going to write an article about headphones in one of the most widely circulated newspapers in the world, isn't there some...

  Coworker of mine has an E7 which is just an amp stage.  From what I've read I'd expect the e10 amp to be better overall, but I've had a chance to check out just the amp vs. amp/dac.  Not sure why the main impact from amping is usually on soundstage (don't have much experience with truly...

I've got the same setup.  Except I'm using the low gain and the volume is plenty loud before I even get the pot to "2".  I'm curious as to what you find the high gain gives you other than additional loudness, as I've definitely read that from a technical/distortion standpoint one should be doing...

TIM HECKER   Maybe the best ever in genre, IMHO.    

I'd say the same thing about the pair of HM5s on my head right now.  FWIW I ABx'd them against the M50 and found the bass to be tighter and (slightly) better extended, though, logically, less in quantity.   Quote:  

I don't.  I do think it's great that FA is trying to take the OEM product and offer things to make it better.  That would also mean (as twisted as this might be) you'd be able to apply the FA enhancements to other-branded Yoga CD-880s.  Though I don't think FA would complain if you want to pay...

  I think that's right.  I don't think they've done anything to the FA-003 since they're selling just about as many as they can ship and so long as that is the case there's no need to change anything.  What they're doing is also offering enhancements like wood cups, dampeners, etc. as well as...

Ignore my DAC suggestions if an external DAC wouldn't work for your uses.   You can get on pre-order for the Brainwavz HM5 (equivalent to FA-003) and throw in a FiiO e10 DAC/Amp for a grand total of $185 and have a solid setup at a steal of a price.  ...

You'll probably never get to the level of undeniable proof.  However, you have more than enough evidence to convince me and a quite many reasonable people that they are one and the same.  You have 3 sellers selling headphones that look and sound (according to multiple sources) the same, know the...

Agreed.  Unless at some point Yoga realizes they've stumbled onto an incredible profit opportunity and decide to vertically integrate.   Quote:  

Reposting this from HM5 thread:     If you don't care about the branding at all, apparently you can find the same cans "unbranded"  in stock from US retailers from $82.   Credit to Negakinu  ...

If you don't care about the branding at all, apparently you can find the same cans "unbranded"  in stock from US retailers from $82.   Credit to Negakinu   http://www.head-fi.org/t/591059/a-concise-view-of-why-the-ath-m50-is-no-longer-king/105#post_8074228

$82?  Wow.  And I thought they were a steal at $120-140.   Quote:  

Quote: Well, considering you can get what is essentially a closed-can HD600 for cheaper than what the M50s go for, wouldn't it be apples, and well, cheaper, tastier apples?  

Personally, being a relative noob to audiophilia (had Ety HF5s for a few years and LOVE em) and a total noob to head-fi, the M50 are something I would call "pretty good".  Having just picked up some HM5 (after lots of homework here) which is the same as FA-003, and a buddy of mine from work...

Fischer has admitted that Yoga makes its drivers (presumably for all the models they get from them, which is quite a few) so HM5/FA-003 will be the same.   Have you given the HM5 a good burn in?  That should help with extension.  The FA/HM5 is a neutral signature... if you're looking for...

  Had an interesting exchange with the fine folks at Frogbeats, and thought it was worth sharing:   "We are well aware of both the other models and that they come from the same OEM manufacturer. However that's not really our place to question the RRP that Fischer has given us or which ones...

Been lurking around these parts for a while now.  Followed the threads on the FA-003 pretty close, but eventually ended up pulling the trigger on what I think was the last of the recent Amazon stock of the Brainwavz HM5 at about $60 bucks less than what I would have paid for the FA.  Anyway, had...