For starters, I would like to thank Fischer Audio Singapore and Royston for the very warm hospitality and for the chance to review this pair of earphones. These are my honest opinion on these pair of earphones and will be unbiased in whatever way.
Intro
The Fischer Audio ‘Twin’ from the Omega series is a Dual dynamic driver pair of earphones with 7mm and 9mm drivers. They can be only worn over the ear and has a very low profile and sit mostly flush with the ear. They are constructed in a solid plastic housing with slightly translucent finishing, showing off the drivers and wires that’s packed within. The cables are strong, sturdy and wrapped in a plastic sheath touted as ‘Highly durable TPU’. The part where the cables go over the ears also have an additional memory segment where I feel is quite rigid, compared to the one LEAR has. On the left side of the cable there is also a microphone with a single button that controls play/pause and the cable descends to a Y splitter with a chin slider. The cable terminates to a Gold plated L plug with a robust strain relief to prevent any cable damage.
The retail packaging is neat and compact, with a magnetic opening mechanism that once opened, reveals the earphones and the included hard case. The package also included 3 sizes of single flange tips, a pair of double flanges and a pair of foam tips (Not from comply).
I will not be going too much into the technical specifications but just an idea of what these earphones can offer to the general public, and my experience with it for the past month or so.
From my conversation with Royston, these earphones are meant for the average user, with the idea of having ‘One earphone for the throughout the day, as a Do-It-All.’ To further elaborate, it was after Fischer Audio did market research that Singaporeans, or Asians generally prefer a single earphone for all their needs, from commuting to work to working out at the gym, as people generally find it too troublesome to carry different pairs of earphones around. These earphones also have been tuned by the team to provide a listening experience that they can be proud of.
Sound impressions
To evaluate these pair of earphones, I have given it a burning in time of over 50 hours, and used it as my daily commute, as well as while cramming for my exams and lastly sweatin it out at the gym. My song choices spread over a wide range and some songs will be listed below.
1. Roses (ft. ROZES) – Chainsmokers
2. Hallelujah – Jeff Buckley
3. I Can’t Feel My Face (Martin Garrix Remix) – The Weeknd
4. Skinny Love – Birdy
5. Beat the Sunrise – SNBURN, Andrew Watt
6. On my own – Samantha Barks
When I first tried them on without burn-in, they were like woah! They sounded just so good! Mind you, I was coming from the LEAR AE1D’s which are single dynamic drivers but still have pretty good sound. I was getting excited as I put the earphones through the burn in.
I feel that the earphones have a general warm sounding signature, with smooth vocals, decent highs that might sound rolled off for some and a deep bass and sub bass that gives the oomph to the kind of songs I listen to. They don’t come across as being forward or recessed in terms of the mid range but at a middle ground where it is nice to listen to.
With songs like ‘On my own’, I can really immerse myself in Samantha Barks’ voice and empathize with her feelings. Even songs like Hallelujah, I am able to hear details like the breaths that Jeff Buckley takes in between and vocals and clarity just amazes me. On EDM tracks, I get the nice bass, very full sounding, not too tight or flabby but just the right amount whereby I get to enjoy my music. Kudos to Fischer Audio for this. I mainly listen to EDM tracks in the morning before the day starts or during my runs where the thump of the bass really gets me going and feeling pumped. I like that I also get to hear details in the song, with decent sound-staging but also sometimes imaging I feel can be improved. With some songs, the Instruments can feel very congested and just not very pleasant. Don’t get me wrong, its just something to nitpick if I were to be fussy about it.
While doing sports
As these earphones are supposedly able to withstand the rigors of a workout, they are being put to the test. They perform.. really well! The rigid memory wire of the earphones keeps the earphones on my ears the whole time and there is close to no microphonics (wire noise) during my runs. Wires are of adequate length with my phone being in my pocket while doing weights and the wires are curled around my armband while running outdoors.
However, I don’t know if they can withstand heavy sweating or are even water resistant in the first place. Although they are meant for a workout and I have used it without problems.
Comparison
IM50/70
Royston mentioned that these earphones are competitors with the IM50/70 series, but IMO, these trump them. I find the IM50 a tad too bid and it sticks out of your ears, points dropped on cool factor, they do sound a bit too boomy too, though I do enjoy some bass once in awhile. Vocals are also pretty good on these but I think the clarity on the twins do trump these. Comfort wise I find the IM50 quite fiddly to wear, and gets annoying when I want to just put it on quickly. I find that I can’t sleep on these also as they stick out of your ears.
I did not own the IM70’s but the bass seemed lesser than the IM50 and its similar to the twins in my opinion. Vocals are great too but then again same problem with the shape of the earphones. Some may also not like the bright red colour scheme of the IM70’s and that’s also one of the reasons why I purchased the IM50’s
Another thing to note is the removable cables of the IM50/70 series. They are firm and solid and are replaceable unlike the fixed cables of the twins, but with the rugged feel of the twin, I'm pretty sure they are able to last too.
LEAR AE1D
I thoroughly enjoyed these earphones, especially with the adjustable bass option but in comparison to the twins, the twins with the dual dynamic drivers do sound really really more lively and I enjoyed my music more on the twins although comfort wise, the ‘over the ear’ memory cable of the LEAR is one of my favorite as they are soft and easily shaped. But then again the shell of the AE1D is quite large although it is ergonomically shaped to your ear’s conchae, but much heavier compared to the twin. At almost 2.5X the price of the twin, I would choose the twin on a tighter budget.
JVC FXT90 LTD
These came in shortly after I received the review unit and it might be a fairer comparison compared to the Twin as it is also a dual dynamic driver offering from JVC. I believe they are comprised of the same diameter of dynamic drivers. Sound wise, they are very much different from the Twin, with forward mids and a sparkle to everything. It just feels fast and exciting whereas the Twin feels smooth and deep with also a decent amount of sparkle. When I started using the FXT90s after the twin, it really feels as though some amount of bass and the rumble is taken away as well as the smaller soundstage. This might be due to the shallower fit of the JVC earphones. The FXT90s are worn straight down and has a little protrusion at the back for better fit for the ears. I would think that these are ‘complimentary’ earphones to the Twin and I was able to enjoy my music on both!
What can be improved
1. I think the hard case that comes with the earphones can be more robust, something similar to the one provided by Brainwavz. The ones given together with the twins are covered in fabric and has a similar generic shape to the usual ones from OEM's like KZ, works okay, but I’ve got to coil my wires really nice and compact.
2. I think perhaps more kinds of tips can be provided, something that goes in between sizes, I’ve found myself having some difficulty initially with the fit. Ended up going small, not the perfect seal, but still works good.
3. I think the memory part of the cable that goes over the ears can be made to me more flexible, similar to the one LEAR has, although the rigidity is good for keeping the earphones in place while exercising, sometimes it just feels thick and uncomfortable with spectacles. Remolding it also requires a bit more effort with the rigidity.
Conclusion
I think these are a great pair of earphones and they are good for the money. The good folks over at Fischer Audio has done a good job with the tuning of these earphones. I dare say that these to me, sound better than the popular Shure 215se’s and the Audio technical IM50/70s at a similar price point. For those going for a do it all pair of earphones, give these a try at your local store
For Singaporeans, these can be had for below a hundred dollars at
@StereoSingapore and be sure to always try before you buy!