[HiFiChris]

 
Okay thanks. I already wrote them, no response.

Their homepage is horrible btw. They really should hire someone to make it look more professionel, it is the worst homepage I have ever seen by a serious company.

http://fischer-amps.de/en/in-ear-earphones.html

I've written (EMAILED) fischer-amps at least a dozen times last year asking about any updated IEMs and never got a response.  They definitely need to take some of their money and hire someone to look after things a bit better.  Maybe it's because they're Dutch and are getting lost in translating.  

Haha, they're German and not Dutch. The best way to get in touch with them would by by phone.
Trust me, the company is much smaller than you probably think (nonetheless their web presence could be more up to date and modern).

 

[sun123]

I've been using the fisher amp 4 xb for a few days now, and I'm pretty disappointed with the lack of sub bass. It seems that the fisher amp perform really well in most genres but when ever I throw some music with really low bass, it seems to have some problems. Anyone noticed this as well? My yamaha eph-100 seem to produce bass better than these.
 
I guess its hard to get an iem that can do it all for this price, but these are not exactly cheap either. Not sure if I'm going to return them. May continue to try them out for a few more days. For all my other musical tastes these defiantly fit the bill.
 
I must say that I'm not using an amp while listening, but found them very sensitive anyway, not sure if an amp would make a difference with the sub bass though. Any thoughts?

 

[HiFiChris]

@sun123
 
What source are you using?


It could also very well be that you don't get a good-enough seal, as the FA-4E XB do actually have fairly emphasised sub-bass. 

 

[ebjarrell]

Haha, they're German and not Dutch. The best way to get in touch with them would by by phone.
Trust me, the company is much smaller than you probably think (nonetheless their web presence could be more up to date and modern)

Not sure about that one Chris.  The website has the .de suffix and there are two options for language, English and Deutch.  Either way, I love (beyond description) my FE-3s and wanting to upgrade to the FE-4E XB. 

 

[sun123]

  @sun123
 
What source are you using?


It could also very well be that you don't get a good-enough seal, as the FA-4E XB do actually have fairly emphasised sub-bass. 

 
I've just got it playing straight out of my phone (nexus 6 plus) because I'd be using it for commuting and listening in the office. I think its not the seal since it's very well isolated and I'm using the comply tips that come with in the box.

 

[HiFiChris]

 

Haha, they're German and not Dutch. The best way to get in touch with them would by by phone.
Trust me, the company is much smaller than you probably think (nonetheless their web presence could be more up to date and modern)

Not sure about that one Chris.  The website has the .de suffix and there are two options for language, English and Deutch.  Either way, I love (beyond description) my FE-3s and wanting to upgrade to the FE-4E XB. 

"Deutsch" is the English word for "German", just saying... 

In addition, I got my ear impressions for my UERM done directly at Fischer Amps, so I can be even more certain about that. 

 

 

  @sun123
 
What source are you using?


It could also very well be that you don't get a good-enough seal, as the FA-4E XB do actually have fairly emphasised sub-bass. 

 
I've just got it playing straight out of my phone (nexus 6 plus) because I'd be using it for commuting and listening in the office. I think its not the seal since it's very well isolated and I'm using the comply tips that come with in the box.

Not sure about the Nexus 6 Plus, but some of the previous generations had a very high output impedance, resulting in huge frequency response deviations with IEMs that don't have a ruler-flat impedance response (and therefore all multi-BA in-ears).
If it really isn't the seal (I'd suggest to try with the silicone tips nonetheless), you should arrange another source with low output impedance and test with it.

 

[troopa]

I got a reply from Thomann. They expect the Fischer Rhapsody series in about 6 weeks, and that they will add them to their product range as soon as they are available.

 

[ebjarrell]

German?  No wonder they are so good!!

 

[vrln]

  I got a reply from Thomann. They expect the Fischer Rhapsody series in about 6 weeks, and that they will add them to their product range as soon as they are available.

 
Great news! I'm looking forward to the new 5-driver flagship if they are still planning to release it. I'll probably sell my Shure SE846 then. The Rhapsody I have is already on the same level (better highs, soundstage and comfort, worse bass).
 
EDIT: Also seconded on lack of bass being a seal or output impedance issue. The FA4XB bass isn't rolled off at all, on the contrary it's boosted: http://cdn.head-fi.org/5/5d/800x600px-LL-5d66295f_FA-4Egraph.jpeg. The "XB" means extra bass, they are stage use suitable for bass players/drummers. I personally prefer boosted bass on all my IEM's, the kick feels more real to me.

 

[9u775]

I love my Fischer Amps: FA-4 E XB's, so much so that when my other IEM's were given away or broke I didn't bother replacing them. Unfortunately, the right earpiece has stopped working unexpectedly and now I am completely headphone-less.The headphones have been well looked after, kept clean and the cable is fine (tested before declaring the earpiece failure). These things happen, I suppose! Luckily I have the excellent 3 year guarantee from Thomann and they've agreed to have the FA's sent in for warranty repair.
 
My question (which is probably a little off-topic, so please forgive me) is do any of you know of a budget IEM with similar sound signature to the FA that could serve as backup headphones for times like this? Must be under 100GBP but would prefer to spend even less if possible so that they can also be taken to places where I fear for the safety of my beloved FA's. Thanks!

 

[MadMusicJunkie]

First ones that came to my mind were the DN1000's. I don't know if you count them as "budget" IEM's, but they are a lot cheaper and are very good.

 

[9u775]

First ones that came to my mind were the DN1000's. I don't know if you count them as "budget" IEM's, but they are a lot cheaper and are very good.

Thanks for the suggestion. They're about 130GBP so a bit over what I'd consider "budget" to throw them in your pocket at the beach and not worry what happens to them, for example. They do look interesting, though.

 

[troopa]

  Thanks for the suggestion. They're about 130GBP so a bit over what I'd consider "budget" to throw them in your pocket at the beach and not worry what happens to them, for example. They do look interesting, though.

Well I don't have any Fischer IEM yet since I am waiting for the Rhaposdy series, but I'd say Shure 215 could be worth a look.
 
They are on the warm side (bit rolled off treble), but good imaging and decent soundstage, they are a bit intimate though and fowards mids. They have a really strong bass for their price range in both quanity and quality, but obviously behind top end products (in quality).
 
They are also over the ear, and extremely comfortable, good isolation and pretty good build quality, and you can change cables. Think they are like 80£

 

[esuhgb]

If you want something cheaper checkout the rha s500. They have slightly emphasized bass with decent mids and smooth treble. And they dont break the bank at £30

 

[tvs]

  @sun123
 
What source are you using?


It could also very well be that you don't get a good-enough seal, as the FA-4E XB do actually have fairly emphasised sub-bass. 

^ this
 
Seal is everything with these. If they don't sound good, chances are your seal isn't optimal enough.
 
 
On another note, I've just emailed them because my left monitor isn't putting out the treble tones consistently. At times it even distorts heavily and goes (almost) silent, like something you'd expect with a broken cable.
 
But I've tried my left monitor on my right cable plug and the same thing still occurs. I'm starting to think it must be something inside the housing.
 
Anyone care to guess what it could be?