[Vonx]

                                      Fischer Audio FA-011                                                                        
 
                                                                  Appreciation Thread
 
 
                                                         
                                                         
 
 
I spent a little while looking around for a appreciation thread for this headphone and couldn't find one, so I naturally I took the honors myself for this amazing headphone!
 
This headphone just hasn't had that much exposure in the US or anywhere else for that matter, save Russia since thats where its made, otherwise I am sure it would be a lot more popular!
 
I always knew the Mid-Fi had hidden jewels out there somewhere. That audiophile statement of "you get what you pay for" in the audio world may apply some of the time, but it certainly didn't this time. 
 
The price had me having relatively low expectations, but boy was I wrong!
 
First reaction: Absolutely immense  sound stage was the first thing i noticed, such a nice change after the boxed in sounding headphones I had tried previously before, followed quickly by noticing the strong snappy percussion, the kick drum is snappy and and strong but not bloaty, cymbals are crystal clear and timbrally correct without being sibilant, vocals have texture and carry body which is needed for vocals to sound powerful and awesome, the snare drum snaps with perfect timbral accuracy, guitars have crunch and have a very live 3D response to them, intimate but not too abrasive, bass heavy but not overwhelming, a perfect mixture mid and sub-bass, and did I mention the looks?
 
This is one of the few headphones where I actually enjoyed going back through my music library and enjoyed it more than previously. The soundstage in its own is something to witness, and I cant get over how realistic it sounds to natural instruments.
 
I tested it with just about every genre expecting to find it to not be so good at a certain genre type, from solo acoustic, to trance, to drum and bass, to death metal, to jazz, to classical, and everything in between, and my nitpicky and rather pesssimistic disposition with headphones just couldnt find a flaw!
 
No more going back and re-purchasing higher quality audio files for all the music I already own.
 
Another thing, they dont absolutely mutilate poor sound files! There is still an easily noticeable increase in sound quality with better files, but bad files that I have a lot of, since i have a lot of obscure or underground or just poorly mastered music, were listenable again, and actually sounded great!
 
I should give an honorable mention to they way they make death metal/black metal/rock sound. ALL  of my headphones had never really sounded right for metal, whether the timbral reproduction was too "digital", or they were too bright, too unintimate, bass kicks were too bloaty, voices were too recessed, the list go on. Well, no problem anymore. I have never headbanged so hard with any headphone! 
 
Also, if your a percussionist, you will love this headphone! I cant get over how punchy the bass kicks are and how realistic they sound to they actual instrument, and I always hated how all my studio headphones had some wierd or recessed sounding snare hit, well these have that "snap" that you love when you just blast the set. Also, the decay is perfect and the cymbals and toms sound soooo real. Ugh, it was like love for the first time. 
 
I also tested them while watching movies too, like "Source Code" and "The bourne Identity" and there were several times where I thought someone had walked in the room and started talking to me. 
 
And gaming! I used these babies with league of legends, counter strike: source, and starcraft 2, and they delivered with an extremely wide soundstage, extremely immersive sound, and extremely realistic audio reproduction. These headphones are most definately "extreme" but not in the way that you might expect. There is no siblance, no stabby highs, no bass bloat or "inside of the head" boom that you get with cans around this price point and even exceedingly expensive ones. 
 
I had been so disappointed with headphones before, especially in the sub >200 category. The M50 was ugh, the srh-840 was "meh", the beats are What, and just about everything in between never really felt like I was getting what I was paying for. 
 
Literally, this headphone is the definition of what I wanted in my sound. I always wanted a headphone that sounded like a well powered, well placed, fantastic stereo speaker system, and this headphone delivered. 
 
This was also the first time where I decided that I was done trying out headphones and that I had found my "soul" mate.
 
Since owning them for roughly a month, they have matured fantastically, only accentuating its already outstanding traits.
 
My only complaints with them are that they leak but thats expected for an open headphone and they do really well at not leaking sound outside the headphone. They also need a decent amp to shine at their best, but I am completely content at they way they sound unamped.
 

 

[andrewjuguete]

wow your fa-011's look amazing.  I just received mine and they are in pretty bad condition.  The finish on the wood is uneven, the gold metal part on the side of the cups is dented/scratched/tarnished, and the ear pads are torn.  I also think my FA-011s sound horribly sibilant, more so than any other headphone I've tried: beyer dt 990 600 ohm, jvc rx700, Panasonic RP-HTF600, T50-RPs, Senn HD 555s.  I wonder if their quality control has gone down because of the high demand for these headphones?  I'd love to hear a good exampled of these headphones.  
 
 

 

[Dpgriff]

These seem like very interesting headphones. Anyone know how they compare to grados, specifically sr-80i's?

 

[Vonx]

Quote:

wow your fa-011's look amazing.  I just received mine and they are in pretty bad condition.  The finish on the wood is uneven, the gold metal part on the side of the cups is dented/scratched/tarnished, and the ear pads are torn.  I also think my FA-011s sound horribly sibilant, more so than any other headphone I've tried: beyer dt 990 600 ohm, jvc rx700, Panasonic RP-HTF600, T50-RPs, Senn HD 555s.  I wonder if their quality control has gone down because of the high demand for these headphones?  I'd love to hear a good exampled of these headphones.  
 
 

Strange, I find no sibilance on mine at all, and I find myself really sensitive to sibilance on my Denon d2k's and Audio technica ATH-m50's. 
 
Some people dont even find either of the aforementioned to be sibilant, and I do, so I would say my ears are more sensitive than most, and I didnt find anything harsh about the highs on the FA-011's.
 
Did you buy new or used? And did you give them a chance to burn in?
 
They may change characteristics to your ears after they burn in properly. 

 

[andrewjuguete]

I bought them new and I've burned them in about 30-40 hours.  The sibilance is still there; it makes my ears hurt listening to female acoustic tracks.  I hope with more burn in the sibilance tames down, I really want to like these headphones.  

 

[Vonx]

Quote:

I bought them new and I've burned them in about 30-40 hours.  The sibilance is still there; it makes my ears hurt listening to female acoustic tracks.  I hope with more burn in the sibilance tames down, I really want to like these headphones.  

Burn them in for a few days and update me on how they sound to you. 
 
I have no problem with sibilance or brightness on these headphones, and im very sensitive to it, so it must be a phase that goes away after burn in
 
I bought mine lightly used, so a lot of the burn in was done for me. 
 
 

 

[kingpage]

If it wasn't for the shallow non-pleather pads, I would have bought these too.

 

[Vonx]

Quote:

If it wasn't for the shallow non-pleather pads, I would have bought these too.

To me, sound quality is number #1
 
But honestly, they are still really light and comfortable, and they weigh less than any of my over-ear headphones.

 

[MalVeauX]

Heya,
 
I find the FA-011 pretty sensitive to amplification. I've tried it on a few different amps and it definitely has some "synergy" so to speak with some of them. With my little Matrix CUBE, there is very little sibilance and the treble is not fatiguing. However, on my Asgard, it's quite sibilant and the treble is very hot. Both are solid state amps. I've tried it from my Lyr too, warms up there a bit. From a few of my AVR's, it also sounds anywhere from warmed up to straight up hot in the treble. So anyone having treble issues, the headphone is capable of that, yes, but what you're amplifying with also seems to make a noticeable difference. If you have other sources to use, test it out for yourself and see what you think.
 

 

 
Very best,

 

[Vonx]

Quote:

Heya,
 
I find the FA-011 pretty sensitive to amplification. I've tried it on a few different amps and it definitely has some "synergy" so to speak with some of them. With my little Matrix CUBE, there is very little sibilance and the treble is not fatiguing. However, on my Asgard, it's quite sibilant and the treble is very hot. Both are solid state amps. I've tried it from my Lyr too, warms up there a bit. From a few of my AVR's, it also sounds anywhere from warmed up to straight up hot in the treble. So anyone having treble issues, the headphone is capable of that, yes, but what you're amplifying with also seems to make a noticeable difference. If you have other sources to use, test it out for yourself and see what you think.
 

 

 
Very best,

Hey Malveaux,
 
What Amp did you prefer using with the FA-011 the most?
 
I'm looking to take a step up in amplification with these this christmas and I'd like to know which one you think has the best synergy
 
I've had my eyes on the asgard for a while, but the hottened treble could be a turn off. 
 
Would the lyr be a wiser choice?

 

[Rawrbington]

yeah mine don't seem hot at all out of my WA2 which is OTL tube class A.
pretty smooth cans not sibilent at all to me, but im used to beyers.
but i see how they could be out of the right(wrong) amps.
to me they are a little bottom heavy but still nice for the price.
 
really my only complaint is the cable... really the only place where they show their price(cheap)

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

Hey Malveaux,
 
What Amp did you prefer using with the FA-011 the most?
 
I'm looking to take a step up in amplification with these this christmas and I'd like to know which one you think has the best synergy
 
I've had my eyes on the asgard for a while, but the hottened treble could be a turn off. 
 
Would the lyr be a wiser choice?

 
Heya,
 
Pick a neutral or even better, a notably warm signature amplifier. Solid state or Tube, either way. I think buying a Lyr for a FA-011 is pretty much bogus (it costs 4x the headphone). If you already have warm amplifier(s), then it's a go. But if you're buying for the FA-011, do some home work on warm amplifiers. I can attest already that the Matrix CUBE is quite warm with this headphone, tames the treble noticeably compared to my Schiit amps. Wait for some folk who have the Fiio E9 and other entry level amps to chime in on how they sound with the FA-011 (or with other headphones with hot treble potentially). It's pretty warm directly from my Sansa Fuze, warm from my Vivid V1 Tech amp, warm from my Matrix CUBE, hot and sibilant from my HM-101 dac/amp, pretty bright and some sibilance from Schiit Asgard, relatively warm from the Schiit Lyr, variable degrees of warm/hot on some of my AVR's (onyko was warm, pioneer was inbetween, yamaha was a little bright).
 
Or just take the EQ out and drop 7k~10k down 2~3db and you're set.

(alas, I know most of head-fi think equalizing is evil and to be avoided for some weird reason)
 
I can't decide if the FA-011 or the Goldring DR150 is better (similar price tier).
 
Very best,
 
 

 

[Vonx]

Quote:

 
Heya,
 
Pick a neutral or even better, a notably warm signature amplifier. Solid state or Tube, either way. I think buying a Lyr for a FA-011 is pretty much bogus (it costs 4x the headphone). If you already have warm amplifier(s), then it's a go. But if you're buying for the FA-011, do some home work on warm amplifiers. I can attest already that the Matrix CUBE is quite warm with this headphone, tames the treble noticeably compared to my Schiit amps. Wait for some folk who have the Fiio E9 and other entry level amps to chime in on how they sound with the FA-011 (or with other headphones with hot treble potentially). It's pretty warm directly from my Sansa Fuze, warm from my Vivid V1 Tech amp, warm from my Matrix CUBE, hot and sibilant from my HM-101 dac/amp, pretty bright and some sibilance from Schiit Asgard, relatively warm from the Schiit Lyr, variable degrees of warm/hot on some of my AVR's (onyko was warm, pioneer was inbetween, yamaha was a little bright).
 
Or just take the EQ out and drop 7k~10k down 2~3db and you're set.

(alas, I know most of head-fi think equalizing is evil and to be avoided for some weird reason)
 
I can't decide if the FA-011 or the Goldring DR150 is better (similar price tier).
 
Very best,
 
 

Haha, thanks for the advice!
 
I dont plan to just use a Lyr for the Fischers, I have many other headphones that will benefit from a higher end amp, like my d2k's and senn hd650's. 
 
I just cant help but commend this headphone for its price point, though. 

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

Haha, thanks for the advice!
 
I dont plan to just use a Lyr for the Fischers, I have many other headphones that will benefit from a higher end amp, like my d2k's and senn hd650's. 
 
I just cant help but commend this headphone for its price point, though. 

 
Absolutely,
 
The Lyr is fantastic. Great for the HD650, and really great if you get into planar magnetics.
 
The FA-011 is an excellent phone for the cost though. $118 is a really good value at this sonic ability level.
 

 
Very best,

 

[Vonx]

 
Quote:

 
Absolutely,
 
The Lyr is fantastic. Great for the HD650, and really great if you get into planar magnetics.
 
The FA-011 is an excellent phone for the cost though. $118 is a really good value at this sonic ability level.
 

 
Very best,

mmm, that wine looks tasty
 
how do those fa-003's fare towards the fa-011 in your fischer collection?