xaf
New Head-Fier
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- Apr 1, 2010
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So...today we take a look at two models from the Signature series, probably considered a more "consumer-oriented" than the Fundamentals (certainly their asking price is a little bit less). Each model in the range is named after a letter in the Greek (Lambda, Sigma, Omega, and the defunct Sampi) or the Phoenician (A'Leph, Daleth) alphabet. The latter two models are the ones which will be on review here.
Packaging (2/5)
Both earphones come in a neatly presented box which has a clear bit of plastic on the back showing off the earphones and the eartips they come with. In fact, apart from the instruction manual, that's all they come with (the Daleth also has a shirt clip which was pre-attached to the earphones already). Altogether basic but functional.
On a side note, printed somewhere on the boxes are the symbols reflecting their names. For the A'Lephs is the Hebrew symbol for A while for the Daleth is the original Phoenician symbol for D. I just thought that was interesting....yes I have too much time on my hands.
Design and Build quality (Daleth: 2/5 A'Leph: 4/5)
Starting with the Daleth. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this is the only earphone FA produces which uses a wooden driver housing. Apart from that, the driver nozzle is made of plastic and is stuck with some sort of glue to the wood. I know very certain that it's some sort of glue because once while I was changing the eartips, I managed to (accidentally) separate the nozzle structure from the housing, and that's quite worrying. Now I'm paranoid about them coming apart. That's not the only thing, the base of the strain relief where the cable enters the right earpiece has a small chunk missing out of it...not that it really matters consider the strain relief isn't doing much anyway, that and I can now sort of identify the right earpiece in the dark...And that's a good thing because the print on the housing rubs off quite easily as well, quite a bit of the FA logo on the right housing is gone, and this is with use totalling about 15 hours. Apart from that, I like the simple way the earphones are designed, I just wished it was a bit more durable.
The A'Leph on the other hand feels much more solid. These seem to be the flagship of the Signature series, suggested by the tag near the 3.5mm plug which says 'ALEPH' similar to how the Eterna has a similar tag (which says 'ETERNA' of course). The first thing that you notice though with these is how light they are. They feel absolutely weightless. I reckon this is due to the plastic housing on these being quite this as the earphones have a tendency to stick to each other (albeit quite weakly) due to magnetic attraction. Lefts and rights can be identified by either the indented L/R letters or the coloured backings of the earphones which are blue and red (L/R respectively). As for the overall design, I'll let you be the judge as to what you think of them.
Both have cables of reasonable thickness and both terminate in a solid L-plug, so hopefully that bodes well for both earphones' durability.
Comfort, Isolation and Microphonics (Daleth: 4/5, 3/5, 4/5 A'Leph: 4.5/5, 4.5/5, 4/5)
Both earphones are very light, especially the A'Leph, and combined with the fact they're not very big means they are very comfortable to wear for long periods of time.
WRT isolation, the A'Leph with double flange tips and worn over the ear wins hands down. The Daleth are a little bit better than average, and as comfortable as they are, I occasionally struggle to get a good fit with these which can hurt isolation as well.
Microphonics for both are slightly detectable when worn straight down, virtually all gone when worn over the ear.
Soundstage (Daleth: 6.5/10 A'Leph: 7.5/10)
The Daleth has a slightly above average soundstage, more depth than width. It still comes off as a very forward, almost to an in-you-face sound. The A'Leph has a better soundstage overall with more feeling of width as well as depth.
Sound Quality (Daleth: 7.3/10 A'Leph: 7.25/10)
These two are very different offerings in terms of sound, but I will say from the outset here, of the 10 FA earphones I have in my possession, the A'Leph, while not my favourite, impressed me the most. To me, what they sound like is basically what I will call "Eterna-lite". The overall presentation and the shape of the sound is nearly an exact replica of the Eterna, with the differences between these being very subtle. It has good, speed, articulation and detail, but is not as spacious as the Eterna, nor is the positioning of sound as good. Detail when there are lots of layers falls away ever so slightly. The A'Leph is still very much a natural, fun sounding earphone, but not nearly as musical as Eterna which is subtly more rich, subtly more immersive, subtly more smooth, subtly more refined, but again, it is only subtly different.
The Daleth while not nearly as impressive as the A'Leph, is not bad by any means. It's position in the Signature series is a bit like the Paradigm v2 in the Fundamentals in that it has a very vocal, upper mids and treble focus. The difference is that it also has more midbass, which can be considered quite common throughout the FA range. Overall, more analytical sounding than fun but the more prominent lower frequencies means it is also nicely balanced out (despite the vocals being the centre of attention) and this is very evident in instrumental music. Positioning and balancing and transparency between layers is also very impressive.
Treble (Daleth: 7.5/10 A'Leph: 7.9/10):
Daleth: Bright, sparkly highs, upper mids, can be harsh on the rare occasions. Carries good detail and speed, has a BA feel to it.
A'Leph: Not as prominent as the mids or lows but is never recessed. Rolls off a little as you keep going up
Mid-range (Daleth: 7.5 A'Leph: 8.25):
Daleth: Mids , lower mids very luscious sounding (but not very warm), well detailed, instrument separation and layering, well complimented by the upper and lower frequencies. Vocals have a quality of being forward and even echo-y but gets somewhat veiled at the same time if the vocal is quiet or if the volume is low, I don't really know how to describe it, nor am I sure if it is because the housing is made of wood.
A'Leph: Sweet sounding, musical, rich, immersive, but just one step down from the Eterna. Good detail overall although detail depth direction is only slightly above average especially when quite a few things are going on at once.
Bass (Daleth: 7/10 A'Leph: 8.25/10):
Daleth: Not as much impact and quantity as the A'Leph but continues the same luscious quality as the other frequencies and blends well without bleeding evidently into the mid-range.
A'Leph: Doesn't kick nearly as hard as the Eterna but it is similarly tight and well controlled, never bloated.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, for those who can't afford the Eterna, the A'Leph is more than capable of stepping in, and that's saying quite a bit for something that costs half as much. As for the Daleth, I have no problems recommending them for their sound (personally I like the analytical type sound myself) but sadly that's not the only thing that makes a good earphone, and the build quality and durability of these leaves a quite a bit of room for improvement.
It's not difficult to be impressed by FA. It's refreshing to see that the people at FA love their music while also understanding that others do as well. They also realise that not everyone can afford to pay to find the sound they enjoy. With the Daleth and especially the A'Leph they have yet again managed to bring performance which well and truly exceeds the price range in which they fight in ($28USD for the Daleth and $30USD for the A'Leph) and if these two sound this nice, I would love to get the opportunity to hear what the likes of the Sigma, Lambda, and going up a bit, the Axiom and Equilibrium sound like, and how they compare and fit within their respective ranges.
