[dubai2000]

Strange - mine came without those holes.

 

[dubai2000]

Sorry - double post.

 

[zhouf]

For those of you who got your phones --
 
Did your russian post tracking number ever update after "return customs"?

 

[dubai2000]

I never received a tracking number, but the cans arrived in excellent shape (including their cardboard box....if that matters).

 

[rymd]

My tracking says that the phones got to customs on April 7, left the St. Petersburg office April 10, and finally, after 10 days, they've arrived.... at St. Petersburg. What's even more funny/sad is that the status say "Delivery to the addressee." I'm pretty sure I don't live in St. Petersburg...

I suggest you don't even look at tracking to not waste your time.

 

[treal512]

I'll second that. Just sit tight, as absurd as that might be.. they're coming. The questions is, are they smoking or non-smoking?

 

[PooManDeluxe]

I ordered mine on 3/25, got shipping notice on 4/2. Never received a tracking number and just came home to a missed delivery notice from USPS. I am located in California.
 
Will have to wait until tomorrow to pick it up, but I am expecting this thread to blow up this week.

 

[diodiel]

cant wait!
 

 

[CryptHF]

Dang, I got shipping notice 10 days after you.  That means another 10 days before I get mine!  D:  Thanks for sharing your information! 
 
Quote:

I ordered mine on 3/25, got shipping notice on 4/2. Never received a tracking number and just came home to a missed delivery notice from USPS. I am located in California.
 
Will have to wait until tomorrow to pick it up, but I am expecting this thread to blow up this week.

 

 

[Sophonax]

Alright, I picked up my FA-011 from the post office yesterday, and I did quite a bit of listening.  Keep in mind that these impressions are from a "green" set, without burn-in, FWIW.
 
Mine arrived relatively safely -- the cardboard box was dented a fair bit, but the headphones were in good shape.  Also, mine did smell a bit of smoke -- it wasn't that bad, but it was definitely noticeable.
 
One statement I have to make immediately -- I didn't find these nearly as comfortable as LFF described (I think the R10, HD800, DT880, and D2000 are more comfortable than the FA-011).  The earpads are rather shallow, and my ears are pressed by the foam in front of the drivers.  However, they're not bad, and they are quite light, and the headband doesn't put any uncomfortable pressure on the crown of the head.
 
As for the sound, I'm rather impressed, especially for a $120 headphone.  The bass is outstanding -- very strong and robust, but also very tight and well-controlled.  I think the bass emphasis seems to be in the lower bass region, rather than the midbass region -- reminds me of the Denon Dx000 series in that regard, but much tighter.  As a result, there is almost no bass bleed into the mids.  Also, the mids are very nice and smooth, somewhat intimate.  The treble is emphasized, giving nice sparkle, but also making the FA-011 more fatiguing.  Soundstage and imaging are just okay.
 
I also think that the FA-011 sounds somewhat overdamped.  This keeps the bass nice and tight, but I also think it sacrifices some low-level detail to accomplish this.  Therefore, I think these are more a fun headphone than a reference headphone.
 
Comparisons (all IMO, of course):
 
DT880/600 vs. FA-011
Without a doubt, the DT880/600 is the more balanced and neutral headphone of the two.  Bass and treble are stronger on the FA-011, but somehow the mids of the FA-011 don't sound recessed.  I'd say bass is about equally tight between the two, texture and articulation are also about equivalent, but the FA-011 carries much more weight and impact.  The DT880 is more detailed, and it captures low-level information much better than the FA-011.  The FA-011 has more energy and is also much more fatiguing.  The DT880 has a slightly larger soundstage and much sharper imaging.
 
DT990/600 vs. FA-011
The DT990/600 seems to me to almost be a half-way point between the DT880 and the FA-011.  Bass on the DT990 is stronger and more impactful than the DT880, but less so than the FA-011.  Again, bass texture and articulation are about equally good between the DT990 and the FA-011 (which is to say, both are very good in that regard).  Whereas the FA-011 seems to put more emphasis on the deeper bass, the DT990 puts more emphasis on the midbass.  As a result, I think the DT990 has more bass bleed into the mids than the FA-011.  I have to give the FA-011 the edge in the mids over the DT990 -- the DT990's mids sound a bit recessed to me, although they are very nice.  Treble on both is hot, but in a different way -- the DT990 emphasizes the upper treble, whereas the FA-011's emphasis seems to be more towards the presence region.  This makes the FA-011 more fatiguing IMO.  The DT990 has a definite advantage in both soundstage and imaging, as well as low-level detail retrieval.
 
SR60i vs. FA-011
The bass on the FA-011 is much stronger, more impactful, and better extended than the SR60i.  I would have to say that the mids are about equally good on both, though I think electric guitar sounds a bit better on the SR60i.  Both have a treble emphasis, but the SR60i's emphasis is placed at a bit lower frequency range than that of the FA-011.  I find both to be about equally fatiguing.  The FA-011's soundstage is a bit bigger, though I think the SR60i probably has slightly better imaging.  The SR60i has better low-level detail.
 
Overall, I think the FA-011 is a solid offering for those looking for a fun, open headphone.  The bass response really has to be heard to be believed -- I honestly don't think I've heard their equal when it comes to bass strength, impact, and tightness, all while carefully keeping the bass from affecting the mids.  I don't find them to be, however, particularly exceptional in comfort, treble, detail retrieval, soundstage, or imaging.  For $120, I think it's definitely worthwhile giving them a try.

 

[iSkullz]

Okay, so just for fun, I went on on the Russian tracking site, and it says this: "Вручение адресату" which in English translates to "Delivery to addresse" and this was updated on April 20 yesterday.
 
I'm guessing they delivered it to the post office and the post office will deliver it today.
 
I will keep you lads updated...

 

[Sophonax]

Oh yes, and FYI, I ordered on March 25, and I would have gotten the FA-011 on April 19 if I had been home to receive them.  I never got a tracking number for them.  I am located in Michigan.

 

[treal512]

Nice review, Sophonax. I can't wait to compare the bass on these with TMA-1s.

 

[ericp10]

Well, well, well!! Went to my office's mailroom today and guess what was sitting on the mail table waiting for me?

Ordered on March 24 and the FA-011 arrived today to my wonderful surprise!! I never got a tracking number but I'm okay with that. Anyway, first, no smell of smoke and the box was in excellent condition. My colleagues saw that the package was from Russia and joked that they didn't know I was a spy and/or that I was into inflatable Russian male-order brides (the abuse we must take for the love of this hobby...lol).
 
So, I did more damage to the box trying to figure out how to open it, but finally did and the headphones look pristine (with all accessories included inside and no cigarette smoke smell). Since I'm at the office  - not in the audio/visual room - and they're open headphones, I only put them over my ears for like 10 minutes (not burn in, which I believe in). Off the back I can say LFF didn't lie, the bass is freakin' fantastic!! Deep and tight how I like it. And the mids are wonderful too. I love the clarity in vocals already. I'm not huge on treble so I didn't listen to it too closely, but didn't find it lacking at all. this is a good start. I'll have a chance to listen to it more extensively at home tonight (connected to my Fiio E7/E9), but rarely have I been impressed with a headphone straight out the box like this. It took me awhile to warm up the M-50 (these clearly have better bass, I can tell already) and even longer to warm up to my Denon D2000 (never really like due to recessed mids except when playing it through my uDAC amp, and sold it fairly quickly). But I hear the value in these headphones already. Can't wait for a more extensive listening session. Thank you Dimitry and Fischer Audio. And thank you LFF for bringing these headphones to my attention. Kudos!  Happy listening - Eric

 

[JudgeDreadLocks]

Just wanted to add, I didn't smell any cigarettes on my pair. I am curious, did anyone else have holes cut into their cushions?One person said his pair didn't have it.