Hey gang..
My FA-011 from GD_Audiobase
finally arrived today. Only took a little over
two months of waiting from the day I paid
.
I was a little fed up with the lack of communication from GD-A (after incessant pestering, only update many of us got was an email from Dmitry saying they were very delayed.. and that was probably coaxed out due to FA putting pressure on GD-A).. so initiated a refund through MoneyBookers about two weeks ago. Literally 20 minutes after Moneybookers got that email, I get an email from Dimitry/GD-A stating my phones had shipped
. A few days prior to this is when FA told prospective buyers not to order through GD-A & that the FA-011 was discontinued and being revised. That advisory too late for many of us who had already placed orders.. so despite getting a shipment email from GD-A, I decided I would keep my MoneyBookers refund request open until (or if) I actually received the phones. After hearing about the revised FA-011 & getting the shipment email, I asked GD-A if I would be receiving the revised FA-011 or the old one. Dmitry confirmed I would be receiving the revised version
.
Enough retrospective.. these beauties arrived today. They left the GD-A office on 7/12 and left Russia on 7/18.. I used track-trace.com to track them in Russia & was able to use the same # at USPS.com on 7/25, presumably when they hit US shores (to trace them domestically).
I had the original FA-011 (deep, cherry red cups, solid build quality, and a coiled cable) when it was released.. I sold it and missed their sound so ordered them again. I'm quite positive I got the new, revised version too (pics coming soon) as the build issues I've read about (subsequent versions after the original) seem all resolved. No scratches on the metal plate, joints look very well soldered, and the innards simply look cleaner. Here's the kicker that I'm sure everyone has been waiting to hear about:
NEW PADS!
That's right folks! Same comfy, fabric texture.. but they're, finally DEEPER! Oh happy day!
Your ears are no longer jammed against the cups.. there's a good cm thickness (or more) to buffer the cups away from the ears.. but no so far as to ruin the fq response. Bottom line, I think everyone will be very happy with this oh-so-important touch. As much as I loved the dark cherry wood, I like this natural wood color even more. It simply looks beautiful and well manufactured. Again, I didn't really have any QC control issues with my original FA-011.. obviously there were plenty in the revisions that followed (and that I closely kept track of, despite selling the phones). I do get the sense these cups might be smaller than the original cups smaller in some way. They remain circumaural, but going off of (distant) memory, the new FA-011 seems noticeably lighter and smaller than the original I owned nearly a year ago. It could just be my memory failing me but regardless, I'd like to get confirmation from those who might have both versions, side by side, eventually.
Regardless, they sound fantastic (as I remembered). It's been quite some time since I listened to the original.. but the FA-011 signature is unmistakable.. and I hear it faithfully preserved in the new FA-011. If anything, it sounds a little cleaner straight out of my iPhone. I will be driving it from my various sources and amps soon, though.. which is when they really shine.
I'll have pics & more impressions soon.. but for those who recently ordered and are awaiting delivery.. sit tight, they're fabulous!