Firstly I would like to thank Fischer Audio
for sending me this sample to review, I always try and write honest reviews,
these received over 50hrs of burn-in and small differences were noted.
Gear Used:
Dell XPS 15 > JDS Labs C5D > FA-003ti
(pleather and velour pads used)
Tech Specs:
Technical Specs:
Frequency range: 10 - 26000 Hz
Sensitivity: 101 dB
Impedance: 64 Ohm
Maximum Power Input: 500 mW
Set: additional cushions, 6.3mm jack
adapter, storage case
Current Price: £118
Packaging, Accessories and Build quality:
These headphones come in their carry case
with a small cardboard sleeve which includes the specs and additional
information around it. No box to speak of, but they are well protected in their
carry case. All together I don't think
they need any extra packaging as the protection from the case is good enough to
protect them during shipping and the card sleeve provides all the relative
information.
Accessories included are great, you get a
screw on 6.3mm jack adapter, velour pads and the carry case, the only thing I
could imagine would be another great accessory would be a shorter more portable
cable, for on the go use, even though these are more designed for home use.
Very happy with the extra pads included, and I think more companies should do
this, one it means they last longer and as in the case of Fischer Audio, you
can tune the sound slightly with different pads.
Build quality feels solid, the headband is
well padded and metal reinforced, they use high quality plastics throughout and
also very nice metal arms. The cups have a metal plate with the Fisher Audio
logo on them and the detachable cable uses a clip in system that I can see
wearing out in the long run, but it works great and is an efficient and well
designed system. It is not too difficult to make custom cable to fit either, so
another good point there, and the cable is dual sided which I prefer.
Comfort, Isolation and Cable noise:
Comfort is great with both sets of pads, I
personally prefer Velour pads but the included pleather pads are very soft and
comfortable. Both sets of pads are big enough for most ears and also deep so
your ears don't touch the driver and cause discomfort.
Isolation is good with both sets of pads,
the pleather pads do isolate a little more than the velour, and I find my ears
don't get too warm with either set of pads. Even with the velour pads they
isolate enough to be used when out and about, but they are quite big on your
head. If you don't mind the look and the long cable, they do actually make good
portable headphones.
Cable noise is not an issue, and again
these are mainly for use at home.
Sound:
I will split it in to the usual categories,
but will also do a comparison with the Lindy HF-100 which are the rebranded
version of the original FA-003. I will also compare Pleather vs Velour pads.
Pleather Pads:
Lows: the lows are very well controlled and
never sound too full or overbearing. They are always tight and accurate, but
with good extension and also impact when called for, the lows are very neutral
in presence and never become the centre of the sound. Bass guitars are easily
distinguished, and the lows work well with every genre, but bass heads will not
like the amount. I personally prefer this neutral approach, as it just blends
well with the rest of the sound. Sometimes I do find they lack a tiny bit of
body, but this is track dependent, the lows are also very fast in attack and
recovery which is great for faster, heavier music.
Mids: The mids like the lows are very
neutral, which makes them great for all genres, as they don't suffer any
warming from the lows. They are well separated and airy, and I find both male
and female vocals sound excellent and from acoustic to heavy rock they handle
everything with ease. The mids might be a little on the leaner side, but they
don't suffer from sibilance or harshness, neither do they sound too clinical. Detail
retrieval is excellent, all subtle details can be heard with ease, acoustic
guitars have great body and reverberation whereas electric guitars have good
crunch and power.
Highs: The highs are not lacking either,
they are not aggressive or in your face, but they are not recessed and dull.
They have excellent shimmer and sparkle, they have great detail and extension
without any harshness. People sensitive to treble might not be the biggest fans
but I also wouldn't say these are fatiguing. They portray the highs quite
realistically in terms of presence, and also extension. I cannot fault the
highs as they are where they should be without sounding harsh or fatiguing, but
neither are they dull.
Soundstage is good, not the widest but they
are also not too aggressive. Everything sits in its correct space and it's easy
to pinpoint all the instruments.
The sound has excellent PRAT*, due to the Ti
coated driver it is very quick in attack and recovery, but can also linger when
called for. Overall a balanced and neutral sound, that lends its hand to every
genre out there.
Velour pads:
Lows: The lows lose a little body and
fullness, the bass kicks are not quite as full as they are now lacking a little
sub-bass. But bass guitars still sound articulate and they gain a little more
space. Overall I prefer the lows of the Pleather pads due to them being
slightly fuller, but they don't sound too bad with the Velour pads, I would say
with the JDS Labs C5D bass boost position 1 helps bring out a little more punch
in the lows to bring them up to how I personally like them which is closer to
neutral than without bass boost. I think a Tube amp would make the FA-003ti
with velour pads sing.
Mids: The mids are colder but cleaner,
tonally they are slightly cold but they do have great detail and separation, a
little sibilance can be detected but nothing troublesome. I prefer the more
aggressive mids with the velour pads, the pleather pads have a smoother sound.
Highs: This is where the main difference
is, and I like it, the highs are definitely more pronounced, and some would
find them a little fatiguing but I think the cues in the highs are greatly
improved, and also they are also present with excellent shimmer now. If you
want detail I would recommend the Velour pads, if you want a balanced and
smoother sound I recommend the Pleather pads.
Soundstage is wider with the velour pads,
everything has a little more air surrounding it.
Instrument separation is excellent,
everything has its own space.
With the velour pads you get a more
aggressive, but more spacious sound. The lows do suffer a little as they lose a
little body which can be made up by an amps bass boost, the mids are cleaner
but sometimes suffer from a little sibilance, and the highs are now more
present and detail throughout is more easily audible. This does mean they do
sound more fatiguing with the velour pads, but if you like detail you will like
the velour pads.
Vs Lindy HF-100 (rebranded FA-003) Thanks
to Hifiheadphones for lending me the HF100 for this comparison.
Current Price: £74.98
First off the build quality is slightly
different, the HF-100 have plastic arms that hold the cups on, the new FA-003ti
has metal arms, and the L and R indicators are a slightly different design.
Apart from this, they are the same, headband is the same, and so are the
earpads. Note that the FA-003ti comes with 1 pair of Pleather and 1 pair of Velour pads, the HF-100 comes with
2 pairs of Pleather pads. Also the HF-100 come with a flight adapter and the
6.3mm adapter is not screw on even though the jack has thread on it.
Sound:
I will be comparing the sound using Pleather pads
Lows: The lows on the HF-100 are fuller and
have more impact than the Ti drivers, but they are not as quick and responsive.
The sound comes down to preference, the Ti is more accurate but the HF-100 is
more fun and you might enjoy the sound a little more, but if you wanted to mix
music then the Ti is better. I do like the impact and depth, but I find the
speed is not quite as good, I also find them to sound a little bloated when
compared side by side with the Ti drivers.
Mids: The mids have a little bleed from the
lows, mainly male vocals suffer from this and have a slightly off timbre, but
overall the mids are still very good. And they still cut through the mix
cleanly with good detail, they are just not quite as separated and detailed as
the Ti drivers. They still play most genres very well and most would be
satisfied, I just find the Ti drivers to have the edge in detail retrieval.
Highs: The highs actually don't seem as
subdued on these with the pleather pads as on the Ti version, which is odd. I
find these to have a slight V shaped signature, but not overly pronounced. The
highs are still not fatiguing, they are just always audible in the mix with
good spaciousness, detail and extension.
The soundstage is not hugely different, the
Ti driver has a small advantage being ever so slightly more spacious.
Overall I personally prefer the FA-003ti
just because it has an extra little bit of detail and the sound has better PRAT* and sound tighter and more controlled.
It really comes down to personal
preference, as they are both very good headphones. The FA-003ti is technically
better, but that does not mean everyone will prefer them. The HF-100 are still
an excellent buy and they definitely have a warmer sound, with more punch and
fullness down low, slightly warmed up mids and well balanced highs. So for
analytical sound, FA-003ti all the way, for general home listening, you won't
go wrong with either.
Now, how would the FA-003ti sound with
wooden cups?
Hopefully that will come soon...
PRAT = Pace, Rhythm and Timing
FA-003ti Sound Perfection Rating: 9/10 (Excellent
all round closed back headphones)
HF-100 Sound Perfection Rating: 8.5/10 (Not
quite as controlled but still brilliant for the price)
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