Fischer Audio Eterna (with Comparisons)

Before I listened to the Eterna myself, I have heard and read that it was a fun-sounding bassy IEM. I mistook this comment for a U-Shaped frequency response along the lines of my Beyerdynamic DT531 and Ultimate Ears Triple.Fi. The Eterna is not that. The foundation and strengths of Eterna’s sound lie on its wide soundstage, warm mids and bouncy midbass. The soundstage of the Eterna is very good for in-ear-monitors at this price, and compares favorably to Triple.fi’s soundstage, both in width and depth. I tend to appreciate good midbass when I hear one, and Eterna’s midbass is quite good. The midbass is full and blooms more than what can be called neutral; however, it is also fast, so it doesn’t get bogged down and congested much. Combine this with the fairly laidback upper mid, laidback treble, and lack of real thundering bass depth; they create a warm and easy-listening sound that is still forward.

The Eterna is a bassy IEM, a bit bassier than the Triple.fi; however don’t mistake its bass for a constant hard-pounding and punching bass that rattles your skull. True bassheads are better served by something like a Hippo VB in its bassiest setting. The Eterna also doesn’t have is a forward-sounding treble and forward upper mids. These two areas of the frequency response are present and smooth; however, most of the time, the main focus of the sound is not on the upper mid and treble, but more toward the low mids and midbass. There are other in-ear-monitors that are more voiced toward these particular ranges, such as the Phonak PFE, Etymotic ER4, and the Head-direct RE0. If you demand constant brilliance of clear treble and clear upper mid, the Eterna might not be the best choice, as when pushed in classical recordings, the treble can sound a bit dulled out on top. However, if you like full low-mids, good midbass, and a layered sound, the Eterna is well above other in-ear-monitors I have tried for its price.

Russia is not widely known as designers of in-ear-monitors; however, so is the country where the next in-ear-monitor in this review comes from. The Hippo VB (Variable Bass) is an in-ear-monitor made by Hippo, a Korean brand, and is distributed by Jaben Network in Singapore. You can currently buy one for $79. We have done the review on the balanced-sounding Hippo Pearl, and we think it was a very nice-sounding IEM. The Hippo VB, as far as I know, is currently the most expensive Hippo IEM available.

The first thing that will probably strike you about the Hippo VB is its detachable ports that you can use to tune the sound. Not many manufacturers implemented this design on their headphones, only Sleek Audio comes to mind. By installing different ports, VB users can adjust the amount of bass to their liking, and the differences are actually noticeable, so these ports are more than just gimmicks. With the dotless port, the Hippo VB has a lot of warm bumped bass, to the point of overpowering other parts of the frequency range, but still with a rather forward treble. Bassheads will probably like the VB in this setting as the bass is probably the most in quantity you can get in this price range, while at the same time, reaching quite low to the low bass level. I enjoyed this setting quite a bit for occasional fun. With the two-dotted port, you get more treble, with less but still pounding bass. This setting works well as a middle ground for most contemporary pop music I listen to. With the three-dotted port, the bass becomes closer to neutral, though a still on the bassy side. The treble is very forward in this setting and there is a slight reduction in soundstage width.

If full-bodied mids is your number one pritority, the Eterna is in my opinion a better alternative than the Hippo VB. On all three settings, the mids is there but not forward and a bit on the dry side. The treble, though very good and clear most of the time, can sound a bit rough with less than stellar recordings, particularly evident when compared to the smoother Triple.fi’s treble. Compared to the Triple.fi and the Eterna, the soundstage is not as wide and deep. However, if bass is important to you, VB’s bass is quite good, not the fastest, but is very tuneable from being a real bass-monster to a fun bassy IEM with a good low-bass depth.

Everybody loves cheap products with a very good price to performance ratio, but how do these two really compare against a fun-sounding top of the line IEM, the Triple.fi pro? Truth be told, the Triple.fi holds up very well against these two newer IEMs. It has the clearest treble and transients while still managing to sound quite smooth. The Triple.fi’s bass is easily the most refined; it is a weighty bass that punches swiftly and doesn’t drag the music down. It also has the depth in the low bass that is missing from the Eterna. VB’s bass is slightly deeper, but also slower.

If there is one thing that really pushes the Triple.fi ahead of the other two, it is that the sound coming out of it is also the most substantial out of the three; you can feel that there is a definite weight behind the sound across the entire frequency range. Maybe it’s the three drivers pumping out the sound of the Triple.fi, but you really get a more tactile feel out of the Triple.fi than from the Eterna and the VB. I also feel that the Triple.fi bests IEMs like Etymotic ER4 and Phonak PFE in this aspect.

For pure sound quality level, the Triple.fi still comes out for me as the best-sounding IEM in this comparison for all its strengths I have mentioned, especially if you like a mild U-Shaped response. The Hippo VB is best enjoyed when you want a tuneable deep and pounding bass with a present treble to accompany it. The Eterna is the most surprising; I simply haven’t heard any other IEM near its price with this coherent combination of good soundstaging, good midbass, and good mids. It is the IEM I would keep because it is affordable and has a sound quality above its price. I am using my IEMs for casual music listening on the go (no jazz and classical), and using it side-by-side with the technically better Triple.fi, the Eterna still competes for head time. Even a friend, who swears by his Triple.fi, is now looking to buy the Eterna as a warmer and more mid-oriented sounding complement to his Triple.fi.

Setup used for review:
IEMs: Fischer Audio Eterna, Hippo Vb, Ultimate Ears Triple.Fi 10
Source: Ipod Nano 1st Gen
Amplifiers: Audiotrak Imamp, RSA Protector, Nuforce uDAC