Eterna (with Comparisons)

Fischer Audio Eterna (with Comparisons)

By Hadi

– May 6, 2010 Posted in: Headfonia

Fischer Audio Eterna is a dynamic driver in-ear-monitor marketed by Fischer Audio, a Russian headphones and earphones manufacturer, which has been pretty much under the radar outside Russia until just recently. I have been hearing good impressions and reviews about the Eterna, so I jumped on the opportunity when I was able to get one. The Eterna used to be Fischer Audio’s top of the line IEM, but they have since come up with newer IEM designs with more advanced drivers, which we hope to get our hands on soon. You can buy the Eterna itself for $60-$70 from the authorized dealers listed on Fischer Audio’s website.

The Eterna comes with pretty basic accessories: a pair of ear hook, basic pouch, and a set of eartips. The ear hook is very useful to reduce microphonics but a little cumbersome to use. It will be nice if a simple shirt clip is also included for times when I don’t want to use the ear hooks. The included cloth pouch is also very basic, and doesn’t seem to provide much protection for the Eterna. This is a pity, since the Eterna doesn’t seem like a product that can take abuse. During my 2 months ownership of the Eterna, I found that while the materials are very nice in general, there have been few issues with build quality. The metal grills covering the drivers are shoddily glued, and the left rubber enclosure where the cable connects to the earpieces had come off. I guess for $70, I can’t complain too much.

The eartips included with the Eterna are 2 pairs of silicon single-flange eartips and a pair of double-flange eartips. I tend to get the best seal and best sound with the double-flange tips, but they aren’t very comfortable, since to get a good seal with them, the big nozzle of the Eterna needs to be inserted quite deeply. For a much better comfort, I am using the modded Shure Black Foam Sleeves, also known as Shure Olives, which results in a slightly warmer sound. A friend has also tried the Eterna with the comply tips that comes with the Triple.fi, and they fit well. Note that the Eterna has to be worn over-the-ear like Westone IEMs or Shure SE530. A bit cumbersome, but I prefer the Eterna’s comfort over IEMs like Triple.fi and Etymotic ER4.

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