Final Audio A5000
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I’ve indeed purchased all three of final A line models below the flagship upon their release, which means – I realise it now – I’ve been owning A3000 and A4000 for more than 2 years now, and A5000 for almost one, but for one reason or another I always slacked behind on writing a proper piece about such last ones, and more in general dwell onto the family’s common traits.
A5000 like all of the A line is readily distributed in Europe, and can be bought from multiple sources including Amazon for € 299,00 retail.
final’s D8000 project was (and is) founded on reaching absolute top sonic results stemming from world-class leading-edge R&D and technology.
More simply put, this more or less equates to engaging into the following bet: if we design components which are world’s best, really meaning 360° best materials, employing 360° best methods, etc, then we’ll get the absolute “best possible” head/earphones.
Is that the case with D8000? Well in a sense, arguably yes indeed, at least in terms of high-range market reception.
Let’s move forward.
As you may or may not know, the first model within final E family of earphones was E3000 (presented in the same year: 2017), and it was created with the exact purpose of obtaining a sound perception as similar to D8000’s “universality” as possible.
Of course, E3000 as a product being aimed at the budget market, no one ever thought to start from employing top end materials or parts on them, rather – in a sense, an equally and perhaps even more challenging effort indeed – by “just” applying extremely sophisticated psychoacoustic research to otherwise much more “ordinary cost” components.
It’s totally obvious that E3000 do not sound like D8000 in the end, but it’s certainly as much obvious that their general presentation, and even some parts of their technicalities, are incredibly close to their intended archetype, again the more so when considering the ridiculous price tag they were positioned on the market at.
In the couple of years following those 2017 months final pitted a total of 5 other models onto the market to complete their E family lineup – some carrying a pretense of higher sophistication and style, some oppositely aiming at an even tinier-budgeted market segment, however all based on two common fundaments : employing the same single 6-mm dynamic driver, and offering an arguably general-purpose tuning, beyond modest flavour touch-ups ranging from bright-neutral (E1000, E500), to balanced-neutral (E2000), to warm-balanced (E3000, E4000, E5000).
Then – and we are in the end getting close to our today’s case – a different train of thought was applied.
Making headphones sounding “as good as possible” starting from “as advanced as possible technology” may be a nice engineeristic exercise but runs the risk of ending up producing a remarkable piece of equipment which is nevertheless distant from the particular, real-world preferences of many users.
Alternatively said: what if world technology’s best can only get some – or many? – users “close” to what they really need, but not right on the spot? Simple as hell, they will just be not fully satisfied – in spite of all the rutilant technological words accompanying the product they were sold as “best”.
So : instead of moving from technology traits towards application, final started flipping the point of view, focusing on specific auditioning targets to begin with (!), and got engaged on understanding their particular challenges, ending out backtracking into (re)designing technology, and developing products purposefully tuned to best pursue such newly scouted needs.
As I reported in the introduction of my B3 review, when conceiving their B-series final reflected on the relations between spatial projection and dynamic range.
Taking into consideration small bands, acting on physically unextended stages, a lot of overlapping sounds and voices usually happen. In such situation there’s a relatively lesser need to render “spatial amplitude”, in exchange for much higher demand for sonic separation capabilities. B3 are absolute champions on that purpose.
On another drawing table – and we are finally starting to refer to the A series now – they started investigating better on the dyscrasy between today’s most common auditioning situations, naturally at the base of nowadays’ user expectations, and the very different ones which where common when much or even most of that music was actually produced.
Within such project, they moved from observing that perceptions such as “sound transparency” are not modellable in terms of sound amplitude modulation (you know? those “frequency response graphs” you see everywhere… they do not represent the entire IEM/HP sound behaviour!), yet they are crucial to a user satisfaction depending on the musical genre, and/or the aforementioned chasm between a piece’s original mastering and its today’s reproduction conditions. And that’s just an example.
In their effort to model user expectations, soon they realised that a mixture of physical measures and subjective evaluations was involved, and to manage it all they even developed an appropriate internal-use scoring methodology called Perceptual Transparency Measurement (PTM) – no real technical details sadly available on that, bar a succinct marketing-level description.
As already hinted before, different types of musical situations require, or at least preferentially would call for, different renderings to best be perceived by the auditioner.
For classical and other acoustic music the sense of a wider stage space, and perceiving the various instruments well enucleated from one another on it, is of course much more important vs rock or pop.
Furthermore: while (for example) for classical music priority #1 is no doubt making sure that the auditioner perceives the correct relative distances amongst the various instruments (violins and other strings in the front, wind in the middle, percussion back there), having a particularly wide dynamic range (i,e. a particularly wide breadth of in-between sound nuances separating the faintest and loudest note played by each instrument) is not a vital requirement here.
Oppositely rock and pop bands play much more tightly grouped together, and their music is supposed to be much more blended in the first place, which is why sound field size and imaging are much less prioritary in their case, while resolution and layering become key, and dynamic range amplitude with them.
All such differences were known since the beginning to music professionals, and that’s why different types of music were most often recorded / produced with such priorities in mind to begin with.
So how to approach such situation?
There are of course two different ways: develop relatively more specialised headphone/earphone models, each aimed at optimising a defined subset of musical situations, or, work on R&D to try and come up with something that will cover a broader, ideally almost universal applicative span.
While the former method would naturally result in products loved by relatively restricted groups of specific enthusiasts, the latter is supposed to deliver products that would be recognised as excellent by a very diverse users population.
Cutting this very long story very, very short: final’s marketing narration tells us they re-thought their (intended) universal-purpose IEM line on the basis of more up to date technical-demoscopic research, in parallel of course to their ever-accruing technological advancements and skills.
Fair enough. Enter the A series then !
Starting from the first model and flagship – A8000 – and through its other 3 ones named A4000, A3000 and A5000 (mentioned in the order of their release dates) A series is focused on delivering the most extended possible mix of clarity and spaciousness together, while not compromising on dynamic range.
In final’s own words (referred to A4000): “realize [its] quality not by its ability to create sound capable of attracting a small number of wild fans through its strong individuality, but rather sound aimed at greater universality”.
A bold target, indeed. I mean… try asking Diderot and D’Alembert…
No wonder that once self-encased in such an epic task they deemed it appropriate to specially develop a brand-new dynamic driver from the ground up. Or indeed, even two different ones.
The first one is the so-named “Truly Pure Beryllium Diaphragm” driver created on purpose for their A8000, released some four years ago. One of the very few real things on the market when it comes to Beryllium foil adoption. By the way: you did laugh at cheap chifi brands’ sudden hype, emerged just weeks after final and very few other higher standing companies presented their new Beryllium-tech drivers, stating they could deliver “True Beryllium” diaphragms for a fraction of the price, didn’t you?
Past social marketing fun apart, at the technological level the resort to Beryllium came from the search for an extremely lightweight material, to obtain superfast sound propagation speeds. In other words: they designed the fastest-moving dynamic driver they could think of, meant as a crucial component to get to the intended sonic target.
They also developed a second version of such driver, the so-called “f-Core DU” driver. No Beryllium in there, “just” a call for a speed as close to that of the Truly Pure Beryllium Driver, for a much lower manufacturing cost – both in terms of sheer material cost and of the equipment and skills required to treat it – which is a quite as tough industrial challenge, indeed.
I won’t bother you with the various marketing wordage final uses about the f-Core DU, you can find some here if you like. Long story short: it’s fast, very fast, and it costs less so it can be fit into “budget” finished products – as low as € 130 retail, instead of 2K€-tagged ones as the TPBD.
All good, even epic, indeed. But did it all work ?
Well if you want my opinion – and I presume you do at least a bit, otherwise why wasting your time reading all this? – yes to an extent, but not quite as they intended to.
Be warned: in frankness, I must say I am not a supporter of the project in line of principle. Universality and optimisation are irreconcilable enemies for me, and my life is made of distilled choices in most if not really all of its aspects, so I will always be a supporter for “specialised” vs “genericist” – and this applies to “items” (audio gear, vacuum cleaners, cars) as well as to “services” (restaurants, jobs…), or relations (friends, partners). This alone might and probably should be seen as an apriori bias leading me to downvote final A instances vs their declared intentions.
That being duly noted, first and foremost I must say I was not impressed by A8000, considering its price of 2000 €.
While I never owned an A8000 sample, I took some extended audition time on them during the latest Munich High End show, and there I built some solid “impressions” – not the same as a long term experience, for sure, however I feel what I heard is enough to form a clean opinion about their key aspects at the very least.
That beryllium-based fantastic driver is, indeed, as fast as a planar, and maybe even more – and that’s precisely why I reckon it fails on delivering a truly organic timbre – as I can’t fail decoding its supersnappy transients as a taint of artificiality touching pretty much everything in their presentation.
That is indeed a monumental pity, as it undermines all the effectively marvelous other deeds no doubt accomplished by A8000 in terms of clarity, spatial drawing, tonal coherence, range extension and more. However, an artificial timbre is a too serious turn off for me.
As for A3000, A4000 and A5000, instead, I happen to have purchased a sample of each right upon their release dates – so I have a much more extended opinion on each of them. You already [should] know my take regarding A3000, as I covered them here.
This article is of course about A5000, and before you wonder I will not write a full blown piece about A4000, and I hope I will succeed conveying why within the Comparisons section, here below,
Well I guess I can consider this introduction over now…
Tonality
A5000 are tuned following a rather classical V shape, if a bit wide, so with elevated bass and sub-bass, energetic treble and (moderately, in this case) recessed mids.
The timbre is clear and a whiff lean-ish but not too much really, and the result stays reasonably close to organicity. The overall impact is a bit off neutral colour, shifted towards the cold side, and medium-bodied notes, a bit more such towards the bass, and less towards the high-mids and higher on.
Sub-Bass
Sub-bass is fully extended, and more elevated then midbass. It is not overly elevated though, so it stays there as a good, hearable rumble floor when of course the music calls for it.
Mid Bass
Mid bass on A5000 is good, fast, with quite pulpy and well contoured notes. Decay is tight, attack perhaps a bit on the relaxed side. From my library I get good bass readability, yet when pushing a bit up on the amping kickdrum may at times tend to get fuzzy. Even in such occasions however mid bass in never bleeding on the mids.
Mids
Mids are recessed yet well delivered nonetheless. They do partake to the overall note leanness, probably ultimately connaturate to the very f-Core DU driver, and such feat may resolve into a first impression of relative coldness and unwanted thinness.
Letting music flow, however, one appreciates such texturing, and the level of detail which are present in this segment, too, with that soon re-ranking A5000’s mids onto their honest value in the overall mix. It stays anyhow true that central piano octaves, and some guitars, will sound dry, somewhat unlushy.
No doubt, a sole driver is in general on vantage position to grant seamless tonal passage from mids to highmids, and this is the case on A5000 too, even in presence of a steep-ish ramp in the output, up to an important pinna gain at around 4Khz.
Good news include that there’s very little if any glare.
Male Vocals
A5000 treat baritones an basses with good authority and power, and tenors too but those start to partake to the mids’ general dryness – this, in spite of their relatively recessed level in the presentation.
Female Vocals
Female vocale are sparkly, energetic and clear. I would much prefer them having some more “butter” on them, yet their actual tonality is in the end consistent with the rest of A5000 signature, which is clearly not mid-centric by design, quite the opposite as we already noted.
Sadly, they are quite often affected by sibilance which paired with their dry-ish timbre brings them south of truly organic, and most importantly lets them come across quite raw a bit too often.
Highs
A5000 trebles are a mixed bag, and that’s a real pity. On one end there’s very good energy, sparkle, and clarity, without excessive thinness, and no zings. On the down side however they do lack airiness, and often expose a modest yet fastidious sibilance – and more in general their elevation and modulation is anyhow such to produce fatigue on mid-length listening sessions, which is a serious turn off to me.
Sadly, JVC SpiralDot tips – usually quite effective in taming harsh trebles and sibilance – don’t help in this particular case.
Soundstage
In compliance with an intended feature for the entire A family, A5000 offer soundstage drawing capabilities that are extremely significant in absolute terms, with this I mean they widely transcend the levels of other drivers, probably most other drivers, in their price category.
A5000 in particular draw very ample width, and even more remarkable height, paired with no less than significant depth.
Imaging
Microdynamics are an absolute forte on A5000 – it is always very easy to pinpoint instruments on the stage, and their positioning is offered in a very natural way.
Details
Detail retrieval is extremely good, perhaps even sensational on A5000 on the low mids and mid bass. It is also above average, but just that, in the trebles, due to their previously mentioned tendency to get a bit hot.
Instrument separation
Layering and separation are very good on A5000, at the absolute top and beyond of their direct price competitors. This, paired with the aforementioned drawn stage amplitude, depending on the particular track master delivers a comprehensive no less then theatrical spatial experience, with voices not only well identified and enucleated, but also seemingly positioned at sensible distances from one other.
Microdynamics are a bit above average but no more then that, hampered in general by the driver’s tightness. Within such general view, they are better on mid bass and low mids, and more limited the more we go up in the frequencies.
Driveability
Properly driving A5000 is not overly hard, but their 100dB/mW sensitivity at 18 ohm does call for sources with at least some current delivery muscle on low impedance loads. Read: I would not recommend direct smartphone pairing, or other particularly known-weak mobile source usage.
Build
The ABS resin material appears fully resistant to “normal” solicitations. The Shibo finish is a love/hate thing (I am in the former group).
Recessed and notched cable connectors are good on the tech side, but a bit inconvenient for the user as only few(er) third party manufacturers easily make compatible 2pin terminations available.
Fit
A 3-contact-point fit between the housing and the outer ear has been designed by final aiming at the best compromise between wearing firmness and light stress accumulation over time.
The design idea is quite brilliant to be honest, the rationale being: you need (just) 3 grip points to obtain stability. One is the eartip umbrella, inside the canal. Another one is the housing’s short front side vs the tragus. And the third can be any one of the possible 4 contact spots between the housing’s shaped back side and the concha – depending on one’s ear particular shape that of course will happen on one or another position. I would say that for my experience it all works as intended.
The nozzle is relatively short – same situation for the whole A series of course as the shell size&shape is identical on all models – that calls for a shallow fit, which is consistent with the housings’ shape and size: pushing them further in would defeat their triple-support-point design, and most of all would (and will – I tried!) soon become uncomfortable.
Be as it may, this situation makes tip choice apriori limited. In my case luckily the working trick “just” stays in choosing a bigger size for my left ear: that gets me a firm grip and seal with the tip sitting “just in” the canal. Oh and by the way: stock final E black tips are good for the purpose.
Comfort
A5000’s particular housings size, their 3-point-fit design, and their external finish all contribute to a good comfort once the right “personal” position is found.
Oppositely, if you want, or feel obliged by your particular outer ear conformation, to opt for a deeper fit very high chances are that A5000 housings will not be as comfy for you after a moderate, and in the worst cases even short period of time.
Isolation
Passive isolation is quite nice once A5000 are properly fitted “as per design”, but not more than that as the housings won’t even “fill the concha up”, which would of course block more of the leak.
Cable
A5000 stock cable is a new model for final. Instead of the Junkosha silver plated copper, 2-thread PVC-sheated cable bundled with A8000, E5000 and B3, a new silver plated copper 8-thread braided cable is offered.
final did not disclose much additional information, nor spare / alternative termination versions are available yet on their website.
Sadly, similarly to all other final packages, no modular termination plugs are available on A5000 either, so pairing to a balanced source requires swapping it anyhow.
Talking about cable rolling: better stay on silver plated. Dunu DUW-02S is a good rec for A5000.
Insofar as part of the same A family, the two models share identical housings (A5000 just carrying a different external finish) and drivers, and their packages bundles are identical too. A5000 come with a supposed higher quality cable – which however did not impress me too much in terms of sonic quality, not to speak about the fact that, both carrying a classical non-modular single ended termination, I had to swap both for the sake of properly exploiting my various sources.
A3000 present a U, or even W if you wish, shaped presentation in lieu of the (wide) V on the A5000. In terms of modulation, there are two extremely important, and crucial differences between the two tunings.
One: high mids are tamed and very slowly growing from 2 all the way to 6KHz on A3000, while “more harmanilly” ramping quite sharply from 2 to 3Khz on A5000, and almost plateauing thereafter.
Two: mid bass and mids are all the way uniformly more forward on A3000, this already per se resulting in a perceivable warmer tonality and a bit fuller timbre across the board, but it all results in a very evidently different overall timbre and tonality balance as the two aspects of course work together.
A3000 have an overall tonality which is much more pleasing to my ears, and while it may be said to be a bit less energetic and dynamic especially on guitars and trumpets, I would never trade added muscle in those areas for the wonderfully delicate balance A3000 offer on acoustic music, therein included tracks with vocals, and female vocals in particular.
Both sets can be said to have a non-lushy timbre, with A5000 on a furtherly drier position. A5000 have an evident if modest bit better extension towards the bass, with their sub-bass rumble being more nicely present in many occasions. Sadly, both are unable to completely avoid sibilance, but A3000 fall into this pit less then 50% of the times compared to A5000. Even with that said, however, in presence of similar 6KHz peaks A3000’s more relaxed high mids tuning makes them much, much less fatiguing, and pleasant to enjoy even for quite long sessions.
Technicalities such as soundstage casting and microdynamics are on par at stunning levels on the two models. Microdynamics are an evident tad better on A3000 thanks to their slightly more relaxed transients across the board. Similarly, detail retrieval is better on A3000 both on the bass, and moreover on the high mids and trebles, vis-a-vis them being much less invasively “hot” compare to A5000’s.
A3000 carry a (decisive) even lower sensitivity, which makes totally impossible to disregard selecting an adequate power source when it comes to pairing choices. Forget smartphones, and all low powered sources / dongles too. To give an idea, a Sony NW-A55 is barely enough to cope with A3000, with no headroom to spare to compensate for low volume recorded tracks.
Presentations are also quite similar between A4000 and A5000, however they diverge by that small much that makes for a decisive difference – especially for my tastes. Similarities are in the general tuning, which is a V, a sharper one at that on A4000, and on timbre, which is equally fast / clear on both models. Soundstage and imaging are equivalently top notch too. A5000 have farther lower extension, resulting in a more strongly evident sub-bass.
Most important, and crucially, A4000 offer even more energetic high mids than A5000, which is where their tonality breaks in my opinion, and anyhow for my tastes. Fast transient, so much (too much!) energy on guitars, trumpets and high piano chords, and that 6KHz peak which won’t forgive sibilating more frequently than not make A4000 a definitely unbalanced-bright, at times even splashy high tones cannon, too often sounding artificial – which is a true pity as their low mids and bass lines are viceversa beyond commendable.
Microdynamics are equivalently no more than average both on A4000 and A5000, with A4000 being nothing to write home about in terms of high mid and treble detail retrieval, too often drowning under the waves of excessive clarity and brightness.
Long story short: I would exclusively recommend A4000 to die-hard treble-heads.
Both A5000 and Oxygen carry a single Dynamic Driver, and while both can be classified as bright-neutral tonalities, their immediate skin-effect is obviously different due to the much clearer timbre brought up by A5000 compared to Oxygen, which – while still in the category of relatively fast drivers – offers definitely more relaxed transients, both as for attack and decay.
Oxygen sound therefor “mellower”, tonally softer, less clear, and most of all they convey a more closed-in group sensation – there is a way less air between one instrument and the other. En revenche, acoustic instruments and human voices sound obviously more organic on Oxygen.
Oxygen and A5000 are equally extended down to the bass, but A5000’s tighter transients deliver punchier, more energetic feeling to midbass, which of course may be more or less welcome depending on the track/genre.
Oxygen are more aggressive when it comes to high mids modulation, but less when it comes to low trebles. Their thicker note weight, however, make the entire high line less aggressive, if a bit less impactful, compared to A5000.
There is *no* sibilance on Oxygen.
Stage projection is evidently better on A5000, and by a significant margin. The opposite can be said about microdynamics, where the palm clearly goes to Oxygen.
Oxygen’s lesser cleanness and air presence do not compromise on layering and separation: Oxygen and A5000 are equally good at resolving overlapping instruments and voices.
Oxygen may be less easy to comfortably fit – shallow insertion being sadly a forced option here.
Like most if not all Tanchjim / Moondrop models, Oxygen require opposite-than-normal 2pin cable polarity so there’s that, too, to keep in mind when (as I strongly recommend) upgrading to a better cable, binning Oxygen’s disappointing stock one.
Both Canon II and A5000 offer full bilateral range extension, which is of course a more significant achievement on A5000 given they carry a single driver instead of five. En passant, it’s however fair to underline how Canon II offer commendable timbre coherence amongst their drivers, with some hearable débacle exclusively circumscribed to the passage between low and high mids.
Canon II’s dynamic driver offers very nicely calibrated sub-bass – possibly even better than A5000’s – and fuller bodied, slower decaying mid-bass notes, which sound punchier, but less cleanly separated, compared to A5000’s, resulting therefore in a stronger, but less readable and a bit more “stuffy” bass presentation. This, when Canon II’s tuning switches are both kept on their OFF positions – as flipping either, let alone both, up will make bass even thicker and less natural.
Canon II’s treble is vivid, and their BAs carry nothing short of a delicious timbre. Treble note weight is surely better on Canon II – and a sort of absolute weakness on A5000. Compared to A5000, however, detail retrieval is less on Canon II, and airiness is nothing to write home about even in absolute terms.
Imaging on Canon II is above decent, primarily hampered by the too bold bass actually, which would be not too big a drawback in absolute terms, if not in direct comparison to A5000 where it is practically perfect instead.
Canon II are also good at separation and layering, again with the sole exception of the 80-250 Hz region falling too often hostage of their exuberant mid bass personality. A5000’s are near perfect across the board though. Microdynamics are not superlative on A5000, but even more ordinary on Canon II for one reason or another.
Canon II’s fit is not too easy (not arduous either however) mainly due to quite bulky housings, and thick nozzles. Their stock tips are right away binnable, JVC SpiralDots offering good results on them, for the record.
Miyabi and A5000 offer substantially equivalent bilateral range extension, with A5000 coming across stronger in the bass and sub-bass – Miyabi being nevertheless significantly slammy and textured there – and Miyabi more energetic, bodied and engaging in the treble. The two are also arguably on par on their exceptional space projection, separation and layering capabilities. Microdynamics are better on Miyabi.
Miyabi’s presentation is fundamentally neutral with a slightly bright accent, while A5000 is markedly V-shaped in comparison, although a mild-V if taken in absolute terms. Either can be said to carry a quite personal timbre, however diversion from more common options is more pronounced on Miyabi.
As a consequence, some may viscerally love Miyabi’s voicing while others might not fully enjoy their “brassy” aftertaste, and that sort of “popular crudeness” of theirs may be decoded as “commoner class” by those who will tend to better appreciate that silky, “rich middle class” style taint offered by A5000.
Miyabi’s vocals are a big notch more organic compared to A5000, very obviously so when it comes to female voices.
Miyabi’s fat bullet shape will probably result statistically easier to fit, and more easily comfortable vs A5000’s shallow fit. Neither get positive votes for their stock cables, which in both cases is bound for a quick upgrade. Unlike A5000, Miyabi benefit or indeed even require third party tips for best results.
Last but not least Miyabi are significantly less expensive, but much more difficult to source outside of Japan due to the very limited distribution network set up by their manufacturer, a very small crafting company.
I find Fan 2 striking a better, as in more realistic, note body compromise compared to A5000, which again I find a tad too lean in comparison. Fan 2 exhibit some timbral incoherence, which is extremely subtle if ever perceivable on A5000 instead. Both models offer very good bilateral range extension, I’d say on par the one with the other.
A5000 offer a much better defined, textured, detailed and slammy bass, which instead comes across too frequently a bit woolly from Fan 2. Flipping the situation, I would choose Fan 2 for what attains to organic mids rendering.
While both are very good about imaging and instrument separation, A5000 come clearly ahead in terms of layering capability. Soundstage casting is also hands down on A5000 favor.
Fan 2 are very picky when it comes to eartips selection, and possibly even more so in terms of source pairing – they require a very low impedance amp not to scant into fr skewage due to their extremely low internal impedance. Fan 2 and their stock cable pair better with one another vs A5000 and their one.
More than 2 years after my original piece about A3000 I do reaffirm that to my senses the overall best of the three budget priced A series models are indeed A3000. They deliver an incredibly subtle balance amongst note body, clarity, macro and microdynamics on top of a full-neutral presentation over a stunning all-direction-extended stage.
A5000 are anyhow second in line. Athletic like an Olympic fencer, they strike strong when needed while at the same time chiseling their movements in a precise and artistic way. Too bad for those modest, but perceivable, exaggerations in the treble area, as they could otherwise join their siblings on our Excellence showcase.
Lastly, I find A4000 much less special then their sisters, and of what they might potentially be. While they do positively hit on the user with the same grand stage, and imaging clarity, as their fellow A’s, they do pass the excess limit on their trebles, making an overly bright tonality, as such delivering a non-realistic overall musical experience.
This article originally appeared on www.audioreview.org.
A5000 like all of the A line is readily distributed in Europe, and can be bought from multiple sources including Amazon for € 299,00 retail.
Introduction to final A series
I’ll take the story from a bit far back in the past this time: I’ll start from D8000.final’s D8000 project was (and is) founded on reaching absolute top sonic results stemming from world-class leading-edge R&D and technology.
More simply put, this more or less equates to engaging into the following bet: if we design components which are world’s best, really meaning 360° best materials, employing 360° best methods, etc, then we’ll get the absolute “best possible” head/earphones.
Is that the case with D8000? Well in a sense, arguably yes indeed, at least in terms of high-range market reception.
Let’s move forward.
As you may or may not know, the first model within final E family of earphones was E3000 (presented in the same year: 2017), and it was created with the exact purpose of obtaining a sound perception as similar to D8000’s “universality” as possible.
Of course, E3000 as a product being aimed at the budget market, no one ever thought to start from employing top end materials or parts on them, rather – in a sense, an equally and perhaps even more challenging effort indeed – by “just” applying extremely sophisticated psychoacoustic research to otherwise much more “ordinary cost” components.
It’s totally obvious that E3000 do not sound like D8000 in the end, but it’s certainly as much obvious that their general presentation, and even some parts of their technicalities, are incredibly close to their intended archetype, again the more so when considering the ridiculous price tag they were positioned on the market at.
In the couple of years following those 2017 months final pitted a total of 5 other models onto the market to complete their E family lineup – some carrying a pretense of higher sophistication and style, some oppositely aiming at an even tinier-budgeted market segment, however all based on two common fundaments : employing the same single 6-mm dynamic driver, and offering an arguably general-purpose tuning, beyond modest flavour touch-ups ranging from bright-neutral (E1000, E500), to balanced-neutral (E2000), to warm-balanced (E3000, E4000, E5000).
Then – and we are in the end getting close to our today’s case – a different train of thought was applied.
Making headphones sounding “as good as possible” starting from “as advanced as possible technology” may be a nice engineeristic exercise but runs the risk of ending up producing a remarkable piece of equipment which is nevertheless distant from the particular, real-world preferences of many users.
Alternatively said: what if world technology’s best can only get some – or many? – users “close” to what they really need, but not right on the spot? Simple as hell, they will just be not fully satisfied – in spite of all the rutilant technological words accompanying the product they were sold as “best”.
So : instead of moving from technology traits towards application, final started flipping the point of view, focusing on specific auditioning targets to begin with (!), and got engaged on understanding their particular challenges, ending out backtracking into (re)designing technology, and developing products purposefully tuned to best pursue such newly scouted needs.
As I reported in the introduction of my B3 review, when conceiving their B-series final reflected on the relations between spatial projection and dynamic range.
Taking into consideration small bands, acting on physically unextended stages, a lot of overlapping sounds and voices usually happen. In such situation there’s a relatively lesser need to render “spatial amplitude”, in exchange for much higher demand for sonic separation capabilities. B3 are absolute champions on that purpose.
On another drawing table – and we are finally starting to refer to the A series now – they started investigating better on the dyscrasy between today’s most common auditioning situations, naturally at the base of nowadays’ user expectations, and the very different ones which where common when much or even most of that music was actually produced.
Within such project, they moved from observing that perceptions such as “sound transparency” are not modellable in terms of sound amplitude modulation (you know? those “frequency response graphs” you see everywhere… they do not represent the entire IEM/HP sound behaviour!), yet they are crucial to a user satisfaction depending on the musical genre, and/or the aforementioned chasm between a piece’s original mastering and its today’s reproduction conditions. And that’s just an example.
In their effort to model user expectations, soon they realised that a mixture of physical measures and subjective evaluations was involved, and to manage it all they even developed an appropriate internal-use scoring methodology called Perceptual Transparency Measurement (PTM) – no real technical details sadly available on that, bar a succinct marketing-level description.
As already hinted before, different types of musical situations require, or at least preferentially would call for, different renderings to best be perceived by the auditioner.
For classical and other acoustic music the sense of a wider stage space, and perceiving the various instruments well enucleated from one another on it, is of course much more important vs rock or pop.
Furthermore: while (for example) for classical music priority #1 is no doubt making sure that the auditioner perceives the correct relative distances amongst the various instruments (violins and other strings in the front, wind in the middle, percussion back there), having a particularly wide dynamic range (i,e. a particularly wide breadth of in-between sound nuances separating the faintest and loudest note played by each instrument) is not a vital requirement here.
Oppositely rock and pop bands play much more tightly grouped together, and their music is supposed to be much more blended in the first place, which is why sound field size and imaging are much less prioritary in their case, while resolution and layering become key, and dynamic range amplitude with them.
All such differences were known since the beginning to music professionals, and that’s why different types of music were most often recorded / produced with such priorities in mind to begin with.
So how to approach such situation?
There are of course two different ways: develop relatively more specialised headphone/earphone models, each aimed at optimising a defined subset of musical situations, or, work on R&D to try and come up with something that will cover a broader, ideally almost universal applicative span.
While the former method would naturally result in products loved by relatively restricted groups of specific enthusiasts, the latter is supposed to deliver products that would be recognised as excellent by a very diverse users population.
Cutting this very long story very, very short: final’s marketing narration tells us they re-thought their (intended) universal-purpose IEM line on the basis of more up to date technical-demoscopic research, in parallel of course to their ever-accruing technological advancements and skills.
Fair enough. Enter the A series then !
Starting from the first model and flagship – A8000 – and through its other 3 ones named A4000, A3000 and A5000 (mentioned in the order of their release dates) A series is focused on delivering the most extended possible mix of clarity and spaciousness together, while not compromising on dynamic range.
In final’s own words (referred to A4000): “realize [its] quality not by its ability to create sound capable of attracting a small number of wild fans through its strong individuality, but rather sound aimed at greater universality”.
A bold target, indeed. I mean… try asking Diderot and D’Alembert…
No wonder that once self-encased in such an epic task they deemed it appropriate to specially develop a brand-new dynamic driver from the ground up. Or indeed, even two different ones.
The first one is the so-named “Truly Pure Beryllium Diaphragm” driver created on purpose for their A8000, released some four years ago. One of the very few real things on the market when it comes to Beryllium foil adoption. By the way: you did laugh at cheap chifi brands’ sudden hype, emerged just weeks after final and very few other higher standing companies presented their new Beryllium-tech drivers, stating they could deliver “True Beryllium” diaphragms for a fraction of the price, didn’t you?
Past social marketing fun apart, at the technological level the resort to Beryllium came from the search for an extremely lightweight material, to obtain superfast sound propagation speeds. In other words: they designed the fastest-moving dynamic driver they could think of, meant as a crucial component to get to the intended sonic target.
They also developed a second version of such driver, the so-called “f-Core DU” driver. No Beryllium in there, “just” a call for a speed as close to that of the Truly Pure Beryllium Driver, for a much lower manufacturing cost – both in terms of sheer material cost and of the equipment and skills required to treat it – which is a quite as tough industrial challenge, indeed.
I won’t bother you with the various marketing wordage final uses about the f-Core DU, you can find some here if you like. Long story short: it’s fast, very fast, and it costs less so it can be fit into “budget” finished products – as low as € 130 retail, instead of 2K€-tagged ones as the TPBD.
All good, even epic, indeed. But did it all work ?
Well if you want my opinion – and I presume you do at least a bit, otherwise why wasting your time reading all this? – yes to an extent, but not quite as they intended to.
Be warned: in frankness, I must say I am not a supporter of the project in line of principle. Universality and optimisation are irreconcilable enemies for me, and my life is made of distilled choices in most if not really all of its aspects, so I will always be a supporter for “specialised” vs “genericist” – and this applies to “items” (audio gear, vacuum cleaners, cars) as well as to “services” (restaurants, jobs…), or relations (friends, partners). This alone might and probably should be seen as an apriori bias leading me to downvote final A instances vs their declared intentions.
That being duly noted, first and foremost I must say I was not impressed by A8000, considering its price of 2000 €.
While I never owned an A8000 sample, I took some extended audition time on them during the latest Munich High End show, and there I built some solid “impressions” – not the same as a long term experience, for sure, however I feel what I heard is enough to form a clean opinion about their key aspects at the very least.
That beryllium-based fantastic driver is, indeed, as fast as a planar, and maybe even more – and that’s precisely why I reckon it fails on delivering a truly organic timbre – as I can’t fail decoding its supersnappy transients as a taint of artificiality touching pretty much everything in their presentation.
That is indeed a monumental pity, as it undermines all the effectively marvelous other deeds no doubt accomplished by A8000 in terms of clarity, spatial drawing, tonal coherence, range extension and more. However, an artificial timbre is a too serious turn off for me.
As for A3000, A4000 and A5000, instead, I happen to have purchased a sample of each right upon their release dates – so I have a much more extended opinion on each of them. You already [should] know my take regarding A3000, as I covered them here.
This article is of course about A5000, and before you wonder I will not write a full blown piece about A4000, and I hope I will succeed conveying why within the Comparisons section, here below,
Well I guess I can consider this introduction over now…
Full Device Card
Test setup and preliminary notes
Sources: AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt / Chord Mojo / E1DA 9038D, 9038SG3 / Questyle QP1R, QP2R, M15, CMA-400i / Sony WM-1A – INAIRS foam or JVC SpiralDot silicon tips – Stock cable – lossless 16-24/44.1-192 FLAC + DSD 64/128/256 tracks.I am not writing these articles to help manufacturers promote their products, even less I’m expecting or even accepting compensation when I do. I’m writing exclusively to share my fun – and sometimes my disappointment – about gear that I happen to buy, borrow or somehow receive for audition.
Another crucial fact to note is that I have very sided and circumscribed musical tastes: I almost exclusively listen to jazz, and even more particularly to the strains of post bop, modal, hard bop and avantgarde which developed from the late ’50ies to the late ’70ies. In audio-related terms this implies that I mostly listen to musical situations featuring small or even very small groups playing acoustic instruments, on not big stages.
One of the first direct consequences of the above is that you should not expect me to provide broad information about how a certain product fares with many different musical genres. Oppositely, you should always keep in mind that – different gear treating digital and analog sound in different ways – my evaluations may not, in full or in part, be applicable to your preferred musical genre.
Another consequence is that I build my digital library by painstakingly cherry-pick editions offering the least possible compression and pumped loudness, and the most extended dynamic range. This alone, by the way, makes common music streaming services pretty much useless for me, as they offer almost exclusively the polar opposite. And, again by the way, quite a few of the editions in my library are monoaural.
Additionally: my library includes a significant number of unedited, very high sample rate re-digitisations of vinyl or open-reel tape editions, either dating back to the original day or more recently reissued under specialised labels e.g. Blue Note Tone Poet, Music Matters, Esoteric Jp, Analogue Productions, Impulse! Originals, and such. Oppositely, I could ever find an extremely small number of audible (for my preferences) SACD editions.
My source gear is correspondingly selected to grant very extended bandwidth, high reconstruction proweness, uncolored amping.
And finally, my preferred drivers (ear or headphones) are first and foremost supposed to feature solid note-body timbre, and an as magically centered compromise between fine detail, articulated texturing and microdynamics as their designers can possibly achieve.
In terms of presentation, for IEMs I prefer one in the shape of a DF curve, with some very moderate extra pushup in the midbass. Extra sub-bass enhancement is totally optional, and solely welcome if seriously well controlled. Last octave treble is also welcome from whomever is really able to turn that into further spatial drawing upgrade, all others please abstain.
Another crucial fact to note is that I have very sided and circumscribed musical tastes: I almost exclusively listen to jazz, and even more particularly to the strains of post bop, modal, hard bop and avantgarde which developed from the late ’50ies to the late ’70ies. In audio-related terms this implies that I mostly listen to musical situations featuring small or even very small groups playing acoustic instruments, on not big stages.
One of the first direct consequences of the above is that you should not expect me to provide broad information about how a certain product fares with many different musical genres. Oppositely, you should always keep in mind that – different gear treating digital and analog sound in different ways – my evaluations may not, in full or in part, be applicable to your preferred musical genre.
Another consequence is that I build my digital library by painstakingly cherry-pick editions offering the least possible compression and pumped loudness, and the most extended dynamic range. This alone, by the way, makes common music streaming services pretty much useless for me, as they offer almost exclusively the polar opposite. And, again by the way, quite a few of the editions in my library are monoaural.
Additionally: my library includes a significant number of unedited, very high sample rate re-digitisations of vinyl or open-reel tape editions, either dating back to the original day or more recently reissued under specialised labels e.g. Blue Note Tone Poet, Music Matters, Esoteric Jp, Analogue Productions, Impulse! Originals, and such. Oppositely, I could ever find an extremely small number of audible (for my preferences) SACD editions.
My source gear is correspondingly selected to grant very extended bandwidth, high reconstruction proweness, uncolored amping.
And finally, my preferred drivers (ear or headphones) are first and foremost supposed to feature solid note-body timbre, and an as magically centered compromise between fine detail, articulated texturing and microdynamics as their designers can possibly achieve.
In terms of presentation, for IEMs I prefer one in the shape of a DF curve, with some very moderate extra pushup in the midbass. Extra sub-bass enhancement is totally optional, and solely welcome if seriously well controlled. Last octave treble is also welcome from whomever is really able to turn that into further spatial drawing upgrade, all others please abstain.
Signature analysis
Tonality
A5000 are tuned following a rather classical V shape, if a bit wide, so with elevated bass and sub-bass, energetic treble and (moderately, in this case) recessed mids.
The timbre is clear and a whiff lean-ish but not too much really, and the result stays reasonably close to organicity. The overall impact is a bit off neutral colour, shifted towards the cold side, and medium-bodied notes, a bit more such towards the bass, and less towards the high-mids and higher on.
Sub-Bass
Sub-bass is fully extended, and more elevated then midbass. It is not overly elevated though, so it stays there as a good, hearable rumble floor when of course the music calls for it.
Mid Bass
Mid bass on A5000 is good, fast, with quite pulpy and well contoured notes. Decay is tight, attack perhaps a bit on the relaxed side. From my library I get good bass readability, yet when pushing a bit up on the amping kickdrum may at times tend to get fuzzy. Even in such occasions however mid bass in never bleeding on the mids.
Mids
Mids are recessed yet well delivered nonetheless. They do partake to the overall note leanness, probably ultimately connaturate to the very f-Core DU driver, and such feat may resolve into a first impression of relative coldness and unwanted thinness.
Letting music flow, however, one appreciates such texturing, and the level of detail which are present in this segment, too, with that soon re-ranking A5000’s mids onto their honest value in the overall mix. It stays anyhow true that central piano octaves, and some guitars, will sound dry, somewhat unlushy.
No doubt, a sole driver is in general on vantage position to grant seamless tonal passage from mids to highmids, and this is the case on A5000 too, even in presence of a steep-ish ramp in the output, up to an important pinna gain at around 4Khz.
Good news include that there’s very little if any glare.
Male Vocals
A5000 treat baritones an basses with good authority and power, and tenors too but those start to partake to the mids’ general dryness – this, in spite of their relatively recessed level in the presentation.
Female Vocals
Female vocale are sparkly, energetic and clear. I would much prefer them having some more “butter” on them, yet their actual tonality is in the end consistent with the rest of A5000 signature, which is clearly not mid-centric by design, quite the opposite as we already noted.
Sadly, they are quite often affected by sibilance which paired with their dry-ish timbre brings them south of truly organic, and most importantly lets them come across quite raw a bit too often.
Highs
A5000 trebles are a mixed bag, and that’s a real pity. On one end there’s very good energy, sparkle, and clarity, without excessive thinness, and no zings. On the down side however they do lack airiness, and often expose a modest yet fastidious sibilance – and more in general their elevation and modulation is anyhow such to produce fatigue on mid-length listening sessions, which is a serious turn off to me.
Sadly, JVC SpiralDot tips – usually quite effective in taming harsh trebles and sibilance – don’t help in this particular case.
Technicalities
Soundstage
In compliance with an intended feature for the entire A family, A5000 offer soundstage drawing capabilities that are extremely significant in absolute terms, with this I mean they widely transcend the levels of other drivers, probably most other drivers, in their price category.
A5000 in particular draw very ample width, and even more remarkable height, paired with no less than significant depth.
Imaging
Microdynamics are an absolute forte on A5000 – it is always very easy to pinpoint instruments on the stage, and their positioning is offered in a very natural way.
Details
Detail retrieval is extremely good, perhaps even sensational on A5000 on the low mids and mid bass. It is also above average, but just that, in the trebles, due to their previously mentioned tendency to get a bit hot.
Instrument separation
Layering and separation are very good on A5000, at the absolute top and beyond of their direct price competitors. This, paired with the aforementioned drawn stage amplitude, depending on the particular track master delivers a comprehensive no less then theatrical spatial experience, with voices not only well identified and enucleated, but also seemingly positioned at sensible distances from one other.
Microdynamics are a bit above average but no more then that, hampered in general by the driver’s tightness. Within such general view, they are better on mid bass and low mids, and more limited the more we go up in the frequencies.
Driveability
Properly driving A5000 is not overly hard, but their 100dB/mW sensitivity at 18 ohm does call for sources with at least some current delivery muscle on low impedance loads. Read: I would not recommend direct smartphone pairing, or other particularly known-weak mobile source usage.
Physicals
Build
The ABS resin material appears fully resistant to “normal” solicitations. The Shibo finish is a love/hate thing (I am in the former group).
Recessed and notched cable connectors are good on the tech side, but a bit inconvenient for the user as only few(er) third party manufacturers easily make compatible 2pin terminations available.
Fit
A 3-contact-point fit between the housing and the outer ear has been designed by final aiming at the best compromise between wearing firmness and light stress accumulation over time.
The design idea is quite brilliant to be honest, the rationale being: you need (just) 3 grip points to obtain stability. One is the eartip umbrella, inside the canal. Another one is the housing’s short front side vs the tragus. And the third can be any one of the possible 4 contact spots between the housing’s shaped back side and the concha – depending on one’s ear particular shape that of course will happen on one or another position. I would say that for my experience it all works as intended.
The nozzle is relatively short – same situation for the whole A series of course as the shell size&shape is identical on all models – that calls for a shallow fit, which is consistent with the housings’ shape and size: pushing them further in would defeat their triple-support-point design, and most of all would (and will – I tried!) soon become uncomfortable.
Be as it may, this situation makes tip choice apriori limited. In my case luckily the working trick “just” stays in choosing a bigger size for my left ear: that gets me a firm grip and seal with the tip sitting “just in” the canal. Oh and by the way: stock final E black tips are good for the purpose.
Comfort
A5000’s particular housings size, their 3-point-fit design, and their external finish all contribute to a good comfort once the right “personal” position is found.
Oppositely, if you want, or feel obliged by your particular outer ear conformation, to opt for a deeper fit very high chances are that A5000 housings will not be as comfy for you after a moderate, and in the worst cases even short period of time.
Isolation
Passive isolation is quite nice once A5000 are properly fitted “as per design”, but not more than that as the housings won’t even “fill the concha up”, which would of course block more of the leak.
Cable
A5000 stock cable is a new model for final. Instead of the Junkosha silver plated copper, 2-thread PVC-sheated cable bundled with A8000, E5000 and B3, a new silver plated copper 8-thread braided cable is offered.
final did not disclose much additional information, nor spare / alternative termination versions are available yet on their website.
Sadly, similarly to all other final packages, no modular termination plugs are available on A5000 either, so pairing to a balanced source requires swapping it anyhow.
Talking about cable rolling: better stay on silver plated. Dunu DUW-02S is a good rec for A5000.
Specifications (declared)
| Housing | ABS resin |
| Driver(s) | Single 6mm “f-Core DU” proprietary-design Dynamic Driver. The material of the driver front housing is brass, which is less affected by magnetic force and has a higher specific gravity than general aluminum. In order to improve the time response performance of the diaphragm, the voice coil uses an ultra-fine CCAW of 30μ, and the moving parts are thoroughly reduced in weight by assembling with the minimum amount of adhesive. Furthermore, the diaphragm is carefully pressed in a small lot of about 1/3 of the normal size to minimize pressure bias and realize uniform diaphragm molding without distortion. |
| Connector | 2pin 0.78mm, recessed connectors. A notch is present to guarantee plugging terminals following correct polarity |
| Cable | 1.2m Oxygen Free Copper Silver Coated, single-ended 3.5mm termination |
| Sensitivity | 100 dB/mW |
| Impedance | 18 Ω |
| Frequency Range | n/d |
| Package & Accessories | Silicon carry case, E-series black eartips (full series of 5 sizes), removable silicone earhooks |
| MSRP at this post time | € 299 retail in EU |
Comparisons
final A3000 – € 109,99 Amazon.it
There’s an almost 3x price difference between A3000 and A5000, and such piece of data is totally misleading. In terms of general quality, strong points and – more simply – listening pleasure, the two are on par at the very least, and depending on personal tastes (such as in my case) A3000 indeed come ahead in the comparison. Which means that, while A5000 are already worth every cent of their cost, A3000 represent a total no brainer for whoever is akin to their presentation flavour.Insofar as part of the same A family, the two models share identical housings (A5000 just carrying a different external finish) and drivers, and their packages bundles are identical too. A5000 come with a supposed higher quality cable – which however did not impress me too much in terms of sonic quality, not to speak about the fact that, both carrying a classical non-modular single ended termination, I had to swap both for the sake of properly exploiting my various sources.
A3000 present a U, or even W if you wish, shaped presentation in lieu of the (wide) V on the A5000. In terms of modulation, there are two extremely important, and crucial differences between the two tunings.
One: high mids are tamed and very slowly growing from 2 all the way to 6KHz on A3000, while “more harmanilly” ramping quite sharply from 2 to 3Khz on A5000, and almost plateauing thereafter.
Two: mid bass and mids are all the way uniformly more forward on A3000, this already per se resulting in a perceivable warmer tonality and a bit fuller timbre across the board, but it all results in a very evidently different overall timbre and tonality balance as the two aspects of course work together.
A3000 have an overall tonality which is much more pleasing to my ears, and while it may be said to be a bit less energetic and dynamic especially on guitars and trumpets, I would never trade added muscle in those areas for the wonderfully delicate balance A3000 offer on acoustic music, therein included tracks with vocals, and female vocals in particular.
Both sets can be said to have a non-lushy timbre, with A5000 on a furtherly drier position. A5000 have an evident if modest bit better extension towards the bass, with their sub-bass rumble being more nicely present in many occasions. Sadly, both are unable to completely avoid sibilance, but A3000 fall into this pit less then 50% of the times compared to A5000. Even with that said, however, in presence of similar 6KHz peaks A3000’s more relaxed high mids tuning makes them much, much less fatiguing, and pleasant to enjoy even for quite long sessions.
Technicalities such as soundstage casting and microdynamics are on par at stunning levels on the two models. Microdynamics are an evident tad better on A3000 thanks to their slightly more relaxed transients across the board. Similarly, detail retrieval is better on A3000 both on the bass, and moreover on the high mids and trebles, vis-a-vis them being much less invasively “hot” compare to A5000’s.
A3000 carry a (decisive) even lower sensitivity, which makes totally impossible to disregard selecting an adequate power source when it comes to pairing choices. Forget smartphones, and all low powered sources / dongles too. To give an idea, a Sony NW-A55 is barely enough to cope with A3000, with no headroom to spare to compensate for low volume recorded tracks.
final A4000 – € 129,99 Amazon.de
A4000 are the third individual in the “different twins born group” A3000-A4000-A5000. With this said, let me cut very short here on everything else which is similar or even identical between A4000 and A5000: shells, package, fit and comfort, cable (identical to A3000’s, different to A5000’s but not “practically so” in the end, see above), and last but not least f-Core DU driver.Presentations are also quite similar between A4000 and A5000, however they diverge by that small much that makes for a decisive difference – especially for my tastes. Similarities are in the general tuning, which is a V, a sharper one at that on A4000, and on timbre, which is equally fast / clear on both models. Soundstage and imaging are equivalently top notch too. A5000 have farther lower extension, resulting in a more strongly evident sub-bass.
Most important, and crucially, A4000 offer even more energetic high mids than A5000, which is where their tonality breaks in my opinion, and anyhow for my tastes. Fast transient, so much (too much!) energy on guitars, trumpets and high piano chords, and that 6KHz peak which won’t forgive sibilating more frequently than not make A4000 a definitely unbalanced-bright, at times even splashy high tones cannon, too often sounding artificial – which is a true pity as their low mids and bass lines are viceversa beyond commendable.
Microdynamics are equivalently no more than average both on A4000 and A5000, with A4000 being nothing to write home about in terms of high mid and treble detail retrieval, too often drowning under the waves of excessive clarity and brightness.
Long story short: I would exclusively recommend A4000 to die-hard treble-heads.
Tanchjim Oxygen – € 269,00 AliExpress
I called A3000 and A4000 in as the first two comparisons due to them being part of the same product family of course, however no doubt the most significant notes will be those referring to Oxygen, being for me the rock-solid, as of yet undisputed natural-tonality sub-300€ reference.Both A5000 and Oxygen carry a single Dynamic Driver, and while both can be classified as bright-neutral tonalities, their immediate skin-effect is obviously different due to the much clearer timbre brought up by A5000 compared to Oxygen, which – while still in the category of relatively fast drivers – offers definitely more relaxed transients, both as for attack and decay.
Oxygen sound therefor “mellower”, tonally softer, less clear, and most of all they convey a more closed-in group sensation – there is a way less air between one instrument and the other. En revenche, acoustic instruments and human voices sound obviously more organic on Oxygen.
Oxygen and A5000 are equally extended down to the bass, but A5000’s tighter transients deliver punchier, more energetic feeling to midbass, which of course may be more or less welcome depending on the track/genre.
Oxygen are more aggressive when it comes to high mids modulation, but less when it comes to low trebles. Their thicker note weight, however, make the entire high line less aggressive, if a bit less impactful, compared to A5000.
There is *no* sibilance on Oxygen.
Stage projection is evidently better on A5000, and by a significant margin. The opposite can be said about microdynamics, where the palm clearly goes to Oxygen.
Oxygen’s lesser cleanness and air presence do not compromise on layering and separation: Oxygen and A5000 are equally good at resolving overlapping instruments and voices.
Oxygen may be less easy to comfortably fit – shallow insertion being sadly a forced option here.
Like most if not all Tanchjim / Moondrop models, Oxygen require opposite-than-normal 2pin cable polarity so there’s that, too, to keep in mind when (as I strongly recommend) upgrading to a better cable, binning Oxygen’s disappointing stock one.
Yanyin Canon II – $ 341,00 + import duties, Linsoul
These recently-released 1 DD + 4 BA hybrids are surfing their hype waves right these weeks, and I happened to have a chance to assess a pair.Both Canon II and A5000 offer full bilateral range extension, which is of course a more significant achievement on A5000 given they carry a single driver instead of five. En passant, it’s however fair to underline how Canon II offer commendable timbre coherence amongst their drivers, with some hearable débacle exclusively circumscribed to the passage between low and high mids.
Canon II’s dynamic driver offers very nicely calibrated sub-bass – possibly even better than A5000’s – and fuller bodied, slower decaying mid-bass notes, which sound punchier, but less cleanly separated, compared to A5000’s, resulting therefore in a stronger, but less readable and a bit more “stuffy” bass presentation. This, when Canon II’s tuning switches are both kept on their OFF positions – as flipping either, let alone both, up will make bass even thicker and less natural.
Canon II’s treble is vivid, and their BAs carry nothing short of a delicious timbre. Treble note weight is surely better on Canon II – and a sort of absolute weakness on A5000. Compared to A5000, however, detail retrieval is less on Canon II, and airiness is nothing to write home about even in absolute terms.
Imaging on Canon II is above decent, primarily hampered by the too bold bass actually, which would be not too big a drawback in absolute terms, if not in direct comparison to A5000 where it is practically perfect instead.
Canon II are also good at separation and layering, again with the sole exception of the 80-250 Hz region falling too often hostage of their exuberant mid bass personality. A5000’s are near perfect across the board though. Microdynamics are not superlative on A5000, but even more ordinary on Canon II for one reason or another.
Canon II’s fit is not too easy (not arduous either however) mainly due to quite bulky housings, and thick nozzles. Their stock tips are right away binnable, JVC SpiralDots offering good results on them, for the record.
Intime Miyabi – € 150,00 + reforwarding costs and import duties from Japan
Miyabi feature a hybrid setup made of a dynamic driver paired with a industry-unique, patented ceramic tweeter and other specialties, vs A5000’s proprietary f-Core DU single dynamic driver. In spite of such hybrid setup of theirs, Miyabi sport a totally commendable timbral coherence, nowhere shorter than A5000’s.Miyabi and A5000 offer substantially equivalent bilateral range extension, with A5000 coming across stronger in the bass and sub-bass – Miyabi being nevertheless significantly slammy and textured there – and Miyabi more energetic, bodied and engaging in the treble. The two are also arguably on par on their exceptional space projection, separation and layering capabilities. Microdynamics are better on Miyabi.
Miyabi’s presentation is fundamentally neutral with a slightly bright accent, while A5000 is markedly V-shaped in comparison, although a mild-V if taken in absolute terms. Either can be said to carry a quite personal timbre, however diversion from more common options is more pronounced on Miyabi.
As a consequence, some may viscerally love Miyabi’s voicing while others might not fully enjoy their “brassy” aftertaste, and that sort of “popular crudeness” of theirs may be decoded as “commoner class” by those who will tend to better appreciate that silky, “rich middle class” style taint offered by A5000.
Miyabi’s vocals are a big notch more organic compared to A5000, very obviously so when it comes to female voices.
Miyabi’s fat bullet shape will probably result statistically easier to fit, and more easily comfortable vs A5000’s shallow fit. Neither get positive votes for their stock cables, which in both cases is bound for a quick upgrade. Unlike A5000, Miyabi benefit or indeed even require third party tips for best results.
Last but not least Miyabi are significantly less expensive, but much more difficult to source outside of Japan due to the very limited distribution network set up by their manufacturer, a very small crafting company.
Penon Fan 2 – $ 165,00 (down from $279,00 …why?) + import duties direct from Penon
Fan 2 are based on 2 dynamic and 2 BA drivers, vs final’s single proprietary f-Core DU driver on A5000, and sport a U-shaped presentation, with a nice organic timbre and a slightly warm-colored tonality, vs A5000’s more accented V tonality, definitely leaner note body and (in comparison) dryer/colder color.I find Fan 2 striking a better, as in more realistic, note body compromise compared to A5000, which again I find a tad too lean in comparison. Fan 2 exhibit some timbral incoherence, which is extremely subtle if ever perceivable on A5000 instead. Both models offer very good bilateral range extension, I’d say on par the one with the other.
A5000 offer a much better defined, textured, detailed and slammy bass, which instead comes across too frequently a bit woolly from Fan 2. Flipping the situation, I would choose Fan 2 for what attains to organic mids rendering.
While both are very good about imaging and instrument separation, A5000 come clearly ahead in terms of layering capability. Soundstage casting is also hands down on A5000 favor.
Fan 2 are very picky when it comes to eartips selection, and possibly even more so in terms of source pairing – they require a very low impedance amp not to scant into fr skewage due to their extremely low internal impedance. Fan 2 and their stock cable pair better with one another vs A5000 and their one.
Considerations & conclusions
As I tried to outline above, I have mixed feelings about final’s A series, starting from not agreeing with the fundamental project purpose of delivering wide-range drivers, intentionally targeting equal satisfaction to very diverse user categories, continuing with not having been dazzled on my road to Damascus by auditioning the A8000s, on one end, while greatly appreciating the deeds of the f-Core DU driver as implemented into A-series budget models – such positive feeling standing beyond the tuning differences characterising those 3 models – on the other.More than 2 years after my original piece about A3000 I do reaffirm that to my senses the overall best of the three budget priced A series models are indeed A3000. They deliver an incredibly subtle balance amongst note body, clarity, macro and microdynamics on top of a full-neutral presentation over a stunning all-direction-extended stage.
A5000 are anyhow second in line. Athletic like an Olympic fencer, they strike strong when needed while at the same time chiseling their movements in a precise and artistic way. Too bad for those modest, but perceivable, exaggerations in the treble area, as they could otherwise join their siblings on our Excellence showcase.
Lastly, I find A4000 much less special then their sisters, and of what they might potentially be. While they do positively hit on the user with the same grand stage, and imaging clarity, as their fellow A’s, they do pass the excess limit on their trebles, making an overly bright tonality, as such delivering a non-realistic overall musical experience.
This article originally appeared on www.audioreview.org.
Introduction
Final needs no introduction, and I am really accustomed to be pleasantly surprised with any new product. Why? Simply because any Final product has two main characteristics: Top quality and great sound; in particular, a sound that is characterized by what I call “unique Final tonality”, which remains unchanged in all Final products through the years. It is a sound that is balanced, but at the same time natural and life like.
Of course, not all Final products are the same. There are flagship products, like A8000, which has stellar sound, but it will make you poorer by $2000.00; and products that won’t break your bank, like A4000 and A3000, which, for 1/12thor 1/15th of A8000’s cost, give you the same sound signature and even more a performance that is extremely articulate and equaling the A8000 performance by 70%-80%.
In developing A8000, Final did a lot of research on how the quality of sound is evaluated. The result was an IEM having transparency levels that, personally, I have not encountered on any other IEM I have tried so far. As A4000 and A3000 both belong to the same series as A8000, they should share some common characteristics in their sound signature, and most notably transparency. Of course, this was not easy at all, given the meticulous and expensive design of A8000, which was reflected to its very high retail price compared to the very modest price of A4000 and A3000. Final decided to put all its money in one basket, in this case the driver, and save as much as it could from the rest, such as the housing and the cable. The result was an all new exquisite driver and two superb IEMs: A4000 with beautiful balance and stunning for an IEM in this price category transparency, soundstage, image and dynamic range; and A3000, which has the same merits as A4000, but with a warmer touch.
Now, believe it or not, it has already been two years since Final presented A4000 and A3000, so I expected something new to come out in the A series, and it just did: It is the all-new model A5000. On the outside, there are similarities and differences with A4000 and A3000, but what about on the inside? And how does the new model sound? I will tell you as much as I know and give you my impression on the sound of it, but let me first remind you some information on the driver of A4000 and A3000, as we will need it!
Of course, not all Final products are the same. There are flagship products, like A8000, which has stellar sound, but it will make you poorer by $2000.00; and products that won’t break your bank, like A4000 and A3000, which, for 1/12thor 1/15th of A8000’s cost, give you the same sound signature and even more a performance that is extremely articulate and equaling the A8000 performance by 70%-80%.
In developing A8000, Final did a lot of research on how the quality of sound is evaluated. The result was an IEM having transparency levels that, personally, I have not encountered on any other IEM I have tried so far. As A4000 and A3000 both belong to the same series as A8000, they should share some common characteristics in their sound signature, and most notably transparency. Of course, this was not easy at all, given the meticulous and expensive design of A8000, which was reflected to its very high retail price compared to the very modest price of A4000 and A3000. Final decided to put all its money in one basket, in this case the driver, and save as much as it could from the rest, such as the housing and the cable. The result was an all new exquisite driver and two superb IEMs: A4000 with beautiful balance and stunning for an IEM in this price category transparency, soundstage, image and dynamic range; and A3000, which has the same merits as A4000, but with a warmer touch.
Now, believe it or not, it has already been two years since Final presented A4000 and A3000, so I expected something new to come out in the A series, and it just did: It is the all-new model A5000. On the outside, there are similarities and differences with A4000 and A3000, but what about on the inside? And how does the new model sound? I will tell you as much as I know and give you my impression on the sound of it, but let me first remind you some information on the driver of A4000 and A3000, as we will need it!
The driver
A8000 uses forged Beryllium for its driver diaphragm. Beryllium is very stiff compared, e.g., to Aluminium and Magnesium, and this ensures low distortion, i.e., it is not deformed throughout the whole frequency range; it is also very light, and this reduces the effect of inertia and allows the diaphragm to change direction as fast as possible. So, based on its stiffness and lightness, Beryllium is the ideal material for a diaphragm. The only weakness of Beryllium is that it is very brittle, so it has to be forged, and this makes the diaphragm making process even more time- and money-consuming.
All the above made clear that Beryllium was not an option for the driver of A4000 and A3000. So, Final engineers had the idea to start from a humble and underestimated material, such as PET (Polyethylene terephthalate), which many manufacturers use; but in this case Final engineers tried to get the most out of it, by making changes to the voice coil, magnet and housing. The idea behind it is that if we want a driver to have a performance as close to perfect as possible, then all its parts must work as a single unit; if one (or more) of the driver parts has a flaw, then the driver ecosystem suffers as a whole.
So, here are the changes that Final did in the new driver, which goes by the name f-CORE DU:
A8000 uses forged Beryllium for its driver diaphragm. Beryllium is very stiff compared, e.g., to Aluminium and Magnesium, and this ensures low distortion, i.e., it is not deformed throughout the whole frequency range; it is also very light, and this reduces the effect of inertia and allows the diaphragm to change direction as fast as possible. So, based on its stiffness and lightness, Beryllium is the ideal material for a diaphragm. The only weakness of Beryllium is that it is very brittle, so it has to be forged, and this makes the diaphragm making process even more time- and money-consuming.
All the above made clear that Beryllium was not an option for the driver of A4000 and A3000. So, Final engineers had the idea to start from a humble and underestimated material, such as PET (Polyethylene terephthalate), which many manufacturers use; but in this case Final engineers tried to get the most out of it, by making changes to the voice coil, magnet and housing. The idea behind it is that if we want a driver to have a performance as close to perfect as possible, then all its parts must work as a single unit; if one (or more) of the driver parts has a flaw, then the driver ecosystem suffers as a whole.
So, here are the changes that Final did in the new driver, which goes by the name f-CORE DU:
- The way to make a PET diaphragm is to have a mold with cavities (holes), to which you insert the PET material and press the mold to create one diaphragm for each cavity. Obviously, more cavities means more diaphragms with every pressing; however, as always, there is a catch. The PET material is inserted to the mold from a small number of gates in the boundary of the mold, and it is subsequently channeled from one cavity to the next; as a result of this, cavities closer to a gate accept stronger pressure than cavities further away from a gate. This is the main reason behind a consistency issue between the diaphragms. For f-CORE DU, the number of cavities was reduced to 33% (!) of what a regular mold has; the result is diaphragms of high consistency, but the time needed to make the same number of diaphragms is three times as much.The PET, as diaphragm material, is quite light; this means that it has lower inertia and it can therefore move precisely according to the electric signal it is fed with. However, the diaphragm is always attached to the voice coil. If the diaphragm is light, but the voice coil is heavy, the overall movement of the two, which move as one piece, would be slowed down. For f-CORE DU, Final is using a 30μ diameter Copper-clad Aluminum Wire (CCAW) instead of the commonly used copper wire. CCAW is made from aluminum inside with a copper coating (copper cladding) outside. The density of copper is three times that of aluminum, so a CCAW voice coil is almost three times lighter than a copper voice coil, and as a result of this the couple diaphragm-voice coil has a really fast and accurate reaction to the feeding electric signal. On the other hand, thinner wire, like CCAW, means more turnsin the same space, so higher impedance, and therefore more powerful amplification is needed to drive the IEM, but the sound is definitely more accurate. This is the case with f-CORE DU.To increase the magnetic efficiency and reduce loss, the gap between the magnet and the voice coil is being reduced to a level that has not been done before, as this is generally expensive and risky in terms of manufacturing.Finally, the housing of f-CORE DU is made from brass instead of the much cheaper aluminum, which is commonly used. Brass is less influenced by magnetic fields, so the movement of the electromagnetic system is overall improved and this reduces distortion. Furthermore, brass is denser than aluminum; a denser housing is less susceptible to vibrations caused by the diaphragm as it moves in order to produce sound. Vibrations of the housing, which is the body of the driver, could have a detrimental effect to its performance.
Here, I should say that all of the above changes and improvements to a regular driver in order to finally come up with the f-CORE DU, entail a very difficult manufacturing process that a normal manufacturer would not undertake for a low-costproduct. Final tried quite hard and even invested onto a partner they found, who shares the same innovative vision, toeventually make the manufacturing of f-CORE DU possible.
So, Final realized that the use of PET as diaphragm material has not taken to the highest possible level, and it did all the extra miles needed to design an exquisite driver that I believe is really hard to find in an IEM set in the price range of $150.00. Now, f-CORE DU, like any other driver of its quality, has tremendous possibilities for fine tuning, and this means that out of the same driver you can get many IEMs with different sound signature; two such versions are A4000 and A3000 as well as the new A5000.
The new model
The idea behind the new model A5000 was to keep the merits of both A4000 and A3000 and then improve on them. Of course, improving something that is already that much good could be tricky and by no means an easy task; in fact, there are cases where such an attempt ended up with a product that is worse rather than better.
A4000 is beautifully balanced, with the right amount of well controlled bass, mellow mids, and plenty of highs; it is extremely transparent, revealing a vast amount of information, it has a very big soundstage, both in width and depth, avery nice image, and very broad dynamics. A3000 has the same merits with a touch of warmth that is truly appreciated by many people.
In A5000, the f-CORE DU driver is differently tuned; the high frequencies are rolled off a bit, and in order to preserve and even improve clarity an all-new cable was adopted. The new cable was designed by Final specifically for A5000, and it is an 8-core silver-coated OFC (Oxygen Free Copper) cable; it is actually the first Final cable with 8 cores, as even the cable used in A8000 is a 4-core silver-coated OFC cable. The cable is one of the main reasons for the increased price of A5000.
Of course, the question is how all these changes and improvements in the components of A5000 are translated to its sound quality. Let’s find out!
The sound
With IEMs, I always do the usual burn-in of about 50 hours; it’s not that without this the IEMs do not sound right, but rather that the burn-in helps them to reach their full potential. Now, much more important than the technical burn-in, I consider the so-called phycological burn-in, which helps the listener to get acquainted with the IEM; in that sense, the phycological burn-in does not actually have a limit, and the more you listen to an IEM the better you get to know it.
I think in describing A5000’s performance, it is a good idea to compare it at the same time with A4000 and A3000, and at the end to decide whether the extra money that one has to pay for purchasing A5000 over A4000 or A3000 is really worth it; their MSRP is $279.00, $159.00 and $129.00 respectively, so there is a substantial difference in price between A5000 and A4000/A3000.
A4000 has the sound signature of A8000, and A4000’s performance reaches A8000’s performance by about 70%-80%, which is amazing given the difference in price of the two. A3000 has the same merits as A4000, but it is a tad warmer, so it is for those people who want some bass enhancement.
A5000 is very well balanced, and of course it has the beautiful Final tonality. However, it has a different sound signature than A4000 and A3000. The obvious observation is that it has an enhancement in the bass, although I don’t think that this is quite true, as I am very sensitive with excessive bass. I know that A5000 was tuned with some roll off in the high frequencies and this makes the bass to be much better controlled, giving the impression that it is stronger; it is not! It is just tauter.
The roll off in the high frequencies was the reason for the new cable, which was used for preserving clarity, and in that sense the roll off in the tremble does not show off at all. As I already mentioned, this is an 8-core silver-coated OFC cable, the first Final cable with 8 cores, and it is quite interesting that the result in the sound signature of A5000 is that good (see also below).
What I should also add is that the mid area is also improved; it is not that A5000 is mid-centric, but rather that particularly female vocals are more intimate, which to me is quite pleasing. We all know that the mid area, from mid-bass to mid-tremble, is where most of the music lives; so, it is pleasing when this part stands out, but it has to be done in a delicate way, as otherwise the tuning appears to be out of balance.
Most of all, the tuning, together with the new cable, give A5000 a much more energetic performance; the sound is more dynamic, mature, and meaty. It has also improved the soundstage, which is amazing given how good the soundstage of A4000 was. And this, while retaining the same very high level of transparency and image. One could say that A5000 is “a person with a strong voice” while A4000 is “a soft spoken one”.
One would think that comparing A5000 to A3000 could be interesting, as both sets have an enhancement in the low frequencies, however, this comparison did not last very long. In A5000 one has the sense of the extra bass that would make him to choose A3000, but in a much more delicate way; so, the winner is obvious!
During the past several months, A5000 is the set that accompanies me every day at home, work and outdoors, and I listened to it through my iMac, MacBook Air and iPhone. I listened to a variety of songs, from Jazz music by Diana Krall, to Country music by Allison Krauss, to the unique music by Hiromi (Uehara), or to Symphonic music by Mark O’Connor. I am talking about musical pieces that I heard so many times, by so many other IEMs, in particular, A4000 and A3000. I state it clearly: With A5000, it was a whole new experience.
Also, all these months, there was a battle inside me: Before trying A5000, my everyday reference was A4000, which I tried hard to defend; however, I have to admit that, at the end, each and every time I chose A5000 over A4000. So, A5000 is the new reference! (I guess until A6000 or A7000 comes out; or A9000? Who knows?)
Does A5000 worth the extra money over A4000 and A3000? By all means! Keep in mind that it has an all new, and quite expensive in manufacturing, cable (see above), which is even better than even the cable used in A8000. However, it is not only that; it is still the cost of the new driver for the A5000/A4000/A3000, the pairing and tuning of A5000, etc. I have tested IEMs costing two to three times as much as A5000 costs, and they have not impressed me as much as the later, so I considered A5000’s price more than reasonable.
Selected Comparison
I compared A5000 to Aune Jasper-T. Aune is a high quality Chinese maker, and Jasper-T was designed paying particular attention to the driver (diaphragm and magnet system) and the interior cavity, with the intention of improving dynamics and reducing distortion. Jasper-T has a sensitivity of 102 dB/mW and an impedance of 32 Ω. Also, the housing is like a beautiful sculpture made of metal (probably stainless steel).
I initially used Jasper-T with the supplied eartips, but later I found that the Final eartips, which to me are the best in the market, are more suitable, so the comparison took place with those.
Soundwise Jasper-T has slightly less bass than A5000, very extended tremble, so a very crispy presentation, and in some musical pieces a bit of forward mids. Overall, A5000 is more balanced, but Jasper-T gives you a bit more resolution.
A5000 has great dynamics, big soundstage, among the biggest I have heard, both in width and depth, beautiful image and separation. Jasper-T is close to A5000, except that its presentation is more linear, so the soundstage is not as holographic lacking some height and depth.
Overall, both sets are great, but A5000 is a better all-rounder.
Accessories and fit
The exterior box of A5000 is nicely minimal and inside it the user will find, besides the IEM and cable:
- 5 silicon type eartips (SS,S,M,L,LL), each having a soft part for a comfortable fit in the user’s ear drum and a more rigid and groovy part for the sound conduit. This combination ensures a high level of sound insulation.A set of earhooks, which force the cable to stay put over the ears, such that one enjoys reduced microphonics.A nice silicone case for storing A5000. This is quite versatile, and it has been used in many Final models.A warranty card.
A5000 is lightweight, weighting 28 gr including the cable, and have the shape that Final established during the development of the B Series; this has proven very successful, as it has the minimal required contact with the ear and that way it achieves a sense of fit without any feeling of oppression. So, assuming that you found the right size of eartips (which is not difficult given that there are 5 different sizes provided), A5000 fits in your eardrum like a charm, and its overwhelming sound makes you forget that you have them in your ears.
Furthermore, Final eartips are very nicely designed, providing a high level of sound isolation, so ambient noise with A5000 was never a problem.
Finally, the cable, is not susceptible to microphonics, although at times it tangles.
In conclusion
A5000 has the same merits as A4000 and even more. Its sound signature is reminiscent of the sound signature of A8000. It is beautifully balanced, but it is not sterilized; the bass is even more controlled, the mids are mellow, and the roll off in the tremble is compensated by the all new 8-core silver-coated OFC cable. A5000 is extremely transparent, revealing a vast amount of information, it has a huge soundstage, both in width and depth, top image and very broad dynamics.
When I tested A4000, I was very enthusiastic about it, as Final succeeded to give an IEM that costs 1/12th of A8000’s price and has 70%-80% of its performance. With A5000 Final did it again and it did it better.
So, is A5000 better than A4000? Most definitely, and I dare to say that not only worth the $279.00 of its price tag, but it is the best IEM among those that cost at least twice the price.
Most well done!
Specifications
A5000
Product code: FI-A5DPLD
Housing: ABS resin
Driver: Dynamic driver
Sensitivity: 100 dB/mW
Impedance: 18 Ω
Connector: 2-Pin
Cable: 8-core silver-coated OFC transparent cable
Cord length: 1.2m
Weight: 28 gr
Price: $279. 00
https://snext-final.com
Reviewer’s note: The reviewer is grateful to Kyo of Final Inc. for sending him a sample of A5000.
Audiodote
New Head-Fier
If you like stage and imaging with plenty of detailed bass and smooth highs with little recess mids. Pros: 1.Quality and quantity sub-bass
2. Good mid bass(not the best)
3. Very smooth treble extension does not feel fatigue.
4. Wide staging with best hights.
5. Very comfortable.
6. The most important, even at high volume you'll never feel fatigue nor the bass, mids or highs dominating. Everything here feels even n smooth.Cons: 1.Recessed mids for some but personally I enjoy it.
2. Male vocalist feel little life less due to back fall in mid.
3. Needs a good DAC with enough juice to shine.My pros and cons have the need information. I listen to only flac n wave formate.
I used cayin Ru6/Ru7 through the listening process.
Nnibe90Thanks for the review. The 1/5 stars feels kind of weird when looking at your Pros and cons list. If it was intented as 1 /5 stars could you eleborate on why?
o0genesis0oOne wrong click of the stars rating tanked the score of this entire IEM
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Drago20Love
New Head-Fier
A5000 – My new favorite for now Pros: • Bass quantity
• U - W shape, good for every genre
• Instrument separation
• SoundstageCons: • Plastic Omegalul
• Case
• Fatiguing high frecuencies
• Not for the detail orientedDISCLAIMER:
I bought VR3000 and liked it, so then I bought A3000, A4000 and A5000 to compare, I’ve had them all for about 2 months or so, just a Hobbyist reviewer, so please take it with a grain of salt, also my English might not be perfect, sorry.
PRESENTATION:
Same as A3000 and A4000, same box, same body shape (perfect for my giga-small ears), same carrying case (bad for the price, a metal case would be nice), same plastic build quality (pathetic for the price), upgraded cable (yaaaay!).
SOURCES:
PC + CX31993 or Avani dongle dac, PC + topping E30 & L30, Sony ZX707 DAP, Xperia 10 IV phone – A5000 needs same power as A4000 (less than A3000), just the cheap dongle is fine to be honest.
MUSIC:
I listen a little bit of everything, electronic with big sub-bass or mid-bass centric, rock, pop, metal, classical, instrumental, orchestral, jazz, kpop, anime songs.
SOUND:
Some might say U shape, some might even V shape, for me it’s more like a W shape (even with slight recessed mids I think they are in a nice level still), slight priority to the sub-bass.
Bass: Decent quantity, not basshead level but really enjoyable quantity enough for every genre, sub-bass priority, it doesn’t extend that much, well bodied but not too much, slight warm witch gives some musicality to the sound in general, nice quality but not great, mid-bass with a little less presence than sub-bass, not that punchy or deep but mixes well with sub-bass, slight warm to it too.
Mids: Slightly recessed, instrument separation + space between instruments it´s really great! Slight priority to instruments over voices, absolutely great for anything instrumental, it adds some nice texture to voices and instruments, timbre and tonality are great too (maybe A4000 still like 5% better in that regard), nice detail, some micro detail but definitely not a strong pint, some warmth and body to the voices, does a great job at recovering background instruments, would have loved if mids weren’t recessed
Highs: I'm kind of a trebblehead so I like bright earphones, this is one of those, if you are treble sensitive this won’t do it for you, even as a treble head the A5000 gets fatiguing after a while, and it´s not like it has great extension or a nice airy sensation, so treble it’s a little weird, edgy, not for everyone and it´s the A5000 huge weak point. As someone extremely sensible for sibilances I can only get a little of those so not a problem with sibilances in particular.
Technicalities: Great soundstage and imaging (bigger and better than A4000 in some songs), loved them for gaming, detail is nice, some micro detail recovery but it’s not a really detailed IEM, instrument separation is great, never sounded congested to me, overall great technicalities but not the clinical sounding type.
FINAL
VR3000: My first Final, I liked it, big sub-bass but not basshead levels, a little mushy in general, weird mids, heavy V shape sound so recessed mids, even then they maintain nice clarity but sometimes male voices almost disappear lol, safe highs but little sibilance and not very detailed.
A3000: Needs hella power, really flexible sound, decent sub-bass and mid-bass quantity, nice bass balance, good for electric music even (maybe a little more sub-bass would be better), mids great balance between voices and instruments, very bright but not aggressive or fatiguing, nice soundstage and imaging but A4000 is a step above in almost everything. The difference between the A3000 over the VR3000 is big, skip the VR3000 and go for A3000 if you only have $120.
A4000: Sweet sub-bass, a lot of electric bass recovery but sometimes it gets overwhelming, mid-bass a little dry for some electric music, timbre and tonality are great, some priority to voices over instruments (when not overwhelmed by electric bass lol), highs not very bright, not fatiguing, but some sibilances made me crazy sometimes (I’m VERY sensitive to sibilances so shouldn’t be a problem for a lot of people), great soundstage and precise imaging. Might be best balance between musicality and technicalities. 95-100% sound of A5000 in some songs, well mastered and technical songs is where A5000 leaves it behind (Not a massive difference but it’s notable) in clarity, instrument separation, instrument recovery, even bigger soundstage and more precise imaging. A4000 best bang for the buck for sure.
A8000: Will buy them at the end of the year, so let’s see how they compare, since A5000 felt like A3000MAX I do hope A8000 is more on the A4000 tuning territory. Edit (16/03/24): Did get the A8000 back in December but they were not as goos as I expected, lacking the slam and extension in bass I was expecting and also lacking extension and air on the highs, mids are fenomenal tho.
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freeryder05
100+ Head-Fier
No Man's Land Pros: Nice Fit
Mid Timbre
Bass extension
Bass qualityCons: TrebleI was sent this unit as a member of the audio46 A5000 tour! This was the first time I was included on a review tour and it’s exciting for me to try this IEM. I have not been paid, bribed, drugged or accosted for a good review. I was only given a product in exchange for an honest review.
Now that the boring stuff is out of the way we are going to get to the A5000. I did most of my listening tests price and configuration blind. I just wanted to see where it would go and how it would sound to me just out of the box.
I have updated some of my sources as I have been more involved. I am now using Apple Music Lossless with either an Apple Dongle or my RS6. I don’t think lossless makes a difference to my ears, but now I can’t be accused of my issues being lossy files.
Fit: I was very surprised by this IEM size and shape. It looks weird and has a shallow fit, but it works. I was able to wear it for the 2 hours I spent reviewing and a few hours getting used to it. These things are insanely light. The plastic shells feel like some good quality plastic with a nice texture to them. The cable is nice and light weight as well. Overall, if fit is an issue for you, this could be a winner. It’s not as good as the IEX00 series from Sennheisser, but it’s quite nice. 7/10
Sound: I am going to get into region performance, but I would say overall this IEM is pretty much just ok. If I had to put a number on the hobby, I would say that 90% of things are fine, but not outstanding and usually overpriced, 5% is outstanding and worth the price and the last 5% is stuff is just not good. When I checked the price of the A5000, I was pretty sad. It falls into a no man’s land. There are cheaper IEMs that sound significantly better. I would call the A5000 a mild V shape leaning bright (almost sibilant). The timbre for instruments is mostly fine until you get to the treble. The treble is harsh and hazy while also sounding very tinny. If you are still reading from here, I guess we’re going on an adventure.
Bass: The bass feels very coherent and textured. I would say the bass is one of the main strengths of the A5000. It has some punch and even some slam when required to do so. I looked up the driver configuration after blind listening and was surprised. I would have assumed a 4BA or hybrid setup, but it’s just one DD. The bass texture through to the mids is the strength of this IEM. It helps acoustic music and male vocals come through clean and easy. The bass is surely a positive of this IEM overall, but for a budget single DD the IE200 is still my go to option. The IE200 can better separate bass texture and amount from the mids while also doing the other regions more justice. 6/10
Mids: I would say that the mids on the A5000 are its main attraction. The bass is good. It’s tactile, separated and not muddy, but the mids are thick and natural. My biggest issue with the IE200 is that the mids can feel a bit thin and wispy without EQ. The A5000 is meatier with much more body. Male vocals remain front and center and guitar plucking is nice and easily distinguishable. It doesn’t compare to IEMs like the Blessing 2, Meteor IE600 or some of my favorite budget options like the FDX1. Overall the mids are fine, just like the bass. There are no glaring issues, but it falls within average for me. 6/10
Treble: This is where it all falls apart for me. Treble is a knife’s edge: too much and it’s a painful listen and too little sucks out detail and air. I would say the A5000 hits painful more often than it doesn’t. Listening to high percussion on jazz tracks by Pat Metheny Group or Art Blakey are hazy and sibilant. The rides, cymbals, hi hats and tambourines are very strident and lack the separation and clarity I would hope to find in an IEM at this price. If I had to describe it, the treble sounds like it’s a 128kbs MP3 that has been copied a few times. Compared to the bass and mids, the treble is a rough rough experience 4/10
Imaging and Separation: I would call this IEM average in both without much to say. It exists and can do both while not really excelling at either. 5/10
TLDR: I would say that this IEM, price no object, exists and is not a bad option. I can see it being an IEM that people might like due to its fit and really nice mid and bass presentation. If I had to make a purchase, I would save some cash and get the IE200. I think it has better imaging and separation while also being $100 cheaper. Both can come across strident in the treble, but IE200 is definitely more controlled and defined. The A5000 is a solid option that falls in no man’s land due to price and the increasingly powerful budget options in the lower budgets.Last edited:
freeryder05@jmwant i mostly agree. I think there’s a time and place for good elevated sparkle, but the A5000 didn’t really nail it. The IE200 is still the budget killer for me. Not much comes close to it besides some odds and ends like the Audiosense DT200, which I need to review asap.
freeryder05@GageBoi at this pice range, I would rather not EQ at all. I can’t imagine EQing the treble down would be bad though. Boosting causes a ton more issues than cutting
gc335
Headphoneus Supremus
Very fun IEM! Pros: Stunning bass
Great build
Outstanding valueCons: Slight dip in the mids
Sound is fit dependentIntro and disclaimer
When I saw the Final Audio A5000 review come up, I was pretty eager to sign up. I’ve never heard any Final Audio headphones or IEMs. After my IE600 review, I started to really get curious about single driver IEMs.
Thanks to Audio46 for setting up this tour. I was loaned the A5000 in exchange for my honest option. At no point did they influence my decision. My thoughts are my own. They can be purchased here.
Gear Used
Chord Mojo 2 (No Eq)
Sennheiser IE200 Stock Med Silicone Tips
Sennheiser IE600 Stock Med Silicone Tips
Final Audio D5000 Final Audio (included) Medium Tips
Packaging/Unboxing
The packaging is basic but high quality. You open the box and there is foam holding the tips and IEM case in place. I’m not big on packaging because usually it’s out of sight and mind after the initial unboxing. I’d rather see the price lower versus over-the-top packaging.
Accessories
The A5000 comes with ear hooks, cable, case and an assortment of ear tips. The cable has a really nice look and feel to it that turned out to be very tangle resistant. It felt pretty premium especially considering the A5000’s price point. The tips are also of really high quality. I bought a set of the same tips a few years ago on a friend’s recommendation and I have used them a lot. Lastly, the case is neat clamshell design. It has a premium feel.
Build
The A5000s are made of plastic but have a premium and feel. They look like they will hold up well over time. There is a nice texture to the outside of the IEM that adds to the feel of quality. I have zero complains on the build of the IEMs or the cable.
Fit
At first, I really struggled with the fit on these. Sometimes I have issues with my right ear with IEMs but this one seemed harder than most. It may be the angle of the nozzle. I also have issues with 64 Audio IEMs. I’m not sure if it is the shape of the shell or the angle of the nozzle. I tried 15 different tips of various brands, styles, and sizes. The medium final audio tips with deeper insertion seemed to get the best sound and fit. A good fit is essential for these. They have little forgiveness for a bad seal.
Overall sound signature
Overall, the A5000 has a V shaped signature. I am normally not a measurement type of guy, but I feel like there are some holes in the signature. There seems to be energy missing in the mids that leads to some vocals sounding a bit recessed and just off. The overall presentation comes across as a bit cold. That said, there is a fair amount of energy in the treble, and it gives the sound a nice sense of air and detail. The sub bass reaches very deep but the mid bass feels slightly lacking. That said, they still shine with electronic and pop music. These would not be the first pair of IEMs that I would reach for when listening to music like classic rock.
Imaging and stage were very good. Placement of instruments was spot on, and the stage was neither too wide nor too in your head.
Bass
The bass on these is addictive. Once you get a good fit, these kick like a mule. They give so much energy to EDM and other genres that benefit from solid kick drums. There does seem to be a bit of mid bass missing that extends to the lower mids. It gives an overall colder feel to these IEMs. Some of it may have been scooped out due to not getting a perfect seal. As mentioned earlier, I struggled a bit with the fit.
Mids
As mentioned before, there is a dip in the mids that affects male vocals a bit more than female. It is not huge, but it is there. This is not a major issue to me but wanted to point it out.
Treble
The treble is very nice on these. There is a lot of energy in the upper frequencies which gives a nice feel of clarity and detail. At times, it did lead to a bit of a harsh sound and a bit of sibilance in the vocals. I like treble so I did enjoy it on most tracks. It also depended a bit on how the track was mastered.
Imaging and Stage
I’m not great at describing staging but I never felt like the sound was so wide it was disjointed or so narrow it felt like everything was in my head. I am better at perceiving vertical staging and these are not lacking there. They do not have the same height as the Sennheiser IE600 but those are more expensive. Imaging was also very good. The track that I use for imaging came across as very precise. Bottom line, I have no complaints about the imaging and staging. It exceeds their price point in quality.
Comparisons – Each comparison was made against the A5000. Please keep in mind that the IE600 is double the price of the A5000 and the IE200 is almost half the cost of the Final Audio A5000.
Afterglow – Emancipator
Final Audio A5000 – Wow the bass! It reaches so low. Great extension. I’m liking the bass on this track. At higher volumes, the treble is a touch aggressive but does give the track a nice sense of air and detail. Mild harshness only creeps in at higher listening levels.
IE200 – Still has a nice rumble with similar quality but less quantity. There is less treble but still enough sparkle. It’s a touch less harsh at times than the A5000. With this track there is slightly less width to the stage.
IE600 – Even more bass versus the Final Audio. Very good. More elliptical sound stage but not radically different. A bit less treble energy but still a good sense of clarity and detail
Lindsey Stirling - Elements (Orchestral Version)
Final Audio A5000 – Nice wide-open staging. The treble is just right here giving that nice sense of clarity and attack to the violin. I do notice there seems to be less energy is parts of the mid-range. The violine is generally a little more forward in this track. Still very enjoyable.
IE200 – The flat nature of the IE200 is noticeable. The violine feels a touch more forward. There is not as much sparkle in the treble but still not what I would consider lacking. Again, bass quality is about the same but less quantity. The IE200 here is a bit easier to listen to at higher volumes because it never gets harsh anywhere.
IE600 – The stage is a bit narrower but taller. There is a better sense of clarity with the IE600. Besides staging, they sound close with this track.
Grateful Dead - Touch of Gray
Final Audio A5000 – Vocals are pushed back a bit. I notice the dip in the mids here a bit. With this track, I feel like the V shaped signature is a bit more noticeable. That said, it still sounds great with nice detail. The Treble is getting close to showing a bit of sibilance but nothing noteworthy.
IE200 – Very even sound. A bit more mellow. They sound very similar. The IE200 feels warmer. With more mid bass and lower mid presence.
IE600 – The vocals are more forward. The A500 feels a bit cold with this track. The IE600 just feels a bit more polished and. For classic rock, the IE600 is more enjoyable in my opinion.
Angus and Julia Stone - Yellow Brick Road
Final Audio A5000 -Bass is a bit much with this track. The issue is more that the track is mastered on the warm side. Again, the male vocals are a touch recessed.
IE200 – The flatter signature of the IE200 helps with this track. This track sounds phenomenal with the Sennheiser. For whatever reason the treble difference with this track is not as large when compared to some of the other tracks.
IE600 – Also a bit too much bass on this track at higher volumes. It overwhelms the rest of the sound just a bit just like the A5000. Again, the issues is a bit more with the mastering.
Alison Krause - It Doesn’t Matter
Final Audio A5000 – The low end is oh so good with this track. It’s just right for my preferences. The treble gives a sense of detail without being harsh.
IE200 – A bit less rumble in the bass. The female vocals are a bit more forward. Slightly less aggressive attack on the guitar plucks due to a touch less treble. Still a great sound.
Eric Clapton - Old Love Unplugged
Final Audio A5000 – This track got a touch harsh in the treble at higher volumes. Overall, great stage and precise imaging.
IE200 – I notice a narrower but taller stage. Vocals are slightly more forward. With this track, the more intimate state works a bit better on this IE200.
IE600 – The stage feels more like a live performance. I think with track you really notice where the extra funds go with the IE600. The Final Audio is no slouch, but this track is more enjoyable with the IE600.
Caroline No – Still Waters Run Deep
Final Audio A5000 – Again, the bass is so good here. Deep and textured. There are touches of sibilance her voice but it’s not too bad.
IE200 – Similar bass but it feels like it reaches a bit lower with a bit more control. Vocals are a bit more forward with less sibilance.
Conclusion
Overall, the A5000 was a pleasure to listen to once I got a good fit. Adding a bit of mid bass with the Mojo 2’s EQ made a big difference to make the A5000 a bit more well-rounded for my preferences. I don’t EQ a lot but the Final Audio A5000 took the eq very well.
Great bass, nice build, quality accessories. There is a lot to like about the A500 especially at this price. Great release by Final Audio. It makes me want to hear some of their other offerings.Attachments
8bitfanaticThx for your review. They look exactly like my Final ZE3000.552609
1000+ Head-Fier
The new Under $500 Champion Pros: Small
Light
Great fit
Good comfort
Excellent bass
Great Mids
Surprisingly balanced Highs
Price
Durable finishCons: A small amount of sibilance
Bass can occasionally overwhelm mids
Overview:
Up for review today are the new Final A5000 which have been provided to me by Audio46 as part of a review tour. That means that I get to keep them for a week before passing them along to the next person on the list. As I have paid no money and received no compensation of any kind for this review, there is literally zero reason for me to be biased in any way, shape, or form. It’s possible I’m a little bitter because they sent me this really cool IEM, made me spend hours writing a review, and then they’re making me give it back haha. So yeah, let's talk a little about the Final A5000 and why I like it.
The A5000 retails for $279 and comes from the Japanese company Final Audio. They come with the in-house F-Core DU driver – which I guess is some sort of 6mm Dynamic Unit driver. The driver front is made out of brass instead of aluminum to reduce magnetic force and the voice coil uses the least amount of adhesive possible. Soo, uhh…pretty sure that means it’s a small single Dynamic Driver with the classic Japanese build quality – but whatever. On the plus side, it sounds really good if you’re wondering why you should buy this single DD instead of literally hundreds of other options.
Accessories/Earpads/Eartips (8/10):
Very nice, but at this price, it should be. The TRUTHEAR HEXA comes with similarly nice accessories for only $80, so what does the A5000 provide that the HEXA doesn’t? For starters, Final Audio ear tips. These are widely considered some of the best ear tips to buy aftermarket for your IEMs, and I have a pair of the E Type sitting on my desk (also from Audio46.) They’re fantastic with a good fit, seal, and low in-ear noise – also they made the shaft of each ear tip different colors so you can figure out which ear is left and which is right. Now, I’m not using the ones that came with the A5000 because it’s a review unit, and who knows how many other people have had these in their ears (eww), so that doesn’t help me. Instead, I’m using the phenomenal Spinfit W1s that I use for basically everything since I haven’t found something they won’t fit on yet and they give me a great seal and excellent sound quality (Here if you want a pair.)
The other accessories included are quite nice. The rubber case included is legit and I prefer it to most of the leather/metal cases that come with higher-end IEMs. It will resist bumps in a backpack and looks like it will keep everything safer than most cases (especially metal, who thought that was a good idea…Empire…) The only issue I foresee with this case is if it gets crushed – it should really have a plastic shell somewhere to prevent that. So, be careful where you put the case in your bag because it won’t handle being crushed too well. That’s it for accessories, no extra filters, no brush, etc. Personally, I couldn’t care less as I don’t use any of that stuff anyways, but if it factors into your decision, it’s something to keep in mind – there’s nowhere near Mezzo LE levels of swag included (nor should there be at this price.)
Cable (8/10):
This is actually something of a mixed bag for me. The cable itself I actually pretty nice as it’s thin and flexible, but a good quality 8core braid. It’s also silver-coated copper, which is one of the better cable options. The cable itself kinks a little and has some memory retention, but nothing offensive, especially in this price range. It’s a shame that it comes with 3.5mm instead of a swappable kit, but it’s not a big deal. You can pick up a nice Kinera Ace or Leyding Modular cable if you want balanced 4.4mm/2.5mm instead (Here and Here.) There aren’t a ton of IEMs in this price range or below that come with a modular kit either.
Here's the weird part of the cable. Instead of having the ear hooks built in, Final has opted to include soft silicone ear hooks…separately. So, when you get your cool new Final A5000…you get to install some ear hooks…somewhere on the wire. They sort of lock in with tiny silicone locks, though there are no guidelines on where to put them, and I guess if normal ear hooks drive you crazy with their lack of adjustability because you have a massive ear-to-ear canal gap, these will be great for you. I gave up after trying the first one and removed it very quickly and just used them like the Moondrop Chu. It just wasn’t worth messing around with for a review unit – if I owned these, I’d probably obsess over the ear hook placement for an hour until I got it perfect, but I don’t have that kind of time and it didn’t really make a difference. Oh, and Final says they did it this way to decrease microphonics when walking, and a fast test with that shows it does work…but why not just attach them to the cable? If it’s good enough for PW Audio’s $2,400 First Times cable, it should probably be OK for the A5000.
Build Quality/Comfort (10/10):
Yeah, it’s a 10/10 here. Not only does the A5000 come with a really neat matte/gloss finish that looks like something you’d find at REI, but the fit is phenomenal. These are the first IEM I’d really encountered shaped like the inside of my ear that actually sits inside my ear. They’re small and thin and it makes me wish more IEMs did this. They just disappear in there and won’t hit anything and won’t pop out on accident. The crap-tastic Chu is the only IEM to sort of pull this off previously, but only because it was tiny, not because it was shaped correctly. These may be the most comfortable IEMs I’ve ever worn, and they just feel more rugged than normal IEMs while remaining very lightweight. They also don’t pick up fingerprints thanks to the mixed finish. Well done Final – expect to see 15 copies of this design this year.
Sound:
I don’t have a frequency response chart for these since they’re brand new and no one has felt like sending me an IEM test rig yet. You’ll just have to base your thoughts on my descriptions below I suppose.Got a test rig, added FRG. Woot! I’m powering these from my Shanling M6 Ultra – which the A5000 does sound better on than my M3 Ultra, so your source will change your experience (as with anything really.) It is a minor difference here though, unlike some TOTL IEMs which can have a huge difference (UM Multiverse Mentor, Noble Kublai Khan.) With the 3.5mm unbalanced jack, I am running these between 45-50/100 volume. I’ll be comparing these with the similarly priced Moondrop Blessing 2 with the W1 tips at the same volume level (which has an AWFUL stock cable I might add.) I’ll include the Blessing 2 and HEXA Squig.Link so you have some idea where we’re at here.
Lows (18/20):
Starting off with the Mid-bass/Sub-bass test I’m using David Guetta’s “I’m Good (Blue).” The intro bass drums have good impact, but nothing too crazy/overwhelming. The sub-bass at 0:38 is surprisingly strong, uncommon for Eastern IEMs – Final has definitely learned what the Western market likes. I’d guess close to 68-70 dB on the sub-bass.
Up next is Demon Hunter’s “I Am A Stone,” which I use to test whether the bass is too strong and overwhelms the rest of the song. The A5000 gets a pass here, but it’s pretty close to being too strong – not DQ6S strong, but there are definitely parts where the bass-strings come in a little overwhelming.
I’m adding one more bass test song on here for funzies – S3RL’s “Feel the Melody.” The bass drum kick is excellent on this song and it doesn’t overwhelm the vocals or synths. The overall bass quality/quantity of the A5000 is really good, dang near top-notch, but without the soul or quantity that some of the best bass IEMs have (Thunder, MM, MEST, etc.) It definitely won’t make a basshead happy if that’s your thing, but for anyone who enjoys bass presentation without blowing your brains out of your skull each time the drums hit, these will make you really happy.
Mids (16/20):
Weaving The Fate’s “The Fall” is a great guitar test song for mids and vocals. The Final A5000 continues to punch far above its weight on this song. The clean and distorted guitars both sound very detailed and clean with no additional distortion or bloat. The bass guitars can still be heard in the background clearly and they don’t overwhelm the mids here – impressive since they can fade into the background on some IEMs. The vocals are clear and forward enough that they don’t sound like an afterthought. Overall, mids are great on here.
Staind’s “Something to Remind You” has beautifully clean guitars and wonderful vocals. The A5000 does a good job representing Aaron Lewis’s voice and the guitar, where even his fingers moving on the strings can be heard. When he hits certain lower notes there is some bloat and extra reverb though. The bass guitar can be clearly heard and can somewhat distract from the mids as I saw on “I Am A Stone.” Still, the overall mids presentation from the A5000 is far above what it costs – these are easily becoming my bang-for-the-buck IEM under $500 (I wish I still had the HEXA to compare the two because I think the A5000 beats the HEXA - my previous best under $500, and still my best under $100.)
To test classical mids, I’m using The Piano Guys' “Code Name Vivaldi.” Dang, once again the A5000 manages to punch far above its weight here. The strings sound phenomenal – are we sure this isn’t secretly a hybrid? The bass can overwhelm the mids a tad once more, but the overall quality is so much better than the A5000’s price indicates. I really can recommend these to almost anyone looking for an IEM in this price range – as long as you don’t want it to look fancy or colorful and you don’t hate bass.
Highs (16/20):
To test sibilance on headphones I use Panic! At The Disco’s “High Hopes.” Typically, the better the highs on my later test songs, the worse a headphone does on the sibilance test. Sadly, the good highs on “The Alien” are there at the cost of some sibilance on this song. It’s not the worst I’ve ever heard or even close, but it’s definitely there. A shame because this song sounds really good on the A5000 and it’s only occasionally interrupted by some sharpness/sibilance.
The first highs test song I’ll be using is Dream Theater’s “The Alien,” which I use to test and see if the cymbals/high-hats/snare can be clearly heard and distinguished from the rest of the music. On the A5000, the cymbals can be heard separate from the drums and guitars, but they’re not clean or clear like they can be on more expensive IEMs. So, if you want really good highs quality, look elsewhere – if you want good highs separation, you’ll get that from the A5000 – the cymbals and high-hats are not lost in the background.
Michelle McLaughlin’s “Across The Burren” is another of my favorite highs/sharpness test songs as it can easily sound painful on some headphones. The Final A5000 performs admirably and it is clearly tuned to prevent the sharpness that can occur with this type of music. Each piano note comes in beautifully. That said, it's right on the edge of sharp, where it almost hits that sharpness, so I suppose on some songs it may cross into that region, but it doesn’t here and that’s a massive win for the A5000. The Blessing 2 doesn’t fair as well here, with somewhat more sharpness.
Soundstage/ Instrument Separation (8/10):
The soundstage of the A5000 is really good – I can’t figure out how Final pulled it off with a single 6mm driver. There’s a real sense of depth that you can’t get on some significantly more expensive hybrid IEMs. It makes the Blessing 2 feel flatter and less engaging. I honestly don’t know how a single driver has this level of separation – I think Final secretly put 3 drivers in here, how can a single tiny driver compete with the Blessing’s 5 drivers? It’s just fantastic, you can clearly hear each instrument where they’re supposed to be – this is one of those headphones like the HEXA that makes me question more expensive headphones.
Comparisons:
The Blessing 2’s mid-bass is tighter but less impactful and the sub-bass is nowhere near as strong. The Blessing 2 HAS sub-bass, but you can easily tell the difference back-to-back – get the DUSK if you want a Blessing with sub-bass. The Blessing 2 has cleaner mids presentation overall – more clinical if you will, but it loses some of what makes the A5000 special with that presentation. That really covers the difference between these two in a nutshell – the Blessing 2 is cleaner with less sub-bass and it’s the choice for people who want colorful faceplates or who hate bass and just want to listen to really clean vocals and instruments – NOT EDM or anything you want to hear the bass on. The A5000 can do it all, but that increased bass response does mean that you can clearly hear the bass drums/guitars/synths more to the front on some songs.
The A5000 also has slightly more highs-separation than the Blessing 2. The A5000 also has less sharpness/sibilance on the highs – it’s pretty painful on the Blessing 2, though still not the worst I’ve heard. The soundstage and instrument separation on the A5000 are significantly better than the Blessing as well.
Conclusion:
I’m blown away by these, I kind of think that Audio46 just sent these out on tour because they know how good they are and they wanted to erase the bad memories of the A4000. Anything over 80 from me is really good, especially since I stopped taking price into account - if I did, these would likely be over 90. I’m going to use the term giant-killer here because, like the HEXA, these punch FAR above their price. The bass is powerful and tight, the mids sound really good, and the highs are surprisingly talented. These are the new IEM to beat under $500, the Blessing 2 is officially dethroned as the king of under $500 IEMs unless you want your IEMs to look fancy (which admittedly is why I bought my pair.) I wish Audio46 would let me keep this pair for future reviews, but I may have to grab a used pair from a friend instead.
Headphone Scoring (v3): Accessories / Earpads / Eartips (10/10): 8Cable (8/10): 8Build Quality/ Design / Comfort (8/10): 10Lows (19/20): 18Mids (17/20): 16Highs (15/20): 16Soundstage / Instrument Separation (9/10): 8Total: 84Last edited:CCheradenineEnjoyed your review and breezy style. I think I'll be picking these up once they're available in UK.
Sebby916It would be interesting to compare A4000 vs A5000 to understand the differences.
I have the Final A4000 and with little tweaks with EQ in the upper midrange (copying the Final A8000) they are the nicest IEMs I've ever heard.
Without EQ they are great with some tracks and obnoxious with others
lomenhkI just got the A5000 and I am blown away by its SQ. It sounds so great when pairing with my Walkman ZX707. I reckon its performance is on par with Meze Audio ADVAR but it only costs almost 1/3 price of it. If comparing with IE 600, it is not as detailed as IE 600 but it is just a tad behind, very close (IE 600 has more height). The bass part is that I love the most of A5000. It is deep, groovy and engaging. Apart from the bass, the whole soundstage and imaging of this little beast is also great, as Final Audio states: "transparent and detailed sound".
A5000 is definite a keeper to me, highly recommended!!
