final ZE8000

rev92

Reviewer at Ear Fidelity
Final ZE8000
Pros: Smooth, rich tuning
Insane width for a pair of TWS
Pleasant to listen to
USB-C charging
Cool design
Cons: ANC and battery life are both mediocre
Subjective: Bad comfort
The case is too big and feels a bit flimsy

Introduction to the Final Audio ZE8000 review​

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Final Audio is one of the most respected headphones/IEM manufacturers in the market. It is a Japanese company that is known for its impressive lineup of different kinds of products.
Even though their high-end models, such as the legendary A8000 and D8000 Pro are widely appreciated, Final Audio also offers a lot of more affordable options. The entire E series has been selling like hotcakes for years.
Final also offers a range of wireless products, such as the ZE3000 (review here) or the UX3000. It was when they announced the ZE8000 that they got A LOT of attention. Is it a wireless version of the A8000 at a fraction of the price?
Well, not really, the naming could be misleading a bit. It’s called 8000 not because it’s a wireless version of the A8000, but rather because it’s a flagship of this series, which makes sense.
So in this review, we’re going to take a look at the Final Audio ZE8000 (many people actually requested this review) and see if it’s worth the price tag and the hype.

Packaging​

Box of reviewed Final Audio ZE8000

Reviewed Final Audio ZE8000 comes in a rather standard, white box. It looks good but is definitely nothing fancy, like their high-end models for example. It’s understandable though, this product is priced much more aggressively and there’s no need to burn the budget on fancy packaging and extras.
Inside the box, you’ll find the TWS IEMs themselves with the charging case, a set of silicone eartips, a cable for charging, and manuals.
Take note that the eartips are proprietary, so if you want to use your favorites…no luck this time. This is understandable from the design point of view, AirPods Pro 2 use their own style of eartips as well.
The overall unboxing experience is good and I have nothing bad to say about it. Let’s move on to the more important stuff.

Build Quality, Design, and Comfort​

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The design and build quality of theFinal Audio ZE8000 are both very good. These are definitely on the bulky side, and they definitely protrude from your ears a lot. Forget about wearing this to your bed (if you’re a side sleeper), under a helmet, or even a snug-fitting hat.
They are made of plastic with an interesting finish, that hides all scratches or imperfections perfectly. The finish is good and they definitely don’t feel like falling apart anytime soon. The AirPods Pro 2 are all-plastic as well and their build quality is also exceptional. While the reviewed ZE8000 don’t feel as sturdy and dense as the APP2, their build quality is definitely good and you wouldn’t have to worry about them too much.
The design is also interesting. They look rather futuristic and clean, but not too stealthy though. If you like your IEMs to be not grabbing attention while you’re wearing them, the ZE8000 wouldn’t be a great choice. However, the design language is attractive and they do look very good, especially in white (at least for me).
As far as the fit goes, these are going to be a hit or miss for many. Unfortunately, I’m okay with wearing the reviewed Final Audio ZE8000 for an hour or so, after that I just have to take them out of my ears. The round part that houses the driver irritates my concha and antihelix, which leads to slight pain. However, I know people who can use the ZE8000 for hours and hours with no problems whatsoever, so this is all going to come down to your ears. For me personally, the AirPods Pro 2 are much, much more comfortable.
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Now, let’s get into the case. It’s rather light, and the quality is okay, but definitely not great. Once again, definitely not the APP2 level, and it’s much bigger so it’s not as convenient as it could have been. Also, the sliding way of opening the case doesn’t feel too obvious at first, and I’ve seen people trying to just open it by lifting the lid, almost destroying the case. The case is definitely something that Final could work on if they plan to release the successor anytime in the future.
Luckily, the case uses USB-C for charging, and I couldn’t even imagine it being different. I still see some audio products in 2023 that use Micro-USB, and this is just ridiculous. Actually, when I see that, I immediately lose all interest in the product, it’s not 2012 anymore. Final went with USB-C, so no complaints here.
The biggest complaint with the case I have is its size. The AirPods Pro 2 case is so small it fits in the little pocket of your jeans, while the case of the ZE8000 is not ideal even for big jeans pockets. It’s much more of an “in your jacket” type of case, and in the summer months…well, no luck. Maybe you always bring your backpack with you – this wouldn’t be a problem then, but still, the case is just too big to be convenient.

Tech

Final Audio ZE8000 Review, TWS in the charging box.

The Final Audio ZE8000 houses some interesting technologies, so let’s dive right into it.
First of all, the reviewed ZE8000 uses a Final Connect App, that you can download on both Android and iOS devices. The app itself is nothing to write a book about, it’s okay, does the job.
It offers a few ANC modes, an 8k Sound mode (more on that later), an equalizer (with 4 bands only sadly), and a “volume step optimizer”.
First of all, let’s dive into the ANC and ambient sound modes performance. The ANC is okay-ish, nothing even close to what AirPods Pro 2 offers, it’s not even a context here. Additionally, the wind is a nemesis of the Final Audio ZE8000, as its microphones pick up the wind noise a lot when you’re wandering the city during a windy day. The problem is big, to the point that I just turn off the ANC when it’s windy outside. Yes, there’s a wind-noise reduction, but who would like to constantly switch between all the modes?
While using the APP2 I only use the ANC mode and switch to transparent when I need to hear my surroundings, that’s the maximum level of “interaction” that I’m okay with. The ambient sound is basically a transparent mode from the AirPods Pro 2, but worse. It does the job however and is quite useful if you decide to go to the shop for example.
Next up, the 8k sound. I’ve tried, I really did, but I cannot hear even the slightest difference between it being turned on or off. For the sake of this review, I’m keeping it on, to ensure the highest quality (regardless if the difference actually exists or not).
There’s no wear detection to be found in the reviewed Final Audio ZE8000, unlike the aforementioned AirPods Pro 2, so you’ll have to manually pause and play while putting them out of your ear for a moment.
The battery life using the 8k sound option is decent at 4h, and the case allows you to have another 15h of juice. This is okay, but considering how bulky and big the case is, I wish it’d give you more battery life.
Lastly, let’s address the big topic. Final Audio has drastically changed the tuning of the ZE8000 with a firmware update, which is quite unusual. Take note that this review has been made using the 1.8.1 firmware, and the tuning COULD change with future updates.

How does the Final Audio ZE8000 sound?​

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Final Audio is not known for its wireless products, but rather for its exquisite sound quality. Considering the fact that the ZE8000 is a premium-priced TWS, you surely expect these to sound great, so let’s see how it goes.
Reviewed Final Audio ZE8000 is a thick and lush-sounding TWS IEM, with an emphasis on the enjoyment factor over the detail-chasing. The overall sound is smooth and relaxed and the timbre is great. While this is not the most dynamic-sounding TWS on the market by any means, it shines with more delicate recordings, giving you a very pleasant type of experience.
Whether this is good or not will depend hugely on your preferences. I personally prefer my TWS IEMs to sound punchy and dynamic, as I mostly listen to powerful tracks while on the go, but it is just me. If you prefer a more relaxed sound, these will definitely steal your heart.
Actually, the overall tuning is the most mature I’ve heard in a pair of TWS IEMs. These definitely sound like a good pair of wired IEMs, resembling the Dita Perpetua for me, which are 3k USD. Of course, reviewed Final Audio ZE8000 is not even close to the Perpetua when it comes to technical performance, but they do share some similarities in the overall performance.
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It feels like Final has put all its power into the smooth and enjoyable sound of the ZE8000, giving you an “audiophile-tuned” option in the current TWS market which is rather occupied by IEMs that sound big and bold. This is a good approach, as Final gives you something that other manufacturers don’t.
Listening to music like Fleetwood Mac, Dire Straits, or any prog-rock actually on the ZE8000 is fantastic. It gives you an incredibly wide soundstage and the melodic and rich character of the sound makes these songs sound very involving. Reviewed Final Audio ZE8000 is very good with vocals, as it offers that lush and full-bodied type of sound that truly benefits male vocalists.
Electric guitars sound good as well, while they might lack a bit of crunch, the string action is well-audible and it has that dark, rich tone to it. The ZE8000 is even better with acoustic guitars. The smooth and delicate treble response will never sound overpowering, but the weight of the treble itself sounds great with the bronze strings of an acoustic guitar. It gives you that flavorful, thick, and shimmering type of sound that is just perfect for acoustic music.
When it comes to technical performance, the ZE8000 is good enough for a pair of TWS IEMs. The detail retrieval and resolution are both good, as they won’t give you a feeling that you “miss” something from the recording. However, the rich and smooth tuning of these IEMs will not overpower the details, making them pop from the recording. This is more of a subtle detail that is a part of the overall sound, rather than being in the spotlight. This makes the ZE8000 great for long listening sessions, as it should never get tiring or overly engaging.
Overall, the ZE8000 sounds like a pair of TWS IEMs made by an audiophile-grade company. The most important aspects are the tuning and the soundstage, with both being exceptional for this kind of product. While I wouldn’t call the ZE8000 the most detailed TWS on the market, it shines in different ways that for this type of product, are even more important.

Comparisons​


AirPods Pro 2
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Let’s start this comparison with the things that are not sound-related. Here, the AirPods Pro 2 takes the cake in every single category. The build quality, charging case, ANC, transparent mode, battery life, controls, and fit – the AirPods Pro 2 are significantly better in all these categories.
It’s not really a surprise though, as Apple has been the biggest player in the TWS market for years now, damn…they actually created the market on their own, so it’s not surprising.
When it comes to the sound though, these two trade blows, but they do have different strengths.
The AirPods Pro 2 is more dynamic-sounding, punchier, more neutral, and fun-oriented. The ZE8000 however has a more “audiophile-grade” tuning, better and bigger soundstage, and smoother treble.
The AirPods Pro 2 works better with genres like metal, hip-hop, and electronic music, while the ZE8000 is better for acoustics, jazz, and classical music. It is a more relaxed listen, and if that’s your preference, you’ll definitely be happy with those, if you can live with some of the ZE8000’s quirks.
Another thing worth mentioning is that the AirPods Pro 2 is rather limited to iOS users, while the Final ZE8000 works better with Android, thanks to its codecs. This should also be a very important aspect before choosing between the two – which system are you using.
HiFiMAN Svanar Wireless
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Now let’s compare two TWS IEMs manufactured by companies that specialize in audiophile-grade headphones.
The Svanar Wireless and Final ZE8000 have similar strengths and weaknesses. Both have cases that are simply too big and unpractical, with ANC performances that are decent but nothing too extraordinary.
When it comes to sound, the Svanar Wireless is more detailed, punchier, and more dynamic sounding. They do sound great with dynamic music, offering a very lively, involving, and fun sound.
The ZE8000 on the other hand is smoother, more delicate, and relaxing of the two. It does better with acoustic and jazz, while the Svanar Wireless sounds better with music that needs power and dynamics.
Both IEMs are valid options for an audiophile on the go, who values the sound quality the most. They do have different sound signatures, so this will be the aspect to focus on while deciding between the two.

Final Audio ZE8000 Review – Summary​

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The Final Audio ZE8000 is a bag of mixed feelings for me. The sound quality and tuning are both great and highly attractive for audiophiles who have been waiting for true “audiophile-grade” TWS IEMs.

However, Final definitely has some things to improve with the MK2 version. The case design, or rather its size, the ANC, battery life, and comfort could all use an upgrade, and then the ZE8000 mk2 could be a huge rival for the AirPods Pro 2 for example.

For now, even though the ZE8000 has many quirks and small problems, I’m still going to recommend it to those who value the sound quality the most.


Big thanks to Final Audio and Jackrabbit Media for providing the ZE8000 for this review. I wasn’t paid or asked to say anything good or bad about this product, all of the above is just my personal, unbiased opinion.

jwbrent

Headphoneus Supremus
The ZE8000 — Superlative TWS Sound!
Pros: High resolution presentation (8K SOUND) with micro-detail excellence; Class AB amplifier for more authoritative sounding dynamics; Rubycon premium capacitors; ANC with four listening options; Excellent telephony from beamforming dual microphone design; Latest SnapDragon Sound tech provides lossless level performance with low latency; Dedicated app for both Android and iOS devices.
Cons: Battery life is not competitive with other similarly priced brands; Proprietary Type Q tips may pose an issue for some.
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Introduction

It's always a pleasure to review final products, especially a new flagship model. final's engineers have been working the past three years focused on elevating the capabilities of its true wireless sound IEMs. A year ago they released the ZE3000 with its proprietary magnesium alloy & silicone driver design which I reviewed and loved feeling for its attractive price ($149), its noteworthy performance was way above any other TWS sets I had listened to in the same price range.

My understanding is final has enjoyed robust sales of the ZE3000, but I noted in my review that many potential buyers might opt for a different model that included ANC capabilities, a feature set that was not practical at the ZE3000's affordable cost.

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I would like to begin my review by thanking Kyo-san from final Japan for sending me a review sample of the ZE8000 ($349) for my honest assessment. During my listening sessions, I used my Sony NW-ZX507 streaming lossless files, no EQ was used.

As typical with final's box presentations, the packaging is quite sturdy using nice quality construction. Included in the box are a sliding top case and IEMs (available in black or white), a USB-C charging cable, 5 sets of Type Q tips of various sizes, dust filters with a metal rod applicator to keep ear wax from getting inside the shells, and a manual for operations instruction. Additionally, final provides a download of its ZE8000 app via the Play Store / App Store thus giving additional capabilities such as visual battery life for each earpiece, ANC options (these four options can also be selected from tapping the left earpiece), volume control enhancement, quasi-PMEQ tuning, an 8K SOUND algorithm for enhanced detail retrieval, and an online update option for new firmware. All in all, a pretty complete package to get the most from your ZE8000.

Before I go into the audio performance, I should briefly explain this "8K SOUND" concept. final has implemented a brand new enhancement feature using finals' latest algorithm technology which extracts a greater level of micro-detail when the feature is engaged in the app. final likens this to 8K resolution on a video display which can be so lifelike to view, and the ZE8000 is meant to duplicate this realism in the audio spectrum, hence, the purpose for this nomenclature.

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Performance

OK, time to discuss what everybody reading this review wants to know ... how does the ZE8000 sound? Well, in one word, spectacular! Never before from the half dozen or so TWS sets I've owned in the past have I heard a set mimic the level of resolution and purity of sound that I hear from my wired flagship IEM collection ... but all is not guaranteed because final designed brand new tips for the ZE8000—Type Q—and they may pose a problem for some.

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One of the enduring problems for some TWS users, especially those that exercise during their listening sessions, is maintaining a proper seal. final wanted to address this issue with newly designed tips that fit differently from any other I've seen before, a tip that mostly sits in the concha cavity of the ear. In my photo above, the top set are the Q tips, and as you can see, they have a bulging design about them which gives a near perfect fit when they are twisted into the concha thus completely filling the cavity. While this indeed provides a well seated fit, there is an issue that came up for me due to the bass port on the ZE8000 shells.

The ZE8000 bass ports are located quite near the tiny sound nozzles. The Q tips were designed to port the bass energy from the ZE8000 ports through its own port as you can see from the picture above, but the manner in which one fits the ZE8000 in their ear does not guarantee the bass ports will perfectly align, thus creating a blockage resulting in muddiness in the overall sound. When I first heard this, I figured the proprietary magnesium alloy & silicon drivers final uses (carried over from its first use in the ZE3000) needed some burn time on them to open up. I fiddled with the tips quite a bit, but due to my ear anatomy and the nature of how the Q tips fit in my ears, I decided to change the Q tips for final Type E tips (the bottom set from the picture above), and this fully solved my dilemma.

Summary

The ZE8000 has been a very entertaining listen for the past few weeks, I really love how they sound. I haven't felt the urge to listen to my more expensive wired brethren since I got the ZE8000, something that I find quite surprising. The ZE8000's ability to pull one into the listening experience is an utter joy to behold!
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Uebelkraehe
Uebelkraehe
@Alino Very much disagreed on the sound quality, these compete with good wired IEMs above their price point. Maybe you not getting a decent fit is an explanation.
Alino
Alino
@Uebelkraehe maybe. Or maybe I know where to find great €100 wired iems. Well over €300 ZE8000 is not great as price/ quality ratio.
Rune1221
Rune1221
I had a LOT of headphones and IEMs, and these are in a league of their own. I can't listen to any other headphones after getting these (my last favorite were HIFIman Edition XS). A total upgrade to anything I've heard - I had several HiFiman models, fostex, sennheiser, shure, sony, final and many many others. The volume being limited is the only issue I had with them (and battery, but that's minor). Volume issue was due to my windows configuration - you need to disable all enhancements (under advanced audio options), then they get much louder.
Vocals quality stands out the most - they are perfect, with most lifelike timbre and air - never heard anything like this.
If you don't like their sound - bad fit is the only explanation. Put some of your favorite bass thumping track, and make sure you get a perfect seal.

notaris

Head-Fier
Final ZE8000: In a class of its own
Pros: Flat balanced and superbly natural and clean; beautiful tonality, with very well-controlled bass, intimate vocals and detailed but never harsh tremble; maximum transparency, extended soundstage, holographic image and excellent separation; a real bargain.
Cons: I would have to be nitpicking, which I won't.
Introduction

Final is a well-known headphones and In-Ear Monitors (IEMs) manufacturer not because it is big, but because it has products of very high quality. Quality that extends from the way an IEM is made to the way it sounds. It is also a very unusual company, in the sense that it has $20.00-$30.00 models, with a performance that make you scratch your head on how they could be that good. On the other hand, Final also has a line of exquisite models, like the planar magnetic headphones D8000 or the flagship IEM A8000, that could take one to stellar levels of performance. If one would ask me what are the merits of a Final product, I would primarily mentioned two: The overall quality in the housing, the cable, even the eartips, for which Final is famous; and the sound that I could summarize in two words, “Final tonality”, which is truly unique and it is what makes Final headphones and IEMs to differentiate from similar products in the market.

Quite recently, Final entered the world of TWS (True Wireless Stereo) systems, with the ZE3000 model following the same Final philosophy: Sound comes always first. Although an old-fashioned guy and a fan of wired IEMs, I was quite impressed by ZE3000’s performance (see my review in https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/final-ze3000.25659/reviews#review-28980). Did I expect an upgrade of ZE3000, maybe even a flagship Final TWS model that belongs to the 8000 range? You bet I did, and Final did not belie me. The all new ZE8000 model is just out.

Now, it is well known that it is really difficult to make an audiophile TWS model; a company has to overcome a number of obstacles, and Final engineers were successful with ZE3000. However, no matter how good the latter is, creating a flagship model presents many more hardships. On the other hand, Final engineers are known for challenging the impossible! They did that before, and I must admit that they did it with ZE8000 more than ever. I shall only say here, and give you details in what follows, that ZE8000 represents a completely new way as to how one perceives music, and this is the reason behind Final’s claim that ZE8000’s performance is what one could call the “True Sound” of music.

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Description

Let me start by saying that the biggest advantage of Bluetooth headphones and earphones, over the conventional wired headphones and IEMs, is that in the former has everything in one shell: The DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter), the amplifier system, the computing unit, the power source and the drivers, all are crafted into a single unit. This gives a big advantage in perfecting sound quality, from the sound source signal input all the way up to the sound wave output.

Unfortunately, in the past, Bluetooth audio technology has been bogged down from flourishing due to its bandwidth bottleneck, which limited the quantity and quality of the wireless transferred data and lead to poor sound reproduction.

However, the fast advancement of Bluetooth and data compression technology, during the past few years, changed things and data transmission is no longer the factor that limits the quality of sound reproduction; in fact, it is the relatively slow development of hardware and software design and the lack of customized system design for Bluetooth audio devices, such as headphones and IEMs, that has become the main bottleneck in Bluetooth audio.

As Final’s top priority has always been sound quality, the Company took of advantage of the latest Bluetooth technology. Final’s engineers customized the drivers and the earbuds’ internal structure and incorporated the latest manufacturing techniques. The result was the Company’s first TWS model, the ZE3000, which was soon followed by ZE2000 that adopted a different sound tuning. Both have been very successful and considered by many as the best-sounding true wireless earbuds nowadays.

Obviously, all the technological innovation used in ZE3000 was not enough for creating Final’s flagship TWS system, the ZE8000. The latter required to fully upgrade every aspect of ZE3000’s hardware, complemented by proprietary digital signal processing technology incorporated into the software. The result is a sound presentation and a timbre reproduction that is unreachable by any conventional IEM.

Before I go on, let me take a moment and explain what we call timbre. It is common for music lovers to evaluate headphones’ or earphones’ overall performance by things like the strength of bass, the clarity of sound, or the soundstage presentation. In fact, experienced listeners can many times judge all this by simply looking at the frequency response curve. However, timbre is something beyond all this and it has to do with the “quality” and “aesthetics” of sound. To give you an example, a violin can play the frequency range 200Hz - 3500Hz, however, not all violins play this range the exact same way, and some would produce a tone that is much more pleasing to the ears than others. The difference is due to each violin’s timbre reproduction, and this is what differentiates each violin from the the rest as to its quality and price.

Now, ZE8000 is engineered to reproduce every single note in a musical piece with the highest possible timbre quality. This is what stands behind ZE8000’s exquisite performance. I am going to discuss this performance in full details, but let me first tell you how this top timbre quality was obtained. Final had, once more, to overcome certain difficulties and devise completely new components, while designing ZE8000, most of which are new and exciting innovations:
  • Proprietary DSP Algorithm and FIR Filter.
  • New f-CORE for 8Κ SOUND driver.
  • Synthesis Active Noise Canceling.
  • Class AB Amplifier and Rubicon PML CAP capacitors.
Below I am presenting each one of them, and all are in a harmonious symphony in order to end up with ZE8000.

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Proprietary DSP Algorithm and FIR Filter

There are several things that differentiate ZE8000 from ZE3000/ZE2000, but if we wanted to single one out, then this would be Final's proprietary Digital Signal Processing (DSP) technology.

In wired headphones and IEMs, engineers try to optimize sound performance by changing the headphones’s or the IEM’s physical properties (hardware), such as changing the shape and volume of the housing, controlling the rate of air pressure, implementing materials with different sonic characteristics, etc. However, once one of these properties is slightly changed, all the factors involved in the optimization process are influenced, too, with some becoming betterand others becoming worse. Therefore, it is almost impossible to achieve a completely perfect system with trying tooptimize all of these factors at the same time. This limitation is even more critical in a TWS system, where a micro-level change is rather significant.

Now, in ZE8000 all the optimization process towards perfecting the sound reproduction quality is done through DSP, and this is where all the computational power of ZE8000 is directed to. Obviously, having the optimization process being implemented through software is very different from what is conventionally done in headphones or IEMs, and DSP opens up enormous possibilities for engineers in order to achieve an ideal sound quality. For example, among other things, DSP undertakes the job of a DAC in a wired IEM.

Furthermore, as the linear phase is essential in rectifying both the frequency and time response, Finite Impulse Response (FIR) filters are used in collaboration with DSP to reproduce the highest possible timbre quality, which is the hard core of ZE8000’s performance.

Final has not given more details on DSP, as there is a patent pending. However, one thing is certain: All DSP’s computational power aims towards (only) one purpose, sound reproduction quality.

New f-CORE for 8Κ SOUND driver

As ZE8000 was designed having in mind to reproduce timbre with the highest possible quality, it needed to have minimal phasing issue. Therefore, instead of adopting a multi-driver structure, which is commonly used in IEMs to cover the full frequency spectrum, ZE8000 is equipped by a single, new generation, ultra-low distortion dynamic driver, “f-Core for 8K SOUND”, which is superb in reproducing the full audio spectrum effortlessly with the lowest possible distortion ever (the 8K SOUND came from 8K UHD (Ultra-High Definition) In visual technology).

The design of the f-Core for 8K SOUND had also to take into account the basic requirements necessary for implementing DSP. It is well-known that one of the biggest challenges in creating a driver is the manufacturing consistency between driver units. Generally, slight disparity during production, known as “production variance”, is unavoidable, and therefore it is a common practice between manufacturers to accept a certain range of production tolerance. Now, for drivers intended to work in collaboration with DSP, it is critical that these manufacturing tolerances to be as low as possible. For example, if the adjustments made through the FIR filter are smaller than the production tolerance, then these adjustments would be ineffective, and the output would not be as expected or could even be worse than that, causing a negative impact on sound quality.

Therefore, it is absolutely crucial to design a driver which not only has ultra-low distortion, but it is also easy to be manufactured with extremely high consistency. For this to be achieved, Final decided to upgrade the very successful “f-Core for Wireless”, which has been specifically designed for ZE3000 and ZE2000. By adopting the Adhesive-less Injection Molded Diaphragm fabricating method and other innovative engineering techniques, this driver has gained unmatchable advantages compared to similar drivers in the market:
  • The diaphragm has an even weight distribution across it, due to the removal of adhesive application that was originally needed for attaching the diaphragm’s dome (center) to the surround (edge).
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  • Tangential corrugations have been removed for preventing rotational movement during pistonic motion. Also, the area of surround has been reduced, resulting in 100% increment of the effective area of the dome. The new generation f-CORE for 8K SOUND is having its size increased from the former φ6.0mm to φ10mm. Due to its special design, which reduces the area of surround and that way results in 100% increment of the area of the dome compared to conventional drivers, the size of the dome is equivalent to a φ13mm conventional driver dome. This is a big improvement, as the dome size of a dynamic driver is considered the main factor forreducing distortion, not to mention that a bigger dome could push more air for transmitting sound.
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  • Besides that, the dome material is upgraded from hard resin to a thin aluminum-magnesium alloy, which is harder and lighter, and thus stronger against deformation from resonance frequencies. These upgrades not only greatly reduced distortion at lower frequencies, but also improved significantly the definition and quality of the bass.
  • Furthermore, f-CORE for 8K SOUND has an all new internal mechanism for the voice coil. Generally, the electric signal is fed into the voice coil through a lead wire and after reacting with the magnetic field of the neodymium magnet, it generates kinetic force to move the diaphragm. Normally, the lead wire is extremely thin, and therefore prone to break due to the driver’s vibrations. To prevent this, the wire is glued to the diaphragm. This not only increases the overall weight of the diaphragm, having a negative effect on high frequencies, but also causes uneven weight distribution in the diaphragm, making it to move in a non-pistonic motion and thus resulting in higher distortion. By utilizing the latest technology, the ZE8000’s lead wire, instead of being glued into the diaphragm, runs freely under the diaphragm’s edge. This not only enhances the structural design, by maintaining the wire’s durability, but also improves distortion.

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These improvements have successfully minimized THD+N* to an unmatchable low (almost zero) level and reduced the production variance compared to similar drivers in the market, so once again Final engineers exceeded the existing limits.

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* THD+N is a standard measurement of the total harmonic distortion and noise present in a signal. Higher THD+N means higher distortion and noise, which results in degrading audio quality.

It is worthwhile to look at a comparison of the main characteristics between a conventional dynamic driver, the f-Core for Wireless driver, used in ZE3000 and ZE2000, and the newly developed f-CORE for 8K SOUND driver, to be used in ZE8000 that is given below.

Conventional Dynamic Driver
f-Core for Wireless
(ZE3000)
f-CORE for 8K SOUND
(ZE8000)
Driver Size
6mm
10mm
Dome Material
Resin
Aluminum-Magnesium
Dome Area
21%
42%
42%
Lead Wire Structure
Attached to diaphragm
Attached to diaphragm
Floating
Diaphragm Forming
Monolithic Injection Molding
Adhesive-less Injection Molding
Adhesive-less Injection Molding
Surround Structure
Corrugated
Smooth
Smooth
Surround Material
PET
Special Silicone
Special Silicone

Synthesis Noise Canceling

Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) has almost become a standard feature in nowadays TWS systems. However, it is not always trouble free, and it often happens that the sound quality is degrading when the ANC feature is on, with the degradation been even more pronounced when ANC is boosted. The reason behind this is how ANC works.

Most ANC systems used in TWS systems is what we call Hybrid Active Noise Cancelling systems, which work as following: There is (are) microphone(s) placed in the external part of the product for picking up and feeding the ambient noise to the analyzer, which subsequently creates an anti-noise (opposite waveform) for the driver unit. The anti-noise is reproduced during playback for canceling out the ambient noise that has penetrated the ear canal.

Although such a system is quite effective, it is not without drawbacks. The biggest one is that the noise level entering the ear canal is always lower than the actual ambient noise picked up by the external microphone(s), so the analyzer is having difficulty in making a precise adjustment to the anti-noise signal amplitude without having the correct information. To overcome this problem, there is a second internal microphone, whose job is to pick up the actual noise level inside the ear canal and send it to the analyzer in order to process the data and adjust the anti-noise signal amplitude.

ZE8000 Noice Canceling.png


Even though the involved calculations are to be performed by a microprocessor chip extremely fast, a certain time delay is unavoidable. Due to this delay, the produced anti-noise is never real-time accurate, especially at higher frequencies, resulting in an unnatural music feeling, sound quality degradation and discomfort.

In order to overcome the traditional ANC drawbacks, Final engineers came up with a new solution, called “Synthesis Noise Canceling”, which combines both enhanced passive noise canceling and customized active noise canceling. They developed specialized and unique artificial ears, equipped with an advanced measuring system, and performed uncountable trial and error laboratory experiments and actual human evaluations.

Final is known for making one of the best silicone eartips in the world. The TYPE E silicone eartips have become the favorite of many IEM users and it has been selected as the default eartips by many high-end IEM audio brands. For the passive noise canceling of ZE8000, Final engineers have exclusively designed a new TYPE Q Duplex silicone eartips, which offer improved (passive) noise canceling, by having an initial layer of sealing at the ear concha area and a subsequent layer of sealing in the ear canal. This new double-layered design notably reduces the quantity of noise penetrating the ear canal.

ZE8000 eartip.png


ZE8000 fitting.png


The degradation of sound quality and discomfort that occurs in a Hybrid Active Noise Cancelling system is caused mainly by the feedback analyzing system due to its time delay. Alternatively, rather than employing this feedback system, Final engineers, for the active noise canceling of ZE8000, have decided to upgrade the external microphone to a high-quality Knowles MEMS microphone in order to pick up ambient noise signals most accurately and improve the quality of anti-noise with Final’s proprietary ANC filter through the DSP approach.

Combining both the enhanced noise canceling and proprietary ANC filter, Synthesis Noise Canceling offers a quiet music listening experience and stress-free comfort.

ZE8000 Noice Canceling explained.png


Class AB Amplifier and Rubicon PML CAP capacitors

One of the most important parts of a TWS system is the amplifier module, which amplifies the sound signal, so that the latter becomes strong enough to move the driver diaphragm and create a sufficient sound pressure level.

However, like every other ZE8000 component, the amplifier module should have the lowest possible distortion, thus complementing the f-CORE for 8K SOUND driver and DSP technology and achieving the timbre ZE8000 was designed to have.

Final engineers had to choose between:
  • The typical Class D amplifier, used by most of the TWS systems in the market, due to its excellent power efficiency in extending the playback time per battery charge.
  • The Class AB amplifier, known for its great balance between sound quality and power efficiency. Compared to the Class D amplifier, the output signal distortion of the Class AB amplifier is significantly lower, especially at the higher frequencies range (see the graphs below), which contributes to improved sound quality.
They chose the latter, which is quite unusual for a TWS system.

ZE8000 amplifier distortion.png


However, the choice of the amplifier module was not the only upgrade in the components used in ZE8000. A second one had to do with the decoupling capacitor of the digital signal processing microchip. When this microchip is operating for the DSP algorithm to implement, every single second, millions of transistors are being turned ON and OFF, and therefore the power drawn by the microchip to feed these transistors is always fluctuating at a very high speed. This fluctuating power destabilizes the power supply (battery), causes serious impact and generates unwanted electronic noises onto the output signal of the microchip.

ZE8000 capacitors_1.png


To overcome this problem, decoupling capacitors are normally added to the power supply input of the microchip. With a capacitor’s natural capability to charge and discharge, based on the input voltage, the coupling capacitors could significantly reduce the fluctuation and stabilize the power supply, which also minimize the noise occurring at the microchip output.

ZE8000 capasitors_2.png


It is therefore paramount to choose a decoupling capacitor of the highest quality, as this contributes substantially to the overall sound performance of a TWS system. ZE8000 is using a high-performance and low-distortion PML CAP (Polymer Multi-Layer Capacitor) from the renowned Japanese manufacturer Rubycon. Due to its well-thought design and employment of the latest manufacturing technology, the PML CAP is having a significantly lower distortion compared to a commonly used MLCC (Multi-Layer Ceramic Capacitor), as one can see from the graph below. This upgrade ensures a cleaner and more accurate DSP-processed signal output from the microchip.

ZE8000 capasitors_distortion.png


All the above show that “sophisticated design” is not enough in order to describe the meticulous effort that Final devoted in designing ZE8000. The obvious question is, was all this effort translated to a sound that is equally sophisticated? Let’s find out!

ZE8000 internal view.png



The sound

I should start by saying that being an older person I grew up with wired IEMs, so, initially, I was skeptical, to say the least, about TWS systems. This was particularly enhanced by the fact that the first earbuds in the market were, primarily, aiming to convenience rather than sound quality. I have to admit though that this has changed when I first tried the Final ZE3000, as before long I realized that the latter was better than my beloved, and one of my reference IEMs, Final A4000. Habit is strong in all of us, but on the other hand we have to be fair!

Having said the above, one would easily understand that I waited eagerly the arrival of the flagship ZE8000. Before I go on, I will cut it short and say that ZE8000’s performance is nothing that I have heard before, by either an IEM or a TWS system. What make me say that? The fact that the sound is:
  • Balanced, but in an unusual sense. The bass, mids and tremble are all in, almost, equal quantities; to say in more technical terms, ZE8000 sounds like having and it actually has a frequency response curve that is almost flat (see below). All IEMs, TWSs and headphones manufacturers use as a basis a Harman type of curve, which is far from being flat, and they make their tuning based on that. It is the first time that I listened to something that is, almost, flat. And guess what: It is unique and marvelous!

ZE8000 frequency response.png

  • Absolutely natural. Many times, with exquisite IEMs or headphones, we are used to say that we close our eyes and feel that we listened to the orchestra playing in front of us; and I am sure that these IEMs or headphones are so good that this is our feeling. Now, can you imagine female or male vocals so intimate that without closing your eyes you feel that the artist performs for you? Or a guitar, saxophone or kick drums playing in the same room?
  • Absolutely clean. Even the quietest IEMs or headphones have some bottom noise. The feeling with ZE8000 is that the bottom noise is zero; it is hard to believe it, but this is one’s impression.
I think the above three is what makes Final saying that ZE8000’s performance is the “True Sound” of music. It is hard for me to describe how “true” is a sound coming out of an IEM, headphone or TWS system, as true is only what is played by the orchestra or found in the nature; however, for the first time I thought that maybe what we call “true” is as close to the actual true as possible.

An interesting question is, how Final succeeded in making ZE8000 to be balanced, natural and clean in a way not found before? The answer to this is that ZE8000 is engineered to reproduce every single note in a musical piece with the highest possible timbre quality. And of course the next question that naturally comes to mind is, what is the single critical factor that allowed ZE8000 to have this unique timbre reproduction? There is no doubt that the first step towards this was the design of the new f-CORE for 8Κ SOUND driver, the use of a class AB Amplifier and Rubicon PML CAP capacitors and, most of all, the Proprietary DSP Algorithm and FIR Filter, which makes all the computational work. However, I believe that the single critical factor for the unique timbre reproduction is that all these components were designed to live in the same eco-system, and this make them to collaborate as close to perfect as possible.

Needless to say that ZE8000 has the unique Final tonality that makes any musical piece to sound so relaxed to the point that even if you are not in the best mood, you sit back and enjoy the music.

I find no point to start talking about the bass, the mids and the tremble of ZE8000, as the feeling one gets is that this TWS system has an almost flat frequency response curve (which is actually true) and, what is the most important, this sounds terrific. During the past couple of months, I spent hundreds of hours listening to ZE8000, and I couldn’t find a flaw. The bass has an amazing control, with just the right amount of sub- and mid-bass; the mids are so intimate that it really gets to you; and the tremble is extremely detailed, but never harsh or sibilant.

Having a sound that is balanced, natural and clean, ZE8000 has maximum transparency that reminded me of Final’s flagship A8000, but in a different way, due to ZE8000’s flat curve. It is a unique feeling that I never encountered before with any other IEM or headphone.

The soundstage extends to all possible dimensions and the positioning of voices and various organs is almost perfect. The image is holographic and really fills the space, while the separation is excellent.

Some people might find that the volume is a bit low. It actually isn’t, as the user’s ears have to be protected by setting the max volume level to adapt to the CE volume level specification.

As I mentioned, I spent hundreds of hours listening to various genres of music through ZE8000 either from my iMac or my iPhone. Listen for example to the classical “The Look of Love” by Diana Krall, from the album with the same name, Verve; not only it was the best performance for a long time, particularly among IEMs or earbuds up to $300.00. Diana Krall’s vocals was extremely clear, intimate and blended perfectly with the music. When I reviewed ZE3000, I was impressed by its performance of the song “Over my Head” by Asaf Avidan, from the album Gold Shadow, Telmavar Records. This short song has some of the most difficult vocals, which primarily has to do with Asaf Avidan’s tone of voice, but also with the way he performs this particular song. Up to this day, all IEMs that I used to were more or less shouty, and ZE3000 was the first that had a relaxed performance. ZE8000 added more details and most of all an even more natural presentation. On the classical song “The Road to Hell” by Chris Rea, from the album The Best, Jazzee Blue / Navybeck Ltd, the great dynamics of this powerful song were performed by ZE8000 in an exquisite way. The beautiful song “The Beginning” by Hiromi (Uehara) sounds through ZE8000 even more melodius from what it actually is. While “Fanfare for the Volunteer” by Mark O’Connor, from the album with the same name, Sony Classical, is a beautiful Orchestral piece composed by O’Connor, and played by him on the violin and London Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Steven Mercurio. It is a very demanding piece with many high and low passages, which is very common in Orchestral music, and once again ZE8000 managed to deliver it in a masterful way. So, on top of everything else, ZE8000 is a wonderful all-rounder.

I should also point out that I could not detect any difference in ZE8000’s performance from either my iMac or my iPhone, probably because DSP does the same great job in either source, which was a very pleasant surprise.

In addition to SBC and AAC codecs, ZE8000 supports the uninterrupted, high-quality Qualcomm® aptX™ and aptX™ Adaptive codecs for wireless transmission up to 24bit/96Hz, while it is compatible with Snapdragon Sound™.

Am I going to stop using wired IEMs? Hell no! I am an old fashioned person, and “you cannot really teach an old dog new tricks”, so surely I will keep using my beloved Final E2000 and A4000 (until maybe replaced by the new model A5000, the review of which is upcoming); it is hard for me to believe that wired IEMs will ever disappear. However, I will say this: I already started using ZE8000 quite a bit, and, honestly, if I was a young guy and I had to choose between a good wired IEM and ZE8000, I would not think a second time about the latter. I think that this clears the subject.

ZE8000_8.png



Accessories and fit

The exterior box of ZE8000 is nicely minimal and inside it the user will find:
  • The main units.
  • The charging case.
ZE8000 case.png

  • 5 sizes SS / S / M / L / LL of the Final newly designed TYPE Q Duplex eartips.
ZE8000 eartipts_1.png

  • A USB Type-C charging cable.
  • An acoustic tool and dust filters.
  • A User’s Manual and a “Read before using this product” booklet.
As already mentioned, the TYPE Q Duplex eartips were specifically designed for ZE8000. They are dual-layered, and ZE8000 stays fit into the concha by mainly utilizing the interlocking mechanism contributed by the round-shaped division and the ear concha. The part that lies inside the ear canal has been designed to be softer, providing a comfortable fitting with a soft touch. Additionally, different from most typical TWS systems, where the hard surface of the housing is directly in contact with the ears, the TYPE Q eartips offer a soft silicone contact surface for supreme comfort.

ZE8000 fit.png



Special features

In ZE8000, the user can choose among four different modes for convenience of use via either touch control or mobile apps. Three of these modes are related to ambient noise and one to wind noise.

Active Noise Canceling Mode
Eliminates ambient noise and allows the user to concentrate onto the music.
Ambient Sound Mode
Seamlessly blends music and ambient sound, allowing users to be aware of their surroundings while listening to music.
Voice Through Mode
Ambient sound is prioritized over music, allowing for clear conversations without removing the earphones from the ears.
Wind-Cut Mode
Significantly eliminates wind noise captured by the microphones when there is a lot of ambient air movement.

Furthermore, the ambient sound is very natural and delivers the surround sound to the user.

Also, very clear are phone calls by means of Final's proprietary beamforming algorithm and two high-performance microphones placed at the top and bottom of ZE8000. During a phone call, the two microphones simultaneously capture the user's voice and ambient sound and their signals are instantaneously calculated by the beamforming algorithm. That way only the user's voice is extracted for a clear call.

There is a dedicated mobile application “final CONNECT” on devices paired with ZE8000, which give access to the following functions.
  • Switch between 4 modes: Active Noise Canceling, Ambient Sound, Voice Through and Wind-Cut.
  • A PRO Equalizer allows users to make adjustments onto sound presentation in the most effective way, without causing degradation of sound quality.
  • Setting up the Volume Step Optimizer to upgrade the smartphone's volume control, allowing for finer volume adjustment near the preferred volume with greater precision.
  • Switching the voice guidance language (Japanese/English).
  • Activating 8K SOUND+ for even higher sound quality than the 8K SOUND.
New functions are scheduled to be added through firmware updates.


In conclusion

ZE8000 is unique. It is flat balanced and superbly natural and clean. It has the beautiful Final tonality, with very well-controlled bass, intimate vocals and detailed but never harsh tremble. Its presentation is characterized by maximum transparency, extended soundstage, holographic image and excellent separation.

For $349.00, based on its unique sound experience, its advanced technicalities and the many conveniences that come with it, ZE8000 is a bargain. If I wanted to buy a TWS system, I wouldn’t omit to try it out, and anyone who does would most likely be amazed. It is that good.

Most highly recommended.


Specifications

ZE8000 (BLACK/WHITE)
Communication Format: Bluetooth 5.2
Supported Codecs: SBC, AAC, Qualcomm® aptX™, aptX™ Adaptive
Continuous Music Playback: Maximum 5 hours for earbuds / Maximum 15 hours including case
Charging Time: 1.5 hours for earbud / 2 hours for case
: (Fast charging for earbud: 5 minutes for up to 45 minutes of music playback)
Battery Capacity: 54 mAh for ingle side earbud / 420 mAh for case
Water Resistant: IPX4
Price: $349.00

https://snext-final.com

Reviewer’s note: The reviewer is grateful to Kyo of Final Inc. for sending him a sample of ZE8000.

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Alenotta
Alenotta
I'd be interested to try these. As an iPhone user I love the AirPods Pros 2 for everyday work and non-critical listening.
Sonic Defender
Sonic Defender
Really entertaining and very informative review. Very thorough and well written. I would however, like to point out that Bluetooth has been capable of audibly transparent implementation for far more than the last few years. I transitioned from wired in both my headphones and with my DACs, preferring to BT from my phone and skip the unnecessary computer via USB to DAC setup several years ago, and I never for a moment felt there was any difference in the sound reproduction fidelity from any audibility standpoint. Even humble AAC is highly capable.

So to conclude, it hasn't only been for the last few years that BT has been capable, it has been for at least 5 years really. The convenience of getting rid of a wired connection, life changing and positive. Sorry to all the custom cable companies, your Zenith has passed and your businesses will become much smaller in the coming years because BT is that good, and so much more convenient. Why on Earth would anybody seek out a wired connection?
notaris
notaris
Hello,

As I pointed out, ZE8000 has a unique "balanced tonality"; it is unusual and not encountered in a wired IEM, simply because it cannot happen. It suffices to look at the frequency response graph to realize it. Final chose to do this and it can do it simply because it can control everything through DSP.

In a wired IEM there is a DAC that intervenes between the IEM and the source, and although a DAC should only do the conversion from digital to analog, we all know that in reality it influences the overall sound quality, sometimes by some margin.

Now, the Final ANC does not, by choice, block all external noice, such that the listener can have some contact with the environment; to me it is a very successful system.

SynaestheticA

500+ Head-Fier
Like putting a intimate little fire in your ear holes
Pros: Clarity
Imaging
Fullness of sound
Smooth sound
Design
Very intimate sound
Amazing for instrumental/acoustic music
Cons: Won't go loud enough to cause you long term hearing damage
EQ changes are subtle
Speed
final 6.jpg


Good Morning and Afternoon. I’ve been using Final Audio’s latest flagship tws the ZE8000 for just over 2 weeks now and have managed to get the experience down into words. Potentially too many words but this bud asks a lot from your wallet so I shall ask just as much of your time.

Thanks to the Addicted to Audio team who allowed the transaction of currency in exchange for goods.

final 5.jpg


The Final ZE8000 is seriously worthy of attention, but it depends on what you prioritize in a bud as well as what genre you find yourself listening too.

In the very specific genre of Goa trance that I mostly listen to, I wonder how good a track can really sound. Being mostly made on software or via hardware directly recorded into a tape you don't get to hear all of the little breaths and edges of sounds, the fingernails lightly touching the wood of the guitar It's just not as much of a factor. While resolution is nice, I wouldn't call it paramount.

But there is chaos, danger and clashing of sounds together as they twirl and spin into melodic bliss. I’ve always thought that it must be similar for metal fans, the risk of the whole thing just falling apart is always present and the symphony of noise can feel dangerous. Do increases in separation and clarity reduce that sense of chaos? Or is that up to the artist?

To be clear, the Final ZE8000 is clearer than any TWS I've heard within a certain range of genres. Its presentation of sound is completely addicting and makes it hard to go back to other buds once you get used to it. It has me listening to a whole bunch of new music I normally wouldn’t listen to just for the enjoyment of the sound presentation (Have any of you really appreciated Taylor Swifts Blank Space?) But it isn’t without its list of things that could be improved upon which should all be possible with updates.

Disclaimer* I don’t like audio tropes; when I hear people say things like "It feels like I'm right there in the studio" I think “Don't you want your music to sound better than that? Don't you want it to feel beyond what is felt in the studio? Don’t you want it amplified baby!” The Final Flagship is perfect for this kind of thought as the music sounds like it’s being given a colour to it that you wouldn’t hear on reference or Neutral buds. This is perfect for me as I like character over neutrality.

Well extraversion is the name of the game for these buds, in it’s audio processing as well as for it’s design. And if you want to explain to people exactly what 8K sound means, well you better do it with confidence or the whole conversation is just going to fall apart.

All that being said, I'm not normally nitpicky, but Finals Flagship is $499 AUD placing it at the top of the range, so today I'm gonna be.

Fit/Comfort/Stability
These fit quite well and are secure upon testing. However they don’t have the most secure feel making the paranoia of falling out feel like a constant. I’ve been for several runs with them which is more than they are advertised as being capable of and I didn’t have any issues once I trusted them enough to stop thinking about it. Still, sweat can fall on the part of the bud that sits on the concha making it’s way between the two. This can be discomforting.

The ear tip design increases the size of the tip but not the round body piece that secures it in the ear. I’ll address this later but I would have had them designed as two separate rubber pieces differing in size so people could find the right combination.
final 4.jpg


Design
Ask yourself something. Do you want to feel like a Zoid? Voltron? Or Full-Metal-Jackass doing coke and business as you shout into your Bluetooth earpiece? Then prepare to stick these sticks in your ears and become mecha.

It takes some time to feel cool in these rather than as if you’re trying to make a statement or vying for attention. The music experience helps take your mind off things and if you still struggle just tell yourself that if you really feel like it, you could deploy your shoulder Gatling guns and eliminate those judgy pedestrians.

final 2.jpg

Just smile and wave

App
Final has designed an app for these baddies. Connection is fast and immediate but does require you to physically go into it to connect each time. However previous presets are remembered. You have the option to change the ambient/anc/wind noise/hear through modes, eq, a volume step, 8k sound and firmware updates.

I’ll go into the features later but for now the app is clean and smooth.

Connection
These are as good at connecting to things as Facebook is to me with strangers I haven't met who would like to marry me 10/10.

Battery
Final claim 5 hours battery life with a reduction using 8k sound. I’ve tested them down to 25% after 3 hours with 8k on and volume at 80%. So I would say pretty consistent to 4 hours once maxed out. Once putting them back in the case and driving for 20 minutes I took them out again to find them almost fully charged.

Sound
This is probably the most addicting sound on a TWS I've heard. They come across as about as warm and full as I can imagine a sound being while projecting an intimate performance right into your ears. There is no shortage of space for the music to move so the thickness of the mix rarely feels suffocating……For more casual genres.

I think they are genre dependent or rather ‘genre exclusive’. They exclude intense genres like a a popular 14 year school girl excludes the weird new girl with glasses and curly hair. You will get the biggest gains on these with instrumental recordings and music you can describe as “heavy” without being overly busy. Keep in mind that most bedroom producers aren’t going through a crazy mastering process and may not have the skills to mix their sounds like Rick Rubin. Therefore you aren’t getting significant gains in some electronic genres.

The Clarity
It's true, I haven't heard any tws clearer than the ZE8000, In Dean Martins That's Amore there are moments where I'm sure I can hear the sound of his lips coming apart as Martin begins his next verse SENIOOORREEEEE

Ringa dinga ling ~ tinga linga ting the rest of the tones travel forward and are delivered with incredible warmth and expression, the warmth doesn't mean that they sound slower this feels simply Amore.

Describing the impact of electronic music on these is hard. What is electronic music? Carbon Based Lifeforms ambient? Astral Projection Goa Trance? Kraftwork? Aphex Twin? There are too many styles to sum up electronic so I will split this into the two differences I noticed that these excel and fail at.

For certain electronic music made on software, I can't say if you get to experience the most out of these buds. Whatever that 8K sound is doing, and it is doing something, you don’t get to really appreciate it with electronic that is missing the nuances of live recordings. Also the kickdrums don’t crackle and do feel wider than they are deep. However, I could say the same thing for just about any in ear I’ve heard. The low end is still deeper and more full than my previous favorite bud the Nuarl N6 Pro2.

However, there is plenty of electronic music that sounds quite spectacular on these. Anything that could be defined as ‘liquid’ like drum n bass or dubstep feels completely encapsulating and thick. The thickness of the mid-range and lows creates a rumble and gives you the feeling of being in a sweaty nightclub with speakers pumping music out from around you. Trap, Street, Grime, Hip-Hop all sound fantastic and show off the smooth sub-bass of the Final.

The faster and busier the track the more the ZE8000 starts to feel too thick, too heavy and somewhat suffocating. They are fine for anything up to techno bpm’s (130-140 bpm). Same goes for anything in the progressive territory like progressive psytrance. However as music gets faster and more hectic the weight of the sound is fun for about an hour but starts to feel quite dense after that.

With live recordings (Including electronic made on hardware) you start to feel the tonal expression that Final have touted. Due to the stage and warmth of the sound you get a sense of being in front of a stage in a concert hall. The music sounds as full as if it’s being projected from clear and precise speakers from either side of you as the different aspects of the track fly forward.

When playing rock/metal you get a mixed experience. Vocals carry in the centre of the mix with instruments shooting around the sides and guitar slices screeching over the top of it all. Ozzy Osbourne's Crazy Train is the first time I've really appreciated the guitar work and noticed all of the goings on of the chords.

As I'm finding out, this kind of tuning can mean that sometimes instruments can creep over the edges of vocals, but in a realistic way that you would get from a live performance. As instruments pump forward.

Slayer Black Magic sounds a bit busy but also a bit crazy and this is where the clarity and separation starts to let the ZE8000 down slightly.

I heard bass tones in Dido’s Hunter that I’d never heard or noticed before. Her voice lingers and leaves a resonance in the air once it has disappeared.

Time for some fast electronic in the form of MFG's Goa trance monster Desert Sun. The bassline comes in completely electrifying and vibrating around my ears. The kick drum hits with focus but without effort. You feel every twist and turn of the melody and can spot the edges of each tone. This track is beautiful in it’s relative simplicity and is full of colour.

When listening to Puccini's Madame Butterfly on other tws Maria Callas only sounds truly destructive in her final verse. But on the ZE8000 her voice comes across as powerful in her first note. When the final verse finally comes It was pretty overwhelming and I can see why so many of the translated reviews I read on E-Earphone . jp used that word to describe them. I listened first on my Nuarl, then Fiio and then the Final and had to check the time stamp of the track using the ZE8000 to see if she was already at the final act as all of her other verses came through with the power and emotion which I originally only heard in the final act.


As for overall sound signature
Calling it warm would do some justice, another good explainer would be to describe what it feels like the music is being presented. Rather than anything sounding veiled in it's presentation, it feels more like there is a black velvet curtain sitting behind the music with all of the tones and layers dancing through the air in front of it. This is true for the noise cancelling as well. It doesn't feel like sounds are being electronically dulled, but more like someone has draped a thick curtain between you and the noise. It's a different way of doing it and I suppose possible due to all the new little discoveries they implemented in this model.

There are occasional times when the darkness behind the music can feel a little mucho and as if there is a missing airiness. The sound is thick no doubt, but thick without bloating and muddiness. However as mentioned, I feel it begin to let me down in convoluted tracks with a lot of loud noises going on.

My go to track to convolution is We Lost The Sea’s Last Sun which eventually explodes at the end into a mass of devastation. On many speakers and tws it feels like it’s going to cause some kind of damage or pop the drivers. And after listening to this track I get the first hint of why the Final doesn’t go louder. At the 13:30 peak of the song the instruments turn into more of a white noise sound as the speakers struggle to keep things clear. This isn’t purely a fault of of the ZE8000 as much as of the recording and it doesn’t ruin the track but rather make it more dangerous sounding. However I used the FW5 to see how it handled it with it’s triple driver arrangement and it managed to bring the sound across as clearer (Still messy). This is as much due to the difference in thickness between the two buds sound but worth noting if this is the kind of music you want to listen to.

Bass: Bass hits with a thud and vibrates in the ear. You get steady vibrations for sub bass and decent amount of eye wobbles from the kickdrum. Sub bass could be eq’d up and for some genres you may want the kickdrum to go deeper rather than wider. Counter intuitively (Or intuitively for those of you that are good with eq) toning the eq frequency down gave kickdrums more depth and opened the sound up.

Mids: Come across as beautiful and full. Voices linger in the air and you can feel the emotion of every tone. Let’s channel our inner synaesthesia to describe lead lines and melodies. Where once you may have been able to view them as bright yellow or golden the ZE8000 presents them as an electric amber. It’s a significant difference made more obvious by EQ on Wavelet as you switch back and forth between different profiles.

Highs: are also significantly warmer and I am yet to experience a moment of harshness. If anything during EQ sessions I bump them up to add more air to the track. There is no harshness, peakiness or sibilance.

With more time on the Final, when I go back to any bud for an A/B test everything sounds a little thin in comparison. I might be able to hear everything just as well but the ZE8000 sound signature has become addicting.

Call Quality
Call quality is fantastic and fun to use. Everything comes through clearly and the feeling of having one of those old school bluetooth earpieces is hard to beat.

Testing the Claims
Final has made a whole bunch of technological breakthroughs for this product….Or so they say, let’s put them to the test….my test.

8K sound. Final claims to have found a new way unknown to the audio world before hand to represent sound, finding every detail an presenting it. “Overall, 8K SOUND delivers an exquisite sound experience at a level of distinction, detail, separation and speed that has never been accomplished before.”

Ok, so they may have found a new way to present sound, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the sound itself is different. 8K Sound? Perhaps we should settle down a touch. I’ll say yes the sound is quite smooth and thick (After a bit of eq), the sound is also magnificently coloured, you aren’t getting reference tuning here and I prefer it that way, but this isn’t going to be the new benchmark nor is it going to be your endgame (If you're into tws an endgame probably doesn't exist, we're here to consume baby!) There is some fancy processing going on in their chipset and it’s noticeable here.

The features all work kind of well and I don't think Final has used all of it's new little tricks and features purely as a marketing ploy. The wind reduction eliminates wind completely without any interference to music. Did I mention I was on a boat? The wind of the seven seas while I sit on the deck drinking overpriced Australian Draught seems non existent.

Without music the ambient mode comes through more like a recording being played to you but with everything perfectly placed so you can tell exactly where the sound is coming from. With music Ambient might be a bit less obvious as the music is so encapsulating, but at lesser volumes it works quite well.

Voice through I’m unsure about. The first time I tested it I thought I remembered being able to hear the music in the background at quite a dull volume, ever since it feels like music has been switched off completely. I find turning music down on ambient mode more effective than voice through.

As for ANC, the claim is that unlike other tws out there Final has found a way to avoid the unavoidable change in sound quality when anc is activated. It’s hard to say for sure as noise cancellation isn’t the strongest point of this bud, but also because there is no way to turn off all of the different sound modes to see what the actual difference is. So this claim I’m going to say is null and void until this feature (or lack of) is instituted. However I never feel any pressure and despite not getting migraines from anc ever, I still don’t with the ZE8000.


Nitpicking and Negatives - Or as I like to call it "Let's finish on a low shall we?"

1 - The first and most significant issue of the ZE8000 is EQ. The in app EQ may as well be called unresponsive and isn’t particularly well made. You have the choice of 4 eq sliders with a dial at the bottom to select 4 or 3 different channels per slider. As far as I can tell you can set the dial to a frequency to eq it but can’t change the dial on the same slider to increase that freq. For example the first dial changes to 35, 60, 110 and 220 hz but you can only influence one of these frequencies at a time.

I have had some success following the eq preset of the Majorhifi reviewer which I would originally have thought was counter intuitive as I was trying to increase bass. But you will notice some improvement in sound and spacing with the following eq. However It doesn’t feel responsive enough. I can slide every band to the max db range of + or - 3 (Not enough db btw) and barely notice an influence on the track. If I open Wavelet and do the same thing you will find a significant difference via eq.

I was told these had a similar sound signature to the Sonorous III which I read was similar to the Sonorous X, as I couldn’t find the III on wavelet I opted for the X auto eq which improved the sound of these quite a bit. Highs become sharper (in a good way) and the bass went deeper and shook more heavily.

2 - Volume: This should have been top of the list. These need to be louder. There is a way to max volume on the buds, then the phone and then an app setting that suggests that Final can boost volume even more (Or reduce it) based on preferences. I would wager that a fancy BT player could amplify these with impressive returns but I also shouldn't need to feel this way.

The problem with an incredible sound is that people want more of it. I don’t feel at all like these would struggle to deliver more DB in the overall sound department and this would be my #1 suggestion to make these a winner for more people.

Now they still go plenty loud, tracks from Youtube can sometimes be too loud and Spotify and physical files can be just right at max volume. But I shouldn’t be up to the whims of the uploader nor should I feel wanting. Quite fairly; I get this feeling more with trance tracks than with band music and it isn’t a deal breaker knowing it now. But they just don’t feel like they would struggle to produce the sound even a bit which makes me want more of it LOUDER.


3 - A less serious but fairly nitpicky consideration is regarding the new style of rubber ear piece that overlaps the part of the bud that would ideally rest against the concha. Cool and normal to think that, not a bad design. This is what Final calls it’s new TYPE Q ..…Q tips….Nice

However, why not just have one silicon piece over the concha bit (Maybe supply spares of different sizes) but most importantly removable tip only pieces so we could add different tips. This would be fun from a sound perspective but also a fit perspective as I noticed that each size piece made a significant difference in which sounds were amplified, like an equalizer meaning that the right fit meant the one that sounded the best. I didn’t find that the bigger sizes fit any better or worse than the smaller ones and settled on large for the SQ.

Different eartips would change this and probably increase ear security + considering the current sound quality between sizes, who knows which unplanned combinations could bring in terms of sound quality and fit gains.

4 - Another critique is the the buds always being on one setting or another. you either have NC on, ambient, voice through or wind reduction. But no option for all of these to just be turned off. It's not the worst thing in the world as their claim of a no pressure Noise Canceling is 100% certified. I didn't realize it was on at first but it also meant I didn't realize the world was being blocked out, because it wasn't. So it's not the best NC as far as actual reduction goes and I wouldn't get these as an ANC focused bud, but it does the job without any pressure and is smooth about it.



Comparisons
Nuarl N6 Pro2
The Nuarl was the first and last of the tws to blow my mind, I was still fresh to the game and these were a remarkable step up that I still think are one of the most underrated and best looking tws out there. It taught me that mids and high could be presented in a way that could be described as beautiful.

Now that i've heard some higher end models like the ZE8000 I know that the Nuarl isn't the be all and end all. But it isn’t far away from an enjoyment perspective.

The Nuarls HDSS technology which I am more convinced is a real thing rather than some marketing gimmick gives you an out of head feeling leaps and bounds above anything else i've heard at the price range. The lustre of the mids and highs plus accurate presentation of the bass make it a fun listen.

But Everything about the ZE8000 sounds clearer, cleaner and more present. Bass and mids are fuller and I would still describe the ZE8000 as beautiful as well. It presents vocal music better and gives you that in front of a stage feeling. The Nuarl can go louder, but what you do hear of the ZE8000 makes it the better audiophile choice and now that I’ve heard these the Nuarl is hard to go back to.

This should all be obvious for the price difference

Fiio FW5
The two buds might be able to compete between one another for clarity and separation. I'm the fit of the Fiio is better for activities and public spaces (Still working on the unwavering Zoid confidence. As i'm surrounded by drunks on a boat I feel like it's inevitable that someone will ask me about them but I wont be able to hear and now it's a whole thing. No thanks, I'm trying to relax). The Fiio also feels like the sturdier choice and I want to be careful with the Final.

Once going back to the Fiio from the ZE8000 the sound does sound thinner but I think it's your brain getting used to the drawing back of that curtain that sits behind the music. But it does make the Final sound laid back and slower in comparison.

The Fiio is faster and more energetic and has a more responsive eq in the app however, the triple driver set up doesn’t sound as cohesive with treble always feeling placed at the top of the ears, bass lower and mids…well in the middle. It’s not hard to believe 3 drivers are being used. Neck for neck I think the Final is the more impressive bud But perhaps not the most practical.


Conclusion
For the price and marketing of 8k sound I’ll admit I wanted to be blown away. However the warmer signature and thicker sound feels more like a soft blanket you fall back into to be wrapped around instead of a cliff edge you are pushed off with a wing suit and no training. Overall it will come down to the music you listen to.
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boromcom
boromcom
Great review!!!
pail
pail
They look like satellites orbiting !
I
Ieonasj
good job
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