[Licht]

@Dingding123 Thank you for the great review.

I’ve already written my impression couple pages ago and I love my E3000.
After longer burn-in, mids became a bit more forward than my first impressions.
But it’s really steal for the price!

I’ve noticed one thing.
You said E2000 and E3000 are in different tier, and I agree that, but in Japan, many non-audiophile users prefer E2000 over E3000 regardless of price, and that’s why final released both.
But that might be because of somewhat different preference of Japanese (average non-audiophile) listeners compared to that of Western countries.

Some Japanese musicians release same album in two versions at same time, one mastered in Japan and the other mastered in US/UK/EU.
And the sound (I’ve compared in some tracks from four albums from two artists now to confirm it again): Mastered in Japanese has clear forward vocal, less sub-bass and somewhat lean and sometimes bit splashy sound. Mastered in US/UK/EU typically has round mid-high compared to that of Japanese mastered one and has much sub bass and much warmer dense smooth sound while not losing trebles.
Majority of Japanese listeners (mainly listen to J-Pop) prefer Japanese mastered one and feel US mastered one doesn’t have edge and too warm and thick.
I’ve also heard that many J-Pop has frequency peak in around 120Hz instead of typical peak 60Hz in western pop music.
When compared, Japanese mastering sounds like E2000 and US mastering sounds like E3000.
It’s bit similar in preference of colors too. Most Japanese prefer white bright fluorescent lamps in their housing and can’t bear incandescent lamps in housing and says it’s too warm and dark. Similar thing in camera films as well. Somewhat bluish cool Fujifilm and much warmer dense colored Kodak films.

Ah, and one more.
Many Japanese IEM lovers prefer listening to Animé-song (theme songs for Japanese animations and often sung by female singers specialized in that type of music) besides J-Pop. That might be one reason of different preference to IEMs in Japanese listeners as well.

However, I am Japanese but definitely prefer E3000 over E2000.
To say it short, E3000 for audiophiles and E2000 for J-Pop listeners, maybe.

 

[Dingding123]

Oh man I love how you explained the differences in music preference between the East and the West so aptly!

I didn't know about the differences in tunings of Jap and international versions of the albums or the story behind the release of E2000 and E3000. From my very brief impression of the E2000, I thought that they were a tier lower as they had a strong mids and slightly harsh highs while having a unstable, floating low end. I now I know that the E2000 might be targeting a different audience altogether!

I have a few friends who are into J-pop and anime songs, but I listen to mostly Mandarin Chinese songs other than English.

As I occasionally follow the Chinese audiophile forums, it puzzles me to see that the audiophile community in China has a very different preference for IEMs compared to the community here at Head-fi. I guess know I know the reason. Much like the language, in which vowels makes up most of the spoken Chinese, many Mandarin songs (and especially the audiophile songs) are mixed to be vocal-centric with rather sparse percussion in the background. Singing techniques play a big role in Chinese songs and I guess that's why the audiophile community there prefer a slightly dark tuning, exemplified by the Fitear series and 64Audio U12, as they sound more soothing and detailed in the mids. Surprisingly, some big names here such as Noble and Empire Ears have very low market share in China.
Well, you mentioned that -

To say it short, E3000 for audiophiles and E2000 for J-Pop listeners, maybe.

I guess it should be that the two models are tuned to the preference of different audiophile communities.

 

[nogi replicant]

Ok so I have been sitting the Lab II's too deep in my ears, which was impacting the soundstage size and tonality, making things too bright and a little congested. Wow, now I can hear the massive and engulfing stage, and beautiful tone, with increased separation and detail. Yikes, these things really are amazing. I'm a bit shocked at how good these sound.

 

[nogi replicant]

I would also add that the aesthetics of these things is really something else, they look like futuristic ornate acorns shoved in your ears. Weird but awesome.

I am finding them to have much more genre flexibility than I was expecting. Having owned a range of expensive cables I must say this is a pretty incredible stock cable re build quality and aesthetics.

 

[svenbit]

1. Of my old Final Audio IEM:
My Heaven V Ageing has been having intermittent sound on the left side.
After some fiddling, I realised that the problem lies in the contact between the cable and the driver. There's nothing I could do to restore its function, and since it's out of warranty, I decided to rip it apart.
There's nothing much inside the brass housing. I saw a rubber skeleton/scaffold, within which the BA driver was placed. Other than the rubber skeleton, driver and the cable, there's glue that's used to seal up and stabilise the inside of the IEM. So for now, the Heaven V Ageing is dead. Hopefully it can come back to life soon like some Marvel superheroes.
My soldering set is arriving soon, and I want to try recabling or even changing the BA drivers while reusing the brass housing cuz it's kind of cool.
Does anyone have any experience in DIYing? If you have any tips please share with me here!


2. Of my new Final Audio IEM:
A REVIEW
TL;DR: I bought myself a E3000 today. It's a no brainer, because it's such a value-for-money!
Pros: natural and balanced tuning, clear mids, small and comfortable form factor, separation, frequency extension, affordable price!
Cons: Bass is loose, lacking rumble, slow speed, flimsy cable


1. Back story:
Following the demise of my Heaven V Ageing, I walked into my local audio shop, planning to grab a pair of VE Monk or Espresso. The staff was doing a promotional photoshoot of the E3000 by pairing it together with AK240ss. That moment I thought, "Aren't those little IEM pretty? They must cost around S$300 (200 USD). With that undetachable cable, they should be some midrange IEM." I didn't know what IEM it was. And I didn't care, cuz all I wanted was a cheap pair of earbuds! So I didn't bother inquiring about it. I already had my EE Zeus R, so what's the point of spending a few hundred bucks on some non-TOTL IEM that I'm gonna resell after a few weeks of disuse?

And what a mistake I had made by not asking what the new earbuds were! As I was about to pay for the VE Monk, I asked for recommendations for any other affordable earpieces, in the hope that I would find something more comfortable than the Monks. Without a second thought, the sales assistant pointed to the E2000 and E3000. I didn't knew the prices yet, but I didn't want to ask just yet, as I was afraid it would affect my judgement. Here's what happened--

Sales Assistant (A): Try these, they just arrived yesterday. New BA IEMs <passes me the E3000> //Note: He was wrong, actually both use dynamic drivers//
Me: Sure. <pop E3000 on, play music via phone>
Me: <Immediately impressed by the tuning, listened for 2 minutes, switching about 8 songs I was familiar with, each to their best sounding part> Hmmm... They are nice! Can I try the other one?
A: I knew you would like them <passes me E2000>
Me: <listened for 30 seconds, some snippets of about 2-3 songs> Mehh the first one is much better! What's the price difference?
<I expected about 70-100 dollars difference. Notice that I didn't ask for their prices directly, as I thought they would cost around 200-300, and I wasn't planning to spend today>
A: ermm about $20. let me check... <took out his notebook to check for the pricings>
Me: <in disbelief> what? only $20 difference? Why are they so closely priced while sounding so different?
A: <finishes checking prices> actually just $10 difference. The E3000 is a tier better than the E2000.
//I was very puzzled, as usually for IEMs, a tier better would translate to $100-400 more, depending on high-end the IEM is. Curious, I decided to ask for their price//
Me: so how much are they?
A: the one you like is $71 (~50USD)
Me: <looked at VE monk, then at the E3000> Heck, I'm taking this. <pointing to E3000>


Introduction:
According to the Final Audio Design Website - "The E series was developed with the concept of achieving all of the following: high sound quality, simple design, ease of use and affordable price. With this, we aimed for a product series where the products chosen would undoubtedly be referred to as standards for years to come."
That's a pretty ambitious goal. I remember Beats by Dr Dre had a equally profound goal too, but that's where the similarity ends.


Packaging:
Simple paper box outer packaging
5 pairs of Type E eartips (according to Final Audio Design website, this type of eartip provides the highest amount of isolation and bass tone in comparison to Final Audio's other eartips)
A pair of rubber ear hooks for those who prefer an over-the-ear wearing style
A small drawstring pouch made of what looks like faux leather
The E3000 IEM, powered by a 6.3mm dynamic driver
A brochure and warranty card


Build quality:
The machined stainless steel housing is small and light, very comfortable in the ear. There is a unique stainless steel mesh at the back of the housing. It serves as a vent for the dynamic driver. E3000 uses very thin cables - so thin that I worry it might be too fragile for daily use and abuse. The L-shaped 3.5mm gold-plated jack is sleek and should fit most pockets and smartphone cases.


Sound analysis:
Overall:
I tested the frequency response of the E3000 using Macbook Pro and my own ears. E3000 roughly follows the Olive-Welti target without any significant deviation. I don't have any equipments other than my ears. All I could was to listen to a full hearing range frequency sweep and make qualitative comments as objectively as possible. There might be some inevitable personal bias, and I am unable to provide any data on distortion etc that require more than a human ear to quantify.

Bass:
The bass (20-200Hz) is pretty consistent, with a gentle roll-off below 27Hz. Relative to other frequency ranges, the bass is elevated. The result is a warm sound signature with an impactful bass with a rather slow decay that is characteristic of dynamic drivers. Phil Colin's Another Day in Paradise bass riffs sounds lush and rhythmic. However, the slow speed makes the bass in Ed Sheeran's Eraser sounds exaggerated and overdone.

Mids:
The mids (200-2000Hz) is extremely consistent with absolutely no peaks or dips. (the beauty of a single DD design!) The speed is fast, and this makes the mids in the E3000 forwardly-placed and crystal clear. It is not the most detailed I've heard (I've heard much more details from my Zeus R), but it is definitely very detailed and euphonic. Nils Lofgren's Keith Don't Go sounds simply magical on E3000. The reverb, the sound of the occasional string plucking, the raspy vocals, the tone of the guitar... Simply amazing!

Treble:
The treble rises steadily from 2.5kHz to 6.4kHz with a very slight dip at 4kHz. Beyond 6.4kHz, the treble softens and dips significantly from 7.1k to 9.4kHz. There's another smaller peak at around 11kHz, and rolls off quickly at 16.3kHz. The result is a far treble extension and airy presentation. While the IEM tuning is not overly bright, the instrument separation is very good and there is a sense of space too. In fact, the treble is rather backwardly placed and polite. In other words, the treble is mellow and unaggressive. For example, the distant ride cymbals in Coldplay's Yellow sound appropriately gentle and extremely emotional and satisfying. The treble on E3000 can be good for those who are sensitive to sharp trebles, but at the same time, it lacks the energy and excitement of a sparkling treble. But heck, you can't find a nice sparkling treble at this price range, can you?

Speed:
Not very fast, as expected in a dynamic driver at this price range. In Muse's Reapers, a very dense and fast track, the E3000 struggles to catch up to the fast cymbals, while doing poorly on the slower cymbal crashes. However it does not sound congested at all. Also, the bass can sometimes be muddy and the subbass rumble is not obvious. (But of course, the bass doesn't bleed into the mid-range.)

Sound stage and imaging:
Average width, rather good depth. It's imaging is rather accurate, but not the best I've heard. For example, in Hotel California (live acoustic) by the Eagles, I can hear where the claps and cheers are coming from using Zeus R, but it sounds rather diffused on E3000.

Matching:
I've not done sufficient pairing with different sources to find out it's ideal pairings, but with the impedance of 16 ohms, it should play loud enough on most sources, including smartphones. The soundstage is exceptionally wide on my AK Kann, but a mobile phone should suffice as a good enough source.

Comparison:
Well, what shall I compare it with? E3000 is priced similarly to a pair of SkullCandy (correct me if I'm wrong), The closest I can think of (and I am familiar with), is the Westone 3. E3000 has less midbass bump than the Westone 3, and the mids are slightly more lean and clean. It would be unfair to compare the E3000 with IEMs from a higher price range, although the E3000 sound quality and comfortable form factor is able hold its own against competitions from higher price ranges.


Conclusion
The E3000 is indeed an elegant IEM that stands out prominently among its competitions of the similar price range. While it is not a TOTL product, the E3000 definitely punches above its weight. I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone, audiophiles and non-audiophiles alike.

Nice review. Btw, is is the cable prone to microphonic? I have final audio II but I seldom use it outside the house since the cable microphonic is kinda bad unless I wear it over the ear.

 

[Dingding123]

Nice review. Btw, is is the cable prone to microphonic? I have final audio II but I seldom use it outside the house since the cable microphonic is kinda bad unless I wear it over the ear.

Glad you like it!
The cable is not microphonic at all. The cable is thin and almost flimsy. It is thinner than Apple earpod's cable. To be honest, I think the cable looks quite cheap.

 

[svenbit]

Glad you like it!
The cable is not microphonic at all. The cable is thin and almost flimsy. It is thinner than Apple earpod's cable. To be honest, I think the cable looks quite cheap.

Thanks for the info, at least its not microphonic which would've been a deal breaker for me.I will give it a try at one of the store, thanks!

 

[Licht]

Oh man I love how you explained the differences in music preference between the East and the West so aptly!

I didn't know about the differences in tunings of Jap and international versions of the albums or the story behind the release of E2000 and E3000. From my very brief impression of the E2000, I thought that they were a tier lower as they had a strong mids and slightly harsh highs while having a unstable, floating low end. I now I know that the E2000 might be targeting a different audience altogether!

I have a few friends who are into J-pop and anime songs, but I listen to mostly Mandarin Chinese songs other than English.

As I occasionally follow the Chinese audiophile forums, it puzzles me to see that the audiophile community in China has a very different preference for IEMs compared to the community here at Head-fi. I guess know I know the reason. Much like the language, in which vowels makes up most of the spoken Chinese, many Mandarin songs (and especially the audiophile songs) are mixed to be vocal-centric with rather sparse percussion in the background. Singing techniques play a big role in Chinese songs and I guess that's why the audiophile community there prefer a slightly dark tuning, exemplified by the Fitear series and 64Audio U12, as they sound more soothing and detailed in the mids. Surprisingly, some big names here such as Noble and Empire Ears have very low market share in China.
Well, you mentioned that -


I guess it should be that the two models are tuned to the preference of different audiophile communities.

My pleasure that it was helpful.
Thanks for your description about Chinese preference.
And yes,

I guess it should be that the two models are tuned to the preference of different audiophile communities.

is much adequate and respectful explanation than mine.

BTW, have you ever seen cable of original FI-BA-SS?
It's really thin considering it's price (approx. $1000) and looks very similar to final low-end IEMs (Adagio II, Piano Forte II).
If you compare them side by side, it is slightly thicker but still looks very similar, and look like cables on typical cheapest earphones (two thin cables running pararell).

 

[Dingding123]

I've auditioned the FIBASS for a short while but I can't recall the details. But I remember that I was surprised to know about the cable being removable.
I thought the FIBASS form factor and the male connectors on the cable were so well designed that they weren't meant to be separated. On the other hand, I didn't expect the high price tag either. It DOES look elegant but it doesn't have the X factor to justify the huge pricetag. (In my opinion, the build quality and the unique design of the Beyerdynamic Xelento should be the benchmark of $1000 low profile yet elegant IEMs.)
The stock FIBASS cables merely serve their practical purpose. I guess most people who buy the TOTL models would be willing to get an upgrade cable. So if I were the manufacturer, I would include something that looks presentable, but cheap enough to be the stock cable.

 

[Licht]

I've auditioned the FIBASS for a short while but I can't recall the details. But I remember that I was surprised to know about the cable being removable.
I thought the FIBASS form factor and the male connectors on the cable were so well designed that they weren't meant to be separated. On the other hand, I didn't expect the high price tag either. It DOES look elegant but it doesn't have the X factor to justify the huge pricetag. (In my opinion, the build quality and the unique design of the Beyerdynamic Xelento should be the benchmark of $1000 low profile yet elegant IEMs.)
The stock FIBASS cables merely serve their practical purpose. I guess most people who buy the TOTL models would be willing to get an upgrade cable. So if I were the manufacturer, I would include something that looks presentable, but cheap enough to be the stock cable.

To say precise, there are four types of FI-BA-SS.
Maybe one you have seen was customized OEM version AKR-02.

• FI-BA-SS: Original. non-detachable cable. black thin cable looks identical to that of Adagio II (though I don't know about the conductors)
• AKR-02: Modified OEM to iRiver (Astell & Kern). Original detachable clear cable. It doesn't look detachable at a glance.
• FI-BA-SST35: New version. Detachable MMCX non-detachable clear cables. silver coat cable terminated in TRS 3.5mm
• FI-BA-SST25: New version. Detachable MMCX non-detachable clear cables. silver coat cable terminated in TRRS 2.5mm (balanced)

I've looked at cable of original FI-BA-SS again and it was tad thicker than Piano Forte II ($30) but looks just identical to that of Adagio II ($40).

(Messy appearance of Adagio II is because of different storage, I tucked cable in small bag in 8 shape fold in half)

 

[ruthieandjohn]

Hi, Licht...

I see that your photo of Final IEMs includes the Heaven VIII (the gold with brown cable). How do you compare it to the FI-BA-SS (and any other IEMs)?

 

[costinstn]

To say precise, there are four types of FI-BA-SS.
Maybe one you have seen was customized OEM version AKR-02.

• FI-BA-SS: Original. non-detachable cable. black thin cable looks identical to that of Adagio II (though I don't know about the conductors)
• AKR-02: Modified OEM to iRiver (Astell & Kern). Original detachable clear cable. It doesn't look detachable at a glance.
• FI-BA-SST35: New version. Detachable MMCX clear cables. silver coat cable terminated in TRS 3.5mm
• FI-BA-SST25: New version. Detachable MMCX clear cables. silver coat cable terminated in TRRS 2.5mm (balanced)

Fi-BA-SST35 and 25 have non-removable cables....I believe they are very similar to the ones used in LAB II, but without MMCX...

 

[Licht]

Fi-BA-SST35 and 25 have non-removable cables....I believe they are very similar to the ones used in LAB II, but without MMCX...

Thanks for correction. I've corrected my post. I knew that and that's why I wrote it must be AKR-02 he listened to, since it is the only detatchable cable variation of FI-BA-SS but somehow got confused when writing with that of F-series or Lab II since it looks similar.

 

[jwbrent]

Fi-BA-SST35 and 25 have non-removable cables....I believe they are very similar to the ones used in LAB II, but without MMCX...

I would love to hear these since my reference IEM is the AKR02.

 

[costinstn]

I would love to hear these since my reference IEM is the AKR02.

Well....i would like to hear the SS and AKR02....i wrote some impressions about the SST a few pages back....but i would love to hear some impressions from somebody who has both, or all 3....