Final Audio Design Impressions and Discussion Thread
Jan 11, 2021 at 10:48 PM Post #10,426 of 11,644
Just got my hands on the VR3000. Boy, I'm in love with these. Love the shape of the VR3000/A3000/A4000, they are extremely comfortable to me.

This is probably my favorite in this line. Soundstage is natural - wide-ish. Mid-range is liquid and very smooth yet with excellent detail. I like that it has more bass impact vs the A4000.

Personally it's a toss up between the VR3000 and A4000.
 
Jan 11, 2021 at 10:50 PM Post #10,427 of 11,644
Thanks, not trying to shill but they are a new experience for me in iems, which is what I have been looking for for a while. I'd also recommend checking out joshua valour's review as well as I agree with pretty much everything he says on sound. Although I disagree that the build should be metal and more expensive. I am tired of heavy/metal iems and the A4000 just disappears in my ears allowing me to not think about anything but the sound.

My only complaint is just that the recessed 2pin socket is very tight and I can't fit any aftermarket cables. Stock cable is fine for the price and I'm glad they went with 2pin as you would think you could easily cable swap but I haven't been able to yet. Plus final tips are amazing so I haven't been tip rolling yet.


Honestly I'd rather they stick to MMCX,I have too many loose 2 pin iems.
 
Jan 12, 2021 at 1:15 AM Post #10,429 of 11,644
Just got my hands on the VR3000. Boy, I'm in love with these. Love the shape of the VR3000/A3000/A4000, they are extremely comfortable to me.

This is probably my favorite in this line. Soundstage is natural - wide-ish. Mid-range is liquid and very smooth yet with excellent detail. I like that it has more bass impact vs the A4000.

Personally it's a toss up between the VR3000 and A4000.

I have the VR3000 but stopped using them due to some slight discomfort. I didn't think anyone would want to get the VR3000 since there are the A3000 and A4000.
Quite surprised you actually prefer it over the A4000.
 
Jan 12, 2021 at 3:22 AM Post #10,430 of 11,644
I have the VR3000 but stopped using them due to some slight discomfort. I didn't think anyone would want to get the VR3000 since there are the A3000 and A4000.
Quite surprised you actually prefer it over the A4000.
Honestly, I heard all 3 and preferred the VR3000 as I felt it had the best balance. A3000 was second and I enjoyed the balanced response.

The a4000 in-terms of signature sounds like the A8000 but the A8000 is way more refined ensuring that the increased in hi-mids and hi frequencies to be smooth and full of detail. A4000 to me has the same signature but less refined so i prefer the others.
 
Jan 12, 2021 at 7:23 PM Post #10,431 of 11,644
Alright, after 50 hours of burn-in, the bass has got noticably stronger on my E4000. It’s now on the same level as the E3000, where’s before it was quite a bit weaker.

I let it burn-in in my closet, so it’s not brain burn-in that’s giving me the stronger bass. I also didn’t expect the bass to get stronger, I expected the highs to smooth down, but instead the bass got stronger by like 3 dB.

Do I like it? Well no, because the mids and highs are very neutral, so the strong bass makes vocals sound recessed, where’s before the vocals were more forward because of less bass.

It’s interesting, because my E3000 didn’t change nearly as much in it’s sound after 200 hours vs out of the box, than the E4000 with 50 hours vs out of the box.
 
Last edited:
Jan 12, 2021 at 7:37 PM Post #10,432 of 11,644
Honestly, I heard all 3 and preferred the VR3000 as I felt it had the best balance. A3000 was second and I enjoyed the balanced response.

The a4000 in-terms of signature sounds like the A8000 but the A8000 is way more refined ensuring that the increased in hi-mids and hi frequencies to be smooth and full of detail. A4000 to me has the same signature but less refined so i prefer the others.

Is the bass of the A8k similar quantity to A4k? If so, I need one.
 
Jan 20, 2021 at 8:00 PM Post #10,435 of 11,644
https://crinacle.com/2021/01/20/crinnotes-final-audio-a3000-and-a4000-budget-isation/

Crinacle's review about the Final A3000 and A4000. With graphs.

A3000.jpg

A4000.jpg
 
Jan 20, 2021 at 10:05 PM Post #10,437 of 11,644
Crinacle's review about the Final A3000 and A4000. With graphs.

Massive respect to Crin for his work with graphs and his fantastic comparison tool but I think he's not someone who'd like Final's tuning and his "grades" are too shrouded by that particular subjectivity. He didn't say anything about A3000/A4000 esp about the soundstage and imaging which by all accounts till now are above-average in the price bracket. Ah well...

On a similar note, he assigns similar tone and technical grade to all of the E-series IEMs. Having owned all of them - this is a quite ridiculous grading because even E3000 is technically superior to E1000 let alone the likes of E4000/E5000. But hey, his ranking, his choice.

1611197451229.png
 
Jan 20, 2021 at 10:18 PM Post #10,438 of 11,644
Well, now this is deeply conflicting. I've agreed with a ton of things that Crinacle has put out and I look at his lists daily so it makes me really think about how bright these are now and whether it is my cup of tea. There are some things I have disagreed with on his lists but he's usually on the mark (for the most part). I wish it was a little more detailed to address more of the things on here and less about the direct comparison to the A8000. Like the bright V shaped sound just makes it seem similar although in different areas of where it is elevated.

I have been wanting a bright IEM (that is not tin T2) but he unfortunately didn't mention the soundstage or imaging of it. It's funny as you can get enjoyment out of stuff that is rated low on the list but only if it is something specific. Like the Shure SE215 are good for listening to drums (along with noise isolation, comfort, durability, etc.) but I would agree with his review for general music (although it is definitely on a darker/warmer side).
 
Last edited:
Jan 20, 2021 at 10:31 PM Post #10,439 of 11,644
Well, now this is deeply conflicting. I've agree with a ton of things that Crinacle has put out and I look at his lists daily so it makes me really think about how bright these are now and whether it is my cup of tea. There are some things I have disagreed with on his lists but he's usually on the mark (for the most part). I wish it was a little more detailed to address more of the things on here and less about the direct comparison to the A8000.

I have been wanting a bright IEM (that is not tin T2) but he unfortunately didn't mention the soundstage or imaging of it. It's funny as you can get enjoyment out of stuff that is rated low on the list but only if it is something specific. Like the Shure SE215 are good for listening to drums (along with noise isolation, comfort, durability, etc.) but I would agree with his review for general music (although it is definitely on a darker/warmer side).
I don't disagree with his analysis. He is a very good reviewer and his experience is unquestionable. They have a bright signature of that there is no doubt . There is a certain snobbery in this game towards lower priced items. We don't all have access to Empire Ears , U12t , Solaris 2020 etc. In isolation for the price and my library I think the a4000 are superb. The imaging and soundstage are excellent for the price range. In comparison to kilobuck sets it maybe nothing special at all but for mere mortals they are undoubtedly above average. As I said in my review many will not like the lack of lower mids also the sibilance that occurs due to spicy up mids. At the same Crin has to be respected. You say tomatoe I say tomato !!!
 
Jan 20, 2021 at 11:01 PM Post #10,440 of 11,644
Yep agreed with your folks, he is just one reviewer and not the gospel truth per se. I do respect him a lot for his reviews and graphs, though I've disagreed with some of his IEM reviews before (eg Audiosense T800). I guess at the end of the day, the bigger question is, do your tastes align with his, do you still enjoy your gear no matter what he says? That's the more important thing I feel.

This hobby is so subjective, we all have different sources, different ear anatomy (affecting pinna gain), different hearing health, and we use different volumes (Fletcher Munson curve), we listen to different music genres, some are treble sensitive, some are trebleheads etc.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top