Final i have the Pianoforte x Gold,i bought in 2016,after read 400 pages in this forum about Pianoforte models,
do you consider a good iem also today or not?
do you consider a good iem also today or not?
Final Audio Design Impressions and Discussion Thread
o0genesis0o
Headphoneus Supremus
A4000 does not sound like A8000 at all in real life. A8000 is tuned very normally (kind of but not quite harman), comparing to the suppressed lower mid and very sharp mid treble of A4000. As a result, you have a better drum attack and better illusion of layering from closer to further away (matching the impression of Joshua on YouTube).
Upper treble on A8000 is outstanding, contributing to the sense of scale and detail of A8000. The “air” details are sharper and more refined. Whilst A4000, IMHO, outperforms many IEM in treble extension already, A8000 shows how much more clarity can be gained in that region.
Not all rosy for A8000, though. I couldn’t use that IEM for background music due to how energetic it is. I can imagine it gets harsh with certain genres.
Agreed.
Actually I daresay the Final A8000 is probably the most technical single DD I've heard. Excellent resolution that may even rival some multi driver type IEMs (considering it is only a single DD). Just that the A800's 5 - 6 kHz region is a bit too hot for me, I can't use it for too long cause of that, but YMMV.
jlemaster1957
1000+ Head-Fier
Thanks this is just what I was hoping for, also you reminded me of Joshua Valour’s video on YT on this topic.
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What mod are you referring to?
musicasmedicine
100+ Head-Fier
Anyone have any experience with A8000 and Chord Mojo 2? Thinking of picking one up. Currently using my A8000 with a JDS atom stack.
dakanao
Headphoneus Supremus
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Removing the earwax filter and stuffing cotton in the nozzle
Final Audio E-series IEMs have quite unique bass. Nowadays when you hear about "bass boosted" IEMs and look at the graph, they mean subbass-boosted. And unfortunately that doesn't sound much bassy to me. Mid-bass is more important. Having being used to E4000 (which are more neutral than E5000 from what I heard) everything "not-midbassboosted" sounds anemic to me.
Recently I bought IE600 that are like 7x more expensive than E4000 (and of course much more modern). And I resold them after a week.
Sure, they were definitely more "clear". But because of the lackluster midbass I stopped enjoying half of my music collection (I listen to many genres ranging from classical music to epic orchestral score). I realised that midbass let's you hear that "thump" and IE600 took that away, kinda made the music sound flat. I didn't expect it before the purchase by looking at the graph.
On top of that after trying many different IEMs I came to conclusion that the E series have the ultimate shape among universal-shell IEMs. Why? Because it doesn't touch any part of your outer ear, just the ear canal. Which makes them extremely comfortable to wear for the whole day. I could wear something like Blessing 2 Dusk for just 15 minutes before I felt the pain (wide nozzle was fine, weird and bulky shell shape was not). IE600 was quite good comfort-wise. Probably the best among high-end nowadays. I could wear it for 2-3 hours before feeling any discomfort in my concha. But I can use my E4000 for a whole day and it never gets uncomfortable.
I only wish that the shell in E-series was a bit shorter so that it doesn't stick out of ears. It would made them more comfortable for sleeping. Tanchjim Darling is like that but I returned them because of their tuning.
Recently I decided to upgrade to E5000, also bought an amp (Hiby FC4). Waiting for both to be delivered, prolly within a week.
Recently I bought IE600 that are like 7x more expensive than E4000 (and of course much more modern). And I resold them after a week.
Sure, they were definitely more "clear". But because of the lackluster midbass I stopped enjoying half of my music collection (I listen to many genres ranging from classical music to epic orchestral score). I realised that midbass let's you hear that "thump" and IE600 took that away, kinda made the music sound flat. I didn't expect it before the purchase by looking at the graph.
On top of that after trying many different IEMs I came to conclusion that the E series have the ultimate shape among universal-shell IEMs. Why? Because it doesn't touch any part of your outer ear, just the ear canal. Which makes them extremely comfortable to wear for the whole day. I could wear something like Blessing 2 Dusk for just 15 minutes before I felt the pain (wide nozzle was fine, weird and bulky shell shape was not). IE600 was quite good comfort-wise. Probably the best among high-end nowadays. I could wear it for 2-3 hours before feeling any discomfort in my concha. But I can use my E4000 for a whole day and it never gets uncomfortable.
I only wish that the shell in E-series was a bit shorter so that it doesn't stick out of ears. It would made them more comfortable for sleeping. Tanchjim Darling is like that but I returned them because of their tuning.
Recently I decided to upgrade to E5000, also bought an amp (Hiby FC4). Waiting for both to be delivered, prolly within a week.
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o0genesis0o
Headphoneus Supremus
I have been revisiting E3000 and E5000 to write their reviews. I found that many modern “well tuned” IEMs also lack bass details because they suppress the lower frequencies. For example, in a live performance of Ed Sheeran, I can see the bass player working hard, but I cannot hear anything from the bass on other “well-tuned” IEMs. However, even on the humble E3000, I can hear everyone in the band. So, which IEM is better at “detail retrieval”?
IMHO, E3000 is aging but E5000 is still a flagship worthy. I remember a reviewer saying E5000 is essentially E3000 with interchangeable cable. Couldn’t disagree more.
Being someone on a budget, would the E1000 or E2000 be a better choice for classical music?
o0genesis0o
Headphoneus Supremus
Correct me if I am wrong, but I think E2000 and E3000 share the driver but E1000 uses a cheaper / lower level driver. My impression from reviews is that E500 and E1000 are not on the same level as E2000 and E3000. On that ground, E2000 is a better choice. I expect E2000 to be better for orchestral works than E3000 as well, given the gentler tuning.
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How about the durability on these? I know it's kind of contradictory to ask about this but I hope it can last for at least 2 years. I was recommended other budget iems but there are people saying theirs died in a few days, which is worrying.
My E2000 was trash durability-wise. But my E4000 is the opposite. I have dropped it probably over 100 times on a wooden floor (I'm not kidding!) and it's as if nothing happened.
Thanks for the reply. I don't think I tend to drop my iems but I guess I'm leaning towards the E1000 for now.
Cheradenine
Head-Fier
I bought my e3000 over two years ago and it is still going strong, just some surface scratches. I haven't been particularly careful with it but, I don't do dumb things like shove it in my pocket with a bunch of loose hard objects or twirl it around like a fidget spinner.
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