[Hooga]

I'm considering making the B3 my next purchase, partly to fill a gap in my collection, partly because I just love how they look. Like most people I have fairly eclectic taste in music but at the moment I'm listening to a lot of acoustic stuff for small ensembles or soloists, I'm a big fan of Sarah Davachi and Kali Malone, and some ambient electronic music of the droning variety, Stars of the Lid, Loscil, Alva Noto type stuff. If anyone has the B3 and could spare the time could you let me know if you think the B3 would be suitable and what type of music you enjoy with it.

Cheers.

Based on what you write and my exp with B3 you should love them
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/final-b3.23706/review/30432/

 

[Polky74]

Sorry wrong post.

 

[Cheradenine]

Thank you both regarding the B3, I still can't make my mind up.

 

[rmkjr]

I got my B3 a couple weeks ago from Apos as Apos certified. Basically brand new from what I could tell, and saved quite a bit ($350)

 

[Polky74]

The A3000s arrived yesterday, truly excellent IEMs with sometimes ungenerous reviews only due to the fact that if not adequately amplified they cannot express themselves. I'm listening to them connected to a Cayin iHA-6 and they have a truly amazing sound and the only dongle I have that drives them without problems is the ifi GO bar. Probably due to their low cost they make you think that they can be easily driven, but this is not the case. Amplified correctly, however, they surpass many IEMs even at a cost that is x times theirs.

 

[MidnightSun]

The A3000s arrived yesterday, truly excellent IEMs with sometimes ungenerous reviews only due to the fact that if not adequately amplified they cannot express themselves. I'm listening to them connected to a Cayin iHA-6 and they have a truly amazing sound and the only dongle I have that drives them without problems is the ifi GO bar. Probably due to their low cost they make you think that they can be easily driven, but this is not the case. Amplified correctly, however, they surpass many IEMs even at a cost that is x times theirs.

I bought it after reading Hooga's review of it -- it's a good one for acoustic or orchestral music, I'm going to give it that, but I found electric guitars lacking presence and some female vocals clearly nasal with it. You hear it different?

 

[Polky74]

I bought it after reading Hooga's review of it -- it's a good one for acoustic or orchestral music, I'm going to give it that, but I found electric guitars lacking presence and some female vocals clearly nasal with it. You hear it different?

What I will write is not to get 60/70/80% from the A3000 but 100%, this turns it into the best Final A series with the exception of the A8000 (depends on how sensitive you are to treble).
The A3000 has a particular synergy and requires a DAC with a thick, full-bodied sound and heavy, persistent notes. With DACs that have a detailed, agile and particularly articulate sound, the A3000 does not give its best (DC-Elite, M15, W4, UA4, DC04PRO). Instead, with a DAC whose sound is full-bodied, dense, with thick notes, the A3000 shows its true nature (RU6, GO bar, RU7, Yuki, PAW S2, AKHC4, FC6). Another thing that brings out 100% from the A3000 is particularly vigorous amplification and not just in terms of watts. All dongles except the ifi GO bar are not enough for it. Even the 1.3 watt one of the Shanling H7 struggles to bring out the best from the A3000, while the RA2BFE (3 watts per channel into 32 ohms) is simply perfect. Even with the Cayin iHA-6 (a 7 watt per channel monster) the A3000 proves to really appreciate the abundant power. In low gain you can easily go beyond 9:00 with the volume knob, a bit like what happens with large headphones of medium efficiency (HD600/HD800S). If you want to make an A3000 sound at its maximum then you need a DAC with a dense and full-bodied sound and an amplifier that would burn any other IEM except the legendary Tin Hifi P1. (personal opinion)

P.S. if you have a powerful desktop amplifier, try it without fear... and you will immediately understand how much current it needs.

 

[Hooga]

The A3000 has a particular synergy and requires a DAC with a thick, full-bodied sound and heavy, persistent notes.

Apogee Groove is another good option…

 

[Polky74]

I'm comparing the A3000 with direct use on the RU7 (we're talking about one of the best and most powerful dongles on the market) and instead with the help of the RA2BFE. Already with the RU7 the A3000 develops an excellent synergy and the amplification of the dongle (400mw) "seems" sufficient to develop the full potential of the A3000, but the reality is very different. As soon as the RA2BFE is connected the sound becomes enormously more engaging... the mids that with the RU7 alone seemed shy, distant and not extremely detailed instead become the star of the show, truly something different compared to the first listen. The stage then becomes incredibly more extended and realistic, everything acquires color and flavor, it seems like another dongle and another iem. The sound becomes fuller, more compact, coherent, rich in nuances, the iem achieves stellar performance that is very, very far from that offered by other single driver iems. I don't know how the Final engineers managed to extract such a sound from an IEM that costs less than 100 euros... truly miraculous.

 

[fidgeraldo]

truly miraculous.

Ok...I didn't have plans on buying any other Final in the future except A8000, but you changed my mind...another Final in the collection is never a bad thing

Cheers!

 

[vaporsynthwave]

A8000/E5000 are such a great yin & yang combination. although the A8000 has phenomenal bass as well despite being known for it's divisive treble. waiting on that E8000 lol

 

[baskingshark]

Ok...I didn't have plans on buying any other Final in the future except A8000, but you changed my mind...another Final in the collection is never a bad thing

Cheers!

The A8000 is probably one of the most resolving single DDs I've tried.

Very technical set, but yes the 5 - 6 kHz area is quite bright and can be fatiguing, so avoid if you are treble-sensitive. Trebleheads definitely will love it though.

 

[o0genesis0o]

The A8000 is probably one of the most resolving single DDs I've tried.

Very technical set, but yes the 5 - 6 kHz area is quite bright and can be fatiguing, so avoid if you are treble-sensitive. Trebleheads definitely will love it though.

I still find it kinda funny how Final research on “time domain” of transducers in A series and ended up boosting 5kHz and 8kHz to the moon as the conclusion it kinda works though.

 

[Polky74]

Another excellent dongle (which really costs nothing) that can be used with the Final A3000 is the Colorfly CDA-M1P which, thanks to its soft sound, forms an excellent synergy with the IEM. Obviously always with an amplifier behind it that pushes the right amount of current into the thirsty Final.

 

[Polky74]

The Astell&Kern AKPA10 arrived this afternoon and was immediately tested with the Astell&Kern AKHC4 and the Final A3000... truly a full sound, rich in detail and extremely musical. If you're looking for an amplifier that will make your Final A shine, the Astell&Kern AKPA10 is truly incredible.