Final Audio Design Impressions and Discussion Thread

[Feilong4]

I wouldn't be surprised if they're the cause of the bass problem.

Agreed, the E series tips were developed especially for them.

Actually, the bass is about the same with either eartips. The difference that's slightly noticeable is the difference in the upper midrange/lower treble. The area here is just a bit less forward with the Sony hybrid tips.

During listening, I could not tell the difference in the levels of bass.




*One variable that may have effect on my results here are that the Sony hybrid tips I'm using have been worn for a while, so they're a bit less stiff.

Otherwise, I tried to fit them in at the same distance on the silicone ears of the measuring system using the same size eartips.

Both eartips look and feel very similar. The Final eartips have the ridges on the stems whereas the Sony eartips do not have the ridges.

 

[Des Esseintes]

I apologize for this rather naive question but I had the opportunity to try various earphones from Final Audio the other day and I noticed that earphones in the "Heaven" series are twice as loud as those in the "E" series. This is true across the whole line, so for example when I compared the Heaven IV with the E4000 or the Heaven V "aging" with the E5000 on my FiiO portable player X5 3rd Gen, I would set the volume at 25 with the "Heaven" series but would need to raise it to 50 or 60 with the "E" series to get the same volume.

So I take it the "E" series have a much higher impedance? This seems really strange to me as my understanding was that such high differences in terms of impedance would only apply to headphones rather than earphones. So does it mean my batteries are going to run flat twice as fast with the E series or is it a bit more complicated than that?

I have a slight preference for the Heaven V over the E5000 in terms of sound signature but the inability to replace the cable is a bit of a deal breaker as I tend to damage my cables at an alarming rate. On the other hand if it takes twice as much power to drive the E series as it does normal earphones, I might have to look elsewhere altogether.

Any insight on that issue? Thanks in advance.

 

[TLDRonin]

Actually, the bass is about the same with either eartips. The difference that's slightly noticeable is the difference in the upper midrange/lower treble. The area here is just a bit less forward with the Sony hybrid tips.

During listening, I could not tell the difference in the levels of bass.




*One variable that may have effect on my results here are that the Sony hybrid tips I'm using have been worn for a while, so they're a bit less stiff.

Otherwise, I tried to fit them in at the same distance on the silicone ears of the measuring system using the same size eartips.

Both eartips look and feel very similar. The Final eartips have the ridges on the stems whereas the Sony eartips do not have the ridges.

Doesn't the final tips have a similar mechanism to spinfits where they "curve" to the contour of your ear canal? Would that maybe have an effect compared to the sony hybrids, or do they both have that fucntion

 

[TLDRonin]

I apologize for this rather naive question but I had the opportunity to try various earphones from Final Audio the other day and I noticed that earphones in the "Heaven" series are twice as loud as those in the "E" series. This is true across the whole line, so for example when I compared the Heaven IV with the E4000 or the Heaven V "aging" with the E5000 on my FiiO portable player X5 3rd Gen, I would set the volume at 25 with the "Heaven" series but would need to raise it to 50 or 60 with the "E" series to get the same volume.

So I take it the "E" series have a much higher impedance? This seems really strange to me as my understanding was that such high differences in terms of impedance would only apply to headphones rather than earphones. So does it mean my batteries are going to run flat twice as fast with the E series or is it a bit more complicated than that?

I have a slight preference for the Heaven V over the E5000 in terms of sound signature but the inability to replace the cable is a bit of a deal breaker as I tend to damage my cables at an alarming rate. On the other hand if it takes twice as much power to drive the E series as it does normal earphones, I might have to look elsewhere altogether.

Any insight on that issue? Thanks in advance.

Sensetivity is a factor, I believe

 

[Feilong4]

Doesn't the final tips have a similar mechanism to spinfits where they "curve" to the contour of your ear canal? Would that maybe have an effect compared to the sony hybrids, or do they both have that fucntion

The swivel seems to be a lot less dramatic than the spinfit eartips, and by a lot less I mean there's not really a swivel. If the Final audio tips "swivel", then so do the Sony hybrid tips as both eartips move around in the same fashion.

 

[iems0nly]

The swivel seems to be a lot less dramatic than the spinfit eartips, and by a lot less I mean there's not really a swivel. If the Final audio tips "swivel", then so do the Sony hybrid tips as both eartips move around in the same fashion.

The Final tips definitely have a swivel,considerably more than that the Sony hybrids have. Sony hybrids have none really. Of course, the spin fits have significantly more swivel than the final tips..

 

[Feilong4]

The Final tips definitely have a swivel,considerably more than that the Sony hybrids have. Sony hybrids have none really. Of course, the spin fits have significantly more swivel than the final tips..

Using eartips of about the same size, I did not experience much, if any, swiveling from both eartips. I am using the small Sony hybrid eartips and the smallest Final eartips.

Just fiddling the eartips around, there's very little movement from just being pushed around.

 

[iems0nly]

Using eartips of about the same size, I did not experience much, if any, swiveling from both eartips. I am using the small Sony hybrid eartips and the smallest Final eartips.

Just fiddling the eartips around, there's very little movement from just being pushed around.

If you push it in the ear, I believe it does align a bit to the canal, because of those grooves. Might as well be a mental thingy.

 

[Feilong4]

I'm not sure how you guys feel about EQ, but I got down something I quite like with the E5000.

Of course, YMMV with preferences and all, but I'm curious as to what you guys think of the results with the EQ. Program is EqualizerAPO with Peace GUI.

My goals were to reduce the bass bloat and have vocals sound a bit more natural.

• -5.5db at 300 Hz, Low shelf filter
• -3db at 3.5 kHz, Peak filter, Quality: 2
• -1db at 4 kHz, Peak filter, Quality: 4.32

For the Final eartips, I may decrease just 0.5-1 db at 3.5 and 4 kHz to have similar results, but I haven't measured nor listened with those eartips with the EQ. It shouldn't be too much different from the stock Final eartips.

Measurements:

Spoiler

This was measured with the Sony hybrid eartips.





I tried adding a boost around 20-30 Hz to have it "linear", but I didn't quite like it so I left it alone.

- MiniDSP EARS, MiniDSP EARS In-ear diffuse-field calibration
- Matched at 1 kHz

 

[jwbrent]

Agreed, the E series tips were developed especially for them.

Love the E Series tips ... I use them on all of my IEMs.

 

[Jaylat]

Love the E Series tips ... I use them on all of my IEMs.

A heads up for those of you in the US - you can now buy FAD tips from Amazon Japan and get shipping to the US. I ordered a batch of A, B and E tips on Monday, they arrived Thursday, shipping less than $10.

 

[TLDRonin]

A heads up for those of you in the US - you can now buy FAD tips from Amazon Japan and get shipping to the US. I ordered a batch of A, B and E tips on Monday, they arrived Thursday, shipping less than $10.

How do the 3 types compare to eachother? Which do you like the most?

 

[Jaylat]

How do the 3 types compare to eachother? Which do you like the most?

I'm not any great reviewer, but honestly they're all good. I found relatively little difference between them. The B tips, due to their wider opening, seem to have a bit more bass, while the E's have more detail. The B and E's have slightly better soundstage than the A's. To me, I prefer the B and E's.

The clear red E tips look the coolest so I'll probably stick with them.

 

[PinkyPowers]

Integrity to the Last – A Review of the Final Audio E5000
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[Stuff Jones]

Odd review. Basically it's not conventional but if you have good taste like me you will like it.