[Makahl]

... you would not pay shipping+taxes on the spare cable?

I wouldn't need to since I have enough cables.

Besides, sometimes it's MMCX connectors on the IEM to be faulty (TIN T4? Anyone?).

Possible, but as a person that doesn't cable-roll 10x per day it'd be very unlikely.

Furthermore, should I have your concerns I would buy two IEMs already on day 1

Sure... I should've ordered 2. But this was a blind buy from Drop that I got merely for the tips and turned out as a good surprise.

 

[omlettes]

Final E500 is an anomaly and practically a no-brainer if you're a gamer. Binaural tracks are rendered so incredibly well, and the only other IEM I can think of that does it better costs 6 times as much (Etymotic ER2XR).

Binaural tracks... how is it possible for a headphone to render a binaural track poorly? It has two drivers, one in each ear. How does quality of the headphone affect the ability to play two distinct sounds in two separate ears? I've wondered about that as everyone praises the E500.

 

[kmmbd]

Binaural tracks... how is it possible for a headphone to render a binaural track poorly? It has two drivers, one in each ear. How does quality of the headphone affect the ability to play two distinct sounds in two separate ears? I've wondered about that as everyone praises the E500.

Headphones don't render binaural track poorly but at the same it's not the same for IEMs/headphones that were built to recreate the sound of a 2ch speaker vs one that was customized to sound best when playing tacks that were recorded on a binaural dummy head. There are some crossfeed involved, the reproduction of high frequencies which is apparently different for binaural vs traditional recording, and a few things final themselves didn't explain in much details.

The end result is that these reproduce the sense of distance and space better than anything else I've in my collection. It's not the usual soundstage/imaging since with regular joint stereo tracks the soundstage isn't much impressive. It's the binaural tracks that bring out their specialty.

 

[Dicoy]

My e4000 arrived this morning, and imo, sounds much better than e3000.

E4000 does sounds better in low and mid compare to e3000, or if i may say, e4000 bassier and darker.
But the high in e4000, not too crisp, a bit darker than e3000.

But overall, e4000 sounds better, wider, and darker.

One thing if i can complain about e4000, it is needs to listen in higher volume.

 

[zenki]

Finally a member.
Time for testing

 

[Hooga]

My e4000 arrived this morning, and imo, sounds much better than e3000.

E4000 does sounds better in low and mid compare to e3000, or if i may say, e4000 bassier and darker.
But the high in e4000, not too crisp, a bit darker than e3000.

But overall, e4000 sounds better, wider, and darker.

One thing if i can complain about e4000, it is needs to listen in higher volume.

I do agree. Simply put, I see E4000 as a more refined ("better") E3000 at the cost of more money and amping.
Flipping the coin, E3000 grants "most" of the pleasure of an E4000 even when plugged to a more "casual" source.

 

[Dicoy]

If i change the mmcx cable with final audio mmcx silver coated cable, will it improve the sounds of e4000 ?

And how about i change it with some chi-fi brands mmcx cable ?
Will it improves or worsen the sounds ?

Are there alternatives mmcx cables that can performes better than final audio OFC cable that included in e4000 ?

 

[pauldoni]

If i change the mmcx cable with final audio mmcx silver coated cable, will it improve the sounds of e4000 ?

And how about i change it with some chi-fi brands mmcx cable ?
Will it improves or worsen the sounds ?

Are there alternatives mmcx cables that can performes better than final audio OFC cable that included in e4000 ?

AFAIK
When I change my e5000 with some cheap chifi cable (only about $10+) the mid begin veiled, and the Treble become dull

But when I change e4000 cable with the silver e5000 cable , I still can't hear the difference, or maybe I'm not doing that for long listening session, so I still can't hear any different.
But the quality on final silver cable is so good , they're beautiful

 

[omlettes]

Is there a difference between the colors of the e series tips? I see clear recommended in this thread for e5000 but I can’t find anyplace else that mentions colors affect sound signature.

I also don’t see them in stock anywhere. Just black or red/clear.

 

[Hooga]

Is there a difference between the colors of the e series tips? I see clear recommended in this thread for e5000 but I can’t find anyplace else that mentions colors affect sound signature.

I also don’t see them in stock anywhere. Just black or red/clear.

To buy all versions the only option I know of is ordering from final shop in Japan, and refwd with a service like Tenso.

Technically, the difference between the black ones and the others is (according to final itself) only in the colouring agent, which impacts on the umbrella's silicone "stiffness".
Stiffest = black ones
Softest = white/transparent ones
In between (according to them) = other colors

To my direct experience:
- yes there is a sensible difference black vs white
- no I dont feel nor hear any difference black vs (f.e.) violet

 

[Trebor1966]

To buy all versions the only option I know of is ordering from final shop in Japan, and refwd with a service like Tenso.

Technically, the difference between the black ones and the others is (according to final itself) only in the colouring agent, which impacts on the umbrella's silicone "stiffness".
Stiffest = black ones
Softest = white/transparent ones
In between (according to them) = other colors

To my direct experience:
- yes there is a sensible difference black vs white
- no I dont feel nor hear any difference black vs (f.e.) violet

Sources:
https://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/collections/final-spares
https://www.amazon.co.jp/final-Eタイプ...ild=1&keywords=final+e&qid=1594843141&sr=8-47 (Ordering via buyee)

 

[Hooga]

Sources:
https://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/collections/final-spares
https://www.amazon.co.jp/final-Eタイプ-CLEAR-シリコン製イヤーピース-ALLサイズ各1ペア/dp/B083T8CMGS/ref=sr_1_47?dchild=1&keywords=final+e&qid=1594843141&sr=8-47 (Ordering via buyee)

Yeah consistently with my findings, I dont see E-series "colored" tips on those 2 sources - just black and white/transparent. But that's not a big loss
Btw Amazon JP does ship directly to most of EU.

 

[omlettes]

First impressions of E5000s...

Source gear: An Apple iPhone dongle and FLACs. It's all I have. I lost my a45, and even then people say the Sony NW-A45 is underpowered, so I'm not sure it would help or not.

Music tested:

• singer songwriter type: piano, acoustic guitar, violin, male and female vocals
• prog/math rock: layered guitars and drums. The kind of music that just sounds like noise on tiny speakers but sounds great on good headphones
• electronic: EDMish
• world: various acoustic instruments, electric guitar, etc

Impressions:

• Good
  • Definitely more weight and a fuller sound to piano, acoustic guitar, and some vocals
• Bad
  • Overall, flat/muddy/undefined
  • Veiled/recessed vocals
  • Of course not much upper treble, but I knew that going in

I'm just surprised how muddy and flat they sound. Would an a45 help open them up (is that the term)? I wasn't expecting much from the Apple Dongle, but a few people on an IEM discord said they preferred the sound to the NW-A45. Maybe they were trolling. They seem to hate the NW-A45 over there.

For comparison: I had a pair of E4000s I listened to on an NW-A45. Much more detailed in the mids. Sure, less rumble and bass, but the mids felt open, detailed, and airy. They carried less weight, and a little thinner. Overall I think I enjoyed the E4000s on the NW-A45 much more.

I lost my A45, and I don't have my E4000s on me (they're locked at work due to covid), so I'm not in a good place to do comparison testing.

Now I'm wondering: Is it the E5000 tuning I don't like or is it my source that is poor? Would an NW-A45/55/105 improve the situation, being only 35mw output?

Opinions?

 

[RikudouGoku]

First impressions of E5000s...

Source gear: An Apple iPhone dongle and FLACs. It's all I have. I lost my a45, and even then people say the Sony NW-A45 is underpowered, so I'm not sure it would help or not.

Music tested:

• singer songwriter type: piano, acoustic guitar, violin, male and female vocals
• prog/math rock: layered guitars and drums. The kind of music that just sounds like noise on tiny speakers but sounds great on good headphones
• electronic: EDMish
• world: various acoustic instruments, electric guitar, etc

Impressions:

• Good
  • Definitely more weight and a fuller sound to piano, acoustic guitar, and some vocals
• Bad
  • Overall, flat/muddy/undefined
  • Veiled/recessed vocals
  • Of course not much upper treble, but I knew that going in

I'm just surprised how muddy and flat they sound. Would an a45 help open them up (is that the term)? I wasn't expecting much from the Apple Dongle, but a few people on an IEM discord said they preferred the sound to the NW-A45. Maybe they were trolling. They seem to hate the NW-A45 over there.

For comparison: I had a pair of E4000s I listened to on an NW-A45. Much more detailed in the mids. Sure, less rumble and bass, but the mids felt open, detailed, and airy. They carried less weight, and a little thinner. Overall I think I enjoyed the E4000s on the NW-A45 much more.

I lost my A45, and I don't have my E4000s on me (they're locked at work due to covid), so I'm not in a good place to do comparison testing.

Now I'm wondering: Is it the E5000 tuning I don't like or is it my source that is poor? Would an NW-A45/55/105 improve the situation, being only 35mw output?

Opinions?

You absolutely need a better amp for the e5000. That's for certain.

 

[omlettes]

I assume Sony NW-40/50/100s have good components but are just a little under powered. If I don’t listen at high volumes would you expect that to improve sound quality?