[kmmbd]

Final FI-BA-SS + Sony Walkman WM1A (with MrWalkman mod) is one of the best combos I've ever heard. FI-BA-SS never sounded this good.

 

[musicasmedicine]

Hey guys, I’ve joined your squad!
Ordered my Final Audio A8000. This is not only my first TOTL iem but also my first IEM in general.
I will be selling my denon Ah-D9200 headphones to fund these.

I really liked the design of these and also the company itself. I’ve tried the D8000 before and it will definitely be my open back flagship in the future - or maybe its successor.

it’s been a rough two years being in medical school during the pandemic and so i decided to spoil myself with these. Looking forward to studying with these little puppies in my ears.
I will have a read through the thread at some point - I’m sure I have lots to learn

 

[Edric Li]

Is info@rsmcomm.com still the right contact for Final warranty services in the US?

 

[jagujetas72]

Very late to the party for this one but I hope my review did it justice

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/final-audio-design-e3000.22426/review/27022/

 

[biostik]

Question to the E5000 owners.
Will the Fiio BTR5/ Shanling Up 5 or the IFi Go Blu have enough power to drive the E5000 properly ?

 

[kmmbd]

Will the Fiio BTR5/ Shanling Up 5 or the IFi Go Blu have enough power to drive the E5000 properly ?

Unfortunately no, not enough. These will get the E5K loud (outta 2.5mm balanced) but they'll lack the bass control and slam you get from sources like Apogee Groove, Cayin N6ii, Questyle Qp1R, Cowon Plenue R2 etc.

 

[biostik]

Unfortunately no, not enough. These will get the E5K loud (outta 2.5mm balanced) but they'll lack the bass control and slam you get from sources like Apogee Groove, Cayin N6ii, Questyle Qp1R, Cowon Plenue R2 etc.

Thanks for your answer, unfortunately not what i wanted to hear . Going short, there is no way to go mobile with these and go for a walk with descent sound.

 

[Edric Li]

An amazing overview of the Final E500-E3000 series. Sorry if this is a repost.
https://twitter.com/i/events/1236549701056344064

Google translate is your friend

 

[Edric Li]

The "final" review, pun intended: A definitive comparison between Final E3000, E4000 and E5000.

I've been wondering about their differences, and whether they are due to the earpieces or the cables. I could not find a definitive answer anywhere, so I took the issue upon my self.

==========================================

Audio source:
Hugo 2, fed by AK300 via optical.

==========================================

Foreword and my personal preference:
If you are reading this, you are probably aware how well the E series compare against higher priced earphones. I cannot stress this enough.
- In my opinion, very few TOTL IEMs are actually flawless, both in terms of tuning imaging/soudstaging. VE Erlkonig is one. I can't think of another one off the top.
- Lots of TOTL IEMs have too much of a character in their tuning. Lots of them are too bright (Campfire, FW10000, Dita, and maaany more), lots of them are too dark (JH audio, etc), lots of them are too warm (Empire ears, Beyer, etc), lots of them are too cold (too many of them, including Final's own TOTL).
- Some are close to neutral, but the frequency response is not smooth and I can hear it (KSE1500, A18t, etc). Some are neutral and smooth, but sound flat and boring (UE18, PP8, QDC)
- There is a recent trend to make TOTL IEMs that are neutral, flat and not boring, by having a dip in the upper-bass/lower-mids region (Sony Z1R, N5005), aka the harman target curve. I hated it. It's a gimmick to make IEM have impactful subbass while maintaining good transparency. The lack of warmth only sound good at first listen.
- I personally value a nice, smooth, neutral, warm tuning more than imaging/soundstaging. To me, if the tuning is not close to my preference, I won't be bothered to hear how good the imaging/soundstaging is.
- The Final E series falls into this rare category. So if your personal preference/tradeoff is similar to mine, the choice among E3000/4000/5000 is only a matter of sound, not price, because they don't just compare well against other $200-300 IEM. They are better than a lot of $1000-2000 IEM out there. Paying $50 for E3000, $150 for E4000 or $250 E5000, are all incredibly good deal.

========================================

E3000/4000/5000 common attributes:
- Great ergonomics.
- Vented design to allow for more bass with the dynamic driver.

E3000:
- A nice, smooth, neutral, warm-ish tuning. Very hard to come by at any price point.
- E3000 is probably the most neutral, balanced of the three.
- E3000 is set back by its cable: the incredible balance is often times interrupted by treble glare. Common for IEM with a thin, low gauge cable.
- I hate treble glare.

E3000 vs E4000 (E4000 cable):
- With E4000 (E4000 cable), the treble glare is gone, thanks to the better cable. Treble quantity is also slightly less.
- E4000 (E4000 cable) has more subbass, thanks to the modified vent design. Think adding a subwoofer to bookshelf speakers. Music is now much more engaging and lively, with more depth to the sound. Remember I said E3000's warmth is almost already perfect? Yes, with E4000 (E4000 cable) we are close to the dangerous territory of "too warm."
- The imaging is slightly better thanks to the reduced treble sparkle.
- Everything else is the same.

E4000 (E4000 cable) vs E5000 (E4000 cable):
- E5000 (E4000 cable) has a tad more subbass. This is the only difference.
- My guess is that there is more dampening in E5000 for tuning purpose. I need to raise volume with the E5000 (E4000 cable) to match mid/treble quantity with E4000 (E4000 cable).
- To me, E5000 (E4000 cable) is one foot into the "too warm" category. I can totally understand if some one likes a bit more excitement in their music would go with E5000 (E4000 cable). For most of my music, E4000 (E4000 cable) have enough bass, some times more than enough.

E4000 (E4000 cable) vs E4000 (E5000 cable):
- E5000 cable pushes the mid range and treble backward. E4000 (E5000 cable) is much more bassy than E4000 (E4000 cable).
- I'm being nice to say that the E5000 cable pushes mid range and treble backward, as opposed to say that the E5000 cable veil the mid range and treble.
- Let's just say the E5000 cable is not an upgrade over the E4000 cable. I am not hearing a more refined imaging or a deeper soundstage with the E5000 cable. It takes away the air, takes away the vividness in the mid range, and adds boomy-ness.

E5000 (E5000 cable):
- The bassy E5000 body + the bassy (veiled) E5000 cable = so boomy, so little air. I can't breathe.
- E5000 (E5000 cable) is like a worse Xelento. Xelento has a lot of bass, too much for my taste, but at least the bass is clean. Xelento also got more treble to balance that out. E5000 (E5000 cable), not so much.
- Have you ever heard JH Roxanne with bass turned to 3 o'clock? This is close to that.

E5000 (E4000 cable) vs E4000 (E5000 cable):
- This sounds like a tough choice with the way it is going, but no, E5000 (E4000 cable) is better hands down.
- E4000 (E5000 cable) has more bass, mid bass in particular, than E5000 (E4000 cable), and a lot less air and a lot less vividness.

E4000 (E5000 cable) vs E5000 (E5000 cable):
- In my book E4000 (E5000 cable) is already quite boomy; E5000 (E5000 cable) is just unbearable.
- (Bass_E5000body - Bass_E4000body) < (Bass_E5000cable - Bass_E4000cable), if math helps.

=======================================

My personal preference:
1. E4000 (E4000 cable) >
2. E5000 (E4000 cable) >
3. E3000 >>>
4. E4000 (E5000 cable) >
5. E5000 (E5000 cable)

=======================================

My advice:
- If you like bass more than I do (which, trust me, is very unlikely), get the E5000 and stay away from its cable. You can get the E4000 cable for its nice ergonomics, but something nicer could probably improve other aspects of the sound.
- If your taste is similar to mine (neutral-warmish), get the E4000. You could swap in some cable that improves imaging and soundstage, but at the cost of (most probably) worse ergonomics.
- If you prefer a more neutral tuning, get the E4000 and start cable swapping. Getting a tad more treble or a tad less bass out of E4000 should not be a hard job.
- If you prefer a more neutral tuning and can bear occasional treble sparkle, get the E3000.
- If you don't like warmth in your music, or if you are a fan of the harman curve, don't get E3000/4000/5000.
- The E5000 cable perhaps is not as bad as I make it sounds like. For some IEM that needs more low frequency, it can help. But if that is your purpose, there are better options out there (with worse ergonomics) that does the job without taking away the air and vividness in the music.
- The E eartip is one of the most sub-bass-preserving eartip on the market. I like how it feels, so I didn't bother changing the sound from that direction. Just be aware that there are other eartip out there with less bass.

Just wanted to quickly add E500 to my review of the E series. This is probably a known fact, but E500 and E4000 are the only models in the E series that use the C112 cable (except E500 has it non-detachable). E2000 and E3000, which came out in 2017, use a cable thinner and audibly inferior to C112. This cable alone puts E500 and E4000 at the top of the E series in terms of overall transparency, resolution and imaging. E3000 is probably the best-tuned model among the five, but I can't get over how congested it sounds next to E500 and E4000.

 

[efftee]

Putting ConX to some good use with the Lab 2. To my ears, I am getting more soundstage, definition and an overall more balanced sound than the stock cable, which was a tad too bright for me. The loop helps keep the IEM in the ear (lost count how many times the pianofortes have accidentally fallen out) albeit looking/feeling a bit weird due to angles.

 

[Kiats]

Putting ConX to some good use with the Lab 2. To my ears, I am getting more soundstage, definition and an overall more balanced sound than the stock cable, which was a tad too bright for me. The loop helps keep the IEM in the ear (lost count how many times the pianofortes have accidentally fallen out) albeit looking/feeling a bit weird due to angles.

Lab 2 sounds best on balanced out.

 

[dakanao]

Just wanted to quickly add E500 to my review of the E series. This is probably a known fact, but E500 and E4000 are the only models in the E series that use the C112 cable (except E500 has it non-detachable). E1000, E2000 and E3000, which came out in 2017, use a cable thinner and audibly inferior to C112. This cable alone puts E500 and E4000 at the top of the E series in terms of overall transparency, resolution and imaging. E3000 is probably the best-tuned model among the five, but I can't get over how congested it sounds next to E500 and E4000.

Wow, and the C112 cable with MMCx connectors costs €70, while a brand new E500 is €20!

 

[RPKwan]

Putting ConX to some good use with the Lab 2. To my ears, I am getting more soundstage, definition and an overall more balanced sound than the stock cable, which was a tad too bright for me. The loop helps keep the IEM in the ear (lost count how many times the pianofortes have accidentally fallen out) albeit looking/feeling a bit weird due to angles.

Trying mine with Toxic Cables SW V2, Great match. Better clarity, deeper soundstage.

 

[Kiats]

Trying mine with Toxic Cables SW V2, Great match. Better clarity, deeper soundstage.

Ooh! Nice! Congrats @RPKwan on the Lab2! How are you liking it thus far?

 

[RPKwan]

Ooh! Nice! Congrats @RPKwan on the Lab2! How are you liking it thus far?

Still haven't had time to really enjoy it yet.