Final Audio Design Impressions and Discussion Thread

[Kiats]

Yes, plus when I replaced my pads with the Pro pads, I decided to take a look at the stock pads by taking off the nylon cover … not much to these for their $80/pr price.

Thanks, Kiats, for bringing this issue to the attention of the thread.

No issues at all! It's not the money involved but the principle of the quality and age of the stock being kept by authorised dealers of Final and palmed off to us unsuspecting users.

 

[Cheradenine]

I would love to read some impressions of the new A5000, the lack of user reviews seems odd. I'm currently enjoying the A4000 with Sennheiser's silicone tips with the foam insert, much nicer than the stock tips.

 

[riverground]

I would love to read some impressions of the new A5000, the lack of user reviews seems odd. I'm currently enjoying the A4000 with Sennheiser's silicone tips with the foam insert, much nicer than the stock tips.

Will be doing a review soon!

Just got quite a bit busy unfortunately. It’s still sitting in the box unopened.

 

[bryaudioreviews]

I would love to read some impressions of the new A5000, the lack of user reviews seems odd. I'm currently enjoying the A4000 with Sennheiser's silicone tips with the foam insert, much nicer than the stock tips.

I'm still waiting to get my hands on one. Hopefully soon at a store near me

 

[AnalogEuphoria]

For those who haven't tried to EQ with their E series yet I highly recommend oratory1990 presets

https://www.reddit.com/r/oratory1990/wiki/index/list_of_presets/#wiki_full_list_of_eq_settings.3A

I am using the one made for E3000 and I find it to sound even better, a little more precise, cleaner, tighter and more open.

 

[bryaudioreviews]

For those who haven't tried to EQ with their E series yet I highly recommend oratory1990 presets

https://www.reddit.com/r/oratory1990/wiki/index/list_of_presets/#wiki_full_list_of_eq_settings.3A

I am using the one made for E3000 and I find it to sound even better, a little more precise, cleaner, tighter and more open.

I find it to completely kill/take away all of the characteristics that make the Final E line up special, making it sound more generic. Again, just my opinion! I love oratory1990's EQ presets and have used it with some headphones like the DT770 Pro 80Ohm

May I know what are you using the e3000 with?

 

[MudEnjoyer]

My E3000 has a very uncontrolled bass and also benefits from a bass shelf EQ like the USOUND target but you can stop at 1kHz otherwise you’re killing the Final E timbre.

Sadly sub bass doesn’t seem to improve much with EQ.

 

[baskingshark]

My E3000 has a very uncontrolled bass and also benefits from a bass shelf EQ like the USOUND target but you can stop at 1kHz otherwise you’re killing the Final E timbre.

Sadly sub bass doesn’t seem to improve much with EQ.

What source are you using with the E3000?
It is quite hard to drive, and when underpowered, the bass is very boomy and flabby and bleeds like mad, yes.

But when amped well with clean power, the bass does tighten considerably.

 

[MudEnjoyer]

What source are you using with the E3000?
It is quite hard to drive, and when underpowered, the bass is very boomy and flabby and bleeds like mad, yes.

But when amped well with clean power, the bass does tighten considerably.

I am using Qudelix 5K. I am comparing the E3000 bass performance to the E5000 which is my favorite IEM.

 

[bryaudioreviews]

I am using Qudelix 5K. I am comparing the E3000 bass performance to the E5000 which is my favorite IEM.

fantastic taste. E5k is also one of my favs. I love them more and more the longer I own them

 

[AnalogEuphoria]

I find it to completely kill/take away all of the characteristics that make the Final E line up special, making it sound more generic. Again, just my opinion! I love oratory1990's EQ presets and have used it with some headphones like the DT770 Pro 80Ohm

May I know what are you using the e3000 with?

I use E3000 with the Schiit Magni+ but like the E5000 I don't find it hard to drive at all and ive yet to get the bass to tighten up no matter what amp I try with it.

 

[bryaudioreviews]

I use E3000 with the Schiit Magni+ but like the E5000 I don't find it hard to drive at all and ive yet to get the bass to tighten up no matter what amp I try with it.

hmm maybe you can try different/smaller eartips to get the drivers closer to your ears. Sony hybrids work really well for me. Some found Spinfit cp360 to work really well

 

[MudEnjoyer]

After some experience with tip rolling with the E series and other IEMs, I have learned that while the Final E tips help "tame" the treble (really nuking it) they also introduce holes in the treble and piercing high Q peaks on the upper mids. If you are a E5000 owner and find them lacking on some records my advice is to consider getting some Radius Deep Mount tips for an even smoother sound without impacting the bass response.

 

[jump_man95]

Finally got my Make4 today. Was supposed to receive it in 2022, but the local post office and I both forgot about it lol

According to Final's tweet, the stock configuration is:
Nozzle front filter: D-6 (medium treble)
Nozzle inside filter: None (max treble)
Nozzle back filter: None (max treble)
Front vent filter: F-6 (close-to-max bass)
Back wheel: fully turned clockwise (max bass)

For now I've only experimented turning the back wheel, which adjusts the amount of air behind the driver. According to Final, this is what I'm supposed to hear:

... which is pretty accurate. At this stock config, the sound is clearly in the same vain as the E-series. I prefer this stock config (blue) over fully turning the back wheel counter-clockwise (red), which is still a nice warm sound, but doesn't quite have the epic-ness of the E-series.

Compared to stock Make4, E500 has less subbass, warmer midrange and similar treble. Compared to E4000, stock Make4 has similar bass, but a brighter midrange and treble. Here's a quick size comparison:


Since most of the customizations turn the bass and/or treble down, making the sound warmer and less V-shaped, I totally can see Make4 mimic the entire E-series w/ the right config. Someone in Japan have to have done it; I'll just have to find the right tutorial.

IMO Make4 should pretty much make E4000 and E5000 obsolete. That is, if you can find a way to buy the Make4. It is cheaper than E4000 and E5000, and neither has a real argument in terms of comfort against Make4. I can't wear Make4 to sleep, but neither can I wear E4000 and E5000. E500~E3000 should sell just fine, especially with E500 and E1000 using the same cable as Make4.

How did you get a hold of the Make 4 in the USA? They only ship to Japan, I tried using a proxy mail service called Tenso for the first time, but I guess I didnt fill things out correctly, because they canceled my order. Please tell me how to get my hands on these IEMs.

 

[jump_man95]

Patiently waiting for some A5000 impressions to see if I'll grab a set or not. Anyone expecting them soon?

Mine is supposed to come in tomorrow. I also have an A3000 that I love, and listen to a lot, so expect a comparison if I do decide to post a review.