Final Audio Design Impressions and Discussion Thread

[Kiats]

Something that was released some time back by the late Takai san: the Piano Forte X. Still as lovely today as it was 10 years or more ago.

 

[Kiats]

It has been a while since I have taken the Sonorous X out for a listen. Still as enjoyable as ever... Need to find time to give them a polish though.

 

[Billyak]

Last week I was on the look out for some new final e series eartips for my other items as they tend to be the best for me. Looking around various websites they looked to cost around £17 or so for a pack. When looking in some sales sections of websites I seen that the e500 (£7), e1000 (£10) & e3000 (£30) were on sale and all 3 come with a full a set of eartips.

Absolute no brainer cost wise and now I have 3 sets of final iems.

I am not overly impressed with the e500 and e1000 but I have not been able to take the e3000 out of my ears. Warm, smooth with a slight bass emphasis. And they are so comfortable. Really enjoying them.

 

[jfopps]

Last week I was on the look out for some new final e series eartips for my other items as they tend to be the best for me. Looking around various websites they looked to cost around £17 or so for a pack. When looking in some sales sections of websites I seen that the e500 (£7), e1000 (£10) & e3000 (£30) were on sale and all 3 come with a full a set of eartips.

Absolute no brainer cost wise and now I have 3 sets of final iems.

I am not overly impressed with the e500 and e1000 but I have not been able to take the e3000 out of my ears. Warm, smooth with a slight bass emphasis. And they are so comfortable. Really enjoying them.

I noticed the same thing here in the U.S. Getting a set of E500 came with a full set of tips and for me was like $1 more than just buying tips. Figured why not have a backup set.

 

[Sphere 57]

I love my E3000 too. It's so comfortable, I used to use flathead earbuds when I cared more about comfort than sound quality, but the E3000 has relegated all of those to the back of the drawer.

I do have a problem with the E3000 though, I find that the treble is MIA. I don't consider myself a treble head but I do want to hear what's going on up there, and I can't really tell what is going on with the cymbals in Jazz music, for example.

I have bought a few other bullet style IEMs, such as the KBear Little Q and Dumpling, and the Tanchjim Tanya, and although they do have a more balanced frequency response, none of those I have tried so far have the rmidange resolution and timbre of the E3000.

Can anyone on this thread advise me on whether the the E4000 or E5000 best meets my desire for 'an E3000 with treble'?

 

[Hooga]

Can anyone on this thread advise me on whether the the E4000 or E5000 best meets my desire for 'an E3000 with treble'?

No, they don't

 

[Sphere 57]

No, they don't

Do they fall short of this somehow? In comfort, sound quality, or both?

 

[Hooga]

They don't have more treble, which is what you are after.

Staying within final's IEM range(s), based on your description you may want to check, alternatively:
- GRID01, and play your way through filters (GL with importing it out of Japan though)
- A3000, for a big paradigm change towards clearity and treble

Or, you may want to assess Intime IEMs. Simply put: their mids and lows are close to final for quality and refinement, and their VST driver makes all the difference you are looking for from 2K onwards
- Miyabi (original version, not Mk-II) as a top rec for your tastes
- ShoDD if you are very much in love with E3000's lows (ShoDD's are even better, but the presentation is overall more V-shaped, less balanced)
- Sora Light as a less expensive alternative
All of these you can typically find 2nd hand in great conditions for a quid a kilo from e-earphone

 

[Cheradenine]

The E5000 has very tame, smooth treble, its one of my favourites along with the Sony xba-n3 which you might like if you can find one, that has more treble and more of a v-shaped sound. The E5000 also has unusually low sensitivity for an IEM, my phone's headphone socket can get it loud but it doesn't sound right, it benefits from a portable DAC/amp or decent dongle. I still use my E3000, mainly when I go to bed as it is so tiny that its very comfortable to sleep on.

I've been really enjoying the A5000 recently, that has plenty of treble and very nice, robust but not boomy bass, I find it suits a wide variety of music. I also have the A4000, I like it with some music but find it a bit harsh and slightly tinny with other tunes, particularly stuff with distorted guitars.

 

[Edric Li]

I love my E3000 too. It's so comfortable, I used to use flathead earbuds when I cared more about comfort than sound quality, but the E3000 has relegated all of those to the back of the drawer.

I do have a problem with the E3000 though, I find that the treble is MIA. I don't consider myself a treble head but I do want to hear what's going on up there, and I can't really tell what is going on with the cymbals in Jazz music, for example.

I have bought a few other bullet style IEMs, such as the KBear Little Q and Dumpling, and the Tanchjim Tanya, and although they do have a more balanced frequency response, none of those I have tried so far have the rmidange resolution and timbre of the E3000.

Can anyone on this thread advise me on whether the the E4000 or E5000 best meets my desire for 'an E3000 with treble'?

The brightest in the E-series are E2000 and E1000. The warmest are E4000 and E5000.

 

[subxero]

I've owned so many IEMs over the years. E5000 has definitely been my favorite. I wish it was a tws

 

[dakanao]

The brightest in the E-series are E2000 and E1000. The warmest are E4000 and E5000.

I'm astounished at how much the sound can change from any IEM (or headphone) just by different positions relative to your eardrum, seal excluded. The sound can go from grainy to near-HD650 level smoothness.

The E series with their bullet design can be experimented from a lot of different positions, with even a slight adjustment subtly changing the timbre.

 

[Billyak]

That is what I have been enjoying with the bullet style. The tip position not being dictated by the shape of the iem.

 

[Edric Li]

I'm astounished at how much the sound can change from any IEM (or headphone) just by different positions relative to your eardrum, seal excluded. The sound can go from grainy to near-HD650 level smoothness.

The E series with their bullet design can be experimented from a lot of different positions, with even a slight adjustment subtly changing the timbre.

That is what I have been enjoying with the bullet style. The tip position not being dictated by the shape of the iem.

Not just any bullet style either. For example I cannot have same degree of freedom tip-rolling with an Intime IEM or Make4 as I can with the E-series. Heck, even the stem on E4000/E5000 gets in the way when I'm used to the non-detachable-cable form factor.

 

[o0genesis0o]

E4000 or E5000 best meets my desire for 'an E3000 with treble'?

Nope sir.

If you wish for a bit extra treble, use a longer and larger tips to wear the IEM more shallow. Tips with wider opening would be a good choice. Reverted eartips might be ideal. Still, I wouldn’t expect day and night difference.