[notaris]

Review: Final A5000
Best in its class


Introduction

Final needs no introduction, and I am really accustomed to be pleasantly surprised with any new product. Why? Simply because any Final product has two main characteristics: Top quality and great sound; in particular, a sound that is characterized by what I call “unique Final tonality”, which remains unchanged in all Final products through the years. It is a sound that is balanced, but at the same time natural and life like.

Of course, not all Final products are the same. There are flagship products, like A8000, which has stellar sound, but it will make you poorer by $2000.00; and products that won’t break your bank, like A4000 and A3000, which, for 1/12thor 1/15th of A8000’s cost, give you the same sound signature and even more a performance that is extremely articulate and equaling the A8000 performance by 70%-80%.

In developing A8000, Final did a lot of research on how the quality of sound is evaluated. The result was an IEM having transparency levels that, personally, I have not encountered on any other IEM I have tried so far. As A4000 and A3000 both belong to the same series as A8000, they should share some common characteristics in their sound signature, and most notably transparency. Of course, this was not easy at all, given the meticulous and expensive design of A8000, which was reflected to its very high retail price compared to the very modest price of A4000 and A3000. Final decided to put all its money in one basket, in this case the driver, and save as much as it could from the rest, such as the housing and the cable. The result was an all new exquisite driver and two superb IEMs: A4000 with beautiful balance and stunning for an IEM in this price category transparency, soundstage, image and dynamic range; and A3000, which has the same merits as A4000, but with a warmer touch.

Now, believe it or not, it has already been two years since Final presented A4000 and A3000, so I expected something new to come out in the A series, and it just did: It is the all-new model A5000. On the outside, there are similarities and differences with A4000 and A3000, but what about on the inside? And how does the new model sound? I will tell you as much as I know and give you my impression on the sound of it, but let me first remind you some information on the driver of A4000 and A3000, as we will need it!

The driver

A8000 uses forged Beryllium for its driver diaphragm. Beryllium is very stiff compared, e.g., to Aluminium and Magnesium, and this ensures low distortion, i.e., it is not deformed throughout the whole frequency range; it is also very light, and this reduces the effect of inertia and allows the diaphragm to change direction as fast as possible. So, based on its stiffness and lightness, Beryllium is the ideal material for a diaphragm. The only weakness of Beryllium is that it is very brittle, so it has to be forged, and this makes the diaphragm making process even more time- and money-consuming.

All the above made clear that Beryllium was not an option for the driver of A4000 and A3000. So, Final engineers had the idea to start from a humble and underestimated material, such as PET (Polyethylene terephthalate), which many manufacturers use; but in this case Final engineers tried to get the most out of it, by making changes to the voice coil, magnet and housing. The idea behind it is that if we want a driver to have a performance as close to perfect as possible, then all its parts must work as a single unit; if one (or more) of the driver parts has a flaw, then the driver ecosystem suffers as a whole.

So, here are the changes that Final did in the new driver, which goes by the name f-CORE DU:

• The way to make a PET diaphragm is to have a mold with cavities (holes), to which you insert the PET material and press the mold to create one diaphragm for each cavity. Obviously, more cavities means more diaphragms with every pressing; however, as always, there is a catch. The PET material is inserted to the mold from a small number of gates in the boundary of the mold, and it is subsequently channeled from one cavity to the next; as a result of this, cavities closer to a gate accept stronger pressure than cavities further away from a gate. This is the main reason behind a consistency issue between the diaphragms. For f-CORE DU, the number of cavities was reduced to 33% (!) of what a regular mold has; the result is diaphragms of high consistency, but the time needed to make the same number of diaphragms is three times as much.
• The PET, as diaphragm material, is quite light; this means that it has lower inertia and it can therefore move precisely according to the electric signal it is fed with. However, the diaphragm is always attached to the voice coil. If the diaphragm is light, but the voice coil is heavy, the overall movement of the two, which move as one piece, would be slowed down. For f-CORE DU, Final is using a 30μ diameter Copper-clad Aluminum Wire (CCAW) instead of the commonly used copper wire. CCAW is made from aluminum inside with a copper coating (copper cladding) outside. The density of copper is three times that of aluminum, so a CCAW voice coil is almost three times lighter than a copper voice coil, and as a result of this the couple diaphragm-voice coil has a really fast and accurate reaction to the feeding electric signal. On the other hand, thinner wire, like CCAW, means more turnsin the same space, so higher impedance, and therefore more powerful amplification is needed to drive the IEM, but the sound is definitely more accurate. This is the case with f-CORE DU.
• To increase the magnetic efficiency and reduce loss, the gap between the magnet and the voice coil is being reduced to a level that has not been done before, as this is generally expensive and risky in terms of manufacturing.
• Finally, the housing of f-CORE DU is made from brass instead of the much cheaper aluminum, which is commonly used. Brass is less influenced by magnetic fields, so the movement of the electromagnetic system is overall improved and this reduces distortion. Furthermore, brass is denser than aluminum; a denser housing is less susceptible to vibrations caused by the diaphragm as it moves in order to produce sound. Vibrations of the housing, which is the body of the driver, could have a detrimental effect to its performance.

Here, I should say that all of the above changes and improvements to a regular driver in order to finally come up with the f-CORE DU, entail a very difficult manufacturing process that a normal manufacturer would not undertake for a low-costproduct. Final tried quite hard and even invested onto a partner they found, who shares the same innovative vision, toeventually make the manufacturing of f-CORE DU possible.

So, Final realized that the use of PET as diaphragm material has not taken to the highest possible level, and it did all the extra miles needed to design an exquisite driver that I believe is really hard to find in an IEM set in the price range of $150.00. Now, f-CORE DU, like any other driver of its quality, has tremendous possibilities for fine tuning, and this means that out of the same driver you can get many IEMs with different sound signature; two such versions are A4000 and A3000 as well as the new A5000.


The new model

The idea behind the new model A5000 was to keep the merits of both A4000 and A3000 and then improve on them. Of course, improving something that is already that much good could be tricky and by no means an easy task; in fact, there are cases where such an attempt ended up with a product that is worse rather than better.

A4000 is beautifully balanced, with the right amount of well controlled bass, mellow mids, and plenty of highs; it is extremely transparent, revealing a vast amount of information, it has a very big soundstage, both in width and depth, avery nice image, and very broad dynamics. A3000 has the same merits with a touch of warmth that is truly appreciated by many people.

In A5000, the f-CORE DU driver is differently tuned; the high frequencies are rolled off a bit, and in order to preserve and even improve clarity an all-new cable was adopted. The new cable was designed by Final specifically for A5000, and it is an 8-core silver-coated OFC (Oxygen Free Copper) cable; it is actually the first Final cable with 8 cores, as even the cable used in A8000 is a 4-core silver-coated OFC cable. The cable is one of the main reasons for the increased price of A5000.

Of course, the question is how all these changes and improvements in the components of A5000 are translated to its sound quality. Let’s find out!


The sound

With IEMs, I always do the usual burn-in of about 50 hours; it’s not that without this the IEMs do not sound right, but rather that the burn-in helps them to reach their full potential. Now, much more important than the technical burn-in, I consider the so-called phycological burn-in, which helps the listener to get acquainted with the IEM; in that sense, the phycological burn-in does not actually have a limit, and the more you listen to an IEM the better you get to know it.

I think in describing A5000’s performance, it is a good idea to compare it at the same time with A4000 and A3000, and at the end to decide whether the extra money that one has to pay for purchasing A5000 over A4000 or A3000 is really worth it; their MSRP is $279.00, $159.00 and $129.00 respectively, so there is a substantial difference in price between A5000 and A4000/A3000.

A4000 has the sound signature of A8000, and A4000’s performance reaches A8000’s performance by about 70%-80%, which is amazing given the difference in price of the two. A3000 has the same merits as A4000, but it is a tad warmer, so it is for those people who want some bass enhancement.

A5000 is very well balanced, and of course it has the beautiful Final tonality. However, it has a different sound signature than A4000 and A3000. The obvious observation is that it has an enhancement in the bass, although I don’t think that this is quite true, as I am very sensitive with excessive bass. I know that A5000 was tuned with some roll off in the high frequencies and this makes the bass to be much better controlled, giving the impression that it is stronger; it is not! It is just tauter.

The roll off in the high frequencies was the reason for the new cable, which was used for preserving clarity, and in that sense the roll off in the tremble does not show off at all. As I already mentioned, this is an 8-core silver-coated OFC cable, the first Final cable with 8 cores, and it is quite interesting that the result in the sound signature of A5000 is that good (see also below).

What I should also add is that the mid area is also improved; it is not that A5000 is mid-centric, but rather that particularly female vocals are more intimate, which to me is quite pleasing. We all know that the mid area, from mid-bass to mid-tremble, is where most of the music lives; so, it is pleasing when this part stands out, but it has to be done in a delicate way, as otherwise the tuning appears to be out of balance.

Most of all, the tuning, together with the new cable, give A5000 a much more energetic performance; the sound is more dynamic, mature, and meaty. It has also improved the soundstage, which is amazing given how good the soundstage of A4000 was. And this, while retaining the same very high level of transparency and image. One could say that A5000 is “a person with a strong voice” while A4000 is “a soft spoken one”.

One would think that comparing A5000 to A3000 could be interesting, as both sets have an enhancement in the low frequencies, however, this comparison did not last very long. In A5000 one has the sense of the extra bass that would make him to choose A3000, but in a much more delicate way; so, the winner is obvious!

During the past several months, A5000 is the set that accompanies me every day at home, work and outdoors, and I listened to it through my iMac, MacBook Air and iPhone. I listened to a variety of songs, from Jazz music by Diana Krall, to Country music by Allison Krauss, to the unique music by Hiromi (Uehara), or to Symphonic music by Mark O’Connor. I am talking about musical pieces that I heard so many times, by so many other IEMs, in particular, A4000 and A3000. I state it clearly: With A5000, it was a whole new experience.

Also, all these months, there was a battle inside me: Before trying A5000, my everyday reference was A4000, which I tried hard to defend; however, I have to admit that, at the end, each and every time I chose A5000 over A4000. So, A5000 is the new reference! (I guess until A6000 or A7000 comes out; or A9000? Who knows?)

Does A5000 worth the extra money over A4000 and A3000? By all means! Keep in mind that it has an all new, and quite expensive in manufacturing, cable (see above), which is even better than even the cable used in A8000. However, it is not only that; it is still the cost of the new driver for the A5000/A4000/A3000, the pairing and tuning of A5000, etc. I have tested IEMs costing two to three times as much as A5000 costs, and they have not impressed me as much as the later, so I considered A5000’s price more than reasonable.


Selected Comparison

I compared A5000 to Aune Jasper-T. Aune is a high quality Chinese maker, and Jasper-T was designed paying particular attention to the driver (diaphragm and magnet system) and the interior cavity, with the intention of improving dynamics and reducing distortion. Jasper-T has a sensitivity of 102 dB/mW and an impedance of 32 Ω. Also, the housing is like a beautiful sculpture made of metal (probably stainless steel).

I initially used Jasper-T with the supplied eartips, but later I found that the Final eartips, which to me are the best in the market, are more suitable, so the comparison took place with those.

Soundwise Jasper-T has slightly less bass than A5000, very extended tremble, so a very crispy presentation, and in some musical pieces a bit of forward mids. Overall, A5000 is more balanced, but Jasper-T gives you a bit more resolution.

A5000 has great dynamics, big soundstage, among the biggest I have heard, both in width and depth, beautiful image and separation. Jasper-T is close to A5000, except that its presentation is more linear, so the soundstage is not as holographic lacking some height and depth.

Overall, both sets are great, but A5000 is a better all-rounder.


Accessories and fit

The exterior box of A5000 is nicely minimal and inside it the user will find, besides the IEM and cable:

• 5 silicon type eartips (SS,S,M,L,LL), each having a soft part for a comfortable fit in the user’s ear drum and a more rigid and groovy part for the sound conduit. This combination ensures a high level of sound insulation.
• A set of earhooks, which force the cable to stay put over the ears, such that one enjoys reduced microphonics.
• A nice silicone case for storing A5000. This is quite versatile, and it has been used in many Final models.
• A warranty card.

A5000 is lightweight, weighting 28 gr including the cable, and have the shape that Final established during the development of the B Series; this has proven very successful, as it has the minimal required contact with the ear and that way it achieves a sense of fit without any feeling of oppression. So, assuming that you found the right size of eartips (which is not difficult given that there are 5 different sizes provided), A5000 fits in your eardrum like a charm, and its overwhelming sound makes you forget that you have them in your ears.

Furthermore, Final eartips are very nicely designed, providing a high level of sound isolation, so ambient noise with A5000 was never a problem.

Finally, the cable, is not susceptible to microphonics, although at times it tangles.


In conclusion

A5000 has the same merits as A4000 and even more. Its sound signature is reminiscent of the sound signature of A8000. It is beautifully balanced, but it is not sterilized; the bass is even more controlled, the mids are mellow, and the roll off in the tremble is compensated by the all new 8-core silver-coated OFC cable. A5000 is extremely transparent, revealing a vast amount of information, it has a huge soundstage, both in width and depth, top image and very broad dynamics.

When I tested A4000, I was very enthusiastic about it, as Final succeeded to give an IEM that costs 1/12th of A8000’s price and has 70%-80% of its performance. With A5000 Final did it again and it did it better.

So, is A5000 better than A4000? Most definitely, and I dare to say that not only worth the $279.00 of its price tag, but it is the best IEM among those that cost at least twice the price.

Most well done!


Specifications

A5000
Product code: FI-A5DPLD
Housing: ABS resin

Driver: Dynamic driver

Sensitivity: 100 dB/mW
Impedance: 18 Ω
Connector: 2-Pin
Cable: 8-core silver-coated OFC transparent cable
Cord length: 1.2m
Weight: 28 gr
Price: $279. 00

https://snext-final.com

Reviewer’s note: The reviewer is grateful to Kyo of Final Inc. for sending him a sample of A5000.

 

[o0genesis0o]

N

Review: Final A5000
Best in its class


Introduction

Final needs no introduction, and I am really accustomed to be pleasantly surprised with any new product. Why? Simply because any Final product has two main characteristics: Top quality and great sound; in particular, a sound that is characterized by what I call “unique Final tonality”, which remains unchanged in all Final products through the years. It is a sound that is balanced, but at the same time natural and life like.

Of course, not all Final products are the same. There are flagship products, like A8000, which has stellar sound, but it will make you poorer by $2000.00; and products that won’t break your bank, like A4000 and A3000, which, for 1/12thor 1/15th of A8000’s cost, give you the same sound signature and even more a performance that is extremely articulate and equaling the A8000 performance by 70%-80%.

In developing A8000, Final did a lot of research on how the quality of sound is evaluated. The result was an IEM having transparency levels that, personally, I have not encountered on any other IEM I have tried so far. As A4000 and A3000 both belong to the same series as A8000, they should share some common characteristics in their sound signature, and most notably transparency. Of course, this was not easy at all, given the meticulous and expensive design of A8000, which was reflected to its very high retail price compared to the very modest price of A4000 and A3000. Final decided to put all its money in one basket, in this case the driver, and save as much as it could from the rest, such as the housing and the cable. The result was an all new exquisite driver and two superb IEMs: A4000 with beautiful balance and stunning for an IEM in this price category transparency, soundstage, image and dynamic range; and A3000, which has the same merits as A4000, but with a warmer touch.

Now, believe it or not, it has already been two years since Final presented A4000 and A3000, so I expected something new to come out in the A series, and it just did: It is the all-new model A5000. On the outside, there are similarities and differences with A4000 and A3000, but what about on the inside? And how does the new model sound? I will tell you as much as I know and give you my impression on the sound of it, but let me first remind you some information on the driver of A4000 and A3000, as we will need it!

The driver

A8000 uses forged Beryllium for its driver diaphragm. Beryllium is very stiff compared, e.g., to Aluminium and Magnesium, and this ensures low distortion, i.e., it is not deformed throughout the whole frequency range; it is also very light, and this reduces the effect of inertia and allows the diaphragm to change direction as fast as possible. So, based on its stiffness and lightness, Beryllium is the ideal material for a diaphragm. The only weakness of Beryllium is that it is very brittle, so it has to be forged, and this makes the diaphragm making process even more time- and money-consuming.

All the above made clear that Beryllium was not an option for the driver of A4000 and A3000. So, Final engineers had the idea to start from a humble and underestimated material, such as PET (Polyethylene terephthalate), which many manufacturers use; but in this case Final engineers tried to get the most out of it, by making changes to the voice coil, magnet and housing. The idea behind it is that if we want a driver to have a performance as close to perfect as possible, then all its parts must work as a single unit; if one (or more) of the driver parts has a flaw, then the driver ecosystem suffers as a whole.

So, here are the changes that Final did in the new driver, which goes by the name f-CORE DU:

• The way to make a PET diaphragm is to have a mold with cavities (holes), to which you insert the PET material and press the mold to create one diaphragm for each cavity. Obviously, more cavities means more diaphragms with every pressing; however, as always, there is a catch. The PET material is inserted to the mold from a small number of gates in the boundary of the mold, and it is subsequently channeled from one cavity to the next; as a result of this, cavities closer to a gate accept stronger pressure than cavities further away from a gate. This is the main reason behind a consistency issue between the diaphragms. For f-CORE DU, the number of cavities was reduced to 33% (!) of what a regular mold has; the result is diaphragms of high consistency, but the time needed to make the same number of diaphragms is three times as much.
• The PET, as diaphragm material, is quite light; this means that it has lower inertia and it can therefore move precisely according to the electric signal it is fed with. However, the diaphragm is always attached to the voice coil. If the diaphragm is light, but the voice coil is heavy, the overall movement of the two, which move as one piece, would be slowed down. For f-CORE DU, Final is using a 30μ diameter Copper-clad Aluminum Wire (CCAW) instead of the commonly used copper wire. CCAW is made from aluminum inside with a copper coating (copper cladding) outside. The density of copper is three times that of aluminum, so a CCAW voice coil is almost three times lighter than a copper voice coil, and as a result of this the couple diaphragm-voice coil has a really fast and accurate reaction to the feeding electric signal. On the other hand, thinner wire, like CCAW, means more turnsin the same space, so higher impedance, and therefore more powerful amplification is needed to drive the IEM, but the sound is definitely more accurate. This is the case with f-CORE DU.
• To increase the magnetic efficiency and reduce loss, the gap between the magnet and the voice coil is being reduced to a level that has not been done before, as this is generally expensive and risky in terms of manufacturing.
• Finally, the housing of f-CORE DU is made from brass instead of the much cheaper aluminum, which is commonly used. Brass is less influenced by magnetic fields, so the movement of the electromagnetic system is overall improved and this reduces distortion. Furthermore, brass is denser than aluminum; a denser housing is less susceptible to vibrations caused by the diaphragm as it moves in order to produce sound. Vibrations of the housing, which is the body of the driver, could have a detrimental effect to its performance.

Here, I should say that all of the above changes and improvements to a regular driver in order to finally come up with the f-CORE DU, entail a very difficult manufacturing process that a normal manufacturer would not undertake for a low-costproduct. Final tried quite hard and even invested onto a partner they found, who shares the same innovative vision, toeventually make the manufacturing of f-CORE DU possible.

So, Final realized that the use of PET as diaphragm material has not taken to the highest possible level, and it did all the extra miles needed to design an exquisite driver that I believe is really hard to find in an IEM set in the price range of $150.00. Now, f-CORE DU, like any other driver of its quality, has tremendous possibilities for fine tuning, and this means that out of the same driver you can get many IEMs with different sound signature; two such versions are A4000 and A3000 as well as the new A5000.


The new model

The idea behind the new model A5000 was to keep the merits of both A4000 and A3000 and then improve on them. Of course, improving something that is already that much good could be tricky and by no means an easy task; in fact, there are cases where such an attempt ended up with a product that is worse rather than better.

A4000 is beautifully balanced, with the right amount of well controlled bass, mellow mids, and plenty of highs; it is extremely transparent, revealing a vast amount of information, it has a very big soundstage, both in width and depth, avery nice image, and very broad dynamics. A3000 has the same merits with a touch of warmth that is truly appreciated by many people.

In A5000, the f-CORE DU driver is differently tuned; the high frequencies are rolled off a bit, and in order to preserve and even improve clarity an all-new cable was adopted. The new cable was designed by Final specifically for A5000, and it is an 8-core silver-coated OFC (Oxygen Free Copper) cable; it is actually the first Final cable with 8 cores, as even the cable used in A8000 is a 4-core silver-coated OFC cable. The cable is one of the main reasons for the increased price of A5000.

Of course, the question is how all these changes and improvements in the components of A5000 are translated to its sound quality. Let’s find out!


The sound

With IEMs, I always do the usual burn-in of about 50 hours; it’s not that without this the IEMs do not sound right, but rather that the burn-in helps them to reach their full potential. Now, much more important than the technical burn-in, I consider the so-called phycological burn-in, which helps the listener to get acquainted with the IEM; in that sense, the phycological burn-in does not actually have a limit, and the more you listen to an IEM the better you get to know it.

I think in describing A5000’s performance, it is a good idea to compare it at the same time with A4000 and A3000, and at the end to decide whether the extra money that one has to pay for purchasing A5000 over A4000 or A3000 is really worth it; their MSRP is $279.00, $159.00 and $129.00 respectively, so there is a substantial difference in price between A5000 and A4000/A3000.

A4000 has the sound signature of A8000, and A4000’s performance reaches A8000’s performance by about 70%-80%, which is amazing given the difference in price of the two. A3000 has the same merits as A4000, but it is a tad warmer, so it is for those people who want some bass enhancement.

A5000 is very well balanced, and of course it has the beautiful Final tonality. However, it has a different sound signature than A4000 and A3000. The obvious observation is that it has an enhancement in the bass, although I don’t think that this is quite true, as I am very sensitive with excessive bass. I know that A5000 was tuned with some roll off in the high frequencies and this makes the bass to be much better controlled, giving the impression that it is stronger; it is not! It is just tauter.

The roll off in the high frequencies was the reason for the new cable, which was used for preserving clarity, and in that sense the roll off in the tremble does not show off at all. As I already mentioned, this is an 8-core silver-coated OFC cable, the first Final cable with 8 cores, and it is quite interesting that the result in the sound signature of A5000 is that good (see also below).

What I should also add is that the mid area is also improved; it is not that A5000 is mid-centric, but rather that particularly female vocals are more intimate, which to me is quite pleasing. We all know that the mid area, from mid-bass to mid-tremble, is where most of the music lives; so, it is pleasing when this part stands out, but it has to be done in a delicate way, as otherwise the tuning appears to be out of balance.

Most of all, the tuning, together with the new cable, give A5000 a much more energetic performance; the sound is more dynamic, mature, and meaty. It has also improved the soundstage, which is amazing given how good the soundstage of A4000 was. And this, while retaining the same very high level of transparency and image. One could say that A5000 is “a person with a strong voice” while A4000 is “a soft spoken one”.

One would think that comparing A5000 to A3000 could be interesting, as both sets have an enhancement in the low frequencies, however, this comparison did not last very long. In A5000 one has the sense of the extra bass that would make him to choose A3000, but in a much more delicate way; so, the winner is obvious!

During the past several months, A5000 is the set that accompanies me every day at home, work and outdoors, and I listened to it through my iMac, MacBook Air and iPhone. I listened to a variety of songs, from Jazz music by Diana Krall, to Country music by Allison Krauss, to the unique music by Hiromi (Uehara), or to Symphonic music by Mark O’Connor. I am talking about musical pieces that I heard so many times, by so many other IEMs, in particular, A4000 and A3000. I state it clearly: With A5000, it was a whole new experience.

Also, all these months, there was a battle inside me: Before trying A5000, my everyday reference was A4000, which I tried hard to defend; however, I have to admit that, at the end, each and every time I chose A5000 over A4000. So, A5000 is the new reference! (I guess until A6000 or A7000 comes out; or A9000? Who knows?)

Does A5000 worth the extra money over A4000 and A3000? By all means! Keep in mind that it has an all new, and quite expensive in manufacturing, cable (see above), which is even better than even the cable used in A8000. However, it is not only that; it is still the cost of the new driver for the A5000/A4000/A3000, the pairing and tuning of A5000, etc. I have tested IEMs costing two to three times as much as A5000 costs, and they have not impressed me as much as the later, so I considered A5000’s price more than reasonable.


Selected Comparison

I compared A5000 to Aune Jasper-T. Aune is a high quality Chinese maker, and Jasper-T was designed paying particular attention to the driver (diaphragm and magnet system) and the interior cavity, with the intention of improving dynamics and reducing distortion. Jasper-T has a sensitivity of 102 dB/mW and an impedance of 32 Ω. Also, the housing is like a beautiful sculpture made of metal (probably stainless steel).

I initially used Jasper-T with the supplied eartips, but later I found that the Final eartips, which to me are the best in the market, are more suitable, so the comparison took place with those.

Soundwise Jasper-T has slightly less bass than A5000, very extended tremble, so a very crispy presentation, and in some musical pieces a bit of forward mids. Overall, A5000 is more balanced, but Jasper-T gives you a bit more resolution.

A5000 has great dynamics, big soundstage, among the biggest I have heard, both in width and depth, beautiful image and separation. Jasper-T is close to A5000, except that its presentation is more linear, so the soundstage is not as holographic lacking some height and depth.

Overall, both sets are great, but A5000 is a better all-rounder.


Accessories and fit

The exterior box of A5000 is nicely minimal and inside it the user will find, besides the IEM and cable:

• 5 silicon type eartips (SS,S,M,L,LL), each having a soft part for a comfortable fit in the user’s ear drum and a more rigid and groovy part for the sound conduit. This combination ensures a high level of sound insulation.
• A set of earhooks, which force the cable to stay put over the ears, such that one enjoys reduced microphonics.
• A nice silicone case for storing A5000. This is quite versatile, and it has been used in many Final models.
• A warranty card.

A5000 is lightweight, weighting 28 gr including the cable, and have the shape that Final established during the development of the B Series; this has proven very successful, as it has the minimal required contact with the ear and that way it achieves a sense of fit without any feeling of oppression. So, assuming that you found the right size of eartips (which is not difficult given that there are 5 different sizes provided), A5000 fits in your eardrum like a charm, and its overwhelming sound makes you forget that you have them in your ears.

Furthermore, Final eartips are very nicely designed, providing a high level of sound isolation, so ambient noise with A5000 was never a problem.

Finally, the cable, is not susceptible to microphonics, although at times it tangles.


In conclusion

A5000 has the same merits as A4000 and even more. Its sound signature is reminiscent of the sound signature of A8000. It is beautifully balanced, but it is not sterilized; the bass is even more controlled, the mids are mellow, and the roll off in the tremble is compensated by the all new 8-core silver-coated OFC cable. A5000 is extremely transparent, revealing a vast amount of information, it has a huge soundstage, both in width and depth, top image and very broad dynamics.

When I tested A4000, I was very enthusiastic about it, as Final succeeded to give an IEM that costs 1/12th of A8000’s price and has 70%-80% of its performance. With A5000 Final did it again and it did it better.

So, is A5000 better than A4000? Most definitely, and I dare to say that not only worth the $279.00 of its price tag, but it is the best IEM among those that cost at least twice the price.

Most well done!


Specifications

A5000
Product code: FI-A5DPLD
Housing: ABS resin

Driver: Dynamic driver

Sensitivity: 100 dB/mW
Impedance: 18 Ω
Connector: 2-Pin
Cable: 8-core silver-coated OFC transparent cable
Cord length: 1.2m
Weight: 28 gr
Price: $279. 00

https://snext-final.com

Reviewer’s note: The reviewer is grateful to Kyo of Final Inc. for sending him a sample of A5000.

Nice review, mate.

You should put your review here so that other people can find it from Google: https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/final-audio-a5000.26352/

 

[notaris]

N

Nice review, mate.

You should put your review here so that other people can find it from Google: https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/final-audio-a5000.26352/

Hello,

Thank you for the kind words.

It was late at night when I posted the review, so I put the review on A5000 page today.