final E4000

The audiophile universe is governed by the laws of diminishing returns. You could spend thousands of dollars on all sorts of ‘end-game’ toys for your ears and still yearn for something better. Or worse, that headphone you bought for 3000 dollars two months ago is now on sale for half that price. And so it goes.Unfortunately my wallet is not as cavernous as some, so I have to settle for budget-fi wherever possible. Every so often a product comes along that shatters the price to audio-excellence barriers - and leaves many an audio nut dumfounded how something that sounds so good can be so cheap.My first foray into awesome sounding headphones for teeny-weeny money was my purchase of the Koss KPH30i. Which for a long time I have regarded as the best value-for-money headphone in hi-fi. It’s not the most comfortable on-ear headphones, nor is it the best built - but for less than 30 dollars I found it’s balanced, detailed, resolving, yet fun sound signature hard to beat.That was until these Final E500 IEMs arrived on my doorstep.I bought the Final E500 from Amazon in the UK - it’s not available in the USA. At a mere £19.99 I believe it is the most affordable product that Final Audio from Japan makes. To put it into perspective - their D8000 Planar Magnetic headphones will set you back well over $4,000! Final Audio have been making high-end audio products since 1974, and are no doubt regarded with high pedigree in the audiophile community.So, for less than 20 Pounds Sterling, I thought I had nothing to lose with these headphones. And I was right.They come in a little white box with 5 pairs of (different sized quite excellent) colour-coded silicone tips - that’s it.Inside the E500’s ABS thermoplastic tubular housings are Final’s own 6.4 mm dynamic drivers. I might be mistaken, but I believe these are the same drivers used on their much more expensive E4000 model.The rubberised cable is attached and terminates in a 90-degree 3.5mm gold-plated plug.The design of the housing is based on many of the other of Final’s popular E-series IEMs - so it’s a tried and tested design.To be honest, I’m not a huge fan of IEMs, but these little light-as-a-feather wonders from Final are really comfortable in my ears for long periods of time, and can be even used for side-sleeping with. Note that there is a fair amount of cable noise if you touch the cables or if they rub against your shirt - but that sound disappears once the music starts.So, to the sound.Simply, wow! I couldn’t believe how incredible these sounded from the moment I started listening to music on them. They have a warm-ish V-shaped sound signature, with a relatively wide soundstage and incredible imaging. Stunning bass, luscious non-fatiguing highs and a beautifully defined midrange make these truly enjoyable to listening to music on. The feeling of immersive surround sound that you get from these is outstanding. The immediate feeling I got was that these were like the IEM version of my fantastic Beyerdynamic TYGR 300 R over-ear headphones. If you do not like to smile or enjoy having fun with your music, then do not buy the Final E500.One of my favourite reference tracks for testing headphones on is “Autumn Leaves” by Cannonball Adderley and Miles Davis. It’s a journey into sound like no other, IMHO. Miles Davis’s glorious horn never gets piercing and Sam Jones’s double-bass feels organic and alive on the E500. It feels to me like I was there with them in the recording studio. And what greater compliment to music can there be?Sony, Beyerdynamic, Blon, V-Moda, Edifier, Tin Hi-Fi, KZ, Koss and many other notable hi-fi brands have budget IEMs that vie for the title of budget IEM King.I admit that I have not heard many other IEMs, and therefore cannot give you an honest comparison with regards to other budget IEMs, but I find it hard to believe that any of them can beat the Final E500 for sheer bang-for-buck value.The end.

Brought the Final E500 to replace my Sony EX155AP earphones. Cable quality seems beefier than the Sonys for sure. Both are comfortable though I have to say the Sony's fit a bit better,Sound on the E500 are much more neutral, calm and relaxed. Personally, I would have preferred slightly less upper bass (100hz-300hz) as sometimes vocals can be a bit too warm sounding. Thankfully it does not mud up the rest of the frequencies and you can easily eq them. The treble is dialed back, especially after 10khz to avoid harsh peaks. I would have preferred a middle ground since the sound does lack this "airyness". Other than that, the sound quality is much better than the Sonys which sounded pretty crappy.For reference, the Sonys I had would tend overemphasise on hi hats, snares etc... which tend to make them sound very harsh and unlistenable at times. Even with EQ it still sounds off. Not to mention the upper bass is bloated and muddy whereas the E500 has better control in bass and much smoother treble.Overall I like the sound of the E500. Not mind blowing but better than an average pair of wired earbuds.

The buying of these in ear monitors (IEM) came after much soul searching. I want to pair this with an Astell & Kern Kann, Ultima and a Sony NW A105. Each of these players have strength and weaknesses which is not pertinent here. I wanted to find a musically capable in ear headphones. Though I prefer over ear headphones, I have never found a pair that either stays in or provides outstanding musicality, except Shure. Two other requirements were for these in ear phones capable of hi resolution files and be wired. I am not convinced that electronic aids that offer noise damping also impact on the overall sound quality and as all three of my players had both a standard and balanced port, I was not looking for an electronic solution.. So I called the suppliers of Shure and the suppliers of these via Amazon (Hi Fi Headpones). Both Shure and Hifi headphones confirmed that both the Shure I was thinking of getting, SE 425 (wired) and the Final E 5000 were more than capable. However looking at the FInal in ear monitors, I was not confident that the tips could provide effective sound isolation. So having borrowed a SE425, it was extremely good, perhaps a tad bright. As I wanted these for primarily for when I was working and chilling and my musical tastes cover Classical, Jazz, Rock and Electronic, this was a tall order for either in ear monitor to achieve excellence across so many categories. So here are my findings. First, across older recordings Shures are more forgiving. Second, on more modern recordings (post 1980’s), the clarity achieved by Final is a class above. Third, vocal , Classical and Jazz the Final is a easier day more integrated sound offering. So whilst none of the instruments except vocals are prominent on modern vocal recordings, the overall effect is a more relaxed and integrative sound. Similarly with jazz and classical, Finals offer a great listen. Please note that this would not be my choice for bass heavy music as the overall effect is smoothed off. For rock, the Shure has the edge though again I would not put the Final far behind. Two confessions. First the Final ear tips were not as comfortable as I had suspected and as it turned out to be. I supplemented with these Comply 500 sound isolation foam tips and the overall effect beats any other IEM out of the park. Hope Final will consider foam tips for future versions. Second, follow exactly what the manufacturer on the box suggests as the cables are very very thin but extremely high quality and require care and attention. Not one to be tugged or pulled carelessly. Final even offer nice little extras such as over ear gel wire feeds, great if you wear glasses and a intelligently designed case. If you treat these IEMS with care attention and as they burn in they will get better and better. I would suggest a 48 hour burn in as it settles the sound and should please the most discerning ears. Also the IEM’s come into their own with Hi Res. In summary, Final has delivered first and foremost of a headphone - great music. The provision / addition of foam tips will knock these out of the park for sound isolation and all day comfort.