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I should also point out that I could not detect any difference in ZE8000’s performance from either my iMac or my iPhone, probably because DSP does the same great job in either source, which was a very pleasant surprise. As Final’s top priority has always been sound quality, the Company took of advantage of the latest Bluetooth technology. Final’s engineers customized the drivers and the earbuds’ internal structure and incorporated the latest manufacturing techniques. The result was the Company’s first TWS model, the ZE3000, which was soon followed by ZE2000 that adopted a different sound tuning. Both have been very successful and considered by many as the best-sounding true wireless earbuds nowadays. Final heavily markets the 8K sound mode, but I am a bit perplexed by the effects. The upper-treble may be cleaner sounding with this mode turned on, but it might as well be a placebo (i.e., changes do not appear on measurements). The Final Connect app allows customizing the sound via EQ.
Final Audio ZE8000 Review - Headphone Dungeon Final Audio ZE8000 Review - Headphone Dungeon
These are as good at connecting to things as Facebook is to me with strangers I haven't met who would like to marry me 10/10. If you’re coming from a set of earbuds like the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II, it can be an unnerving experience. My first reaction was, wait, where did the high-end go? But once you give yourself a few minutes to adjust to the acoustics, that’s when it hits you: as fun as it can be to listen to a set of earbuds that magnify certain sounds, it can also be tiring. The ZE8000 are just a more relaxed way to listen. Simon Cohen / Digital Trends I was told these had a similar sound signature to the Sonorous III which I read was similar to the Sonorous X, as I couldn’t find the III on wavelet I opted for the X auto eq which improved the sound of these quite a bit. Highs become sharper (in a good way) and the bass went deeper and shook more heavily.
Battery Life
Final has designed an app for these baddies. Connection is fast and immediate but does require you to physically go into it to connect each time. However previous presets are remembered. You have the option to change the ambient/anc/wind noise/hear through modes, eq, a volume step, 8k sound and firmware updates. The first thing most people are going to notice when they have the ZE8000 in their hands is 1) how big it is, and 2) it’s unusual shape and build. Its long stems run from nearly my cheekbone to just millimeters from the upper ridge of my ear. A round protuberance fills my ear’s concha, and holds the acoustic nozzle which establishes a fairly shallow and comfortable fit in my ear canal. The passive isolation is pretty great – some times too good, as pressing the earphones too hard into my ears created a vacuum which muted the audio. I experienced this during my learning period with unit, and came to realize the fit is supposed to be relaxed, and that I should stop trying to jam them in for the deepest possible fit (in-ear sadists take note).
final ZE8000 Review — Headfonics
Overall, the ZE8000 sounds like a pair of TWS IEMs made by an audiophile-grade company. The most important aspects are the tuning and the soundstage, with both being exceptional for this kind of product. While I wouldn’t call the ZE8000 the most detailed TWS on the market, it shines in different ways that for this type of product, are even more important. They are made of plastic with an interesting finish, that hides all scratches or imperfections perfectly. The finish is good and they definitely don’t feel like falling apart anytime soon. The AirPods Pro 2 are all-plastic as well and their build quality is also exceptional. While the reviewed ZE8000 don’t feel as sturdy and dense as the APP2, their build quality is definitely good and you wouldn’t have to worry about them too much. As strange as it may look, the ZE8000 is very comfortable, lightweight, and seemingly durable. I had a hard time finding information on the materials used for its housing at the time of writing this article, but my best guess, based on what I saw and felt, is ABS resin with a textured shibo finish (as seen on the Final Audio A5000, 4000, and 3000). The ear tips provided are Final Audio Type Q ear tips, and are exclusive to the ZE8000 for now. They cover the acoustic nozzle as well as the round-shaped portion that rests in a listener’s concha. Some might be a little disappointed that they can’t use their favorite tips, but ultimately I found the Type Q tips perfectly comfortable. I find no point to start talking about the bass, the mids and the tremble of ZE8000, as the feeling one gets is that this TWS system has an almost flat frequency response curve (which is actually true) and, what is the most important, this sounds terrific. During the past couple of months, I spent hundreds of hours listening to ZE8000, and I couldn’t find a flaw. The bass has an amazing control, with just the right amount of sub- and mid-bass; the mids are so intimate that it really gets to you; and the tremble is extremely detailed, but never harsh or sibilant. The EQ function helps in adding some much-needed boost to the upper mids, but these frequencies cannot be altered more than +/- 3dB, which is barely adequate. I would have also preferred multiple profiles since now you can only have one custom profile (which seems like an arbitrary limitation). Comparisons vs Final ZE3000The app includes a four-band equalizer, so users can create and save a single custom EQ setting. You can also see the battery level for each earbud (but not the case), update the firmware, and switch between audio-processing modes. Should you buy the Final ZE8000? Listening to strings the highs, I was impressed by the nuances in tonality that were revealed throughout this range. Vibratos and other articulations came through clearly making for highly analytical listen for a wireless IEM. At the same time, the ZE8000 avoids any uncomfortable extension in this range, perhaps sometimes at the expense if sparkle and snap. But the smoothness gave a velvety quality to vocals and brass instruments, while still revealing plenty breath and modulation. Summary Unlike every other pair of true wireless earbuds, the ZE8000 don’t use Class D amplification. Instead, Final Audio has decided Class A/B is the way to go - its rationale is that the trade-off in efficiency is worth it for the lower distortion figures. It’s an admirable (or perhaps bloody-minded) decision. But there is chaos, danger and clashing of sounds together as they twirl and spin into melodic bliss. I’ve always thought that it must be similar for metal fans, the risk of the whole thing just falling apart is always present and the symphony of noise can feel dangerous. Do increases in separation and clarity reduce that sense of chaos? Or is that up to the artist? Final also offers a range of wireless products, such as the ZE3000 (review here) or the UX3000. It was when they announced the ZE8000 that they got A LOT of attention. Is it a wireless version of the A8000 at a fraction of the price?
final ZE series | final
I need to charge them about twice a week during regular use using the AptX Adaptive Bluetooth codec, with ANC and 8K sound enabled. Your mileage may vary depending on the parameters. The case only holds around 12 hours of battery life despite the large size. Absolutely clean. Even the quietest IEMs or headphones have some bottom noise. The feeling with ZE8000 is that the bottom noise is zero; it is hard to believe it, but this is one’s impression. There’s no wear detection to be found in the reviewed Final Audio ZE8000, unlike the aforementioned AirPods Pro 2, so you’ll have to manually pause and play while putting them out of your ear for a moment. There are several things that differentiate ZE8000 from ZE3000/ZE2000, but if we wanted to single one out, then this would be Final's proprietary Digital Signal Processing (DSP) technology.Sadly, the ZE8000 need certain usability improvements. The carrying case is comically large, the ANC has issues cutting out wind noise, and the battery life is far from class-leading. Also, the price is no joke, veering into the territory of wired IEMs that are noticeably better in terms of sound. You’ll need to plug the case in via USB-C to charge. Not supporting wireless case charging seems like a big omission for a product at this price. On the upside, those wires will give you a full earbud charge in 1.5 hours and a full case charge in 2. A rapid-charging option provides 45 minutes of listening after a 5-minute charge. Are the Final ZE8000 comfortable to wear? Well extraversion is the name of the game for these buds, in it’s audio processing as well as for it’s design. And if you want to explain to people exactly what 8K sound means, well you better do it with confidence or the whole conversation is just going to fall apart.
final PRODUCTS | final
The design of the f-Core for 8K SOUND had also to take into account the basic requirements necessary for implementing DSP. It is well-known that one of the biggest challenges in creating a driver is the manufacturing consistency between driver units. Generally, slight disparity during production, known as “production variance”, is unavoidable, and therefore it is a common practice between manufacturers to accept a certain range of production tolerance. Now, for drivers intended to work in collaboration with DSP, it is critical that these manufacturing tolerances to be as low as possible. For example, if the adjustments made through the FIR filter are smaller than the production tolerance, then these adjustments would be ineffective, and the output would not be as expected or could even be worse than that, causing a negative impact on sound quality. Let’s start this comparison with the things that are not sound-related. Here, the AirPods Pro 2 takes the cake in every single category. The build quality, charging case, ANC, transparent mode, battery life, controls, and fit – the AirPods Pro 2 are significantly better in all these categories. Transparency mode is about average for wireless earbuds. It definitely lets in enough of the outside world for the purposes of staying aware of possible hazards like traffic, but your own voice will remain fairly muffled. However, why not just have one silicon piece over the concha bit (Maybe supply spares of different sizes) but most importantly removable tip only pieces so we could add different tips. This would be fun from a sound perspective but also a fit perspective as I noticed that each size piece made a significant difference in which sounds were amplified, like an equalizer meaning that the right fit meant the one that sounded the best. I didn’t find that the bigger sizes fit any better or worse than the smaller ones and settled on large for the SQ.
Sound Impressions
Even though their high-end models, such as the legendary A8000 and D8000 Pro are widely appreciated, Final Audio also offers a lot of more affordable options. The entire E series has been selling like hotcakes for years. Well, not really, the naming could be misleading a bit. It’s called 8000 not because it’s a wireless version of the A8000, but rather because it’s a flagship of this series, which makes sense.
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