General Information

These aren't even on Final's website yet...weird, but they are available from Audio46.

A5000 Front.jpg

EQUIPPED WITH IN-HOUSE DEVELOPED DRIVER "F-CORE DU"​

Achieves transparent sound with crystal clear clarity and deep sound

The A5000 is equipped with the f-Core DU driver, which was developed and designed entirely in-house, including parts and production equipment. The sound quality was designed based on final's unique evaluation method established during the development of the flagship earphone A8000. In addition to the so-called "transparent sound" that allows you to clearly hear sounds that are localized at a distance, you can hear even the finer sounds in the mid-low range, giving each sound a sense of depth. I can. In addition, a newly designed 2-Pin soft silver-coated cable developed for the A5000 is standard equipment. The braided cable makes it easy to handle, and you can feel the A5000's sound even more clearly.

RESULTS OF A NEW SOUND QUALITY EVALUATION METHOD​

The development of the A series started with the establishment of a new evaluation method based on the analysis of the relationship between sound quality and physical characteristics, and the result was the A8000. We listen to music recorded in different qualities and at different volumes. However, in conventional evaluation methods, subjective evaluation is generally performed under fixed conditions such as the sound pressure that presents the sound, making it difficult to judge good sound based on actual product listening. The A5000 uses a new evaluation method for sound creation that matches actual music listening situations.

IN-HOUSE DEVELOPED DRIVER UNIT "F-CORE DU" INSTALLED​

From driver parts such as the diaphragm, voice coil, magnet, magnetic circuit, and adhesives to production equipment, we have newly designed the 6mmφ dynamic driver unit "f-Core DU" for the A5000. The material of the driver front housing is brass, which is less affected by magnetic force and has a higher specific gravity than general aluminum. In order to improve the time response performance of the diaphragm, the voice coil uses 30μ ultra-fine CCAW and is assembled with a minimum amount of adhesive to thoroughly reduce the weight of the moving parts. Furthermore, by carefully pressing the diaphragm in a small lot, about 1/3 of the normal amount, we minimized the unevenness of the pressure and realized a uniform diaphragm without distortion.

A FEELING OF WEARING THAT SEEMED TO BE CUSTOMIZED​

The A5000 is based on the optimal housing design for IEMs established in the development of the B series, and achieves an even better fit. Whether or not the earphones are comfortable to wear is determined by the feeling of pressure. At first glance, the method of holding with the repulsive force of silicon, such as selecting an organic shape that promotes ergonomics, seems to be correct, but it always puts pressure on the ears, and before you realize it, it puts a strain on the ears and accumulates fatigue. To do. Compared to the shape that touches the ear with an organic large surface, the shape that limits the contact area aims for a feeling of wearing without feeling oppressive. The A5000 housing is held at three points for a stable fit. There will be 1 point in the pink part (ear pocket), 1 point in the green part (earpiece), and 1 point in the blue part (tragus), for a total of 3 points. Therefore, it fits most people's ears. If there is no pressure at all points of contact, you will be able to feel that the earphones are so comfortable to wear, as if they were customized earphones.

NEWLY DESIGNED 2-PIN SOFT SILVER COATED CABLE​

The attached cable is a newly designed product newly developed for the A5000. 8-core silver-coated OFC wire is woven into it, making it soft and easy to handle. The 2-Pin connector is a high-precision product developed in-house and uses the φ0.78 standard, which is considered to be the most versatile.

EAR HOOKS (WITH LOCK MECHANISM) TO ELIMINATE CABLE TOUCH NOISE​

Ear hooks are useful for reducing touch noise, and when worn, the unpleasant gurgling sound (cable touch noise) that occurs when the cable touches the body while walking is dramatically reduced. Our conventional ear hooks are slimmer than general ear hooks, and feature a comfort that makes you forget you're wearing them, as they don't feel like a foreign object compared to cables containing wires or resin. It is a type (TYPE B) with a lock mechanism that can be firmly fixed to the cable.

EARPIECES FOR THE ULTIMATE COMFORT​

Two types of silicone materials with different hardness are used for the sound conduit part and the part that touches the ear. For the sound conduit, the silicon, which is harder than the part that touches the ear, is grooved to achieve both strength and flexibility. Soft silicone is used for the part that touches the ear, realizing a comfortable fit and high sound insulation. By making one shaft color gray and the other red, you can easily distinguish between the left and right earbuds even in dimly lit places by flipping over the earbuds and checking the color of the earbuds. In addition, the adjacent sizes have different axis colors (the gray axis alternates between dark gray and light gray, and the red axis alternates between red and pink), making it easy to distinguish sizes. 5 sizes of SS/S/M/L/LL are included. You can choose according to your preference.

SILICONE CARRYING CASE​

It is a silicon carry case that can be rolled up and stored easily. The earphone body is softly fixed with a dome-shaped thin silicone lid.

SPECS​

model numberFI-A5DPLD
housingABS resin
driverdynamic type
connector2-Pin
cablesoft silver coated cable
sensitivity100dB/mw
impedance18Ω
mass28g
cord length1.2m
sound qualityIn addition to clear vocals, even the fine mid- and low-range sounds are reproduced clearly, creating a sense of depth in each note, allowing you to feel the uplifting feeling of music more than ever before.

ACCESSORIES​

Carrying case made of silicon, earpiece (TYPE E 5 size), ear hook (TYPE B)

Latest reviews

Hooga

100+ Head-Fier
One cent to excellence
Pros: Spectacular space drawing, layering and separation
Very good bass and sub bass
Good mids
Well resolved high-mids, if a tad leanish
Well executed V-shape presentation
Outstanding timbral modulation across frequencies
Cons: Not all-rounders (in spite of their design intention)
Limited treble air
Limited microdynamics
Frequent if moderate sibilance
Treble fatigue
I’ve indeed purchased all three of final A line models below the flagship upon their release, which means – I realise it now – I’ve been owning A3000 and A4000 for more than 2 years now, and A5000 for almost one, but for one reason or another I always slacked behind on writing a proper piece about such last ones, and more in general dwell onto the family’s common traits.

A5000 like all of the A line is readily distributed in Europe, and can be bought from multiple sources including Amazon for € 299,00 retail.



Introduction to final A series

I’ll take the story from a bit far back in the past this time: I’ll start from D8000.

final’s D8000 project was (and is) founded on reaching absolute top sonic results stemming from world-class leading-edge R&D and technology.

More simply put, this more or less equates to engaging into the following bet: if we design components which are world’s best, really meaning 360° best materials, employing 360° best methods, etc, then we’ll get the absolute “best possible” head/earphones.

Is that the case with D8000? Well in a sense, arguably yes indeed, at least in terms of high-range market reception.

Let’s move forward.

As you may or may not know, the first model within final E family of earphones was E3000 (presented in the same year: 2017), and it was created with the exact purpose of obtaining a sound perception as similar to D8000’s “universality” as possible.

Of course, E3000 as a product being aimed at the budget market, no one ever thought to start from employing top end materials or parts on them, rather – in a sense, an equally and perhaps even more challenging effort indeed – by “just” applying extremely sophisticated psychoacoustic research to otherwise much more “ordinary cost” components.

It’s totally obvious that E3000 do not sound like D8000 in the end, but it’s certainly as much obvious that their general presentation, and even some parts of their technicalities, are incredibly close to their intended archetype, again the more so when considering the ridiculous price tag they were positioned on the market at.

In the couple of years following those 2017 months final pitted a total of 5 other models onto the market to complete their E family lineup – some carrying a pretense of higher sophistication and style, some oppositely aiming at an even tinier-budgeted market segment, however all based on two common fundaments : employing the same single 6-mm dynamic driver, and offering an arguably general-purpose tuning, beyond modest flavour touch-ups ranging from bright-neutral (E1000, E500), to balanced-neutral (E2000), to warm-balanced (E3000, E4000, E5000).

Then – and we are in the end getting close to our today’s case – a different train of thought was applied.

Making headphones sounding “as good as possible” starting from “as advanced as possible technology” may be a nice engineeristic exercise but runs the risk of ending up producing a remarkable piece of equipment which is nevertheless distant from the particular, real-world preferences of many users.

Alternatively said: what if world technology’s best can only get some – or many? – users “close” to what they really need, but not right on the spot? Simple as hell, they will just be not fully satisfied – in spite of all the rutilant technological words accompanying the product they were sold as “best”.

So : instead of moving from technology traits towards application, final started flipping the point of view, focusing on specific auditioning targets to begin with (!), and got engaged on understanding their particular challenges, ending out backtracking into (re)designing technology, and developing products purposefully tuned to best pursue such newly scouted needs.

As I reported in the introduction of my B3 review, when conceiving their B-series final reflected on the relations between spatial projection and dynamic range.

Taking into consideration small bands, acting on physically unextended stages, a lot of overlapping sounds and voices usually happen. In such situation there’s a relatively lesser need to render “spatial amplitude”, in exchange for much higher demand for sonic separation capabilities. B3 are absolute champions on that purpose.

On another drawing table – and we are finally starting to refer to the A series now – they started investigating better on the dyscrasy between today’s most common auditioning situations, naturally at the base of nowadays’ user expectations, and the very different ones which where common when much or even most of that music was actually produced.

Within such project, they moved from observing that perceptions such as “sound transparency” are not modellable in terms of sound amplitude modulation (you know? those “frequency response graphs” you see everywhere… they do not represent the entire IEM/HP sound behaviour!), yet they are crucial to a user satisfaction depending on the musical genre, and/or the aforementioned chasm between a piece’s original mastering and its today’s reproduction conditions. And that’s just an example.

In their effort to model user expectations, soon they realised that a mixture of physical measures and subjective evaluations was involved, and to manage it all they even developed an appropriate internal-use scoring methodology called Perceptual Transparency Measurement (PTM) – no real technical details sadly available on that, bar a succinct marketing-level description.

As already hinted before, different types of musical situations require, or at least preferentially would call for, different renderings to best be perceived by the auditioner.

For classical and other acoustic music the sense of a wider stage space, and perceiving the various instruments well enucleated from one another on it, is of course much more important vs rock or pop.

Furthermore: while (for example) for classical music priority #1 is no doubt making sure that the auditioner perceives the correct relative distances amongst the various instruments (violins and other strings in the front, wind in the middle, percussion back there), having a particularly wide dynamic range (i,e. a particularly wide breadth of in-between sound nuances separating the faintest and loudest note played by each instrument) is not a vital requirement here.

Oppositely rock and pop bands play much more tightly grouped together, and their music is supposed to be much more blended in the first place, which is why sound field size and imaging are much less prioritary in their case, while resolution and layering become key, and dynamic range amplitude with them.

All such differences were known since the beginning to music professionals, and that’s why different types of music were most often recorded / produced with such priorities in mind to begin with.

So how to approach such situation?

There are of course two different ways: develop relatively more specialised headphone/earphone models, each aimed at optimising a defined subset of musical situations, or, work on R&D to try and come up with something that will cover a broader, ideally almost universal applicative span.

While the former method would naturally result in products loved by relatively restricted groups of specific enthusiasts, the latter is supposed to deliver products that would be recognised as excellent by a very diverse users population.

Cutting this very long story very, very short: final’s marketing narration tells us they re-thought their (intended) universal-purpose IEM line on the basis of more up to date technical-demoscopic research, in parallel of course to their ever-accruing technological advancements and skills.

Fair enough. Enter the A series then !

Starting from the first model and flagship – A8000 – and through its other 3 ones named A4000, A3000 and A5000 (mentioned in the order of their release dates) A series is focused on delivering the most extended possible mix of clarity and spaciousness together, while not compromising on dynamic range.

In final’s own words (referred to A4000): “realize [its] quality not by its ability to create sound capable of attracting a small number of wild fans through its strong individuality, but rather sound aimed at greater universality”.

A bold target, indeed. I mean… try asking Diderot and D’Alembert…

No wonder that once self-encased in such an epic task they deemed it appropriate to specially develop a brand-new dynamic driver from the ground up. Or indeed, even two different ones.

The first one is the so-named “Truly Pure Beryllium Diaphragm” driver created on purpose for their A8000, released some four years ago. One of the very few real things on the market when it comes to Beryllium foil adoption. By the way: you did laugh at cheap chifi brands’ sudden hype, emerged just weeks after final and very few other higher standing companies presented their new Beryllium-tech drivers, stating they could deliver “True Beryllium” diaphragms for a fraction of the price, didn’t you? :wink:

Past social marketing fun apart, at the technological level the resort to Beryllium came from the search for an extremely lightweight material, to obtain superfast sound propagation speeds. In other words: they designed the fastest-moving dynamic driver they could think of, meant as a crucial component to get to the intended sonic target.

They also developed a second version of such driver, the so-called “f-Core DU” driver. No Beryllium in there, “just” a call for a speed as close to that of the Truly Pure Beryllium Driver, for a much lower manufacturing cost – both in terms of sheer material cost and of the equipment and skills required to treat it – which is a quite as tough industrial challenge, indeed.

I won’t bother you with the various marketing wordage final uses about the f-Core DU, you can find some here if you like. Long story short: it’s fast, very fast, and it costs less so it can be fit into “budget” finished products – as low as € 130 retail, instead of 2K€-tagged ones as the TPBD.

All good, even epic, indeed. But did it all work ?

Well if you want my opinion – and I presume you do at least a bit, otherwise why wasting your time reading all this? – yes to an extent, but not quite as they intended to.

Be warned: in frankness, I must say I am not a supporter of the project in line of principle. Universality and optimisation are irreconcilable enemies for me, and my life is made of distilled choices in most if not really all of its aspects, so I will always be a supporter for “specialised” vs “genericist” – and this applies to “items” (audio gear, vacuum cleaners, cars) as well as to “services” (restaurants, jobs…), or relations (friends, partners). This alone might and probably should be seen as an apriori bias leading me to downvote final A instances vs their declared intentions.

That being duly noted, first and foremost I must say I was not impressed by A8000, considering its price of 2000 €.

While I never owned an A8000 sample, I took some extended audition time on them during the latest Munich High End show, and there I built some solid “impressions” – not the same as a long term experience, for sure, however I feel what I heard is enough to form a clean opinion about their key aspects at the very least.

That beryllium-based fantastic driver is, indeed, as fast as a planar, and maybe even more – and that’s precisely why I reckon it fails on delivering a truly organic timbre – as I can’t fail decoding its supersnappy transients as a taint of artificiality touching pretty much everything in their presentation.

That is indeed a monumental pity, as it undermines all the effectively marvelous other deeds no doubt accomplished by A8000 in terms of clarity, spatial drawing, tonal coherence, range extension and more. However, an artificial timbre is a too serious turn off for me.

As for A3000, A4000 and A5000, instead, I happen to have purchased a sample of each right upon their release dates – so I have a much more extended opinion on each of them. You already [should] know my take regarding A3000, as I covered them here.

This article is of course about A5000, and before you wonder I will not write a full blown piece about A4000, and I hope I will succeed conveying why within the Comparisons section, here below,

Well I guess I can consider this introduction over now…


Full Device Card


Test setup and preliminary notes

Sources: AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt / Chord Mojo / E1DA 9038D, 9038SG3 / Questyle QP1R, QP2R, M15, CMA-400i / Sony WM-1A – INAIRS foam or JVC SpiralDot silicon tips – Stock cable – lossless 16-24/44.1-192 FLAC + DSD 64/128/256 tracks.


I am not writing these articles to help manufacturers promote their products, even less I’m expecting or even accepting compensation when I do. I’m writing exclusively to share my fun – and sometimes my disappointment – about gear that I happen to buy, borrow or somehow receive for audition.
Another crucial fact to note is that I have very sided and circumscribed musical tastes: I almost exclusively listen to jazz, and even more particularly to the strains of post bop, modal, hard bop and avantgarde which developed from the late ’50ies to the late ’70ies. In audio-related terms this implies that I mostly listen to musical situations featuring small or even very small groups playing acoustic instruments, on not big stages.
One of the first direct consequences of the above is that you should not expect me to provide broad information about how a certain product fares with many different musical genres. Oppositely, you should always keep in mind that – different gear treating digital and analog sound in different ways – my evaluations may not, in full or in part, be applicable to your preferred musical genre.
Another consequence is that I build my digital library by painstakingly cherry-pick editions offering the least possible compression and pumped loudness, and the most extended dynamic range. This alone, by the way, makes common music streaming services pretty much useless for me, as they offer almost exclusively the polar opposite. And, again by the way, quite a few of the editions in my library are monoaural.
Additionally: my library includes a significant number of unedited, very high sample rate re-digitisations of vinyl or open-reel tape editions, either dating back to the original day or more recently reissued under specialised labels e.g. Blue Note Tone Poet, Music Matters, Esoteric Jp, Analogue Productions, Impulse! Originals, and such. Oppositely, I could ever find an extremely small number of audible (for my preferences) SACD editions.
My source gear is correspondingly selected to grant very extended bandwidth, high reconstruction proweness, uncolored amping.
And finally, my preferred drivers (ear or headphones) are first and foremost supposed to feature solid note-body timbre, and an as magically centered compromise between fine detail, articulated texturing and microdynamics as their designers can possibly achieve.
In terms of presentation, for IEMs I prefer one in the shape of a DF curve, with some very moderate extra pushup in the midbass. Extra sub-bass enhancement is totally optional, and solely welcome if seriously well controlled. Last octave treble is also welcome from whomever is really able to turn that into further spatial drawing upgrade, all others please abstain.


Signature analysis


Tonality

A5000 are tuned following a rather classical V shape, if a bit wide, so with elevated bass and sub-bass, energetic treble and (moderately, in this case) recessed mids.

The timbre is clear and a whiff lean-ish but not too much really, and the result stays reasonably close to organicity. The overall impact is a bit off neutral colour, shifted towards the cold side, and medium-bodied notes, a bit more such towards the bass, and less towards the high-mids and higher on.


Sub-Bass

Sub-bass is fully extended, and more elevated then midbass. It is not overly elevated though, so it stays there as a good, hearable rumble floor when of course the music calls for it.


Mid Bass

Mid bass on A5000 is good, fast, with quite pulpy and well contoured notes. Decay is tight, attack perhaps a bit on the relaxed side. From my library I get good bass readability, yet when pushing a bit up on the amping kickdrum may at times tend to get fuzzy. Even in such occasions however mid bass in never bleeding on the mids.


Mids

Mids are recessed yet well delivered nonetheless. They do partake to the overall note leanness, probably ultimately connaturate to the very f-Core DU driver, and such feat may resolve into a first impression of relative coldness and unwanted thinness.

Letting music flow, however, one appreciates such texturing, and the level of detail which are present in this segment, too, with that soon re-ranking A5000’s mids onto their honest value in the overall mix. It stays anyhow true that central piano octaves, and some guitars, will sound dry, somewhat unlushy.

No doubt, a sole driver is in general on vantage position to grant seamless tonal passage from mids to highmids, and this is the case on A5000 too, even in presence of a steep-ish ramp in the output, up to an important pinna gain at around 4Khz.

Good news include that there’s very little if any glare.


Male Vocals

A5000 treat baritones an basses with good authority and power, and tenors too but those start to partake to the mids’ general dryness – this, in spite of their relatively recessed level in the presentation.


Female Vocals

Female vocale are sparkly, energetic and clear. I would much prefer them having some more “butter” on them, yet their actual tonality is in the end consistent with the rest of A5000 signature, which is clearly not mid-centric by design, quite the opposite as we already noted.

Sadly, they are quite often affected by sibilance which paired with their dry-ish timbre brings them south of truly organic, and most importantly lets them come across quite raw a bit too often.


Highs

A5000 trebles are a mixed bag, and that’s a real pity. On one end there’s very good energy, sparkle, and clarity, without excessive thinness, and no zings. On the down side however they do lack airiness, and often expose a modest yet fastidious sibilance – and more in general their elevation and modulation is anyhow such to produce fatigue on mid-length listening sessions, which is a serious turn off to me.

Sadly, JVC SpiralDot tips – usually quite effective in taming harsh trebles and sibilance – don’t help in this particular case.


Technicalities


Soundstage

In compliance with an intended feature for the entire A family, A5000 offer soundstage drawing capabilities that are extremely significant in absolute terms, with this I mean they widely transcend the levels of other drivers, probably most other drivers, in their price category.

A5000 in particular draw very ample width, and even more remarkable height, paired with no less than significant depth.


Imaging

Microdynamics are an absolute forte on A5000 – it is always very easy to pinpoint instruments on the stage, and their positioning is offered in a very natural way.


Details

Detail retrieval is extremely good, perhaps even sensational on A5000 on the low mids and mid bass. It is also above average, but just that, in the trebles, due to their previously mentioned tendency to get a bit hot.


Instrument separation

Layering and separation are very good on A5000, at the absolute top and beyond of their direct price competitors. This, paired with the aforementioned drawn stage amplitude, depending on the particular track master delivers a comprehensive no less then theatrical spatial experience, with voices not only well identified and enucleated, but also seemingly positioned at sensible distances from one other.

Microdynamics are a bit above average but no more then that, hampered in general by the driver’s tightness. Within such general view, they are better on mid bass and low mids, and more limited the more we go up in the frequencies.


Driveability

Properly driving A5000 is not overly hard, but their 100dB/mW sensitivity at 18 ohm does call for sources with at least some current delivery muscle on low impedance loads. Read: I would not recommend direct smartphone pairing, or other particularly known-weak mobile source usage.


Physicals


Build

The ABS resin material appears fully resistant to “normal” solicitations. The Shibo finish is a love/hate thing (I am in the former group).

Recessed and notched cable connectors are good on the tech side, but a bit inconvenient for the user as only few(er) third party manufacturers easily make compatible 2pin terminations available.


Fit

A 3-contact-point fit between the housing and the outer ear has been designed by final aiming at the best compromise between wearing firmness and light stress accumulation over time.

The design idea is quite brilliant to be honest, the rationale being: you need (just) 3 grip points to obtain stability. One is the eartip umbrella, inside the canal. Another one is the housing’s short front side vs the tragus. And the third can be any one of the possible 4 contact spots between the housing’s shaped back side and the concha – depending on one’s ear particular shape that of course will happen on one or another position. I would say that for my experience it all works as intended.

final A5000 Review - One Cent To Excellence 1

The nozzle is relatively short – same situation for the whole A series of course as the shell size&shape is identical on all models – that calls for a shallow fit, which is consistent with the housings’ shape and size: pushing them further in would defeat their triple-support-point design, and most of all would (and will – I tried!) soon become uncomfortable.

Be as it may, this situation makes tip choice apriori limited. In my case luckily the working trick “just” stays in choosing a bigger size for my left ear: that gets me a firm grip and seal with the tip sitting “just in” the canal. Oh and by the way: stock final E black tips are good for the purpose.


Comfort

A5000’s particular housings size, their 3-point-fit design, and their external finish all contribute to a good comfort once the right “personal” position is found.

Oppositely, if you want, or feel obliged by your particular outer ear conformation, to opt for a deeper fit very high chances are that A5000 housings will not be as comfy for you after a moderate, and in the worst cases even short period of time.


Isolation

Passive isolation is quite nice once A5000 are properly fitted “as per design”, but not more than that as the housings won’t even “fill the concha up”, which would of course block more of the leak.


Cable

A5000 stock cable is a new model for final. Instead of the Junkosha silver plated copper, 2-thread PVC-sheated cable bundled with A8000, E5000 and B3, a new silver plated copper 8-thread braided cable is offered.

final did not disclose much additional information, nor spare / alternative termination versions are available yet on their website.

Sadly, similarly to all other final packages, no modular termination plugs are available on A5000 either, so pairing to a balanced source requires swapping it anyhow.

Talking about cable rolling: better stay on silver plated. Dunu DUW-02S is a good rec for A5000.


Specifications (declared)

HousingABS resin
Driver(s)Single 6mm “f-Core DU” proprietary-design Dynamic Driver. The material of the driver front housing is brass, which is less affected by magnetic force and has a higher specific gravity than general aluminum. In order to improve the time response performance of the diaphragm, the voice coil uses an ultra-fine CCAW of 30μ, and the moving parts are thoroughly reduced in weight by assembling with the minimum amount of adhesive. Furthermore, the diaphragm is carefully pressed in a small lot of about 1/3 of the normal size to minimize pressure bias and realize uniform diaphragm molding without distortion.
Connector2pin 0.78mm, recessed connectors. A notch is present to guarantee plugging terminals following correct polarity
Cable1.2m Oxygen Free Copper Silver Coated, single-ended 3.5mm termination
Sensitivity100 dB/mW
Impedance18 Ω
Frequency Rangen/d
Package & AccessoriesSilicon carry case, E-series black eartips (full series of 5 sizes), removable silicone earhooks
MSRP at this post time€ 299 retail in EU

Comparisons


final A3000 – € 109,99 Amazon.it​

There’s an almost 3x price difference between A3000 and A5000, and such piece of data is totally misleading. In terms of general quality, strong points and – more simply – listening pleasure, the two are on par at the very least, and depending on personal tastes (such as in my case) A3000 indeed come ahead in the comparison. Which means that, while A5000 are already worth every cent of their cost, A3000 represent a total no brainer for whoever is akin to their presentation flavour.

Insofar as part of the same A family, the two models share identical housings (A5000 just carrying a different external finish) and drivers, and their packages bundles are identical too. A5000 come with a supposed higher quality cable – which however did not impress me too much in terms of sonic quality, not to speak about the fact that, both carrying a classical non-modular single ended termination, I had to swap both for the sake of properly exploiting my various sources.

A3000 present a U, or even W if you wish, shaped presentation in lieu of the (wide) V on the A5000. In terms of modulation, there are two extremely important, and crucial differences between the two tunings.

One: high mids are tamed and very slowly growing from 2 all the way to 6KHz on A3000, while “more harmanilly” ramping quite sharply from 2 to 3Khz on A5000, and almost plateauing thereafter.

Two: mid bass and mids are all the way uniformly more forward on A3000, this already per se resulting in a perceivable warmer tonality and a bit fuller timbre across the board, but it all results in a very evidently different overall timbre and tonality balance as the two aspects of course work together.

A3000 have an overall tonality which is much more pleasing to my ears, and while it may be said to be a bit less energetic and dynamic especially on guitars and trumpets, I would never trade added muscle in those areas for the wonderfully delicate balance A3000 offer on acoustic music, therein included tracks with vocals, and female vocals in particular.

Both sets can be said to have a non-lushy timbre, with A5000 on a furtherly drier position. A5000 have an evident if modest bit better extension towards the bass, with their sub-bass rumble being more nicely present in many occasions. Sadly, both are unable to completely avoid sibilance, but A3000 fall into this pit less then 50% of the times compared to A5000. Even with that said, however, in presence of similar 6KHz peaks A3000’s more relaxed high mids tuning makes them much, much less fatiguing, and pleasant to enjoy even for quite long sessions.

Technicalities such as soundstage casting and microdynamics are on par at stunning levels on the two models. Microdynamics are an evident tad better on A3000 thanks to their slightly more relaxed transients across the board. Similarly, detail retrieval is better on A3000 both on the bass, and moreover on the high mids and trebles, vis-a-vis them being much less invasively “hot” compare to A5000’s.

A3000 carry a (decisive) even lower sensitivity, which makes totally impossible to disregard selecting an adequate power source when it comes to pairing choices. Forget smartphones, and all low powered sources / dongles too. To give an idea, a Sony NW-A55 is barely enough to cope with A3000, with no headroom to spare to compensate for low volume recorded tracks.


final A4000 – € 129,99 Amazon.de​

A4000 are the third individual in the “different twins born group” A3000-A4000-A5000. With this said, let me cut very short here on everything else which is similar or even identical between A4000 and A5000: shells, package, fit and comfort, cable (identical to A3000’s, different to A5000’s but not “practically so” in the end, see above), and last but not least f-Core DU driver.

Presentations are also quite similar between A4000 and A5000, however they diverge by that small much that makes for a decisive difference – especially for my tastes. Similarities are in the general tuning, which is a V, a sharper one at that on A4000, and on timbre, which is equally fast / clear on both models. Soundstage and imaging are equivalently top notch too. A5000 have farther lower extension, resulting in a more strongly evident sub-bass.

Most important, and crucially, A4000 offer even more energetic high mids than A5000, which is where their tonality breaks in my opinion, and anyhow for my tastes. Fast transient, so much (too much!) energy on guitars, trumpets and high piano chords, and that 6KHz peak which won’t forgive sibilating more frequently than not make A4000 a definitely unbalanced-bright, at times even splashy high tones cannon, too often sounding artificial – which is a true pity as their low mids and bass lines are viceversa beyond commendable.

Microdynamics are equivalently no more than average both on A4000 and A5000, with A4000 being nothing to write home about in terms of high mid and treble detail retrieval, too often drowning under the waves of excessive clarity and brightness.

Long story short: I would exclusively recommend A4000 to die-hard treble-heads.


Tanchjim Oxygen – € 269,00 AliExpress​

I called A3000 and A4000 in as the first two comparisons due to them being part of the same product family of course, however no doubt the most significant notes will be those referring to Oxygen, being for me the rock-solid, as of yet undisputed natural-tonality sub-300€ reference.

Both A5000 and Oxygen carry a single Dynamic Driver, and while both can be classified as bright-neutral tonalities, their immediate skin-effect is obviously different due to the much clearer timbre brought up by A5000 compared to Oxygen, which – while still in the category of relatively fast drivers – offers definitely more relaxed transients, both as for attack and decay.

Oxygen sound therefor “mellower”, tonally softer, less clear, and most of all they convey a more closed-in group sensation – there is a way less air between one instrument and the other. En revenche, acoustic instruments and human voices sound obviously more organic on Oxygen.

Oxygen and A5000 are equally extended down to the bass, but A5000’s tighter transients deliver punchier, more energetic feeling to midbass, which of course may be more or less welcome depending on the track/genre.

Oxygen are more aggressive when it comes to high mids modulation, but less when it comes to low trebles. Their thicker note weight, however, make the entire high line less aggressive, if a bit less impactful, compared to A5000.

There is *no* sibilance on Oxygen.

Stage projection is evidently better on A5000, and by a significant margin. The opposite can be said about microdynamics, where the palm clearly goes to Oxygen.

Oxygen’s lesser cleanness and air presence do not compromise on layering and separation: Oxygen and A5000 are equally good at resolving overlapping instruments and voices.

Oxygen may be less easy to comfortably fit – shallow insertion being sadly a forced option here.

Like most if not all Tanchjim / Moondrop models, Oxygen require opposite-than-normal 2pin cable polarity so there’s that, too, to keep in mind when (as I strongly recommend) upgrading to a better cable, binning Oxygen’s disappointing stock one.


Yanyin Canon II – $ 341,00 + import duties, Linsoul​

These recently-released 1 DD + 4 BA hybrids are surfing their hype waves right these weeks, and I happened to have a chance to assess a pair.

Both Canon II and A5000 offer full bilateral range extension, which is of course a more significant achievement on A5000 given they carry a single driver instead of five. En passant, it’s however fair to underline how Canon II offer commendable timbre coherence amongst their drivers, with some hearable débacle exclusively circumscribed to the passage between low and high mids.

Canon II’s dynamic driver offers very nicely calibrated sub-bass – possibly even better than A5000’s – and fuller bodied, slower decaying mid-bass notes, which sound punchier, but less cleanly separated, compared to A5000’s, resulting therefore in a stronger, but less readable and a bit more “stuffy” bass presentation. This, when Canon II’s tuning switches are both kept on their OFF positions – as flipping either, let alone both, up will make bass even thicker and less natural.

Canon II’s treble is vivid, and their BAs carry nothing short of a delicious timbre. Treble note weight is surely better on Canon II – and a sort of absolute weakness on A5000. Compared to A5000, however, detail retrieval is less on Canon II, and airiness is nothing to write home about even in absolute terms.

Imaging on Canon II is above decent, primarily hampered by the too bold bass actually, which would be not too big a drawback in absolute terms, if not in direct comparison to A5000 where it is practically perfect instead.

Canon II are also good at separation and layering, again with the sole exception of the 80-250 Hz region falling too often hostage of their exuberant mid bass personality. A5000’s are near perfect across the board though. Microdynamics are not superlative on A5000, but even more ordinary on Canon II for one reason or another.

Canon II’s fit is not too easy (not arduous either however) mainly due to quite bulky housings, and thick nozzles. Their stock tips are right away binnable, JVC SpiralDots offering good results on them, for the record.


Intime Miyabi – € 150,00 + reforwarding costs and import duties from Japan​

Miyabi feature a hybrid setup made of a dynamic driver paired with a industry-unique, patented ceramic tweeter and other specialties, vs A5000’s proprietary f-Core DU single dynamic driver. In spite of such hybrid setup of theirs, Miyabi sport a totally commendable timbral coherence, nowhere shorter than A5000’s.

Miyabi and A5000 offer substantially equivalent bilateral range extension, with A5000 coming across stronger in the bass and sub-bass – Miyabi being nevertheless significantly slammy and textured there – and Miyabi more energetic, bodied and engaging in the treble. The two are also arguably on par on their exceptional space projection, separation and layering capabilities. Microdynamics are better on Miyabi.

Miyabi’s presentation is fundamentally neutral with a slightly bright accent, while A5000 is markedly V-shaped in comparison, although a mild-V if taken in absolute terms. Either can be said to carry a quite personal timbre, however diversion from more common options is more pronounced on Miyabi.

As a consequence, some may viscerally love Miyabi’s voicing while others might not fully enjoy their “brassy” aftertaste, and that sort of “popular crudeness” of theirs may be decoded as “commoner class” by those who will tend to better appreciate that silky, “rich middle class” style taint offered by A5000.

Miyabi’s vocals are a big notch more organic compared to A5000, very obviously so when it comes to female voices.

Miyabi’s fat bullet shape will probably result statistically easier to fit, and more easily comfortable vs A5000’s shallow fit. Neither get positive votes for their stock cables, which in both cases is bound for a quick upgrade. Unlike A5000, Miyabi benefit or indeed even require third party tips for best results.

Last but not least Miyabi are significantly less expensive, but much more difficult to source outside of Japan due to the very limited distribution network set up by their manufacturer, a very small crafting company.


Penon Fan 2 – $ 165,00 (down from $279,00 …why?) + import duties direct from Penon​

Fan 2 are based on 2 dynamic and 2 BA drivers, vs final’s single proprietary f-Core DU driver on A5000, and sport a U-shaped presentation, with a nice organic timbre and a slightly warm-colored tonality, vs A5000’s more accented V tonality, definitely leaner note body and (in comparison) dryer/colder color.

I find Fan 2 striking a better, as in more realistic, note body compromise compared to A5000, which again I find a tad too lean in comparison. Fan 2 exhibit some timbral incoherence, which is extremely subtle if ever perceivable on A5000 instead. Both models offer very good bilateral range extension, I’d say on par the one with the other.

A5000 offer a much better defined, textured, detailed and slammy bass, which instead comes across too frequently a bit woolly from Fan 2. Flipping the situation, I would choose Fan 2 for what attains to organic mids rendering.

While both are very good about imaging and instrument separation, A5000 come clearly ahead in terms of layering capability. Soundstage casting is also hands down on A5000 favor.

Fan 2 are very picky when it comes to eartips selection, and possibly even more so in terms of source pairing – they require a very low impedance amp not to scant into fr skewage due to their extremely low internal impedance. Fan 2 and their stock cable pair better with one another vs A5000 and their one.


Considerations & conclusions

As I tried to outline above, I have mixed feelings about final’s A series, starting from not agreeing with the fundamental project purpose of delivering wide-range drivers, intentionally targeting equal satisfaction to very diverse user categories, continuing with not having been dazzled on my road to Damascus by auditioning the A8000s, on one end, while greatly appreciating the deeds of the f-Core DU driver as implemented into A-series budget models – such positive feeling standing beyond the tuning differences characterising those 3 models – on the other.

More than 2 years after my original piece about A3000 I do reaffirm that to my senses the overall best of the three budget priced A series models are indeed A3000. They deliver an incredibly subtle balance amongst note body, clarity, macro and microdynamics on top of a full-neutral presentation over a stunning all-direction-extended stage.

A5000 are anyhow second in line. Athletic like an Olympic fencer, they strike strong when needed while at the same time chiseling their movements in a precise and artistic way. Too bad for those modest, but perceivable, exaggerations in the treble area, as they could otherwise join their siblings on our Excellence showcase.

Lastly, I find A4000 much less special then their sisters, and of what they might potentially be. While they do positively hit on the user with the same grand stage, and imaging clarity, as their fellow A’s, they do pass the excess limit on their trebles, making an overly bright tonality, as such delivering a non-realistic overall musical experience.


This article originally appeared on www.audioreview.org.
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notaris

Head-Fier
Final A5000: Best in its class
Pros: Beautifully balanced, with the right amount of top controlled bass, mellow mids, and plenty of highs by means of the new cable; extremely transparent, revealing a vast amount of information; huge soundstage, both in width and depth; very precise image; very broad dynamics; an engaging all-rounder of top class.
Cons: Cable, occasionally, susceptible to tangling.
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!

A5000 housing-cable.png



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.
f-Core DU.jpg


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.

A5000 cable.png


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.
Eartips.jpg


A5000 case.png


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.
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Audiodote

New Head-Fier
If you like stage and imaging with plenty of detailed bass and smooth highs with little recess mids.
Pros: 1.Quality and quantity sub-bass
2. Good mid bass(not the best)
3. Very smooth treble extension does not feel fatigue.
4. Wide staging with best hights.
5. Very comfortable.
6. The most important, even at high volume you'll never feel fatigue nor the bass, mids or highs dominating. Everything here feels even n smooth.
Cons: 1.Recessed mids for some but personally I enjoy it.
2. Male vocalist feel little life less due to back fall in mid.
3. Needs a good DAC with enough juice to shine.
My pros and cons have the need information. I listen to only flac n wave formate.
I used cayin Ru6/Ru7 through the listening process.
IMG_20230916_133949.jpg
N
nibe90
Thanks for the review. The 1/5 stars feels kind of weird when looking at your Pros and cons list. If it was intented as 1 /5 stars could you eleborate on why?
B
blorg
I think this is a case of 1 = 1st place = best
o0genesis0o
o0genesis0o
One wrong click of the stars rating tanked the score of this entire IEM :))

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