ASM-R U Ready? Final Audio ZE500 ASMR TWS Earbud Review

Final Audio has always been a top seller for IEMs, both wired and wireless. Their latest releases are drawing attention, though you may have to squint to see it. The ZE500 ASMR true wireless earbuds are a new item on the market that is set to make waves with its super-small in-ear fit and optimized functionality for people who want sound isolation when they sleep. Is this going to be the next greatest sleep companion? In this review, we dive into all the details of the ZE500. 

The Final Audio ZE500 ASMR earbuds are by far the smallest earbuds I've ever used. They are super tiny, but still large enough to sit well in your ear. They fit perfectly in the ear, and they don't protrude outwards at all. I could see these being a bit cumbersome to take out, since they are very small and nestle into your ear very snugly. Still, the ZE500 is easy to put in and remove once you are done using it. They are super lightweight and can hardly be felt when they are being worn, which is great for using during sleep or just casual listening.

One design element that I thought was clever was the way they decided to make the interchangeable eartips. Because the ZE500 itself is so small, getting an eartip that stays on the device may be a little difficult. Final Audio created a specialized design for the eartips, using a sleeve that wraps around the entire earbud as opposed to just the nozzle. This ensures a secure earbud that will stay attached to the device as opposed to potentially falling off. Final provides you with three different sizes, so you can choose which ones are the best fit for your ZE500. 

While some earbuds could double as a device used for sleep, the ZE500 makes sure you know that these can be used at all hours of the day. These earbuds are designed to be worn during sleep and relaxation, and because of that, the ZE500 doesn't have a lot of crazy features like some other true wireless options. The ZE500 doesn't have noise cancelling, EQ, or fun filters to play with to adjust your sound. Instead, Final keeps things relatively simple and lets the physical design of the earbuds speak for itself. Because of where these sit in your ear, they have excellent noise isolation capabilities. Once you get the right seal from one of the different sizes of eartips, you'll be able to confidently block out noise with ease. 

There is an accompanying app that you can connect the ZE500 to, which does allow you to access some other features. The ZE500 has three different volume settings that allow you to adjust the volume more precisely with the Volume Step Optimizer. You can listen at any level, but then get more precise adjustment in the range you typically use. There are low, medium, and high modes, allowing you to take the volume to another level or keep it mellow for more sensitive ears. 

Additionally, because the ZE500 is used for sleep, the touch controls on the side are pretty minimal. It requires a hard double-touch to pause the track, and the same action again to start it again. The controls were not that sensitive, which has its perks and its downfalls. Either way, you can turn off these controls by setting the ZE500 to ASMR Mode so you don't accidentally activate something during your listening. This also silences all notifications for total, uninterrupted listening. 

• Continuous Music Playback Time: Max 4.5 hours (18 hours including case)
• Charging Time: 1.5 hours for ZE500 / 2 hours for case
• Water Resistant: IPX4
• Included Features:
  • ASMR Mode: Disables tap controls and guidance sounds
  • Volume Step Optimizer: Upgrade your smartphone's default volume control with pinpoint adjustment

SOUNDSTAGE & IMAGING

Now onto the listening. The ZE500 was a great listening experience and shows excellent value upon a first listen. For retailing for less than $100, I would expect the sound to be pretty simplistic and nothing too extravagant. I was pleasantly surprised when I gave these a listen, because I was instantly transported into the tracks and away from the outside world. The soundstage itself isn't terribly wide, and has a good frontal image that places instruments fairly well. Despite all the elements being more front facing, the presentation had a lot of depth to make it very immersive and not overwhelming. 

The signature itself was very balanced and relaxed. It had a lot of detail which I was happy to listen to, but it wasn't aggressive in a way that other earbuds can be. This is a device that knows you are wearing it when it's time to relax, and the sound mellows out in a way that understands that. The ZE500 doesn't compromise in detail, so it's nice to listen to these earbuds at any point in the day. 

BASS FREQUENCIES

The bass was quite powerful in the ZE500. Being that the seal from the earbud itself was very good, there was very strong isolation that made it seem like there was an added noise-cancelling feature. This made the bass take on a deep, thick character that was perfect for EDM and pop tracks with a lot of sub-bass. There was a tactile characteristic that was very fun to listen to in the low end, but it never once veered on the side of too much or overbearing in comparison to the rest of the signature. Bass drums got good punch and drive to them, so faster paced genres are still upbeat. Mellower genres like jazz and R&B have a solid foundation for other frequencies to build up from. 

MIDRANGE FREQUENCIES

The midrange was full of detail and forwardness. The ZE500 had a slight V-shaped signature, but nothing too crazy to make the midrange unbearable. The detail you get from this range carries throughout the whole signature. It's in this range you can really appreciate the depth of the signature. You can hear all the precise layers of sound in this middle range, and vocals take a particular step to the front so you focus on that. The ZE500 advertises as a sleep earbud, with special focus on ASMR content for those who like the white noise as background and calming sound. The ZE500's midrange is where you hear most of this detail, and it's nice to see how vocal tracks and that ASMR content is well reproduced to sound natural but still relaxed to not be piercing during listening. It was easy to pop these in while working and be fully immersed, still appreciating all the small details in my tracks without any trouble. 

TREBLE FREQUENCIES

For true wireless earbuds that were as isolating as they were, the ZE500 was surprisingly light and airy in the top end. There was a lot of space for frequencies to float and disperse naturally as opposed to hitting a shelf at the very top. The roll-off was not harsh and instead had a soft transition into the open space at the top to make everything fell less compressed. I liked how the top end balanced out well with the low end, creating a fun and dynamic listening experience. The ZE500 wasn't quite neutral, but the brightness from the top end was nice to hear and had some realistic quality to make instruments have their honest timbres and textures. 

The Final Audio ZE500 ASMR is going to be a great item for a lot of different listeners. Its small fit is perfect for people that want something subtle and easily fit in the ear, so you won't have to worry about them potentially falling out however you use them. Despite not having active noise cancellation, you are easily immersed in your listening due to the excellent passive isolation. The sound quality isn't compromised at all with the small design, and I can see people loving the ZE500 for sleep purposes or just another good true wireless earbud for the office. 

You can try out the ZE500 ASMR at Audio46 today.