The Final Audio A3000 is one of two simultaneous new releases from company hitting our shelves this week. An earphone that is the first from Final Audio to feature a two pin connector, this aims to be a much more affordable and accessible variant of the flagship A8000, and we’re going to tell you everything you need to know about it right now. 

What’s in the Box?

The packaging here is business as usual, with the same box that final audio has for just about every earbud. Inside, there’s a rather funky semi soft rubber type case that contains your earbuds and your detachable 2 pin connector cable. Below this is a small plastic box that contains 5 pairs of final audio eartips. Finally, underneath the foam cutouts are your paperwork and a pair of ear hooks. 

Design and Fit

If you’re familiar with the VR 3000 that just came out a little bit ago, then you’ll be able to see right away that these look nearly identical, with the only real difference being the model number on the inside of the earphone. 

The housing is black matte and looks very sleek and smooth, appearing to be some kind of plastic material. The housings also feel solid but are very light weight. The IEM shape is nicely ergonomic, and even with the large ear tips attached they slotted very nicely into my ear canal and stayed in with no discomfort. This shape and the lightness of the housing makes these extremely comfortable for long use, and I had no issues with their fit at all. I could complain that Final Audio’s products have looked too homogenous as of late, but when they’re this practical it seems like a matter of not fixing what isn’t broken. 

You can also watch our video review below.

Output/Drivers

The big changes from other Final Audio models here occur underneath the hood, namely the introduction of Final Audio’s brand new f core DU driver system. This is a 6mm dynamic driver system that features all new diaphragms, voice coils, magnets, magnetic circuits and adhesives - even so far as a different melding process to bring these unique components together. 

The driver coating is topped with brass instead of the traditional aluminum in order to generate a greater amount of magnetic resistance and specific gravity. This sophisticated driver system overhaul is designed to increase transient response, dynamic performance and overall sound quality. 

As for output, these have a resistance of just 18 ohms.

Soundstage

One area in which Final Audio earphones have been consistently excellent is their soundstage and layering, and the A3000 absolutely continues this trend. The amount of width achieved in this headphone is pretty stunning, and it’s noticeable across a wide range of tracks. Songs with heavy use of pans and directional elements will sound like they are coming from a completely different place.

The image also benefits from a great amount of vertical height here, with plenty of headroom for more expansive elements to soar. Something as simple as bright snare with aggressive attack will land with force right over the top, with plenty of space for the particular timbre and overtones to resonate. The layering isn’t quite amazing, but the bed of sound is spread out and presented very nicely here,

Sound Quality

The bass response is strong. Low end is nice and substantive, with a thick resonant quality that doesn’t skimp out any detail in favor of power. The textures are natural, and the quality of it can dive way down into a really gritty rumble, but it smooths out nicely around the mid bass. It’s balanced and keeps everything driving nicely in the context of the overall sound signature. 

Mid range frequencies here are very articulate and lena forward a bit, lending them very nicely to elements like dynamic and expressive vocals. Once again, the texture is very natural, allowing for a great amount of detail to come through without an overemphasis on artificial sweetening of any kind. Listening to the greater artists here on old school straight forward recordings will absolutely give those tracks a bit of juice and lift.

The high frequencies here continue the theme of natural quality and are perhaps the most sterile of the frequency bands. There is a definite clean quality that allows for a great amount of clarity and pleasant detail. There’s certainly no sibilance or harshness to be found for those who like a little more sizzle on their top end. Instruments like guitars or high strings will feel very organic here, and the top end particularly suits classical or even ambient tracks.

Summary

Overall, this is a fantastic earphone for what is delivered here, and it’s an absolute steal at under 150 dollars.The response is fast, the fit is perfect and the sound truly excellent for what you’re paying.

Get a pair of Final Audio A3000 at Audio46.