TWS Sound Gets Super Personal: Final Audio Tonalite Review

The Tonalite is an incredibly lightweight true wireless earphone. It follows in the footsteps of the ZE series, offering a feel that makes it feel like there's nothing in your ear. The shape is more like a teardrop, then it has another smaller circle that fits more snugly in the ear. Final Audio gives you Type G fusion eartips and adjustable rings for the Tonalite so you can get the ideal and most comfortable fit for your ears. It did take some adjustment to find the right angle and fit, but once you got the right fit, you were set to start listening comfortably. The Tonalite's case is also small and compact, making it perfect for travel and taking your listening on the go. 

The main attraction of the Tonalite is the DTAS Personalized Timbre Profile. But what is it really? 

DTAS stands for Digital Twin Audio Simulation. Normally, how we perceive sound when its played in a room (without earbuds in) depends on acoustics of the room and of our ear itself. Final Audio knows that with an earbud, its hard to recreate that natural sound and get the sound you would be hearing if the music was being played right in front of you. In the Tonalite, they integrated a technology that scans your head and ears to create a digital avatar. This allows the app to create a Personalized Timbre Profile based on how you would perceive sound, creating a unique filter with a timbre coefficient that you can choose so the sound is optimal for you. Its a unique process and one I've not seen in any true wireless earphones, so it was interesting to go through the Tonalite's process. 

The ear and head scan is quite time consuming, and it does require quite a bit of patience. The Tonalite includes all the materials you need to do the scan, including a headband with QR code stickers that will be scanned with your phone's front camera. I think its definitely worth taking the time and going through the process, even if you find the general profile to be right up your alley. It adds another layer of detail and personality to the Tonalite's sound, so you get a more entertaining listening experience. 

SOUNDSTAGE & IMAGING

For the listening review of the Tonalite, it took some time since I was listening to two profiles. One was the standard profile you hear when you first pair them, and the second was the personalized profile you created. For the listening review, I used mainly the general profile since everyone's personal profile is subjective and likely won't be the same across the board. That being said, the sound is incredibly wide on the Tonalite. You get to hear a very wide expansion of sound that wraps around you to immerse you in the listening. The placement of instruments in the stereo field is distinct and precise, which is great for people that prefer more analytical listening. 

The Tonalite's sound signature is incredibly balanced. The midrange comes forward to highlight vocals and melodic instruments, so you get those details coming out first with other elements filtering behind. I liked how balanced the signature was, especially since it brought more focus to textural elements as opposed to just the highs and lows. Some tracks that were more bass-heavy sounded a bit thin, but the level of detail and drive on them made them just as entertaining and energetic during listening. 

Turning on the personalized timbre profile, I could hear a slight difference in the overall signature. Keep in mind: my profile will look different than what your profile may look like, so my reaction may not be an accurate representation of what the profile will do for you. The personal profile gave the signature more depth and body, and the texture of instruments became crisper than before. I really liked the filter and how I could make micro-adjustments to the profile depending on what level of detail I wanted. 

BASS FREQUENCIES

If you're a fan of bass, you may have to do some adjusting to the Tonalite's signature. The bass isn't very strong, but that's not to say its gone completely. It takes more of a backseat in the signature to highlight detail and texture over depth. You get a good amount of warmth from bass drums and low string instruments, though the texture and timbre of these instruments comes out above all else. This is where the personalized timbre profile comes in strong to assist in how you listen to music. In the general profile, the bass seemed lacking. Once I turned on my personalized settings, the bass got a touch more depth and body to make hits feel more powerful and driving. I think people who are not looking for an overpowering bass will appreciate the natural tuning of the Tonalite; those who want some more punch will definitely benefit from the personalized sound profile or the 10-band EQ. 

MIDRANGE FREQUENCIES

The midrange was easily one of my favorite parts of the Tonalite. Midrange detail was at the forefront of every track, highlighting the vocals and the main melodic instruments. You get so much detail and color from this range in particular, as a lot of elements fall into the midrange. Vocalists were crisp and clear, standing at the very front so all your attention was directed to them. They sounded natural and clean, as if they were singing right in front of you. It helped to have a very good accompaniment around them, and the layers of instruments were separated nicely so you could appreciate the timbres of each individual element. I liked how the layers were separated, and with the Personalized Sound Profile, there was more depth for them to spread out in the wide soundstage.  

TREBLE FREQUENCIES

At the top end, the Tonalite keeps things light and airy. There isn't a lot of punchy or sharp detail in the treble, but you still get distinct clarity in those top range instruments so everything is clear and recognizable. The treble expands upwards and rolls off naturally, so you feel like you have a lot of space for frequencies to dissipate out naturally. I really appreciated that the treble was not harsh or overly sharp, especially given that the natural tuning of the bass is on the thinner side. The treble matches the relaxed tone of the bass so everything feels cohesive as you go from the sub-lows to the ultra-highs. The Tonalite's sound signature get a lift into the brighter end with the lightness of this range. 

The Final Audio Tonalite takes true wireless listening to a whole new level. Even if you've got the best true wireless IEMs, Final presents an interesting alternative that allows you to experience audio in the most personal way possible. The Tonalite has nicely balanced sound to begin with, and now with the addition of making the Personalized Timbre Profile, you have a new world of listening at your fingertips. Granted, patience is the key to success; you'll need to take the time to sit down with these earbuds to get them to their full potential. Any audiophile will appreciate the Tonalite and all the sound it has to offer at the $329 price point. 

You can get the Final Audio Tonalite at Audio46.