ZE8000: Presentation

I am a big fan of the ZE8000 presentation. The box is smart and shows the design of the earbuds in a subtle and inviting way, urging me to want to see more. Open the box and Final has provided a number of useful accessories including five sizes of eartips (SS, S, M, L, LL), a USB-C charging cable and a handy set of dust filters.

The Earbuds

Delve further and you’ll find the earphones along with their handy portable charging case. The earphones have been designed in a completely unique way. Final has developed their ‘division design’ so that the bulk of the components are separated from the part that fits into the ear. This means that those with smaller ears will be able to find a secure fit. This design choice is not only clever, it is attractive to look at too (for me anyway). With the ZE8000, Final has taken the common true wireless ‘stem’ and created a classy and stylish alternative. Due to the divided design, the ZE8000 is extremely comfortable. I have large ears, and the LL eartips create a tight seal and secure fit with no fear of the earphones moving around or falling out.

Maybe Final are onto something.

The Case

The case is on the larger side, yet the size seems justified considering the unique shape of the earphones. The lid slides open easily enough and has a pleasant action. Putting the earphones into the case and removing them is easy to do, even with gloves on. I am however slightly disappointed with the overall feel of the case. It is very light and has a plasticy feel to it which I would not normally have expected from Final – especially with a product at this price. Saying that, maybe Final are onto something. The case will either be in my pocket or bag, so being this light does have its uses. There is no wireless charging here, so you will need to use the USB-C charging port on the back which my be annoying for some. I personally don’t use wireless charging, so this did not affect my use of the ZE8000.

ZE8000: Impressive Hardware

The Drivers

Final has developed a bunch of new technologies for the ZE8000. The driver used is their ‘f-CORE for 8K SOUND’ ultra-low distortion driver, which has been newly designed by Final’s in-house engineers. The 13mm driver has a lightweight aluminium dome which results in very low total harmonic distortion (THD) when compared to other true wireless models.

Class-AB Amplifiers

Another impressive hardware choice is the use of Class-AB amplifiers, known for their superior balance between sound quality and power efficiency. This is a big step for Final, as usually true wireless earphone products tend to use Class-D amplifiers which sacrifice audio quality for power efficiency. The result is a lower battery life when compared to some of the competition, but the benefits to sound quality will make up for that.

Battery Life

Speaking of battery life, the ZE8000 will give you 5 hours of listening time when fully charged, with an additional 10 hours (15 hours total) with the case. This is with noise cancelling activated, so while not being the best in terms of numbers, I find it acceptable given the benefits to sound quality from the Class-AB amps. You can fully charge the earbuds in 1.5 hours from 0, and fast charging will give you 45 minutes of playback from a 5 minute charge.

Call Quality

Thanks to the positioning of the earpieces, and the quality of the internal microphones used, voice quality on the ZE8000 is very clear. I found these earphones to work well outside while on the move and even better inside. I tried them when there was a fair amount of wind and still managed to make a few calls with no problems. Indoors, where there is no weather interreference, the call quality is extremely clear and along with their comfort, ideal for a day of long videos calls.

ZE8000: Software done right

Active Noise Cancellation

No corners were cut when it comes to the software either. For the ZE8000, Final has developed their noise cancelling technology to prioritise sound quality, and from what I can hear this is most certainly to be the case. The ANC may not block out as much noise as some of the competition, but what I do get is total silence coming from the earphones. There is no hiss anywhere to be heard, and the ANC certainly does create a quiet listening environment for me to enjoy some tunes, podcast interview or audiobook. The ANC also feels very natural to me. I tend not to use ANC on headphones or earphones because I find the effect to be very unnatural, usually affecting audio quality too.

Finally, there is Wind-Cut mode which gives you the benefit of Noise Cancelling while also completely reducing wind noise

Ambient Sound and Wind-Cut Mode

With the ZE8000, ambient noise is blocked out in a very natural way – as though the world just got quieter. If you want to hear your surroundings, Final has you covered. There are other settings including Ambient Sound and Voice Through. Both allow you to hear what is going on around you, with the Voice Through mode reducing the level of music coming through in order to be able to focus on talking. Finally, there is Wind-Cut mode (my favourite) which gives you the benefit of Noise Cancelling while also completely reducing wind noise – something I have not experience this well before. All of these models can be easily selected on the ‘Final Connect’ app along with a few other handy features including Final’s newly developed Volume Step Optimiser and 8K Sound.

Volume Step Optimizer

Volume Step Optimiser is a way of being able to easily fine tune your volume. This is setup via the app, where you can set a reference point, and then from there you can adjust the volume at much smaller intervals when compared to the standard volume controls. I personally didn’t use this much – however I know that there will be a lot of users out there who would appreciate this as an option.

8K Sound

8K Sound utilises the hardware choices within the ZE8000 in order to deliver audio in a new way. When selected, I noticed a change to the sound. It is subtle, and there definitely seems to be an improvement to my ears – as though a veil was lifted and more information was pulled out of the audio. Those who prefer to keep things natural may not use this setting, I found myself keeping it on as I really enjoyed the benefits, however subtle.

Within the app you can also see the individual battery levels and easily perform firmware updates when available.

Compatibility

The ZE8000 supports all the main codecs AAC, aptX and aptX Adaptive, and is compatible with Snapdragon Sound – so anyone with devices using this technology will be able to benefit from this. My device does not so I could not test this out. I’ll just have t take their word for it.

‘But John, how do they sound?’ – Good question. They sound very good!

I listen to so many headphones and earphones, wired and wireless, and at some point I realised that once you get to a certain level – they all sound pretty good. So, is the ZE8000 any different? Yes. Why? I am glad you asked…

A listening experience that I can best describe as ethereal

In my experience, true wireless earphones tend to favour smooth, unoffensive or bass heavy sound signatures. This makes sense, as it is probably what the majority of users really want. I love bass. If I listen to an earphone that has a lot of bass, and has balanced it well among the other frequencies, I will be a fan. Then I try the ZE8000 and I quickly remember that there’s a lot more to music than these popular sound signatures tend to deliver. Firstly, these are not bassy, nor are they smooth – they are effortless. The bass is very much there, and it stays well in its lane. The lack of noise makes for a silent canvas, which means that the finest details can come across in a way that is noticeable and yet perfectly subtle. Each sound is so tight and well controlled, that this leaves an impressive amount of space within the mix for reverbs and other effects to really make an impact. The combination of an extremely comfortable fit and effortlessly delivered audio makes for a listening experience that I can best describe as ethereal.

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Fit and Comfort

The Flow II are a portable headphone, designed for on-the-go use and the design reflects that. They are well shaped and have an attractive design that fits well without looking too bulky. They are mainly made of plastic to keep the weight down, but have metal reinforcement at key parts. The earpads are just big enough to be considered over the ear, which helps with comfort.

They are fairly comfortable with good padding on the top of the headband, lightweight build and big enough cups to accommodate most ears. The clamping force is a little tight at first, the same with the earpads, but overtime the pads will soften and the clamping force usually loosens a little.

Compatibility

The Flow II are primarily a bluetooth headphone, and they connect easily to all devices. They do however lean towards Android over iOS due to the built in google assistant button and prompts when you pair them with an Android device. You can use them in wired mode with the included cable too. They have noise cancellation and ambient mode, charge via USB-C, have great battery life (up to 20hrs) and include a built in microphone for taking calls.

They have a few neat features too, one being the dedicated Google Assistant button to hear notifications and all the other things you can use the assistant for (calendar events, calling, sending texts etc…). They also have sensors that automatically pause the music when the headphones are removed, and play when they are put back on. The volume and playback controls are done via a touch panel on the L earcup, swiping up/down to increase/decrease volume and swiping forward/back to skip tracks. A double tap pauses the music, holding you hand on the L cup lowers the volume and allows outside noise in for train/plane announcements etc…

Noise cancelling on these is really impressive, what is most impressive is the fact that it barely makes a negative impact on the overall sound quality. Perfect for planes and trains, the Flow II make a worthy travelling headphone.

Overall the Flow II is a well thought out headphone with very useful features for everyday use and commuting use.

Sound

Bass: Normally I would expect a headphone in this price range, and of this particular design, to have overblown beats-style bass but the pedigree behind the folks at Cleer shines through. No they haven’t made these a boring studio sounding headphone, but they have decided to make the bass hit with authority and depth, but also with control and composure. There is a nice sub-bass presence that backs up the initial impact and they lend their hand to all genres. The Flow II have an element of fun to their sound, without introducing any real imbalance to the overall well balanced sound signature.

Midrange: Here the Flow II have such a smooth yet honest presentation, whilst they might not have the clinical accuracy of a studio headphone the midrange is nonetheless very well presented. Most consumer focussed headphones lack real presence in the midrange, luckily here you get all that wonderful vocal presence and guitars sound true to the source but without being pushed in your face. I’m really impressed by the presentation of the midrange, it is clean and clear without any audible distortion or uneven dips/peaks.

Treble: There’s no hint of boosted treble or sharp fatigue inducing peaks up top either, most of the time I’d find a headphone like this a little subdued in the treble but once you are using there out and about you forget about that. They have all the treble presence most would ever want, and with good tonal accuracy too, they might lack a bit of initial treble energy but cymbal hits are delivered with impressive accuracy and are well placed within the soundstage.

Genres and Soundstaging

The Flow II have a fairly balanced sound overall, which means they can handle pretty much anything you throw at them. They do however handle modern pop and alternative rock very well being both controlled yet fun and enjoyable.

The soundstaging on the Flow II isn’t that great, they don’t have the most spacious sound but the controlled nature of the sound allows for great layering and instrument separation. This allows you to easily pinpoint instruments and offers an immersive stereo experience.

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If you travel often by aeroplane or long distance train and you have a passion for music it’s likely you’ve considered (or maybe already own) a pair of active noise cancelling headphones. The clever electronics in these headphones does an excellent job of removing the low frequency boom of aircraft engines, train air conditioning and any other consistent rumbling noises. While some feel the addition of this electronics interferes with the quality of audio reproduction, there is no doubt that the technology is impressive and very effective at reducing low frequency noise.

Visit the HiFi Headphones online store for a closer look at the Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7

What about Bose?

The obvious choice for many when it comes to noise cancelling headphones is the Bose range. The Bose Quiet Comfort noise cancelling headphones have long been regarded as the standard by which other noise cancelling headphones should be measured. This domination of the market has meant that Bose has been able to justify a hefty price tag for their superior technology.

In recent years manufacturers such as Sennheiser, Panasonic and others have to some degree caught up with Bose, but many feel Bose still have the upper hand with their noise cancelling technology..

Audio-Technica’s ATH-ANC7’s headphones are well and truly aimed to challenge the position of Bose.

ATH-ANC7 Quietpoint Overview

Upon opening the box the ANC7’s are immediately impressive, with excellent build quality and a comfortable fit on most ears. The headphone ear cups have a rather handy pivoting link to the headband that means they can be folded 90 degrees for convenient storage of the headset. Also included with the headphones is a useful airline connection adapter, the single AAA battery needed to power the active electronics and a practical carry case to protect your headphones.

Audio-Technica’s ATH-ANC7 Quietpoint noise cancelling headphones come in a full size headset package with sealed (or closed) ear cups to help reduce high frequency noise from leaking in, while the active electronics handle the suppression of low frequency noise. The ear cups do not completely enclose the ears, but instead rest on the outer ear with soft pads that mould to fit comfortably on most ears.

Clever Cable Design

The headphone connection cable design of the ANC7’s is worth a mention. The convenient 1.6 metre cable is terminated with a full size 6.35mm (1/4”) jack at the source end and a 3.5mm (1/8”) mini jack at the headphone end. While the length is perfect for using with a portable music player on the move, the use of standard connectors means the cable can be easily replaced with a longer item for other applications such as home or office listening. The ANC7’s can also be used without the cable attached to just perform noise cancelling duties – handy if you are looking to get some sleep on a long flight.

How Do They Sound?

The quality of audio reproduction is excellent. The sealed ear cup headphone design means there is very little bass leakage and the lower frequency response is very strong. Moving through the mid-range and high frequencies the sound is pure and crisp and very accurate.

The closed back design does give the sound an enclosed character, which owners of good quality open back headphones may find immediately noticeable. The difference between open and closed back headphones can be compared to listening to a band in a large open concert hall and then hearing the same band playing a small intimate venue – it’s just different. There is no doubt that the ANC7’s close back design does change the character of the sound, but without the sealed ear cups the listener would be disturbed by high frequency external noise.

The active noise reduction technology of the Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7’s is very impressive. Low frequency external noise is dramatically reduced, while still managing to maintain excellent quality audio reproduction.

More Information

Visit the HiFi Headphones online store for a closer look at the Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7 Quietpoint Noise Cancelling Headphones.

For more information on how noise cancelling headphones work see our Noise Cancelling Headphones Buyer’s Guide.

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