For those of you that don’t know, Final is a Japanese audio brand with a long and impressive hi-fi history. Their products all share a similar theme – unique design and expertly tuned sound. With the A8000, Final’s latest flagship IEM sticks to their brief, while adding to it something I’ve never experienced before.

It’s clear that a lot of love and thought has gone into the A8000. The whole experience from opening the box, to putting them in your ears and getting lost in the music is an absolute joy. The earphones themselves are stunning, with polished stainless steel housings shaped in a very modern and striking way. Inside the housings, Final has developed a truly pure Beryllium driver – creating a level of dynamics and definition I’ve not heard from a dynamic driver IEM before. The supplied high purity silver plated copper cable adds to the impressive looks, which is terminated with a right angled 3.5mm jack.

The unique design of the housings are not just for good looks – they also happen to be extremely comfortable. The shape allows the earphones to sit effortlessly in my ears, and with the correct sized tips, getting a good seal is very easy to achieve. Then for added security, Final has supplied cable guides to help the cable stay behind your ears, and reduce cable noise or microphonics if you feel the need to use them.

Along with the cable and ear hooks, the A8000 comes supplied with a selection of different sized Final silicone eartips, an aluminium and silicone carry case, an easy MMCX plug removal tool and spare sound tube grill filters.

Final’s uniqueness doesn’t stop with their design, their sound is also unlike any other brand – IEMs or headphones. This is quite possibly due to the fact that Final develop a lot of their own technology, and they always keep to a certain house sound.

Bass on the A8000 has a natural and live feel to it. It has definition and depth without any of that unwanted bloatedness or distortion. It’s incredibly clean, and manages to add body and warmth where needed. Thanks to the control of the bass, mids flow through with ease and sit high enough in the mix to point out each fine detail. Vocals have a real quality to them, with layers of detail that bring out all of the intricacies and emotions you’d expect to hear only in a live setting. Then the treble manages to create endless space, with reverb trails that go on and on – the treble has a liquid quality that I’ve not heard from an IEM before.

The superb treble and overall dynamic sound helps the A8000 deliver a real-to-life soundstage, with depth and atmosphere – putting you close to the action. Imaging is also realistic. Instruments are easily defined and width is just what you’d expect it would be when recorded.

Final’s main competition at this price point comes from the likes of Dita, Campfire Audio and Hifman – and however impressive their high end models are, none have managed to achieve the purity and delicacy that the A8000 brings.

Essentially, it’s going to come down to taste. No matter how good I think they are, if you’re used to a warm or bass driven sound signature, then the A8000 could come across as too bright or harsh in the upper frequencies. For those who favour transparency and clarity, then the A8000 may be the best IEM you’ve ever heard.

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Final Audio’s latest release is their B-Series of earphones, the B1, B2 and B3. Drawing on their years of experience and learning from previous releases such as their E-Series and MAKE series, the new B-Series range of earphones looks to take Final to another level with a brand new concept.

This is new territory for the leading Japanese brand, incorporating multiple driver setups for the first time in their standard range of earphones. As ever, Final like to do things differently, even when it comes to naming their earphones. For the B-Series, they decided to step away from the normal naming order based on price. These models are named based on when they were made. Final believe that price shouldn’t dictate quality, with each model having their own style and characteristic. It’s a philosophy which shows Final’s value in every product they create.

B1

So let’s meet the team. The hybrid dual driver Final B1 comes in at around £600 and in terms of design, stands out the most. The housings are made using stainless steel, with a mirrored rose gold finish. Inside each housing is one balanced armature driver and one dynamic driver, both developed by Final themselves. The silver plated copper cable adds the finishing touch to this stunning earphone. Sound wise, the B1 has been tuned to put you right in the middle of the action, with a lively sound that delivers clean and punchy bass, rich mids, and crisp resolution.

B2

The single driver B2 is priced just under £260, with a more understated design choice. The stainless steel housings this time have a brushed gun metal finish, providing a more sleek and elegant look. Inside is a single balanced armature driver, again developed by Final. The replaceable cable is OFC copper and the cable has a black coating, which compliments the design as much as the sound. Sound quality from the B2 is all about clarity and clean detail. Vocals are realistic and present among the naturally reproduced instruments. Overall the B2 delivers a more neutral and perceivably accurate sound.

B3

Last, but by no means least is the dual driver B3 coming in at just under £440. The Final B3 has their stainless steel housings finished in frosty silver, and along with the replaceable silver coated copper cable they have a bright and fresh look about them. Inside the housings are two of Final’s balanced armature drivers, which have been tuned to provide the most in terms of width and space out of the three. Soundstage is very impressive, and the top end extension will allow you to pick out the most delicate of sounds.

The Range

The B-Series earphones have all been designed to fit perfectly in the ear. The unique shape has obviously been chosen not only for its looks, they are all extremely comfortable (for me, anyway). They are impressively small and the shape allows them to sit in my ear with ease.

All three models are packaged in a very attractive box, and supplied with a silicone carry case, cable ear hooks for added support, and a selection of Final silicone eartips in a number of different sizes. (Check out our unboxing video for the B3 to see what we mean!)

With the B-Series, Final are showing that they mean business, challenging the likes of Shure, Westone and Campfire Audio with their high design and impressive sounding IEMs.

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