Who are these brands then?

Final

Final is one of those brands. What most people do not know is that Final has been creating some of the finest audio products since 1974. In their home of Japan, Final is regarded as hi-fi royalty. Over their long history, Final has developed a wide range of products from turntable cartridges, hi-fi stereo amplifiers, speakers and more recently, headphones and earphones. Their latest venture is wireless audio, where they have had huge success releasing the UX3000 wireless headphones, ZE3000 true wireless earphones and most recently, their flagship ZE8000 ANC true wireless earphones.

Final ZE8000 ANC True Wireless Earphones

Final’s flagship true wireless earphones are their most advanced release to date. Almost 50 years of hi-fi experience has been packaged into this portable gem. The ZE8000 gives us an insight into the passion and drive towards excellence that is at the core of why Final do what they do. For the ZE8000, Final has developed a number of new technologies from custom made drivers, Class-AB amp integration with dedicated signal processing and software breakthroughs such as 8K Sound, Volume Step Optimisation and sound quality prioritised ANC. The ZE8000 is the closest you can get to wired IEM sound quality from an ANC true wireless earphone.

Campfire Audio

Another ‘new’ brand on the scene is Campfire Audio. They are new when it comes to the world of true wireless, however they have been making some of the finest, and highly regarded IEMs since 2015. Even before 2015, the team behind this creative boutique brand came out of ALO Audio; leaders in developing headphone amplifiers, interconnects, and cables to audiophiles all over the world. Their history and experience, paired with a passion for art and bombastic creativity has resulted in some of the most stand-out IEMs the audio world has seen. Legends such as the Andromeda and Solaris are still regarded as some of the best, and now it is time for Campfire Audio to do the same to the world of wireless with their first ever true wireless earphone: Orbit.

Campfire Audio Orbit True Wireless Earphones

Staying true to their eye for striking design and love of sound quality that aims to please, Campfire Audio’s Orbit perfectly encapsulates these values. This is no ordinary audiophile product; the tuning of the Orbit aims to please all music lovers with a rich and luscious sound. The Portland, Oregon team developed a custom 10mm full range dynamic driver to sit at the heart of the Orbit, with the internal chamber designed to bring out every ounce of detail. This along with the unique design and colour choice means that the Orbit is well suited to those who appreciate style, originality, and creativity for an enhanced musical experience.

Noble

Last up is Noble. For 10 years now, Noble has been creating some of the most beautiful and technically marvellous IEMs money can buy. Headed up by the ‘Wizard’ himself, John Moulton, who is one of the main players when it comes to the IEM industry we know today. Noble specialise in both custom-fit IEMs as well as universal-fit, using only the finest materials and managing to effortlessly pack multiple driver configurations into their models. Only magic can explain this. Noble first released a TWS model in 2019, gaining high praise and multiple awards. Now we have the latest, and most impressive true wireless earphone model: FoKus Mystique.

Noble FoKus Mystique Triple Hybrid-Driver True Wireless Earphones

Once you get over the stunning craftsmanship of the FoKus Mystique, there are plenty of other ways for you to be well and truly stunned. Firstly, Noble has packed one 8.2mm dynamic and two Knowles balanced armature drivers inside each earphone. This hybrid configuration not only uses the finest driver technology, the result is sound quality that most wired IEMs would struggle to compete with. The design is very unique, resembling a custom IEM with the shape and contours crafted to fit perfectly in your ear. The Noble FoKus Mystique is for those wanting the very best, and the most beautiful when it comes to what is possible in wireless audio. You will have to pay for it, however those who are willing to will not be disappointed.

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Fit and Comfort

The Noble Falcon 2 fit really well, a lot of thought has gone into the way they are shaped, the nozzle is a little longer, and the tips are quite short. They do sit a little deeper in your ears than some other TWS models but once you have found the right tips they offer a very secure fit. These would be excellent for active use, as they don’t at all once inserted.

The comfort is really good, again they sit a littel deeper in your ears but the short tips provide a very solid fit as well as being comfortable for long listening sessions. Due to the secure and slightly deeper fit, they don’t stick out of your ears too much either, always a bonus when they are made for portable use.

Features

The Falcon 2 have a noise pass through mode, one press of the L side and it will activate or deactivate this feature and it works really well when out and about. The left side also controls the volume, 2 clicks for volume down, 3 for volume up, a 1s press on either side will activate siri. A single press on the right side will play/pause music, and 2/3 presses for skipping tracks forward and back. Fairly standard for a TWS model, the button is quite stiff to press the first sew times, but once you get used to it, they are easy to use.

The case uses USB-C or wireless charging to charge it, and the earphones fit securely inside, you get up to 10hrs off a single charge. The Falcon 2 are IPX7 rated so perfect for sports and outdoor use, along with having AAC and Aptx support for high quality bluetooth playback (they use Bluetooth 5.2).

Sound

Bass: There is a nice little bit of added energy and punch down low on the Falcon 2, that little driver can provide good body and extension. Luckily though, it doesn’t sound overblown or dominating, they are not what I would consider linear or neutral but for portable use a little added body doesn’t hurt. They can hit hard when called for, but for the most part are just happy to keep the beat in focus without being the main focus.

Midrange: I really like the midrange on theses, it isn’t exactly forward but it is very clean and well presented. The separation between the lows and mids is great, this allows the midrange to cut through and they do so with good clarity. The tonality is also very good here, with a realistic tone, the midrange errs slighty on the warmer side, but overal a very enjoyable presentation.

Treble: The treble is smooth but still well presented in the mix, enough snap and sizzle to keep things exciting but not enough to ever sound grating or fatiguing. It extends without any real noticeable roll-off which isn’t always easy with bluetooth (aptx used in this review). Snares are snappy, cymbals are well defined and don’t get lost in the mix either, overall a well presented and smooth top end.

Soundstaging and Genres

The soundstage isn’t overly wide, however due to good detail and control the separation and stereo imaging makes them sound quite accurate and enjoyable.

They are a good all-rounder with an easy to listen to yet fun sound that is perfectly suited to casual everyday use. This means they handle most genres well, but modern pop and rock sounds particularly fun on these.

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