Final ZE3000 Review (1) – Big in Japan

The $149 Final ZE3000 are superb sounding TWS earphones that provide the utmost wearing comfort. They can easily compete with any wired iem in their price category.

Pros — Excellent sonic signature and technical performance; smooth Bluetooth operation; very good comfort and fit.

Cons — Possibly no punchy enough for non-audiophiles.

Introduction

“Big in Japan” was a huge international 1980s hit by German group “Alphaville”. It flopped in Japan itself because it closed on a…Chinese gong. In contrast, Final Audio Design are big in their native Japan. They have been around since 2007 and have sold their earphones since 2009. Their first wireless earphone was the E3000 in 2017, of which they allegedly sold hundreds of thousands – and won 10 gold medals at Japan’s biggest audio awards. The Final ZE3000 is the successor.

Final do not rely on blog/YouTube promoters. They typically do not provide “review samples” – and their products therefore do not show up on the usual “Best of” buying lists, a fact that disproves the general validity of such. Final products also don’t fare well with the “measurebators” (check Crinacle’s ranking list, for example). The company has enough self confidence not to care.

It is Final’s philosophy to provide natural sound, thereby not bothering with window dressing such as fancy faceplates or swanky packaging. The company’s concept is – and has been “the comprehensive pursuit of things that are fundamentally right”. And they back this with a competency based on their solid R&D. It is therefore not surprising that their product is sustainable; many of their current models have been around for more than 4 years (I just bought the Sonorous III, released in 2016).

Coincidentally, four of us at audioreviews.org purchased (and thoroughly analyzed) quite a few of Final’s models. For example, Alberto gave his detailed account of the Sonorous II & III headphones and Kazi characterized Final’s complete E-series. Quite a few of Final products decorate our Wall of Excellence. So you, the reader, have several qualified opinions on their products – which is more reliable than a single person’s rankings.

Having qualified through actively buying their gear and generating meaningful and thorough analyses, and Kazi talking to their reps in person, we could secure review units of the ZE3000 and UX3000 (their first wireless headphone).

Specifications Final ZE3000

Physicals

In the box are:

• Charging Case with earpieces
• Final “TYPE E Truly Wireless Exclusive Edition” eartips (5 sizes: SS / S / M / L / LL)
• USB Type C Charging Cable

Case and earpieces of the Final ZE3000 are coated with the soft-textured SHIBO シボ finish, that yields a speckled pattern reminiscent of classic SLRs, which makes them look rugged (my UX3000 and Sonorous III headphones also feature this coating). The case is handy and can be operated with one hand.

The earpieces are rather bulky (has to do with acoustics) but very light. They have minimal contact areas with the concha, which makes them comfortable. Final’s eartips provide a very good seal. I can wear these for hours without even feeling them. As to the technical details, Final provide extensive information on the ZE3000’s product page.

シボ is an old Japanese word for wrinkled paper!

Bluetooth Functionality

Once paired, the Final ZE3000 connect automatically to my iPhone or daps, upon taking the earpieces out of the case. Running around my 2000 sq ft home with the phone/dap on the kitchen counter, I don’t have any issues with transmission. It works! I am using the aptX codec.

Tonality and Technicalities

Admittedly, I generally don’t like TWS iems…what a waste considering their disposable batteries and therefore planned obsolescence. But I also have to blur it out: I LOVE THESE FINAL ZE3000! THEY SOUND INCREDIBLE! Their imaging is fantastic, their balance and cohesion are fantastic, staging is great, they make music sound like music. No piercing, nothing analytical or sterile, the music sounds as natural as it gets. And, isn’t that what we want? Their overall signature is marginally warm and silky smooth throughout.

The Final ZE3000 are another great example of the limitations of frequency-response graphing and opinions/ideologies built upon them. No need to follow the pied pipers that confuse you with their partial stories and incomplete accounts. The ZE3000 are just great all around and make for an immersive, engaging listening. I have been using these for weeks around the clock now. What makes them particularly appealing is their smooth leading edge: attack is just right for me without being boring. Headroom is big. You are in the studio with the band or orchestra, sir!

‘nough said? OK, let’s do the bean counting, you know that “bass, midrange, treble” thing everybody does. Bass, subbass, yep, great extension down there. No mid bass hump, therefore no danger to my sensitive eardrums. And the punch is also not deep enough for the low end to sound dry. It is well placed. Just right. And it is far enough away not to bleed into the midrange. OK, it could be a little bit tighter, but we are getting petty.

Midrange is where it should be: in the middle…no V-shape, voices are forward and of good weight and definition, more on the silky side. No screaming guitars. A $1000 wired iem would have better defined edges, the Final ZE3000 sound pleasant and agreeable. We know this smoothness from the Final A3000, for example.

Treble molds seamlessly around the mids (or rather tags onto them), extension is not the greatest (a TWS thing), cymbals are reasonably well sculptured but are a bit on the “light” side – and show natural decay.

If there is something such as a weak point it stems from the Bluetooth technology and not Final’s input: the punch/slam is not as hard as in a a wired premium iem with a good amp…the minature DAC/amps in the ZE3000’s earpieces, you know. But it is still hard enough.

We had the great headroom, and touched the great spatial reconstruction, stage is deep and wide and tall, separation is ok, layering is good. Dynamics and microdynamics are great. Accentuation and nuances in finely woven jazzy or classical passages are outstanding.

As a consequence of the tuning, you can turn the Final ZE3000 up to max without blowing your eardrums out. And despite what people say, I consider this typical Japanese tuning, considering the Japanese Hifi components I owned in the 1980s, which were designed to provide smooth sounds to small apartments….still own a Luxman L-410 amp…my workhorse since 1986.

Final ZE3000 compared

The 199 Euro Earsonics Aerø is another non-V shaped sounding TWS earphone that follows a different build philosophy. In contrast to the Final ZE3000’s bulbous shape, the Earsonics are elongate and slim. They need very deep insertion to seal my ear canals. The Aero have a harder slam and tighter bass than the more relaxed playing ZE3000 and are therefore better suited for aggressive, “heavy” music. They reproduce vocals much sharper and have an overall more “robust” sound. The Final ZE3000 offer a bigger and wider stage (more wide than deep) and have the softer leading edge. Both earphones are good, but I prefer the Final.

The $149 Final UX3000 (review pending) are headphones but could nevertheless be compared to the ZE3000 as both are TWS at the same price. The UX3000 beat the ZE3000 and Aero in terms of staging and imaging, including 3D rendering and headroom. They also have more volume and more pizazz and sound overall more substantial. And they offer 35 hr of battery life and a decent ANC. So, if you want to take any of these on an intercontinental flight you have the choice: ANC, battery life in a large device vs. convenience…as iems fit in your shirt pocket. You may as well get them both…or all three :).

Concluding Remarks

The Final ZE3000 are another winner for Final Audio Design. They score big and may sell like hotcakes in Japan while being ignored by most internet “experts” and influencers elsewhere. They are for people who listen to and enjoy music as authentically as should be. A fare for gourmets and not for gloutons.

Until next time…keep on listening!

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