Final Audio E-series Earphones Roundup

INTRODUCTION

Final Audio’s E-series IEMs are their most popular model, by far. All of them have a cylinder/bullet-like shape, they all come with the famous E-type tips, and they all sport a 6mm dynamic micro-driver.

Naturally, this raises confusion among potential buyers as to which one they should get. I have personally purchased five different E-series IEMs so far, and extensively tried the remaining one (E2000). This post would be a short summary of the E-series IEMs, their relative strengths and weaknesses, and which one may fit particular preferences.

Thus, without further ado, let’s get straight into the comparison.

Note: all the IEMs are either purchased by me or given as a loaner (E2000) so no strings attached to them.

Sources used: Questyle QP1R, LG G7, Cowon Plenue R2, Sony NW-A55
Price: between $20 – $280

GENERAL SUMMARY

At first, I’d summarize the general sound signature or specialty of each of the E-series IEMs. Later on, I will provide a short comparison (based on my personal impressions, of course). I won’t provide measurements here since this post is meant to be a short summary of things instead of a comprehensive analysis, which you can read in the reviews of the IEMs.

A few bullet points regarding the IEMs:

• All E series IEMs use the same driver diaphragm but the driver assembly is different
• Only E4000 and E5000 have separate bass reflex chamber behind the housing
• Only E500 and E1000 have plastic shells, rest are metal
• All of them come with the same 5 pairs of E-type tips
• Only E4000 and E5000 come with detachable cable
• There are “C” variants of E1000, E2000, and E3000. The C stands for communication and basically means they have an inline mic. Sound is unchanged.
• E500 and E1000 do not come with any carrying case or pouch.
• When measuring, all E-series IEMs show some degree of channel variance or imbalance. This is expected apparently and while listening you mostly don’t notice it.

FINAL E500

The most specialized Final Audio IEMs in the E-series. These look similar to E1000 but costs about $5 to $10 less (depending on region). Many buy the E500 simply to get the supplied E-type tips and I myself got them for that reason at the first time. What I did not realize back then is how good they sound when watching movies, listening to binaural tracks, or just gaming in general.

E500 are basically the best gaming IEMs until you go into the VR3000 price-range (which cost four times more). With binaural tracks, they can render the sense of space convincingly with precisely positioning each element in the stage. Yes, there are far more expensive IEMs that do these better, but that is beside the point. What you get for $20 or so is such insane value that it boggles my mind. The tips alone cost $15, so you are getting the best “gaming” IEMs for… $5?

A no-brainer.

FINAL E1000

The most neutrally-tuned Final Audio IEMs. They have a frequency response graph that is the best kind of neutral: uncolored without being dry. The driver is limited in technicalities but again, at this price, that’s not what I am after.

The E1000 do not have good bass extension, or spectacular imaging/staging/separation like some of their brethren. They do one thing well better than the rest in the lineup: an uncolored presentation that is perfect for monitoring and mastering. An excellent “beater” IEM if you are into video editing or podcasting.

FINAL E2000

The staging is what you notice the most when you listen to them. The vocals are slightly recessed (making them a bit V-shaped) and coupled with the open-back nature and mid-bass quantity you get a quite immersive soundstage. The bass response is mid-bass heavy and lacks sub-bass rumble/impact. Midrange is its special suite as the male and female vocals sound sublime.

The E2000 have the most peaky treble among all E-series IEMs and can potentially get slightly sibilant on some highly susceptible tracks (Under Pressure by David Bowie, for example). Considering the peers though, treble tuning on E2000 is quite good. Imaging performance is decent, but not the best in its price class or among other E-series stuff. I’d personally rank them the second lowest among E-series IEMs.

FINAL E3000

The dark horse of the E-series, and also my second most favorite E-series IEM. Instrument separation esp air between instruments is the best among all E-series IEMs, yes, even the E5000. Bass has more rumble and impact than the E2000 but still rolled-off at the extreme end. Midrange is almost similar sounding to E2000 but has less focus on upper-harmonics resulting in an even smoother midrange rendition. Treble is delightful and portrays all the details without ever imposing itself.

If the E2000 is cottage cheese, the E3000 is creamy Gouda cheese. Soundstage is massive, falling behind to only two other <$100 IEMs that I’ve heard. Imaging is also fantastic in the price-class. Things get all the more impressive when you realize that Final tuned the E3000 to have a similar presentation to their flagship: Final D8000. Yes, only Final can try and capture literal lightning in a bottle, and you do get a glimpse of the D8000 signature in the E3000. For the price – I can’t ask more.

FINAL E4000

Add more sub-bass extension to the E2000, add a bit more vocal-presence and you get the E4000. A very balanced tuning that doesn’t excite anyone right out of the gate but you appreciate it the more you listen to it. I usually recommend it to the mature listener, someone who knows his preference well and wants something no-frill that will be solid with most genres at a budget and won’t have the imaging/soundstage/fit issue of the Etymotics.

I don’t like the stock cable though, I’d recommend getting a third-party one if possible. Also this one requires a good source, ideally with high current output (>200mW @ 16ohm).

FINAL E5000

Final E5000 are objectively not the best IEM and many downright label them as overpriced, but this hits all the right chords with me. I never knew I was a closet bass-head until I listened to them, and the bass on these are world-class, being better than most <$1000 stuff out there barring a certain LegendX, maybe the Hyla CE-5. They are the only IEMs ever that made me fall asleep while listening to Machine Head’s The Blackening. The soundstage is cavernous, and while the imaging is hazy the little strums of guitar and intimate pluckings are so well picked out and placed – it gets addictive. The vocals meanwhile make them indispensable for me.

I’m a sucker for the HD650 vocals and these are the one of the few IEMs (<$1000 bracket) that get close to said level of precision be it female or male vocals. I do not mean they sound like the HD650, they just evoke the same feeling of midrange liquidity, if that’s the term.

The Final E5000 are not for everyone, but once you start appreciating it – it becomes really hard to let go of. The treble has excellent upper-treble extension and while it’s not as on-your-face as on the E4000/E2000, it’s the most refined treble in the whole lineup once you focus on the attack/decay pattern of cymbal hits and hi-hats.

It does have the most absurd source requirement, in typical Final fashion. The sources that I have found to work best on them (listing the portable ones here): Questyle QP1R, Cowon Plenue R2 (balanced out), Cayin N6ii (E01), Lotoo PAW Gold Touch, Cayin C9, Apogee Groove. The E5000 are indeed tough nuts to crack.

COMPARATIVE RANKING

Finally, my own ranking of the E-series based on their specialty:

Bass: E5000 >>> E4000 >> E3000 > E2000 > E500 > E1000
Mids: E5000 >> E3000 = E4000 > E2000 > E1000 > E500
Treble: E5000 > E4000 > E3000 > E1000 > E2000 > E500
Soundstage: E5000 >> E3000 > E4000 > E2000 > E500 > E1000
Imaging: E3000 (E500 in binaural tracks) > E5000 > E4000 > E2000 > E1000 > E500 (this one really suffers in non-binaural tracks)

CONCLUDING REMARKS

To conclude, I present my very biased –
Final ranking: E5000 > E3000 > E4000 > E1000 > E2000 > E500 (a specialty item with limited use-case unfortunately).

It’s not straight forward to pick the “best” Final E-series IEM. The most expensive one might not be suitable for you, or you might get something you can’t drive with your current sources. I suggest the E1000 and E3000 as relatively “safe” bets. They are inoffensive in tuning and the E1000 especially don’t need very powerful sources. The E3000 do scale well with better sources and provide spectacular separation, unlike anything in their price range.

I believe every IEM enthusiast need to try or own at last one pair of E-series IEMs. They are going strong for over four years now and that kind of longevity is rarely seen in the modern portable audio scene.

Contact us!