Final E500 - The New Budget Kings!
The audiophile universe is governed by the laws of diminishing returns. You could spend thousands of dollars on all sorts of ?end-game? toys for your ears and still yearn for something better. Or worse, that headphone you bought for 3000 dollars two months ago is now on sale for half that price. And so it goes.
Unfortunately my wallet is not as cavernous as some, so I have to settle for budget-fi wherever possible. Every so often a product comes along that shatters the price to audio-excellence barriers - and leaves many an audio nut dumfounded how something that sounds so good can be so cheap.
My first foray into awesome sounding headphones for teeny-weeny money was my purchase of the Koss KPH30i. Which for a long time I have regarded as the best value-for-money headphone in hi-fi. It?s not the most comfortable on-ear headphones, nor is it the best built - but for less than 30 dollars I found it?s balanced, detailed, resolving, yet fun sound signature hard to beat.
That was until these Final E500 IEMs arrived on my doorstep.
I bought the Final E500 from Amazon in the UK - it?s not available in the USA. At a mere ?19.99 I believe it is the most affordable product that Final Audio from Japan makes. To put it into perspective - their D8000 Planar Magnetic headphones will set you back well over $4,000! Final Audio have been making high-end audio products since 1974, and are no doubt regarded with high pedigree in the audiophile community.
So, for less than 20 Pounds Sterling, I thought I had nothing to lose with these headphones. And I was right.
They come in a little white box with 5 pairs of (different sized quite excellent) colour-coded silicone tips - that?s it.
Inside the E500?s ABS thermoplastic tubular housings are Final?s own 6.4 mm dynamic drivers. I might be mistaken, but I believe these are the same drivers used on their much more expensive E4000 model.
The rubberised cable is attached and terminates in a 90-degree 3.5mm gold-plated plug.
The design of the housing is based on many of the other of Final?s popular E-series IEMs - so it?s a tried and tested design.
To be honest, I?m not a huge fan of IEMs, but these little light-as-a-feather wonders from Final are really comfortable in my ears for long periods of time, and can be even used for side-sleeping with. Note that there is a fair amount of cable noise if you touch the cables or if they rub against your shirt - but that sound disappears once the music starts.
So, to the sound.
Simply, wow! I couldn?t believe how incredible these sounded from the moment I started listening to music on them. They have a warm-ish V-shaped sound signature, with a relatively wide soundstage and incredible imaging. Stunning bass, luscious non-fatiguing highs and a beautifully defined midrange make these truly enjoyable to listening to music on. The feeling of immersive surround sound that you get from these is outstanding. The immediate feeling I got was that these were like the IEM version of my fantastic Beyerdynamic TYGR 300 R over-ear headphones. If you do not like to smile or enjoy having fun with your music, then do not buy the Final E500.
One of my favourite reference tracks for testing headphones on is ?Autumn Leaves? by Cannonball Adderley and Miles Davis. It?s a journey into sound like no other, IMHO. Miles Davis?s glorious horn never gets piercing and Sam Jones?s double-bass feels organic and alive on the E500. It feels to me like I was there with them in the recording studio. And what greater compliment to music can there be?
Sony, Beyerdynamic, Blon, V-Moda, Edifier, Tin Hi-Fi, KZ, Koss and many other notable hi-fi brands have budget IEMs that vie for the title of budget IEM King.
I admit that I have not heard many other IEMs, and therefore cannot give you an honest comparison with regards to other budget IEMs, but I find it hard to believe that any of them can beat the Final E500 for sheer bang-for-buck value.
The end.
