
Source: http://www.smci.jp/files/2/headphones/catalog/MDR-EX800ST_catalog_en.pdf
Source: http://www.smci.jp/files/2/headphones/catalog/MDR-EX800ST_catalog_en.pdf
On 1 Jan 2021, Etymotic announced they will be releasing a new multi-driver earphone, a first for them. Here is what we know so far about it.
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Note: This is NOT a review.
Setup: DAP [Sony NW-A105] ➞ Music [Spotify (Downloaded at Very High Quality)] ➞ IEM [final A4000 / Etymotic ER2XR]
With ER2XR, the piano is the star of this track (which is how I think it’s mixed), while on A4000 the trio seem to be fighting for attention. The A4000 has what I call “emphasized detail” on this track where certain sounds/instruments are emphasized (which might make it interesting for some people) at the cost of tonal richness and sounding “natural”. This track is more engaging, immersive and richer on ER2XR for me.
I had posted measurements (frequency response graphs) earlier for final A4000 based on my old rig. Here are the latest measurements based on v1.0 of my IEM Measurement Rig.
3 samples each of the left and right channel. For each sample I remove and re-insert the IEM.
Average of 6 samples (3 samples of left channel plus 3 samples of right channel).
These are the first measurements from v1.0 of my IEM Measurement Rig.
3 samples each of the left and right channel. For each sample I remove and re-insert the IEM.
Average of 6 samples (3 samples of left channel plus 3 samples of right channel).
KopiOKaya was kind enough to share his ER2XR measurements (from his rig) with me for comparison and our measurements are pretty close.
There are some differences but overall it’s pretty comparable.
After struggling quite a bit with the DIY tube-coupler and in the interest of making my graphs compatible with other graphs out there for easy comparison, I decided to get an IEC6038-4/IEC60711/IEC711 coupler. This is a Chinese knockoff which is supposed to be pretty close to the real deal.
Please disregard this post and see the latest final A4000 measurements (frequency response graphs) and comparisons with Etymotic ER2XR using v1.0 of my IEM Measurement Rig.
These measurements are made on my DIY IEM measurement rig and are not accurate, and don’t necessarily represent what you might hear, especially before 60 Hz (huge sub-base roll-off) and after 10 kHz (and maybe even after 3 kHz as my ER2XR graph is very different compared to Crinacle’s post that). You can use it just to get a comparative idea, hence the comparison with ER2XR to give you a point of reference. Improving the rig is an ongoing process.
Here is Crinacle’s ER2XR graph for reference
It looks like final went with the mids to bass rise like in the E series and the highs of the A8000 on A4000.
To start with I had very high expectations from the final A4000 with some early reviews calling it a “baby A8000”, the A8000 being final’s flagship earphone that cost $2000. Given my experience with some earphones from final’s E-Series (E500 and E3000) that seemed very pleasant and maturely tuned but lacked both in quantity and quality in the highs for my preference and the fact that final is one of those few companies that seems to be very passionate about what they do, I was really hoping to find a final earphone that came close to my preference. So clearly I was going into this very biased.
Before I share my initial impressions it’s important to understand some context. At this point my reference earphone is the Etymotic ER2XR and I would classify myself as being a neutral-head. I listen to any and all types of music but I generally stay away from most forms of electronic music. I’m listening to music from Spotify (very high quality – downlaoded) on the Sony NW-A105. These impressions are OOTB (Out Of The Box) with no burn-in and I’ve listened to them for a couple of hours. final recommends 150 to 200 hours of normal-usage burn-in which according to them is primarily for the adhesive in the driver unit as it may affect the slight movement of the diaphragm and usage over time might allow it to move more freely.
With that out the way, here are my initial impressions:
These are very early impressions so take them FWIW. My impressions might change after I spend more time with them and get some “brain burn-in”.
P.S. I haven’t heard the A8000 so can’t confirm the “baby A8000” claim.
That’s all for now. I’ll be doing a listening session post with these soon, so subscribe to the blog with your email to get notified as soon as I make future posts:
Measurements taken using v0.1 of my DIY IEM measurement rig
Measurements taken using v0.1 of my DIY IEM measurement rig