Final Audio A8000 Review – Float Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee

Sound –

Testing Methodology: Measured using Arta via IEC 711 coupler to Startech external sound card. 7-9KHz peaks may be artefacts/emphasised due to my measurement setup, less so with deep fit. Measurements besides channel balance are volume matched at 1KHz. Fit depth normalised to my best abilities to reduce coupler resonance. Still, due to these factors, my measurements may not accurately reflect the earphone or measurements taken by others. I gave the A8000 100hrs burn-in to ensure maximum performance prior to subjective breakdown.

Tonality –

At its most fundamental, the A8000 is tone neutral, balanced-bright earphone. It can appear quite bright on first listen, especially coming from warmer or bassier in-ears. However, coming from more balanced gear or given a brief adjustment period, it is a well-balanced listen. From a Final Audio POV, it appears to me most similar to the E4000, albeit I haven’t heard the B-series in a while to compare. However, the A8000 is clearly a different beast, with a much cleaner and more balanced sound without the mid-bass focus and hugely improved dynamic range. This is also a highly technically impressive IEM and this quality immediately comes to forefront on first listen. Signature wise, there’s a slightly sub-bass focus in the lows that instigates a great sense of drive and imbues an uptick of body. As the upper-bass and lower-midrange sit behind, the tone is neutral and the sound is highly clean and separated.

The midrange is defined by a rather steep rise to 3kHz hump before dip and subsequent lower-treble peak. It’s clear that Final have done their homework here and worked to intentionally deliver a certain style of sound albeit one that remains a little bright to me. The peaks and bumps are in all the right places though the amplitude means this earphone won’t suite everyone. It appears to be a revealing tuning enhancing an already superb technical performance making for a product that is certainly one of a kind. Of note, I did try to tame the highs by placing some micropore tape over the nozzle and by installing foam tips. Though the tonal balance was improved with both, I did personally feel it hampered the resolution. In my opinion, the A8000 is best enjoyed in vanilla form.

Bass –

Where the E-series targeted a warm, rich mid-bassy tuning, the A8000 instead opts for a more powerful and dynamic sub-bass focused presentation. Despite this, it isn’t at all a bass heavy earphone and still upholds respectable linearity. However, it does have a bolder note structure and enhanced fullness that serves to counterbalance its forward midrange to some degree. The tone remains dead neutral and extension is some of the best I’ve heard from any IEM. Moreover, all characteristics sit in good balance. The resolution in the sub-bass is tremendously good, with awesome rumble definition and a tight, physical slam without overbearing pressure. Similarly, the mid-bass has good body without introducing any colouration and the midrange is well separated to boot. The driver qualities are surely one of the most unique aspects of this earphone, but you may be disappointed if you go in expecting huge quantity.

Looking past this, the unique driver construction and its surrounds grant the A8000 immense speed and with that, exemplary timing, note definition and detail retrieval. Attack is ultra-quick and the driver is similarly quickly decaying as one would expect. The A8000 is one of the most articulate bass performers I’ve heard, better yet, it does so whilst upholding almost BA-levels of note definition. So, despite the added note body, the A8000 has excellent separation and effortlessly keeps pace even with quick, bass-heavy tracks. The mild sub-bass focus imbues an intoxicating sense of depth and dynamics whilst the ultra-fast transient response keeps the sound focused and defined. Though it won’t satisfy those craving a traditionally big bass, if you love a dynamic bass with truly TOTL technical ability, the A8000 should have a spot on your bucket list.

Mids –

Upon first listen, I could immediately tell that, looking past the price, the midrange would be the most polarising aspect of this earphone. For the A8000 has a relatively sharp rise to 3kHz peak with subsequent 6k peak on top and only a mild dip between to redeem smoothness and density. It also lacks much warmth or bass emphasis to counterbalance. The result is a clear, forward midrange with excellent extension and openness but also slightly diminished body and smoothness. In turn, the earphone can come across as a bit intense on first listen. On the flipside, despite possessing a lower-treble peak, I found sibilance was well-controlled during my testing and the modest 4-5k dip does help to redeem just enough smoothness and density for my ears. The tuning is also relatively progressive so there aren’t any isolated peaks, and emphases are in the right places – if a little over done for my personal preferences– so the A8000 is able to uphold a mostly natural voicing and avoid sounding sharp, dry or lifeless. It’s a delicate balance that is not at all forgiving of poorly mastered tracks but is oh so revealing and, in terms of timbral accuracy, not too far off.

Beyond the intensity and forwardness here, the A8000 is a vibrant, revealing and ultra-high-definition beast. I wouldn’t classify it as perfectly linear, it is clearly coloured. However, as with the bass, the midrange enjoys minimal tonal colouration, shifted a touch cool but also avoiding dryness or a metallic timbre. Body is also just ample to enjoy a mostly natural timbre, though again, do take the upper-midrange forwardness into account before purchase; this isn’t an organic, warm or smooth earphone as Final earphones have tended to be of late. The A8000 is a creation in the pursuit of absolute transparency. Given the quick and detailed nature of the driver, I feel the company could have gotten away with a slightly smoother and more laid-back tuning without sacrificing too much clarity. Regardless, the company has indeed achieved what they set out to and with laudable execution. Though a little peaky at times, the voicing remains natural at all times and the earphone upholds genre versatility.

Highs –

Once again, I find the A8000 almost to resemble a BA in its agility and general presentation. Though, and I am unable to rationalise this with measurements, there is a certain texture and quality that DD’s provide that BA’s do not. The A8000 exemplifies this. It has a relatively isolated 6k peak though it doesn’t sound overly thin or metallic. The transient response is godly clean, enabling the earphone to portray complex passages with surgical accuracy. Indeed, this is a crisp sound albeit also a relatively thin one given the somewhat isolated 6k peak. However, it isn’t sharp nor grating on the ears as the treble peak is lower in amplitude relative to the midrange so highs don’t overbear. In the same vein, the highs aren’t too tizzy or splashy nor is any glare present. Detail rendition is highly focused with exemplary fine detail retrieval in the foreground and an immensely satisfying sense of extension above.

Final were smart to tune the A8000 with a slightly darker and cleaner background that gives it a nice sense of contrast and layering in addition to a little more smoothness. Despite this, it retains huge headroom and, with its excellent top-octave extension, copious micro-detail. There’s a satisfying sparkle too if not a huge emphasis on it, though not one listener would dub this technically inept in any manifestation. The beauty to the A8000 is ultimately its superlative technical performance permitting an effortless portrayal of music. This is realised through a sound signature that feels deliberate and sensible if not especially linear in totality. The A8000 provided me with an unprecedented musical experience much like the recently reviewed HEDDphone that was so different from the conventional yet in all good ways.   

Soundstage –

The A8000 has a huge soundstage that extends well beyond the head in addition to a good ratio between width and depth providing a stage that is slightly oval. However, these qualities are only apparent on certain tracks as the A8000 tends to have quite an upfront presentation. This means that it is not always such an overtly spacious sounding earphone despite having the capacity to be one. Imaging, in turn, becomes the highlight here and can be enjoyed more apparently. It is super sharp and very three-dimensional, its speed and extension granting it a holographic quality.

Directional cues are tack sharp, clear and pinpoint accurate in location both in lateral and coronal planes. The presentation is highly layered and each layer is highly defined. It doesn’t lack coherence and never sounds sparse, this is a highly organised performer. Furthermore, separation is a high-point, which only serves to enhance its ability to effortlessly dissect every detail in the track. I would occasionally find the midrange to sit a touch forward relative to the bass on tracks already mastered with intimate vocals. However, the neutral tone and note size means each note is easy to isolate and discern regardless of the complexity of the track itself.

Driveability –

The A8000 has a 102dB sensitivity and lower 16-ohm impedance. In turn, the earphone doesn’t require too much power to reach high volumes, about 1 click more than my high-end BA earphones. It also shouldn’t be overly source sensitive in terms of impedance and hiss, especially given its single-DD design. As always, the number do not tell the full story, I compared source pairings to assess the real-world experience.

Output Impedance Sensitivity

Switching between the Hiby R6 (10-ohm) and Shanling M2X (1-ohm) revealed that the A8000 was surprisingly source sensitive. The Shanling had a noticeably fuller and more balanced expression that does not align with the generally warmer character I often observe on the Hiby from flat-impedance gear. Bass extension remained strong with a nice sub-bass heft but the midrange was slightly peakier and more diminished, the highs sat further forward with a thinner body. The Shanling sounded far more natural in totality. In turn, I would suggest a low output impedance for the A8000 despite it being a single-DD design. Though I am unable to confirm this objectively, it is likely the A8000 does not have a flat impedance curve.

Driving Power

Comparing between the Shanling and my desktop stack with THX789 and SMSL SU-9 combo revealed fairly small differences suggesting that the A8000 is quite easy to drive in terms of power requirements. As expected, the signature was identical between them, but the desktop source was noticeably more dynamic with a slightly deeper and harder-hitting sub-bass. The desktop source also had a noticeably more involving soundstage both width and depth, the imaging was much more immersive and resolution was generally higher. On volume zero, hiss was extremely faint on the M2X and immediately drowned out when music was playing. In turn, I would not classify this as a hiss sensitive in-ear, it will tolerate a moderate noise floor well.  

Suggested Pair Ups

The A8000 benefits from a low output impedance and scales very well with higher-end sources due to its superb technical performance. In particular, dynamics, soundstage and resolution all benefit from an accomplished source. Otherwise, so long as the output impedance is low, the base signature is very consistent and the earphone isn’t difficult to drive to volume nor is it overly prone to source noise. In terms of synergy, I most enjoyed the tonal balance on the M2X, even slightly over my desktop stack despite the technical jump. The hint of added mid-bass warmth gave a little more smoothness to the midrange and the lower-treble sounded a touch smoother too with slightly more body. The A8000 pairs best with a slightly smoother source with strong resolution.

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