final VR3000 is equipped with a built-in microphone for phone calls or in-game voice communication, and three button controls for volume control and answering calls or playing and pausing music and videos. The VR3000 have a chunky, angular design that despite appearances is very ergonomic. They are designed to be worn inverted, with the cables running over and behind your ears. This supports the headphones and stops them pulling loose if you accidentally catch the wire, and also keeps the cables off your cheeks and out of your face. Now, if A4000 is so good, how about A3000? After all, the ingredients, housing, driver and cable, are all the same. True, except for the tuning! Final, with A3000, wanted to create an IEM which has the merits of A4000, as to balance, transparency, soundstage and image, but with a warmer touch. The extra warmth is reflected in the whole of the audio spectrum, and this makes A3000 to be less engaging, but more relaxing. It is not going to make you shake with the music, as A4000 will, but it is perfect for a session of an easy yet quality listening. It is also quite interesting that A3000 is much less dynamic than A4000; I am not sure if this is the result of the warmer sound signature of A3000 or independent of it.

I’ve had mixed results with in-canal headphones in the past, usually stemming from the wires constantly dragging on the headphones and pulling them loose, which breaks the seal and ruins the bass response. I had none of these problems with the VR3000, in part thanks to the ear hooks, but also because the design nestles between the tragus and antihelix of your ear (thanks, Google!) Once they were in place, they stayed there, and I wasn’t constantly adjusting or repositioning them as I often have to do with regular earbuds. Most would be familiar with Final due to their immensely popular E-series of IEMs, dynamic-driver IEMs with rather pleasant tunings that have captured the hearts of many budget-level audiophiles. Less would be familiar with their B-series, even less with the Heaven series, and only the hardcore would recognise the extremely strange Piano Forte series, Sonorous series (formally “Pandora Hope”) and the “prototype” to the E-series, the Adagio. Another planar IEM that will suit game audio well is the 7Hz Timeless. These odd-looking IEMs have a similar texture to the Kato, but with more depth and better imaging. Sound effects will have a good punch to them, and environmental soundscapes will feel airier. If you can get past the odd shape of the housing, the Timeless is another great option for gaming. So, if you want, like me, your IEMs to be unforgiving, then you will choose A4000, and in that sense you will find A3000 to be a step behind A4000. If, on the other hand, you admire Final’s E3000, for its articulate yet with a touch of warmth presentation, and you want something with the same sound signature but much more transparent and open, then A3000 is what you are looking for; you will immediately find that A3000 is at a completely different level than E3000, and this combination of warm, transparent and open sound is hard to beat. Although Final has marketed the VR3000 as a gaming earphone it doesn’t stop you from using it for multiple applications. Casual listening is still obtained, and thanks to a low impedance of 18 Ohms, you can get a nominal level that is easy to drive from most 3.5mm headphone outputs. The OFC cable should send out a competent signal that you won’t need to crank up the volume to get a suitable loudness. Game audio is as dynamic as they come, and the VR3000 does a good job presenting a viable output that gives you all the possibilities for range.

The high end is also really nicely done with these. It definitely feels slightly treble heavy, which gives the sense of increased details. However, this does not appear to become fatiguing, for normal listening durations. For an IEM worn for gaming, this is a big plus, as it means they can be work for extended periods, with neither physical nor sonic fatigue. All the above made clear that Beryllium was not an option for the driver of A4000 and A3000. So, what was the solution? Final engineers had the idea to start from a humble and underestimated material, such as PET (Polyethylene terephthalate), which many manufacturers use, but in this case Final engineers tried to get the most out of it! How do you do that? By making changes to the voice coil, magnet and housing. The idea behind it is that if we want a driver to have a performance as close to perfect as possible, then all its parts must work as a single unit; if one (or more) of the driver parts has a flaw, then the driver ecosystem as a whole suffers. In developing A8000, Final did a lot of research on how the quality of sound is evaluated, and it came up with an entirely new evaluation method. Conventional methods do a subjective evaluation, assuming that certain things, like the quality of the recording or the sound level, are fixed; however, in practice, there are no fixed conditions. Final’s new evaluation method takes into account the various conditions under which one listens to music that differ, sometimes substantially, among each other. This started with A8000 and, as it was proven to be very successful, it was continued with A4000 and A3000; at the end, it was one of the key factors on which the designing of the two new IEMs was based. In our sound frequency test, the results were excellent. Bass was audible right down to 20 Hz, and although it began to diminish past 30 Hz, that’s a great result. Listening to a sweeping bass tone, there was no rattle or buzz that can manifest in poorly manufactured drivers. Treble was also clear without being piercing, and delivery was smooth right up to 15,000 Hz, which is the limit of my ageing eardrums.

For similar depth and spatial presence, the Advar from Meze Audio is a fantastic choice. Sound effects and music are easy to localize, and certain sections of dialogue can feel like they are being spoken right to you. The bass has a ton of depth and focuses on solidity and tightness for improved clarity. Its design is one of the best you’ll see too, featuring a great build that feels like you’re wearing a piece of jewelry. One of the best of the bunch, Sennheiser’s IE 600 is hard to beat. If it is within your budget, these IEMs easily win the day for me. Its soundstage and imaging are unlike anything else on the market, engulfing your headspace in a wonderful world of sound. It is easy to recommend for gaming in that regard, as these IEMs can transport you into any sonic environment being conveyed. The entire sound profile is rich and full of vivid details that are easy to miss out on with any other IEM on this list. Overall the sound quality is great for gaming and very good for podcasts too due to the clear and precise highs. Don’t expect rumbling base, but you’ll hear the calvary coming in your favourite game all the same! The highs can be a little loose but they provide just what a gamer needs to hear something when other headphones/IEMs might fail and muddy with the mids. Not here. Final Thoughts Final adds some special components to the VR3000’s interior design that enhance the earphones for the interactive experience. Gaming headphones have a lot going on in them besides their driver systems, so it’s interesting how Final approaches that when dealing with an earphone. The VR3000 features an “f-Core DU,” which is a 6mm dynamic driver unit that uses a brass housing, making it less affected by magnetic force. IT uses a voice coil with an ultra-fine CCAW and assembled with minimal adhesive, reducing the weight of the parts. In terms of performance, this system also aims to improve the time response of the diaphragm. Then of course there is the attached remote, which adds three control buttons and a microphone for voice chat. I’m impressed despite these not being aimed at me at all. I’m not a huge gamer anymore, and it isn’t important for me to eke out every tactical advantage. At my age, I just want to play and enjoy the game. For those looking to up their game though, I believe the final VR3000 could provide that edge. Are they going to make you a tactical genius in Overwatch? Absolutely not. Those gentle footsteps or reloading sounds you might otherwise have missed might be a little clearer with the final VR3000 though. They are incredibly well balanced.

Technical Specifications

I am a big fan of Final’s earbuds, having used a few pairs of their lower end models. I’ve always been impressed with build and sound quality, and definitely always found them a significant value prospect. This is the first pair that I have tried from their ‘gaming’ line, and I am equally impressed. If I want to summarize A4000’s performance in a single statement, I would say that it has the sound signature of A8000; going a step further, I could say that A4000 achieves about 80% of what A8000 can do, which is really not a small feat. I know that it is hard to believe what I am saying, but this is what I feel; actually, at times, I thought that 80% might even be a bit conservative!

I used the ear hooks only a few times during my testing as I found my fit was comfortable enough without them. Fitting the ear hooks were a little fiddly. Sliding the cable into the required channel might take a short period of time, but those looking to make the VR3000 more secure won’t mind an extra few seconds. Audio Quality Another entry from Final Audio, the A4000 is clean and wide. The bass here is more natural but doesn’t skimp out on lifting all the sound effects to the right place. With the A4000, you get a good amount of separation between each section of the mix. It makes all the right punches, and should overall be a fun experience for games.As I mentioned in the intro, the final A3000 are, identical in design to that of the final VR3000. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Their angular design is quirky and modern, whilst not affecting the functional aspects of the product. However, that’s not where the VR3000 is really targeted. Instead, this is a pair of in-ear headphones that enhance your VR experience by adding realism through the way audio is represented. There’s no bespoke virtual surround sound here, and it will rely on the quality of a game’s audio design and any spatial audio provided by the system. When paired with an immersive VR game like Jurassic World Aftermath, the VR3000’s exceptional definition and flat EQ setting helps to bring out the sensation that you really are experiencing what your eyes are telling you. With IEMs, I always do the usual burn-in of about 50 hours; it’s not that without this the IEMs do not sound right, but rather that the burn-in helps them to reach their full potential. Now, much more important than the technical burn-in, I consider the so-called phycological burn-in, which helps the listener to get acquainted with the IEM; in that sense, the phycological burn-in does not actually have a limit, and the more you listen the better you get to know the IEM. Comfort - These are fairly comfortable but I think being ruined by using mostly Sennheiser IEMs, nothing can beat the comfort of those and I believe that anyone who has tried them before will state the same.

Final Audio has gained a lot of appreciation from me over recent months. The EVA 2020 really convinced me that Final has a lot of show for, and their interesting library of products present a wide array of quality gear. A new Final model has now reached my desk, the VR3000. This is a set of earphones tailored toward gaming which you don’t see a lot of. Most game audio paraphernalia is catered to over-ear headphones with attachable mics and 3D audio. However, not everyone is going to gravitate towards over-ear, and most of the time they can end up being pricier than IEMs. The VR3000 wants to make your game audio simple and affordable, so let’s see how well they accomplish that. For competitive shooters, obviously directional hearing (imaging) is a must-have and there is a lot of controversy over stage size when it comes to these kinds of shooters. The A3000’s audio is provided courtesy of a 6mm f-Core DU dynamic driver. This appears to be the same driver as in the VR3000, however final specifically call our the f-Core DU moniker in their marketing for the A3000 only. Spec Sheet Final has done a lot of research and development to create a bespoke audio driver for the VR3000. The 6mm drivers were designed specifically for gaming, with the goal of providing a balanced audio profile and increasing spatial positioning.In the binaural headphone test, which is great for testing both individual sound separation and positional audio, the results were very impressive. Each individual voice in the harmony was clearly identified, and you can almost visualise the relative positioning of each singer. The same is true of the instruments, with the multiple acoustic guitars and percussion all occupying a separate place within the soundstage. Similarly to the Mojito, the Asgard OH5 is about putting all the frequency content it’s got right in front of your face. The amount of energy on display here is almost unmatched in its price range, providing you with a weighty bass and a full midrange response. Any game that features a ton of bombast will come out great here. The A3000 are a great set of IEMs for those looking for a balanced and more technical soundstage than one might expect from any “off the shelf” brand. final audio is anything but “off the shelf”. They have a storied past in the audio space and the forums and subreddits are littered with posts about their quality products – this is another one of them.