Verdict
The net ZE8000 dead on target radio receiver shoot a line a very fine , electroneutral - vocalise performance with music , but the noise - cancel disappoints , the battery life is below par and issues with comfortableness derail these expensive wireless earbuds .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
Nipponese audio stain Final has garnered a reputation for uncompromising , high - quality pumped earpiece , but recently it has change mainsheet , launching products towards the more low-priced end of the food market .
These newfangled products have also embracedBluetoothand this site has enjoy both theZE3000andUX3000 , so it ’s with expectation that we look at the Final ZE8000 to continue the run .
The last ZE8000 diverges from the template in that it jumps up several price brackets to challenge the likes of Sony and Bose , featuring noise - cancellation , and a few interesting wrinkles in its app to present an audiophile - same experience . Is the flagship ZE8000 the apex of Final ’s labours in the wireless realm , or has it sting off more than it can manducate ? Here are my thoughts .
Design
The Final ZE8000 is like theUltimate Ears Fitsin that the design is one long prow with a “ consecrate ear - fitting division ” that slot into the auricle . I presume it ’s stand for to be ergonomic in shape , but the bulge is chunky look , and I do n’t experience it work as well as it should .
I ’ve had problems endeavor to find a fit that act upon for my capitulum . terminal supplies several ear - tips from extra modest to extra - declamatory which should cover the gamut of capitulum size , but intermediate and small size of it proved painful to wear , the backbreaking surface around the ear - tips providing an uncomfortable point of contact , causing an aching after 20 second .
special small was better , but not in force enough to isolate me from nearby sound . After some trial and wrongdoing , the large pinna - tip offered the best mix of comfort and fit , but the seal was n’t as fast as I need . The ZE8000 ’s fit has never felt snug and as a event their peaceful interference isolating skills are modified .
Touch control are utilize and they ’re hunky-dory in terms of response , though the ascendancy scheme could be easier to comprehend . These are a dyad of earphones in which you ’ll need to consult the manual of arms to operate them – it ’s more complicated than you might expect .
The agitate case does n’t speak much to portability . The earphones are large because of the retentive stem , and as a resolution , so is the case . It drop away open like a tray , which is initially confounding if you ’re gestate it to flip up . You could put it into a pocket but not a tight one – it ’s too big for that .
The suit shares the same aesthetic as the earphones with its textured Shibo app . On its underside is an regalia of four LED on the bottom that show the lawsuit ’s charge when opened . Black and white are the colour option and they ’re ratedIPX4to safety equipment against sweat and splashes of piss .
Features
Final claims five hours of continuous purpose and 15 hours in total , which is n’t a pot . Overall , that ’s less than theBowers & Wilkins Pi7 S2or theApple AirPods Pro 2 , to give an good example of two other true wireless in similar price ballpark .
With real - world use , an hour ’s streaming of Spotify caused the earphones to discharge a huge 28 % . That was with noise - cancelling and the 8 K Sound feature on , and another attempt with the 8 K feature off brought the same result . At 50 % volume you ’re likely to get around four minute per charge , which is unsatisfying given there are cheaper true wireless like theOnesonic MXS - HD1that easily surpass the Final ZE8000 . Fast charging is include with five minutes providing 45 more , which again sound a small low .
Much better is the Final ZE8000 ’s Bluetooth connection . It ’s been tilt solid while I ’ve walk multiple times through London Waterloo , Blackfriars , and Victoria train stations . I ’ve just even thought about the wireless connection , which is a signaling of how good it has been . Bluetooth codecs from SBC to aptX Adaptive are supported , though the aptX edition are only usable on Android equipment .
If you were to use these earphones for calls , I ’d grade them as ordinary . They have plenty of outside interference in during song , so louder or impractical environment can cause trouble on both end . vocalisation limpidity was ok , but for the other somebody it was a conflict to try me against the speech sound around me . In restrained areas the performance is fine , so these are n’t true wireless bud to apply in noisy places .
Considering the £ 299 toll , the expectation is the noise - cancelling can gainsay the like of theSony WF-1000XM4,Bose QuietComfort Earbuds IIandSennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 – all of which are cheaper . In realism the randomness - cancelling is unsatisfying .
This is partly down to the want of a good seal to suppress ambient dissonance levels , but in general , the Final ’s program of racket - cancelling seems tame . It could n’t get rid of much noise on the Victoria tube line , so the wind instrument noise was ever present in - between stations to the point in time where music was drowned out . Even on a bus it struggled to remove the railway locomotive noise to make music the focal point .
Walking in the King Cross station area and the Final ZE8000 produce a decent buffer against general ambient sounds – there was a step-down in total stochasticity and voices of people nearby , but cackle from a larger group of people – who were n’t inevitably near – filtered through to my hearing quad . Walking through the post was a similar experience , as the general brouhaha was reduced but not made noise - free . The volume needs to be pumped up , which feel antithetical to having noise - cancelling at this price . To tote up to that , the Final also struggles with taming wind racket , which distracts in blustery conditions .
The transparency mode is fine in that it amplifies quick sound intelligibly enough , though at trashy volumes it can be harder to hear . Voice Through modal value circumvents that upshot by emphasising ambient audio and placing music in the screen background , while the Wind Cut mode effectively subdues the wallop of twist noise ( though racket - cancelling is n’t as strong ) . Switching through modes does n’t alter the flavor of euphony , which is a positively charged .
The Connect associate app has a few interesting trait . The 8 K Sound is say to upgrade the DSP ( digital signal processing ) algorithm to a in high spirits level for proficient phone . Think of it as an8 K TVupscaling a lower res sign to near 8 K ; or a tight comparison is Sony ’s DSEE upscaling of low - res streams for its earpiece .
The Volume Step Optimizer take into account for finer control over loudness on a smartphone so you could make piffling steps rather than larger one that might result in heavy variances . In practice I ’ve establish it more useful than expected .
The design of the Pro Equalizer subprogram has been inspired by professional recording equipment , and like the Volume Step Optimizer it allows for finer control over the ZE8000 ’s playback . Tap the dial at the bottom and that change the frequency reply – for example ‘ Low ’ can go to 220Hz – and from there it can be tweak by adjusting the profit from +3 to -3 .
Other features include ambling through the noise - cancel mode , performing microcode updates , and regard barrage life – although the app does n’t bother with percentage , just a graphic illustration of remaining charge . It ’s an app with helpful descriptions and has become more reactive with time as initially there was lag toggle features on and off .
Sound Quality
The principal distinction between the last ZE3000 and ZE8000 ’s public presentation is the latter provides more definition to voices and instruments , while the ZE3000 is a placid and weightier listen . The ZE8000 are a definite step up in term of clarity and fidelity over their tatty siblings .
The last ZE8000 is bright and keen with the high frequencies in Gogo Penguin ’s atomise , while down in the mouth frequencies are punchy in verbal description though the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II well outmatch the Final in basso weight unit and power .
The belief is that the Final require small frequency to be tight and balanced rather than become the overriding focus . Anyone expecting deepness and extension phone may be disappointed with the ZE8000 , its rendering of Thundercat ’s Them Changes does n’t pile the wallop the Bose can allow for .
The timbre of the Final ZE8000 feels flatter and more neutral when heed to Robert Glasper ’s Why We Speak . There ’s a great sense of clarity to Esperanza Spalding ’s voice , with vocal occupy a big bearing in the centre of the soundstage , and similar can be say about Regina Spektor ’s version of While My Guitar Gently Weeps or Thom Yorke ’s vocalization in Radiohead ’s Everything In Its Right Place .
The Final avoids applying a richness or smoothness to vocal performances as the Sony WF-1000XM4 provides , leverage a sharper , sparing , more delimit midrange execution . The percussive constituent in Childish Gambino ’s Boogieman have plenty of kick to them , and with Curtis Mayfield ’s Move On Up the last displays no shortage of vim and rhythmic flow in delineate the pacy percussion beats as it barrel along with speed .
The soundstage bring home the bacon is also spacious and wide , and playing around the mass Step Optimizer can cater an even bigger soundstage to enjoy . The amount of hunky-dory detail the Final ZE8000 pick out seems greater with it on , its sense of dynamism is well - judged , and the pellucidity it affords all types of music musical genre , from Hellenic to electronic or soul , impresses .
I do , however , feel there ’s a svelte caveat , which is mainly with how the earphones fit . I marvel if the slight spareness and leanness of the sound I hear is to do with how good the Final ZE8000 ’s stamp is . The Bose , Sennheiser and Sony all comparatively offer up a weightier performance , but I ’m positive the achromatic tone the terminal executes is the one it ’s after .
no matter , it ’s a very fine listen once a few adjustments have been made , and a rightful wireless phone to look at if neutrality and faithfulness are at the top of the shopping tilt .
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Should you buy it?
The Final ZE8000 serve up a bracingly clear , sharp and detailed performance with several music genres .
The noise - cancellation is unsatisfying , as the Final ZE8000 swear on book control to bridge the gap . That ’s not beneficial enough debate the sky - high-pitched price .
Final Thoughts
There is an telling reliable tuner somewhere in the Final ZE8000 ’s make - up , but not all the percentage add up to a satisfying whole . It remind me of Philips’Fidelio T1 in which all the factor appear to be there , but the meal is less hearty .
The ZE8000 fathom very telling , especially if you prefer a impersonal approach to medicine , but the noise - cancelling is an undoubted letdown for the price and barrage fire life is holey , scantily enough to get you through one day of heavy use unless you charge often .
cistron in that it ’s not all that comfortable to wear at sentence , and a seeming realisation with its noise - cancel modes that the designing is compromise by wind noise , plus a rather tortuous control scheme , and I feel Final has over complicated the can with the ZE8000 . There are some utilitarian and interesting characteristic , especially in the Connect app , but you may get a better overall performance for less money elsewhere .
Trusted Score
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FAQs
The Final ZE8000 earphones are rank to IPX4 , so could withstand sweat and some splash of weewee . And while the scene is not the cockeyed , they ’re dependable enough to not fall out of the capitulum .
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