TWS true wireless earphones - $100 - $150
FOUR STARS - The Final Audio ZE3000 wireless earphone sounds impressively clean with a wide soundstage, but feels a bit barebones for its asking price.
Final Audio ZE3000 TWS specs and features:
Bluetooth 5.2 with AptX Adaptive and AAC codec
6-7 hours playtime on a single charge
Charging case can charge earpieces fully 5 times
Comes with 4 sets ear tips, USB-C cable, English manual
$150 on Amazon US, Amazon UK or other Amazon stores
Below this Final Audio ZE3000 review, you will find comparisons of the Final Audio ZE3000 vs Tanchjim Echo, Moondrop Sparks, Nuarl N6 Pro2, and Cambridge Audio Melomania 1+.
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Design, comfort and battery life
The Japanese-designed Final Audio ZE3000 is available in black or white, and especially in the latter, you can't miss the distinctive shape these wireless earbuds have. The earphones have a proper 3D-printed look, with a coating that seems to be sprayed on the buds. The buds' shape is unique, with different straight, hard lines. They even look a bit stealthy in black.
While these earphones seem bigger than average, the compact rectangular shapes near the ear tips sit snugly and tight in your ears. They're even comfortable to wear for a few hours in a row (in average-sized ears), even though you can always feel that you're wearing them.
The battery will support you during those hours. The ZE3000 can reach up to 7 hours of playtime on a single charge with the AAC codec on iPhone, and up to around 6 hours with the AptX Adaptive codec Android devices automatically pick up. Nothing groundbreaking, but nothing bad either. Thanks to the IPX4 waterproof rating, they resist water splashes and some sweat.
The spray-coated finish is applied to the charging case as well. It's of moderate size - slightly bulkier than the Samsung Galaxy Buds+ case for example. Fortunately, it's not big because it wants to be big for the $150 asking price - you can still slide it into your pockets with ease. The case can recharge the earbuds five times fully before it needs new power via USB-C. Wireless charging isn't supported. A multicolor LED light on the case's front shows the remaining charge.
Controls and connectivity
While the earbuds have a unique design, the touch controls work straightforward. The touch panels are positioned on the smaller backside of the earbud's outsides. You can easily adjust the buds or pick a bud out of your ears without accidentally triggering controls. The control scheme is convenient:
Tap L or R to play pause
Double-tap R to increase the volume
Double-tap L to decrease volume
Hold R to skip to the next track
Hold L to return a song
Triple-tap L or R to activate the voice assistant on your phone (but pause music first)
The FinalAudio ZE3000 has no active noise cancelling, transparency, or low-latency gaming modes. As such, you won't find controls for these functions. These days, for $150, you can't help but feel underwhelmed with these functions missing.
Connectivity is solid. The earphones connect and pair quickly and maintain a strong Bluetooth connection up to 9-10 meters away from your device. Music doesn't automatically pause when you take an earbud out.
The ZE3000 doesn't have multipoint connectivity. It can only connect to one device at a time - but what's worse is that you can't connect more than two devices in total. If you need other connections, you have to drop an existing Bluetooth connection via your device.
Calls, MOVIES AND GAMES
The FinalAudio ZE3000 has no problems playing videos, with excellent synchronization between audio and video. There's no dedicated gaming mode, and sound effects in games fire a tad later than the action you see on screen. Surprisingly, despite the large soundstage, it can be quite hard to precisely locate the activity around you in a game like Call of Duty mobile.
It's doable to take a phone call with the ZE3000. Your voice is slightly muffled but has enough volume. Background noise is kept in the background. Chatter, scooters, and other traffic are audible to the person you're talking to, but as your voice is louder, it's not a big problem. Wind noise is a threat, however, dragging your voice away easily.
Microsoft Teams, Zoom meetings, and other video call quality is also fine - boasting your voice the same way as in phone calls and with other people sounding clear to you.
App Support of Final Audio ZE3000
FinalAudio announces app support for the ZE3000, but English apps for Android and iPhone are unavailable at this time. It's unknown when it will be downloadable and which features the app will support.
This review will be updated when app support is available. It may have effect on the overall score of this TWS.
Also read: The best sounding wireless earbuds
Sound quality of Final Audio ZE3000
The sound of the Final Audio ZE3000 can be characterized by three aspects: a natural and clean sound with a wide soundstage.
In line with the wired earphones from the brand, the ZE3000 aims to provide a natural and flat sound. It doesn't want to exaggerate a part of it. It flattens out the highest peaks in the higher frequencies and streamlines the bass. The mid-bass is quick and tight, but it's also a little slim. Bass strikes are more slaps than powerful thumps, and don't last long either. If you're looking for that deep sub-bass feeling and rumble, you're on the wrong address too. The sub-bass can dive pretty deep, but it doesn't seek these depths regularly - and even in James Blake's Limit to Your Love, the rumble is tightly controlled.
Combine this with an underrepresentation of the lower-mids - acoustic drums enjoy some impact, but again: it feels slim down here - and the Final Audio ZE3000 makes up all the room for what it does best: the mids.
Because of the little emphasized lower frequencies, the ZE3000 sound feels airier and lighter than usual. The mids have a subtle warm undertone, but you can't miss their brighter-than-neutral tonality. Switch over from the last regular radio, tv, or car radio you listened to, and the Final Audio baffles you with its clarity. Instrumental center-mids like guitars and piano play are clear and vibrant, and lower male and female vocals appear crisp and natural. Slightly higher up, both voices and violins and trumpets enjoy plenty of space and sound detailed.
What's impressive is that while this Final Audio sounds brighter than average as a whole, it still keeps the upper mids and highs in control. Unless you're upping to the highest volume levels, you're not often confronted with high or harsh volume peaks. Sadly, the same doesn't apply to cymbals and claps: they can be stabby.
Adding up to the clean and bright sound, is the wide soundstage the Final Audio sets up. Placing vocals forward, instruments and individual details appear on your left and right - seemingly from far away to close by. It's not a soundstage that feels very around you, but it's undoubtedly wide. There's an abundance of room between instruments, but ultimately, if you're used to a more dynamic sound, that's why it can also feel like there's plenty of space for the drums to be more impactful or the bass to dive a little deeper. Final Audio chooses not to walk that path.
The ZE3000 is an acquired taste for those who seek a clean, flatter sound. If you're one of them - you're lucky: Final Audio executes it tremendously.
Final Audio ZE3000 comparisons
Final Audio ZE3000 vs Tanchjim Echo
The ZE3000 and Echo are both sound quality-oriented wireless earbuds at 100 dollars or more, lacking functions like ANC or Transparency mode. Both also strive after a balanced, mid-centered sound, with a supportive rather than a dominant bass. The Final Audio has a slightly brighter and wider sound. Its soundstage is wider, opposed to a more intimate around-you vibe of the Tanchjim. The ZE3000 sounds airier with more separation between instruments and pulls mid-tones looser from the bass than the Echo, which has slightly more lower-mid emphasis to make for a more rounded music presentation. The Final Audio has tighter mid-bass; the Tanchjim extends highs further and can show a little more detail in brighter vocals, but also let in a bit of sibilance. The Final controls highs more.
Tanchjim Echo review ($100)
Final Audio ZE3000 vs Moondrop Sparks
Controlling the highs is also the main difference between the Final Audio ZE3000 and the Moondrop Sparks. While both earbuds sound brighter and embrace treble more than most wireless earbuds, the Final Audio controls outbursts better, preventing the harsh peaks the Sparks can sometimes display. The Moondrop does have a more engaging approach, with a fuller and boomier mid-bass and thicker lower-mids, giving drums more impact. The Final Audio sounds tighter in these areas. Its center-mid vocals and instruments have a more natural tonality, and there's more space and separation across all frequencies. In crowded musical parts, the ZE3000 remains more autonomous.
Moondrop Sparks review ($100)
Final Audio ZE3000 vs Nuarl N6 Pro2
The Final Audio ZE3000 and Nuarl N6 Pro2 are close to each other sonically. The ZE3000 emphasizes upper-mids a little more, pronouncing brighter vocals and giving a slightly brighter sound. That said, the Nuarl isn't devoid of spaciousness itself, and the added sub-bass depth and more fluent transition between bass and lower-mids give the Nuarl a bit more warmth - in what is a natural and balanced sound overall. The Final Audio is easier to control, and has better call clarity; the Nuarl comes with app support that lets you choose from two well-balanced sound equalizers.
Nuarl N6 Pro2 review ($150)
Final Audio ZE3000 vs Cambridge Audio Melomania 1+
Natural center-mids and excellent separation between instruments? You can't rule out Cambridge Audio. The Melomania 1+ has the unique tendency to combine its balanced sound with plenty of presence and detail in the lower-mids, and indeed - music often a tad warmer and fuller on the 1+. Both have more sub-bass texture than mid-bass slam and sound a little thin in modern dance genres. The ZE3000 has a wider soundstage with more space, in which instruments appear further on your left and right. The Cambridge Audio feels more around you and positions instruments more precisely. The Final Audio has a lighter tonality and provides extra nuances for higher-pitched vocals due to a bigger upper-mid bump. Still, it's hard to justify spending $50 more than the Melomania 1+ solely for this.
Verdict
The Final Audio ZE3000 wireless earphone sounds impressively clean with a wide soundstage, but without ANC, Transparency mode, gaming mode and current app support, it feels barebones for its asking price.
Four stars - Good
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I received the Final Audio ZE3000 from the (UK) distributor to test and review. My reviews are unsponsored and non-commercial. I test and review all audio products equally honest - read about it here.
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