Pros: Accessories, Price, Tonality, Neutral/warmish Signature, Well-rounded and Versatile.

Cons: Build, Not for those who wants detail! Imaging is not impressive

Driver Setup: 1 Dynamic Driver

Price: $30 (USD)

Intro

Disclaimer: I paid full price for this unit from Stereo Singapore and am not affiliated to any company.

The E1000 is the 2nd most affordable unit in the E series line up of Final Audio (cheapest being E500 which is relatively new) and through my conversation with Final Audio staff, it is mainly targeting students that are seeking audiophile-quality earphones but doesn’t have much to spend.

There seems to be a lot of research and work done behind the E series of Final Audio with its 6.4mmΦ dynamic driver and its entire design which made it very different from what you see from other IEM offerings and a design trademark of Final Audio.

You may be wondering “What a weird design, cheap-looking, ugly and attached cable” but your opinion may change after you listen to these sub $50 wonders that possess good tonality and good tuning.

Packing and Accessories (Score: 7/10)

The E1000 comes in a box like the above image, and inside it contains the earphone and also a set of Final ear tips. The sad part here is that it does not come with a carrying case but it is retailing for 39 SGD already so I will let that slide. The neat thing that I like about them is those FINAL EAR TIPS that comes with the E1000! These ear tips are great for my ear and they are quite universal in terms of variations and sizes available so there is a lot of value here coming from a 39 SGD purchase. These ear tips are kind of special I guess, and the images below should be able to explain its selling points well. Overall, the accessories that comes with the E1000 compensates for its lack of a carrying case and it is pretty good given the price you pay.

Build quality and Fit (Score: 4.5/10)

The E1000 is fully made from plastic and the cable is attached so not a lot of plus points to mention here. The cable material surprised me though, it was probably made from rubber, but it is very malleable, smooth, and it does not tangle easily. It kind of feels like my HD600 stock cable which I really like and furthermore, it has better cable than its older brothers (E2000 and E3000). Its cable is 1.2m long and comes with a clip, microphonics is relatively low as compared to my other IEMS.

The biggest negative point here must go to the attached cable given that many offerings are now including detachable cables, Final chose to have it with its higher-end models (meaning it is not impossible in the design but just differential pricing things).

Fit wise it is worn downwards hanging, so tips here make the world of difference and coincidentally it is a Final product meaning its tips issue is inherently solved and I have no issues with their stock tips at all! So other than that, the main flaw here is just the build quality.

Sound (Score: 7.2/10)

Frequency Response for the Final E1000

So, here is the important part of the review. The E1000 has a somewhat neutral sound but having slightly more energy in the upper-mids and lower treble that makes it sound slightly forward and not too dull. If I give it a label, I will classify the E1000 to be a jack-of-all-trades as it really does most genres well given its price.

Sources used

– Ibasso DX120
– Topping D10 > JDS Atom

Albums used

– Keane – Hopes and Dreams
– One Republic – Dreaming Out Loud
– Lion King OST – Circle of Life
– 2 Cello – Scores

Bass (Score: 6.5/10)

In my opinion, I find the bass of E1000 to be adequate but not fully satisfying, punch and hits are clear with good speed and clarity amidst the tracks. However sub-bass is not that great relative to its mid-bass hence for some tracks, you might not be able to feel that depth and rumble when it comes to bass. For some people, if you prefer a neutral sounding or slightly warm sounding signature, this might just be what you are looking for, warm and soothing bass that helps you sit back and enjoy the tunes. Another point that you might be concerned about is that there is some mid-bass bleed depending on what tracks you are listening on and the genre. The overall bass here is adequate and suitable for most genres.

Mids (Score: 7.5/10)

I have to say, that vocals on the E1000 are really good! Male and female vocals are very clear and pronounced which I really enjoy listening to. A good example of it will be the male vocals of “Everything Changes” by Keane where there are several (instrumental and synth) parts playing at the same time and yet the vocals still stand out. Instruments on the other hand in orchestras do stand out as well, the upper-mid energy and sparkle of the E1000 does justice to many instruments such as the violin and clarinets (and others too). E1000 also hits the sweet spot with cellos while listening to 2 Cellos “God-Father theme” and I just kept repeating that song while using the E1000 because it is just too good!

Treble (Score: 7.5/10)

Treble for the E1000 is interesting because it does not make it “too shouty” by having peaks before 7 to 10khz region yet at the same time keeping that sparkle while listening to songs such as OSTs and acoustics. The treble of the E1000 is not offensive and does not sound sibilant to me but it keeps that clarity and airiness which makes me very satisfied with this unit because it really does handle most things very well. Perhaps something to nitpick on is that the lower treble and upper mids region does get a little bit overpowering at times.

Sound stage, Imaging and Tonality

The sound stage is okay for the E1000 but imaging wise it’s not that clear when it comes to determining where instruments are placed. These are not technical monsters but at least its tonality and timbre of the E1000 are great! I am delighted knowing what it is capable of and it is just surprising to have these coming from this price range.

Overall

If you like neutral tuning or slightly warmish sounding IEMs, value-oriented and wants a well-rounded sounding set, the E1000 will suit you very well if you do not mind the attached cable and the cheap-feeling ABS plastic housing. For me, I always reach out for my E1000 to relax and sort-of my affordable set of daily drivers as I am also somewhat of a neutral tuning fan myself.

Comparisons

E1000 vs MH755 (Review here)

These 2 are very different headphones in tuning but they do share several things in common as well. Differences come in tuning where the MH755 have much more bass and a more noticeable peak in its upper mids whereas the E1000 are more neutral. Both possess great tonality and timbre for their price and build quality is about the same but the MH755 requires some modifications for that. Technicalities wise, the MH755 does have better soundstage and imaging as compared to the E1000 and that it has better separation as well.

Conclusion

To conclude, I do recommend the E1000 as it is pretty neat for the price at 39 SGD and it has superb value given that it comes with final tips and, it also comes with a really surprising and wonderful sound signature that I believe anyone will enjoy (neutral head speaking). Other than its build quality, I think Final did a pretty good job to reach out to the cheaper priced market with a monster under the $50 bracket.

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