Final Audio VR3000 IEMS Review – One For All, All For Gaming
Final audio VR3000 is a $79 USD pair of IEMS or in-ear monitors with two options for their tuning, and multiple cable options available. Today we will review the VR3000 and explore how they sound and broadly explore how they compare with the market.
Introduction
Final Audio is best known for their hi-end flagship headphones and IEMS, so it was surprising to me when I heard that they now have a rich selection of entry-level IEMs. Furthermore, VR3000 is a series deducted to gaming rather than audiophile music listening, but we shall be the judge of whether they work best to game or enjoy music.
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Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4x0G3MO
Build Quality – Design
The official page has a lot of text for such an affordable pair of IEMs, but the takeaway is that Final Audio wants to target them for binaural recordings, and for gaming, spatial enhancements and for listening to effects rather than traditional music listening. They are using a very small 6mm dynamic driver to power the VR3000.
At their core, Fi-VR3DPLMB comes with an ABS or plastic housing, and they have an OFC cable. With an impedance of 18 OHMS, but a low 101dB SPL, they might be quite hard to drive, but we will test that down below. On the bright side, VR3000 has a low weight of 20 grams and a 1.2m length for the cable.
Subjective Usage
Although Final Audio has a lot of test material that is binaural on their webpage, most earphones will work really well for those and it does not really provide anything about VR3000. What I can tell you though is that they are very comfortable and lightweight, with a flexible, yet slightly frail looking cable. There is a remote / microphone inline on the cable, and the cable is ended in a 3.5mm jack with 4 poles, one for the mic.
There is no option to get them with a balanced cable as far as I can tell, and in this price point, you will be limited by how wide and holographic the source sounds, although for VR3000, the passive noise isolation is fairly good at around 15 dB to 20 dB, perfect for enjoying some games and music without feeling too alienated from the room.
It feels like VR3000 is more of a generalist entry-level pair of IEMS rather than a specialized for gaming pair, as there is no advanced feature like a gaming mode, DAC or RGB lights, nor do they have anything in particular besides good comfort and good design. This being said, all those are better than gaming gimmicks, so I cannot complain in any way, VR 3000 is a great pair of IEMS subjectively at this price point.
Sound Quality
Pairings – Although I have to admit that you’re not likely to pair the VR3000 with exactly the same selection of sources as I will be exploring today, I did match and pair it with the latest sources I have reviewed including FiiO K17, iBasso DX320 MAX Ti, Hiby W4, HIDIZS AP80 PRO MAX, FiiO M33. Acer Nitro 18 AI Laptop (with 3.5mm adapters), Luxsin X9.
Final made VR3000 fairly hard to drive, as per the Final Audio tradition, and they need quite a bit of power to get loud and to sound good. Most Dongles will do just fine, but they are not easy to drive, as I would have expected from a gaming pair of earphones. I like that they combine well with most sources as the sound is not overly colored, but they lack a deep bass so a bassy source or some EQ might give them a stronger punch and deep end kick.
Overall Signature – At their core, Final Audio VR3000 is a wide sounding pair of balanced – natural IEMS with a clean and slow bass, slow midrange and slow treble that is smooth and laid-back. They are perfect for long hours of listening as they offer a good combination of sounding nice, but feeling nice also. The sound profile works well for all commercial music, gaming and it is a good general purpose tuning.
Bass – At the deep end, VR3K can reach around 50 Hz, with a roll-off below this range. This means that most music can have a pumped up, slow bass, but does not have a sub-bass or deep end reach for the bass. Bass distorts easily at higher volumes, most likely owed to the small driver and compensation for the spatial design of the inner acoustic chamber. I would generally not recommend Vr 3K for bass heavy music. Despite the sub bass roll-off, there is some midbass bleed into the midrange, which creates a bit of extra body and thickness for most tracks.
Voicing And Midrange – Vocal range is basically perfect, with a very natural, slightly smooth presentation that just sounds natural and open from the 1st second hearing it. VR3000 takes no time to adjust to, they sound right and correct all the time with all music. Resolution and detail take a step back to make space for the wide lateral separation, while VR3000 sounds good with both male and female voices, rendering the correct emotion and body for both.
Treble – You can expect a relaxed, smooth and laid-back treble that rolls-off above 6 kHz in a gentle fashion. This would be in line with the philosophy of making VR3000 perfect for long periods of listening, as they will not cause fatigue nor bring forward any grainy edges. While I don’t remember any Final IEMs or headphones to be this smooth, VR3000 sounds uniquely gratin-free and fluid.
Dynamics And Textures – Dynamic range is natural without any compression as vR3000 creates an engaging sound despite their smoother texture. Speaking of which, the textures are fluid, slow and without hard edges, without much micro details and resolution is not a priority for VR3000 as it creates a relaxed, stress-free sound.
Loudness Saturation Gradient – VR3000 does not inherently struggle with high volumes, but it struggles with deep bass at high volumes. This means that it will sound great at all volumes with most music, especially rock, metal, pop, and classical, but with bass heavy tracks, it sounds best at low and medium volumes. It does render more texture in bass than it does in the midrange and treble anyways which further makes it feel like the bass has extra distortion.
Soundstage – Staging is a strong point for VR3000 which is very wide and laterally holographic. It is great for binaural recordings and will work well for gaming as it has a good lateral separation, although you should keep in mind that layering is not very strong, so distance from the listener is defined less than the lateral direction a sound is coming from.
Value – Conclusion
Value alone is great as vR3000 is very affordable and comes with a nice cable, and overall they offer a sound that is capable, especially for spatial definition, although resolution only goes as far as the price point would suggest. Only the eartips and comfort make VR3000 a good value pair of IEMs.
If what you’re looking for is the ultimate everyday pair of IEMS, to game and enjoy music, something that is wide and spatially coherent, and something to enjoy easy fun times, you will love the Final VR3000, as it renders a good generalist sound. In fact, this is one of the few IEMS I would say steps away from the audiophile resolution and tunings we usually explore, so for something different, VR3000 will be a great addition to any collection.
PROs
- Voices are easily audible and lyrics make more sense than with most similarly priced IEMS
- Comfortable, with Final’s premium eartips
- Good flexible cable that stays out of the way
- Fairly good passive noise isolation
- Natural midrange with minimal coloration
- Warm and full bass
- Good all-rounder for both music and gaming
- Smooth and relaxed treble without any fatiguing elements
Cons
- Fragile construction and cable
- Resolution and clarity are below what the competition in the price range
- Bass roll-off in the sub and bleed in the upper bass
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4x0G3MO
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Full Playlist used for this review
We listened to more songs than those named in this playlist, but those are excellent for identifying a sonic signature. I recommend trying most of the songs from this playlist, especially if you’re searching for new music! The playlists are different for Spotify, Tidal and Youtube, and based on the songs I enjoy and are available on each!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_cjBXGmwSHSdGcwuc_bKbBDGHL4QvYBu
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5J3oloz8Riy9LxEGenOjQ0?si=979ba4f082414be7
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/330fd544-8e5b-4839-bd35-676b2edbb3d5
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