Final Audio UX3000 Review

Considering all of the Bluetooth headphones out there, only a few brands are known for their sound quality. We have a lot of manufacturers now that prioritize noise-canceling and now spatial audio that sometimes the native sound signature can come up short. Final Audio has always been a brand that makes worthy, inexpensive audio products that come with a consistent level of sound quality. Even their first venture into Bluetooth, the EVA 2020 was successful in providing great true wireless with a solid sound that was on the same level as Final Audio IEMs. Now, Final Audio has released their first over-ear Bluetooth headphone, the UX3000. Does it live up to Final Audio’s standard for fidelity?

What You Get

• Carrying Pouch
• USB Type C Charging Cable
• Analog Audio Cable with 3.5mm Plug

Look and Feel

On the outside, the UX3000 doesn’t look like anything particularly special. It’s mainly a plastic build with small ear cups with standard leather padding. However, the UX3000 uses a unique coating called Shibo, which offers resistance to dirt and fingerprints. I recognized its texture from the D8000, which is a nice carry-over to a $179 wireless headphone. Concerning comfortability, I’m mixed on whether or not I’d say the UX3000 is a good fit. With my big ears, I experienced some fatigue after some significant listening time, but for a time the pads made them feel cozy and secure. It’s a tight fit that isn’t always the best but still retains a fine level of support.

Design and Functionality

The UX3000 is designed with a few different factors that help shape its overall performance. The headphones are built with a single sensor microphone to interpret ambient environmental characteristics, with sensors on the inside and outside of each earcup. This all affects the efficiency of the headphone’s noise-canceling capabilities, where the UX3000 impresses. The UX3000 effortlessly uses its noise-canceling feature to reject major obstructions within most ranges of frequency. People talking right next to you can still be heard, but other ambient sounds are attenuated considerably. This works great for public transportation and areas that might have more intimidating ambiances like ventilation systems blowing.

Bluetooth

Aside from supporting Bluetooth 5.0, the UX3000 also offers a multipoint connection to add to its wireless potential. For CODECs, you have SBC and AAC, as well as aptX and aptX LL. The pairing was seamless and I didn’t experience any dropouts during my long sessions with the UX3000.

Battery Life

Using ANC you should get 25 hours of playtime from the UX3000. With ANC off, you add an additional ten hours for a total of 35 hours of listening time. This is a fairly standard battery for this price point.

Soundstage

There are a good number of wireless over-ear headphones with unsatisfactory soundstages. Being familiar with Final Audio, I usually look forward to something a little more than what’s to be expected. Thankfully, Final Audio delivers here, with a wide stage and easy to localize spatial imaging. When listening to certain tracks, you get the sense that the UX3000 offers a good amount of breathability in terms of separation and layering. Other Bluetooth headphones sometimes find trouble here, even with advancements in spatial audio technology. Here the imaging appears a lot more natural even with its linearity. Stereo imaging still appears accurate and provides an articulate sound field for the elements to occupy.

Low End

A good amount of bass presence is provided in the low-end, featuring some smooth subs and an extended mid-bass. Overall the timbre here is pretty dark but mostly clean in its texture. I got the feel of the bass without it clouding other ranges of frequency in muddiness. There are some enticing qualities here, but the UX3000 skips out on impact for me. It instead opts for subtle resonances that provide a significant lift to the bass that make its response engaging. Soft vibrations emanate from the lows but do not pulsate, instead of reproducing a more natural output of frequency information while retaining light coloration.

Mids

When I first started listening to the UX3000 I got the sense that there was some significant recession within certain midrange frequency bands. While the response here isn’t everything you’d hope for, I still think it has more to show over other v-shaped headphones. Some of that fundamental midrange section is noticeably missing here, but low-mids are emphasized, along with some upper-midrange clarity. There are just parts of instrumentals that feel a little too hollow for my taste, but some elements do shine. For example, certain orchestral sections, specifically in the lower-midrange, show some considerable presence, as well as more high-range vocal performances.

Highs

By far it’s the treble that has the fastest impact on the sound signature. There’s a good bite to the frequencies that appears consistently enjoyable to listeners who are looking for that type of texture. It doesn’t go overly bright which is preferable, but there are slight piercing elements in the mid-highs that were noticeable. Their fidelity isn’t the greatest, but the highs showcase enough presence to make for engaging musicality.

Summary

I’m quite happy with Final Audio’s first venture into over-ear Bluetooth headphones. There’s a good amount of room for improvement in this series, from its more recessed sound elements to its sometimes fatiguing fit. Overall, this is still a worthy noise-canceling headphone for the price, offering some of the most effective ANC you can find without a pretty penny on an industry leader like Sony headphones. The UX3000 is a great wireless option that mostly lives up to Final Audio’s standard for sound quality.

The Final Audio UX3000 is available at Audio46.