Final Audio VR2000 – Review

In the past few years, the use of gaming headsets has proliferated. Between Sennheiser’s consumer gaming headphones to Sony’s purchase of Audeze, gaming audio is flourishing. And while most gaming headsets come in the over ear variety, we’ve seen some expansion in the in ear gaming headset space as well. Today we have another in-ear entrant: the Final Audio VR2000. This new in ear is meant to enhance gaming, media, and VR listening at an affordable price. Let’s dig into the VR2000 to see what we’re working with. 

What You Get

• VR2000 Earbuds
• 4 extra pairs of ear tips
• Ear Hooks
• Carrying Pouch

Look and Feel

The VR2000 is an affordable IEM coming in at around $60. And for that price point, you really can’t complain about the build of this ear bud. The chassis is made entirely from plastic and feels pretty light in the hand. Weighing in at 20g, these will not cause ear fatigue. Final also says they designed the chassis to realize the “low oppression feeling of a customized fit.”

The IEM sports a rubbery feeling 1.2 meter cable with an attached microphone. The microphone housing also includes music and call control buttons. There is a color uniformity across the IEM with the chassis, tips, and cable all coming in the same dark olive color scheme.

In practice, I do find these to be quite comfortable with minimal microphonics. My one gripe would be that the cable does feel prone to tangling. Final Audio does provide a velcro loop to help keep the cable from fluttering around too freely, but that isn’t necessarily the most convenient solution here. 

Design

Final says they’ve “re-envisioned everything, from the diaphragm, voice coil, magnet, magnetic circuit, and various driver components’ adhesives, to even the production equipment.” This culminates in a single dynamic driver. The VR2000 also uses binaural sound technology to create a 3D sense of space and “‘sense of direction’ of sound.”

At 18 ohms with a sensitivity of 102 dB/mW, these will be quite easy to drive. This is great so you can plug them right into your phone, tablet, gaming computer, or controller to get top notch sound from whichever form of media you want to consume. 

Gaming Impressions

As stated before, the main purpose of the IEMs is gaming, so naturally the first thing I tested out was video gameplay. Using Call of Duty Modern Warfare III as a subject, I literally and metaphorically dove right in. The campaign starts with an underwater scene and immediately, I felt like I really was submerged under water. But it was when I started moving around that I really noticed the imaging capabilities of the VR2000’s. 

When turning right to left, I really got a sense of what sound was supposed to be the main subject, as well as the other layers of sound design built around it. In that opening level, there’s a helicopter that’s the centerpiece of the scene. When moving around, the direction of the helicopter changed too, allowing me to maintain a sense of space as I moved around. 

When shootouts started, separation of layers became apparent. But with the cacophony of sound, some detail started to go by the wayside. The layers started to feel thinner and less separated and the sound design became a little bit sloppy. That said, I was really impressed with the speech intelligibility of this IEM. No matter what was going on in the scene, I could always hear the other voices clearly and effectively. 

Music Impressions

If you’re spending the money on these IEMs, you may also expect to be able to use them for music. If that’s the case, you’re in luck. I was immediately impressed by the VR2000’s ability to resolve and reproduce music. The earbud presents a nice and neutral response with a gentle but impactful low end, a slightly recessed but still present midrange, and a clear and airy top end. 

In Radiohead’s “Nude,” there was a delicate handling of Colin Greenwood’s bass playing. Rather than an enlarged and in-your-face presentation, the VR2000 presented the bassline as soft and deliberate. While not the fastest bass response in the world, I was impressed with the tact it showed at this price range. 

The midrange is good but not perfect on this IEM. Vocals sound clear, but a little bit thin. While I felt like I was getting all the important information, it was in the microdetails and finesse where I found the midrange to be lacking. But again, at this price point, the response is really solid. A good example of what I’m talking about is Weezer’s “Only In Dreams.” I was impressed by how the VR2000 handled the guitar distortion without getting overwhelmed. But at the same time, I found the vocals to lack some dynamics, coming off as a little dry and dull. 

The top end is where I seem to always be impressed by Final Audio. While their general sound signature skews warm and musical, the treble regions of its products always come out remarkably airy and clear. This is the case with the VR2000 as well. Going back to Radiohead, the slow but constant hi-hat is resolving and crisp showing no signs of sibilance. 

To test out soundstage, I went for Adrianne Lenker’s binaural recording of “come” from the album “songs.” The song starts off with the ambient sound of rain, and I have to tell you, I felt like I was sitting in the middle of a rainstorm. The soundstage isn’t earth-shatteringly wide, but it is natural and effective, and not just for gaming. 

Summary

The VR2000 is an impressive little IEM. I have to say that I wasn’t expecting so much at this price point, but the VR2000 offers great sound quality and value. At $70, I think the VR2000 should be on the shortlist for any gamer looking to start playing with in-ears rather than clunky over-ears. 

The Final Audio VR2000 is available now at Audio46.com.