Final A8000 Flagship In-Ear Headphones

Development of A8000

The development of A8000 began with reconstructing physical measurement methods and subjective evaluation methods. The E series became a bestseller with highly rated sound quality by many, thanks to the subjective evaluation method established during the development of D8000. For A8000, we incorporated new evaluation criteria into this subjective evaluation method.

Transparent Sound in Earphones

While frequency response is the dominant factor in determining the sound quality of earphones and headphones, there are sound changes that are impossible with just frequency response. This is the impression of sound called transparent sound, which has been most emphasized in classical music recordings, where sounds localized at a distance are clear. We have considered the realization of this sound impression to be extremely important in obtaining an uplifting feeling when listening to music. We believe that the high evaluation of our headphone D8000 is due to its ability to achieve this transparent sound. Until now, earphones have changed sound through what is called tuning, which alters frequency response, but it's difficult to achieve transparent sound through tuning alone as the time response doesn't change significantly.

PTM: Perceptual Transparency Measurement

This time, aiming to achieve transparent sound in earphones, we developed final's unique evaluation method "PTM" (Perceptual Transparency Measurement). As a result of evaluating and improving the correlation between the analysis results of impulse response, which couldn't be understood by conventional frequency characteristics alone, and the principal component analysis of subjective evaluation, A8000 adopted a diaphragm formed from extremely thin beryllium foil (true beryllium), which is said to be an ideal diaphragm material that is extremely lightweight and has a fast sound speed.

True Beryllium Diaphragm

A8000 uses a diaphragm formed from extremely thin beryllium foil (true beryllium), which is said to be an ideal diaphragm material that is extremely lightweight and has a fast sound speed. Beryllium has a specific gravity of 1.85, making it lightweight, and a propagation speed of 12,900 m/s, which is the second fastest after diamond, making it ideal as a diaphragm material. The adoption of true beryllium leads to improved time response and greatly transforms into transparent sound. You can clearly feel the sharpness of the sound's rise and the lingering of fading sounds, and even the silence between sounds becomes perceptible.

Balancing Excitement and Universal Good Sound

We focused on "the relationship between the sense of sound field and dynamic range in music, and the physical characteristics of earphones and headphones" in our sound creation. We organized the sound creation in recording music by setting two axes. One is the concept related to the sense of distance in sound. The other is the "dynamic range," or the temporal variation in volume.

Customized-like Fit

A8000 achieves superior fit based on the optimal housing design for IEMs established in the development of the B series. The fit of earphones is determined by the sense of pressure. We aimed for a fit without pressure by limiting the contact area, compared to organic shapes with large surface areas contacting the ear.

Stainless Steel Machined Housing with "Tetra Chamber Structure"

The internal design of the housing is divided into a "tetra chamber structure" consisting of four parts: the front chamber of the driver, the double-structured rear chamber of the driver, and the separate housing for the MMCX connector part. This design allows for clear sound outlines and achieves both volume and tightness in the low range while also preventing sound leakage.

MMCX Connector + Silver-Coated Cable

The MMCX connector is a high-precision in-house development. The high-purity OFC silver-coated cable, which gives breadth to the sound field, is a joint development with Junkosha, which is also renowned for developing and manufacturing cables for the supercomputer "K (kei)" that pursued signal transmission speed.

Replaceable Dust Filter

The dust filter part may become dirty with earwax, etc. In A8000, the dust filter is designed to be replaceable by customers themselves, and dust filters are included with the product.

Aluminum Carry Case

A8000 comes with an aluminum carry case for safe storage and transportation.