Boutique Japanese audio company, Final Audio, has just announced its latest wireless earbuds and they’re priced at a surprisingly accessible $100. The ZE3000 SV are effectively the second generation of the company’s $149 ZE3000 — some of the best-sounding earbuds I’ve ever tested under $200 — and yet they appear to have many improvements and a much lower price. They’ll be available on Amazon and Final Audio’s website in the coming days.
While the ZE3000 are notable for their audio quality, Final neglected to include many of the features we’ve come to expect on wireless earbuds, like noise cancellation and Bluetooth Multipoint. They can do hi-res audio, but only via Qualcomm’s aptX Adaptive codec, which isn’t available on the most popular smartphones.
The ZE3000 SV address all of these concerns. Final’s says its new “Comfort ANC” has been designed to balance sound quality and sound isolation performance. Multipoint is on tap for connecting two devices simultaneously, and Final has swapped aptX Adaptive for Sony’s hi-res LDAC codec, which is available on all Android smartphones (though not on iPhones).
All of these are welcome additions, but not if the come at the expense of audio quality. Apparently Final has found a way to maintain the ZE3000’s excellent performance through the use of new, larger 10mm “f-Core SV drivers” and f-LINK Port technology. It “optimizes the pressure of the acoustic space while maintaining a secure waterproof performance. This allows significant control of low frequencies, which is typically difficult to achieve in true wireless products. It produces realistically vivid vocals, kick drums, and bass lines that hit hard without overpowering the overall balance.”
Battery life remains the same at a claimed 7 hours of playtime (28 with the charging case) though it’s not clear how the use of ANC and LDAC will affect these numbers. The ZE3000 SV are also IPX4 water-resistant and they can be customized via the Final Connect App.
They also feature a gaming mode, though I’m a bit surprised by the description: “Gaming Mode can be activated via the Final Connect app and will instantly achieve a low latency connection of up to 60ms – speeds unheard of with standard Bluetooth connections.” 60 milliseconds is certainly an improvement over what you’d normally expect with SBC, AAC, or LDAC codecs (these can run as high as 350ms), but there are many wireless earbuds that promise low latency modes as fast as 45ms.
Regardless, I’m very excited to try the ZE3000 SV. If they sound as good as the ZE3000, they’ll be a bargain.
Instagram is making its way to yet another screen, and this time, Apple TV is getting a taste of the Reels rabbit hole. The company has launched a dedicated Instagram app for Apple TV, bringing Reels, longer videos, and live shows to the big screen. So, if watching one quick clip on a phone somehow turns into an hour of scrolling, there's now a much larger screen for that.
Instagram brings Reels and more to Apple TV
Audio-Technica, a brand well known for making some of the best studio and professional headphones on the market, has just come out with the ATH-AWX7000, which the company itself claims to be its "finest headphones ever." The new flagship closed-back headphone has debuted at an eye-watering price of $3,799. It combines hand-finished Japanese woodwork with a newly developed 58mm driver.
The earcups are made from Kiso cypress, a prized wood historically used for Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Each housing is finished by hand with traditional Echizen lacquer, which brings out the grain and is expected to darken over time. The frame and sliders are finished in a deep navy kachi-iro shade traditionally associated with samurai.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
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