Review of TWS headphones final ZE3000

We continue to get acquainted with the headphones of the Japanese company final. Recently, we talked about the top TWS model final ZE8000 MK2, and today we review the more affordable final ZE3000. The company promises a comfortable design and excellent sound thanks to its own interesting developments. Today we will check how true it is.

Specifications of the final ZE3000

Package contents

The final ZE3000 is packaged in a medium-sized box with a white and red design, a picture of the headphones, and basic specifications.

The package is almost standard for TWS models. The headphones themselves with a case, a short Type-C cable for charging, interchangeable tips and documentation. The TYPE E Truly Wireless Exclusive Edition comes with 5 pairs of bundled earbuds in a box, so you can more accurately choose the right size.

Design and usability

The final ZE3000 has an interesting design: the company decided to combine the so-called "anatomical" shape typical of good in-ear models with straight lines with clear angles. It looks interesting and stylish. The shape is a bit reminiscent of the in-channel models of the American company Campfire Audio.

The final ZE3000 is made of black plastic with a Shibo coating in the form of water droplets, which we have already seen in reviews of other final models. Whether you like it or not is an individual matter, but it looks really original. The outer covers of the headphones have the final logo, LED indicators and microphones for conversations in the same recess. The outer surface of the headphones (the one without the logo) is touch-sensitive.

On the inside of the final ZE3000 cases there is a model name, left and right earpiece designations, and charging contacts. The sound holes are located at a slight angle, as they should be for a comfortable fit. They are not very long and have a standard diameter. There are meshes inside to prevent dirt from getting inside.

The headphones are quite large. But thanks to the successful shape and light weight, they are comfortable and do not interfere even after several hours of continuous listening. The fit in the ear canal is not too deep, the bundled ear tips are soft and comfortable. final ZE3000 almost do not protrude beyond the auricle, so there should be no problems with a hat in winter. The headphones have IPX4 protection, so they are quite suitable for sports. But you shouldn't get caught in a downpour with them.

The charging case is very compact and slim. It is flat and fits easily into a jeans pocket. It is also made of black plastic with a similar Shibo coating. There is a final logo on the lid, and a single LED on the front that shows the charge level and the charging process.

The design is quite standard: a hinged lid and places with contacts and headphone magnets inside. The lid is well fixed and has an auto-close function only in the closed position. It does not open from accidental sudden movements. In the open position, the lid wobbles a little.

The Type-C port on the bottom is used for charging. In practice, there is only one complaint about the case: it is not very convenient to take the headphones out of it, one of the fingers constantly rests on the lid.

Management

The final ZE3000 is controlled, as in all TWS models, using the sensors on the outer parts of the headphones. Thanks to the large sensor area, you can hit it right the first time. This parameter and the control scheme itself make the model more convenient than the more expensive final ZE8000 MK2.

The control scheme is simple, logical and convenient. A short touch is responsible for playback, pause, and answering a call. A long touch on the right and left earbuds switches tracks forward and backward, respectively. Double-tap to adjust the volume. Launch Siri/Google Assistant - triple tap when playback is paused.

As with the full-size final UX3000, there are no additional features, no proprietary app, and no touch control customization. It seems that final has decided to leave these bonuses for the top models only. Although competitors in this price category have both software and additional features such as active noise reduction and transparency mode.

Connectivity and features

Only Bluetooth is used to connect any TWS headphones. final ZE3000 automatically switch to the connection mode a few seconds after opening the case. If you want to connect the headphones to another device, you will have to manually disconnect them from the previous one. There is no separate button for the connection mode on the case.

The final ZE3000 is equipped with Bluetooth 5.2, supports SBC, AAC, aptX and aptX Adaptive codecs, the latter providing 24-bit/48 kHz transmission. Low latency mode is supported. There were no problems with signal stability, the headphones work perfectly at a distance of up to 10 meters without obstacles and 5-6 meters with 1-2 walls.

The only feature that can be called additional in the case of the final ZE3000 is the ability of the headphones to work in mono mode. This can be useful when driving. Miltipoint is not supported.

Sound and sound insulation

final claims to have used specially designed drivers and internal structure in the ZE3000 to achieve minimal sound distortion. The headphones use the f-LINK damping system, which optimizes the pressure in the acoustic space inside the case without the need for external vents. And the drivers are 6mm dynamic f-Core for Wireless drivers, which were developed specifically for TWS models.

Out of the box, final ZE3000 sound relatively neutral, there are no very obvious peaks in certain parts of the frequency range. The middle frequencies sound very pleasant. This is especially true for vocals and live instruments: strings, percussion and wind instruments. They are reproduced vividly and naturally, there are hints of good detail and microsounds, which you would not expect from TWS headphones in the non-top segment. Given the design, I was pleasantly surprised by the wide and voluminous imaginary scene, as well as the clear positioning of the instruments.

Low frequencies are somewhat less than we would like. They have a rather clear, elastic attack and good control. The rhythmic pattern is reproduced clearly. But there is not enough depth and weight in the low frequencies. At first I thought that it was a feature of the used 6 mm driver. But, as experiments with the equalizer showed, the headphones can produce a lot of bottom end. Final just decided to make them sound more neutral.

High frequencies are quite bright. Some users may find them too much. Usually, inexpensive TWS soften them, but in the case of the final ZE3000, the highs were not removed. This adds some dynamics and clarity, but not everyone will like it. In general, the sound of the headphones out of the box is pleasant and lively, but best suited for live light music. Fans of heavy styles or electronics may not have enough drive.

Despite its lack of active noise reduction, the final ZE3000 can be listened to outdoors or in public transportation thanks to its good passive sound insulation. Of course, you need to choose the right size earbuds for this purpose. The built-in microphones are typical for TWS models: the interlocutor does not need to ask again in most cases. However, in a loud environment, they pick up quite a bit of noise.

Battery life

Inside each final ZE3000 earbud is a 35 mAh battery. The charging case has a capacity of 300 mAh. The company claims that the headphones can work for up to 7 hours, and together with the case, this figure is 35 hours. The headphones themselves take 1.5 hours to charge, and the case takes 2 hours, and there is no fast charging.

The actual performance is very close to the declared one. When listening to music at 80-90% volume, the headphones last a little over 6 hours, which is quite normal for modern TWS headphones, although there are models that offer longer battery life.