Final Audio D8000 Pro Edition Review

The famous Final Audio D8000 has been modified with the release of the D8000 Pro Edition. What changes have been made? And what can you expect in terms of sound and design? Let’s take a look in this Final Audio D8000 Pro Edition Review.

Final Audio D8000 Pro Edition Review

FIT

No problems for me here. The D8000 Pro Edition isn’t incredibly light, but it avoids feeling cumbersome on the head. Though the earpads are soft and forgiving, the fit around the ears is on the firmer side. Final has used a ventilated material on the earpads, which kept my ears nice and cool during my listening session.

DESIGN

With an impedance of 60 Ohms and a sensitivity of 98dB, the planar magnetic D8000 Pro Edition is reasonably easy to drive, and a higher powered portable amp (like the Mojo or the iFi Micro Black Label, which I used for this review) should give it sufficient juice.

What did Final Audio have in mind when creating the D8000 Pro Edition? The company has retuned the driver units of the D8000, which is ideal for classical music and any genre requiring a wide dynamic range, to create a narrower dynamic range, which increases the perceived clarity with respect to pop and rock music. This change also makes it more suitable for mixing engineers who need to listen at higher volumes than the average consumer and want to maintain the integrity of the mix.

These cans come with 2 cables; a detachable OFC black cable (1.5m with a 3.5mm termination), as well as a longer OFC silver cable (3m with a ¼ inch termination) are included in the box. For the purposes of this review, I stuck with the OFC black cable. The accompanying hard case is a reasonable size and can easily fit into a backpack.

SOUND

Lows

The lows fall towards the more neutral side, though pop tracks reveal an adequate amount of punch. For purists, at least. Listening to this range, it becomes clear that the D8000 does two things particularly well. Firstly, the level of tightness is damn tight. And this makes for a funky pop track. But it also lends itself beautifully to rock bass lines. Listening to The Beatles’ Come Together, for example, the bass note progression in the intro are remarkably well defined. And this is a hard feat; often, even in the priciest headphone, this famous and very fast bass progression seems to almost slide up the cleff in one cohesive unit. So, the D8000 Pro Edition displays an extremely disciplined and controlled bass. 

Secondly, the bass reveals an impressive amount of grip and detail. Listening to cellos in this range, there was ample grain and substance. So, those who prefer a particularly fluid feel in their strings may want to look for a smoother profile. But personally, I love it this dry.

Mids

Listening to mids it becomes apparent how well balanced these cans are. And especially if you like equilibrium in this range, you’ll certainly gravitate toward this profile. The low mids are given plenty of attention and the high mids avoid any artificial emphasis. And this provides fullness (even though there’s not a ton of warmth) to rock and pop-rock tracks. It’s an altogether expansive sound, and you certainly won’t feel like you’re missing any instrumentation in the mix. Also, because vocals don’t sit far in front, the mix feels uncontrived. That being said, those who prefer a particularly dynamic feel when listening to pop, where there’s more contrast between the lows and highs, may want to look for something a little more colored. But certainly, if you’re more of a purist when it comes to balance, you’ll dig these cans. Furthermore, separation remains well defined here, and the layering is tidy enough to warrant the price tag. And again, it’s such a firm sound. Snares that lead in rock tracks, for example, have super fast, crisp impact. 

Highs

As mentioned above, listening to the highs, it’s clear that this is a balance that will appeal to those who like a relatively neutral character. Though there’s no roll-off here, this range avoids any brightness or discomfort. But if you listen to a track like Michael Jackson’s Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough, you’ll hear that there’s plenty of snap and sparkle to lend funk to this genre. That being said, if you prefer tons of character in female vocal performances, like extreme airiness or a particularly velvety quality, you might want to keep looking. But if you like it au naturel, the D8000 Pro Edition has your name on it.

Soundstage

What particularly stands out is the precision of the imaging. Gradations along all axis were incredibly well defined. Indeed, the fantastic separation adds to the pin-point accuracy that you’ll sense. And though I’ve heard deeper stages, the listening experience still felt quite holographic.

SUMMARY

The D8000 Pro Edition is extremely well balanced, super tight and all-encompassing. It also offers the kind of detail and precision that you’d expect at this price range. And the relatively unadulterated sound signature will please listeners who gravitate to the most realistic listening experience. So, unsurprisingly, if you like a lot of flavor and added character in your sound profile, you might want to keep looking. But personally, I’m a sucker for any headphone that doesn’t lie.

You can pre-order the D8000 Pro Edition is available for the best price here:

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