Sound
Before purchasing, I put the F7200 back to back with the F4100. Before twenty minutes had elapsed, I recognized that my preferences fell somewhere between the two earphones. The F4100 is warmer, mid thicker, with bigger bass. It has a softer voicing that jives better with: vocal and uplifting trance, singer/songwriter stuff, jazz stuff, piano stuff, famous classical set pieces – in a word (and minus the uplifting and vocal trance), typical audiophile fare. How did that famous, ill-attributed Churchill quote go? Any man who is not primarily a trance head at age 20 has no heart. Any man who is still primarily a trance head at age 40 has no head.
And I’m conservatively approaching 40.
I purchased the F7200 for the following reasons:
- It looks hot
- It’s got more high end and upper midrange energy than the F4100
- it’s the top earphone in the new series
The word top also describes the Final Audio F7200, whose high range is both more open and extended than the F4100. It’s not bellicose. It’s not clangy. Still, it is more energetic than the Nuforce HEM2 and a bit grainier than the Dunu DN2002. It connects to high mids smoother than either the Ultrasone IQ or the Dunu DN2000j. Outside Dunu’s DN2002, it is smoother than nearly every hybrid I’ve tried. The re-vamped Jays q-Jays is more peaky, too.
The F7200 tends to oil coats tom tom drums and certain low-toned vocals a bit much. Rebound bite softens. But considering that the F7200 is pretty flat-field, this becomes its only real Achilles Heel for the trance head. Highs and high mids simply don’t jump out enough to simulate wide trance halls. Partially as a result, its soundstage is wide but not that deep. High range instrument separation is good, but because z-axis depth and bass resolution aren’t super fussy, high range stereo details soften here and there.
Still, it leans further toward reference than to HiFi. You won’t find a U or V shape in there. This is polite reference. Bass sound pressure is pretty flat with good stereo separation, but not a lot of texture detail. You won’t get the F7200 to yawn out all the detail from your favourite bass or drum solo. Bass tones are light, and decay speed is good. Transitions to the midrange are completely natural.
To be sure, the F7200’s balance is great. The Audio Technica CK10’s stage was super detailed and its bass super clean. The Etymotic ER4’s highs and high mids clear are as a bell. The HEM2’s warmth, boosted bass and lower mids, are addictive. No matter how unaccented, earphones usually spin signatures around obvious fulcrums. The F7200’s fulcrums are all of the above, just less poised than any single earphone.
You might call it a polite introduction to reference, whose tendency toward raucous highs shuts the door on wood-be fans.
Design win
The above is my sanguine, aloof way of saying F7200’s got its ducks in a row. It sounds great, though it doesn’t really sound like anything. It’s too natural, to self-respecting for that. Another thing it doesn’t do is hiss much. I barely hear it from my Lynx HILO, I barely even hear it from my AK100. I don’t hear it at all from any reasonably well-designed audio circuit. As I have to nudge volume up about 20% higher than normal, I expect it’s all about sensitivity. And it is all good. I hate hiss. Why do most earphone companies design earphones that deliver hiss from the vacuum of space? Ultrasone IQ? Campfire Andromeda? Sure SE846? Great earphones. But way, way too sensitive.
The stock silicon tips isolate pretty well, and have little effect on sound. The pool-weenie sponge tips, on the other hand, noticeably muffle highs and high mids, and at least for my ears, isolate less well. They are comfy, though.
End words
Sound-wise, the Final Audio F7200 is polite, has good extension in both extremes, and it’s ready for the long listen. It’s not so polite that it’s warm. It sidesteps V and U shapes, and is utterly free of sibilance. It is tiny and tough. In general, it is beautifully designed to be used. But wither the L/R labels? And why rely on a plastic shunt to keep ear tips in place? No design is perfect.
And, the Final Audio F7200 is an earphone about which it is very hard to complain. But it’s also an earphone about which it is hard to jump and down and scream and shout. It’s an earphone that deserves your time. It rewards the long-term listener. In the long run, I think it will be considered a cornerstone to the new Final.
Barun C
Very nice Nathan, an enjoyable read as always, the 2 weeks wait was worth it. They seem to be a very balanced IEM with equal extension in the Highs & Lows, reminds me of my Final Audio cans without the hiss off course.
Can you please expand on what you mean by “too natural” and do you still consider the DN 2002 to be a better overall IEM in comparison to the F-7200?
Thanks
ohm image
Barun, I really screwed the pooch there. Essentially, the F7200 has no single characteristic that jumps up front. Some other reference-oriented earphones are similar, but usually include sharper highs, sometimes lowered bass pressure, etc. This one is polite in that it fronts no single trait above another.
‘Too natural’ in that while it sort of disappears, there is very little sound styling which is specific to the F7200 to really recommend it for the first, second, third, or fourth listen. It’s trite to say that it gets out of the way. But perhaps it does: too much so.
Mr. T
Polite and reverant. Sounds Japanese to me!
ohm image
I’m not sure that reverence is necessarily Japanese. But yes, these are Japanese earphones. In a good way.
Rhyan Paderanga
Will you do a single armature/driver IEMs shoot-out, what with all there comfort and design?
ohm image
That sounds like a great idea.
Luis Armstrong
Eek, they didn’t have trance until I was nearly 30. Still, Heart and Soul…
riku
Elegant IEM. Exceptional sound. Its only real disadvantage is that you end up gravitating towards its competition.
Henry Hsu
I don’t even care if they don’t sound good, these look sick.
Most hated band? Does 98 Degrees count?
Palpatine
As per the instructions the left ear bud can be identified by a slight raised projection at the bottom of the cable strain relief where it connects to the mmcx connector. Once you realize this it is easy to identify left and right even in total darkness … an elegant solution!
I almost gave up on these until I managed to find a pair of tips that allowed for the right fit. These were a tapered double flange similar to the silicon tips provided with Etymotics. Even my usual Symbio tips did not work well with these because they don’t allow insertion to the proper level. A clear clue to an improper fit even if the bass sounds correct is that the highs are totally missing.
Once properly fitted these are truly wonderful as described in your review. IMO truly reference as far as the midrange and treble are concerned. If these had a bit more rumble in the sub-bass they would be hard to beat at any price. However, what bass is there is so fast and tight that unless you are a basshead you won’t really care. Truly wonderful!