final VR3000 For Gaming Review – Silent Cries And Mighty Echoes

The £67.99 final VR3000 is the highest-priced model of the company’s Virtual Reality series. It is for gamers who prefer a “healthy” bass response but its real strength plays out in binaural listening.

The final VR3000 were kindly provided by Jackrabbit Media for my review – and I thank them for that. You can get them from hifiheadphones and some amazon marketplaces.

Introduction

In a recent article, I analyzed the final VR 2000, the mid-priced model in final’s “Virtual Reality” series, introduced in late 2023. It followed the VR3000 from 2020, which final markets as the series’ top model. For completion, a budget VR500 followed in early 2024.

This article is devoted to the VR3000. Since both models (VR2000, VR3000) are very similar and have been designed for essentially the same purpose, you are advised to first read my VR 2000 review.

final out of Japan is one of these increasingly rarer companies that invest a lot of effort into R&D. Their products are well designed and hence have very long shelf lives. For example, their infamous E3000 in-ear monitors from 2017 still lead the pack in their class.

The company puts their money in quality and not window dressing with plain, pragmatic designs and superior functionality.

The VR series was designed for spatial listening and sound effects catering to gamers – and for binaural applications. If you want to get the detailed rundown on binaural, you’ll find it in my VR2000 review.

Since the black VR3000 and the grey VR2000 can superficially only be distinguished by their colour (and price), and since even their frequency response graphs are very similar, and since there is essentially no competition to them on the market, both models have to be seen in context.

But, there are distinct differences between them which makes one over the other model more useful depending on the purpose. Let’s get into the details.

Specifications VR3000

Physical Things and Usability

The VR3000, like the VR2000, utilizes final new 6mm driver ( “F-Core Du”) with new diaphragm, voice coil, magnet, and magnetic circuit. Both iems use sturdier brass instead of aluminium. Their voice coil was designed to minimize time response.

The earpieces of the two models are also alike, borrowed from final’s A series. The cable is fixed and incorporates a 3-button inline remote on the right-hand side. The microphone is of average quality. Here a sound sample:

In the package are also 5 pairs of final’s E-series silicone eartips and a pair of ear hooks for maximum hold. I find the light earpieces very comfortable and use them for long periods without problems. A criticism is the relatively short cable…120 cm are not long enough for comfortable desktop use.

The VR3000’s small form factor points to use with small (portable) devices such as a phone or tablet. These devices drive the VR3000 with ease.

Tonality and Technicalities

The VR3000 features the same driver as the previously discussed VR2000 – both do not also have the same shell design, even their graphs look almost alike. So where’s the difference? If you look closely the VR3000 are bassier and have lesser treble extension.

In terms of listening, the VR3000 is distinctly bassy with a relatively slow decay (compared to the VR2000). This may add a more spectacular perception of canon thunder and similar low-frequency effects, but it moves the listener a bit away from the action. It narrows but deepens the stage, adds weight to voices, but also limits midrange resolution. Particularly the relatively slow low end limits the separation of overlapping sounds.

The VR3000’s lack for treble extension also contributes to a somewhat closed feeling. But, where the VR3000 shine is anything on a large stage, such as a symphony orchestra. It may lack the speed but it has very good imaging and full bodied sound. It also works very well with any spoken word such as audio books, radio plays, or podcasts.

VR3000 and VR2000 compared

In order to get the full picture, I recommend once again digging into my analysis of the VR2000 sibling as I don’t want to repeat myself here over and over again. That mid-priced model beats the higher VR3000 model in terms of driver speed and therefore gaming realism. The thicker, bassier, warmer, and richer sounding VR3000 does not separate fast sounds equally well but works better in the aforementioned spoken word applications and orchestral music, in which the VR2000 may be a bit lean.

Concluding Remarks

final gives users the choice of three affordable iems in their Virtual Reality series. The VR3000 is the priciest model but not the best for gaming, beaten by the speedier, swifter, and cheaper VR2000. The bassier, richer sounding VR3000 is superior for podcasts and binaural recordings, where the VR2000 may sound a bit lean. These characterizations help you, the user, in your decision, which model fits your purposes best.

Until next time…keep on listening!