Final E3000 in-Ear Headphones, Hi-Fi Sound Quality, Hires Certified, Award Winning, Stainless Steel Housing, 3.5mm Standard Plug, Natural Sound with Extended Bass, Designed in Japan,Black

After 4 years these are still kicking. I haven't had any issues with durabilit. These have a very clear, slightly warm but very balanced sound. Highs aren't peaky or sharp, bass is there but dances with the rest and doesn't overpower. Good for a variety of genres or media.They feel slightly open due to the open grill on the backside which I like because the suction feeling and pressure changes are annoying with regular earphones.Love the tiny housing, they're very sleek light and low prilfe. I wear them upside down with the cord looped over the top of my ear and down the back of it like hooked IEMs.Highly recommend

The sound quality is not that great by an absolute standard but it's alright for the price I'd say.The sound signature I would describe as warm-neutral. Most people will find it inoffensive. The treble and upper mids (including female vocals) are recessed, so they're great if you're treble sensitive. Personally I don't use them for music anymore, the sound signature is far too bland (not to mention lacking the detail of higher-end IEMs), but they are great for listening to Youtube videos/streams and stuff like that where you don't need top quality.Great comfort-wise: they're small and unobtrusive. I used the medium tips at first and they felt and fit great, better than any silicone ones I've tried, but they unfortunately ended up compressing over time so I switched to the large ones, which were less comfortable at first but seem to have broken in over time. (Actually now I have switched back to the medium ones, the large ones kept popping out of my ears.)Do note that they don't isolate that great - you'll be able to hear outside sounds and the sound of the earphones will leak out somewhat. The wind also whistles through the open grill in the back - not ideal for outdoor use.I love the cable, which is very soft and lightweight. It seems durable so far despite how thin it is. In fact they are super durable as a whole, they make great beater IEMs and I use them every day.Maybe the biggest issue with them is the left/right indicators - a very light outline surrounding a metallic "L" / "R" which is impossible to see at night.

I am not shy about returning headphones I don't like but these are KEEPERS. This might be the happiest I've been with some earphones since my beloved Nuforce NE-700X. But to be fair those cost $90 in 2014.Update after 2 weeks of use:I went to a larger tip and now they don't sit as far in my ear. The bass and soundstage both improved with more air around the instruments. I really like these. I don't find myself thinking oh they do this, or they don't do that with regard to sound. The just play the music. That little TINY bit of graininess is gone with some break in I guess. While I don't listen to Metal or EDM they handle all genres of music well and handle more complex music like rock well compared to others I have tried. They come with 4 size tips so finding the right size is easier compared to pairs that only come with 3 size tips. The tips grip the nozzle really well but still come off and go on pretty easily. They come with some really small ear hooks but I haven't tried them yet. There is no listening fatigue yet they are still pretty accurate. They do not go really loud but they do go loud enough for me.I haven't played with EQ much because I haven't felt the need. Wires are thin and tangle pretty easily and don't untangle very easily. I have not noticed any microphonics. Of course, I'd like to have $100 buds but for $55 dollars they hit my nice but I won't cry if I lose them price point.===========================================Original reviewThey are not even broken in yet (and they don't need it) but my only real complaint and it's nitpicky, but they have a touch of graininess. But nowhere near as much as the Carbo Tenor. These are very neutra with decent detail while never being too bright. There is nice seperation between instruments but not much of a soundstage but there is nice amount of 'air' around the intruments. They do not have a lot of extension but they are not bass shy like the Carbo Tenor were. Drums sound natural, again not like the Carbo Tenor where they sounded more like carboard boxes.They are very light so they very comfortable. (I like straight earphones the best) The default tips fit me the best which is a nice change for me. There is next to no strain relief on the earphones as you can see in the picture so if you are hard on headphones, maybe consider other phones. on the good side the lack of strain relief makes them very comfortable worn wire up which i want for the gym. They have vents on the back so I doubt that isolation is very good for in-ear phones.In summary these are nuetral sounding with out any of the 'problems' of hifi. They are never over sibilant and they do not punish badly recorded songs or when listening to low bit rate stuff like pandora. I would call them fun for working out but they are not too dry if the quality of the music is what you want. They are not going to impress anyone or give you an eargasm when listening to your best music. But at $54 I'm extemely please with them and for me are a big step up from the Carbo Tenor unless you are impressed by a forward/blaring sound.

The instructions with these earphones claim that there is a 2-year warranty. The only contact information listed is a website. But when i used the website listed, I got a Japanese website. There was an English translation of the website with a form to fill out. But the company never responded to me. I have had two sets of these headphones fail. On the first set, one channel failed after 7 months. On the second set, one channel failed after 5 months.

Don't expect what you get is more than what you paid. Made by a hi-end audio company doesn't mean they have terrific sound. They are just OKAY, literally, OKAY (initially I wanted to say "MEH" but since you can improve E3000s sound by plugging it into desktop amps so they deserve an OKAY), even at this so-called low price.The sound signature of E3000s is soft and sweet without any sibilance, which is a good thing based on the audiophile rules. However, at the same time, the highs and mids are veiled and the bass is very slow, which makes them shine at certain songs (like some Jazz/Funk/Disco or Asian ACG stuff) but mess up on almost every other genre.So, if you really love some specific songs that E3000s are good at or if you really fancy the unique sound signature that E3000s have or if you really think everything from this luxury brand Final Audio Design is worth the money (we call this FAD cult), take these E3000s home and enjoy yourself. Other than those, use your 50 bucks somewhere else.E3000 actually earned a score of 3.5/5.