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final E1000 – an understating champion

Posted on 11 July 202020 August 2020

As always, for all standard information about build, specs, aesthetics etc I point you to the various other “reviews” you can find online about this IEM, quick are mentioned in the Interesting links section at the bottom of this post.

My sound analysis here if you really care

At-a-glance

PROs CONs
Neutral-bright tonality, with a personal timbre Some sibilance, also depending on pairing
Very good mids Microphonic cable
Nice and lively highs 
Spectacular soundstage 
Very comfortable (to me at least) 
Low price, superb value 

Full Device Card

Test setup

Fiio X3 mk-III / Tempotec V1 + Fiio BTR5/USB. Single Ended port. Stock tips. Lossless 16/44.1 – 24/96 – 24/192 FLAC regulat music tracks.

Signature analysis

Tonality Very much neutral, with a timbre shade calling for some “intimacy” (nothing to do with a narrow soundstage though)
Sub-Bass Rolled-off but still existant when called for. Rather dry, un-lushy.
Mid Bass Fast and tight, very much so considering it comes from a DD. Lean in the quantity. Zero bleeding on the mids.
Mids The best part of the signature (mid bass being second best). Somewhat forward but not too much, textured, almost purely neutral.
Male Vocals Smooth, warmish, quite bodied. Very nice.
Female Vocals Also very nice, bodied, very musical. Some sibilance may appear on some tracks, more so depending on pairing (more on this below); deeper insertion helps reduce or even cancel the effect.
Highs More prominent than on E4000, less articulated then on E5000, nice nonetheless, smooth but very lively, “good” in a word but prone to sibilance.

Technicalities

Soundstage Very sizeable, wider than deep
Imaging Precise and consistent.
Details Just average, not a monster.
Instrument separation Also quite average, although free of real congestion
Driveability No “big” amping is required but 102dB @ 16Ohm need to be taken seriously in terms of source. The Meizu dongle needs 50/100 source volume to get the same SPL I get at 90-92/100 volume on my Samsung S6. SPL apart, underamping turns into thinner & duller sound.

Physicals

Build Cheap yet very convincing. Housings are made of sturdy ABS
Fit Bullet shape by definition offering the best fitting options (easy to calibrate depth, angle, orientation etc), but subpar mechanical stability (difficult to keep them “firm in position” during workout for example, sometimes even while talking or yawning)
Comfort Very subjective. I personally find them extremely comfortable. For many, they are unfit for side sleeping though.
Isolation Bullet shape does not offer any concha shielding. Deeper insertion typically helps getter a stronger seal improving isolation too.
Cable Fixed, robust and solidly connected. Wear over-ear to remove microphonics

Specifications (declared)

Housing ABS
Driver(s) 6.4mm dynamic type
Connector –
Cable OFC black cable, 1.2m
Sensitivity 102 dB
Impedance 16 Ω
Frequency Range –
Rated Power –
MSRP at this post time JPY 2530,00 ($24,00)

E1000’s allowance to (modest) sibilance is probably worth a digression here.

Firstly, it is quite source-sensitive. Meizu HDP (Cirrus CS43131) stimulates it much more than BTR5 (ESS ES9218P) or Dosmix TPR22 (Qualcomm WHS9415).

Secondly, it’s not easy to EQ-it off (or well, at least I couldn’t). Unlike what happens on many other IEMs (name one: Pinnacle P2 – stay put for my notes coming soon) where shrills or other offensive treble artifacts are the consequence of some tuning bumps in the highs section possibly aimed at forcing some fake airiness sensation (?), E1000’s treble tuning appears quite smooth with a sole evident relative peak at 5.8K, and taking it down by a few dBs does not really cancel shrilling for good, while it does change the overall pleasant brightness that section has following its original tuning.

Simply put: E1000 does not react well to shrilling correction by EQing. The situation gets better (as usual) opting for a deeper insertion – if that is acceptable comfort-wise. Those who are seriously sensible to sibilance better choose something else anyway.

[collapse]

The usually totally spot-on final colophon for the model:

Clear, well-balanced sound from low through to high tones. A sound spread and sense of realism much like you would experience listening to live music.

https://snext-final.com/products/detail/E1000

The key to E1000 is neutrality (or almost).

In facts, E1000 is one the most neutral budget IEM I heard to date.

Trebles do taint it with a bit of brightness, not enough to call it bright, and maybe not even enough to call it bright-natural, yet probably due to how all the rest of the spectrum is so natural, and no hint of warmth comes from the low end, the “clear” accent on the high side is instantly noticeable, and it is indeed there.

I wouldn’t arrive to call it an all-rounder – also due to the fact that I don’t believe in all-rounders in the first place – but a fact is that E1000 is a very good, competent pick for very many genres varying from pop to rock to jazz and classics, with the sole attention point to its moderate HF sibilance chance.

In the face of an IEM like this some purists like to argue on its “cheap” build (pure ABS), non-removable cable, no strain releaf, whatever. Personally, I can’t care less, already phylosophically I mean, and in this case very rationally too.

Firstly, I am in front of Japanese-controlled-quality refined product, not the usual noname first-price chifi “stuff“. To keep price low they took something off, sure, but final quality is all there, and it does show frankly both in the sound and the “simple” build.

Furthermore: at €24 E1000 grants an output quality of such a level that to cure my worries I could also imagine to buy a spare unit, for €48 total cost, and it would still be hard to find a better chifi IEM, and I would also get an extra E-series eartips full set (€9 value) to upgrade some of my other “chi-unrefined” models.

Comparisons

final E1000final E2000Hifiman RE-400TIN T4
Driver(s)Single Dynamic DriverSingle Dynamic DriverSingle Dynamic DriverSingle Dynamic Driver
TonalityBright neutral, personal timbreOpen V-shape, personal quite musical timbre lacking 1% of spice to be more engagingWarm-neutral. Mid-centric balanced signature.Slightly bright neutral, engaging dynamics
BassFlat midbass and rolled off subbass. Dry, fast and punchy.Rolled off, but fast and clean subbass. Lightly elevated, tight and softly punchy – somewhat too timid – midbassFully extended, flat, fast sub- and mid-bass. Definitely lean but punchy when called for.Modestly elevated mid and sub. Fast, clean.
MidsSomewhat forward, textured, almost purely neutral sounding. Both vocals are nice and musical.Full, rounded. Sound more prominent due to unexhalted bass. Good vocalsNatural, clear, quite detailed warmish mids. Very nice vocals.Clear, natural sounding and flat.
HighsProminent, quite articulated, not much extended. Some rare sibilance.Average extension, modestly airy. 6K peak adds some “sparkle”. No harshnessModerately extended, some sparkly accent and very nice details. Totally effortless.Clair, quite extended, well articulated. Excessive at times. Unfrequent light sibilance removed by tips or deeper insertion.
SoundstageVery sizeable, wider than deepAbove average, wider than deeper.Just a bit out of the head, not very deepAbove average
ImagingPrecise and consistentQuite precise and consistentQuite precise, but the group is kept too close together giving a congested impressionAbove average, consistent
DetailsJust average, not a monster.Average.Above average in the trebles, and even (to a lesser extent) in the sub-bassAbove average
SeparationAverage, no congestionJust about average.Good, but often jeopardised by “close-imaging”Average
DriveabilityA good phone is barely enoughLight amping recommendedAny phone is OKA phone is OK
Fit & ComfortExtremely easy fit, subjective comfortExtremely easy fit, subjective comfortExtremely easy fit and top comfortFit might be an issue for some. Comfort is OK when fit is easy.
Other notesAlmost-reference flatness and ease of use at a supercheap priceNice “spiced-neutral” musical tuning, could use some further spice to really shineSuperbly natural sounding, truly flat-neutral, extremely relaxingReference neutrality with a hint of brightness, great dynamics and above average technicalities
Economics$ 24,00$ 42,50$ 79,00
($ 50,00 deals)
$ 109,00
($ 79,00 deals)

Interesting links

  • NOBS Audiophile E1000 review
  • Head-fi E1000 reviews
  • MajorHIFI E1000 review

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