Introduction

The final audio brand is one of the most established in this business, being the house brand of S'NEXT Co., Ltd., which is an offshoot of MOLEX LLC. In the decades since its inception, the company has made waves predominantly with wired consumer and professional audio equipment, but has recently gotten involved in the wireless audio world, too. We covered the EVA2020 x final TWS last year, which was a collaborative effort that led to final's stamp on a true wireless stereo set of earphones. Since then, it has come out with its own fully in-house developed TWS set, the final ZE3000 we will take a look at separately. But what got me more excited was when the company announced its first over-ear Bluetooth headphones with ANC, and thanks to final and its UK distributor for arranging a review sample for TechPowerUp!


The final UX3000 is a full-size set of headphones and only available in black, as opposed to the nearly simultaneously released ZE3000 TWS set available in black or white. Common to both products is the soft-textured Shibo (an old Japanese word for a wrinkle on the surface of paper or leather) coating that makes the surface of the headphones premium looking—think of a dSLR body and you get the idea—while adding dust and fingerprint resistance. final isn't a brand I typically associate with cutting-tech technological features for wireless products, but ANC is a welcome feature being boasted about here. Let's see how it all comes together in our detailed review that begins with a look at the product specifications in the table below.

Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

Given the EVA2020 x final TWS collaborative effort was my only experience with a final product to date, I was not sure what to expect going in. A look at the packaging shows this is a consumer product first and foremost, including the typical plastic seal over a thin cardboard product box. The retail hang tags on top confirm as much, and the box design is well executed, conveying a lot about the product if chanced upon in a brick and mortar store. The company logo and product name are on front, along with salient marketing features and a render of the headphones from the side. This continues on the back with specifications in multiple languages, a list of the contents inside, and a note about the "My final" mobile app that has led to some confusion in the past as it is only used for account device registration and not a mobile app to monitor and customize the functionality of the UX3000. A double flap at the top keeps the contents in place during transit, and final has crammed in more information on the sides.


Open the box and you are greeted to a two-piece plastic clamshell that won't win any design awards but is practical all the same. The top is clear and acts as a lid, and we see a quick start guide as well as a few other accessories all held together by pieces of tape.


Two cables are included with the final UX3000. The first is a 3.5 mm to 3.5 mm TRS analog cable for wired connectivity to a compatible source and the second a shorter USB Type-A to type-C cable to charge the headphones. The headphones are in the primary clamshell with compartments to house it snugly, and the final set of accessories is in a cutout between the headband. These include a multi-language user manual (online copy here) that goes over the pre-programmed functions on the final UX3000, and I recommend going through it to make the most of your time with these headphones.


I wasn't expecting a carry case, but was still happy to see a soft carrying pouch. It is black to match the headphones and has a subtle final logo on front. This is a drawstring bag large enough to fit the provided cables and headphones folded flat. The last unboxing step is to remove the last pieces of tape securing the wax paper wrapped around both ear cups—you are now ready to go!