Intro
Final Audio is a Japanese audio company that needs no introduction. They are well known for producing high end audio gears and also great performance audio gears at a price point that is accessible to the majority of consumers. This series that i will be reviewing today is a model that was launched way back in 2012. Fast forward back to year 2021, is it still relevant today now that Chi-Fi is storming its way with each brand offering their product at a very good price/performance ratio?
Let’s find out.
Specifications
Housing: ABS
Driver: 8mmΦ dynamic
Sensitivity: 100dB
Impedance: 16Ω
Weight: 10g
Cord length: 1.2m
Judging from the specifications, this unit is fairly easy to drive with any source. However, it does benefit from amping it and pairing it with a good source in order to maximise its potential.
Packaging
The packaging is fairly simple and quite similar to Final’s newer E series. It comes with the E type ear tips as well as A type ear tips.
The box is similar to E series’s box. I used to have the Adagio when it was launched way back at 2012/2013 and the packing is different and also they only gave one type of ear tips back then. It doesn’t come with any sort of carrying case/pouch. You only get the unit itself and two types of ear tips.
* Throughout the review i am using the stock ear tip which is the A series tip as i find E series tip made it more boomy than it already is.
Build Quality
The housing of the driver is ABS which is plastic in general. It does look a little cheap but definitely not filmsy. However, i can’t say the same for the cable. It is thin and it does look like it will break if it’s accidentally pulled too hard,so extra care must be exhibit when handling the IEM.
Source
Here’s the setup that i used throughout this review:
Tidal on iPad Air 4 -> UD130 -> Final Audio Adagio iii
Cayin N3 Pro(Tube Mode - Triode Signature)Medium Gain -> Final Audio Adagio iii
Sound
Let’s talk about the sound of this Adagio iii. The star feature that this IEM has is the BAM mechanism (Balancing Air Movement) which Final developed for their Balanced Armature drivers. It works by optimizing the airflow in the housing, thus what you get is a huge and naturally bass and a very 3D soundstage and imaging coming from this 8mm’s driver.
Bass
Adagio iii is definitely bass focused IEM done in a proper manner.
To test the low end of Adagio iii, I played Radiohead’s 15 steps. The opening of the song which consist of various electronic beats, i can literally feel the beats in my face. The mid bass is big and warm, they deliver rather fast and quick blows. It is not the tightest I’ve heard and, sometimes it does get a lil bloated especially when you are using the stock E type tips. I tip rolled to KZ’s star line ear tips and it definitely helped to tame the bass. However as mentioned earlier, this review is done solely on its stock A type tip which is not that bassy compared to E series tip.
As for the sub-bass, this is something that is implemented differently compared to other IEMs that I have heard, it could be due to the way BAM is implemented and also the vents on the housing. It feels very different, but in a good way. I fired up The Weeknd’s Starboy, immediately i can feel the presence of the sub bass, it is not the usual rumbling kind which kinda vibrates/shakes your ear, rather i would describe it as the bass air that output from a HiFi system’s subwoofer vent port. That kind of experience i am getting from this mere 8mm driver. Impressive.
Mids
I would definitely categorize this earphone as V shaped tuned earphone. The mids are sometimes a little recessed on certain track as the bass and treble is always peaking over them.
The mids are smooth and airy. Billie Eilish’s Your Power is a track that i used to test the mids of Adagio iii. Billie’s vocal is thick and luscious. It does not suffer from any bass bleed as far as I heard. I noticed that when plugging Adagio iii straight into a smartphone, the mids feels a little lack of energy and not as lively as it would sound when it is powered from UD130. Amping this unit is definitely necessary in order to get the best experience out of it.
Highs
As for the highs, it is a little bit of a let down in my opinion. The highs added a lot of dynamic and sparkles to the overall package in order to prevent it from sounding dark. It is energetic, it is never sibilant, however they do have the tendency to be quite sharp sounding and harsh on certain track especially when the volume is turned up. One good example is Skrillex’s Bangarang, on my UD130’s volume pot at 1 o’clock, it sounded alright with less energy, once you turn it up pass 1 o’clock, say at 2, it starts to get harsh and a little in-tolerable, but that is just me, so treblehead might like it, so it all boils down to personal preference.
Soundstage
The soundstage of Adagio iii is also it’s strong point as marketed by Final. “A BAM mechanism that delivers bass tones and deep, three-dimensional spatial reproduction”. What I can say is it definitely delivered what’s being marketed. Listening to Toto’s Africa(Live), it made me feel as if i am there at the concert itself. The sense of spatial imaging that you get from this little dynamic driver is very impressive. Any high quality mastered live recording songs that you throw at it, you will never fail to get a smile in return.
Imaging/Separation
Instruments separation is also another strong point from the implementation of BAM on Adagio iii. Hotel California Live on MTV 1994 for example, the layering of the instruments are rendered accurately as they do not overlap each other. Percussions can be heard clearly on top of guitar strums and also the spectator’s clap. At the very end of the track, the whistling and the clapping sound of the spectators is very well rendered and layered. It is very impressive for an earphone that was launched 8/9 years ago.
Driveability
Adagio iii is definitely not hard to drive from the spec. In order to get the best out of it, it is recommended that you pair it with a decent DAP or DAC/AMP. As mentioned in the early part of this review, i am powering it via Stoner Acoustics UD130 DAC/AMP.
Switching to a DAP that is quite powerful, Cayin’s N3PRO. I re-listened to the tracks that i mentioned in the earlier part of my review,the harshness is definitely tamed due to the tube mode in the Cayin. The bass is also a little tighter compared to when it was on UD130. I guess it is safe to say that Adagio iii is quite source sensitive.
Conclusion
No doubt there are a lot of Chi-Fis out there with much better technical capability than Adagio iii. Is it still relevant in year 2021? In my opinion, i still think it does. It is a very enjoyable pair of earphones despite having some shortcomings, but that can be overcome by pairing it with a neutral-slightly warm source and you will have a very enjoyable experience. Will i recommend this earphones? No doubt i will. This is a pair of earphones meant to be fun, if you are expecting it to be clinical and have very strong technical capability, Adagio iii is not for you. If you are looking for fun and occasional dance to the beats, Adagio iii will definitely deliver.
*Above written review is solely based on my listening experience and i wrote based on what I heard. I do not have access nor do I have any knowledge in operating and measuring the FR of this unit.
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