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As for the brand FinalAudioDesign, it does not have a long history in the headphone industry and is even a little unfamiliar to most Taiwanese consumers. However, it is a brand that is about to enter its 40th anniversary next year. Mr. Takai Kanemori, the long-established audiophile audio manufacturer and president of FinalAudioDesign, visited Taiwan at the 34th Taipei International Hi-End Audio Exhibition. The author also took this opportunity to interview Mr. Takai, who described the trends in the headphone market. and its product features.
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FinalAudioDesign was originally a company specializing in audiophile audio. In 2009, it decided to enter the headphone market. Mr. Takai said that they had accumulated long-term experience in audiophile-level audio and They want to transfer their experience to headphones and explore the possibilities of headphones; they have learned one very important thing from designing audiophile speakers, which is that sound is closely related to air. This is also the decisive difference between FinalAudioDesign headphones and most headphones on the market. .
They learned from audiophiles that the vibration of the monomer will generate huge air vibration energy, but if this energy is not suppressed, it will lead to a decline in sound quality. A 200mm monomer can even create 1 , 000 kilograms of air vibration, how to suppress excess vibration is the biggest insistence of FinalAudioDesign in designing headphones.
Therefore, FinalAudioDesign decided at the early stage to launch both canal and earmuff headphones, but initially chose canal headphones with a smaller single body because Mr. Takai believed that The small size of the in-canal headphone unit produces power that is easier to control than that of over-ear headphones.
When most people first see FinalAudioDesign’s mid-to-high-end headphones, they will probably be attracted by its unique shape of the one-piece metal cutting frame, but there are also many people who are attracted by its weight after wearing it. Scared; Mr. Takai said that the shape full of simple beauty was decorated by a long-term stylist. Final Audio Design’s headphone products were completed first and then entrusted to him to decorate them. However, the necessary structure There can be no compromise with metal thickness.
Currently, FinalAudioDesign’s high-end dynamic ear canal headphones PianoFortex Copper is the flagship, while brass performs poorly. These three metals represent different tuning personalities. All three materials are the flagship of PianoForte, but they are arranged in this order according to Mr. Takai’s personal preference. (Note: The Roman numerals at the back of FinalAudioDesign’s headphone series represent product level positioning. Some missing numbers in the middle may be launched in the future.)
For example, the brass used by PianoFortexVIII is more focused on sound. The aftertaste of Piano Forte Feel. Through different materials, you can feel the different charms produced by the materials, which is why we provide a variety of metal materials.
In addition to common dynamic headphones, by chance, a company with balanced armature patents and technology contacted FinalDesignAudio and hoped that FinalAudioDesign could acquire them. Mr. Takai believed that this company’s balanced armature It can express the power that ordinary balanced armature monomers lack, so I decided to buy this company; therefore, FinalAudioDesign became one of the few headphone companies on the market that has its own independent production of balanced armatures.
For ordinary people’s understanding, the moving coil unit needs to vibrate through the frame, so it is understandable to use a thick metal frame using FinalAudioDesign, but why is it itself a vibrator unit? The balanced armature flagship headset FI-BA-SS also uses heavy metal? Mr. Takai said that they actually have a pending patent related to balanced armature tuning through a metal casing, but some business secrets prevent him from disclosing the details.
As for moving coils and balanced armatures of various sizes, which one does Mr. Takai prefer? Mr. Takai smiled and said that FinalAudioDesign does not limit itself to using large-size moving coils, small-size moving coils or balanced armatures. Instead, it chooses the appropriate monomer type for different product demands, even like the ones launched this time. The new earmuff headphones Pandora Hope VI are even the world’s first ring-iron hybrid earmuff headphones.
Mr. Takai also very mysteriously presented a prototype of an in-canal ring-iron hybrid headphone that they spent a week to complete for the author to listen to. This is just to accommodate the existing materials, shells and circuits. The prototype, which was temporarily configured and could disintegrate at any time, surprised me. Not only did it have a seductive tone, it also had almost no interference from the two different characteristics of ordinary hoop earphones that produce sounds at the same time.
Mr. Takai emphasized that this is also because FinalAudioDesign is essentially a high-end audio manufacturer with technology. In addition, they also master the monomer technology and the principle of controlling air vibration. He is quite confident that it can Create a ring-iron hybrid ear canal earphone with no interference and surpass the commercially available ring-iron hybrid ear canal earphones. Mr. Takai said that they are still making sound adjustments and hope to launch hoop earphones next year.
As for the first commercially available ring-type hybrid earmuff headphone Pandora HopeVI, which was unveiled this time, it is also the result of FinalAudioDesign. Although it is not FinalAudioDesign’s first earmuff headphone (there was a MuramasaVIII previously). But this product, which took a full two years from prototype to tuning, is a product that Mr. Takai has given an important responsibility.
The series name PadoraHope alone is named after dissatisfaction with the headphone market and confidence in its own products; everyone should be familiar with the story of Pandora’s Box. In short, Mr. Takai believes that the current headphone market There are a lot of venomous snakes and beasts, such as OEM products that do not understand the principles of acoustics, or products led by mad scientists, or compromise products that have no choice but to be controlled by the system of large companies. He hopes that this series of headphones is like the first in the headphone industry. The last hope is just as dazzling.
The name Pandora Hope VI also means that this product is still only in the mid-to-high-end category. It is made of an integrated cutting frame with ABS material coated with the same level of anti-scratch coating as a single-lens camera. It is equipped with a patented Composed of a balanced armature and a 50mm moving coil unit, FinalAudioDesign is expected to launch more earmuff headphone products next year.
The poster behind Mr. Takai in the first picture is PandoraHopeX, the flagship of the PandoraHope series. In addition to using an all-metal structure with a metal diaphragm, the golden part on the side is real gold foil; PandoraHopeX is not only the pinnacle of the series It is also a high-quality headset and is still undergoing final weight adjustment and price evaluation. However, he smiled and said that he was grateful to a competitor for launching a product with a price of up to NT$150,000, so that he can set the price with confidence.
In terms of next product planning, Mr. Takai said that FinalAudioDesign has seen a craze for replaceable cables in canal headphones. They have indeed evaluated the possibility of replaceable cable designs, but it is different from in-ear headphones. Over-ear headphones can use stable and durable connectors. Mr. Takai believes that the two-pin or MMCX ear canal headphones on the market have durability concerns. They are still looking for a reliable connection method, which has not been available before. Hastily launched replaceable line products.
A group of enthusiasts in the portable headphone market are beginning to pursue high-end audio sources or connect portable amplifiers, and even require balanced ear amplifiers. Mr. Takai is skeptical. He believes that a good audio source should be It can have better sound, but he thinks it is strange that most consumers will blame the lack of equipment and need to add portable ear amplifiers before finding that headphones cannot produce good sound when paired with mobile phones or portable players.
He believes that since it is called a portable headset, shouldn't it mean that it should be able to produce good sound when paired with various portable sources? He believes that if the earphones used with you are paired with the bad sound of mobile phones, the company that designed the earphones must bear a considerable responsibility. Using earphones to listen to music is to enjoy music. You should not blame the front-end equipment for the earphones, so FinalAudioDesign’s earphones will be required to match the sound. Make great sounds with your portable device.
He also cannot understand the fact that headphone companies launch portable amplifiers. FinalAudioDesign is not without technology, but he personally questions the necessity of portable amplifiers. After all, portable headphones should be able to easily obtain good sound. In particular, many manufacturers lack audio design and cannot even be called manufacturers with audio technology. Can such products really achieve good sound when used?
As for the matching of portable devices with portable ear amplifiers and balanced output, Mr. Takai also has reservations. To put it bluntly, Hi-End audio is also an endless scientific exploration. The basis of science is Simple is the best. The same principle applies to audio equipment. The more devices are connected, the more serious the sound degradation will be. It is difficult to scientifically explain that the sound quality will get better after connecting such a large number of devices, let alone after connecting a bunch of devices. , cannot be called a portable information source at all.
FinalAudioDesign does not only launch high-priced products. They will also use the experience gained from high-end product lines in affordable headphone products. For example, PianoForteII and III are transplanted from the experience of PianoFortexX, IX, and VIII. Yes, he is personally very confident in the competitiveness of his products at the same price; Mr. Takai also emphasized again that using headphones is to enjoy the pleasure brought by music. Don’t be affected by the myth of pursuing equipment and forget the original intention of enjoying music.