Testing
Contents
We are testing the B1 and B3 on the Mytek Brooklyn Bridge DAC/streamer/headphone amplifier. Playback applications: Roon and VOX player for Mac OSX. The Oppo R11s mobile phone has an AKM DAC on board and Dirac DSP.
B1
The Final Audio B1 has a balanced armature driver for mid/high and a dynamic driver for low. What stands out when listening is the soundstage. The sound is about 30-50 cm around us. Bass reproduction is full and generous and in combination with the beautiful mid we hear the music as if we were in the control room of the studio with nearfield monitors at 1.5 meters distance and a subwoofer for additional low pressure. It is neutral with punch, controlled without getting boring and all the details of the recording are audible. We listen to a few tracks from Steely Dan’s legendary album Aja. Two percussion guitars can be heard on Josie; never before have we heard that these have been put in a different place during mastering. Now Steely Dan’s work is always surprising in its layering of composition, text and arrangement. Nice that the final B1’s from a recording from 1978 can still get so much detail!
B3
The Final Audio B3 has 2 drivers but two balanced armature. The difference is subtle but clearly audible. First the bass response, which is a lot more neutral compared to the B1. We find the soundstage a bit less large compared to the B1 but that is compensated by an even more refined reproduction. This can also be explained technically; the dynamic driver in the B1 gives a stronger bass reproduction than the balanced armature drivers in the B3. The dual balanced armature drivers in the B3 provide an even nicer midrange view. The whole (high/mid/low) is well balanced.
What surprises us a bit is the ‘listening advice’ from the final. The B3 would do especially well with electronic music (EDM), hip hop. When we start listening to Kendrick Lamar, Renaissance Ibiza, deep house, etc., we miss the bass that goes with this type of music. Actually, we think the B1, with its more dynamic bass, fits this better. But again, this is really about nuances. We also show the two finals to people with musical but less ‘trained’ ears. They heard little or no difference.
