John
AFDS. Air Film Damping System — the technology found in Final’s flagship D8000 headphone where two perforated metal plates straddle a planar-magnetic driver to create an air chamber that aims to better control the driver’s low-frequency resonance and distortion. Final’s intent: to keep hold of the top-end precision of a planar driver but lend it the punch of a dynamic. Adjusting the size of the air gap between plate and driver, as well as the size of the plate’s perforations, gives Final’s engineers additional control over the D8000’s voicing.
It was at Warsaw’s AV Show in November 2017 that I spoke with Mori-san about the D8000’s introduction and it would be remiss of me not to express my sadness in learning of the gentle/man’s passing in December 2018. This video interview, shot in Warsaw, and seeing light of day for the first time in this news post, finds Mori-san carefully and patiently explaining the design principles behind the D8000:
Down the pike in 2019 comes a retuned version: the D8000 Pro Edition is voiced to better suit compressed rock/pop music than the original model’s intent for optimal reproduction of highly dynamic classical pieces.
According to Final’s International Sales & Marketing Manager, Kyo-san, the D8000 Pro’s retuning translates to more a more forward midrange and treble and an ability to play louder. Other changes include newly-developed reinforced earpads and an in-house-manufactured, silver-coated cable (3m long, 6.4mm termination) that ships alongside the OFC 1.5m/3.5mm cable for use with portable players.
The D8000 Pro will be made available in a choice of black or silver. Local Japanese pricing is expected to land at 438,000 Yen, equivalent to ∼US$4000.
See our 2016 Final factory tour here.
Further information: Final
