In this age of true wireless audio, some available for very little money, it’s surprising to see a budget set of earphones that are very much wired. But then, music carried wirelessly loses quality and there are enthusiasts who want good sound above all else.

Japanese company S’Next, under the brand Final, is offering its wired E3000C earphones at a budget price of ₹3,799 on Headphone Zone. Prices vary elsewhere.

Minimalistic: The E3000C come out of an ordinary and modest bit of packaging. You get the wired earphones and a bunch of ear-tips with colours to set them apart. You also get a set of wings to balance the earphones if you want to use them. I personally dislike them.

You can’t get more simple and minimalistic than the E3000C earphones. There’s seemingly nothing to them — a regular set of wires holding the buds together. The buds themselves look compact and have no angles and curves.

When I first put them in, I found myself completely confused because I could barely get any volume out of them and the music sounded far away somewhere. In actual fact, you’re supposed to wear the E3000C at an angle and once you fit them properly, you get a bit of a surprise when nice clear music comes through. More than with other earphones, you will need to experiment with the ear-tips and get the proper fit for you. It’s also very important here to get the left and right sides correct and they’re marked well enough that even my bad eyes can see it.

‘Tight’ sound: The back of the E3000C buds are stainless steel. If you find the right fit, there’s no question of discomfort and they stay in. But if you are used to wireless audio, you’ll need to change habits to use these. You may also have to change phones because so few of them now have the required 3.5mm jack. You can also acquire a USB-C or Lightning to 3.5mm dongle, which is what I did, and then connect to a more contemporary phone. That phone should also support hi-res music. And finally, the source for the music should be streaming hi-res. Even so, the sound quality is clean and clear.

The E3000C have a flat sound profile by design. The company thinks you can consider it a ‘standard’ or reference because no particular part of the spectrum of frequencies has been emphasised or boosted. This is to keep the music sounding as realistic as possible and quite as if you were listening to an orchestra for real. Those who crave an extra thump and vibrating bass will not get it with these earphones but users familiar with audiophile gadgets think them ‘accurate’ and ‘tight’. You’ll find these earphones listed as a favourite with many users. The E3000C sound better with a DAC and a music player rather than with a phone. For something that small, the treble doesn’t sound sharp and painful but rather detailed.

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