Final VR3000 + Condenser Mic Review

Manufacturer: Final
Where to Buy: Amazon
RRP: £79.99

After checking out the Final VR500’s a few weeks back, I was keen to see what else the Japanese company offered. I’ve now spent a couple of weeks with the VR3000+ Condenser Mic, and while it has its perks in some areas, there’s a key area that I can’t say I am super keen on.

In the box we get the in-ear buds and replacement tips, as well as some light rubber hooks to help hold the cable over the ear. The ear buds can be recabled should the worst happen, which seems to be a great new trend if the last few pairs I’ve tried out are anything to go by. The cable itself is a simple rubber coated affair, and the right hand split features a volume and mic mute button. As ear buds go, these fit the bill in terms of looks and features. 

The right hand bud also has the built in (and sadly not detachable) condenser mic. It’s a small, lightweight mic that has surprisingly good audio quality. It feels a bit like wearing a performer’s mic, and is undoubtedly a great addition to the ear buds. 

Sound quality is decent in the VR3000’s. Arc Raiders has some of the best audio work in games in my opinion, and playing that with these in does the game a good amount of justice. The bass on the gun fire and explosions is somewhat muted, but I was still able to pick out individual Arc, other raiders shooting off in the distance, and have a conversation with a few friendly raiders with ease. This was all while playing on the ROG Xbox Ally X, and really this is the best use case for the VR3000 and mic. It’s small enough to be packed into the carry case of the Ally X for on the go gaming, and the mic is more than good enough quality to be used in online chats and games. 

The cable comes in at 1.2m, which seems to be a standard length – so my usual ask for even 10cm more remains, though again, in handheld gaming mode this is not a problem at all. Plus I’ve had no issues with entanglement so far. 

So far, so good then. Good to great sound quality, a mic that is far more capable than it would appear, and an excellent companion to handheld gaming in particular. But what about that key area mentioned up top? Well, I can’t say these are the most comfortable ear buds I’ve used. 

I was worried with the last few ear buds reviews going in that they’d be uncomfortable or would fall out easily, which proved not to be the case. With the VR3000 though, I’ve found them to be awkward to put in, and the right one in particular (remember, this one has the mic attached) prone to slowly drifting out of position, causing a noticeable drop in audio quality until I push it back in. I have struggled to find it fit correctly too, even with the hooks attached that should help with this. I don’t know if it’s just the shape of the unit or the mic that is making it that small amount heavier, but it has consistantly been the right side that has proved the most awkward. The left side – to their credit – actually feels pretty good, though still slightly unweildy in the ear at times.

Conclusion

Which is a shame, as otherwise the VR3000’s are a pretty solid bit of kit. A lack of big bass is mitigated by pretty great sound in other areas, and the mic is more than capable too. I’d still at least say give these a go should you be in the market for something like this, and hopefully you’ll have better luck keeping the ear pieces in place.

Hardware provided by the manufacturer for review purposes.