Final Audio: Interview with the Engineer from the Japanese Headphone Manufacturer

Five years ago, I contacted the Japanese headphone manufacturer Final Audio and exchanged several emails with a company representative. One of the outcomes of this exchange was the interview I conducted with a Final Audio engineer, through which I obtained detailed information about the product development process and the values the company upholds in managing its business.

How was the interview conducted?

The questions were sent in English to the Final Audio engineer, who replied in Japanese, as he was not fluent in English. This was made possible with the assistance of another employee at the company, who translated the questions from English into Japanese and later translated the entire interview back into English.

It is important to note that the interview was conducted on October 5, 2020, and some of the questions reflect the context of that time.

Also note that this same interview was originally published on the Oficina da Net website, and I am now republishing it on the Hi-Fi Hub portal.

Interview with a Final Audio Engineer

Interview conducted on October 5, 2020, with a Final Audio engineer.

Question 1 – When Final Audio was founded, what was the desire that initiated everything?

Answer: To bring the ultimate sound to people who appreciate music. Fifty years ago, Final was established, and our first product was a turntable cartridge (phono cartridge). With curiosity and our deep interest in audio, we gradually expanded our scope to amplifiers and loudspeakers.

After entering the Hi-Fi world, we began to meet more and more people who were passionate about music (it was a very small market at that time), forming friendships, listening to their desires, and realizing that, with our knowledge, we could take on the challenge of manufacturing customized Hi-Fi systems. The team would visit the customer’s home, observe the system they already had, understand what kind of sound they were seeking, and begin the work by making suggestions, modifying components, creating new parts, and testing them thoroughly in front of the customer until they felt satisfied and happy.

The process took a great deal of time and was sometimes frustrating, but it was also extremely rewarding, because with each completed project we evolved—and we were also very happy to be able to bring into reality the “ultimate sound” that the user so strongly desired.

Question 2 – What does Final Audio seek when choosing the materials (or components) used in its products?

Answer: There are many aspects to consider when it comes to materials. For example, the materials used in the driver diaphragm must have excellent acoustic characteristics, while the material of the housing (the shell or body of the earphone) must be durable. Of course, materials also contribute to the appearance of the product.

For the driver diaphragm, the speed of sound, lightness, and thinness are our primary considerations. The speed of sound and lightness are regarded as intrinsic characteristics of the material itself. However, not every material is suitable for use as a diaphragm. There are two main factors. First, some materials may have excellent acoustic characteristics but perform poorly in other aspects. If a material has perfect sonic properties but breaks when subjected to vibration, then it is not suitable for a diaphragm. The second limitation is manufacturing technology. Due to the stiffness and elasticity of the material itself, some can be processed to become extremely thin, while others cannot. If a lightweight material cannot be processed to achieve the ideal thinness, the result may end up being heavier than a material that is originally heavier but can be processed to the optimal thickness.

What is interesting is that many materials can be improved by adding other substances. By doing so, some materials that were previously inadequate can become excellent after modification. However, this process usually takes a very long time.

Question 3 – What are Final Audio’s greatest concerns when designing products?

Answer: Sound quality, because that is what we are passionate about and that is who we are. It is very common for us to take a difficult path in order to achieve the sonic characteristics we are seeking.

To obtain the best possible sound with what we have, we challenge manufacturing processes that other brands would never even consider. Sometimes, even knowing that a specific design will cause many failures during mass production, we are willing to take the risk, because it would be very disappointing not to achieve the true performance we want simply because we made compromises for easier manufacturing.

We are a group of people who love good sound. We feel satisfied when our product reaches a level that many others cannot achieve. Of course, not everyone will agree with the sound we create, because everyone has their own preferences. But we always strive to do our best to achieve what we believe to be ideal, based on real science and mathematics, rather than following market trends merely to make more money.

Music is our hobby, and creating sound is also our hobby. It would become very boring to do things in a way that is not truly fun and interesting for us.

Question 4 – When a customer purchases a Final Audio product, how is the after-sales service? Does this apply only to Japan or also to the rest of the world?

Answer: Most of our products come with a two-year warranty, and only the entry-level line has a one-year warranty. As we are a company based in Japan, we provide direct service to customers who live in the country.

However, for customers outside Japan, they can of course contact us through the CONTACT US section available on our official website, and we will be very pleased to offer support. When it comes to repairs, though, international shipping can be quite complicated, as it is time-consuming and expensive.

Fortunately, we have authorized distributors in the United States, the United Kingdom, some countries in the European Union, and in most of Asia. They are always very helpful in assisting us in providing support to customers who are located near them.

Question 5 – The Final Audio A8000 in-ear is known for using a dynamic driver made of beryllium, a recent technology in the headphone world. What are the company’s plans for 2021: to implement new technologies or to improve existing models?

Answer: As a serious audio company, being involved in creating new things that do not yet exist in the world is, of course, what excites us—and it is also the reason why we have been together in this field for almost 50 years.

In 2021, we will be challenging new areas such as true wireless, loudspeaker systems, and returning once again to turntable cartridges, and there are still many other things we want to try. However, since our resources are quite limited and our nature is to pursue perfection, even though many projects have already been underway for some time, our engineers are working extremely hard to achieve the maximum potential with what they currently have. This is not an easy task.

At Final, we have a plan regarding what goals we want to achieve and when, but 99% of them are never completed on schedule, because compromising quality simply to meet a timeline is not part of our philosophy.

Will we create new things? Yes, but we cannot promise when they will be presented to the community.

Will we improve existing models? Yes, but we do not like the idea of making a “MK2.” We prefer to learn how to minimize the weaknesses of current products and use this new knowledge to create something even better, with a completely new design.