Final’s VR3000 line has quietly become one of the more interesting stories in gaming audio, an actual hi-fi company (they make proper audiophile IEMs, the kind enthusiasts get weirdly serious about) deciding to have a go at gaming earphones instead of leaving it all to the usual headset crowd. The Condenser Mic model, which launched back in February, is their answer to the “fine, but what about voice chat” problem, bolting a dedicated in-line condenser mic onto the existing VR3000 shell. It’s £80, it’s a single 6mm dynamic driver per ear, and it is, against all odds, one of the better mic-and-earphone combos I’ve used in a while.
Let’s start with the bit that matters most for anyone gaming with other people: the mic. It’s genuinely fantastic. Final have gone with a proper condenser capsule rather than the cheap jobs you get bundled with most in-line remotes, and you can hear the difference immediately; clear, rich, with none of the tinny compression that makes your squad think you’re calling in from inside a biscuit tin. There’s a removable windscreen included (two of them, if the first one gets manky) to knock down plosives, and positioning is where it really earns its keep. The mic sits on a flexible boom off the cable rather than a fixed arm, so you can bend it wherever suits your face and it stays put. If you’re coming from a headset with a rigid, hinged boom mic, give yourself a minute to adjust, it’s a completely different way of thinking about mic placement, closer to bending a desk lamp than clicking something into a socket. Once it clicks, though, it’s more flexible than any fixed boom I’ve used.
The earphones themselves are a slightly different story. First impressions were fiddly. The cable is detachable via a proper 0.78mm two-pin connector, which is great for repairs and re-cabling down the line, but it also means there’s more fumbling on day one than with a headset you just plonk on your head. Once they’re in, though, they settle into genuinely comfortable territory, helped along by five sizes of ear tip in the box so you’ve got a real shot at finding your fit. My only gripe is that the housings run a touch larger than what I’m used to from in-ears, and after a couple of hours in they start to dig in rather than sit invisibly the way my usual pair does. Not painful, just noticeable, the kind of thing that has you shifting position during a long raid rather than forgetting they’re there entirely, but that’s offset slightly by just how light they are and the benefits that brings with it.
At 23g including the mic and cable they’re not going to fatigue your neck the way an over-ear headset will over a marathon session, and the 1.2m cable ends in a 3.5mm four-pole plug, so no dongles or adapters needed on most controllers and PCs. I’m not the only one who’s had a mixed but broadly positive time with the fit either – I put these in the capable hands (well, ears) of my son, who suggested the mic-side earbud can drift out of position over long sessions and needs the odd nudge hear or there; it’s a tricky issue with this style of combo, and perhaps something that you just need to be aware of to benefit from the excellent microphone. We both found the fit snug and comfortable overall, but it seems to be the mic’s weight which is a source of mild discomfort on the ear it sits closest to. It’s a genuinely-comfortable-until-it-isn’t-em-up (it’ll catch on), but ranks quite highly in terms of general comfort. At least you won’t get the full-cup hot ears problem.
Sound quality is solid without being the headline act, which feels right for a product where the mic is doing the selling. Bass is present but restrained rather than boosted, dialogue and footsteps come through clearly, and the single dynamic driver isn’t trying to do anything flashy, it’s just doing its job properly. If you already own a pair of Final in-ears and loved them, you know roughly what you’re getting on the audio side, but if not you can expect a decent seal in your ears and all the usual quality and depth that these earphones tend to provide. It also means you can hear yourself crunching on food, so put the Pringles to one side and grab something a little softer instead.
For a touch under £80 though you’re getting a mic that punches well above its price point, a comfortable-if-slightly-large fit, and the flexibility of a recable design that means this pair could outlive its cable a few times over. It’s not the easiest first ten minutes you’ll spend with a pair of gaming earphones, but stick with it and it’s an easy recommendation for anyone who does more talking than shouting into their mic. Your squadmates will thank you for it.
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