Final gets affordable with new Sonorous II and III headphones

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Japanese high-end audio brand Final isn't only concerned with gold headphones costing thousands of pounds - the new Sonorous II and Sonorous III both come in under £300.

Final started life making cartridges for record players but has now found something of a niche making seriously expensive headphones, like the Sonorous X, yours for £3500. But the Final headphone range is now expanding to include some more realistic options.

The new Sonorous II, £239, (above) and Sonorous III, £299, claim to use the same driver technology as the flagship model - but without the aluminium and stainless steel build, and, crucially, the 24k gold.

The two new models have the same design and styling but have been tuned for a slightly different musical delivery. Final claims the Sonorous II keeps things analytical and flat across the frequency range, while the III aims to be a little more entertaining, adding some sparkle to the top end and a bit more punch to the bass.

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Both the Sonorous II and III feature a 50mm driver that integrates with the front plate in an effort to reduce vibration, with the plate itself made from polycarbonate strengthened with 30% glass instead of the aluminium found on the high-end models. This naturally makes them a lot lighter (410g) and cheaper.

The new headphones have a closed-back design and full-size, noise-isolationg earcups, and come with a 1.5-metre detachable cable.

The Final Sonorous II (£239) and Sonorous III (£299) join the more expensive Sonorous VI (£549), VIII (£2199) and X (£3499), all of which are on sale now.

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Joe Cox
Joe Cox
Content Director

Joe is the Content Director for What Hi-Fi? and Future’s Product Testing, having previously been the Global Editor-in-Chief of What Hi-Fi?. He has worked on What Hi-Fi? across the print magazine and website for almost 20 years, writing news, reviews and features on everything from turntables to TVs, headphones to hi-fi separates. He has covered product launch events across the world, from Apple to Technics, Sony and Samsung; reported from CES, the Bristol Show, and Munich High End for many years; and written for sites such as the BBC, Stuff, and the Guardian. In his spare time, he enjoys expanding his vinyl collection and cycling (not at the same time).