If you’ve been looking for a new set of top wireless headphones lately, you’ll know that finding decent noise cancellation on affordable cans usually means compromising somewhere. There’s nothing more soul-sapping than tinny audio wrapped in plasticky disappointment, with no ANC on offer.
But Final’s new UX3000 SV are a pair of wireless cans that, on paper at least, seem to be flipping the script on what affordable noise-cancelling headphones can actually achieve. The Japanese audio firm made waves back in 2022 with the original UX3000. That model offered solid sound and a travel-friendly foldable frame. Now, the UX3000 SV promises even more clarity, enhanced ANC, and a vocal-forward tuning.
Final seemingly refuses to let noise cancellation trample over sound quality. Most ANC headphones in this bracket love to kill noise but also flatten the music while they’re at it. The UX3000 SV, however, use a hybrid ANC set-up. That means microphones inside and outside the earcups to cancel out nonsense while keeping your music rich and lively. It should help to avoid that cheap muffling effect some budget cans have and lifeless audio.
Curiously, there’s also a Noise-Cancellation-Only mode. Flip that on and these headphones can block out the world around you without turning on the tunes. It’s the kind of feature I didn’t know I wanted, but can easily imagine using it on a long-haul flight with a screaming baby three rows back to get some sleep.
Final’s also put its house-made 40mm dynamic drivers front and centre. They sit inside an acoustic chamber tuned specifically for vocal reproduction. So these cans should be just as good at playing your favourite podcasts as they are at playing your favourite tunes. Bluetooth 5.0, aptX and aptX HD codec support, multipoint pairing are all present and accounted for.
Battery life is another tick in the win column. Final promises a decent 35 hours with ANC off, 25 with it on, and only 2.5 hours for a full charge. Not bad for headphones clearly gunning for both daily commuters and long-weekend travellers. These cans fold down to fit in your bag, resist fingerprints, and come in a minimalist silver finish that looks far more premium than the price suggests.
The Final UX3000 SV wireless headphones are available to pre-order now from Amazon and other retailers. You’ll get them from 30 June onwards. They’ll set you back $150/£129/€139. If it delivers even half of what it promises, this could be one of the best noise-cancelling bargains out there.
