I test some of the best wireless earbuds and I’ve never come across a pair specifically designed for ASMR and audiobooks — until now. I’ve spent a week testing the Final ZE500 for ASMR and I have to say, these earbuds will turn the staunchest of ASMR haters into believers. They just sound too darn good!
The ZE500s have been finetuned to create immersive, three-dimensional soundscapes that make you feel like someone is whispering right in your ear. Instrument separation is fantastic and vocals are crystal clear. These earbuds also boast great bass response and a pressure-relieving design for continuous listening. While not without their flaws — as battery life is poor and there’s no customizable EQ — these buds are competitively priced and it’s very difficult to deny their charm.
Should you buy these earbuds? Yes, no doubt about it. Why? Read my full Final ZE500 for ASMR review to find out.
Final ZE500 for ASMR review: Cheat sheet
- What is it? A pair of earbuds specifically designed for ASMR and binaural sounds
- Who is it for? Anyone who enjoys ASMR and wants a pair of extremely comfortable earbuds
- How much does it cost? $74 / £69
- What do we like? They’re very, very comfortable, they boast fantastic binaural sound and powerful bass for such tiny earbuds, and the buds and case are very tiny
- What don’t we like? They have short battery life and don’t have customizable EQ
Final ZE500 for ASMR review: Specs
Specs |
Final ZE500 for ASMR |
|---|---|
Price |
|
Colors |
Dark gray, Cream |
Frequency response |
5Hz-20KHz |
Battery life (rated) |
4.5 hours, 18 hours (charging case) |
Multipoint connectivity |
No |
Paired devices max |
1 |
Connectivity |
Bluetooth 5.4 with SBC and AAC |
Weight |
0.1oz (each earbud) |
Durability |
IPX4 |
Final ZE500 for ASMR review: Price & availability
The Final ZE500 for ASMR are the latest addition to Final’s lineup of true wireless earbuds. Unlike their stablemates, such as the Final ZE8000 MK 2 ($349), they are the cheapest buds in the ZE series, retailing for just $74 / £69 at Amazon. While they’re cheap, they still offer a premium listening experience. They’re available in either Dark Gray or Cream colorways.
Given their competitive price point, the ZE500s find themselves competing with the likes of the EarFun Air 2 NC ($69) and the Soundpeats Air5 Pro ($79). However, the ZE500s have a very specific use case: they’re designed for ASMR, binaural sounds and audiobooks. Good news is that they are also good for everything else, making them fantastic value for money.
Final ZE500 for ASMR review: Design & comfort
- Lightweight, pressure-relieving design
- Extremely comfortable
- Very, very tiny
I test a lot of earbuds here at Tom’s Guide and it’s not often that I put them in my ears, straight out of the box, and am blown away — but the Final ZE500 for ASMR did just that. They are ridiculously comfortable, featuring a pressure-relieving design. They’re very small and each earbud weighs just 0.1oz, so I barely felt them in my ears. For context, they’re lighter than the EarFun Air 2 NC (1.69oz) and the Soundpeats Air5 Pro (1.76oz).
But despite their light weight (and compact size), they fit extremely snugly and not once did they fall out of my ears — while briskly walking, turning over in bed, et al. I stuck with the default tip sizes but in case you want different ones, there are two extra pairs in the box. I wore the earbuds for four straight hours before they had to go back into the charging case and I never felt any discomfort. I would say the ZE500s are as comfortable as the pricier Sony WF-C710Ns ($119) if not more.
The ZE500s look great too, and they definitely look and feel like they’re premium earbuds rather than budget ones. This extends to the case too which is, again, tiny and looks great. It doesn’t have the same plasticky feel to it as the WF-C710N’s case or the Bose QuietComfort’s ($179).
Similar to the Sony and Bose earbuds, the ZE500s are IPX4-rated, making them resistant to water at a splash level, so I wouldn’t recommend diving into a pool. You can wear them for workouts though, as they’re sweatproof.
Final ZE500 for ASMR review: Connectivity
- Bluetooth 5.4 with AAC and SBC
- Wear-detection works well
- No multipoint connectivity
The Final ZE500 for ASMR buds utilize Bluetooth 5.4 with support for AAC and SBC codecs. Unfortunately, there’s no LDAC or aptX lossless support, but considering these earbuds are primarily designed for listening to ASMR and audiobooks, I don’t believe this is a major flaw. If you do want support for hi-res codecs, though, I’d recommend the Soundpeats Air5 Pro, or spending a little extra on the EarFun Air Pro 4 ($99).
Unlike the EarFun Air 2 NCs, the ZE500s don’t feature multipoint connectivity to connect to multiple devices at once. But you do get wear detection so if the earbuds fall out of your ears (which, again, never happened in my testing) or you need to speak to someone by removing one, playback will automatically pause and resume.
Final ZE500 for ASMR review: Controls & app
- Straightforward touch controls
- User-friendly app for ASMR adjustments
- No customizable EQ
Similar to most other wireless earbuds, the Final ZE500 for ASMR earbuds don’t house any physical buttons — all commands are executed via touch controls. By using a combination of touching and tapping, you can change the volume, answer and hang up on calls, and play and pause playback. Even though the earbuds are tiny, I found the touch controls easy to use and each command was promptly registered in my testing.
The ZE500s are accompanied by a brand new companion app that shares its name with the earbuds, and it’s available to download for free on both iOS and Android. The app is extremely easy to use and sports a user-friendly interface. It enables you to toggle the ASMR Mode on and off. Toggling this disables tap controls, voice guidance and notifications for a disturbance-free ASMR listening experience. I also noticed that it enhances vocals and refines finer sounds, and it works well.
There’s also a Volume Step Optimizer which gives you more precise control over the earbuds’ volume. You can choose Low, Medium or High in the Step Optimizer and it refines the volume. To me, it feels more like a gimmick than anything else, and I would have much preferred a customizable EQ in its place.
Also, if you grab the Patra Edition for $169 in the U.S., you’ll need to download the Final Connect app onto your smartphone.
Final ZE500 for ASMR review: ASMR performance
- Fantastic binaural audio
- Audio packs a lot of detail
- Excellent layer separation
Full disclosure: I wasn’t a fan of ASMR. I didn’t understand the hype and it used to trigger my fight or flight syndrome… until I tested the Final ZE500 for ASMR earbuds. And now? Call me a convert. These earbuds have been finetuned for voice-first listening, and they deliver a natural and lifelike sound, so they’re great for ASMR, podcasts, spoken word, audiobooks, what-have-you. They have a frequency response range of 5Hz-20KHz so you can hear every soft and loud sound clearly.
To test these earbuds, I had to diverge from my usual testing procedure where I listen to songs I’m familiar with (I did that too, don’t worry, and I’ll discuss sound quality in the following section) and listen to ASMR. What better place to find ASMR than YouTube?
The first video I watched — listened to, rather — was an 8-hour long montage of waves, which I tune into when I can’t sleep at night. Let me tell you, I have never felt this calm before. The waves traveled from one earbud to another, while each and every movement of the water sounded crystal clear. It actually boosted my productivity because I was in such a tranquil state of mind, all my stress melted away.
Speaking of, I love how the ZE500s transfer sound from one earbud to another. Most ASMR content creators use two mics, so when they speak into the left one, you’re meant to hear it in your left ear, and vice versa. I used a couple videos to test this: a video of Kathryn Hahn playing with a hard-boiled egg (there’s a sentence you don’t hear every day) and another of her discussing real estate.
In the first one, I could hear every subtle sound of the egg shell being peeled and, as this was happening away from the mic, I could tell so without even watching the video. ASMR tracks are usually layered, and the ZE500s do a great job of adding a distinct separation between primary triggers and ambient background sounds. The video, through these earbuds, sounded almost three-dimensional.
Also, in both videos, I could hear the audio in the respective earbud, and each breath, gentle tap and soft brush was reproduced with pin-point clarity, creating a binaural and immersive soundscape.
Next up, Goodnight Moon’s guided meditation which made me feel like I was attending an actual class. Every word and syllable she uttered sounded clear. The ZE500s also did a good job of ensuring that plosive pops (like the letter ‘P’) never sounded harsh and alveolar stops (like the letter ‘T’) didn’t sound too sharp. Great success!
For those who enjoy the feeling of someone whispering right in their ear or hearing every layer in ASMR media, the ZE500s are the earbuds for them.
Final ZE500 for ASMR review: Music quality
- Powerful bass response
- Clear, detailed vocals
While the Final ZE500 are primarily designed for ASMR and audiobooks, they are fantastic for music too. Regardless of the song I played, the ZE500s delivered — bass-heavy and vocals-oriented tracks sounded equally as good. I listened to music on Qobuz, one of the best music streaming services, on my Google Pixel 7 Pro.
I gave ‘Music to Watch Boys To’ by Lana Del Rey a spin, and her vocals sounded ethereal. Balanced well against backing vocals and echoes, the ZE500s ensured I could hear every detail. The subtle bassline in the bridge was clear too and added an atmospheric feel to the song. Similarly, the husk in Roger Waters’ voice in ‘Is This the Life We Really Want’ was pleasant and had a lovely warmth to it. I could also very clearly discern the points where he laid the vibrato on thick, adding lots of depth to the song.
I then turned to bass-heavy songs. ‘Money’ by Pink Floyd is my go-to testing song for bass, and the ZE500s didn’t disappoint. For such tiny earbuds, they boast fantastic bass response. Though the bass was powerful, it never overpowered the vocals or other instruments. I could also hear the kaching and other sounds of slot machines ringing and coins falling in each ear as they struck, as the band intended, making for a very immersive experience.
The ZE500s also did justice to ‘Every Other Freckle’ by Alt-J. This is a naturally scratchy track with many instruments playing at the same time, and yet, the track didn’t overwhelm the earbuds. I could even hear the drumstick tapping against the drum’s frame in the third phrase — and it’s an easily missable sound. I remember listening to this track through the EarFun Air Pro 3s ($79) and thinking it lacked a full sound and sounded unpleasant, but the ZE500s rectified it.
Overall, the ZE500s are amazing earbuds if you want to use them for listening to music alongside using them for ASMR, podcasts and audiobooks.
Final ZE500 for ASMR review: Battery life
- 4.5 hours only
- Rivals have better battery life
- Wireless charging available
Where the Final ZE500 for ASMR earbuds fall short is in the battery department. On a single charge, they last up 4.5 hours and the charging case provides 13.5 extra hours, so 18 hours in total. This will depend on the volume you’re listening at, of course. I tested these claims by using the earbuds continuously to listen to an audiobook at 50% volume, and the ZE500s had to go back into the case after 4 hours.
The ZE500s’ rivals outclass it when it comes to battery life. The EarFun Air 2 NCs have a 9-hour battery life and 40 hours with the charging case, while the Soundpeats Air5 Pros have a 7.5-hour battery life and 37.5 hours with the case. Since the ZE500s are designed for ASMR and audiobook purposes, their battery life is disappointing because you don’t want to run out of charge in the middle of listening to your audiobook’s climax.
On the plus side, the ZE500s are compatible with the best wireless chargers, just like the Air 2 NCs and the Air5 Pros.
Final ZE500 for ASMR review: Verdict
If you mostly listen to audiobooks, podcasts and watch ASMR videos, I can’t recommend the Final ZE500 for ASMR enough. These earbuds make everything sound fantastic — whether that’s a bass-heavy song or a heavily layered ASMR track. Layer separation is great and the earbuds create immersive soundscapes — almost like someone is actually whispering right into your ear.
I really appreciate the ZE500s’ pressure-relieving design. These earbuds are tiny and extremely light, so they fit snugly in your ears, almost like they’re burrowing. They’re also competitively priced, taking the fight to Soundpeat and EarFun and, honestly, emerging as the victor.
The ZE500s are hard to fault, although I do wish they had better battery life and customizable EQ. But aside from that, for the price, you’re getting ridiculously comfortable and great-sounding earbuds. I may have been an ASMR hater before testing the ZE500s, but now? I’m looking forward to using them again.
