Oriolus Finschi review - Japanese headphones for the lean audiophile

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

After them, I don't want to return to ordinary ones.

It was always interesting how audiophile headphones differ from ordinary ones. Therefore, when the Xtenik store offered to write a review of Oriolus Finschi headphones, I, of course, immediately agreed. They cost significantly more than mass Chinese products, but is the difference in sound quality so big? I'll tell you about this in the review.

Personally, I have never seen Oriolus products before. After searching on the Web, it turned out that this Japanese company was formed in 2015 with the aim of developing professional devices for sound reproduction.

So far, she has managed to release only a few items of headphones and digital-to-analog converters. Almost all of them have exorbitant prices. The Finschi is the cheapest model in the Oriolus range, so let's take a close look at its specs.

Specifications

• Body material: photopolymer.
• Emitters: Knowles balanced armature + 10mm dynamic driver.
• Resistance: 18 ohm.
• Sensitivity: 112 dB / mW.
• Frequency range: 10 Hz - 40 kHz.
• Cable: replaceable, pure copper, length - 1.2 m.
• Connector: two-pin, 0.78 mm.
• Plug: straight, 3.5 mm.

The device uses a two-driver design, consisting of one radiator with a balanced armature and one dynamic radiator. In principle, against the background of many Chinese headphones with a four- or even five-driver design, it looks pale. But the devil is in the details, in this case the quality of the components and assembly.

Equipment

The box consists of an outer paper shell and an inner black packaging made of very thick cardboard. Above, the Hi-Res Audio logo flaunts, indicating that the product meets the requirements for high-resolution audio reproduction.

Inside, I found a black plastic box, a warranty card and a small instruction in English. It tells you how to insert the cable into the headphone jack and then place it in your ear. Very valuable information.

The headphones themselves are securely fixed in the recesses of the soft porous stand, the wire is wrapped around it several times. In general, the reliability of the packaging does not give rise to any complaints. With such protection, Oriolus Finschi will be able to survive even a space flight without any problems.

The package includes five pairs of silicone ear cushions and two pairs of foam ear tips. They all come in different sizes, so you can choose the right one for any ears. In addition, the box contains a special brush for cleaning headphones and a clothespin for a wire of some clever design. The manufacturer also put in a nice leather strap to secure the wire.

Appearance and ergonomics

First of all, Oriolus Finschi impresses with the quality of workmanship. The flawlessly smooth body is made of translucent plastic, the name of the company is printed in gold on the front side. There is an expansion hole nearby. The body feels completely solid, it is impossible to grope any seams on it.

In the upper part of the case there is a two-pin connector for connecting a cable. The contacts come in very tightly, but the wire is fixed securely. The sound guide is located slightly at an angle, which is dictated by the anatomical features of the structure of the human ear. The weight of one earphone without ear cushions is 5 grams.

The cable is woven from several wires. It practically does not get tangled, even if it is ruthlessly crumpled and placed in a pocket. The body of the plug, the connector and the tee at the junction of the wires are made of yellow metal, which not only looks beautiful, but also instills confidence in the reliability of these components.

The teardrop shape perfectly follows the outline of the inner part of the auricle. The spring-loaded earhook is located on top and prevents the earphone from falling out, even with vigorous head movements.

Overall, the workmanship and materials made a good impression on me. This is not to say that they are strikingly different from the cheaper Chinese headphones, but the high class is still felt. Let's see how good they are at the job.

Sound

The xDuoo X20 player was used as a source during testing. We listened to material of various musical genres, recorded in FLAC format and, for comparison, MP3 with a bitrate of 320 kbps.

When you listen to music all your life through headphones from the “up to 50 bucks” category, and then such a bird falls into your hands, you expect instant magic. I would like to immediately roll my eyes and lose all connection with reality. However, this scenario did not work with Oriolus Finschi: the headphones do not reveal themselves immediately.

The first impression was slightly blurred due to the inappropriate size of the ear pads. The sound was dull and expressionless. Having tried everything that was included in the kit, I picked up the right ones and started listening.

And the more I concentrated on the perception of sounds, the more I liked these headphones. I am suspicious of the legend of many hours of warming up the headphones, but if this is really true, then it fully applies to Oriolus Finschi.

Subbass is present, but somewhere in the background. The midbass is clear and pronounced. The low frequencies do not dominate, but are palpable enough to create a beautiful sound picture. In general, the bottom seemed to me quite fast and balanced. Mediums have good resolution and volume.

The arrangement of instruments and vocals is clearly outlined in space, each of them finds its place without mixing into a sound mess. High frequencies sound bright and open. At first it seemed to me that they were not enough, but after choosing the right ear pads, everything fell into place. The tops here are excellent, and there are exactly as many of them as there should be.

During testing, an interesting feature of Oriolus Finschi came to light. The sound of these headphones is highly dependent on the fit in the ear, so it's worth experimenting with that. Depending on the angle and penetration depth of the sound guide, the quality can vary from simply good to outstanding.

Outcomes

I liked Oriolus Finschi. They deliver high quality, academically correct sound without embellishment or cheap effects. Therefore, it is better to use them in tandem with a Hi-Res player and lossless recordings.

In my opinion, classics, rock, jazz, blues and any recordings of those years when sound engineers in studios were not yet focused on listeners with smartphones and disposable Chinese earbuds are more suitable for these headphones.

At the time of this writing, the cost of Oriolus Finschi is 12,028 rubles.