Final Audio has launched the DX4000 CL, a new closed-back headphone slotting between its $599 closed-back DX3000 CL and the flagship open-back DX6000 in the brand's premium DX series. It goes on sale today at $999 / £949 / €999. And it's fair to say that pricing has raised an eyebrow or two... it's certainly out of the remit of our list of the best budget audiophile headphones.
The DX3000 CL only launched in November, and at a quick glance, these two headphones look virtually identical. Both use a 40mm paper-carbon composite dynamic driver, both sit in a resin housing, both weigh in at similar figures, and both share the same sensitivity and impedance specs.
A new driver (and different specs)
According to Final, the core difference lies beneath the surface. While both headphones utilise a 40mm paper-carbon composite diaphragm, the DX4000CL uses a newly developed motor system engineered for more precise diaphragm movement and tighter airflow control.
Interestingly, despite the visual similarities, the electrical profiles have shifted. The DX3000CL is actually rated at 60Ω and 98dB/mW, whereas the new DX4000CL is slightly easier to drive at 37Ω but less sensitive at 96dB/mW.
The goal is a more resolving, open presentation: greater micro-detail, wider perceived soundstage, and cleaner separation in complex mixes. For creatives working with audio, that distinction matters.
The DX3000CL earned strong reviews for its forensic detail retrieval and neutral tonal balance, but was noted for a certain 'politeness' (a reluctance to fully let loose when music demanded it). Final appears to be targeting that gap with the DX4000CL: the same neutrality and spatial clarity, but with more resolution and a greater sense of openness.
A better cable
The second tangible upgrade is the cable. Where the DX3000CL has an oxygen-free copper (OFC) cable, the DX4000CL comes with a flagship silver-coated one as standard, terminated in 4.4mm balanced with a 6.3mm adapter included.
Silver-coated cables are associated with improved high-frequency detail and transparency; meaningful for work that demands you hear everything in a recording. That said, you may have read our recent story about a blind listening test where participants couldn't distinguish between audio passing through copper cable, mud and an unripe banana – which puts these things into perspective a little.
Where it sits in the lineup
Final's DX range now spans three models at meaningfully different price points. The DX3000CL at $599 introduced the brand's closed-back philosophy to a wider audience: neutral, insightful, surprisingly spacious for a sealed design. The DX4000CL at $999 pushes further up the resolution ladder. The DX6000 sits above both as the series' flagship, representing Final's most uncompromising take on what a closed-back can achieve.
The logic is coherent, if aggressive in its timing. Final seems to be building out a proper tier structure within the DX range, giving buyers clear upgrade paths rather than a single choice. Whether three months is long enough between launches for that to land well commercially is a fair question, though.
Without a full review in hand (note: we're currently working on one for the DX3000CL), it's too early to say definitively whether the DX4000CL earns its $400 premium. On paper, the new driver and silver cable are real, substantive differences. Whether they translate to a superior listening experience in practice is the question that matters, and that requires time with the headphones.
What is clear, though, is that Final is building the DX series into something more structured and ambitious. For professionals who live and work in closed-back headphones, that's worth paying attention to.
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