Final Audio Design DX10000 CL

The centerpiece of the DX10000 CL is a newly developed True Diamond diaphragm driver. This is not a conventional diaphragm coated with a thin diamond-like layer. The 40 mm driver uses a self-supporting diamond center dome manufactured using Chemical Vapor Deposition, or CVD, a process in which diamond is crystallized on a substrate that is later removed. Final chose the material because diamond combines extremely high rigidity and sound velocity with unusually strong internal damping. In practical terms, the company was looking for a diaphragm that would remain structurally stable under acceleration, stop quickly when the electrical signal disappears and avoid the residual ringing that can blur transient information. Final says measurements show distortion below 100 Hz dropping to less than one hundredth of that produced by its previous designs, with impulse and waterfall measurements also showing very little unwanted resonance.

Simply replacing a conventional diaphragm with diamond would not have been enough, so much of the driver architecture was developed specifically around the new material. The dome has a steep profile and a cylindrical rib around its perimeter, a shape intended to provide the required stiffness without unnecessarily increasing moving mass. A newly formulated polyurethane surround allows the comparatively heavy diamond element to move freely while controlling resonances, and the voice coil uses a lightweight polyimide bobbin-integrated structure to improve mechanical rigidity and piston motion. Final has also introduced a free-floating lead-wire arrangement in which the wires no longer interfere mechanically with the surround. The magnetic system uses an N55 neodymium magnet and an aluminum shorting ring, while dedicated damping material behind the driver is intended to absorb rear-wave energy before it can reflect back toward the diaphragm.

That last point is particularly important because the DX10000 CL is a closed-back headphone. In an open design, much of the energy generated behind the diaphragm can escape into the room. Closing the earcup creates an additional acoustic chamber in which pressure, reflections and structural vibration all have to be controlled. Rather than treating the housing as an exterior shell, Final approached it more like a miniature loudspeaker enclosure. The cups are precision-machined from an aluminum-magnesium alloy using 5-axis CNC equipment, with unnecessary material removed internally to reduce weight and the resulting cavities filled with dedicated damping material. High rigidity and consistent sealing are central to the concept, since even small structural vibrations or air leaks can alter the behavior of the enclosed volume behind the driver.

The method used to assemble the housing is equally unusual. Instead of relying on adhesives, Final uses a 12-point through-bolt structure, with a dozen screws clamping the enclosure from the outer housing through to the front plate. The goal is to distribute pressure evenly and maintain predictable airtightness throughout the structure. There is also a practical advantage - the headphone can be taken apart again. Wear components can be replaced and the housing can be opened for maintenance rather than becoming a permanently bonded assembly, which is particularly welcome in a product occupying this price category.

Final has also paid close attention to the earpads, another element that can dramatically affect a closed headphone's acoustic behavior. A completely airtight pad can raise pressure in the ear chamber and exaggerate the low frequencies, which in turn may encourage designers to compensate with additional treble energy. The DX10000 CL instead uses Ultrasuede with controlled air permeability, combined with a specially selected foam structure. The intention is to retain the solidity and physical presence associated with closed-back headphones while avoiding a deliberately spectacular V-shaped balance. Final describes the target as smooth, natural and full-bodied rather than artificially exciting.

The resulting headphone is substantial but not electrically extreme. Sensitivity is rated at 92 dB/mW and impedance at 20 Ω at 1 kHz, while the complete DX10000 CL weighs 543 g. Two detachable cables are included, both developed by Final together with Japanese cable specialist Junkosha and based on silver-coated OFC conductors. The shorter 1.5 m cable terminates in a 4.4 mm balanced plug and uses ePTFE insulation, while the 3 m version is equipped with a 4-pin XLR connector, larger-cross-section conductors and PFA insulation. Final also supplies two adapters - 4-pin XLR female to 6.3 mm and 4.4 mm female to 6.3 mm - so the headphone can be used with a wide variety of desktop amplifiers.

The first 150 examples will be sold as the DX10000 CL Collector's Edition. Technically, the headphone itself follows the same concept, but the visual treatment and accessories are different. Gold-colored accents replace the silver-colored details of the standard version, and the headphones arrive in a traditional Japanese paulownia wood box. The package also includes an original Shingen Pouch made from Tango Chirimen, a silk textile traditionally woven in the Tango region of Kyoto. Its exterior combines black and gold silk with a deep purple lining. A dedicated headphone stand machined from a solid block of aluminum completes the set. The standard DX10000 CL uses silver-colored accents and comes with the protective carrying case familiar from Final's D Series.

The DX10000 CL is made in Japan and clearly occupies a different territory from the vast majority of closed-back headphones. Final is not positioning it as a portable flagship or even as an especially practical alternative to an open reference model. The entire design revolves around exploiting the characteristics that make closed headphones appealing in the first place - isolation, pressure, intimacy and physical energy - while engineering away as much of the enclosure's unwanted contribution as possible. It is an expensive way to approach the problem, but the combination of a CVD diamond diaphragm, machined metal housing, elaborate damping and fully serviceable mechanical construction shows that the company has treated the closed-back format as an acoustic challenge rather than merely placing a rear cover over an existing driver.

Pre-orders for the Final DX10000 CL opened in July. The standard version is priced at $8,499/€8,499/£7,499, while the limited Collector's Edition costs $8,999/€8,999/£7,999. In Japan, Final has announced the regular model for autumn 2026, while deliveries of the Collector's Edition began earlier. Info and pictures by Final Audio Design.