I purchased the unit for the Aful Performer 8 review by contacting Aful Acoustics and Hifigo. It was shipped to me earlier than the customer retail units in exchange for my honest impressions/ review. Thanks to both Aful Acoustics and Hifigo for facilitating this purchase and are highly appreciated.
I published the Aful Performer 8 review in headfi.org a while ago. This is a re-review of the same product. Purposely I don’t want to re-review the same product again. But the arrival of Cayin RU7 and while using the RU7 for testing, it made me realize that I need to re-write the review all over again to make it more comprehensive in terms of scalability. The RU7 is used in testing both in the DAC mode and Line-out mode.
TL:DR__
Pros
The sub-bass is tight that goes deep, rumbles give that textured sensation.
Clean bass that is well separated from lower mids
Mid-bass punch and slam when called upon
Very natural and organic sounding
Excellent dynamics & note weight
Highly resolving mids
Energetic, lively, and articulate vocals and their decays
Fantastic Instrument timbre
Fantastic treble performance – smooth, detailed, and fatigue-free
No hint of a BA timbre
Fantastic detail retrieval
Excellent resolution and layering
Soundstage and imaging appear to be accurate.
Great Coherency among the drivers
Quite versatile across various genres
Highly musical and analytical. Strikes that emotional chord.
Very easy to drive and scales quite well.
Cons
Not for the bass heads as the mid-bass body may be lacking for some (Not really a con)
Airiness in the treble region could have been better. (Minor nitpick)
Does not appear to have a holographic stage
Stock tips could be of varied sizes.
No modular cable for the price.
Specifications:
- 7BA+1DD High-Performance Hybrid Configuration.
- 8mm Dynamic Driver with Biological Diaphragm.
- Customized High-Performance Balanced Armature Drivers.
- Enhanced 3D Printed Acoustic Tube Structure.
- Ultra-Long Low-Frequency Acoustic Tube
- RLC Network Frequency Division Correction Technology.
- High-Damping Air-Pressure Balance Technology.
- High-Purity Monocrystalline Copper Silver-Plated Cable.
- Impedance: 30Ω.
- Sensitivity: 115dB@1kHz.
- Frequency Response Range: 5Hz-35kHz.
- Passive Noise Reduction: 26dB.
- Standard 2-pin Connectors.
- Single-Ended 3.5mm Termination Plug.
Performer 8 has a hybrid configuration with 1 DD and 7 customized BA on each side. The configuration as declared by Aful is DD (8mm) for the bass, 2 BA for the lower mid-range, 2 BA for the mids, and 3 BA for the highs. P8 has neutral tonality with a bass boost (very mildly warm), and a very organic and natural tone and timbre. I did not come across any sign of BA timbre, while the same was evident while listening to Performer 5. I have spent a great amount listening to this IEM for close to 400 hours. Found them very comfortable for long wear and I used to sleep daily wearing them. It has the versatility to fit in for any requirement presenting at its best – music, podcasts, movies. They are pretty easy to drive and scale really well. The unit responded well to the burn-in. There’s a noticeable difference in mid-bass performance, note weight density, depth, and vocal clarity. The things I enjoyed with this IEM far outweigh the cons if any you come across while reading this review. Giving you the heads up right here. It’s a 5-star IEM without an inch of doubt. Please read on….
Gears used for testing at Aful Performer 8 review:
- Tempotec V6 DAP (Source/DAC)
- Cayin RU7 (PO/LO)
- Topping NX7 portable Amp
- Combination of (1) & (2), (1) & (3), (2) & (3), (1), (2) & (3).
Box, Case & Contents:
If you are familiar with AP5, the boxing is pretty similar and comes in black color. The carry case is made of Leather and has a better spacing in terms of depth for IEMs to fit in neatly. Better than the P5 case. Surprisingly, all the ear tips that come with the package are more or less the same size. Between short to medium. They are of different variety but none of them have provided a tighter fit. reverted to my usual favorite Spinfit W1. Hifigo is kind enough to include Zeo’s Render tips – Silicon embodied on foam tips similar to that of Symbio tips. They fit great and have a terrific sub-bass response. I enjoyed listening to them. However, there’s a slight bass bleed and it did not sound as clean as the Spinfit W1. And so, I used Spinfit W1 for the entirety of my testing.
Build and Fit:
The build and looks are exquisite and the fit is ergonomic. I can wear them for hours straight without any sort of discomfort. I daily sleep wearing them without any issues. This provides me the same level of comfort that AP5 and Kotori Audio Dauntless provides and there is no big difference here.
Sound Quality:
Bass:
Sub-Bass is visceral and has a nice body, very well textured, and rumbles. Decay is faster and does not give the impression of being there more than it is required, keeping the texture and flow clean. The mid-bass slam and impact are powerful and hit hard when called upon. Burn-in has some positive impact on the Mid-bass and lower mids section. Mid bass performance has improved over time listening. They have a great note weight and punch to them. The bass is very clean and does not bleed into the mids. Overall, there is tightness and speed to the Bass compared to AP5.
Mids:
Vocals are the center of the attraction here. They are rightly placed with richness and fullness to them. The vocals, both the male and female are highly resolving, full of clarity, micro nuances, and decays. The same goes for the Instrument timbre. The instruments have a great body, detail, and crispiness to them. Nothing sounds blunt or inorganic. Listening to mid-centric tracks be it instrumentals or the vocals is nothing short of brilliance. Instrument separation is very well done here. The upper mids transition to the treble region is pretty smooth. There is no sibilance/ harshness noticed.
Treble:
Treble sounds very detailed and smooth at the same time. The extension is pretty good. Tad less airy. On certain tracks, the higher treble can be a bit of an intense listen due to the lack of airiness but nowhere does this sound sibilant. The texture and details in the treble are very good.
Technicalities:
Technically, the most impressive thing that hooked me with this IEM is the resolution. Highly resolving with a lot of details across the board. Layering is clean with great separation between Vocals and instruments. Busy tracks are presented really well. You will hear the lesser-known details and it surprises you. The soundstage is above average and accurate imho. To describe the stage of P8, it gives you the sense of a boxed-in/ confined approach while being perfectly layered and giving you an immersive experience. Does not give you the feeling of congestion. I would rather say it is an accurate stage than being very wide. The impact of this kind of stage can be felt in the slight lack of airiness in higher treble notes. That’s the only gripe for me with this set, honestly. If you have heard the AP5, the stage is better here. Imaging is accurate and movement tracing is quite good. Nonetheless, this IEM is a technical marvel, to say the least, especially the resolution and details.
Scalability:
To put it shortly, this IEM scales really well with power. The best set-up is obviously the RU7 in LO mode connected to the Topping NX7 amplifier and paired with the Tempotec V6 as a bit-perfect source. This pairing has a good impact on the soundstage width and depth. There is a greater sense of separation between the foreground and background instruments. There is a greater sense of accuracy in the instrument placement as if we sat in the middle of a live concert. I noticed that this does not benefit the electronic or EDM tracks but the classical, jazz, and rock genres do please. The sense of spaciousness is great, nonetheless irrespective of the genre.
Comparisons:
I did not listen to any similarly priced IEMs to compare with. I tried comparing some of the best IEMs under 300 USD – Final A5000 and BQEYZ Winter – Both of which I love dearly. So here we go:
P8 vs Final A5K
P8 sounds denser and richer with great resolution whereas A5k sounds more crispier with a similar level of resolution but less than P8. Both sound great imho. Imaging is a bit more precise on A5k as it has crispier note weight and has pin-point accuracy. Also, A5K has the sense of a holographic soundstage with better depth. Mids are comparatively more pronounced on P8. Has more detail and clarity. Vocals are strong on P8. They are a bit forward, very lively and articulate. Vocals on A5K are a tad bit behind but definitely good. The soundstage is very wide on the A5K as far as IEMs are concerned, giving that extra breathing space for the instruments to shine throwing at you the directionally accuracy. Most of the time I feel the sound is playing rather from outside than inside my ear. However, I would say the timbre of the instruments sound more accurate and detailed on the P8. It’s just lovely. The best I have heard. In comparison, the soundstage of the P8 appears intimate although there is great spacing between the instruments. Sub-Bass is great on both. Tad better textured and hits a bit deep and rumbly on P8. Mid bass body, slam and punch are better on P8. Treble on the P8 is way more detailed and extended but a tad less airy compared to A5K. Both are very different from each other. P8 is balanced sounding with more emphasis on mids whereas Final A5K is a slightly V shape sounding with more emphasis on bass and providing that fantastic airy treble. I would recommend both. They do complement each other.
P8 vs BQEYZ Winter
Winter can be directly compared with P8 as I find these 2 are similar sounding with fuller body and with great tonality. P8 is a tad denser and fuller compared to Winter. Bass texture is kind of similar on both – detailed, but the sub bass of P8 extends a hit deeper. Resolution is better on the P8. More clarity, nuances and micro details on P8 compared to BQEYZ Winter. Certain tracks like Electric love – Borns sound less clean in the winter compared to the P8. Treble, I love both – Detailed and smooth. Listening to the Electro suite from The Amazing spider man 2 – Details, texture in the treble region are more present on the P8. The main difference between the two is the resolution, clarity and details. One thing Winter has is a sense of holographic soundstage with better depth that is kind of missing in the P8. P8 is basically a direct upgrade in every other area as they sound similar in a way with full bodied sound.
Aful Performer 8 review Conclusions
Finally, I highly recommend the Aful Performer 8. I do agree that this set is not perfect especially if you are looking after a set with airy treble, very wide, and a sense of holographic stage, this is not for you. What it does correct, it does with perfection. If you are looking for a set with a balanced sound with wholesome mids corroborated by the excellent Bass, treble performance, and details, this set is definitely for you. Thanks a lot for reading through and cheers.