I got my mitts on the Aful MagicOne yesterday after recently testing and returning the Simgot EA500 LM, Crinacle Zero Red and Letshouer Galileo.
Early days, but I’m super impressed.
Coherent, musical, balanced. Nothing offensive in sound signature. Nothing screaming “LOOK AT ME!” like the exaggerated dynamics of the EA500 LM. That IEM felt like a tech demo for driver technology, but it wasn’t very cohesive or musical. Timbre felt artificial.
The MagicOne is VERY musical. Very nice timbre. Definitely more extended on either end than the Galileo without the mids shout. A step above the Crin Zero Red, which I liked but had to return due to the long nozzles feeling like they were piercing my brain.
One potential negative: The MagicOne is a bit of a beast to drive. You’re not running this thing off an Apple dongle. I have my Atom+ amp set to the same volume and gain level with the MagicOne as I do my 300-ohm HD 6XX, for comparison.
I’m still gobsmacked at how much I like these. They check damn near every box I want, at $110 (Amazon sale).
For those who also own the MagicOne, what’s the next logical step from this to a ceiling of around $300, with a similar, neutral-warm, very musical sound signature?
If it were me, and from what I have read, I’d be keen on checking out the Dunu Falcon Ultra (leaning more towards warm here). Most of my library would play well with that set. When I’d want a more technical presentation, I’d default to another set that does that well. Always good to have different “flavors” for the mood you are in and how you want to listen to your music and particular songs.