Aful Performer 8: Afully good
Sound Profile
Neutral with sight bass boost
Overview
For anyone unfamiliar with the Aful brand, the Performer 8 is their top end offering. It features 7BAs and a single DD compared to their lower 4BA/1DD Aful Performer 5. I had the privilege of listening to the Performer5 a few months back and while it was a very good IEM and worth the money, the Performer8 improves on all my issues with the Performer5. I found the Performer 5 to be overly warm with a small soundstage which resulted in a congested replay on anything even slightly busy. The Performer 8 refines the general approach Aful had with the Performer 5, resulting in a much more neutral and open replay. If I had to knock the Performer 8 on anything, its that its almost too neutral. There is no real mojo in this set. Vocals for instance are technically flawless however they lack engagement. They are slightly recessed but not overly so, they aren’t thin and have decent body but for some reason I don’t get much “feeling” from them.
This set is quite the enigma as I find it hard to fault anything on it but at the same time I find it hard to be really excited about it? When I first started my IEM journey I guarantee this is a set that would have put a pin in my search, however my goals and tastes have changed to the point where I need something more for it to win me over. If you are looking for a technically strong set in the sub $400 it’s really hard to beat this set. It’s a better Blessing 3, full stop. If you need something more engaging and fun I would look elsewhere though.
Details
Im using Final Audio E tips for the review
Technicalities
Im very impressed with the technicalities on this set. While stage is mostly in front of you, detail retrieval and imaging is pretty damn good and allow you to truly visualize the where everything is. Resolution is also top notch in that it doesn’t come off as treble “resolution” but true clarity in music replay which also means its not particularly fatiguing. In “Misguided Ghosts” I can pull out and pinpoint the small thump in the background which is kind of new for me.
Treble
Treble is teetering on the line of too much but I think it just avoids jumping of the edge. I don’t find the set fatiguing or grating however I also love the IE600 so Im somewhat unaffected by runaway treble. What I will say is that on boosted treble sets I hear a bit of fraying on the edge of notes in the upper registers and that is not present here.
I wouldn’t call the Performer 8 “airy” or “open” but notes in the upper registers do have a sense of shimmer which is kind of a must for me. As time has gone on I have become less a stickler for needing that sense of air and space so I am pretty good with how this treble tows the line
Midrange
The midrange on the Performer 8 is top notch. If you are big fan of clean midrange that still has good body you will really like this set. Instruments have amazing clarity. For instance, guitars have all the body and twang that I would expect. Electric guitars seem to be particularly tricky imo because it’s a fine line between being too thin and fuzzy and bloated and muddy. The Performer 8 walks that line with ease and the technical chops allow particularly hectic tracks with multiple guitars and drums to avoid congestion. Vocals are not forward and do come off less engaging so if you are all about the vocals there are better sets however the vocal quality is very good and fits nicely in the stage along with the rest of the sets. Vocals in the lower registers have more note weight which helps them come off more engaging and complex compared to those in the upper register.
Mid bass
This is not a mid bass set. The “tuck” is real on this one and if you like your mid bass I would avoid. You kind of have to pick your poison, either good chunky mid bass or a clean, open, midrange and this set went with the latter which makes sense since the Performer 5 exists for those who want a warmer tonality with more mid bass.
Sub bass
This is one place where the set loses me a bit. For tracks with dedicated sub bass hits like “Doin’ it Right” the bass is so tasty and really fills the space without washing anything out. However, on other songs that don’t explicitly emphasis sub bass the whole bass experience is lost. I tried adding a 4db shelf at 125hz and it did wonders for engagement and body.
Genres
Below are my rankings for how this set plays each genre. These are based on my general enjoyment of the replay for some songs that fall in each category and is therefore very subjective and may not represent the category as a whole. If you have any questions as to what songs I listened to for each category feel free to ask!
Pop - 8
Rap - 6
Hip Hop - 7
R&B - 8
Latin - 7
House/EDM - 7
Country - 9