Oh… 10th Anniversary are not good 
Too sibilant and boomy to my taste.
Although they somehow have their audience ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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I’m glad Aful has good level headed influencers like you. It’s good for their brand.
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Thanks. That means a lot.
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The company that releases like 1 iem at year is at it again.
Now that is a faceplate. It’s weird, listed as mems driver, but with a 3.5? Some voodo magic with that it? Maybe.
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There’s also a 4.4 on the website. That price is probably a placeholder though? Interesting to see how MEMS would work with a regular 3.5/4.4 cable.
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Yeah, my guess is significantly less than that. It’s pretty normal from hifigo.
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the Defiant was listed as $999.99 pre release IIRC 
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142 look great for me.
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There was rumors that a new MEMS driver that didn’t need the Amplifier and xover during them.
I am curious about that two.
The Hiby XENO was a massive fail.
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Also, this guy just released!
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That nozzle looking devious, dawg
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Those rectal probes … er … nozzles. Yikes. But still very interested in reviews of these!
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I enjoyed watching your DN142 review. The DN142 has extra energy in the air region which I might be able to barely hear since I am 60. I used a tone generator and loud volume to step through the air region from 10 kHz to 18 kHz. It turns out that I still can barely hear frequencies up to 13.5 kHz yet nothing above 13.5 kHz. I thought that I could hear nothing above 10 kHz. I could hear the air region when I was in my mid 40s but not as well as when I was 30.
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Hey thanks, I appreciate the kind words. 142 is a really fun set. Still love this trend of extra air in the upper 13-17 region.
I have the Harrier eventually coming in and am curious how that does the upper air.
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You’ll either really like this, or hate it, XD https://youtu.be/DVmqzn5Z2IA
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What is the part on the back shell that slopes towards the nozzles? Anyway, I think that Aful is making sure that the sloping area will not interfere with the beginning of the ear canal. I had that problem with the Delci. I would get a good seal but my ears would slowly pull the IEMs very slightly out. I resolved that issue with the Sednaearfit Origin eartips which positioned the eartip umbrellas slightly more toward the tops of the nozzles. Has anybody seen a graph for the Performer 8s?
Not yet, it if I see a graph I’ll post it here.
Sometimes I get stuff from other companies to share, and I thought I’d do so. I hope you are all well. Happy Holidays and such.
AFUL Performer 8S Design Story: “Echoes of Jupiter”
Inspired by Juno’s images of Jupiter’s swirling polar storms, the Performer 8S doesn’t copy a planet, it captures the scale and energy of the cosmos. Its design reflects controlled chaos, power, and a ring-like presence reminiscent of ancient authority, turning the earphones into a tiny observatory you wear on your ears.
The shell is 3D-printed from high-clarity resin, creating a clean cosmic backdrop. Thin abalone sheets are crushed into “meteors” and “stardust,” like debris drifting in Jupiter’s gravity. Jupiter’s iconic cloud bands are hand-painted with gold, red, and deep brown pearl powders, layered to recreate the metallic glow and ammonia-crystal shimmer of its dense atmosphere.
Handcraft Meets Digital Design
1. Artisans use ultra-fine brushes and pearl pigments to paint Jupiter’s swirling storms layer by layer on the 3D surface.
2. Silver glitter is embedded in clear resin, creating floating, multi-layered rings that shift in light and reveal dynamic contrasts.
3. Abalone fragments are hand-set in random patterns, forming a unique “meteor belt” for every earphone.
Design Narrative
Jupiter Storm Faceplate: Warm, hand-painted pearl textures create a view reminiscent of gazing at Jupiter from space, with the red-brown Great Red Spot placed at the visual center to symbolize an eternal cosmic storm.
Side Window “Core Engine”: A clear resin window reveals the passive driver inside, its metallic diaphragm shining like a compressed metallic-hydrogen core—turning the acoustic heart into a visual focal point.
Acoustic Philosophy: Visible Power
The side window isn’t just visual flair—it expresses a love for sound. When music plays, the driver’s subtle movements mimic a planetary core’s pulse, connecting visually with deep bass. The resin-and-abalone hybrid cavity is tuned to give a sense of grandeur and spaciousness, making the sound feel as if it comes from a vast space, honoring Jupiter’s role as the solar system’s “sound backdrop.”
The Ultimate Experience: Wear a Planet’s Breath
The AFUL Performer 8S invites dual listening: the music it plays, and the story its materials tell. Through contrasts—transparent and opaque, order and randomness, warm glow and cool silver rings—it captures the cosmos’ complexity. As light passes through the rings, tiny reflections dance by your ears. You’re not just wearing headphones, but a quiet tribute to the universe’s power and human curiosity.
“Some sounds come from the depths of gravity.”
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