[lowrider007]

I've been listening to the P8's for around 2 months, I've tried but unfortunately I've been finding them too fatiguing in the upper mid range, when I'm out an about in the street often I'll have the sound bumped up a bit but I just can't do that with these, had this problem with the Blessing 2's also, looking at the FR chart I just didn't anticipate it as it wasn't that dissimilar to the P1 Max which is one of my favourite tuned IEM's,

Not sure where to jump next tbh, I want something but very non-fatiguing but a step up over the P1 Max, maybe SA6 Mk2? Sigh.

 

[kristwi]

I've been listening to the P8's for around 2 months, I've tried but unfortunately I've been finding them too fatiguing in the upper mid range, when I'm out an about in the street often I'll have the sound bumped up a bit but I just can't do that with these, had this problem with the Blessing 2's also, looking at the FR chart I just didn't anticipate it as it wasn't that dissimilar to the P1 Max which is one of my favourite tuned IEM's,

Not sure where to jump next tbh, I want something but very non-fatiguing but a step up over the P1 Max, maybe SA6 Mk2? Sigh.

Magic one, one page back. Pretty sure they are just better blessing 2. especially for longer periods of listening.

 

[thaslaya]

I've been listening to the P8's for around 2 months, I've tried but unfortunately I've been finding them too fatiguing in the upper mid range, when I'm out an about in the street often I'll have the sound bumped up a bit but I just can't do that with these, had this problem with the Blessing 2's also, looking at the FR chart I just didn't anticipate it as it wasn't that dissimilar to the P1 Max which is one of my favourite tuned IEM's,

Not sure where to jump next tbh, I want something but very non-fatiguing but a step up over the P1 Max, maybe SA6 Mk2? Sigh.

If you're like me and a bit high mids/lower treble sensitive I doubt the Mk2 will be much better. I had the Ultra and it's very similar in FR. They sound amazing but I did run into a bit of fatigued as well.

 

[DannyDanz]

Not sure where to jump next tbh, I want something but very non-fatiguing but a step up over the P1 Max, maybe SA6 Mk2? Sigh.

Yanyin Canon II kinda does that, it's a good earphone but too expensive to run around on the street with for me. Curious what you end up settling on, I was considering P8 as well before got the Canon II, so good to know about the upper mids. I have the upper mids problem with Truthear Hexa, it's detailed but too much for extended listening sessions.

 

[kristwi]

If you're like me and a bit high mids/lower treble sensitive I doubt the Mk2 will be much better. I had the Ultra and it's very similar in FR. They sound amazing but I did run into a bit of fatigued as well.

I’d assume the thieaudio hype 2 and the coming soon hype 4 both don’t and won’t sound as sharp since they are / will be slightly warmer headphones.

Check out hype 2 comparison

 

[kristwi]

After seeing all the impressions and wanting to get the P8, I’m leaning more towards:

Hype 2
Canon 2
Orchestra Lite
(Or Maybe waiting for Hype 4)

Because I also don’t want a fatiguing treble. My ears are too good.

 

[lowrider007]

I've always wanted to try the Penon Serial out, so many reviews seem to indicate it's a very musical lush sounding iem.

 

[o0genesis0o]

I've been listening to the P8's for around 2 months, I've tried but unfortunately I've been finding them too fatiguing in the upper mid range, when I'm out an about in the street often I'll have the sound bumped up a bit but I just can't do that with these, had this problem with the Blessing 2's also, looking at the FR chart I just didn't anticipate it as it wasn't that dissimilar to the P1 Max which is one of my favourite tuned IEM's,



Not sure where to jump next tbh, I want something but very non-fatiguing but a step up over the P1 Max, maybe SA6 Mk2? Sigh.

The thing about P8 is that it does not really have the upper midrange in the traditional sense (the 2-4khz is actually subdued to reduce the "shout"). However, it pushes the 800Hz to 1.5khz forward, which seems to be fatiguing to some listeners. Maybe you are not compatible with this kind of "QDC-like" tuning. In the future, keep an eye for the hump around 1.5kHz. It should be a smooth slope going up from around 1khz and peaking at 2.5 or 3kHz rather than a hump at 1.5kHz. The SA6 II is tuned to the same signature as P8, though with even less 2-4kHz. To me, it sounds kinda odd in the stock configuration, though better with bass boost.

Have you looked at Magic One? That one is tuned more normally and quite pleasing.. Close, but not quite the same as P8 in terms of resolution and details.

If you have the budget, have a look at 7th acoustic supernova as well: https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/7th-acoustics-supernova.26433/reviews#review-32225

 

[thaslaya]

I've always wanted to try the Penon Serial out, so many reviews seem to indicate it's a very musical lush sounding iem.

Recently tried one based on all the reviews and love but I honestly prefered the Fan2 to the Serial. More lively and vocals were better placed imo

 

[lowrider007]

The thing about P8 is that it does not really have the upper midrange in the traditional sense (the 2-4khz is actually subdued to reduce the "shout"). However, it pushes the 800Hz to 1.5khz forward, which seems to be fatiguing to some listeners. Maybe you are not compatible with this kind of "QDC-like" tuning. In the future, keep an eye for the hump around 1.5kHz. It should be a smooth slope going up from around 1khz and peaking at 2.5 or 3kHz rather than a hump at 1.5kHz. The SA6 II is tuned to the same signature as P8, though with even less 2-4kHz. To me, it sounds kinda odd in the stock configuration, though better with bass boost.

Have you looked at Magic One? That one is tuned more normally and quite pleasing.. Close, but not quite the same as P8 in terms of resolution and details.

If you have the budget, have a look at 7th acoustic supernova as well: https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/7th-acoustics-supernova.26433/reviews#review-32225

I noticed that which is why I was surprised, I actually grabbed these because of the low pinna gain on the FR chart assuming (wrongly) that it would be less fatiguing.

 

[HuoYuanJia]

My god, Gizaudio is hyping the Aful Performer 5 too much… I just had to order one.

I love neutral IEMs, the Softears RS10 almost killed the hobby for me. To this day, it‘s the best* I‘ve heard. (*Best as in technically most transparent and accurate, e.g. comparable to near-field studio monitors.) I‘ve tried a bunch of hyped up IEMs at Singapore in April and in Japan 2 weeks ago, but as a reference IEM - I haven‘t found anything better yet. (ThieAudio V16 sounded interesting, less mid-focussed, one that I‘d check out again in the future.)

But to not lose interest in the hobby, I decided to buy a new „fun“-tuned IEM. The Kiwi Ears Quintet (though having very heavy bass) impressed me a lot for the price. I now took a gamble and ordered the P5 instead, due to Gizaudio recommending it over and over again. Let‘s see…

Ok, so the Performer 5 arrived and I already have some thoughts.

I love the shell. It's small and fits comfortably flush in my ear. Definitely an IEM you can take to bed. I have no opinion on the faceplate. Not my style, no idea what it's supposed to represent. If this IEM were more expensive, I would like to see recessed sockets, a tighter woven cable and a cerumen filter on the nozzle. But considering the price, I have no cons.

Regarding sound, it's a quite bassy IEM - much more than what I would normally listen to. But it's ok, I can dig it. Works great at low volume and when you need some extra oomph. Treble seems reasonably smooth with one exception. Above 10kHz it's too much. It sometimes sounds like if the seal is broken but I think that's actually from the IEM and it can sound quite bright. It's not a deal-breaker at all, though.
If there's a flaw, it's the midrange. The vocal presence is softened a bit (broadly at 3 kHz) but the 2 kHz sound a bit too prominent. What I actually noticed when using a sine tone generator was that 2 kHz sounded weird in general. Like if a lighter tone is playing at the same time. THD hits 0.8% but that's totally fine and could not be what I'm hearing. So I noticed a small phase shift exactly around that area. There must be a crossover and it's not the smoothest ever.
But again, all things considered, for the price it's totally fine.

With a v-shaped tuning, I'd expect a wide and deep soundstage. That's maybe the biggest let-down for me. Everything sounds very in-your-head and there is hardly any depth at all. Actually, the P5 struggles to pull instruments apart and it all sounds wishy-washy to me. Transients lack attack and speed, imo. But then again, I usually hear music with far more expensive IEM, headphones, speakers, ... So, again, no complaints!

Timbre falls victim to the tuning. Male voices sound thick and female voices are either dark or bright depending on their vocal range. It's not dramatic at all and it just makes the music sound more dynamic. Could you mix on these? Definitely not! Are they fun? Yeah.

Everything is fine, I don't regret the purchase. I will use the P5 for YouTube, badly mastered audio and bed time listening. It's far more comfortable than RSV or Cerberus, which I also have next to my bed.



Edit 2: Correct measurements added. ADI-2/4 Pro 4.4mm out, IEM mode, SD sharp, no B/T / EQ / Loudness. SPL matched at 1kHz 90 dB. More here: https://www.klauseulenbach.de/iem-frequency-response/

 

[kristwi]

Ok, so the Performer 5 arrived and I already have some thoughts.

I love the shell. It's small and fits comfortably flush in my ear. Definitely an IEM you can take to bed. I have no opinion on the faceplate. Not my style, no idea what it's supposed to represent. If this IEM were more expensive, I would like to see recessed sockets, a tighter woven cable and a cerumen filter on the nozzle. But considering the price, I have no cons.

Regarding sound, it's a quite bassy IEM - much more than what I would normally listen to. But it's ok, I can dig it. Works great at low volume and when you need some extra oomph. Treble seems reasonably smooth with one exception. Above 10kHz it's too much. It sometimes sounds like if the seal is broken but I think that's actually from the IEM and it can sound quite bright. It's not a deal-breaker at all, though.
If there's a flaw, it's the midrange. The vocal presence is softened a bit (broadly at 3 kHz) but the 2 kHz sound a bit too prominent. What I actually noticed when using a sine tone generator was that 2 kHz sounded weird in general. Like if a lighter tone is playing at the same time. THD hits 0.8% but that's totally fine and could not be what I'm hearing. So I noticed a small phase shift exactly around that area. There must be a crossover and it's not the smoothest ever.
But again, all things considered, for the price it's totally fine.

With a v-shaped tuning, I'd expect a wide and deep soundstage. That's maybe the biggest let-down for me. Everything sounds very in-your-head and there is hardly any depth at all. Actually, the P5 struggles to pull instruments apart and it all sounds wishy-washy to me. Transients lack attack and speed, imo. But then again, I usually hear music with far more expensive IEM, headphones, speakers, ... So, again, no complaints!

Timbre falls victim to the tuning. Male voices sound thick and female voices are either dark or bright depending on their vocal range. It's not dramatic at all and it just makes the music sound more dynamic. Could you mix on these? Definitely not! Are they fun? Yeah.

Everything is fine, I don't regret the purchase. I will use the P5 for YouTube, badly mastered audio and bed time listening. It's far more comfortable than RSV or Cerberus, which I also have next to my bed.



Edit 2: Correct measurements added. ADI-2/4 Pro 4.4mm out, IEM mode, SD sharp, no B/T / EQ / Loudness. SPL matched at 1kHz 90 dB. More here: https://www.klauseulenbach.de/iem-frequency-response/

Sounds like you should return and get the Magic One. Would probably fix almost all issues.

 

[jmwant]

So, over the past few days I've spent many hours listening to the P5, and I do not regret my decision to purchase (especially on sale). The only thing I can put in the "con" column of a pros / cons list is it doesn't seem to scale very well. When I had it plugged into the single end output of my Zen CAN, there was some muddiness / distortion on the low end, even at moderate volume. I moved the connection to the Zen DAC v2 (much lower output), and it is clean and can be pushed to decent volumes without issue.

In any case, my ears are happy as I continue to put them through their paces.

Zen can doesn't perform well with low impedance iems. Maybe this might be the case.

 

[o0genesis0o]

Actually, the P5 struggles to pull instruments apart and it all sounds wishy-washy to me. Transients lack attack and speed, imo. But

Don’t quite agree with the tonality assessment, but this statement is spot on. P5 is great for the $300 to $500 market, competing well against the likes of Moondrop Blessing 2, but coming down from a top end IEM would make this transient problem very apparent.

And yes, you should have a look at the newly released magic one if you have a chance. That one closely matches the DF target with -10dB tilt, similarly to your preferred curve on the website.

Btw, nice website!

 

[jmwant]

Does anyone know what's the price range of the Cantor?

https://hifigo.com/collections/upcoming/products/aful-cantor