AFUL Performer 5+2 IEMs – 7 Drivers Bring Audio Glory
AFUL Performer 5+2 is a $239 USD pair of midrange IEM In-Ear Earphones sold and fulfilled by HIFIGO, one of the largest shops for earphones with a specialization on Chifi. Aful Performer comes with 2 Dynamic Drivers, 4 Balanced Armatures and One Micro Planar Driver to deliver a delightful music response. Today we will review the AFUL Performer 5+2 and briefly compare it to other IEMS in the market.
Introduction
AFUL is a rather popular company known for creating IEM Earphones, and they had a couple of models that made it to the Flavor Of The Month, but all of those IEMs so far have eluded us. Thanks to HIFIGO we now can focus on reviewing AFUL for the first time on Audiophile-Heaven, and HIFIGO is a huge shop selling earphones, IEMS, CD Players, DAC AMPs, and other audiophile products. They are present and sell those through their own shop, on Aliexpress and Amazon as well, so you can purchase through any of the channels you trust best.
As an Amazon Influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases, and using the purchase links in my reviews helps me maintain this website and Youtube Channel. Audiophile-Heaven has no Ads and our Youtube Channel has no midroll ads, and our work is supported by Affiliate Links and Donations. Huge thanks to HIFIGO and AFUL for providing the sample for this review, in exchange for my honest opinion.
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/47GYlHx
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c2R9zYJ1
Official Link – https://hifigo.com/products/aful-performer-7
Build Quality And Design
AFUL Performer is a pair of IEMS with an interesting IEM with a faceplate that is inspired from Eastern Aesthetics, reminiscent of the Chinese Suzhou garden, and it uses a high-precision 3D printed acoustic tube structure, RLC network frequency division correction technology and a high-damping air-pressure balance system.
The configuration is rather complex, and it includes 2 dynamic drivers, 4 balanced armatures and one micro planar driver. The planar driver is similar to the Knowles 30095 and the two dynamic drivers are rather small, just 6mm in diameter. Low Frequencies are enhanced by dual dynamic drivers and the 3D printed Y-Shaped structure, while treble is provided straight from the bone by the micro planar driver and BA drivers.
With a high damping air pressure balance system, AFUL Performer 7 protects your eardrums and with the RLC network frequency division correction technology, you know that your sound is precision tuned for each driver unit, independently, and that the whole IEM will have a smooth and wide frequency response.
Technically, Aful Performer 5+2 has an impedance of just 15 OHMs, and a SPL of 109 dB. It comes with a 2-Pin 0.78mm cable and you can order it either with a 3.5mm single ended or with a 4.4mm balanced cable. The transport case is the same as the one we saw with the HIFIMAN RE2000 a couple of years ago, and branded with the AFUL branding.
Subjective Usage
AFUL Performer 7 is a comfortable pair of IEMS, the fitting is tight as they have a tighter than average coiling around of my ears, with a flexible and comfortable cable. Aful performer 5+2 has a fairly natural passive noise isolation, with around 18 dB of passive noise isolation. You still hear sound from the outside, and it is quite uneven, so deeper sounds are dampened well, while voices and mid sounds pass through more easily, and treble also passes a bit more easily through them, likely due to the pressure equalisation mechanism.
About that pressure equalisation, there is no driver flex, no void and the IEMs sit really naturally inside of my ears. Aful also made the cable pretty high quality, it has slight microphonic effect, and you hear it brushing against your clothes when you turn your head or move around, but if you sit at the computer, you don’t hear it much. This cable has a nice braiding and it is ergonomic.
Fitting is medium-deep, with standard eartips, and Aful made the Performer 5+2 pretty ergonomic, rounded shapes and a compact resin body. This means that you most certainly know you’re wearing them, but never feel fatigued by it.
Sound Quality
Pairings – I have paired the AFUL Performer 5+2 with a collection of sources, including Rose Technics RT-5000, Dethonray Clarinet, iBasso DX340, Lotoo PAW GT2, FiiO K15, FiiO QX13. The rated impedance as detected by Luxsin X9 is 16 OHMs, and this is how Aful Performer 5+2 behaves, if not even for a lower impedance. This means that you can expect it to be sensitive to source quality, to easily reveal source noise and to be somewhat sensitive to hiss. I would recommend using the 5+2 with a selection of high-end DAC AMPs that are known to not be noisy. It also reveals the resolution of the source and eats up quite a bit of power as it does not filter or strip down the sound down to pure voltage, so power output is important.
Overall Signature – AFUL Performer 5 + 2 sounds neutral, clean, with excellent extension both ways, and not a lot of coloration. This type of sound is great if you like an analytical signature, but with a strong sub bass backbone. I found myself listening to more aggressive music than usual, I yearn for the bass of the Aful Performer 7, it delivers a really strong backbone when called for, but does not have a big bass by default, so I find it easy and fatigue-free to enjoy some of the deepest, most aggro dubstep, electronic and EDM. There’s plenty of detail, and the colder midrange keeps music free of veils and bloom. Performer 5+2 is a technical performer for sure.
Bass – At the low-end, Performer 52 extends down to 30 Hz audibly, and it has a similar strength all across the bass with no peaking range nor downpour valleys. This creates a fairly powerful kick and punch without a veil or too much warmth. Keeping the upper bass controlled and neutral makes music technical, fast and gives Performer a more revealing signature.
Midrange – Midrange continues the same trend of sounding precise, clean and controlled, a bit cold and neutral, and the midrange is a bit more forward compared to the mid bass and upper bass. In fact the lower midrange and upper bass are recessed by 10 dB relative to the sub bass and upper midrange. This being said, the signature stays cold and neutral, without sounding especially shouty or bright. There is a peaking range between 4 kHz and 7 kHz which adds a bit of a metallic tinge and resonance to the mids and cymbal crashes. Female voices are sweeter, and Performer 52 is really excellent for EDM, Dubstep and generally acoustically interesting music.
Treble – Treble is sharp, a bit recessed relative to the upper midrange, but still has enough air and sparkle. Treble is a bit more dry and analytical, a bit shouty and sibilant, works great for EDM, Dubstep and music that does not have a too powerful treble, but can come in hot for certain metal and rock. Performer is revealing and analytical and will show the quality of the source material and DAC AMP, way more obvious in the treble.
Dynamics And Textures – Dynamic range is on the slightly compressed side of things, just like the soundstage, which pulls forward details and background instruments, comrpessing louder and quieter sounds to the same volume. This is obvious with rock and metal where if the DR is too compressed in the song, P5+23 can struggle a bit with rendering complex or very loud passages. You can think about this on the other end of things, P5+2 is EXCELLENT for mixing and mastering, it easily shows you when you’re overdoing things with compressors and DR limitation. Textures are generally fast, tight and a bit dry, with a revealing and textured sound for most styles. This means that you hear synths patterns like saw waves really clearly.
Loudness Saturation Gradient – P5+2 sounds best at medium volumes, and quiet volumes. It can struggle at very high volumes, it becomes compressed and aggressive once you surpass 100 dB, but below this level, it is very clean and stays consistent.
Soundstage – P52 has a tight soundstage, small in size, but precise with good instrument separation. This type of sound is usually found in studio settings and it is great for producing a technical and revealing sound, but it does not fantasize about the size of the stage or how holographic music is.
Value and Conclusion
Aful Performer 5+2 has a good price performance ratio, and for the price they provide a quality that is similar to what’s delivered by the highest performance IEMs, like ZiiGaat Horizon and ZiiGaat Crescent, but with a different tuning. Resolution alone is very good, and they come with a transport case, balanced cable, and a good build quality, plus HIFIGO currently has the Aful Performer on sale for 191 USD on their main website, so be sure to check them out if you’re looking to purchase the AFUL performer 5+2. HIFIGO has excellent customer satisfaction and they’re generally some of the best to go to for your chifi needs.
At the end of the day, if you’re looking for a more neutral, tight and revealing sound with a deep sub-bass extension, but no midrange coloration, high transparency and a tighter fit, AFUL Performer 5+2 is your guy and HIFIGO is whom to get those from.
PROs
- Tight fit and comfort
- Tight coiling around of my ears
- High quality cable
- Highly revealing
- Deep sub bass extension
- Transparent, neutral slightly cold midrange
- Good package
- Excellent support from HIFIGO
- Very precise and revealing texture presentation
Cons
- Cable is microphonic
- Tight soundstage
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/47GYlHx
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c2R9zYJ1
Official Link – https://hifigo.com/products/aful-performer-7
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Full Playlist used for this review
We listened to more songs than those named in this playlist, but those are excellent for identifying a sonic signature. I recommend trying most of the songs from this playlist, especially if you’re searching for new music! The playlists are different for Spotify, Tidal and Youtube, and based on the songs I enjoy and are available on each!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_cjBXGmwSHSdGcwuc_bKbBDGHL4QvYBu
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5J3oloz8Riy9LxEGenOjQ0?si=979ba4f082414be7
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/330fd544-8e5b-4839-bd35-676b2edbb3d5
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