AFUL - Cantor

Hey thanks for the heads up, I got my pair of cantors 2 days ago, no issues for me. Bass is perfect for me since I don’t really like strong bass, it sits in the sweet-spot for me. No issues on the connector side with either of my devices (got the 4.4mm version, using with fiio btr17 for on the move use and with either SMSL RAW-MDA1 for at home listening or my Tascam Model 12 Mixer for monitoring when recording guitar, vocals etc.) In conclusion I’m loving my pair so far, though I have to spend some more time with them to get the full feel for them.

I am not entirely happy with my Cantor. Yesterday, I could not understand how it could sound so bad. It sounded seriously broken. Vocals were almost not there. So this morning I discovered the problem was with the Mojo2. Pushing the connector into the Mojo2, the connector went in too far. You know the rings on the connector? They weren't matching up. I pull the connector out just a little and the vocals reappear. Still, I think the bass is a little shy. Bumped up with Mojo2 PEQ helps, but for this much money it should sound better. There's also a peak at 8k, or even perhaps lower. It's detailed, but maybe a little strident. Don't buy the Cantor if you can't return it.

Me too I bought Aful Cantor with fiio btr17

I have 2 iems sony ier z1r and aful cantor I use the cantor for mixing and mastering audio because of it's balanced tuning while the sony ier z1r is purely for listening to music Next time i get Canpur Cp622b because of the cantor changed my opinion about BA bass

Cantor sounds very bright and bass not as strong as my previous IEM Audiosense T800 but resolution, instrument separation and detail retrieval is an upgrade though. So I'm disappointed by the tuning but impressed by the technicalities.

I use it mainly for my audio editing job that sometimes i need to eq so a balanced sounding set is a must. But for listening I'll ne getting Thieaudio Origin for purely music listening.

So, I clearly have a bit of a thing for Aful products! Their company philosophy is basically to provide the highest quality product for the lowest price possible, and in my opinion they do an excellent job. And while that makes me sound like a total shill, I’ve never spoken with Aful and all these sets were purchased with my own money. Another thing I’ve got a thing for is ranking stuff. So the album is arranged in order of my favorite set first. I’ll give a brief summery of my impressions here: 1. Performer 8- The best micro detail and tonality under $500. One of my favorite IEMs ever, they have a vocal forward sound with a touch of warmth. 2. Performer 5+2- Soft “v” sound, excellent for genres that rely on lots of subbass. Impactful midbass, and best soundstage on an Aful set. 3. Cantor- A bright neutral sound. Easily the best resolution with a unique, deep soundstage that allows for an “out-of-head” sound sensation. 4. Performer 5- An excellent option for those that may find the P5+2 a touch bright. I typically prefer BA treble myself. 5. Explorer- One of the best bassy, new meta tuned options around $100. 6. MagicOne- Well, it is magic to get that kind of range from one BA! A little overpriced at launch, but an excellent deal for $70 if you’re looking for a neutral set under $100. I’ll also say Aful makes some of the most comfortable IEMs on the market. If anyone wants to know anything else about the fam let me know!

7th Acoustics Supernova, AFUL Cantor, Monarch Mk2/3, Moondrop S8, Used Campfire Andromeda are some of my favs under $1000

Haaard disagree on 1. The IEMs I’ve loved the most have been All-BA. U12T, Butastur, Carmen, … I wonder if you have tried the good, branded BA’s? Unbranded stuff like the Aful Cantor is very iffy IMO. But I agree on the Sennheiser stuff, I cannot understand the religious fanaticism for the HD6xx and the 800s at all.  For some reason I’ve never liked a single planar I’ve heard…

This and (mostly) crin's sub has a lot of younger folks looking for sub $50 recs and I can't really blame them, if not for the fact that most game sound engines are not that good that you'd notice any real difference I can directly compare my Cantor, Doscinco, Ea1000 and Arias and all I can hear is "hmm yes the sound is slightly more sound-ier on the Cantor" but I barely play any competitive FPSes since cs2 playerbase is shrinking in Asia and valorant has a particularly bad sound engine You're not going to hear notable differences unless you're getting a soundstage monster like the HD800s or just speakers lads, but it'll probably be a great investment for any other use case

The Cantor sounds like a far better option than the Noir for you. The Cantor is less warm and has a ton more detail not to mention it's brighter than the Noir. Some people have issues with excessive treble from the Cantor, but as you stated it shouldn't be an issue for you. Fyi the Cantor does have a super deep fit and odd nozzles. I'd recommending taking that into consideration as well if you have sensitive ears.

I have the MK3, but after I got my Cantor, which cost less, I have been reaching for it more than any other my other IEMs. The problem I think that the Cantor requires the user to experiment with eartips till they find the right one that gives not just a good seal, but one that allows for a deep nozzle insertion. Getting past that, the Cantor, for me, outperforms the MK3 in so many aspects, I am definitely thinking of selling mine off or handing it down to one of my kids. We'll see.

My top picks are the Pilgrim and Studio 4, the best for technical performancers up to $700-800, upgrade is the Cantor(talking pure resolving). The Pilgrim's darker, but the Studio 4 is brighter. I consider them the King and Queen. One step above all other sets around that price IMO.