AFUL - Performer 5

At $350 cad my setup would be Aful P5's and a cable with built-in mic. I haven't tried anything from Ziigat. They release a new IEM every 4 days and every time I compare models a new one comes out and I can't keep up lol. Cod Is the only game I play and I use my Aful P8's for it, and it's the only thing I use my Aful's for. If you're looking for iems for footsteps and clarity between sounds on a map, depth, then I think Aful crushes it there with the P series. The Explorers are trash for fps though, they give me a panic attack because I can't tell where anyone is. Maybe something else if you're looking for immersion though. Iems in that price range are going to come with replaceable cables and that's where the mic will be. That's where the mic will be on cheap iems with non removable cables too. If you want the Aretes or any similar IEM you're going to have to get a cable with a mic built-in or a separate mic entirely. Most IEMs with multiple balanced armature drivers are going to do a good job with call of duty though.

I can not stand the Harman tuning even though this tuning is very popular with many people. My tuning preference is very similar to the HBB tuning. I prefer the HBB tuning's 8 dB rise for the simulated pinna gain in the upper midrange since the Harman tuning's 10 to 11 dB rise for the simulated pinna gain in the upper midrange is too sibilant for me. I also don't like how the Harman tuning decreases the lower midrange. Right now my two favorite IEMs under $300 are the Aful Performer 7 and the Dunu DaVinci. The Performer 7 simply is an improved version of the Performer 5 across the board. I still love my Performer 5 IEMs. At first I didn't like the DaVinci's powerful sub bass relative to the mid bass, but I found some eartips which fixed this issue such that the sub bass is in balance with the mid bass. I have some other favorite IEMs at lower price points. I was very surprised by how much I like the Kima 2 which Dunu sent to me. I knew that the Kima 2 uses single dynamic drivers, yet when I listened to the Kima 2 I could have sworn that there must also be BA drivers in the mix since the macro and micro details are very well defined. For example, the Kima 2 performs much better than the Thieaudio Legacy 2. It also dawned on me that the Kima 2 is tuned very similarly to the original Moondrop Starfield which was my first IEM, yet the Kima 2's technical performance is so much nicer to listen to in comparison to the OG Starfield. There always a very slight veil to the sound when I listened to the OG Starfield, and the Kima 2 totally rips any veil away. On the budget side, I really like the Simgot EW200 after I easily added some self adhesive mesh filters to shift the overall tuning from Harman to HBB. The transition after adding the mesh filters was splendid. The thing is that after adding the mesh filters to adjust the tuning, I was able to really appreciate the quality of the EW200's dynamic drivers. I hope that the above helps you with your research.

I love my Aful P5. I love my Aful P7 even more. The P7's bass is tighter and punchier (in the sense of having a cleaner initial attack). The P7 also improves everything else. The P7 is just as comfortable as the P5 since the shells are the same yet do extend slightly more upwards. Or in other words, Aful didn't mess with the shape and fit of the P5's shells other than somewhat extending the height of the shells. I never sleep with IEMs. Even so, I realize that comfort and fit would be a priority. I really like the Kefine Klean since I really like its overall sound signature and since I also really like its technical performance which exceeds many other IEMs in its price range. The Klean does have pretty thin shells. I can see the Klean as being very comfortable IEMs to listen to while falling asleep, yet this is not my thing.

I don't know how these IEM manufactures interpret "basshead" as someone who loves to hear big explosions that will overpower every other instrument and vocal, instead of punchier, cleaner, hard hitting bass, that won't bleed into other frequencies. It sounds so simple, yet impossible for them to understand. I am currently satisfied with the bass I get on Blon bl03 and performer 5.

You mean the 5+2? I haven't tried it, but I have the 5. The 5s are not bad but at the moment IEMs around 150 beat them. To be honest the Odyssey recomendation is from the YouTuber Jays Audio. He has a ranking list of IEMs and their prices.

https://preview.redd.it/hy8h2esd91te1.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e244416df0e81d07055713bbb0632d0a0be0bbd1 Hey all, I'm pretty new to the hobby and just wanted to share a quick impression. I’ve been switching between the KZ ZS10 Pros and the Aful Performer 5s for a few weeks now, and honestly, I keep reaching for the ZS10s more often. I mostly listen to bass-heavy tracks and female vocals, and to my ears, there's not a huge difference between the two sets in those genres. From my perspective, the KZ hate feels kind of overblown. For the price, I think they punch way above their weight. I’m planning to grab the DUNU Braindance next. But if it doesn’t offer a meaningful improvement to my (probably plebeian) ears over the ZS10s, I think those might end up being my endgame. 🤷‍♂️

It just fits my music, the hype4 is the cheapest one in my favorites so it is my carry around but honestly Ill take a lower cost set if I'm going to do something dirty or sweaty. My B list is something like Estrella Performer 5 n5005 Ie200

I think your preferences would be far better served by something like the KiwiEars KE4, or the also new Ziigaat Odyssey. As your preference with Fan3 would indicate you like that later JM1 style upper mids Pina Gain. An out of left field alternative would be the AFUL Performer 5. Or possibly the Performer 5+2 (or Performer 7 as some people call it). Personally the Performer 5 is a little brighter, which leans more towards the Fan3, but the 5+2 has a little more clinical detail up top. And way out in super right field, is the KiwiEars Airoso, it might be a little too U shaped for proper monitor use. But it is very clean in the upper mids and treble, and has excellent detail. There really isnt anything i have found that the Airoso cant play well. And for the current sub-$100 price, it punches WAY above its price target. Not that you came here looking for advice, buuuuttt...its interesting to get some alternative perspectives. https://audioamigo.squig.link/?share=Ziigaat_Lush,Ziigaat_Cinno,Ziigaat_Odyssey,Penon_Fan_3_BC_Off,Kiwi_Ears_KE4,AFUL_Performer_5,Kiwi_Ears_Airioso

AFUL Performer 5 or Performer 5+2. They can play anything, and are generally unoffensive in their tuning, and provide a premium sound experience.

So, as someone who games, and has similar music tastes inside their playlist. I am going to narrow this down to two options. The Arete, or the Performer 5+2. And there are two big reasons why i would choose these over the other options. Pina Gain. Extension past 10k. So the Pina Gain, or the upsweep from the lower mids to upper mids, is really critical for vocal forward presentation of audio. Its also where the human ear is really attenuated, and so a lot of sound queues in video games will be in that region. So when you look at a "gamer" set like the Arete, you will see that Pina Gain region starts a little earlier, and is a little more emphasized. This will help to hear and position the sounds a little easier. The Performer 5+2 also has a very good Pina Gain that tracks almost identically to the Arete. The second is extension past 10k. This gets more into the psychoacustics of how your brain will perceive and pick up sounds. How reverberations interact with your inner ear. And on some sets that lack this extension beyond 10k, some sounds, like symbol crashes, or brass hitting the floor, or grenade clanks, can kinda get lost in the mix. Because your brain isnt really properly interpreting that reverb reflection from the audio engine. So it ends up sounding kinda flat, and 2 dimensional, rather than positional and wide. And again, we can see both the Performer 5+2 and the Arete share in this trait. Now on the Grit, this Pina Gain carries similar to the others, but its gets a little TOO exaggerated for my liking beyond 2k, and can really make vocals seem very forward, and "out of the mix." Now, admittedly, i have only listened to the Grit once, and dont own them. So i have not gamed on them with any way, so i cant speak to that directly. But the extreme vocal forward nature of the Grit left me in a shallow Uncanny Valley where it would have taken some brain burn in to really come to grips with the sound signature. And in relation to the exdtension past 10k, the Grit, despite its very high pina gain and upper mids, rerally falls off a cliff at 10k. And it was the lack of extension in this area where i kinda lost love with the Grit in my limited listening session. I didnt feel that percussive instruments really rang out with the same level of size and space that other sets did. The BCD did help to fill some of that in. But one of the big issue i had with the Grit, and why i had a limited time listening to it, was because i had to play with about 8 different sets of tips, until i got a set that allowed me to insert it deep enough to get the shell into full contact with my ear. If it wasnt, it had a very boingy bongy sound signature to it, especially with cable microphonics. They were very musical, and i can see where some people might find the appeal. But to me the Grit is an IEM for IEM snobs. Much in the same way coffee snobs need to have their coffee extracted from cat shit and roasted. One alternative i would like to posit to you in this selection, is the OG Performer 5. Its bass level isnt quite as impactful as the Performer 5+2 with its single DD, and it isnt as technically analytical as the 5+2, but it also lacks a certain dryness heard in the 5+2 due to the micro planar top. But what the Performer 5 DOES have, is a great Pina Gain, and an a nice treble extension past 10k that really does a good job of giving it a lighter airier feel, and good sound stage. And, best of all, it can be picked up on sale for well under $200. Sometimes going for as little as $160. And, as crazy as it sounds...i actually prefer the Performer 5 over the Performer 5+2. And its the one IEM that spends the most time in my ears when i am gaming or at my computer. Followed very closely by the Arete. And a toss up in 3rd between the KE4 and the 5+2. https://soundcheck39.squig.link/?share=Apevoix_Grit,Aful_Performer_5+2,Aful_Performer_5,ZiiGaat_Arete https://audioamigo.squig.link/?share=Apevoix_Grit,AFUL_Performer_7,Ziigaat_Arete,AFUL_Performer_5

I previously owned the 5 & thought they were excellent value. I recently got the 5+2 as my beaters & my musical preferences often involve heavy snares. I don't have silibance issues (Final A8000 are an all time top 5 IEM for me & people seem to have serious silibance issues with those), and this is beyond just that anyway... but those more prominent highs are absolutely horrendous. It's like a a nail being smashed by a hammer right beside my ear... it also comes through very unrefined so it's just a very heavy, nondescript noise which sounds terrible. I was really disappointed & managed to get rid of them quickly. I'm seeing a lot of them popping up on local 2nd hand listings now & it's a race to the bottom with sellers. They can be had for sub $100 2nd hand where I am now, so I don't seem to be alone in not being a fan. It's a shame they didn't just do what they do with the 5 with more weight on the lower end given the 2 DD's. It's the only time in 50+ IEMs I have ever had to push the treble deep into minus on my Mojo 2 - I usually push it up a bit. Still sounds bad. Much better off spending a little more & getting the Giz/Dunu Davinci, which are my beaters now... traded the Aful 5+2 + equivalent $100 cash - glad I got them early & moved quickly.

Moondrop Chu, and no. The Kato is the only Moondrop iem I still have and use. I liked the Aria but gave it to a friend to try to get him into iems (I failed). The Chu was good enough to get me into iems, but not good enough to keep me listening. I don't even know where they are now, lol. Of the early iems that I bought, I only have and listen to the Truthear Hexa (lifeless but decent, with wonderful imaging) and that Truthear Harmon-tuned one that Crinacle did with the subwoofer (I forget the name). It is fatiguing, but it is exciting until it wears me down. Good for techno. I listen mostly to the Aful P5, the Chopin, the Letshour S12, and the Kato now. Sometimes at home, I listen to the P8 and the Xenn Mangrid Top (they are too expensive to lug around with me--I have a $200 limit on iems that I'm willing to take in my backpack).

i like the AFUL Performer 5 a lot, but the Valhalla is amazing