Gonna have a busy couple of weekends limit testing these...pretty excited though

Got to spend some time with the Winter II, first impression is really promising....it is my second favorite after the YU9 QUE. It is very underrated, It is really detailed without the usual BA/mPL shimmer/sparkle, it feels warm mid centric IEM with rich not so forward vocals...very good textured mids, mature treble no fatigue what so ever, punchy and controlled bass...really really underrated and punches way above its weight. Not to mention the full metal build, the amazing cable or the classy case, the eartips that it comes with are very underwhelming tho! And IEM itself requires a bit of tip rolling.

I tried it a bit vs TEA Pro, the Winter II is noteaceably warmer with more textured mids and richer vocals, bass is also more textured and rumblier, the TEA pro has more shimmer and zing of the BAs and more forward vocals...basically imagine the WINTER II as a RAW unedited image with good quality, while the TEA Pro is a tastefully sharpened image. Will do more in-depth comparisons and analysis later.

If youd like here is a video version: https://youtu.be/JEHqDtn-cO0?si=ZrXykpqU-F9\_9yvj

Just recieved my winter twos today, really excited to try them out because i think at least on surface BQEYZ has unique driver configurations...feel like they are doing their own thing and improving on it....at least this is the pattern im noticing in their products....anyway enough yapping imma spam them for the next couple weeks.

TLDR, Cadenza 2 to is a solid 4/5 budget IEM. It’s a great package if you like a clean, sub-bass-focused presentation and clean midrange with mostly controlled treble (basically META tuning), but fast metalcore tracks and mid-bass-heavy songs will find its limits. Check out the notes in the images if you dont want to read, Or the video format and PDF notes here: https://youtu.be/fRckKo5M1ME?si=8Q3_803tQseK4ABV

The Cadenza 2 is basically the Strawberry Juice of IEMs (it should ve been kiwis pun intended, but kiwis are way too sour) . It’s got a sweet taste, a little bit of a sour and tangy bite, and just enough richness to balance the acidity out. What it isn’t is a strawberry milkshake—it lacks that heavy, thick milk-sweetness and full-bodied warmth. It’s rather a clean, refreshing drink, but not a thick, rich experience.

Mandatory Cable Praise

This thing feels incredibly nice and premium with absolutely zero memory wire frustration. It feels like the material used in Kiwi Ears’ black Terras cable (in collab with B Media), just without the swappable modular terminations and using slightly cheaper inner parts. For a $45 package, this cable is excellent.

Sound Performance

I'll speed run this part and yab a lot in the test tracks section

Bass

Subbass focus, good rumble, a bit fast decay. But midbass on weaker side, not anemic tho!

Mids

The midrange is clean and well-separated. Lower mids feel fine, and the upper mids are quite forward, vocals clear are and front-and-center. But on very high-pitched or tenor male vocals, the upper mids can get right to the edge of shoutiness.

Treble

The treble has decent precision and enough sparkle to keep things energetic without feeling completely blunt. It’s totally safe from high-frequency sibilance (6kHz and above is completely clean with good air). However, there is a bit of harshness right around the 5kHz region in the lower treble/upper mid transition that can fatigue you on some tracks.

Soundstage & Technicalities

the soundstage is very good, Open with good sense of depth.

Test Tracks

Sibilance / Harshness Test

• ❌Fallujah – "Venom Upon the Blade": This track has a very sharp mix with piercing guitar harmonics, and it definitely gets to the Cadenza 2. It triggers that 5kHz harshness right away. (Quick fix: A parametric EQ peak filter at 5kHz at -1dB with a Q of 4 completely cleaned it up).
• ✅Bring Me The Horizon – "Doomed" (Live at the Royal Albert Hall): During the bridge where the choir and full instrumentation swell, it passes perfectly. No sibilance here.
• ✅The Devil Wears Prada – "Where the Flowers Never Grow": At the beginning, the vocalist's "S" and "T" sounds are mixed a bit sharp. The Cadenza 2 passed this with zero annoyance—6kHz and above is totally fine.
• ❌Baby Metal & Knocked Loose: The high-pitched female vocals and harsh, frantic arrangements hit right at the edge of the upper mids and lower treble. You can't listen to these for extended periods; it will fatigue you on longer sessions.

What it Does Well

• Slow, Well-Mixed Tracks & Synth Wave: Slower tracks are always safe, but they are especially engaging here because of the sub-bass boost. The Dark Sun album by Dayseeker sounds amazing, blending vocals and synth wave elements beautifully.
• Medium Busy Tracks (Twenty One Pilots): Handled very well. The vocal-centric focus keeps everything clear and enjoyable.
• Hip-Hop: Highly engaging and fun thanks to that dedicated sub-bass lift.
• Mid-Centric Tracks (Breaking Benjamin, Starset, Linkin Park, Tool, Polaris, Parkway Drive): Tracks that heavily utilize the midrange—especially the lower mids—sound excellent. House of Protection's "Pulling Teeth" and various Counterparts tracks sound great on this set. (Even Baby Metal can go either way here; a track like "From Me to You" featuring Poppy is much more reserved and highly enjoyable).

Where it Lacks

• Mid-Bass / Dark Tone Tracks (Twenty One Pilots – "Drum Show", Alice in Chains – "Would?", Soundgarden – "The Day I Tried to Live"): These tracks rely on fast kick drums, a heavy mid-bass slam, or darker tones. The Cadenza 2 feels clean but lacks the necessary body and punch to make the drum/bass intros engaging.
• Health – "Demigods": The presentation here just starts falling flat. The track is very dark, and the Cadenza 2’s clean profile and missing mid-bass slam just don't offer the right presentation for this style of music.

Where it Chokes

• Invent Animate – Heavener album: This track combines tender vocals, intense guitar harmonics, and massive slamming. The single dynamic driver simply runs out of speed, completely botching the complexity because it chokes right where all of the Cadenza 2's weaknesses sit.
• Knocked Loose – You Won't Go Before You're Supposed To album: Frantic arrangements, harsh vocals, and heavy slamming limit-test this IEM, and the single driver struggles hard to keep up.

Direct Comparisons

• vs. Tangzu Wan'er 2: The Wan'er ($20) has less sub-bass rumble but features more mid-bass body, making it sound fuller and warmer on older rock tracks. However, the Cadenza 2 is noticeably more technical, cleaner, and comes with a vastly superior premium cable.
• vs. PRX: For metal music, I personally lean toward cheap planers like the PRX ($25). The PRX flat-out beats the Cadenza 2 in raw technicalities and speed for busy tracks, even if it lacks the sub-bass rumble and has that typical artificial planer timbre. The Cadenza 2 sounds much more natural, but the PRX is the better value for fast genres.
• vs. Simgot EW300: The EW300 ($70) is more expensive. It has much higher midrange resolution and features swappable tuning nozzles (the gold nozzle gives you better mid-bass). The EW300 can occasionally lean closer to sibilance, whereas the Cadenza 2 has that specific 5kHz edge instead. The Cadenza 2 offers slightly cleaner presentation for less money, making it a highly competitive value.

Rating

• Bright vs. Warm: The Cadenza 2 is the most bright-leaning of the budget bunch. The Wan'er is neutral-warm, and the PRX sits on the warmer side.
• U-Shape vs. V-Shape: The Cadenza 2 leans closer to a clean U-shape or W-shape.
• Musical vs. Analytical: The Wan'er is the most musical and relaxed. The Cadenza 2 sits in the middle with a clean profile, while the planer PRX is the most analytical.
• Soundstage (Narrow vs. Wide): It has great, very good width for a budget set, punching above its price tag.
• Casual vs. Advanced: It’s a casual, instantly engaging listen for 80% of standard music libraries because the tuning grabs your attention right away.
• All-Rounder vs. Niche: It’s not a complete all-rounder. Because it lacks that warm mid-bass body, tracks that require heavy punch and dark warmth will feel slightly left behind.

Final Thoughts

The Kiwi Ears Cadenza 2 is a beautiful budget option if you want a clean, wide, sub-bass-forward sound signature and a stellar cable out of the box. It handles standard playlists like a champ. Just be prepared to back off the volume a bit on hyper-aggressive, high-pitched metal mixes where its single driver hits its processing limits.

Ive been loaned cadenza 2 and I gave them a quick listen. But first a mandatory praise for the cable, soft with, memory free and very premium feeling.

​

First impressions is really good subbass with good quality and rumble (not much decay though), clean mids with great guitar texture and male vocals, very good female vocals, and good enough treble and air with no sibilance, but not precise right at the begging of being blunt.

​

But the mid bass is definitely on the weaker side, intro bass guitar on Would by Alice in Chains and kick drums Drum Show by 21 pilots is definitely lacking. Also i think it could get harsh at 5k, i tried venom upon the blade by fallujah and thos harmonics got to me, and occasionally very high female vocals could be at the edge of shoutiness, but those are rare. But overall im having a lot of fun with their presentation on non midbass heavy tracks.

TLDR, Que to me for my music is a 5/5 IEM, ofc there is the fit concern, but if you can fit it, absolutely legendary, check out the notes in images if you don't want to read or here is the video format and PDF notes https://youtu.be/oYsgYeIrph0

I bought this set, My Testing is done on HiBy R3 Pro II

The Que is basically the Dark Chocolate of IEMS, unlike something like Xenns Mangird Tea Pro which is like milk chocolate, universally loved, inoffensive, fun, tasty, but not special. the QUE on the other hand is like dark chocolate—exceptionally high quality and incredibly tasty, but a bit niche and not every one likes it, it has tasteful colorations that grows on you with time.

Que usually retails right around $420 USD, drops to $360 during sales, and honestly, if you stack your AliExpress coins and coupons right, you can find it even cheaper.

Accessories, Fit and Tip rolling

Let’s talk packaging and build. The case is amazing. It is chunky, premium, features a soft padded interior print, and comes with a lanyard. Out of my entire collection, this is easily my favorite IEM case. The stock cable is decent and perfectly serviceable, but to be completely honest, it feels a bit cheap and stiff for a $400 package. I immediately swapped mine out for a GY-HiFi 377 cable.

Adressing the elephant in the room, the physical fit is a struggle. The shells are massive, thick, and completely lack any ergonomic curves—especially when you compare them to something like the seamless AFUL Performer 8S. If you have smaller ears, this thing is going to fight you. During my first week of wearing them, my outer ears were noticeably sore.

Because of that awkward shape, heavy tip-rolling is mandatory. I tried a lot of tips (sancai, C04, narrow bore, short and long eartips) but surprisingly, the basic stock white silicone tips actually yielded the absolute most balanced and coherent sound profile.

Sound Performance

Bass

The bass presentation here is strictly mid-bass focused with a clean punch and a deep rumble. The sub-bass doesn’t linger around too long; instead, it has an incredibly fast, snappy decay. It honestly mimics the characteristics of a high-end balanced armature bass rather than a dynamic driver. Even though it's focused on quality over pure, overwhelming quantity, it easily delivers one of the most competent, hard-hitting, and addictive bass slams in the sub-$500 price range.

Mids

The midrange is well-weighted and layered. It has this gorgeous, natural texture that gives male vocals and heavy rhythm guitars a massive, full-bodied presence. the QUE keeps instruments and vocals sounding thoroughly organic, lush, and deeply immersive.

Treble

The treble is crisp, vivid, and absolutely packed with micro-nuances. It definitely leans on the brighter side of the spectrum, giving cymbals and hi-hats a spicy, energetic bite. And despite that vibrant sparkle, the extension is so well-refined that it almost never crosses the line into fatiguing territory. It breathes a massive amount of air into the mix without relying being harsh.

Soundstage & Technicalities

The soundstage on the QUE is an absolute Gigachad. It is incredibly wide, deep, and completely holographic. The presentation behaves more like a pair of open studio monitors surrounding your head than a pair of crammed earphones. Driver integration is completely seamless, giving you top-tier instrument separation that handles hyper-complex arrangements without ever wallowing in congestion.

Test Tracks

• Slow/Medium Busy Tracks (Tame Impala, Paramore, Haley Williams): Handled wonderfully and sounds amazing, as would most sets in this tier.
• Medium Busy Tracks (Twenty One Pilots – "Next Semester" and "Drum Show"): These tracks feature complex instruments, kick drums, and high-pitched vocals. The QUE handles them exceptionally well—the mid-bass slam is incredible, and the guitar strumming remains beautifully sparkly.
• Hip-Hop / Synth Wave (Kendrick Lamar – "Squabble" and Melezz– "Neon Escapism"): Sounds highly engaging and fun. Depending on preference, a user might want to EQ the bass up a few decibels, but the native bass quality is excellent.
• Sharpness/Sibilance Test (Fallujah – "Venom Upon the Blade"): This song has a harsh mix with piercing guitar harmonics. While fatiguing IEMs fail here, the QUE handled it perfectly. (Bring Me The Horizon – "Doomed" Live at the Royal Albert Hall): During the bridge where the choir and full instrumentation swell, most sets get piercing or sibilant. The QUE kept everything under control**. (The Devil Wears Prada – "Where the Flowers Never Grow"):** At the beginning, the vocalist's "S" and "T" sounds are mixed a bit sharp (around the 6kHz region). The QUE passed this with zero annoyance.
• What it does well? almost every thing, Breaking Benjamin, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Fallujah, Vildjharta, Meshuggah, Gojira, Tool...you name it, through anything at it and it will handle it perfectly, I almost don't have any tracks where it does bad.
• What it does Exceptionally Well (Metalcore): Busy metalcore tracks usually choke and congest $400 IEMs because you have low-tuned rhythm guitars, low-pitched and high-pitched male vocals, guitar harmonics, and air blasting all at once. Sets like the Tea Pro get congested here, but the QUE is handles this perfectly like a champ. Tracks by ERRA ("Transit Blues" by TDWP), Polaris, and Invent Animate sound incredibly spacious and separated on the QUE.

Direct Comparisons

• vs. Xenns Mangird Tea Pro: The Tea Pro is your safe, warm, sweet, and intimate "milk chocolate" set. The QUE, by comparison, is vastly more technical, open, airy, and analytical. If your library consists of slower, simpler acoustic tracks and you already own the Tea Pro, you don't necessarily need to upgrade. But if you're buying fresh or your playlists are full of fast, busy, complex tracks, the QUE is a noticeable technical step up.
• vs. Aful Performer 8S: The Performer 8S captures a slightly more textured weight in the center mids and has a cleaner sub-bass decay, but it requires heavy EQ out of the box to bypass its masking flaws. The QUE destroys the 8S when it comes to soundstage width, holographic imaging, and the fact that its tuning is already spectacular out of the box without forcing you to fiddle with a parametric equalizer.

Rating

• Bright vs. Warm: All of them are balanced, but the QUE leans neutral-bright, the Performer 8S sits closer to neutral-warm, and the Tea Pro is the warmest.
• U-Shape vs. V-Shape: The Tea Pro is the most V-shaped. The QUE and 8S sit much closer to flat with minor adjustments to their mild V-signatures.
• Musical vs. Analytical: The Tea Pro is the most musical, warm, and intimate. The 8S sits in the middle, and the QUE is easily the most analytical and technical set.
• Soundstage (Narrow vs. Wide): The QUE has the widest, most holographic stage, followed by the 8S, with the Tea Pro being the most narrow and intimate.
• Casual vs. Advanced: The Tea Pro is the safest, most casual option for beginners jumping from lower price brackets. The 8S fluctuates 50/50 depending on the track. The QUE takes some getting used to—its signature reminds a lot of people of the Anole V14 signature—so it isn't the most beginner-friendly, but it handles all tracks perfectly.
• All-Rounder vs. Niche: The Tea Pro is the biggest all-rounder. The QUE is right behind it doing everything well, while the 8S is more niche because its lower treble and upper treble performance struggles on certain tracks.

Final Thoughts

If you can stomach the chunky, un-ergonomic shell fit and commit to a little bit of tip-rolling upfront, the Yu9 QUE rewards you with true $1k flagship-level technical performance for a fraction of the cost. It’s an absolute powerhouse.

TLDR, Que to me for my music is a 5/5 IEM, ofc there is the fit concern, but if you can fit it, absolutely legendary, check out the notes in images if you don't want to read or here is the video format and PDF notes https://youtu.be/oYsgYeIrph0

I bought this set, My Testing is done on HiBy R3 Pro II

The Que is basically the Dark Chocolate of IEMS, unlike something like Xenns Mangird Tea Pro which is like milk chocolate, universally loved, inoffensive, fun, tasty, but not special. the QUE on the other hand is like dark chocolate—exceptionally high quality and incredibly tasty, but a bit niche and not every one likes it, it has tasteful colorations that grows on you with time.

Que usually retails right around $420 USD, drops to $360 during sales, and honestly, if you stack your AliExpress coins and coupons right, you can find it even cheaper.

Accessories, Fit and Tip rolling

Let’s talk packaging and build. The case is amazing. It is chunky, premium, features a soft padded interior print, and comes with a lanyard. Out of my entire collection, this is easily my favorite IEM case. The stock cable is decent and perfectly serviceable, but to be completely honest, it feels a bit cheap and stiff for a $400 package. I immediately swapped mine out for a GY-HiFi 377 cable.

Adressing the elephant in the room, the physical fit is a struggle. The shells are massive, thick, and completely lack any ergonomic curves—especially when you compare them to something like the seamless AFUL Performer 8S. If you have smaller ears, this thing is going to fight you. During my first week of wearing them, my outer ears were noticeably sore.

Because of that awkward shape, heavy tip-rolling is mandatory. I tried a lot of tips (sancai, C04, narrow bore, short and long eartips) but surprisingly, the basic stock white silicone tips actually yielded the absolute most balanced and coherent sound profile.

Sound Performance

Bass

The bass presentation here is strictly mid-bass focused with a clean punch and a deep rumble. The sub-bass doesn’t linger around too long; instead, it has an incredibly fast, snappy decay. It honestly mimics the characteristics of a high-end balanced armature bass rather than a dynamic driver. Even though it's focused on quality over pure, overwhelming quantity, it easily delivers one of the most competent, hard-hitting, and addictive bass slams in the sub-$500 price range.

Mids

The midrange is well-weighted and layered. It has this gorgeous, natural texture that gives male vocals and heavy rhythm guitars a massive, full-bodied presence. the QUE keeps instruments and vocals sounding thoroughly organic, lush, and deeply immersive.

Treble

The treble is crisp, vivid, and absolutely packed with micro-nuances. It definitely leans on the brighter side of the spectrum, giving cymbals and hi-hats a spicy, energetic bite. And despite that vibrant sparkle, the extension is so well-refined that it almost never crosses the line into fatiguing territory. It breathes a massive amount of air into the mix without relying being harsh.

Soundstage & Technicalities

The soundstage on the QUE is an absolute Gigachad. It is incredibly wide, deep, and completely holographic. The presentation behaves more like a pair of open studio monitors surrounding your head than a pair of crammed earphones. Driver integration is completely seamless, giving you top-tier instrument separation that handles hyper-complex arrangements without ever wallowing in congestion.

Test Tracks

• Slow/Medium Busy Tracks (Tame Impala, Paramore, Haley Williams): Handled wonderfully and sounds amazing, as would most sets in this tier.
• Medium Busy Tracks (Twenty One Pilots – "Next Semester" and "Drum Show"): These tracks feature complex instruments, kick drums, and high-pitched vocals. The QUE handles them exceptionally well—the mid-bass slam is incredible, and the guitar strumming remains beautifully sparkly.
• Hip-Hop / Synth Wave (Kendrick Lamar – "Squabble" and Melezz– "Neon Escapism"): Sounds highly engaging and fun. Depending on preference, a user might want to EQ the bass up a few decibels, but the native bass quality is excellent.
• Sharpness/Sibilance Test (Fallujah – "Venom Upon the Blade"): This song has a harsh mix with piercing guitar harmonics. While fatiguing IEMs fail here, the QUE handled it perfectly. (Bring Me The Horizon – "Doomed" Live at the Royal Albert Hall): During the bridge where the choir and full instrumentation swell, most sets get piercing or sibilant. The QUE kept everything under control**. (The Devil Wears Prada – "Where the Flowers Never Grow"):** At the beginning, the vocalist's "S" and "T" sounds are mixed a bit sharp (around the 6kHz region). The QUE passed this with zero annoyance.
• What it does well? almost every thing, Breaking Benjamin, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Fallujah, Vildjharta, Meshuggah, Gojira, Tool...you name it, through anything at it and it will handle it perfectly, I almost don't have any tracks where it does bad.
• What it does Exceptionally Well (Metalcore): Busy metalcore tracks usually choke and congest $400 IEMs because you have low-tuned rhythm guitars, low-pitched and high-pitched male vocals, guitar harmonics, and air blasting all at once. Sets like the Tea Pro get congested here, but the QUE is handles this perfectly like a champ. Tracks by ERRA ("Transit Blues" by TDWP), Polaris, and Invent Animate sound incredibly spacious and separated on the QUE.

Direct Comparisons

• vs. Xenns Mangird Tea Pro: The Tea Pro is your safe, warm, sweet, and intimate "milk chocolate" set. The QUE, by comparison, is vastly more technical, open, airy, and analytical. If your library consists of slower, simpler acoustic tracks and you already own the Tea Pro, you don't necessarily need to upgrade. But if you're buying fresh or your playlists are full of fast, busy, complex tracks, the QUE is a noticeable technical step up.
• vs. Aful Performer 8S: The Performer 8S captures a slightly more textured weight in the center mids and has a cleaner sub-bass decay, but it requires heavy EQ out of the box to bypass its masking flaws. The QUE destroys the 8S when it comes to soundstage width, holographic imaging, and the fact that its tuning is already spectacular out of the box without forcing you to fiddle with a parametric equalizer.

Rating

• Bright vs. Warm: All of them are balanced, but the QUE leans neutral-bright, the Performer 8S sits closer to neutral-warm, and the Tea Pro is the warmest.
• U-Shape vs. V-Shape: The Tea Pro is the most V-shaped. The QUE and 8S sit much closer to flat with minor adjustments to their mild V-signatures.
• Musical vs. Analytical: The Tea Pro is the most musical, warm, and intimate. The 8S sits in the middle, and the QUE is easily the most analytical and technical set.
• Soundstage (Narrow vs. Wide): The QUE has the widest, most holographic stage, followed by the 8S, with the Tea Pro being the most narrow and intimate.
• Casual vs. Advanced: The Tea Pro is the safest, most casual option for beginners jumping from lower price brackets. The 8S fluctuates 50/50 depending on the track. The QUE takes some getting used to—its signature reminds a lot of people of the Anole V14 signature—so it isn't the most beginner-friendly, but it handles all tracks perfectly.
• All-Rounder vs. Niche: The Tea Pro is the biggest all-rounder. The QUE is right behind it doing everything well, while the 8S is more niche because its lower treble and upper treble performance struggles on certain tracks.

Final Thoughts

If you can stomach the chunky, un-ergonomic shell fit and commit to a little bit of tip-rolling upfront, the Yu9 QUE rewards you with true $1k flagship-level technical performance for a fraction of the cost. It’s an absolute powerhouse.

TLDR, Que to me for my music is a 5/5 IEM, ofc there is the fit concern, but if you can fit it, absolutely legendary, check out the notes in images if you don't want to read or here is the video format and PDF notes https://youtu.be/oYsgYeIrph0

I bought this set, My Testing is done on HiBy R3 Pro II

The Que is basically the Dark Chocolate of IEMS, unlike something like Xenns Mangird Tea Pro which is like milk chocolate, universally loved, inoffensive, fun, tasty, but not special. the QUE on the other hand is like dark chocolate—exceptionally high quality and incredibly tasty, but a bit niche and not every one likes it, it has tasteful colorations that grows on you with time.

Que usually retails right around $420 USD, drops to $360 during sales, and honestly, if you stack your AliExpress coins and coupons right, you can find it even cheaper.

Accessories, Fit and Tip rolling

Let’s talk packaging and build. The case is amazing. It is chunky, premium, features a soft padded interior print, and comes with a lanyard. Out of my entire collection, this is easily my favorite IEM case. The stock cable is decent and perfectly serviceable, but to be completely honest, it feels a bit cheap and stiff for a $400 package. I immediately swapped mine out for a GY-HiFi 377 cable.

Adressing the elephant in the room, the physical fit is a struggle. The shells are massive, thick, and completely lack any ergonomic curves—especially when you compare them to something like the seamless AFUL Performer 8S. If you have smaller ears, this thing is going to fight you. During my first week of wearing them, my outer ears were noticeably sore.

Because of that awkward shape, heavy tip-rolling is mandatory. I tried a lot of tips (sancai, C04, narrow bore, short and long eartips) but surprisingly, the basic stock white silicone tips actually yielded the absolute most balanced and coherent sound profile.

Sound Performance

Bass

The bass presentation here is strictly mid-bass focused with a clean punch and a deep rumble. The sub-bass doesn’t linger around too long; instead, it has an incredibly fast, snappy decay. It honestly mimics the characteristics of a high-end balanced armature bass rather than a dynamic driver. Even though it's focused on quality over pure, overwhelming quantity, it easily delivers one of the most competent, hard-hitting, and addictive bass slams in the sub-$500 price range.

Mids

The midrange is well-weighted and layered. It has this gorgeous, natural texture that gives male vocals and heavy rhythm guitars a massive, full-bodied presence. the QUE keeps instruments and vocals sounding thoroughly organic, lush, and deeply immersive.

Treble

The treble is crisp, vivid, and absolutely packed with micro-nuances. It definitely leans on the brighter side of the spectrum, giving cymbals and hi-hats a spicy, energetic bite. And despite that vibrant sparkle, the extension is so well-refined that it almost never crosses the line into fatiguing territory. It breathes a massive amount of air into the mix without relying being harsh.

Soundstage & Technicalities

The soundstage on the QUE is an absolute Gigachad. It is incredibly wide, deep, and completely holographic. The presentation behaves more like a pair of open studio monitors surrounding your head than a pair of crammed earphones. Driver integration is completely seamless, giving you top-tier instrument separation that handles hyper-complex arrangements without ever wallowing in congestion.

Test Tracks

• Slow/Medium Busy Tracks (Tame Impala, Paramore, Haley Williams): Handled wonderfully and sounds amazing, as would most sets in this tier.
• Medium Busy Tracks (Twenty One Pilots – "Next Semester" and "Drum Show"): These tracks feature complex instruments, kick drums, and high-pitched vocals. The QUE handles them exceptionally well—the mid-bass slam is incredible, and the guitar strumming remains beautifully sparkly.
• Hip-Hop / Synth Wave (Kendrick Lamar – "Squabble" and Melezz– "Neon Escapism"): Sounds highly engaging and fun. Depending on preference, a user might want to EQ the bass up a few decibels, but the native bass quality is excellent.
• Sharpness/Sibilance Test (Fallujah – "Venom Upon the Blade"): This song has a harsh mix with piercing guitar harmonics. While fatiguing IEMs fail here, the QUE handled it perfectly. (Bring Me The Horizon – "Doomed" Live at the Royal Albert Hall): During the bridge where the choir and full instrumentation swell, most sets get piercing or sibilant. The QUE kept everything under control**. (The Devil Wears Prada – "Where the Flowers Never Grow"):** At the beginning, the vocalist's "S" and "T" sounds are mixed a bit sharp (around the 6kHz region). The QUE passed this with zero annoyance.
• What it does well? almost every thing, Breaking Benjamin, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Fallujah, Vildjharta, Meshuggah, Gojira, Tool...you name it, through anything at it and it will handle it perfectly, I almost don't have any tracks where it does bad.
• What it does Exceptionally Well (Metalcore): Busy metalcore tracks usually choke and congest $400 IEMs because you have low-tuned rhythm guitars, low-pitched and high-pitched male vocals, guitar harmonics, and air blasting all at once. Sets like the Tea Pro get congested here, but the QUE is handles this perfectly like a champ. Tracks by ERRA ("Transit Blues" by TDWP), Polaris, and Invent Animate sound incredibly spacious and separated on the QUE.

Direct Comparisons

• vs. Xenns Mangird Tea Pro: The Tea Pro is your safe, warm, sweet, and intimate "milk chocolate" set. The QUE, by comparison, is vastly more technical, open, airy, and analytical. If your library consists of slower, simpler acoustic tracks and you already own the Tea Pro, you don't necessarily need to upgrade. But if you're buying fresh or your playlists are full of fast, busy, complex tracks, the QUE is a noticeable technical step up.
• vs. Aful Performer 8S: The Performer 8S captures a slightly more textured weight in the center mids and has a cleaner sub-bass decay, but it requires heavy EQ out of the box to bypass its masking flaws. The QUE destroys the 8S when it comes to soundstage width, holographic imaging, and the fact that its tuning is already spectacular out of the box without forcing you to fiddle with a parametric equalizer.

Rating

• Bright vs. Warm: All of them are balanced, but the QUE leans neutral-bright, the Performer 8S sits closer to neutral-warm, and the Tea Pro is the warmest.
• U-Shape vs. V-Shape: The Tea Pro is the most V-shaped. The QUE and 8S sit much closer to flat with minor adjustments to their mild V-signatures.
• Musical vs. Analytical: The Tea Pro is the most musical, warm, and intimate. The 8S sits in the middle, and the QUE is easily the most analytical and technical set.
• Soundstage (Narrow vs. Wide): The QUE has the widest, most holographic stage, followed by the 8S, with the Tea Pro being the most narrow and intimate.
• Casual vs. Advanced: The Tea Pro is the safest, most casual option for beginners jumping from lower price brackets. The 8S fluctuates 50/50 depending on the track. The QUE takes some getting used to—its signature reminds a lot of people of the Anole V14 signature—so it isn't the most beginner-friendly, but it handles all tracks perfectly.
• All-Rounder vs. Niche: The Tea Pro is the biggest all-rounder. The QUE is right behind it doing everything well, while the 8S is more niche because its lower treble and upper treble performance struggles on certain tracks.

Final Thoughts

If you can stomach the chunky, un-ergonomic shell fit and commit to a little bit of tip-rolling upfront, the Yu9 QUE rewards you with true $1k flagship-level technical performance for a fraction of the cost. It’s an absolute powerhouse.

TLDR, Que to me for my music is a 5/5 IEM, ofc there is the fit concern, but if you can fit it, absolutely legendary, check out the notes in images if you don't want to read or here is the video format and PDF notes https://youtu.be/oYsgYeIrph0

I bought this set, My Testing is done on HiBy R3 Pro II

The Que is basically the Dark Chocolate of IEMS, unlike something like Xenns Mangird Tea Pro which is like milk chocolate, universally loved, inoffensive, fun, tasty, but not special. the QUE on the other hand is like dark chocolate—exceptionally high quality and incredibly tasty, but a bit niche and not every one likes it, it has tasteful colorations that grows on you with time.

Que usually retails right around $420 USD, drops to $360 during sales, and honestly, if you stack your AliExpress coins and coupons right, you can find it even cheaper.

Accessories, Fit and Tip rolling

Let’s talk packaging and build. The case is amazing. It is chunky, premium, features a soft padded interior print, and comes with a lanyard. Out of my entire collection, this is easily my favorite IEM case. The stock cable is decent and perfectly serviceable, but to be completely honest, it feels a bit cheap and stiff for a $400 package. I immediately swapped mine out for a GY-HiFi 377 cable.

Adressing the elephant in the room, the physical fit is a struggle. The shells are massive, thick, and completely lack any ergonomic curves—especially when you compare them to something like the seamless AFUL Performer 8S. If you have smaller ears, this thing is going to fight you. During my first week of wearing them, my outer ears were noticeably sore.

Because of that awkward shape, heavy tip-rolling is mandatory. I tried a lot of tips (sancai, C04, narrow bore, short and long eartips) but surprisingly, the basic stock white silicone tips actually yielded the absolute most balanced and coherent sound profile.

Sound Performance

Bass

The bass presentation here is strictly mid-bass focused with a clean punch and a deep rumble. The sub-bass doesn’t linger around too long; instead, it has an incredibly fast, snappy decay. It honestly mimics the characteristics of a high-end balanced armature bass rather than a dynamic driver. Even though it's focused on quality over pure, overwhelming quantity, it easily delivers one of the most competent, hard-hitting, and addictive bass slams in the sub-$500 price range.

Mids

The midrange is well-weighted and layered. It has this gorgeous, natural texture that gives male vocals and heavy rhythm guitars a massive, full-bodied presence. the QUE keeps instruments and vocals sounding thoroughly organic, lush, and deeply immersive.

Treble

The treble is crisp, vivid, and absolutely packed with micro-nuances. It definitely leans on the brighter side of the spectrum, giving cymbals and hi-hats a spicy, energetic bite. And despite that vibrant sparkle, the extension is so well-refined that it almost never crosses the line into fatiguing territory. It breathes a massive amount of air into the mix without relying being harsh.

Soundstage & Technicalities

The soundstage on the QUE is an absolute Gigachad. It is incredibly wide, deep, and completely holographic. The presentation behaves more like a pair of open studio monitors surrounding your head than a pair of crammed earphones. Driver integration is completely seamless, giving you top-tier instrument separation that handles hyper-complex arrangements without ever wallowing in congestion.

Test Tracks

• Slow/Medium Busy Tracks (Tame Impala, Paramore, Haley Williams): Handled wonderfully and sounds amazing, as would most sets in this tier.
• Medium Busy Tracks (Twenty One Pilots – "Next Semester" and "Drum Show"): These tracks feature complex instruments, kick drums, and high-pitched vocals. The QUE handles them exceptionally well—the mid-bass slam is incredible, and the guitar strumming remains beautifully sparkly.
• Hip-Hop / Synth Wave (Kendrick Lamar – "Squabble" and Melezz– "Neon Escapism"): Sounds highly engaging and fun. Depending on preference, a user might want to EQ the bass up a few decibels, but the native bass quality is excellent.
• Sharpness/Sibilance Test (Fallujah – "Venom Upon the Blade"): This song has a harsh mix with piercing guitar harmonics. While fatiguing IEMs fail here, the QUE handled it perfectly. (Bring Me The Horizon – "Doomed" Live at the Royal Albert Hall): During the bridge where the choir and full instrumentation swell, most sets get piercing or sibilant. The QUE kept everything under control**. (The Devil Wears Prada – "Where the Flowers Never Grow"):** At the beginning, the vocalist's "S" and "T" sounds are mixed a bit sharp (around the 6kHz region). The QUE passed this with zero annoyance.
• What it does well? almost every thing, Breaking Benjamin, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Fallujah, Vildjharta, Meshuggah, Gojira, Tool...you name it, through anything at it and it will handle it perfectly, I almost don't have any tracks where it does bad.
• What it does Exceptionally Well (Metalcore): Busy metalcore tracks usually choke and congest $400 IEMs because you have low-tuned rhythm guitars, low-pitched and high-pitched male vocals, guitar harmonics, and air blasting all at once. Sets like the Tea Pro get congested here, but the QUE is handles this perfectly like a champ. Tracks by ERRA ("Transit Blues" by TDWP), Polaris, and Invent Animate sound incredibly spacious and separated on the QUE.

Direct Comparisons

• vs. Xenns Mangird Tea Pro: The Tea Pro is your safe, warm, sweet, and intimate "milk chocolate" set. The QUE, by comparison, is vastly more technical, open, airy, and analytical. If your library consists of slower, simpler acoustic tracks and you already own the Tea Pro, you don't necessarily need to upgrade. But if you're buying fresh or your playlists are full of fast, busy, complex tracks, the QUE is a noticeable technical step up.
• vs. Aful Performer 8S: The Performer 8S captures a slightly more textured weight in the center mids and has a cleaner sub-bass decay, but it requires heavy EQ out of the box to bypass its masking flaws. The QUE destroys the 8S when it comes to soundstage width, holographic imaging, and the fact that its tuning is already spectacular out of the box without forcing you to fiddle with a parametric equalizer.

Rating

• Bright vs. Warm: All of them are balanced, but the QUE leans neutral-bright, the Performer 8S sits closer to neutral-warm, and the Tea Pro is the warmest.
• U-Shape vs. V-Shape: The Tea Pro is the most V-shaped. The QUE and 8S sit much closer to flat with minor adjustments to their mild V-signatures.
• Musical vs. Analytical: The Tea Pro is the most musical, warm, and intimate. The 8S sits in the middle, and the QUE is easily the most analytical and technical set.
• Soundstage (Narrow vs. Wide): The QUE has the widest, most holographic stage, followed by the 8S, with the Tea Pro being the most narrow and intimate.
• Casual vs. Advanced: The Tea Pro is the safest, most casual option for beginners jumping from lower price brackets. The 8S fluctuates 50/50 depending on the track. The QUE takes some getting used to—its signature reminds a lot of people of the Anole V14 signature—so it isn't the most beginner-friendly, but it handles all tracks perfectly.
• All-Rounder vs. Niche: The Tea Pro is the biggest all-rounder. The QUE is right behind it doing everything well, while the 8S is more niche because its lower treble and upper treble performance struggles on certain tracks.

Final Thoughts

If you can stomach the chunky, un-ergonomic shell fit and commit to a little bit of tip-rolling upfront, the Yu9 QUE rewards you with true $1k flagship-level technical performance for a fraction of the cost. It’s an absolute powerhouse.

Hey everyone, Falafel-Fi here, here is a detailed review of the AFUL Performer 8s, if you want the handwritten notes check the pictures above , if you want PDF notes or a video format you can check out https://youtu.be/cRlUye51qYg

So, If I had to describe the Performer 8S, I would say it reminds me a lot of cumin—the Middle Eastern spice. It has an earthy, warm taste, and it’s not inherently offensive. I love adding it to my salads, but if you add too much, it overpowers the other ingredients, it is not offensive tho. That is exactly the 8S. It has a gorgeous, detailed, weighty mid-range, but it has a specific frequency bump that can overpower and veil the rest of the mix on certain tracks.

Unboxing, Case & The Deep Fit

First off, why is this box so massive? It feels a bit wasteful. It comes with nine pairs of ear tips, a cleaning tool, and some vent plugs. The included case is sturdy and protective, and I like the size because it's spacious without being backpack-sized. However, it looks a bit lazy—like someone just slapped black paint on it—and man, it is an absolute fingerprint magnet. It gets greasy fast.

As for the vent plugs for the passive radiator: they are not practical at all. You get rubber plugs or stickers, and both are easy to lose or wear out. I just leave the vents open. Leaving them open gives you a much more immersive, deeper, and elastic sub-bass presentation.

Crucial Fit Tip: The Performer 8S is highly ergonomic, but deep insertion is mandatory for it to shine. You need to do some tip-rolling. The stock narrow-bore tips tame the treble well, but I found the absolute best match was a liquid silicone tip with a slightly wider bore (like the NiceHCK C04s) inserted deep into the ear canal.

Sound Performance

Bass

The bass focus leans into the subbass rather than midbass. still has enough midbass but slightly less impactful than the Performer 7. However, with the vents open, the quality here is a major standout feature. It is incredibly deep, rumbly, and features a beautiful, elastic presentation. While the pure quantity isn't heavily boosted, it is tastefully dialed in for my library.

Mids (The First Masking Effect)

The midrange is where the first major flaw appears, and it comes down to a prominent masking effect right around 700 Hz. When a song is mid centric, the mids sound incredibly detailed, forward, weighty, and full-bodied. However, the moment high pitched vocals gets blended in with lead guitar harmonics and rythym guitar, this 700 Hz peak starts to mask the upper mids and lower treble. This entire frequency area chokes a little, causing the sound to become a bit. To clear this up and fix the flaw, I use Parametric EQ to apply a -1.1 dB cut at 700 Hz with a Q of 2.

Treble (The Second Masking Effect)

The treble itself is completely non-fatiguing, but it features a secondary masking effect because the response is skewed slightly upward up to 6,000 Hz. Instead of staying flat or sloping down for forward vocals, this scoop makes things occasionally sound a bit sour, tangy, or colored. Combined with the mid peak, it can sometimes make tracks sound like they are playing off an old cassette tape. The treble isn't harsh, but to level it out and make it sound natural, I apply an EQ filter of -4 dB at 5,000 Hz with a Q of 3. You can check out my PEQ in the images.

Once you apply these two mandatory EQ filters, the 8S stops fluctuating based on the track and becomes a perfectly balanced, mid-centric, end-game tier beast.

Test Tracks

• Low-Tuned Guitars & Grunge If you listen to early 2000s grunge (Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Breaking Benjamin) or heavy, low-tuned metal (Whitechapel, Meshuggah, Gojira, Vildhjarta), the 8S is flawless even without EQ. Testing with Whitechapel’s "The Third Depth," the slow, low rhythm guitars have a heavy, tasteful decay where you can physically feel every single string vibrating. Because these genres feature mid-forward male vocals and fewer high-pitched harmonics, the masking flaws are barely engaged, letting the 8S's raw midrange muscle flex.
• Hip-Hop & Synthwave: Testing Kendrick Lamar’s "Squabble up" and "Neon escapism" by Melezz, the bass quality is spectacular. It's deep, elastic, and heavily textured. The quantity isn't boosted a lot out of the box, so you might want to boost the bass by about 3 dB or more if you want big impact, but the quality is top-tier.
• Sibilance Testing: It easily passes harsh tracks like Fallujah's "Venom Upon the Blade" and the live version of Bring Me The Horizon's "Doomed" at the Royal Albert Hall. when the choir and orchestra starts to pick up at the bridge, the 8S keeps the treble entirely controlled and non-fatiguing.
• Where it Chokes a little (High Pitched Vocals + Busy Harmonics): The stock tuning falls a little behind the competition on busy metalcore tracks with high-pitched vocals. When high vocals mixed with Lead/Rythym guitar harmonics (like Drum Show by 21 Pilots, Erra, Invent Animate...etc), the 8S gets congested and the details get a little lost.

Direct Comparisons

• vs. AFUL Performer 7: Both share the mild V-shaped house tuning. The Performer 7 has a tighter, more impactful mid-bass focus, while the 8S leans into sub-bass rumble. the mids are superior on 8s and the treble is more controlled. but IMO, if you already own the Performer 7, I don't recommend upgrading to the 8S—while the performance leap is good enough to justify the cash, since they both share same tuning, it will be less noticeable. Try more different tuning instead.
• vs. Xenns Mangird Tea Pro: The 8S is noticeably more immersive, has a more physical bass with better decay, and yields way weightier, more detailed mids. However, the Tea Pro wins on convenience. The Tea Pro works perfectly out of the box with zero masking effects, and no need to EQ it like the 8S does.
• vs. YU9 QUE: These are my two current daily drivers. The QUE is a more consistent, wider, and more holographic all-rounder out of the box with better treble extension. Its bass slams hard, but it decays too quickly like a balanced armature, whereas the 8S has a much richer, lingering sub-bass rumble and better mids. The QUE can get slightly spicy in the treble and has a notoriously difficult shell fit. If you don't want to EQ, get the QUE; if you want exceptional, weighty mids and a safer fit, get the 8S.

Quick Ratings

• Tonality: Sits right in the middle between Warm and Neutral.
• Profile: Mild V-Shape (Less V-shaped than the Tea Pro).
• Presentation: Purely Technical/Analytical on par with the QUE, focusing detail heavily into the mids.
• Soundstage: Average. Wider than the Tea Pro, but narrower and less holographic than the QUE.
• Level: Intermediate. It takes time to appreciate, requires deep insertion tip-rolling, and demands EQ to unlock its true potential.
• Value: At full MSRP, it's just okay because of the flaws. But if you can snag it on sale for $350 or less and apply EQ, it is an absolute value king and I would take it over the QUE—apply the EQ and it's an end-game set.

Hey everyone, Falafel-Fi here, here is a detailed review of the AFUL Performer 8s, if you want the handwritten notes check the pictures above , if you want PDF notes or a video format you can check out https://youtu.be/cRlUye51qYg

So, If I had to describe the Performer 8S, I would say it reminds me a lot of cumin—the Middle Eastern spice. It has an earthy, warm taste, and it’s not inherently offensive. I love adding it to my salads, but if you add too much, it overpowers the other ingredients, it is not offensive tho. That is exactly the 8S. It has a gorgeous, detailed, weighty mid-range, but it has a specific frequency bump that can overpower and veil the rest of the mix on certain tracks.

Unboxing, Case & The Deep Fit

First off, why is this box so massive? It feels a bit wasteful. It comes with nine pairs of ear tips, a cleaning tool, and some vent plugs. The included case is sturdy and protective, and I like the size because it's spacious without being backpack-sized. However, it looks a bit lazy—like someone just slapped black paint on it—and man, it is an absolute fingerprint magnet. It gets greasy fast.

As for the vent plugs for the passive radiator: they are not practical at all. You get rubber plugs or stickers, and both are easy to lose or wear out. I just leave the vents open. Leaving them open gives you a much more immersive, deeper, and elastic sub-bass presentation.

Crucial Fit Tip: The Performer 8S is highly ergonomic, but deep insertion is mandatory for it to shine. You need to do some tip-rolling. The stock narrow-bore tips tame the treble well, but I found the absolute best match was a liquid silicone tip with a slightly wider bore (like the NiceHCK C04s) inserted deep into the ear canal.

Sound Performance

Bass

The bass focus leans into the subbass rather than midbass. still has enough midbass but slightly less impactful than the Performer 7. However, with the vents open, the quality here is a major standout feature. It is incredibly deep, rumbly, and features a beautiful, elastic presentation. While the pure quantity isn't heavily boosted, it is tastefully dialed in for my library.

Mids (The First Masking Effect)

The midrange is where the first major flaw appears, and it comes down to a prominent masking effect right around 700 Hz. When a song is mid centric, the mids sound incredibly detailed, forward, weighty, and full-bodied. However, the moment high pitched vocals gets blended in with lead guitar harmonics and rythym guitar, this 700 Hz peak starts to mask the upper mids and lower treble. This entire frequency area chokes a little, causing the sound to become a bit. To clear this up and fix the flaw, I use Parametric EQ to apply a -1.1 dB cut at 700 Hz with a Q of 2.

Treble (The Second Masking Effect)

The treble itself is completely non-fatiguing, but it features a secondary masking effect because the response is skewed slightly upward up to 6,000 Hz. Instead of staying flat or sloping down for forward vocals, this scoop makes things occasionally sound a bit sour, tangy, or colored. Combined with the mid peak, it can sometimes make tracks sound like they are playing off an old cassette tape. The treble isn't harsh, but to level it out and make it sound natural, I apply an EQ filter of -4 dB at 5,000 Hz with a Q of 3. You can check out my PEQ in the images.

Once you apply these two mandatory EQ filters, the 8S stops fluctuating based on the track and becomes a perfectly balanced, mid-centric, end-game tier beast.

Test Tracks

• Low-Tuned Guitars & Grunge If you listen to early 2000s grunge (Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Breaking Benjamin) or heavy, low-tuned metal (Whitechapel, Meshuggah, Gojira, Vildhjarta), the 8S is flawless even without EQ. Testing with Whitechapel’s "The Third Depth," the slow, low rhythm guitars have a heavy, tasteful decay where you can physically feel every single string vibrating. Because these genres feature mid-forward male vocals and fewer high-pitched harmonics, the masking flaws are barely engaged, letting the 8S's raw midrange muscle flex.
• Hip-Hop & Synthwave: Testing Kendrick Lamar’s "Squabble up" and "Neon escapism" by Melezz, the bass quality is spectacular. It's deep, elastic, and heavily textured. The quantity isn't boosted a lot out of the box, so you might want to boost the bass by about 3 dB or more if you want big impact, but the quality is top-tier.
• Sibilance Testing: It easily passes harsh tracks like Fallujah's "Venom Upon the Blade" and the live version of Bring Me The Horizon's "Doomed" at the Royal Albert Hall. when the choir and orchestra starts to pick up at the bridge, the 8S keeps the treble entirely controlled and non-fatiguing.
• Where it Chokes a little (High Pitched Vocals + Busy Harmonics): The stock tuning falls a little behind the competition on busy metalcore tracks with high-pitched vocals. When high vocals mixed with Lead/Rythym guitar harmonics (like Drum Show by 21 Pilots, Erra, Invent Animate...etc), the 8S gets congested and the details get a little lost.

Direct Comparisons

• vs. AFUL Performer 7: Both share the mild V-shaped house tuning. The Performer 7 has a tighter, more impactful mid-bass focus, while the 8S leans into sub-bass rumble. the mids are superior on 8s and the treble is more controlled. but IMO, if you already own the Performer 7, I don't recommend upgrading to the 8S—while the performance leap is good enough to justify the cash, since they both share same tuning, it will be less noticeable. Try more different tuning instead.
• vs. Xenns Mangird Tea Pro: The 8S is noticeably more immersive, has a more physical bass with better decay, and yields way weightier, more detailed mids. However, the Tea Pro wins on convenience. The Tea Pro works perfectly out of the box with zero masking effects, and no need to EQ it like the 8S does.
• vs. YU9 QUE: These are my two current daily drivers. The QUE is a more consistent, wider, and more holographic all-rounder out of the box with better treble extension. Its bass slams hard, but it decays too quickly like a balanced armature, whereas the 8S has a much richer, lingering sub-bass rumble and better mids. The QUE can get slightly spicy in the treble and has a notoriously difficult shell fit. If you don't want to EQ, get the QUE; if you want exceptional, weighty mids and a safer fit, get the 8S.

Quick Ratings

• Tonality: Sits right in the middle between Warm and Neutral.
• Profile: Mild V-Shape (Less V-shaped than the Tea Pro).
• Presentation: Purely Technical/Analytical on par with the QUE, focusing detail heavily into the mids.
• Soundstage: Average. Wider than the Tea Pro, but narrower and less holographic than the QUE.
• Level: Intermediate. It takes time to appreciate, requires deep insertion tip-rolling, and demands EQ to unlock its true potential.
• Value: At full MSRP, it's just okay because of the flaws. But if you can snag it on sale for $350 or less and apply EQ, it is an absolute value king and I would take it over the QUE—apply the EQ and it's an end-game set.

Hey everyone, Falafel-Fi here, here is a detailed review of the AFUL Performer 8s, if you want the handwritten notes check the pictures above , if you want PDF notes or a video format you can check out https://youtu.be/cRlUye51qYg

So, If I had to describe the Performer 8S, I would say it reminds me a lot of cumin—the Middle Eastern spice. It has an earthy, warm taste, and it’s not inherently offensive. I love adding it to my salads, but if you add too much, it overpowers the other ingredients, it is not offensive tho. That is exactly the 8S. It has a gorgeous, detailed, weighty mid-range, but it has a specific frequency bump that can overpower and veil the rest of the mix on certain tracks.

Unboxing, Case & The Deep Fit

First off, why is this box so massive? It feels a bit wasteful. It comes with nine pairs of ear tips, a cleaning tool, and some vent plugs. The included case is sturdy and protective, and I like the size because it's spacious without being backpack-sized. However, it looks a bit lazy—like someone just slapped black paint on it—and man, it is an absolute fingerprint magnet. It gets greasy fast.

As for the vent plugs for the passive radiator: they are not practical at all. You get rubber plugs or stickers, and both are easy to lose or wear out. I just leave the vents open. Leaving them open gives you a much more immersive, deeper, and elastic sub-bass presentation.

Crucial Fit Tip: The Performer 8S is highly ergonomic, but deep insertion is mandatory for it to shine. You need to do some tip-rolling. The stock narrow-bore tips tame the treble well, but I found the absolute best match was a liquid silicone tip with a slightly wider bore (like the NiceHCK C04s) inserted deep into the ear canal.

Sound Performance

Bass

The bass focus leans into the subbass rather than midbass. still has enough midbass but slightly less impactful than the Performer 7. However, with the vents open, the quality here is a major standout feature. It is incredibly deep, rumbly, and features a beautiful, elastic presentation. While the pure quantity isn't heavily boosted, it is tastefully dialed in for my library.

Mids (The First Masking Effect)

The midrange is where the first major flaw appears, and it comes down to a prominent masking effect right around 700 Hz. When a song is mid centric, the mids sound incredibly detailed, forward, weighty, and full-bodied. However, the moment high pitched vocals gets blended in with lead guitar harmonics and rythym guitar, this 700 Hz peak starts to mask the upper mids and lower treble. This entire frequency area chokes a little, causing the sound to become a bit. To clear this up and fix the flaw, I use Parametric EQ to apply a -1.1 dB cut at 700 Hz with a Q of 2.

Treble (The Second Masking Effect)

The treble itself is completely non-fatiguing, but it features a secondary masking effect because the response is skewed slightly upward up to 6,000 Hz. Instead of staying flat or sloping down for forward vocals, this scoop makes things occasionally sound a bit sour, tangy, or colored. Combined with the mid peak, it can sometimes make tracks sound like they are playing off an old cassette tape. The treble isn't harsh, but to level it out and make it sound natural, I apply an EQ filter of -4 dB at 5,000 Hz with a Q of 3. You can check out my PEQ in the images.

Once you apply these two mandatory EQ filters, the 8S stops fluctuating based on the track and becomes a perfectly balanced, mid-centric, end-game tier beast.

Test Tracks

• Low-Tuned Guitars & Grunge If you listen to early 2000s grunge (Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Breaking Benjamin) or heavy, low-tuned metal (Whitechapel, Meshuggah, Gojira, Vildhjarta), the 8S is flawless even without EQ. Testing with Whitechapel’s "The Third Depth," the slow, low rhythm guitars have a heavy, tasteful decay where you can physically feel every single string vibrating. Because these genres feature mid-forward male vocals and fewer high-pitched harmonics, the masking flaws are barely engaged, letting the 8S's raw midrange muscle flex.
• Hip-Hop & Synthwave: Testing Kendrick Lamar’s "Squabble up" and "Neon escapism" by Melezz, the bass quality is spectacular. It's deep, elastic, and heavily textured. The quantity isn't boosted a lot out of the box, so you might want to boost the bass by about 3 dB or more if you want big impact, but the quality is top-tier.
• Sibilance Testing: It easily passes harsh tracks like Fallujah's "Venom Upon the Blade" and the live version of Bring Me The Horizon's "Doomed" at the Royal Albert Hall. when the choir and orchestra starts to pick up at the bridge, the 8S keeps the treble entirely controlled and non-fatiguing.
• Where it Chokes a little (High Pitched Vocals + Busy Harmonics): The stock tuning falls a little behind the competition on busy metalcore tracks with high-pitched vocals. When high vocals mixed with Lead/Rythym guitar harmonics (like Drum Show by 21 Pilots, Erra, Invent Animate...etc), the 8S gets congested and the details get a little lost.

Direct Comparisons

• vs. AFUL Performer 7: Both share the mild V-shaped house tuning. The Performer 7 has a tighter, more impactful mid-bass focus, while the 8S leans into sub-bass rumble. the mids are superior on 8s and the treble is more controlled. but IMO, if you already own the Performer 7, I don't recommend upgrading to the 8S—while the performance leap is good enough to justify the cash, since they both share same tuning, it will be less noticeable. Try more different tuning instead.
• vs. Xenns Mangird Tea Pro: The 8S is noticeably more immersive, has a more physical bass with better decay, and yields way weightier, more detailed mids. However, the Tea Pro wins on convenience. The Tea Pro works perfectly out of the box with zero masking effects, and no need to EQ it like the 8S does.
• vs. YU9 QUE: These are my two current daily drivers. The QUE is a more consistent, wider, and more holographic all-rounder out of the box with better treble extension. Its bass slams hard, but it decays too quickly like a balanced armature, whereas the 8S has a much richer, lingering sub-bass rumble and better mids. The QUE can get slightly spicy in the treble and has a notoriously difficult shell fit. If you don't want to EQ, get the QUE; if you want exceptional, weighty mids and a safer fit, get the 8S.

Quick Ratings

• Tonality: Sits right in the middle between Warm and Neutral.
• Profile: Mild V-Shape (Less V-shaped than the Tea Pro).
• Presentation: Purely Technical/Analytical on par with the QUE, focusing detail heavily into the mids.
• Soundstage: Average. Wider than the Tea Pro, but narrower and less holographic than the QUE.
• Level: Intermediate. It takes time to appreciate, requires deep insertion tip-rolling, and demands EQ to unlock its true potential.
• Value: At full MSRP, it's just okay because of the flaws. But if you can snag it on sale for $350 or less and apply EQ, it is an absolute value king and I would take it over the QUE—apply the EQ and it's an end-game set.

Hey everyone, Falafel-Fi here, here is a detailed review of the AFUL Performer 8s, if you want the handwritten notes check the pictures above , if you want PDF notes or a video format you can check out https://youtu.be/cRlUye51qYg

So, If I had to describe the Performer 8S, I would say it reminds me a lot of cumin—the Middle Eastern spice. It has an earthy, warm taste, and it’s not inherently offensive. I love adding it to my salads, but if you add too much, it overpowers the other ingredients, it is not offensive tho. That is exactly the 8S. It has a gorgeous, detailed, weighty mid-range, but it has a specific frequency bump that can overpower and veil the rest of the mix on certain tracks.

Unboxing, Case & The Deep Fit

First off, why is this box so massive? It feels a bit wasteful. It comes with nine pairs of ear tips, a cleaning tool, and some vent plugs. The included case is sturdy and protective, and I like the size because it's spacious without being backpack-sized. However, it looks a bit lazy—like someone just slapped black paint on it—and man, it is an absolute fingerprint magnet. It gets greasy fast.

As for the vent plugs for the passive radiator: they are not practical at all. You get rubber plugs or stickers, and both are easy to lose or wear out. I just leave the vents open. Leaving them open gives you a much more immersive, deeper, and elastic sub-bass presentation.

Crucial Fit Tip: The Performer 8S is highly ergonomic, but deep insertion is mandatory for it to shine. You need to do some tip-rolling. The stock narrow-bore tips tame the treble well, but I found the absolute best match was a liquid silicone tip with a slightly wider bore (like the NiceHCK C04s) inserted deep into the ear canal.

Sound Performance

Bass

The bass focus leans into the subbass rather than midbass. still has enough midbass but slightly less impactful than the Performer 7. However, with the vents open, the quality here is a major standout feature. It is incredibly deep, rumbly, and features a beautiful, elastic presentation. While the pure quantity isn't heavily boosted, it is tastefully dialed in for my library.

Mids (The First Masking Effect)

The midrange is where the first major flaw appears, and it comes down to a prominent masking effect right around 700 Hz. When a song is mid centric, the mids sound incredibly detailed, forward, weighty, and full-bodied. However, the moment high pitched vocals gets blended in with lead guitar harmonics and rythym guitar, this 700 Hz peak starts to mask the upper mids and lower treble. This entire frequency area chokes a little, causing the sound to become a bit. To clear this up and fix the flaw, I use Parametric EQ to apply a -1.1 dB cut at 700 Hz with a Q of 2.

Treble (The Second Masking Effect)

The treble itself is completely non-fatiguing, but it features a secondary masking effect because the response is skewed slightly upward up to 6,000 Hz. Instead of staying flat or sloping down for forward vocals, this scoop makes things occasionally sound a bit sour, tangy, or colored. Combined with the mid peak, it can sometimes make tracks sound like they are playing off an old cassette tape. The treble isn't harsh, but to level it out and make it sound natural, I apply an EQ filter of -4 dB at 5,000 Hz with a Q of 3. You can check out my PEQ in the images.

Once you apply these two mandatory EQ filters, the 8S stops fluctuating based on the track and becomes a perfectly balanced, mid-centric, end-game tier beast.

Test Tracks

• Low-Tuned Guitars & Grunge If you listen to early 2000s grunge (Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Breaking Benjamin) or heavy, low-tuned metal (Whitechapel, Meshuggah, Gojira, Vildhjarta), the 8S is flawless even without EQ. Testing with Whitechapel’s "The Third Depth," the slow, low rhythm guitars have a heavy, tasteful decay where you can physically feel every single string vibrating. Because these genres feature mid-forward male vocals and fewer high-pitched harmonics, the masking flaws are barely engaged, letting the 8S's raw midrange muscle flex.
• Hip-Hop & Synthwave: Testing Kendrick Lamar’s "Squabble up" and "Neon escapism" by Melezz, the bass quality is spectacular. It's deep, elastic, and heavily textured. The quantity isn't boosted a lot out of the box, so you might want to boost the bass by about 3 dB or more if you want big impact, but the quality is top-tier.
• Sibilance Testing: It easily passes harsh tracks like Fallujah's "Venom Upon the Blade" and the live version of Bring Me The Horizon's "Doomed" at the Royal Albert Hall. when the choir and orchestra starts to pick up at the bridge, the 8S keeps the treble entirely controlled and non-fatiguing.
• Where it Chokes a little (High Pitched Vocals + Busy Harmonics): The stock tuning falls a little behind the competition on busy metalcore tracks with high-pitched vocals. When high vocals mixed with Lead/Rythym guitar harmonics (like Drum Show by 21 Pilots, Erra, Invent Animate...etc), the 8S gets congested and the details get a little lost.

Direct Comparisons

• vs. AFUL Performer 7: Both share the mild V-shaped house tuning. The Performer 7 has a tighter, more impactful mid-bass focus, while the 8S leans into sub-bass rumble. the mids are superior on 8s and the treble is more controlled. but IMO, if you already own the Performer 7, I don't recommend upgrading to the 8S—while the performance leap is good enough to justify the cash, since they both share same tuning, it will be less noticeable. Try more different tuning instead.
• vs. Xenns Mangird Tea Pro: The 8S is noticeably more immersive, has a more physical bass with better decay, and yields way weightier, more detailed mids. However, the Tea Pro wins on convenience. The Tea Pro works perfectly out of the box with zero masking effects, and no need to EQ it like the 8S does.
• vs. YU9 QUE: These are my two current daily drivers. The QUE is a more consistent, wider, and more holographic all-rounder out of the box with better treble extension. Its bass slams hard, but it decays too quickly like a balanced armature, whereas the 8S has a much richer, lingering sub-bass rumble and better mids. The QUE can get slightly spicy in the treble and has a notoriously difficult shell fit. If you don't want to EQ, get the QUE; if you want exceptional, weighty mids and a safer fit, get the 8S.

Quick Ratings

• Tonality: Sits right in the middle between Warm and Neutral.
• Profile: Mild V-Shape (Less V-shaped than the Tea Pro).
• Presentation: Purely Technical/Analytical on par with the QUE, focusing detail heavily into the mids.
• Soundstage: Average. Wider than the Tea Pro, but narrower and less holographic than the QUE.
• Level: Intermediate. It takes time to appreciate, requires deep insertion tip-rolling, and demands EQ to unlock its true potential.
• Value: At full MSRP, it's just okay because of the flaws. But if you can snag it on sale for $350 or less and apply EQ, it is an absolute value king and I would take it over the QUE—apply the EQ and it's an end-game set.

Edit: the title is dumb, but cant change it and i don like deleting/reposting. if you could look beyond it hope you find the review helpful.

Hey everyone, here is a detailed review of the AFUL Performer 8s, if you want the handwritten notes check the pictures above , if you want PDF notes or a video format you can check out https://youtu.be/cRlUye51qYg

So, If I had to describe the Performer 8S, I would say it reminds me a lot of cumin—the Middle Eastern spice. It has an earthy, warm taste, and it’s not inherently offensive. I love adding it to my salads, but if you add too much, it overpowers the other ingredients, it is not offensive tho. That is exactly the 8S. It has a gorgeous, detailed, weighty mid-range, but it has a specific frequency bump that can overpower and veil the rest of the mix on certain tracks.

Unboxing, Case & The Deep Fit

First off, why is this box so massive? It feels a bit wasteful. It comes with nine pairs of ear tips, a cleaning tool, and some vent plugs. The included case is sturdy and protective, and I like the size because it's spacious without being backpack-sized. However, it looks a bit lazy—like someone just slapped black paint on it—and man, it is an absolute fingerprint magnet. It gets greasy fast.

As for the vent plugs for the passive radiator: they are not practical at all. You get rubber plugs or stickers, and both are easy to lose or wear out. I just leave the vents open. Leaving them open gives you a much more immersive, deeper, and elastic sub-bass presentation.

Crucial Fit Tip: The Performer 8S is highly ergonomic, but deep insertion is mandatory for it to shine. You need to do some tip-rolling. The stock narrow-bore tips tame the treble well, but I found the absolute best match was a liquid silicone tip with a slightly wider bore (like the NiceHCK C04s) inserted deep into the ear canal.

Sound Performance

Bass

The bass focus leans into the subbass rather than midbass. still has enough midbass but slightly less impactful than the Performer 7. However, with the vents open, the quality here is a major standout feature. It is incredibly deep, rumbly, and features a beautiful, elastic presentation. While the pure quantity isn't heavily boosted, it is tastefully dialed in for my library.

Mids (The First Masking Effect)

The midrange is where the first major flaw appears, and it comes down to a prominent masking effect right around 700 Hz. When a song is mid centric, the mids sound incredibly detailed, forward, weighty, and full-bodied. However, the moment high pitched vocals gets blended in with lead guitar harmonics and rythym guitar, this 700 Hz peak starts to mask the upper mids and lower treble. This entire frequency area chokes a little, causing the sound to become a bit. To clear this up and fix the flaw, I use Parametric EQ to apply a -1.1 dB cut at 700 Hz with a Q of 2.

Treble (The Second Masking Effect)

The treble itself is completely non-fatiguing, but it features a secondary masking effect because the response is skewed slightly upward up to 6,000 Hz. Instead of staying flat or sloping down for forward vocals, this scoop makes things occasionally sound a bit sour, tangy, or colored. Combined with the mid peak, it can sometimes make tracks sound like they are playing off an old cassette tape. The treble isn't harsh, but to level it out and make it sound natural, I apply an EQ filter of -4 dB at 5,000 Hz with a Q of 3. You can check out my PEQ in the images.

Once you apply these two mandatory EQ filters, the 8S stops fluctuating based on the track and becomes a perfectly balanced, mid-centric, end-game tier beast.

Test Tracks

• Low-Tuned Guitars & Grunge If you listen to early 2000s grunge (Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Breaking Benjamin) or heavy, low-tuned metal (Whitechapel, Meshuggah, Gojira, Vildhjarta), the 8S is flawless even without EQ. Testing with Whitechapel’s "The Third Depth," the slow, low rhythm guitars have a heavy, tasteful decay where you can physically feel every single string vibrating. Because these genres feature mid-forward male vocals and fewer high-pitched harmonics, the masking flaws are barely engaged, letting the 8S's raw midrange muscle flex.
• Hip-Hop & Synthwave: Testing Kendrick Lamar’s "Squabble up" and "Neon escapism" by Melezz, the bass quality is spectacular. It's deep, elastic, and heavily textured. The quantity isn't boosted a lot out of the box, so you might want to boost the bass by about 3 dB or more if you want big impact, but the quality is top-tier.
• Sibilance Testing: It easily passes harsh tracks like Fallujah's "Venom Upon the Blade" and the live version of Bring Me The Horizon's "Doomed" at the Royal Albert Hall. when the choir and orchestra starts to pick up at the bridge, the 8S keeps the treble entirely controlled and non-fatiguing.
• Where it Chokes a little (High Pitched Vocals + Busy Harmonics): The stock tuning falls a little behind the competition on busy metalcore tracks with high-pitched vocals. When high vocals mixed with Lead/Rythym guitar harmonics (like Drum Show by 21 Pilots, Erra, Invent Animate...etc), the 8S gets congested and the details get a little lost.

Direct Comparisons

• vs. AFUL Performer 7: Both share the mild V-shaped house tuning. The Performer 7 has a tighter, more impactful mid-bass focus, while the 8S leans into sub-bass rumble. the mids are superior on 8s and the treble is more controlled. but IMO, if you already own the Performer 7, I don't recommend upgrading to the 8S—while the performance leap is good enough to justify the cash, since they both share same tuning, it will be less noticeable. Try more different tuning instead.
• vs. Xenns Mangird Tea Pro: The 8S is noticeably more immersive, has a more physical bass with better decay, and yields way weightier, more detailed mids. However, the Tea Pro wins on convenience. The Tea Pro works perfectly out of the box with zero masking effects, and no need to EQ it like the 8S does.
• vs. YU9 QUE: These are my two current daily drivers. The QUE is a more consistent, wider, and more holographic all-rounder out of the box with better treble extension. Its bass slams hard, but it decays too quickly like a balanced armature, whereas the 8S has a much richer, lingering sub-bass rumble and better mids. The QUE can get slightly spicy in the treble and has a notoriously difficult shell fit. If you don't want to EQ, get the QUE; if you want exceptional, weighty mids and a safer fit, get the 8S.

Quick Ratings

• Tonality: Sits right in the middle between Warm and Neutral.
• Profile: Mild V-Shape (Less V-shaped than the Tea Pro).
• Presentation: Purely Technical/Analytical on par with the QUE, focusing detail heavily into the mids.
• Soundstage: Average. Wider than the Tea Pro, but narrower and less holographic than the QUE.
• Level: Intermediate. It takes time to appreciate, requires deep insertion tip-rolling, and demands EQ to unlock its true potential.
• Value: At full MSRP, it's just okay because of the flaws. But if you can snag it on sale for $350 or less and apply EQ, it is an absolute value king and I would take it over the QUE—apply the EQ and it's an end-game set.

​So i checked Tea Pro on aliexpress and found out you can get for as low as 280$ with coupons and also if you have coins you can get it down to 260$. So i figured id review it as well and see how it performs with my library, if you dont want to read i have add my written notes in the images as well as a youtube review at the end.

​If I had to describe the Tea Pro in one analogy, it’s like plain milk chocolate. It’s tasty, well-tempered, and has a good amount of sugar. About 80% of people are just going to blindly buy it and love it. It’s not like a 70% or 80% dark chocolate set where fewer people like it but those who do really love it. The Tea Pro is just a very safe, universally pleasing all-rounder.

​Accessories & Everyday Fit

​The packaging is solid, and I really love the case. Usually, IEM cases are monochromatic and understated, but this one is tastefully colored and stands out. It matches the whole "fun, easy to listen to" philosophy of the IEM itself.

​The only real downside with the accessories is the damn cable. It looks nice, feels good, and has modular swappable terminations, but man... it has a mind of its own. It’s stiff and loops awkwardly. If you only care about sound you can tolerate it, but it’s definitely the one hiccup here.

​As for the build, the shell is full aluminum, so it feels really sturdy and premium. The fit is great too. It’s not the smallest IEM, but the contours are very ergonomic. Because the nozzles aren’t too long, you don’t have to shove them deep into your ears to get the intended sound. For my medium-large ears, it’s very comfortable.

​Sound

​The Bass

The bass is focused more on the mid-bass. If you look at a graph, instead of a dramatic sub-bass boost, the shelf is flat and linear. It has good texture, but the way it presents bass is more like a piece of information. I can hear the texture, but I don't really feel it. Some people call this a "poofy" bass, and I think that’s what they mean. You hear the details, but it lacks that deep, physical impact.

​The Mids

To me, this is the weakest point of the IEM—not that it's bad, it's just the weakest compared to the bass and treble. The mids are a little scooped out and not the most textured. Female vocals are just a tiny bit recessed. It’s perfectly fine for an all-rounder, but it can get a bit congested on busier tracks.

​The Treble

The treble is not fatiguing at all. It has good air, and it's what I call a bit "sizzly" or grainy. On modern metal tracks, the guitar harmonics sound fun and exaggerated, almost like they are "boiling," but in a totally non-fatiguing way. I really like it. However, when a track gets super busy, the treble harmonics sit further back in the mix because of that mid-bass boost.

​Track Testing My Library

​My library is about 70% modern metal (bands like Erra, Northlane, Invent Animate, falluja, job for a cowboy, whitechapel...etc)—so very produced stuff. But I also use grunge to test natural timbre, and some hip-hop and pop.

• ​Slow & Medium-Busy Tracks: For well-mixed, spacious tracks like Paramore or Hayley Williams, the Tea Pro sounds amazing. I also tested it with Breaking Benjamin’s We Are Not Alone album (which is very mid-focused); the vocals didn't sound thin and the rhythm guitars were well-resolved. It also effortlessly handled the mid-bass kicks and guitar strumming on Twenty One Pilots' "Next Semester" And Drum show.
• ​Bass & Hip-Hop: I’m not a basshead, but testing with Kendrick Lamar's "Squabble Up" and Neon Escapism by Melezz, the bass was handled very well. Immersive, dynamic, and fun.
• ​Sibilance Testing: I use Fallujah's "Venom Upon the Blade" (harsh, poorly mixed guitar harmonics) and the live version of Bring Me The Horizon's "Doomed" at the Royal Albert Hall (at bridge where the choir and instruments starts to pick up all at once). The Tea Pro passed easily. It highlighted the details without ever getting harsh or fatiguing.
• ​Where it falls short (The Busy Limits): On Gojira's "The Art of Dying" and Fallujah's "Ultraviolet," I want to feel the natural decay of the drums—like I'm inside the drum itself. Because the Tea Pro's bass is on the informative/poofy side, it lacks that deep, elastic, rumbly immersion. Also, on super dense tracks by Erra, the heavy, low-tuned rhythm guitars and high/low pitchdd vocals can make the set feel a bit congested. It sits slightly above a mild V-shape, so busy metal tracks can overwhelm it a little.

​Comparisons

• ​vs. AFUL Performer 7: The P7 has a tighter mid-bass where you can actually feel the kick drums a bit more, but it sounds a little artificial. The P7 is also way more fit-dependent; you have to do a lot of tip-rolling and adjust insertion depth to get the best sound. The Tea Pro is much easier to fit, sounds more natural, and has more defined, "grainy" treble harmonics without that metallic timbre. It is not a 100$ difference though if we are comparing them at MSRP of 240 vs 360.
• ​vs. AFUL Performer 8S: The 8S is a bit more expensive (though under $350 on sale). It’s definitely more immersive, with deeper bass, better decay, and noticeably weightier mids—rhythm guitars on Gojira or Meshuggah are a total treat. But the 8S has a major flaw out of the box: it has peaks at 6kHz and 700 Hz that cause a masking effect, overwhelming other instruments. You have to EQ the 8S to fix this. If you don't want to fiddle with tuning and just want something that works perfectly out of the box, get the Tea Pro.
• ​vs. YU9 QUE: The YU9 QUE goes for around $350–$420. Graph-wise, it has a similar bass response, but the treble has way more micro-nuance and air. The perceived soundstage is fantastic—it absolutely blows the Tea Pro out of the water. Plus, the bass is super impactful; you actually feel it. However, it can occasionally get spicy on the edge of sibilance, and the shell is a total chunky nightmare. It presses hard against your ears, whereas the Tea Pro is vastly more comfortable.

​Falafel Fi Rating

• ​Tonality: Just at the beginning of Warm.
• ​Sound Profile: Slightly above a mild V-shape.
• ​Presentation: Sits right in the middle of Musical and Analytical. It balances technical performance with an easy, fun listen.
• ​Soundstage: Slightly above average. A bit more Intimate/Closed-off, but not congested on normal tracks.
• ​Risk Factor: Extremely Casual/Safe. It's the ultimate blind buy. You will love it out of the box.
• ​Value: Right in the middle between a Competitor and a Disruptor, especially if you get it on sale.

​Honestly, you cant go wrong with it, it is a steal especially at this price.

Check out the review: https://youtube.com/watch?v=4N6vZSl1Unc&si=yRF3V7uxfS1cyD1t

​So i checked Tea Pro on aliexpress and found out you can get for as low as 280$ with coupons and also if you have coins you can get it down to 260$. So i figured id review it as well and see how it performs with my library, if you dont want to read i have add my written notes in the images as well as a youtube review at the end.

​If I had to describe the Tea Pro in one analogy, it’s like plain milk chocolate. It’s tasty, well-tempered, and has a good amount of sugar. About 80% of people are just going to blindly buy it and love it. It’s not like a 70% or 80% dark chocolate set where fewer people like it but those who do really love it. The Tea Pro is just a very safe, universally pleasing all-rounder.

​Accessories & Everyday Fit

​The packaging is solid, and I really love the case. Usually, IEM cases are monochromatic and understated, but this one is tastefully colored and stands out. It matches the whole "fun, easy to listen to" philosophy of the IEM itself.

​The only real downside with the accessories is the damn cable. It looks nice, feels good, and has modular swappable terminations, but man... it has a mind of its own. It’s stiff and loops awkwardly. If you only care about sound you can tolerate it, but it’s definitely the one hiccup here.

​As for the build, the shell is full aluminum, so it feels really sturdy and premium. The fit is great too. It’s not the smallest IEM, but the contours are very ergonomic. Because the nozzles aren’t too long, you don’t have to shove them deep into your ears to get the intended sound. For my medium-large ears, it’s very comfortable.

​Sound

​The Bass

The bass is focused more on the mid-bass. If you look at a graph, instead of a dramatic sub-bass boost, the shelf is flat and linear. It has good texture, but the way it presents bass is more like a piece of information. I can hear the texture, but I don't really feel it. Some people call this a "poofy" bass, and I think that’s what they mean. You hear the details, but it lacks that deep, physical impact.

​The Mids

To me, this is the weakest point of the IEM—not that it's bad, it's just the weakest compared to the bass and treble. The mids are a little scooped out and not the most textured. Female vocals are just a tiny bit recessed. It’s perfectly fine for an all-rounder, but it can get a bit congested on busier tracks.

​The Treble

The treble is not fatiguing at all. It has good air, and it's what I call a bit "sizzly" or grainy. On modern metal tracks, the guitar harmonics sound fun and exaggerated, almost like they are "boiling," but in a totally non-fatiguing way. I really like it. However, when a track gets super busy, the treble harmonics sit further back in the mix because of that mid-bass boost.

​Track Testing My Library

​My library is about 70% modern metal (bands like Erra, Northlane, Invent Animate, falluja, job for a cowboy, whitechapel...etc)—so very produced stuff. But I also use grunge to test natural timbre, and some hip-hop and pop.

• ​Slow & Medium-Busy Tracks: For well-mixed, spacious tracks like Paramore or Hayley Williams, the Tea Pro sounds amazing. I also tested it with Breaking Benjamin’s We Are Not Alone album (which is very mid-focused); the vocals didn't sound thin and the rhythm guitars were well-resolved. It also effortlessly handled the mid-bass kicks and guitar strumming on Twenty One Pilots' "Next Semester" And Drum show.
• ​Bass & Hip-Hop: I’m not a basshead, but testing with Kendrick Lamar's "Squabble Up" and Neon Escapism by Melezz, the bass was handled very well. Immersive, dynamic, and fun.
• ​Sibilance Testing: I use Fallujah's "Venom Upon the Blade" (harsh, poorly mixed guitar harmonics) and the live version of Bring Me The Horizon's "Doomed" at the Royal Albert Hall (at bridge where the choir and instruments starts to pick up all at once). The Tea Pro passed easily. It highlighted the details without ever getting harsh or fatiguing.
• ​Where it falls short (The Busy Limits): On Gojira's "The Art of Dying" and Fallujah's "Ultraviolet," I want to feel the natural decay of the drums—like I'm inside the drum itself. Because the Tea Pro's bass is on the informative/poofy side, it lacks that deep, elastic, rumbly immersion. Also, on super dense tracks by Erra, the heavy, low-tuned rhythm guitars and high/low pitchdd vocals can make the set feel a bit congested. It sits slightly above a mild V-shape, so busy metal tracks can overwhelm it a little.

​Comparisons

• ​vs. AFUL Performer 7: The P7 has a tighter mid-bass where you can actually feel the kick drums a bit more, but it sounds a little artificial. The P7 is also way more fit-dependent; you have to do a lot of tip-rolling and adjust insertion depth to get the best sound. The Tea Pro is much easier to fit, sounds more natural, and has more defined, "grainy" treble harmonics without that metallic timbre. It is not a 100$ difference though if we are comparing them at MSRP of 240 vs 360.
• ​vs. AFUL Performer 8S: The 8S is a bit more expensive (though under $350 on sale). It’s definitely more immersive, with deeper bass, better decay, and noticeably weightier mids—rhythm guitars on Gojira or Meshuggah are a total treat. But the 8S has a major flaw out of the box: it has peaks at 6kHz and 700 Hz that cause a masking effect, overwhelming other instruments. You have to EQ the 8S to fix this. If you don't want to fiddle with tuning and just want something that works perfectly out of the box, get the Tea Pro.
• ​vs. YU9 QUE: The YU9 QUE goes for around $350–$420. Graph-wise, it has a similar bass response, but the treble has way more micro-nuance and air. The perceived soundstage is fantastic—it absolutely blows the Tea Pro out of the water. Plus, the bass is super impactful; you actually feel it. However, it can occasionally get spicy on the edge of sibilance, and the shell is a total chunky nightmare. It presses hard against your ears, whereas the Tea Pro is vastly more comfortable.

​Falafel Fi Rating

• ​Tonality: Just at the beginning of Warm.
• ​Sound Profile: Slightly above a mild V-shape.
• ​Presentation: Sits right in the middle of Musical and Analytical. It balances technical performance with an easy, fun listen.
• ​Soundstage: Slightly above average. A bit more Intimate/Closed-off, but not congested on normal tracks.
• ​Risk Factor: Extremely Casual/Safe. It's the ultimate blind buy. You will love it out of the box.
• ​Value: Right in the middle between a Competitor and a Disruptor, especially if you get it on sale.

​Honestly, you cant go wrong with it, it is a steal especially at this price.

Check out the review: https://youtube.com/watch?v=4N6vZSl1Unc&si=yRF3V7uxfS1cyD1t

​So i checked Tea Pro on aliexpress and found out you can get for as low as 280$ with coupons and also if you have coins you can get it down to 260$. So i figured id review it as well and see how it performs with my library, if you dont want to read i have add my pdf notes at the end as well as a youtube review.

​If I had to describe the Tea Pro in one analogy, it’s like plain milk chocolate. It’s tasty, well-tempered, and has a good amount of sugar. About 80% of people are just going to blindly buy it and love it. It’s not like a 70% or 80% dark chocolate set where fewer people like it but those who do really love it. The Tea Pro is just a very safe, universally pleasing all-rounder.

​Accessories & Everyday Fit

​The packaging is solid, and I really love the case. Usually, IEM cases are monochromatic and understated, but this one is tastefully colored and stands out. It matches the whole "fun, easy to listen to" philosophy of the IEM itself.

​The only real downside with the accessories is the damn cable. It looks nice, feels good, and has modular swappable terminations, but man... it has a mind of its own. It’s stiff and loops awkwardly. If you only care about sound you can tolerate it, but it’s definitely the one hiccup here.

​As for the build, the shell is full aluminum, so it feels really sturdy and premium. The fit is great too. It’s not the smallest IEM, but the contours are very ergonomic. Because the nozzles aren’t too long, you don’t have to shove them deep into your ears to get the intended sound. For my medium-large ears, it’s very comfortable.

​Sound

​The Bass

The bass is focused more on the mid-bass. If you look at a graph, instead of a dramatic sub-bass boost, the shelf is flat and linear. It has good texture, but the way it presents bass is more like a piece of information. I can hear the texture, but I don't really feel it. Some people call this a "poofy" bass, and I think that’s what they mean. You hear the details, but it lacks that deep, physical impact.

​The Mids

To me, this is the weakest point of the IEM—not that it's bad, it's just the weakest compared to the bass and treble. The mids are a little scooped out and not the most textured. Female vocals are just a tiny bit recessed. It’s perfectly fine for an all-rounder, but it can get a bit congested on busier tracks.

​The Treble

The treble is not fatiguing at all. It has good air, and it's what I call a bit "sizzly" or grainy. On modern metal tracks, the guitar harmonics sound fun and exaggerated, almost like they are "boiling," but in a totally non-fatiguing way. I really like it. However, when a track gets super busy, the treble harmonics sit further back in the mix because of that mid-bass boost.

​Track Testing My Library

​My library is about 70% modern metal (bands like Erra, Northlane, Invent Animate, falluja, job for a cowboy, whitechapel...etc)—so very produced stuff. But I also use grunge to test natural timbre, and some hip-hop and pop.

• ​Slow & Medium-Busy Tracks: For well-mixed, spacious tracks like Paramore or Hayley Williams, the Tea Pro sounds amazing. I also tested it with Breaking Benjamin’s We Are Not Alone album (which is very mid-focused); the vocals didn't sound thin and the rhythm guitars were well-resolved. It also effortlessly handled the mid-bass kicks and guitar strumming on Twenty One Pilots' "Next Semester" And Drum show.
• ​Bass & Hip-Hop: I’m not a basshead, but testing with Kendrick Lamar's "Squabble Up" and Neon Escapism by Melezz, the bass was handled very well. Immersive, dynamic, and fun.
• ​Sibilance Testing: I use Fallujah's "Venom Upon the Blade" (harsh, poorly mixed guitar harmonics) and the live version of Bring Me The Horizon's "Doomed" at the Royal Albert Hall (at bridge where the choir and instruments starts to pick up all at once). The Tea Pro passed easily. It highlighted the details without ever getting harsh or fatiguing.
• ​Where it falls short (The Busy Limits): On Gojira's "The Art of Dying" and Fallujah's "Ultraviolet," I want to feel the natural decay of the drums—like I'm inside the drum itself. Because the Tea Pro's bass is on the informative/poofy side, it lacks that deep, elastic, rumbly immersion. Also, on super dense tracks by Erra, the heavy, low-tuned rhythm guitars and high/low pitchdd vocals can make the set feel a bit congested. It sits slightly above a mild V-shape, so busy metal tracks can overwhelm it a little.

​Comparisons

• ​vs. AFUL Performer 7: The P7 has a tighter mid-bass where you can actually feel the kick drums a bit more, but it sounds a little artificial. The P7 is also way more fit-dependent; you have to do a lot of tip-rolling and adjust insertion depth to get the best sound. The Tea Pro is much easier to fit, sounds more natural, and has more defined, "grainy" treble harmonics without that metallic timbre. It is not a 100$ difference though if we are comparing them at MSRP of 240 vs 360.
• ​vs. AFUL Performer 8S: The 8S is a bit more expensive (though under $350 on sale). It’s definitely more immersive, with deeper bass, better decay, and noticeably weightier mids—rhythm guitars on Gojira or Meshuggah are a total treat. But the 8S has a major flaw out of the box: it has peaks at 6kHz and 700 Hz that cause a masking effect, overwhelming other instruments. You have to EQ the 8S to fix this. If you don't want to fiddle with tuning and just want something that works perfectly out of the box, get the Tea Pro.
• ​vs. YU9 QUE: The YU9 QUE goes for around $350–$420. Graph-wise, it has a similar bass response, but the treble has way more micro-nuance and air. The perceived soundstage is fantastic—it absolutely blows the Tea Pro out of the water. Plus, the bass is super impactful; you actually feel it. However, it can occasionally get spicy on the edge of sibilance, and the shell is a total chunky nightmare. It presses hard against your ears, whereas the Tea Pro is vastly more comfortable.

​Falafel Fi Rating

• ​Tonality: Just at the beginning of Warm.
• ​Sound Profile: Slightly above a mild V-shape.
• ​Presentation: Sits right in the middle of Musical and Analytical. It balances technical performance with an easy, fun listen.
• ​Soundstage: Slightly above average. A bit more Intimate/Closed-off, but not congested on normal tracks.
• ​Risk Factor: Extremely Casual/Safe. It's the ultimate blind buy. You will love it out of the box.
• ​Value: Right in the middle between a Competitor and a Disruptor, especially if you get it on sale.

​Honestly, you cant go wrong with it, it is a steal especially at this price.

Here is the review if you d like to watch instead: https://youtube.com/watch?v=4N6vZSl1Unc&si=yRF3V7uxfS1cyD1t

​So i checked Tea Pro on aliexpress and found out you can get for as low as 280$ with coupons and also if you have coins you can get it down to 260$. So i figured id review it as well and see how it performs with my library, if you dont want to read i have add my written notes in the images as well as a youtube review at the end.

​If I had to describe the Tea Pro in one analogy, it’s like plain milk chocolate. It’s tasty, well-tempered, and has a good amount of sugar. About 80% of people are just going to blindly buy it and love it. It’s not like a 70% or 80% dark chocolate set where fewer people like it but those who do really love it. The Tea Pro is just a very safe, universally pleasing all-rounder.

​Accessories & Everyday Fit

​The packaging is solid, and I really love the case. Usually, IEM cases are monochromatic and understated, but this one is tastefully colored and stands out. It matches the whole "fun, easy to listen to" philosophy of the IEM itself.

​The only real downside with the accessories is the damn cable. It looks nice, feels good, and has modular swappable terminations, but man... it has a mind of its own. It’s stiff and loops awkwardly. If you only care about sound you can tolerate it, but it’s definitely the one hiccup here.

​As for the build, the shell is full aluminum, so it feels really sturdy and premium. The fit is great too. It’s not the smallest IEM, but the contours are very ergonomic. Because the nozzles aren’t too long, you don’t have to shove them deep into your ears to get the intended sound. For my medium-large ears, it’s very comfortable.

​Sound

​The Bass

The bass is focused more on the mid-bass. If you look at a graph, instead of a dramatic sub-bass boost, the shelf is flat and linear. It has good texture, but the way it presents bass is more like a piece of information. I can hear the texture, but I don't really feel it. Some people call this a "poofy" bass, and I think that’s what they mean. You hear the details, but it lacks that deep, physical impact.

​The Mids

To me, this is the weakest point of the IEM—not that it's bad, it's just the weakest compared to the bass and treble. The mids are a little scooped out and not the most textured. Female vocals are just a tiny bit recessed. It’s perfectly fine for an all-rounder, but it can get a bit congested on busier tracks.

​The Treble

The treble is not fatiguing at all. It has good air, and it's what I call a bit "sizzly" or grainy. On modern metal tracks, the guitar harmonics sound fun and exaggerated, almost like they are "boiling," but in a totally non-fatiguing way. I really like it. However, when a track gets super busy, the treble harmonics sit further back in the mix because of that mid-bass boost.

​Track Testing My Library

​My library is about 70% modern metal (bands like Erra, Northlane, Invent Animate, falluja, job for a cowboy, whitechapel...etc)—so very produced stuff. But I also use grunge to test natural timbre, and some hip-hop and pop.

• ​Slow & Medium-Busy Tracks: For well-mixed, spacious tracks like Paramore or Hayley Williams, the Tea Pro sounds amazing. I also tested it with Breaking Benjamin’s We Are Not Alone album (which is very mid-focused); the vocals didn't sound thin and the rhythm guitars were well-resolved. It also effortlessly handled the mid-bass kicks and guitar strumming on Twenty One Pilots' "Next Semester" And Drum show.
• ​Bass & Hip-Hop: I’m not a basshead, but testing with Kendrick Lamar's "Squabble Up" and Neon Escapism by Melezz, the bass was handled very well. Immersive, dynamic, and fun.
• ​Sibilance Testing: I use Fallujah's "Venom Upon the Blade" (harsh, poorly mixed guitar harmonics) and the live version of Bring Me The Horizon's "Doomed" at the Royal Albert Hall (at bridge where the choir and instruments starts to pick up all at once). The Tea Pro passed easily. It highlighted the details without ever getting harsh or fatiguing.
• ​Where it falls short (The Busy Limits): On Gojira's "The Art of Dying" and Fallujah's "Ultraviolet," I want to feel the natural decay of the drums—like I'm inside the drum itself. Because the Tea Pro's bass is on the informative/poofy side, it lacks that deep, elastic, rumbly immersion. Also, on super dense tracks by Erra, the heavy, low-tuned rhythm guitars and high/low pitchdd vocals can make the set feel a bit congested. It sits slightly above a mild V-shape, so busy metal tracks can overwhelm it a little.

​Comparisons

• ​vs. AFUL Performer 7: The P7 has a tighter mid-bass where you can actually feel the kick drums a bit more, but it sounds a little artificial. The P7 is also way more fit-dependent; you have to do a lot of tip-rolling and adjust insertion depth to get the best sound. The Tea Pro is much easier to fit, sounds more natural, and has more defined, "grainy" treble harmonics without that metallic timbre. It is not a 100$ difference though if we are comparing them at MSRP of 240 vs 360.
• ​vs. AFUL Performer 8S: The 8S is a bit more expensive (though under $350 on sale). It’s definitely more immersive, with deeper bass, better decay, and noticeably weightier mids—rhythm guitars on Gojira or Meshuggah are a total treat. But the 8S has a major flaw out of the box: it has peaks at 6kHz and 700 Hz that cause a masking effect, overwhelming other instruments. You have to EQ the 8S to fix this. If you don't want to fiddle with tuning and just want something that works perfectly out of the box, get the Tea Pro.
• ​vs. YU9 QUE: The YU9 QUE goes for around $350–$420. Graph-wise, it has a similar bass response, but the treble has way more micro-nuance and air. The perceived soundstage is fantastic—it absolutely blows the Tea Pro out of the water. Plus, the bass is super impactful; you actually feel it. However, it can occasionally get spicy on the edge of sibilance, and the shell is a total chunky nightmare. It presses hard against your ears, whereas the Tea Pro is vastly more comfortable.

​Falafel Fi Rating

• ​Tonality: Just at the beginning of Warm.
• ​Sound Profile: Slightly above a mild V-shape.
• ​Presentation: Sits right in the middle of Musical and Analytical. It balances technical performance with an easy, fun listen.
• ​Soundstage: Slightly above average. A bit more Intimate/Closed-off, but not congested on normal tracks.
• ​Risk Factor: Extremely Casual/Safe. It's the ultimate blind buy. You will love it out of the box.
• ​Value: Right in the middle between a Competitor and a Disruptor, especially if you get it on sale.

​Honestly, you cant go wrong with it, it is a steal especially at this price.

Check out the review: https://youtube.com/watch?v=4N6vZSl1Unc&si=yRF3V7uxfS1cyD1t