Do you want an IEM that pulls out every last detail of your music?
Do you want an IEM with more drivers packed in a smaller space than the starting line at an F1 Race?
Do you want an IEM that almost literally fits so deeply that it gently brushes your eardrum with sweet whispers of Audiophile bliss?
Introducing; Aful’s flagship set, the Cantor.
Do I really need to say anything more about this IEM? The hype train was run-away last year with almost everything Aful came out with, and for good reason don’t get me wrong. The issue for me, and this is me being for real right now, the Cantor had so much hype and excitement surrounding the release and then subsequently post-release, that I didn’t even want to hear them in the beginning. I felt it was being so overblown. People were excited and people are still excited about this set…. And I can see why now. I get it. It’s good, maybe even great depending on what you’re looking for. But, it isn’t perfect, far from it. Let me explain…
As I said in my P5+2 review… This set and the P5+2 have been provided by HiFiGo for a full evaluation + some beauty shots. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own and I can promise they always will be!
There are so many cool technologies being used inside the Cantor, I highly recommend following this link to HiFiGo's landing page to read more about it and possibly pick up the Cantor if you're interested!
Non-affiliated link;
https://hifigo.com/products/aful-ca...1hlrnoEvvQ-DG-Et0iHkBDe3LCgpYWIxR7mlqyIRiT7CQ
Test tracks
- Give Life Back to Music - daft punk - Overall clarity
- Infinity Repeating - daft punk - Lower mids control
- Voyager - daft punk - Bass line clarity/busy track layering
- Overnight - Parcels - mid bass punch
- Tieduprightnow - Parcels - bass line/sibilance test
- Justice - Neverender - Sub bass rumble and mid bass impact with treble sparkle balance
- Daytime - Lunar Vacation - Staging/female vocals w/ heavy bass
- Days - No Vacation - Vibe test/treble energy
- Fruiting Body - Goon - Sub bass
- Wavy Maze - Goon - Mid bass
- Together - Maggie Rodgers - Female Vocals
- Slide Tackle - Japanese Breakfast - Sibilance test/consonants harshness
- Decode - Paramore - Vibe test/stage depth
- Vinta - Crumb - Stage depth/layering
- Kim’s Caravan - Courtney Barnett - Female Vocals/resolution test
- Small Poppies - Courtney Barnett - Distorted Guitar
- Lifelong Song - Men I Trust - Sub/mid bass texture
- One and Only - Adele - Female Vocals/consonants harshness test
- Waves - Wild Painting - Overall Enjoyment and stage depth/width/Bass guitar speed
- Not the One - Highnoon - Female Vocals
- Cowboy Killer - Varsity - Layering
- Alone in My Principles - Varsity - Distorted female vocals
- Summer Madness - Kool & The Gang - Treble Harshness
- They Are Growing - Renata Zeiguer - Mid bass impact
Listen along with me!
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My IEM Playlist
Sources
- Apple Music Streaming Hi-Res Lossless when available -> SMSL MDA1 RAW -> SMSL SH-9 or Schiit Midgard
- iPhone 16 Pro Max wired or BT -> FiiO BTR17 (No PEQ)
- iPhone 16 Pro Max wired -> Fosi DS2
The unboxing experience and included accessories are nice! I love cloth cables and this set has a nice one. Plush, soft, and well-behaved with just a hint of microphonics but honestly, that’s to be expected with cloth cables. This one is not bad at all and due to the very soft shielding, microphonics are kept to a minimum. It’s not to the softness of the Hakugei Lucky Voice if you’re familiar with that cable, but it’s far from the cheap NiceHCK RedAg level of stiffness. The included tips seem nice but I didn’t want to use them considering this is a tour unit. They feel similar to KBear/Symphonium included tips with different colored bores. They have a matte finish on the flange with a smaller size bore. Because they seemed similar enough, I used my own tips of the same style and they worked really well.
I had some issues with fit in the beginning, but once I found the right tips and got them on the nozzle properly, (I remember all the talk surrounding this topic when the IEM first came out so I didn’t have to fiddle too much), my fit was totally fine. I will mention though that these are pretty deep-fitting IEMs. They go as deep as I can go in my ear canal.
I have no issues with this as I much prefer it when IEMs are deep-fitting. But if you’re a person who can’t stand this style of fit, keep that in mind. These need to go deep in order to get the proper response, especially in the treble and the bass.
Bass
Alright, let’s rip the band-aid off, this has BA bass. End of story - is it good BA bass? Yeah, I’d say so. Yes, I’ve heard better, but I’ve also heard a lot worse and I will admit that the bass here on the Cantor is somewhere above average. I do enjoy the speed, I feel like bass elements that have momentum and liquid within them like a bass guitar in those lower notes, sound great. Very articulated and well-defined with an easy-to-follow progression. Mid-bass kicks have surprisingly some decent authority behind them, which is a pleasant surprise. There is some air being pushed here and I can literally feel that, especially with songs like Give Life Back to Music by the Robots. The snap from that drum kick comes through so nicely and that bass line in the background, while a little buried in the mix, can be heard and picked out for the most part. Where it can fall apart just a little is when the passages start entering into busy territory - The bass guitar can get lost and sometimes just sound like that dreaded droning low bass note that can sometimes plague BA bass. The Cantor, while it does pretty well here, simply doesn’t have the texturing in between the plucks and releases to allow a clearer image of the bass guitar specifically.
The same can be said for
Infinity Repeating - the intro is mastered incredibly warm on purpose here and while the speed of the drivers allows the mix to sound relatively clean compared to other presentations I've heard, eventually once the percussion comes in, that bass line gets a little lost. Now, let me be fair, this isn’t a finished song so the mastering isn’t up to the same standard as the fully released album.
I think the Sub-bass is not as untextured as I originally thought though… Doin’ It Right sounds well presented here. The song is literally Sub bass, sub-bass, and more sub-bass with a side of vocals and rim shots… no joke. So, to get this song right, you have to have the ability to go way down low in the bass region and the IEM cannot fumble the bag when it comes to texture. The Cantor… passes the test. Quite impressively, I must say. The 3rd bar of rumble sounds nicely present and perfectly placed in the mix with good authority, never overpowering the mix and never falling behind. Impressive stuff for an all-BA set. And while this isn't the best bounce or character I've heard, it's by no means bad. It isn't hollow, weak or shallow in it's presentation.
Overnight by The Parcels is toe-tapping. I really love the way these render this song. It’s a healthy amount of warmth, with plenty of rumbly presence on that initial bass kick, it has this lingering effect to it that’s really addictive. It’s a small touch, but it really allows the song to have a flow to it. These do it well.
The final bass boss time, Fruiting Body by Goon is… good. Healthy Sub-bass rumble and presence for sure, however, the texture is somewhat lost. As I re-listen to the song now whilst I type this, I’m presuming it’s due to the way the song is mastered. The vocals and the rest of the instrumentation take a front seat here so while the bass is present, the texturing and individual character of the wubs (is that even a word? I don’t know how to explain it…) get a bit lost in the mix. Still, I think it’s more than acceptable.
To summarize, the bass presentation of the Cantors is definitely above average here when it comes to the way of the BA. There’s plenty of presence with rumbles and thumps to provide a more than sufficient bass experience. I enjoy the warmth and speed of the bass quite a bit. Even I, being a known “basshead/bass lover” am more than happy with this presentation. This entire section is me being pretty damn nitpicky to get down to the nitty-gritty on what I enjoy and what I don’t enjoy. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that 90% of Audio geeks out there will be pleasantly surprised. I don’t think bass is this IEMs speciality. I think, and this is just a theory here, that because the bass is not the star of the show, Aful was going for an impactful and present enough bass response to support the rest of the FR and I think they succeeded.
Mids
I genuinely don’t have much to offer about the mids. They sound natural in terms of timbre and tone, with ample resolution and separation. But I will add some notes and explore this a little more while I listen…
Daytime by Lunar Vacation comes off as spacious and well-defined. The plucky guitar in the right channel is nicely defined, it never sounds overly thin or overly warm. It’s nicely done. Vocals, again sound correct - I wouldn’t say they’re angelic or ethereal in presentation, but vocals have lovely texture and effectiveness.
Waves by Wild Painting have a similar presentation - Vocals almost seem to be a touch recessed in some ways but don’t take that as they’re buried in the mix, that’s not the case. In the sea of IEMs with an 8, 9, or even 10 dB pinna area to make sure the vocals stand out in front, probably due to poor layering and technicalities, the Cantor doesn’t need to rely on overly boosted upper mids. The layering is so top-notch that the rest of the band can play in their respective bubbles just fine being front and center in terms of volume level whilst the vocals can sit a little deeper in the stage and still come through with texture and details.
I wouldn’t call the Cantors the epitome of mid-range magic, but I must reiterate that they are undoubtedly very effective in their presentation. Resolute and well placed in the mix. Highly enjoyable and rarely harsh. The only time I ever had to lower the volume a bit was on Together by Maggie Rogers - those high notes, man. They get the best of most IEMs and the Cantors are no different here.
But, that’s it, really. Good stuff. Above average for sure. But that’s when the average stops…
Treble
Alright. Let’s go. Foot on the gas. Where’s the magic?
It’s in the treble.
There it is…
Days by No Vacation sounds literally ethereal. The space in between notes, the atmosphere, the height of the stage, the depth of the stage… it’s all there. That crunch percussion hit throughout the song is just brain-ticklingly satisfying. Then, the bell hits on the ride cymbal comes in during the chorus, and oh man… I am finally in heaven. I had a longer trip for work today and as I was heading there this song came on and I literally got lost in the music. Seriously. Time melted away and it felt like I was on this ride with the band in finding this song all over again. It was like the first time I heard it. The ghostly mastering and production of the vocals during the chorus coupled with the bell hits on the ride then the last 2 minutes of the song with just the instrumentation and the vocal sample with the reverb… THEN, the final boss of treble mastery, the violin comes in with the percussionist turning up the intensity with the big SPLASH on the crash cymbal… It’s magic. Genuinely magic. Tone and timbre is maybe a touch, just a touch, on the thin side but I think it really does work here.
The combination of all of these things I just mentioned with the impressive layering and resolution is incredible. It’s a ride for the auditory senses. You can just close your eyes and enjoy discovering all of the nuances baked in music.
I don’t even feel the need to cite any more examples from my playlist, really.
There were a few instances where the vocals/upper mids/lower treble got a bit hot like on Together by Maggie Rogers and Slide Tackle by Japanese Breakfast but those two songs are mastered hot to begin with. I almost expect most IEMs to stumble with both of these songs, but to what extent are they stumbling? Are they an instant skip? A big turn of the volume dial? Or a small turn on the volume dial? The Cantors were a small turn. That’s passing to me
To summarize, yes, the treble on the Cantors is my favorite part of the entire IEM. I believe it’s masterfully executed. One of my favorite treble responses I’ve heard up to this point. It just has to go in my top 5… I don’t give grades or scores but this would be a 9.5/10 all things considered. With that being said, I need to remember that these weren’t made for only me… the treble is on the forward side. I’m not sensing any fatiguing components for my ears, but I can 100% respect that a lot of others will. Be aware that the treble on the Cantors is not safe by any means. It’s brash, it’s big and it’s bold in more ways than one. It’s dynamic and it demands your attention. If you’re a person who enjoys a more laid-back presentation for the treble, you best either stay away or demo these first before dropping the coin.
It might cause headaches for others, but it brought me immense joy and bliss
Techs
I don’t think I need to elaborate here, do I? I mean, they’re all top-notch really. Layering, resolution, detail retrieval, stage depth, width and height, dynamics… all fantastic and there’s really no need to say anything more.
Is the treble a little on the sizzly side? Yes, but I do enjoy it quite a bit. It makes the sound fun, incredibly fun really. It brings details to the forefront and allows the music to breathe quite a bit.
Keep in mind that these are most likely not for relaxing on the couch after a long day at work where you’d rather melt into the cushions and allow the music to play in the background. These are engaging technicalities for really enjoying your music. I’ll put it this way, the Cantors let you listen to the music and not just hear it.
TLDR; The Cantors are a wonderful pair of IEMs. I really did enjoy my time with them - they’re dynamic, fun and incredibly detailed with a treble response that gets the magical stamp of approval by me as being special. The bass is tuned in a healthy way to support the rest of the sound and quite frankly, I think it’ll satisfy most audiophiles. The mids are detailed and natural sounding with plenty of resolution to enjoy your favorite vocalist. The techs are probably top notch under $1000 without sacrificing timbre or ‘fun’ in the music. They’re both analytical and musical at the same time, depending on your definition of the term musical.
I was anticipating being disappointed by the Cantors. The hype surrounding this set almost had an adverse effect on me; it made me shy away from them and almost made me not want to give them a shot in the event they didn’t live up to their reputation.
I was wrong. The Cantors are impressive. I quite enjoy them. And now, after I take the pictures and get them edited, I have to box them up and send them on their way which makes me sad.
But hey, I won’t be sad it ended, I’ll be happy it happened!
Thanks so much for reading another article by me, I really do appreciate all of the support! Till next time.