Audiofly AF120 In-Ear Headphones

Introduction
Over the past year, Audiofly released their "Performance" range of IEMs, designed by musicians as stage monitors. A while back I had a chance to sample the top of the range AF180 and was extremely impressed by how musical and how detailed they were. They were a serious step up from their Premium range (I absolutely hated the AF56 in particular). Therefore, when I had the chance to get the AF120 at a great price, I jumped at the chance. I do most of my listening with either my HD600s or my DT880s, but I like to have a decent pair of in-ears for when I'm out and about, and for travel. Unfortunately, I've struggled to find a pair of IEMs that I find comfortable for longer listening sessions.The AF120s utilise a hybrid, dual driver design, with one balanced armature driver and one dynamic driver.
 
Packaging & First Impressions
Audiofly clearly takes their packaging and presentation seriously. The box and accessories is far more than you expect from a product that costs $250. In the box are the headphones themselves, which are a very sleek matte black. You receive a range of differently sized silicone tips and triflange tips, as well as comply tips, which I vastly prefer for fit and sound isolation. Also included are a 1/4 inch adapter, an aeroplane adapter, a cleaning tool, and a very classy storage wallet. Of all the pieces of audio equipment I've owned, these come with the nicest packaging I've seen.
 
Build Quality
The build quality is very impressive. The cordura cable is very nice, and though I've heard others complain about the audio flex cable (which connects to the two housings), I've always appreciated how light it is and apparently strong. That being said, it is very thin and it will be interesting to see how it lasts over time. I've never been very impressed by the build quality of Audiofly's Premium range, which I found a bit flimsy. I can subsequently appreciate the serious effort they've clearly made with the performance range. The only thing that might bother some users is the absence of a microphone, though I bought these solely for listening so it doesn't concern me in the least.
 
Comfort
These are without question the most comfortable universal IEMs I have tried. I used to own the Shure SE425, which sounded good, but which I found unbearably uncomfortable for long listening sessions, plus they never sat in my ears quite right. The AF120s are far less intrusive; getting the correct fit is never an issue, and the over-ear design is much easier to manage than any of Shure or Westone's offerings.
 
Sound Impressions
Never being one to wait to try a new purchase, I plugged the AF120s into my Fiio X3 II filled with cd quality lossless files, and was stunned by how bad these headphones sounded; I honestly thought they had sent me a defective product, so poor was the sound quality. The first thing that struck me was how muffled the sound was, due to the total absence of highs. And I mean absent. On some songs I couldn't even hear vocalists pronounce the letter "S". Testing this further, I played the most sibilant song I've ever heard ("Son of Man" by Phil Collins), and enjoyed hearing it without sibilance for the first time ever. It wasn't just the highs either. The bass was as weak as I've ever heard, and with no definition whatsoever. Even the mids were average to listen to. I had my email open, ready to shoot off a message asking about getting some replacements when I changed my mind, and decided to see whether burning them in some made any difference.
 
I believe that burn in occurs with certain products - my Audioengine A2 speakers sounded significantly better after a burn in period - but I didn't seriously expect any amount of burn in to improve the AF120s enough to satisfy me. Nevertheless, I set them aside for 30 hours playing through my home setup, and came back to them a couple of days later. Back to the Fiio, and I was startled by how different they sounded. All of a sudden the treble had opened up, and though the highs could never be described as sparkly, they were well extended with plenty of detail available. The only way I can describe the treble is as simply being enough - it is never fatiguing, but I never find myself wanting more, which is impressive given my love for DT880s and the Grado sound signature. I think the reason for this is that these headphones are not overly warm, despite the lack of treble emphasis. They almost never sound muddy, but are equally never intrusive. I mostly use the AF120 to relax with, or to study with, so for me this is perfect.
 
The midrange is interesting. Female vocals get plenty of emphasis, so much so that on certain poorly mastered pop songs they can be uncomfortable with the volume turned up. But listening to "When You Say Nothing At All (Live)" by Alison Kraus & Union Station, the emphasis on her voice is beautiful. Male voices are not so intimately conveyed, but are still enjoyable to listen to. Instrument separation is very good for a headphone at this price, but not the best I have heard. Listening to "Father & Son" by Cat Stevens, backup vocals were intimately conveyed with clear separation, without losing any of the song's wonderful musicality. To hear "Rhiannon" by Fleetwood Mac was enjoyable, but the AF120s could not match the airy, ethereal sound of Stevie Nick's voice that their older brother, the AF180, is capable of conveying.
 
Lows are present, well extended considering, and have good detail. They can sound a touch slow at times, though this is not surprising for a dynamic driver, and the lows are without doubt the the least emphasised frequency of the AF120s. In many ways they are similar to the treble; never fatiguing, but not lacking in detail. I could wish for a bit more bass presence, but it is not a significant detractor if you are looking for a relaxing sound signature.
 
One thing to note about the AF120s is how much better they sound with a good source and above average application. I would not recommend listening straight out of your phone; they sound fine but you get significantly more clarity, treble detail, and musicality from even the meanest of Amp/DAC combos. They sounded great with my Fiio X3 II (which I predominately used for this review), but if you intend to use a desktop setup, know that the AF120s are quite sensitive and unless you have a good quality amplifier, they will produce a small hiss.
 
 
Conclusion
The AF120s are no giant killers, but they do a lot of things right. If you are a die hard treble head or bass head, look elsewhere. Similarly, if you are desperate for an IEM to rock out with, you will not enjoy these. If like me however, you have room in your life for an easy to listen to, smooth IEM to use when you want to zone out or get some work done, these could well be for you. The overall package is a winner in my book.