Disclaimer: Audiofly provided their AF180 Mk2 to me for the purpose of review. All opinions expressed in this piece are mine and mine alone.

Background: Audiofly is a well-established Australian personal audio company, with a focus on in-ear monitors. The AF180 Mk2 are the second iteration of the popular IEM AF180. They retail for $499 and utilize a quad BA array.

Unboxing: The unboxing experience was very smooth. The earpieces were packaged and displayed in foam in the top half of the box, with a hard carrying case packaged in the bottom half. Within that case were all of the accessories, which included eartips, an airplane adapter, and a cleaning tool.

Build Quality: Build quality is very good, and reminds me of Shure’s offerings, if a little nicer. The earpieces are made of a sturdy-feeling plastic and the MMCX connections (yay!) feel very secure. The cable is fabric-style and feels very comfortable, in addition to being the perfect length for my use. There’s no moldable plastic at the ear, rather a piece that’s been pre-fitted (as on the FiiO FH5) which I prefer, as it saves me from fiddling with the cable every time I place the pieces in my ears.

Comfort & Isolation: These are hands-down the most comfortable in-ear monitors I have ever used. The size of the monitors allows them to sit deep in my ears, and after around an hour of wear, I hardly feel them anymore. As a result of this deep and comfortable fit, isolation is very good, especially with foam tips, and I actually needed to reduce it a little with silicone tips when I used these outside.

Overall Tonality: Balanced, with a little bit of warmth and slightly rolled-off treble. These are now my go-to critical listening IEMs, but they strike such a good balance that they’re still fun to listen to. Respond well to EQ.

Bass: I’ve heard these described as having a little more bass than Etymotic’s ER4s. I can’t verify that, but I can say that, while definitely lighter on bass than most consumer-tuned IEMs, they provide just enough accurate punch to be engaging. You’re not getting a lot of rumble and your ears aren’t shaking. You’re getting just about the amount of bass in the original mix.

Mids: Just incredible. The first thing that struck me while using these is how well they would perform as stage monitors. Mids are forward, making vocals prominent and articulate, and they definitely draw my ear more than anything else in the mix, which I just love. These mids are magical and I keep coming back for more.

Treble: A little recessed, but not by a lot. These are good for folks who are treble sensitive, because the treble is still present, but it isn’t going to blow out your eardrums. It takes a backseat to mids and bass, but you’re not necessarily missing any of it. Just a more conservative presentation of the high-end.

Soundstage: Surprisingly large. I could easily place sounds in front of me, rather than just in my head. This is, of course, subjective, but I found the soundstage to be very nice.

Imaging & Separation: So well done. Each instrument in a mix occupies its own space, and they can be singled out very easily. AF has done a marvelous job with this tuning.

Conclusion: These are great mastering and stage monitors, but also fantastic for everyday listening, if you want your music to be accurate but also enjoyable to listen to.

This review was first posted on my website, thehouseofsound.com. A huge thanks to Dan Wiggins at Periodic Audio for providing these units.

1. Introduction

Periodic Audio is a relatively new company founded in 2016, with a mission to create high-quality audio over all else. The Carbon is the latest and most expensive model in Periodic’s lineup, clocking it at $499. The other models in the lineup are Magnesium ($99), Titanium ($199) and Beryllium ($299). You can find them at periodicaudio.com

1. Disclaimer

This set of Carbon IEMs was sent to me, very graciously, by Dan Wiggins on Periodic Audio, in exchange for an honest review, which I intend to provide. Dan also sent me the Nickel amplifier, which I’ll be reviewing soon. Both units are cosmetically blemished.

1. Unboxing

The Carbon IEMs arrived in an unmarked cardboard box, which flipped open to reveal the pieces, as well as a small, presumably aluminum tin for storage. The packaging here isn’t anything spectacular, but it protects its contents well and presents them nicely enough. The packaging, much in the vein of everything else Periodic strives to do, is incredibly functional. I have no problem with this, as long as the audio performance can justify it.

1. Build Quality

The build quality of the Carbon is similar to its packaging. Extremely functional and utilitarian. The shells are constructed from a sturdy-seeming polycarbonate, and the cable (while regrettably not detachable), is perfectly adequate. Fancy, braided, silver-plated cable this is not. But it gets the job done. My only qualm is the fact that the strain relief coming off of the earpiece looks a little worrying. I’m not thinking it will fail anytime soon, but it’s the only part of the product which I’m legitimately concerned about in terms of longevity.

1. Comfort

The Carbon is very comfortable, provided you find the right tips. I know this goes without saying, but tips are crucial not only in terms of sound, but also for comfort. I eventually settled on the small, double flanged tips, but may swap them out for foams later. The light polycarbonate shells sit nicely in the outer ear and do not place unnecessary pressure on any ear feature. I have worn these for several hours at a time and never felt fatigue.

1. Isolation

The isolation provided by the Carbon is above average. It is nowhere near Shure levels of isolation. But much of that is to do with nozzle length and a deeper insertion. Conversely, the Carbon has a much larger nozzle, but with the right tips, isolation still outperforms much of the competition. I took these on a short flight and forgot about engine noise for as long as I had them in. These are great travel earphones, and I am very happy with their isolation performance.

1. Sound Quality

Overall, the sound of the Carbon is moderately V-shaped with slightly recessed mids and a clear, transparent-sounding tonality across the entire range.


Definitely prominent in every mix. Although the bass is incredibly prominent, I’m not feeling too many issues with it becoming bloomy. Perhaps that has something to do with the material of the diaphragm? Overall, the bass response feels tight and accurate, with enough punch to satisfy most people. Very realistic sounding bass, with easily identifiable instruments. Listening to Kendrick Lamar’s King Kunta, the bass, while emphasized, does not overshadow Lamar’s vocals, and I find him to still be easily intelligible. This song is carried by its bass, and the C presents it with lots of energy and enthusiasm.



Recessed. They’re not horribly back in the mix, but they definitely play second fiddle to the low- and high-end. Despite this, there is a high level of detail and articulation present here. Guitar slides sound great, as well as just straight-up guitars anywhere. Oodles upon oodles of detail here. Despite the elevated bass, miss stay crisp, clear, and very resolving. I would prefer them to be a little more forward, but they’re quite good as they are.



The treble on the C is not peaky AT ALL. I can comfortably say that my treble tests did not make me wince, cry, or curl up in pain. Ever-so-slightly rolled off, they sit right where they should in the mix when fun is prioritized. Mainly because I would not consider getting stabbed in the ear to be a fun experience. These portray really satisfying cymbals and do a good job of representing even more difficult-at-times high-frequency sounds.

1. Soundstage and Imaging

Yes, of course there has to be somewhere that the Carbon falls short. The soundstage, while providing a decent sense of space and accurately placing and imaging instruments and vocals, is very small. The closed-in nature of these makes much of a lot of songs quite intimate. For some people, this may be a dealbreaker, but the imaging and separation present in the C are very good. Soundstage is small.

1. Conclusion

Fun. Fun. Fun. These little IEMs are fun. They’re light and comfortable, they’re bassy and unapologetic, they’re incredibly in-your-face, and I happen to like them quite a lot. Many reviewers are making the build quality seem worse than it is. Even if it is as bad as they make it out to be (which it really is not), Periodic has a 5 year warranty policy, which, in my mind, negates that altogether. The C is an incredibly fun earphone that I can find myself coming back to again and again for its big, boomy bass and clarity throughout its range. If you’re looking for fun, the C has you covered.

I'm a little curious to see how these sound compared to Periodic's other offerings...


Lance Rothchild
thehouseofsound.com