[redrich2000]

My review is up. Thanks again to djvkool for organising this. I really liked these phones.

 

[tomscy2000]

  Isn't that distortion a bit high on the 140? also looks a little treble-challenged - other than the 10K peak.... hmmm
 
Reading graphs isn't my strong point, I usually let my ears do the judging..

 
Keep in mind that they measure distortion levels at 1 mW power, which is usually more power than the headroom balanced armatures can tolerate.
 
For example, Tyll measures distortion at 90 dB and 100 dB, which is usually louder than normal listening. The SE846 stays under 1% distortion at those levels, while it only takes 0.01 mW to get to 90 dB and ~0.1 mW to get to ~100 dB. When Seeko measures distortion at 1 mW, it is measuring the SE846 at ~110 dB. Notice that the SE846 also gets near ~7% distortion at ~3 kHz when driven at 1 mW.
 
So, it's understandable that the AF140 measures near 10% distortion using a 1 mW power benchmark. It's just not very useful to understand, because 1 mW is driving the earphone to beyond what it can handle in terms of headroom. With that being said, the AF140 most likely measures at the higher end of the spectrum when it comes to distortion benchmarks at 90/100 dB SPL, so distortion performance isn't great, though it's probably not immediately audible if you listen at reasonable volumes. If we drop power down to 0.1 mW, and assume that THD drops proportionally with SPL, then I would assume that you're still getting >1% distortion at some points of the audible spectrum. Thus, if you train yourself to listen for distortion, you'll probably be able to hear it.
 
What I'm seeing, if I were to make a guess, is likely the dynamic woofer that is the problem. Whatever they're doing to squash down the woofer's response from going too far into the midrange is also generating a lot of distortion. The midrange BA driver probably has somewhat higher than average distortion levels in the midrange also, but it'll take selective turning on and off of the drivers to do a real analysis of what is contributing more to the measured distortion.
 
Also, don't forget that at high SPL, your own ear's cochlear process generates a lot of distortion. Long story short, don't listen to music at loud volumes. You'll hear less distortion, more detail, and most importantly of all, you won't go deaf.

 

[lin0003]

Just received these safe and sound thanks svry and djvkool. 
 
I must say I am a little disappointed with these, they are dark and somewhat muffled. Vocals just sound off and veiled. 
 
The bass is quite nice though. I'll stop here and post later when I have had more of a listen, because I don't really want to bash a new product without thoroughly listening to it first. 

 

[lin0003]

Ok, I've had some time with these and they are not my cup of tea, I'm not going to spend a lot of time saying negative things about them, because I really don't like them at all. 
 
The bass is loose and boomy, bleeding a little into the midrange, the mids are veiled and overly warm and the treble is quite rolled off and lacking sparkle. The soundstage is alright, but nothing special and the imaging is not bad either. It's one of the less detailed IEMs I have heard and clarity is sub-par. 
 
The AF140 has potential with some heavy EQ, but unfortunately it is almost the worst IEM I have ever heard, only slightly behind the RDB 2v1. I just can't get any enjoyment out of it when listening unamped, and the sound just sounds like a big mess. 
 
I guess I'll just cut my impressions short, because it is pretty obvious that I BELIEVE that this IEM is bad to say the least. If it were tuned better, it would be a nice IEM, but I just can't spend more than a few minutes with it. I like the Apple Earpods a lot more than these... If I were to give it a star rating, I would give it a 4-5 out of 10, it's cable is nice and it has some nice accessories and a nice box, but this does not get a recommendation from me. 

 

[Loquah]

  Ok, I've had some time with these and they are not my cup of tea, I'm not going to spend a lot of time saying negative things about them, because I really don't like them at all. 
 
The bass is loose and boomy, bleeding a little into the midrange, the mids are veiled and overly warm and the treble is quite rolled off and lacking sparkle. The soundstage is alright, but nothing special and the imaging is not bad either. It's one of the less detailed IEMs I have heard and clarity is sub-par. 
 
The AF140 has potential with some heavy EQ, but unfortunately it is almost the worst IEM I have ever heard, only slightly behind the RDB 2v1. I just can't get any enjoyment out of it when listening unamped, and the sound just sounds like a big mess. 
 
I guess I'll just cut my impressions short, because it is pretty obvious that I BELIEVE that this IEM is bad to say the least. If it were tuned better, it would be a nice IEM, but I just can't spend more than a few minutes with it. I like the Apple Earpods a lot more than these... If I were to give it a star rating, I would give it a 4-5 out of 10, it's cable is nice and it has some nice accessories and a nice box, but this does not get a recommendation from me. 

Wow. I recall these as being a bit seductive and interesting. I'm curious now to hear them again.

 

[lin0003]

I've heard that these may be pre production, if they are, I would suggest that Audiofly make these a lot brighter and clean up the bass. 
 
Could just be me though, I am particularly picky with my midrange, very few IEMs get it prefect, but very few are as veiled as the AF140. 

 

[Loquah]

  I've heard that these may be pre production, if they are, I would suggest that Audiofly make these a lot brighter and clean up the bass. 
 
Could just be me though, I am particularly picky with my midrange, very few IEMs get it prefect, but very few are as veiled as the AF140. 

 
I'm not sure that they're pre-production as I believe I saw them arrive in full retail packaging, but I could be wrong. If my first impressions are at all accurate, I think this is a question of them being deliberately coloured, but in a way that you obviously don't like (which is fine - it's all about personal taste).

 

[lin0003]

   
I'm not sure that they're pre-production as I believe I saw them arrive in full retail packaging, but I could be wrong. If my first impressions are at all accurate, I think this is a question of them being deliberately coloured, but in a way that you obviously don't like (which is fine - it's all about personal taste).

Yeah, maybe I just don't like the sig. What I have posted above is my opinion, it's best to demo it for yourself. 

 

[Loquah]

  Yeah, maybe I just don't like the sig. What I have posted above is my opinion, it's best to demo it for yourself. 

 
Oh, absolutely. Not debating your opinion - it's all about personal taste so you're completely entitled to feel that way. I was just commenting that it surprised me to read how much you disliked because I quite liked them based on my initial impressions, but there's no criticism or judgement, just surprise and you are perfectly entitled to like / dislike whatever you like - it's not up to me.

 

[lin0003]

   
Oh, absolutely. Not debating your opinion - it's all about personal taste so you're completely entitled to feel that way. I was just commenting that it surprised me to read how much you disliked because I quite liked them based on my initial impressions, but there's no criticism or judgement, just surprise and you are perfectly entitled to like / dislike whatever you like - it's not up to me.

I wasn't actually talking about your comment nor did I take it that way, I'm simply saying before buying something it is always better to demo it for yourself. 

 

[djvkool]

  Ok, I've had some time with these and they are not my cup of tea, I'm not going to spend a lot of time saying negative things about them, because I really don't like them at all. 
 
The bass is loose and boomy, bleeding a little into the midrange, the mids are veiled and overly warm and the treble is quite rolled off and lacking sparkle. The soundstage is alright, but nothing special and the imaging is not bad either. It's one of the less detailed IEMs I have heard and clarity is sub-par. 
 
The AF140 has potential with some heavy EQ, but unfortunately it is almost the worst IEM I have ever heard, only slightly behind the RDB 2v1. I just can't get any enjoyment out of it when listening unamped, and the sound just sounds like a big mess. 
 
I guess I'll just cut my impressions short, because it is pretty obvious that I BELIEVE that this IEM is bad to say the least. If it were tuned better, it would be a nice IEM, but I just can't spend more than a few minutes with it. I like the Apple Earpods a lot more than these... If I were to give it a star rating, I would give it a 4-5 out of 10, it's cable is nice and it has some nice accessories and a nice box, but this does not get a recommendation from me. 

 
Thank you for the honest impression, much appreciated

 

[nehcrow]

I actually thought AF78 was an enjoyable listen, very smooth listen albeit lacking detail. Bass was loose but enjoyable - just need to seperate your need for detail/resolution etc. and sink into the music
AF140 surely can't be that bad If anything I assume it will be a natural sounding IEM
AF180 I've definitely heard good things about

 

[coolguyalex]

Tried the AF78, AF120 and AF140 today (higher models weren't stocked at Jaben). I have to say, I was impressed with all of them. The AF140 sounded veiled to me in comparison to the AF120 but I would probably attribute this largely to the foam tips. I will go back again and try them both with the same tips. The AF78 was smooth yes but the other two were quite a step up in overall sonics. My next purchase will most likely be the 120. Also love the design, fit and quality of all three models. It is quite hard for me to find IEMs that satisfy me in all areas so I am glad I was introduced to Audiofly. More people should know about this brand!

 

[svyr]

Ok, I've had some time with these and they are not my cup of tea, I'm not going to spend a lot of time saying negative things about them, because I really don't like them at all. 

The bass is loose and boomy, bleeding a little into the midrange, the mids are veiled and overly warm and the treble is quite rolled off and lacking sparkle. The soundstage is alright, but nothing special and the imaging is not bad either. It's one of the less detailed IEMs I have heard and clarity is sub-par. 

The AF140 has potential with some heavy EQ, but unfortunately it is almost the worst IEM I have ever heard, only slightly behind the RDB 2v1. I just can't get any enjoyment out of it when listening unamped, and the sound just sounds like a big mess. 

I guess I'll just cut my impressions short, because it is pretty obvious that I BELIEVE that this IEM is bad to say the least. If it were tuned better, it would be a nice IEM, but I just can't spend more than a few minutes with it. I like the Apple Earpods a lot more than these... If I were to give it a star rating, I would give it a 4-5 out of 10, it's cable is nice and it has some nice accessories and a nice box, but this does not get a recommendation from me. 

from the few days I spent with the review sample for af140 i agree nearly 100%. I'd be hard pressed to find a reason to buy a pair (sound (those specific mids, and bass and treble reasons),non replaceable cable, wax guard metal mesh getting lost, etc). Especially given the asking price and competition in the face of H300, DN2000, DN1000, etc.

I very much disliked their house tuning with af78 and I didn't like af140 much either for the similar reasons although ergonomics did improve and so did comfort.

 

[xSDMx]

Are the AF140s a good deal at $200 versus other hybrids?