[mr.gone]

Hi all -- Not sure if I am posting in the right place, but you can snap up some Audiofly AF56 in-ears on Amazon for about $30 now (retail is $100) as long as you're okay with the "Vintage White" color. (I like it in that, with the brown ear tips and retro cord, it reminds me of a 1950s Fender amp.) The other colors are priced a bit more. These same phones were selling for $46 about a week ago.
 
Mini-review: I was pretty disappointed initially with the sound. Seemed way too boomy with very little on the treble end and not a great deal of detail. About 25 hours of burn-in later, I'm liking them a lot more. They've definitely opened up. They also seem to benefit from a slightly shallow insertion to let the high end breath a bit. They have a very good, secure, comfortable fit, so this isn't a problem. Bass is phenomenal in volume, but still a little less quick and precise than I'd like.
 
I'd say these are good $30 phones for exercising and using a portable source with less-than-ideal recordings. The high end is muted enough to tame harshness (unlike my Monoprice 8320s) without the "throw a blanket over it" effect (unlike my MEelectronics M6s). I think they're essentially what you'd get if you took my Philips SHE-3690s and improved the overall sound quality and appearance. Certainly not the last word in resolution, but if it's true that Audiofly's founders are musicians and aimed at musicality above all, I'd say they were successful with the AF56.

 

[jburn244]

I scooped a pair of these up as well. Looking forward to trying them out. From everything I've read they are seeming like a steal at $30.

 

[mr.gone]

Great! Let us know what you think once you've had a listen.

 

[mr.gone]

By the way, I was able to get Amazon to give me the lower price on these by calling them up and asking for it. Who knew? 
I had purchased the AF56 for $46 about a week ago, saw that they dropped to $30, found a toll-free number on the site, and gave them all the details. They credited me the $16 difference after going through my account -- I think they were happy to oblige based on the hefty amount I've spent with them over the years, although we're still talking about a relatively low total number.

 

[RoMee]

It's down to $27.19

 

[mr.gone]

Wow. At this rate, in a couple of weeks they'll be PAYING US to take them off their hands.
 
Seriously, it's perplexing why they're discounting these relatively new IEs so heavily. It's up to 73% off now. Do they need to move a certain number of units to get more funding from their venture capitalist backers? These are not bad units by any means, and it wouldn't seem likely that they're releasing a new model to replace it anytime soon.
 
I'm going to have to buy more or feel like a fool in a few months when they're up over $50 again.

 

[RoMee]

It's probably a word of mouth marketing strategy. @ $100 I doubt they sold enough to break even. They need to get people to take notice and spread the word about audiofly.
I could be wrong and all this could be about getting rid of remaining inventory. I've never considered these at retail price but $27 is too low to not give them a try.
 
Their top of the line AF78 is about $90, that's more than half off. Sounds pretty good too from the reviews I've read.

 

[Ivabign]

OK, I'll bite at $27 - I have a Prime membership - so shipping is free. 13mm driver? Why not?

 

[RoMee]

The price went back to $99. The cheapest one now is the vino (brown) for $35.47

 

[mr.gone]

I think the "Vino" is, as the name implies, more of a dark red than a brown. Cool-looking. Totally nuts that one color costs $35, another costs $99. There's also a navy blue -- don't know the current price.
 
And yes, those 13mm drivers can move some air!

 

[jburn244]

Just got mine in the mail. Out of the box impressions (using with my laptop+Fiio E10):
 
-Packaging and build quality is really nice. I can see why these are in the $100 price range. 
 
-Bass is the real deal. I had to turn off the Bass Boost on the E10 (which I was using with great pleasure on my UE700s). These things hit hard. The best part is, the bass isn't muddy, sloppy, or overwhelming. With the E10 Bass Boost on, it started to drown the mids and highs. Fair enough, but these things are hitting every low note I'm throwing at them with ease. I can see myself turning the E10 Bass Boost on and spinning a rap-only playlist with much pleasure.
 
-Mids and highs sound slightly colored/veiled out of the box. But they are still well represented, mostly smooth, and balanced. Not quite as crisp/clear as my UE700s, but I'm hoping they will improve with some burn-in. ATM they sound a little less 'aggressive' than I generally like. When I listen to stuff like Skrillex, I like those synth sounds to have texture, depth, and a certain sharpness. That (right now) is a little lacking in the AF56, but again, this is right out of the box. I look for that to (hopefully) change after some burn-in. 
 
-Soundstage as a whole seems pretty good. Feels a little wider than I'm used to with my UE700s. Not as 'in your head', seems to extend slightly out past your ears. I like it.
 
In short, I'm having a blast just listening to the bass on these things, but the rest of the sound spectrum holds its own.
 
For $30, these are an absolute steal. Even if I had payed $100, I'd still be pretty pleased.
 
Keep in mind these are out of the box thoughts, I'm thinking they'll only improve. Will try and post some thoughts after I get 40ish hours on them (per the cheeky instruction manual).
 
Cheers! 

 

[Ivabign]

Damn - I get mine Wednesday - didn't make the cutoff for today. Keep us informed. Perhaps we can turn this thread into an appreciation thread. (The AF78 is now down to $75 w.mic - wow!)

 

[Ivabign]

jburn.... one of the things I am looking forward to is the cable - can you speak to the quality of the cloth cable? Does it look like it will stand up?

 

[mr.gone]

Cable is fine. About the same thickness as the Monoprice 8320, thicker than the Philips 3690s. But before we all get too carried away with these, here's an update on my initial impression. (Sorry to throw water on my own thread, guys, but full disclosure seems like it overrides other considerations, eh?)
 
An analogy: You know how when you go to a rock concert and the sound system is poorly mixed and you're so bombarded with treble that you stick your fingers in your ears to curb it? You lose a lot of detail, but the experience becomes bearable, right? You still hear the bass, you get a good sense of what's going on. Occasionally you pull your fingers out of your ears to pick up some of that detail, then you realize you were right to block out the harshness after all and you pop those fingers right back in.
 
Well, the Audiofly AF56s act like your fingers for bad, harsh recordings. Graphically, it looks like a line angled down about 30 degrees -- big bass, okay mids, muffled highs. That's an oversimplification because there are some surprising details, but the two elements that stand out are that these are big bass and the taming of harshness.
 
At the opposite end of the spectrum are the Monoprice 8320s. These things reveal everything. Not only are they keeping your fingers out of your ears, they're moving you closer to the stage where you get blasted with more high end. It takes a really well-done recording -- maybe with only non-electric instruments, maybe just a solitary flugelhorn played from the back of a huge cathedral -- to not get pained by the high-end, at least from my sources (chiefly my iPhone 4s).
 
And the surprise winner in this for me is that little Philips SHE 3690. I think I initially thought the Audiofly was better than the Philips because, well, it just LOOKS better. It came in much-nicer packaging. It was a special from Amazon, while the Philips was a $6 pickup at Marshall's. So the Audiofly HAD to sound better, right? Not happening so far. I've got about 30-35 hours of burn-in conservatively estimated, and I've played around with different tips. And I'm coming back to my impression that they're decent $30 phones, but they're not much more than that.
 
Memory is a tricky thing so I may be off about this, but I'm thinking the NuForce NE-770Xs that I had and lost a few months ago --  $35 phones -- were better than these Audioflys. More natural sound, much better definition, far superior soundstage, greater overall musical experience. Only problem is that NuForce products seem quite prone to breaking or not working properly in short order.
 
Any suggestions that anyone has for a phone that has some of the Monoprice detail with the warmth of the Audiofly/Philips/NuForce, I'd love to hear 'em. Sony MH1C perhaps? 

 

[mr.gone]

Answering my own question, I'm grabbing some MEElectronics A161Ps for $65. Deal expires tonight at midnight PST. Code is AFTERXMAS.