Closer Examination

There is next to no information available about the cable that comes with the AFUL Performer 5. We know there is potentially an option to have a 4.4 mm balanced connector on the source side, however at this time you will have to be content with a 3.5 mm TRS single-ended plug. It's tied to an aluminium housing given a glossy gunmetal gray finish and having the AFUL logo on it. There's then the expected strain relief leading to an 8-strand braided cable which looks to be using a mix of copper and silver-plated copper conductor. Despite the relative bulk, this is an excellent cable that is easy to re-shape and exhibits no microphonics in use. The splitter and cable cinch follow the same gunmetal gray metal housing implementation and are as functional as I could ask for. A thicker, transparent plastic sheathing comes up closer to the ends, where we see pre-formed ear hooks to naturally fit around and over your ears. The physical connection to the IEMs is 0.78 mm 2-pin connectors again housed on equivalent metal hardware as on the rest of the cable, and here we see blue/red rings to help indicate the left and right channels, respectively. All the plugs are gold-plated for oxidation resistance.


AFUL has gone with with resin shells for the ease of production here with a mold pour used in a glossy black color as the base. This allows the face plate to be the center of attention in the form of, what appears to be anyway, a colored wooden insert with different gold and copper-colored foils that are folded and glued on the top, before being capped off by more resin. This is very similar, if not identical, to the face plates seen on a few other IEMs released recently, beginning with the ThieAudio Monarch MKII, to where I imagine the factory making these face plates can now offer them to other brands too. Given the nature of this design, no two Performer 5 IEMs will look identical.


Here's a closer look at the face plates that also have the AFUL logo applied in gold lettering on the side to be quite garish in my opinion. It's also a design that's best appreciated from a distance, given you will notice the wrinkles and uneven foil placement up close. The face plate is glued quite well to the shells without leaving any telltale glue signs. On the top side is Performer5 printed without a space here, and the longer side shows flush-mount 2-pin cable sockets as well as a vent on the bottom itself. The shells also have a protrusion to fit into the antihelix in the concha well for most people, although it can end up being a point of discomfort for others. The inner side has L/R markings and then we see a relatively thin (5.5 mm) and long nozzle that tapers out from the shells to lead into the ear canal. There is no filter on the end and we instead get a sneak peek at the acoustic tubes employed inside.


Given there is effectively only a single type of ear tips provided here, there's not much to show beyond how the AFUL Performer 5 looks with one of these silicone tips in size M. There is no retaining notch on the nozzle and it doesn't taper down either so there is a non-zero chance for the ear tips to come off and remain in the ear canals when removing the IEMs from your ears. Thankfully the provided ear tips have a small enough bore to where you have to stretch them over the nozzle for a tight fit to minimize slippage, but tip rolling can be concerning with this in mind. Once you have the ear tips installed based on your preference, the next step is to re-connect the cable by carefully identifying the matching channels and orienting the ear hooks around your ear when connecting the IEMs using the 2-pin connectors—simply push them in place as it's another friction fit, as with the ear tips. Now connect the 3.5 mm TRS or 4.4 mm TRRS plug with the source of your choice. I know there are many who prefer using IEMs throughout, but I like to use over-ear headphones when sitting down and IEMs on the go. I paired the AFUL Performer 5 with many of the portable DAC/amps tested to date.