AFUL Explorer

(this review is still in process)

This is a sample sent to me from Hifigo. I’m going to try to be as honest as I can, but I do want my biases to come out.

Let me share what music that I listen to:

Song Choice: Tidal list here:
I listen to a wide variety of music. I pick the songs because of various reasons. But I picture myself locked away like Andy Dufresne from Shawshank blasting music and shut off from the world. It’s a blissful image.
The Marriage of Figaro -The opera song from Shawshank Redemption, terrible recording but fun and gets me in the mood to listen to music.
O mio Babino caro -This is a modern less operatic version but a song with great female vocals.
Video Rigoletto - “La donna e mobile” Sung by one of the three Tenors, great song for high-performing male vocals. Pavarotti is the greatest classic singer maybe ever. Fight me!
Iron man - The sound at the beginning is hard to make sound great, great drums, and cymbals, and if done right it feels like an old-school band.
I Will Survive (1981 recording, I like her voice, and the old vocals, the drums, and various natural instruments really make this a favorite for me.
There is a light That never goes out - Smiths ( A classic, I just love it. It’s mellow, and I can tell a lot of the tuning if this song is done right.)
Jump (I like how the sound effects are in this!)
Star Child Someone recommended this song to me, and I like how funky it sounds and has nice vocals and a mix of music and things going on.
Dicke Titten Ramstein The beginning is amazing and the bass hits hard. Great song. I love rock and metal. The German language fascinates me
Master of Puppets: Very fast song. Helps me determine if the driver can keep up.


This is a newer version of my 10 favorite songs that also work for audiofile music.

This is a copy of a bunch of good audiofile music. Some are on my favorites, but all are great to test headphone tracks. (70+)

This is my favorite overall music. 300+ songs (needs to be edited a bit)




Bass (20-60 Sub Bass, 60-250 Hz Mid Bass)

The details of the bass is strong and everything sounds right on it. The bass seems well-controlled and fun. The bass is the one of the better basses I’ve heard in the budget space. Very enjoyable. Good sub and mid bass, clean, and is just a delight overall.

Midrange (250 HZ to 800 HZ Low Mids, 600-200 Hz Mids, 2000-5000Hz Upper Mids)

The midrange of this set is fair. I was concerned about it seeing the graph, but in ear and with critical listening I think it’s very good. The Lower mids are very fair and clean, while the upper mids are a little bit lacking and low, it works for this approach as the air is very nice and the bass is exceptional.




Treble (5000- 10000 Trebble/Highs, 10000 ++ HZ Upper Trebble & Air)

The 5-6k region which is still fairly accurate on a 711 coupler is clean, and very clean at that. I really like this iem in that 5-6k region and helps my sense of enjoyment.

The treble isnt’ as smooth as other sets, but the increased bass, the decreased 5-6 region makes this extremely competitive vs other sets from the brand.



The treble is a good part of this set and this iem has great detail and sparkle for me. It has incredible details that come across in the treble. Looking at the frequency response I would think it would sound neutral or boring without the 3k spike, but I enjoyed it. All the music that I listen to sounds great and I feel that it has a wide beautiful soundstage.

Gaming

Gaming is great on this iem, it’s cozy and has a world class feeling of fit to me. Details sparkle for me, but the treble and space aren’t much better than the Hexa, it is fairly similar and on about the same level. It has a beautiful open and clean sound. The stage isn’t too wide, but just right. Detail retrieval during fights is immaculate, and the imaging vertically and horizontally is fantastic. It has great imaging and a good sense of where I am.

Gaming is somewhat of a meme for ranking, but if a friend wanted a cozy iem to game with good bass and treble. This could be an easy win.

Shell -
The shell is pretty, it fits great and I find it an exceptional fit. It’s small and light. It feels pretty great in ear.


Case- The case is perfect, and I love it. It feels great in hand.


Cable- The cable comes in 3.5 or 4.4. This is a fantastic cable and is pretty much the same texture and feeling of the 400 dollar Elysian Pilgrim.


Tip Selection - The tip selection is fair, and I have no issues with it, but I do see how others might.


Comparisons:





VS Aful 5

Similiar tonality in someways. It is much better than the P5 for me. But has some similarities and it is an option that gets you pretty close to the tonality of this iem. Personally I think the Aful 5 is a great set, but the Explorer is an improvement to my preferences.. If you can’t and only have money for a cheaper set, the Aful Performer 5 is my recommendation at the cheaper price point. I think the

Vs Chopin

A great set, but has issues. This gives you what I think is a better case, cable, and better fit at 80 dollars cheaper. I feel Chopin is a bit overpriced despite being a good set. The mids can come across a bit thin, but if you are a female vocal lover, the Chopin is a nice set. Different tunes, different values, and different user needs. But if I personally think the Explorer would be my recommendation over the Chopin due to price, and sonical qualities being about the same.


Vs P8

More dynamic bass, but P8 is still relevant as it has a lot of details. The tuning is very strong. I think most people given the same price would prefere the Explorer over the P8, not knowing the price.

Vs P5
This is a hard one. Part of me wants to say the P5 is now irrelevant, but I think if you have the P5 maybe you can pass on the Explorer. Yet, part of me likes the Explorer more. I think the Aful 5 is more u shaped, while the Explorer is more of a tactful L shape, to which I don’t find many sets like this save the expensive Jupitier, but that set is nice, yet super expensive.

Vs Magic one
Is more U shaped and it is a presentation that I feel was very hot in 2023 like Supernova, like Monarck mk3, and is a nice tune, but is a bit bright to many ears. I like it, as I think it achieves this tuning at a very good price. For an iem at its price I think it does a lot of great things, and I love it. But is it correct to what I want, no. It’s more of a flex as a company and display that they can do something different. The Explorer is definitely something different, to my ears and preference better.


VS EM6L
Less bright to my ears, better fit, easier to cable swap. To me it’s a better iem. Sonically at least on the same level. But comfort, packaging, and overall presentation of the shell is much better to the Aful to me. Again Simgot em6l is a good recommendation, but the fit for me isn’t there, the cable for me isn’t great, and the all metal shell is bothersome for me personally. To me this gets the recommendation for it.

Vs Pula PA02 and CKLVX

In my opinion these have a nice flat sound signature, but aren’t as nice fitting, and a little boring without the right tonality in the bass. This has this just amazing package and is less money. I see no reason to recommend the Pula PA02 or CKLVX at this time, but if you own these sets I wouldn’t sell them to get he Explorer either. They are still highly relevant and good.



Vs Nova
Nova has great bass as well, but lacks the upper details. Fit is better. Better technicalities. I think the cable is better overall, which adds to comfort. Easier to cable swap as my Nova broke and is on life support. I think the Explorer will last longer and has better air and is a better presentation.

VS Hydro

Smaller, different sound profile, also enjoyable. More neutral and better sense of air in the Explorer. The Hydro is more of a better Dusk, not even close to my ears and cheaper, the Explorer is more of a cheap Jupitier tuning, but it isn’t on the same level as the Jupitier, and if you have the cash the Jupitier is the better set by far. Both are solid values, and I would recommend both. Personally I’d give the Edge to the Explorer, but that won’t take away from my clear recommendation of the Hydro as well. You could get two good iems for the cost of many single iems, and for certain users and cases that is better. The detail in the upper air in Hydro might be better, and the customization of the bass is an increased value. Yet long term comfort, or sleeping in is a concern for the Hydro. Ethically it’s hard for me to recommend KZ/CCA but I also love a comeback kid, both chinese companies but with different values and presentations. KZ shoots a lot of products into the market, Aful doesn’t.

VS Celetee Rentless

I like the lower mids and air of the Explorer better. Relentless is a fun set, with great upper air and you will hear more details but might be exceedingly bright for many. I’m excited to hear more impressions of the Relentless, but I think it achieves a fun V-shaped tuning. I sent mine to a friend who is also a reviewer overseas so I may not have in on hand for direct comparisons. Yet as the Aful product is more comfortable shell, I think they get the edge with a cheaper by 50 dollars. But the sound signatures are so different, I could see your preferences going either way for sure.

The Relentless to me was and still is a cautious if you love V sets to try, but the Exlorer is to me and my preferences would get recommendation a go ahead and blind by set. To which I don’t give many to as most sets have caveats. This set only caveats is the price, but to me 120 isn’t that much, yet for others it is a lot of money, so that is very much a case by case scenario to what you are comfortable paying. Yet, I would recommend to buy from a retailer that takes returns or a demo first if you can. For normal people who don’t own multiple sets, this could easily be end game.



Graph:


Sound - Final Impressions

This is a very good budget option. Obviously our opinions are always different, but with many iems I would give hesitant recommendations or weary recommendations. I feel this iem is a solid pick with the few caveats that I’ve mentioned. It has a nice price, and good value proposition.

Recommended EQ: I use Peace APO to EQ on the PC. This EQ is done to my preference. I recently set up a preference curve on My Squig. So for at least iems, I can use my own graphs now. Please feel free to use the measurements as you want.. Jaytiss.squig.link
Overall this is an amazing iem that could easily be a game for most. The goal for me with an iem is to have an that doesn’t need EQ. This iem, does sound better to me with this eq, more neutral and less colored. This iem has very little to eq, save some in the upper trebble, the rest is incredibly close to my target, weirdly so. This iem does’t need EQ, but I could see people wanting some EQ with it.



Preamp: -3.9 dB
Filter 1: ON PK Fc 20 Hz Gain 0.8 dB Q 0.900
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 42 Hz Gain 0.9 dB Q 1.500
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 93 Hz Gain -0.7 dB Q 2.000
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 220 Hz Gain -1.4 dB Q 1.200
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 1300 Hz Gain -1.4 dB Q 1.900
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 2500 Hz Gain 3.6 dB Q 2.000
Filter 7: ON PK Fc 4000 Hz Gain 3.3 dB Q 2.000
Filter 8: ON PK Fc 5100 Hz Gain -2.4 dB Q 2.000
Filter 9: ON PK Fc 15000 Hz Gain 2.9 dB Q 1.900
Filter 10: OFF PK Fc 0 Hz Gain 0.0 dB Q 0.000



Gifting/who is it for: I think this is a nice hifi iem to gift to someone, it’s just a nice package that it well fitting and fits good. It’s a handsome shell, good looking cable, that is easily swappable. The case is nice. It’s just a lovely set, and product. I have almost no issues with it and absolutely love it, especially at it’s price.


Pairing: I used a Quidelix 5k for mobile, my dongle Dac iBasso DC04 for my laptop, and my JDS lab Atom 2 with a SMSL 6d-s for my Desktop PC. I also tried the iem briefly on the Apple dongle as well. This iem had no issues being driven. Typically I only find overears to really have a hard time being driven and maybe some planar iems. (I personally am not a huge mmcx or planar fan.)


Conclusion
So a few things. I love this set, and maybe am biased as I love the fit of the shells, and the brand overall. But this is a great iem to my ears especially for the mainstream tuning. It’s a lot easier to say a 120 dollar set is worth your time than other sets. This has improved bass and other features. You milage may vary and there are a lot of other sets coming up that are interesting, and I get that. But for a value product, this is extremely impressive to me, and is one of my favorite sets. It checks pretty much every box that I could think with bass, low 5-6k, nice cable, case, comfortable, and best of all, the most affordable Aful yet, and debatably the best. Again their other products aren’t bad, but this provides a unique tuning and value that to me is easy to recommend as an iem reviewer.

They just pulled a Simgot, where their newer product is debatably much better than their older products. I don’t just give this a full recommendation, I give this the highest recommendation that I can. It’s a darn near perfect set, and I fully love it. I love it when companies do stuff like this, and I applaud them for listening to feedback. Better case, cable, and sound to my ears.

If I went to a show and tried a ton of iems and someone said this was 120, I’d buy it in a heartbeat. This is the excitement that I want to share with you guys. Not that this is the best iem ever, but just a nice value product that I fully enjoy.

Introduction

AFUL, renowned for their innovative, technology-driven IEM designs, has taken a bold leap forward with their latest offering, the Explorer. This IEM represents a departure from their previous models, such as the single BA MagicOne and the hybrid Performer series, by adopting a hybrid driver configuration comprising 1 dynamic driver (DD) and 2 balanced armature (BA) drivers. What sets the Explorer apart is its exceptional bass performance and technical prowess, all while staying true to AFUL's signature tuning. In this review, we'll explore the Explorer's sound signature, technical capabilities, and how it stacks up against other IEMs in its class.



What’s in the box:

• 1 x AFUL Explorer IEM
• 1 x Set of soft white ear tips
• 1 x Set of hard silicone ear tips
• 1 x 1.2m IEM cable with 0.78 2-pin connector (3.5mm or 4.4mm)
• 1 x Carrying case

Specs:

Impedance: 26Ω ± 10%
Sensitivity: 108dB/mW
Frequency response: 10Hz-30kHz
Driver configuration: 1 dynamic driver (DD) + 2 balanced armature (BA)
Cable length: 1.2m
Cable connector: 2-Pin 0.78mm
Cable plug termination: 4.4mm
Effective sound pressure level range: 20-108dB
Technologies:

• 3D pressure balancing technology
• RLC Net frequency division technology
• Self developed wide frequency response balanced armature unit
• Microresonator technology

Unboxing

The unboxing experience of the AFUL Explorer is straightforward and elegant. Upon opening the box, you are immediately greeted by the beautifully designed Explorer IEMs. Beneath the earpieces lies a new AFUL carrying case. The case features a combination of hard and soft materials, with a firm structure on the upper and lower sides and a softer texture around the zipper area. Inside the case, you'll find the cable of the AFUL Explorer and two sets of silicone ear tips. One set is white and made of white, soft silicone, while the other set is darker in color and made of harder silicone. While the provided ear tips are functional, I highly recommend using your favorite ear tips for a more comfortable and personalized experience, as this simple change can greatly enhance your overall enjoyment.

Design and Build
The AFUL Explorer showcases a sleek and contemporary design that underscores the brand's dedication to premium craftsmanship. The earpieces are ergonomically crafted to provide a comfortable fit, even during prolonged listening sessions. Notably, the earpieces are smaller compared to most IEMs in my collection, weighing just 4.2 grams with a nozzle diameter of 5.6mm. This compact size, coupled with its light weight and average nozzle size, ensures a comfortable fit that enables me to enjoy extended listening sessions without discomfort.

Additionally, the IEM features a vent positioned in the outer corner, strategically placed to prevent contact with the ears and ensure the ears don't cover the vent. The detachable cable enhances the IEM's versatility, allowing for effortless replacement or customization. However, the passive noise isolation is average.

The resin earpieces' blue faceplates resemble a galaxy, evoking a stunning visual reminiscent of a starry sky. Overall, the AFUL Explorer's design and construction are not only aesthetically pleasing but also contribute to a comfortable and enjoyable listening experience.


Cable

The provided cable for the AFUL Explorer is a two-wire weave, intertwined and covered with a sheath. It features a light grayish color with a hint of light brown, which may not appeal to everyone's taste, including mine. However, the cable is constructed from quality materials and feels solid. It has no memory effect and does not tangle easily.

Compared to the cable of the MagicOne, the Explorer's cable is a noticeable step up in quality. However, it falls slightly short when compared to the cable of the Performer 5. One downside is that the cable does not come with an interchangeable termination plug, meaning you'll need to choose between a 3.5mm or 4.4mm termination when purchasing.

Sound Signature

Sound signature of the AFUL Explorer could be described as neutral with a bass boost.



Sub-Bass

The Explorer truly excels in its reproduction of sub-bass frequencies. The dynamic driver effortlessly delivers deep, rumbling bass that is not only heard but felt. This adds a sense of weight and authority to the music, creating an immersive experience, particularly in genres like EDM, dubstep, and orchestral music, where sub-bass adds grandeur and scale.

The sub-bass of the Explorer extends well into the lowest frequencies, providing tracks with a sense of depth and dimensionality. This extension makes the music sound more expansive and dynamic. The sub-bass is also well-controlled, with a fast attack and decay that maintains tightness and control even in complex passages.


Mid-Bass

The AFUL Explorer stands out with its impressive bass response, a notable improvement over previous AFUL IEMs. In the past, I found AFUL's bass lacking in impact and attack, particularly compared to what I prefer from a dynamic driver. However, the Explorer completely changes that perception.

The mid-bass of the Explorer is punchy, powerful, and delivers a strong slam. Importantly, it is also clean, well-defined, and textured, enhancing the dynamic range of your music. The bass extension is excellent, reaching the lowest octaves with both quality and quantity. The sub-bass is deep, providing a satisfying rumble that adds depth to bass-heavy tracks.

Whether you're listening to electronic beats or bass guitar solos, the Explorer delivers a bass experience that is powerful, impactful, authoritative, and controlled. Listening to bass-heavy hip-hop tracks is particularly impressive, especially the sub-bass rumble that the Explorer produces when the music drops. AFUL's engineering and tuning prowess are on full display here, showcasing their ability to deliver exceptional bass performance.

I am impressed by the Explorer's bass, especially its controlled nature that caters to a wide range of listeners. The mid-bass of the Explorer is punchy and well-defined, adding a sense of rhythm and drive to the music. It's not overly emphasized, but it has enough presence to give tracks a satisfying thump without overwhelming the rest of the frequency range. This quality makes the Explorer well-suited for genres like pop, hip-hop, and electronic music, where a strong bassline is crucial for the overall groove of the track.

Lower Midrange

The AFUL Explorer's impressive bass performance seamlessly transitions into its midrange, creating a cohesive and engaging sound signature. Thanks to its DD + 2 BA configuration, the Explorer delivers a rich and detailed midrange that truly brings vocals and instruments to life. The midrange is slightly forward, imparting vocals with a strong sense of intimacy and presence. This emphasis on intimacy is a standout feature, making vocals feel remarkably realistic and close.

Instruments are rendered with remarkable clarity and precision, allowing for the subtle nuances of the music to be fully appreciated. There is a subtle amount of mid-bass bleed into the lower midrange, which adds a lush quality to vocals and instruments, enhancing their thickness and richness. Despite this, the effect remains clean, enhancing the lower midrange rather than muddying it.

Male vocals sound particularly thick and lush, while instruments are full-bodied, with thick notes carrying a sense of boldness. This quality is especially noticeable in low piano notes, which exhibit clarity, definition, and a natural sound characteristic of the lower octaves.



The lower midrange of the AFUL Explorer is characterized by warmth and richness, thanks in part to the dynamic driver's contribution. Male vocals benefit greatly from this enhanced lower midrange, sounding full and authoritative. Instruments such as guitars and pianos exhibit a lifelike timbre, with a natural decay that adds to their realism.

Overall, the Explorer's lower midrange adds weight and body to the music, creating a sense of presence and depth. This characteristic makes it particularly well-suited for genres like rock, blues, and acoustic music, where the lower midrange plays a crucial role in conveying emotion and impact.


Upper Midrange

The upper midrange of the AFUL Explorer is a standout feature, offering exceptional clarity and detail that is truly delightful. Handled by the balanced armature drivers, this region of the frequency spectrum is characterized by excellent separation and transparency. Female vocals are particularly impressive, exhibiting a sweetness and clarity that is captivating. Instruments like violins and flutes also benefit, with a sparkle and airiness that enhances their ethereal quality.

This region of the Explorer's sound signature also contributes significantly to its sense of intimacy, drawing the listener deeper into the heart of the music. This quality makes the Explorer particularly enjoyable with vocal-centric music and genres that feature intricate melodies and harmonies. Additionally, the upper midrange plays a crucial role in maintaining the Explorer's overall balance, ensuring that no part of the frequency range feels overpowering or recessed.

In conclusion, the lower and upper midrange of the AFUL Explorer are finely tuned to deliver a rich, detailed, and engaging listening experience. Whether you're enjoying intimate acoustic performances or energetic rock music, the Explorer's midrange performance is sure to leave a lasting impression.


Treble

The treble of the AFUL Explorer is detailed, energetic, and well-extended, contributing to its overall engaging sound signature. The Explorer's treble presentation is particularly impressive, thanks to its dual balanced armature drivers, which handle this frequency range with finesse. The treble of the AFUL Explorer is detailed and extended, providing sparkle and airiness to the sound. Cymbals shimmer with realism, and high-frequency instruments are rendered with precision. The treble is well-balanced, never veering into harshness or sibilance. The treble extension also contributes to the Explorer's sense of balance, ensuring that no part of the frequency range feels lacking or recessed. Overall, the treble performance of the Explorer adds a layer of refinement to your listening experience.


Treble Smoothness and Control

Despite its emphasis on detail and clarity, the treble of the Explorer remains smooth and controlled, without any harshness or sibilance. If you have listened to AFUL IEMs, then you know what I am talking about. This quality makes the Explorer well-suited for long listening sessions, as the treble never becomes fatiguing or overwhelmingTop of Form

Non-Fatiguing Presentation

Despite its detailed presentation, the Explorer manages to avoid harshness or sibilance, even with poorly recorded tracks. This makes it suitable for long listening sessions, as the detail is presented in a way that is engaging and immersive without being fatiguing.


Technical Performance & Detail Retrieval

The AFUL Explorer excels in detail retrieval, offering a high level of clarity and resolution without veering into harsh or overly analytical territory. This balance is achieved through its hybrid driver configuration, which combines a dynamic driver for the lows and two balanced armature drivers for the mids and highs.

The AFUL Explorer excels in detail retrieval, allowing you to hear subtle nuances in your music that you may have missed with other IEMs. The combination of the dynamic driver and balanced armatures ensures that every detail is reproduced with accuracy and clarity.

The Explorer's dynamic driver provides a solid foundation for the music, delivering deep, well-textured bass that adds weight and impact without overshadowing the finer details. The balanced armature drivers handle the midrange and treble with finesse, offering excellent separation and clarity that allow for the nuances of the music to shine through.


Maintaining clarity during busy passages

This is an aspect that differentiates the Explorer to me from other IEMs, it can maintain clarity during busy passages.

Imaging and Soundstage

While the soundstage of the Explorer is not the widest, it is still quite impressive for an IEM in this price range. Instruments are well-placed within the soundstage, creating a sense of space and separation. Imaging is precise, allowing you to pinpoint the location of each instrument within the mix.

Intimate Sound

The intimate sound signature of the AFUL Explorer is perfect for those who enjoy a more personal listening experience. Vocals are front and center, drawing you into the music and creating a sense of connection with the artist. The Explorer excels at conveying emotion, making it ideal for genres such as jazz, blues, and acoustic.

Comparison

AFUL MagicOne

The AFUL Explorer represents a significant upgrade from the MagicOne, particularly in its bass response and upper mid-range performance. While the MagicOne is impressive for a single BA IEM, it falls short in bass depth and can sound slightly shouty in the upper mid-range with higher-pitched vocals and music.

In contrast, the Explorer offers a more balanced and refined sound signature. Its bass, both sub-bass and mid-bass, adds a much-needed fullness and richness to vocals and instruments, enhancing overall clarity and instrument separation. Importantly, the Explorer maintains vocal clarity and instrument separation without ever sounding shouty in the upper mid-range. Overall, the Explorer represents a significant upgrade and improvement in every way over the MagicOne.



Performer 5 vs. Explorer:

The Performer 5 falls short in comparison to the Explorer, particularly in bass depth and vocal intimacy. While the Performer 5 has lower bass and lacks the intimate vocals of the Explorer, the Explorer's vocals are rich and intimate, and its instruments sound full-bodied and detailed. Additionally, the Explorer maintains clarity even during busy passages. However, the Performer 5 still has its strengths, offering more detailed and better-quality treble extension, which results in a more resolving and airy sound compared to the Explorer.


Performer 8 vs. Explorer:

In comparison, the Performer 8 is still the king of resolution and instrument separation, outperforming the Explorer in these aspects. However, the Explorer excels in bass performance, offering better bass compared to the Performer 8. The Performer 8 boasts one of the best treble performances in its price bracket, providing a detailed and airy sound signature.

Truthear Nova

When comparing the AFUL Explorer to the Truthear Nova, the Explorer stands out for its more impactful bass response and slightly warmer overall sound signature. In contrast, the Nova offers a more neutral sound with lower mid-bass and thin vocals, at least to my ears. Both IEMs excel in detail retrieval, but the Explorer's dynamic driver gives it an edge in bass performance, offering greater clarity, quality, and quantity in the lower frequencies.



Kiwi Ears Quartet

When comparing the AFUL Explorer to the Kiwi Ears Quartet, the Explorer stands out for its more dynamic sound signature. The Quartet, in contrast, is much warmer but lacks in detail retrieval and technicalities. The Explorer surpasses the Quartet in several aspects, including clarity, treble extension, detail retrieval, bass texture, vocal reproduction, and imaging.



Simgot EM6L

When comparing the Simgot EM6L to the AFUL Explorer, several differences become apparent. The EM6L exhibits less sub-bass and less impactful bass, which may not reach deep enough for some listeners. The quality of the bass on the EM6L is also noted to be less detailed and textured compared to the Explorer.

Additionally, the upper mid-range of the EM6L can be prone to sounding shouty depending on the music genre. The EM6L features a QDC connector, distinguishing it from other Simgot IEMs. However, despite these features, I prefer other Simgot IEMs over the EM6L.


In contrast, the AFUL Explorer offers a more balanced sound signature that remains smooth and enjoyable across various music genres, never sounding shouty or harsh. The Explorer also provides a more full-bodied and balanced sound compared to the EM6L. While the EM6L boasts more treble extension, giving it a slightly more airy sound, the Explorer is favored for its overall sound quality and balance.


Myer Audio CKLVX D41

The Myer Audio CKLVX D41 is another impressive IEM that has caught my attention recently, despite its higher cost compared to the Explorer. I find it worthwhile to compare these two IEMs because they share some similarities in their sound signatures. Both IEMs exhibit a noticeable bass presence, but the Explorer stands out with its stronger bass slam, impact sub-bass, and more textured bass overall.

One key difference I've noticed is in the treble region: the CKLVX D41 has an elevated treble around the 12K region and higher, resulting in some hi-hats and cymbal strikes sounding splashy. In contrast, the Explorer offers a more intimate sound signature. Detail retrieval is similar in both IEMs, and without having them side by side, it's challenging for me to differentiate between them due to their overall similar sound signatures. This speaks to the quality of the Explorer's sound.



Personally, I prefer the sound of the Explorer because its treble never sounds splashy to my ears, allowing me to enjoy my music without experiencing fatigue. Additionally, the Explorer is much more comfortable to wear compared to the CKLVX D41, as the latter's larger size and elevated earpieces cause discomfort for my ears. The Explorer provides me with a better fit, enhancing my overall listening experience.

XENNS UP

While it may be an unfair comparison, I feel it's important to include the XENNS UP in this discussion because of the striking similarities in tonality between the two IEMs. The main difference lies in the XENNS UP's superior detail retrieval, wider soundstage, and more forward mid-range presentation.



Conclusion

In conclusion, the AFUL Explorer is a standout IEM that offers a unique sound signature that will appeal to a wide range of people. With its powerful bass, detailed midrange, and extended treble, the Explorer delivers a listening experience that is both engaging and immersive. The AFUL Explorer has something to offer to everyone Pair it with a high-quality source and you'll unlock a world of sonic bliss that will leave you craving for more.