AFUL Performer 8S Review — Headfonics

Marcelo reviews the AFUL Performer 8S, a new hybrid single dynamic, 6 BA, passive radiator, and a micro planar driver universal IEM. It is currently priced at $389.99.

Disclaimer: This sample was sent to me in exchange for my honest opinion. Headfonics is an independent website with no affiliate links or status. I thank HiFiGO and AFUL for this opportunity.

Click here to read more about AFUL products previously reviewed on Headfonics.

This article follows our current scoring guidelines, which you can read in more detail here.

AFUL Performer 8S Review

Summary

The AFUL Performer 8S has a tuning and sound that many westerners I know would love, thanks to its relaxed upper midrange and lower treble, with elevated sub-bass. I would recommend the Performer 8s to such listeners. I would be hesitant to recommend the Performer 8S to people who like forward-sounding female vocals and treble, though.

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8.5

Pros

Sensitive and very easy to drive.

Spacious staging with acceptable imaging.

Pleasing tonality and remarkably clean sounding.

Cons

Female vocals lack presence and palpability.

I’ve always viewed AFUL as a mid-range to high-end company of the highest regard. Their product range starts with the most affordable AFUL Explorer at $108, which I previously reviewed.

It extends to their $1,299 flagship, the AFUL DAWN-X, which I heard as an engineering sample at HiFiGO’s booth during Singapore CanJam 2025. Both IEMs are nice-sounding and highly competitive in their respective price range.

Since then, I have always wanted to review another AFUL IEMs but haven’t had the opportunity.

I got excited when I learned I would be reviewing the AFUL Performer 8S, which sells for $389.99, especially because of its adjustable passive bass radiator design and the fact that it’s the successor to the Performer 8, which I’d heard and enjoyed.

So, how does the Performer 8S perform, especially when compared to other IEMs, including the Kinera NOTT Phantom and Kiwi Ears Septet? Find out in my full review below.

Features

The Performer 8S is a feature-rich tribrid set that combines a 9-driver architecture with 1 dynamic driver, 1 passive radiator, 6 balanced-armature drivers, and 1 micro-planar magnetic driver.

It also includes patented acoustic technologies, such as RESInators, which use ultra-precise 3D-printed micro-resonant channels to correct non-ideal driver behavior.

The Performer 8S also features an adjustable passive radiator system that lets the user choose to close the vent for tight, punchy bass or open it for softer, more elastic, and deeper bass.

Aside from the acoustic correction, the Performer 8S also employs an RLC (resistor, inductor, and capacitor) dividing network that splits the signal to the driver groups for optimal frequency and power response. Performer 8S has an impedance of 26 Ohms and an average sensitivity of 108 dB.

Additionally, the Performer 8S features an effective pressure-release system that prevents pressure buildup in the ear canal, which can cause headache, nausea, and ear pain during walking and running.

Adjustable Passive Unit + Pressure Balancing

AFUL never included instructions for adjusting the Performer 8S’s Passive Unit + Pressure Balancing feature, but I figured it out on my own.

From the factory, the Adjustable Passive Unit + Pressure Balancing vent is covered by a round black sticker that is difficult to see. It is located beside the Passive radiator window.

The user must remove the sticker to open the vent and change the sound. Aside from the one already installed, Performer S includes 20 round black sticker vent covers.

There is another way to seal the vent: plug the tiny rubber plugs included in the package. The Performer 8S comes with 6 rubber plugs.

Design

The Performer 8S features a 3D printed resin shell, including the faceplate.  

There is a clear circular window on the black shell, allowing you to view what seems to be the passive radiator, which is a nice design touch. The nozzle is made of the same resin and is covered with a custom metal grille.

There is a vent hole near the faceplate in a corner that serves as a pressure-release vent. Another hole, originally covered by a round black sticker, serves as the Adjustable Passive Unit + Pressure Balancing vent near the flush-mounted 2-pin connector.

I like the faceplate design, inspired by Jupiter and echoing its striped gas formations. It is handcrafted by artisans using ultra-fine brushes and pearl pigments to paint Jupiter’s swirling storms layer by layer, creating a 3D-like effect.

Silver glitter flakes are embedded in clear resin, creating floating, multi-layered rings that shift in light and reveal dynamic contrasts.

Abalone fragments are hand-set in random patterns, forming a unique “meteor belt” for every earphone, which makes each earphone unique.

Stock Cable

The Performer 8S’s stock 1.2 m cable feels very high-quality and is 5 mm thick, with a similar feel and thickness to most high-end branded cables I have reviewed or tested.

It has six wires with a brown-silver color, and the hard parts are all metal finished in shiny black and chrome.

My review sample included a 4.4 mm cable, but a 3.5 mm cable option is available at checkout.

Comfort & Isolation

Thanks to the Performer 8S’s below-average weight of 6 grams each, an average-size nozzle with a 5.7 mm diameter, and the comfortable stock ear tips.

The Performer S is very comfortable to wear and barely noticeable when I was walking or sitting at a coffee shop. I find it very suitable for long listening sessions.

The noise isolation is good, just like most IEMs I’ve tested recently. The outside noise can be heard but becomes inaudible even when music at a low volume is playing.

Packaging & Accessories

I had a good unboxing experience with the Performer 8S. Its 226 x 150 x 60 mm box is a sleeve-covered, clamshell-type box. Foam and cardboard protect the IEMs inside.

The package includes a pair of Performer 8S IEMs, nine pairs of ear tips, user manuals, a 4.4mm cable, a set of black sticker vent covers, a hard leather case, and six rubber vent plugs.

Sound Impressions

For the sources, I used my iBasso DC-Elite and MUSE HiFi M6 Double DAC amplifiers, with my OnePlus 13 Android phone and Sony DAP as the music source, and the FiiO M15s DAP, using either UAPP or PowerAmp music player Apps. No EQ or any sound enhancement programs were used.

There are subtle differences in sound among the three types of ear tips included; however, I couldn’t tell which one sounded best, as all of them sound good, so I decided to use the orange-stemmed ear tips for this review, which were factory-preinstalled. As well as the stock 4.4 mm cable.

Measurements

My measurements reveal a nearly perfectly channel-balanced set, which is very impressive given that the Performer 8S has nine drivers per side. This indicates a very high standard of manufacturing quality.

To make sure, I repeatedly measured the difference between the open and closed vents in its Adjustable Passive Unit + Pressure Balancing feature, and my measurements show identical graphs; however, there are differences in sound during actual listening, which I will discuss below.

I must mention that while calibrating my measurement rig, I had to significantly reduce the signal output volume to reach the 85 dB reference. This means the Performer 8S has above-average sensitivity.

Summary

While my graphs show identical curves, the sound differs between the open and closed Adjustable Passive Unit + Pressure Balancing vent.

I agree with AFUL when they said, “With the vent closed, the bass is more stable, solid, and controlled. Opening it gives the bass better elasticity, deeper extension, and a smoother, softer character.”

With the vent closed, the Performer 8S has a punchy, energetic, dynamic bass with slightly more mid-bass than the open vent setting, which has deeper, less mid-bass, smoother, more articulate, and more accurate bass.

I prefer neutrality or near-neutrality, so I used the open vent setting for this review.

That said, the Performer 8S presents a very refined, clean, accurate, and transparent sound with a mild warmth and plenty of details.

It never sounds fatiguing, clinical, cold, or dry. Performer 8S has a smooth, near-neutral, well-balanced, mildly U-shaped sound signature.

From lower midrange to the upper midrange, the sound is very smooth, accurate, and neutral. There is lushness to the sound with good clarity and note weight.

Thanks to the very mild pinna gain, midrange is never shouty or too forward. This also makes the instrument and vocals sound more laid-back and polite.

Treble is very smooth and extended, with plenty of macro and micro details; suffice it to say, the treble is well resolved. I like the air, cleanliness, and tuning of the treble, which has a very clear, lively sound yet never becomes noisy or draws attention to itself.

Coloration

There is little coloration in the Performer 8S. Coloration becomes obvious only when the vent hole is closed, producing a slight boominess in the bass. With the vent open, the bass is accurate, fast, and uncolored.

Suppose I must nitpick the sound, although I don’t consider this a coloration in the same way as honkiness in the midrange, nasal quality in the vocals, or sharpness in the treble.

The Performer 8S has a slight elevation around 8 kHz, which I don’t perceive as coloration at all, but rather a slight natural boost that adds life to the sound.

I must add, though I also don’t personally consider this a coloration but rather a tuning decision, that there is an intentional recession in the upper midrange and lower treble, which makes the snap of the snare drum or other instruments polite.

This tuning suits most Westerners’ tuning taste as opposed to most Easterners’ or Asian music lovers, where the upper midrange and lower treble are elevated. I appreciate both tuning styles, but in actuality, I’m in between.

To the Performer 8S’s credit, I don’t hear any driver incoherence despite it having multiple drivers; the sound is very coherent, as if it’s coming from one driver, or at least the drivers are singing the same song with perfect timing.

Additionally, I don’t hear any planar or BA timbre; the drivers are very well behaved and integrated.

Soundstage

Soundstage is big, wide, deep, and high. The Performer 8S is delightfully spacious-sounding. There is a substantial space between the listener and the performers. I like that the stage is expansive and high, creating a big soundscape.

There is good separation between the instruments and vocals, with front-to-back layering. I hear good lateral panning that maintains integrity as it moves across the soundstage.

However, the images are not as defined as the best. I also regret that the vocals, especially the female vocals, aren’t as prominent as I’d like. There is a sense that the overall presentation of the music is a little too laid-back for my taste.

Dynamics

Despite the smooth sound signature, the Performer 8S is very dynamic and lively-sounding. I attribute this to its drivability and above-average sensitivity. Thanks to its sub-bass and upper treble boost, Performer 8S never sounds boring.

Even when paired with low-powered tail-style dongle DACs not mentioned in this review, the dynamics are effortless.

And when paired with high-powered sources such as the FiiO M15s, the Performer 8S can take all the power and go as loud as my hearing can take.

Click on page 2 below for my recommended pairings and selected comparisons.

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