Thanks for sharing!

Great to hear!

It certainly has something truly special going on :)

Thank you! Cheers!

Thanks for watching!

Glad you like them! Most of the reviews of the Hype 2 are positive, but nothing to suggest that they would be more “special” than the P8s. They do not sound to be as balanced or as detailed. Still I would love to try them…I just do not have the funds at the moment for a $300 pair of iems :)

Also, the configuration is almost identical to the Kiwi Ears Quartet…and there is a unsubstantiated rumor out there that the design teams at Thie and Kiwi are closely related. Unless they used way better drivers (BAs) in the Thie, I am not how sure how different it could sound than the Quartet. :)

@@StephenIngraham that's a good point! Thanks for the insights!

Thank you too!

Thank you.

Thank you. The cables are KBEars graphine/copper/silver cables. About $30 from Amazon. They are high quality cables, and worthy of extraordinary iems, but the chin thingy does not work as well as some others I own. :)

@@StephenIngraham thanks so much! I already own some Kbear cables (a litttle bit cheaper ones), but yours definitely look prettier. I'm gonna look after them!

I just got a 4.4mm stock cable from hifigo for the p8. The chin slider doesn’t work as well as the 3.5mm stock one though, idk why. It’s the same cable with a 4.4 🤷‍♂️

​@@Jan_de_MorI believe the silver cable is the KBEAR chord, the darker is the KBEAR hazy

Much appreciated!

I guess it matters what you mean by “expansive”…I hear the soundstage as very wide but quite flat, while the P8 is much more rounded. :)

Apples and oranges. The P5 is an excellent “conventional” iem…safe tuning, nothing special in detail and stage…but a good listen no matter what you listen to. The Quintet is “special”….slightly exaggerated in all ways…especially in the sense of space. I love it…but it is definitely not “ordinary” or “conventional” in any way. Over the top, for when you are in that mood. I am not sure that helps. If it were me, I would pick the Quintet. :)

They are very different so it is hard to say…The Performer 5 is a good iem…all a rounder…the Quintet is for those who like the “exploded” view of music. The P5 lets you listen to music as you might hear it performed live…the Quintet puts you inside the music. ?? Depends totally on what you want to get out of your listening experience.

@@StephenIngraham gracias

The Aful Performer 8 is slightly more comfortable in my ears. The stem on the Quintet is longer and inserts deeper into the ear if you put the iems in snuggly.

P8 is more comfortable and shallower fitting. I use spinfit w1 on both. Both are comfy to me, but the p8 has that semi custom fit.

@@Hijynx87 Hearing a lot of good reviews on W1. My friend just got Monarch mk2 and loves the W1 on it ... and the monarchs :D

I would love to review them but my wallet is empty.

Also, the configuration is almost identical to the Kiwi Ears Quartet…and there is a unsubstantiated rumor out there that the design teams at Thie and Kiwi are closely related. Unless they used way better drivers (BAs) in the Thie, I am not how sure how different it could sound than the Quartet. :)

@@StephenIngrahamI think they both use Knowles. The hype 2 is a completely different iem though, it’s more of a v towards bass and flat mids.edit oh the hype 2 uses Sonian

Honesty. I could be perfectly happy with the Quintet, and save myself almost $200. :) But that is just me. Objectively the P8 is probably more “true to life.”

@@StephenIngraham Righto! Thanks. That extra money savings does sound tempting! Have couple of 60dollars iems. Going for one big quality upgrade before this hobby gets out of hand!

Got the P8 as they offered it for 90 dollars more than Quintet - and not 200. So that made my decision easier. And It’s an aural gourmet, once you jump from a sub 100$ category to mid-tier like Aful Performer 8. The lush crisply-clear tonals, the full-bodied texture of the music hits the eardrums first. Like a sun-drenched wave on a cold day. Without experience of other mid-tier IEMs, I would have to assume they cohabit with P8 in that sound-scape. And then the details that leap out; each sound wave emanating from an instrument is crystallised into delivering a ear-gasm and you genuinely hear stuff that the very good sub-100 IEMs hint at. Aural veil seems to clear up with P8, and you are in presence with pure music. Balanced, pure, natural sound - the mids are a stand-out highlight but the vocals aren’t pushed forward. They reside where they should be. The bass isn’t for bassheads, but it delivers the glide bass - that hit-and-linger that doesn’t bleed on. I personally am satisfied with this kind of bass feel, just enough to warm the mids and not too much to prevent the treble sparkle to weave its magic details. What it doesn’t have is wow-ing holographic soundstage; there is excellent vertical layeration, it feels realistically wide, cogent separation and a crystal clarity to various sounds whose details keep tumbling out lush-ly, but I suspect what some of the more holographic IEMs or even the lesser-priced Quintet offers - not quite natural but exaggerated soundstage isn’t here. If I buy another IEM, it would be to experience that. That can wait for months. Until then, will savour this P8. Thanks for the reviews. It helped.

@@Crashboomwallop Glad to be of help.

I am currently using a KBEars cable…the graphine one.

@@StephenIngraham thanks!

The Perfromer 8 is totally about transparent reality…it is just the music and nothing but the music…but it is, therefore, not very musical…a bit sterile. While it is a great iem, and a real ear cleanser, it is not all that fun to listen to…or I should say that several of my other iems, while not technically as good as the P8, and just more fun to listen to. The heart wants what the heart wants. I totally respect, and even admire, the P8…but I don’t love it. Or maybe I mean to say, I don’t love my music as much when played on the P8 as I do, say on the Quintet (for special occasions), or the Penon Fan2 (for daily listening), or even the Celest Phoenix Call, which is getting a lot of play time right now…and all of those are way less expensive…so they have that going for them too. And, I really enjoy a wide, deep, detailed soundstage…not the P8s strongpoint. So not any one thing…just a bunch of things that add up. If that is any help. I am testing the Magicone right now and the new Ziigaat Cinno. Both have the potential to find their way into my rotation…while the P8 sits in my iem case. :(

@@StephenIngraham Thank you for the very detailed response! I'm sure other people would enjoy an update like this in video form! I have the phoenix call too, and I like it a lot, except that fit is a bit problematic for me, so it's quite rare that I can get myself to actually use it for longer periods of time. I realized that I value comfort and a snug stable fit way more than I was willing to admit to myself when chasing different sounds. I will consider the performer 8 and a couple of other options for a bit more before deciding. PS. Thank you for the music recommendations in your videos! To return the favour: If you ever feel like electric guitars, consider giving Takeshi Terauchi a listen!

Try the KBEars K7 tips. They come in 3 standard sizes and a couple of intermediate. They work well on the Phoenix Call for me, and i have “hard to fit” ears. :) I use the medium/large. They are not expensive either.

@@1jaasuh I plan a video on the difference between iems you respect and admire and those you love…I am not sure how it will go down, but it is on my list of things to do. :)

@StephenIngraham I'm looking forward to it! I'm sure it will be well received. After all only time can tell what we truly like and therefore reach for. I'm also looking forward to the magic one review you mentioned. I'm really drawn to the design, it just looks so pretty!

It is the KBEars graphite/copper/silver cable…comes in the black coffee color and a silver white…I have one of each and use the light one on my Quintets. Excellent cables.

you have a link? plssss @@StephenIngraham

@@pandygrafics1410 Got them on Amazon US. Just search for KBEars iem cable. They offer several. This one is around $30. :)

Glad you are enjoying it!

:) Thanks. I hope they listen to you more than they listen to me.

I can only go by what I have heard, and I have not heard the Canon 2 :) Would love to but the budget only stretches so far, and I am still paying off the P8s. :)