AUDIOFLY AF120 IN-EAR MONITORS
stem, making for a moderately annoying fix when replacing them. On the plus side, Audiofly are generous enough to provide an assortment of foam and rubber tips for the user to mix and match with.
SOUND ON SOUND
Of course, the most important aspect of these ears is the sound. If I could only choose one single adjective here, it would be “crisp”. For the price point, the ears reproduce the clarity and presence of familiar tracks with aplomb. The stereo placement contributes to the feeling of transparency and definition. Tom rolls, doubletracked guitars and backing vocals pop pleasingly in the side channels, and there’s powerful articulation in the centre of the soundstage. And these things feel loud, too. You won’t need to crank the volume much to feel immersed in sound.
Make no mistake: the units sound great on their own. But compared to my favoured personal in-ear in a similar price bracket, I had a few gripes. Low frequencies were reproduced cleanly and sufficiently in the AF120s, but still noticeably less present than with my own. Consequently, the presence region of the Audioflys lacked the pleasant silkiness of the comparison set. Midrange response felt comparable, but the AF120s still manifested a subtle spikiness that I couldn’t shake. This was especially apparent in genres like pop and metal that boost both the lows and highs. The pronounced clarity of the headphones felt like they unbalanced the mix a little.
YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY
These are high-level nitpicks — important, but also subjective. Your own ears are the judge. If you can try before you buy any kind of headphone, you should. Personally, the Audioflys would not be my first choice for music production or appreciation, but they are still strong contenders for these tasks in an objective sense. Furthermore, they excel as live monitors. The crispness of the sound will help your in-ear mix cut through, and the sturdy comfort of the product really comes into its own onstage. You’re getting a lot of the quality of a custom mold without the price and hassle.
THE BOTTOM LINE
These would be a great choice for musos looking for in-ears that would do the job onstage as well as during the downtime between shows. They look great, are built to last, and won’t break the bank.