Audiofly AF180 In-Ear Monitors Headphone Review

1. Introduction
2. The Listening Experience, What's Hot, What's Not & Final Thoughts

TweakTown's Rating: 94%

The Bottom Line

Where has Audiofly been all my life? The AF180s are an absolutely stunning piece of in-ear monitors, with an insane amount of quality inside, and out. One of the best audio products I've ever used, period.

Introduction

For those who aren't aware of Audiofly, it is a brand out of Australia that makes some seriously amazing headphones. The company works with musicians during the development of its products to ensure it meets the needs of those who are working on audio each and every day, to ensure its products are the absolute best they can be.

Audiofly mixes this top-of-the-line engineering with a classic design, for some beautiful headphones. The company has drivers that are customized for "insane detail" as it puts it, with super strong "CORDURA" fabric cables, hybrid speaker configurations for warmth and clarity, as well as clearer microphone technology.

The company is relatively new, being founded in 2011, but have quickly become a force to be reckoned with in the audio industry. When the company reached out to me about reviewing their flagship AF180 in-ear monitors, I wouldn't be able to resist myself.

Specifications, Pricing and Availability

The AF180 in-ear monitors are part of Audiofly's Performance Series, with three other models sitting beside them. Starting with the AF120, AF140 and the AF160, the AF180 is the pinnacle of Audiofly's in-ear monitors.

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Audiofly has engineered four armature drivers into the AF180s, something that the company says is "geared for unparalleled speed and clarity". The cable itself is something that I've never quite experienced before, and while I've had my fair share of braided cables, the materials that Audiofly have made the cable from is nothing short of amazing.

The company has a super light twisted cable with its CORDURA fabric which reinforce most of the cable. This means that you're not going to get a damaged cable after taking it around and using it for months and months on end.

When it comes to pricing, Audiofly are aiming for the true enthusiasts with its AF180s, with a price of $549.95 AUD. Audiofly sells its audio products throughout the world, but the AF180s aren't found everywhere. Amazon has the AF120 listed, but not the AF180s for example.

What's In The Box

When looking at the box, you know you have a quality device that you're about to use - especially when you've just slapped down $550 - but it's once the box is opened and you get into the goods that you know that you've got something truly amazing in your possession.

The front of the package shows off the AF180s, and that they are dual driver in-ear monitors. We have more information on the front, teasing that there is a leather storage wallet included, something we're going to take a look at shortly.

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There's a magnetic flap that keeps the front peeled to the box, but you can peel this back to reveal the inside of the packaging. On the left we have some information on the company, on the right, we have the Audiofly AF180s.

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A closer look at the package, where we can see the leather storage wallet, and the AF180s above it.

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Once everything is out of the package, we can see that we have some instructions, a manual, the AF180s and the high quality leather storage wallet.

Here we have a closer look at the leather storage wallet, which is nothing short of awesome. It feels great in the hand, looks high quality, and will keep your expensive AF180s nice and safe.

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Here we have a few up close and personal shots of the AF180s. The color scheme used by Audiofly is gorgeous, with a beautiful blue and black theme that really plays well with the design of the in-ear monitors.

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Here we have an up-close look at that super light twisted cable with its CORDURA fabric.

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These final two shots are using the macro lens on my camera, to get an even closer look at the high-quality leather storage wallet that Audiofly includes in the packaging for the AF180s.

PRICING: You can find the Audiofly AF180 In-Ear Headphones (Stone Blue) for sale below. The prices listed are valid at the time of writing but can change at any time. Click the link to see the very latest pricing for the best deal.

United States: The Audiofly AF180 In-Ear Headphones (Stone Blue) retails for $850.00 at Amazon.

Canada: The Audiofly AF180 In-Ear Headphones (Stone Blue) retails for CDN$785.43 at Amazon Canada.

The Listening Experience, What's Hot, What's Not & Final Thoughts

The Listening Experience

I plugged the Audiofly AF180s into my PC, which is powered by an ASUS Rampage IV Black Edition motherboard, which has ASUS' SupremeFX Black, which pumps out a truly amazing 120dB signal-to-noise ratio, with an integrated 600ohm-headphone amplifier.

I was watching an episode of HBO's 'Veep' at the time, where I took my pictures, and then plugged in the AF180s. I went into VLC and resumed watching the episode, and was absolutely blown away from the amount of sound being pumped through these tiny little in-ear monitors. So much so that I had to put the episode on pause and reduce the volume from my normal setting of 100%, to just 15%.

Audiofly have a pair of super powerful in-ear monitors on their hands with the AF180, to the point where it blows away every other in-ear product I've ever used, period. There is absolutely nothing that comes close to the audio output of these in-ear monitors, where they put out the same, and sometimes much more power than some of my proper over-ear headphones.

When plugged into my Sony Xperia Z2 smartphone, the quality continues over - amazing clarity, deep and thumping bass. Han Zimmer's work on the Man of Steel soundtrack really comes out on the AF180s, with those drums in 'Oil Rig' really sounding quite amazing.

I even listened to some of the Frozen soundtrack - what, my daughter loves it and now I do too - with the same clarity and amazingly quality in every track on the AF180s. Turning to some Rage Against the Machine, we find the same quality and bass - the simple thing is, if you want some absolutely incredible sound, Audiofly has your back with the AF180s.

What's Hot, What's Not & Final Thoughts

For those who want to sum up the entire review in a few points, the What's Hot and What's Not part of my review will help you. Skip right to this bit if you want a quick read, or if you want to find out what I found to be the most notable parts of the Harmoniq Pro, we're going to jump into that right now.

What's Hot

Holy Volume Output, Batman!Proud: The first thing I did with these in-ear monitors is plug them into my desktop PC, and watch an episode of HBO's 'Veep'. Big mistake. I had the volume sitting at my default 100%, to which the AF180s cranked out an incredible amount of sound. I had to reduce the volume to just 15%, where it wasn't painful for my ears. There's nothing wrong here, but it shows just how mind-blowing these in-ear monitors are.

Nothing But Extremely High Quality: Everything from the box to the included leather wallet, the Audiofly AF180 is an experience of utter quality and prestige.

Lots of Useful Included Accessories: There are plenty of earbuds for all different ear types, something that you wouldn't find with most other similar products - something that was nice to see from Audiofly.

What's Not

Expensive, Limited To a Few: I have gushed on long enough, but the only thing I can find wrong with the Audiofly AF180s is their super high price. But, Audiofly isn't going for the mainstreamer here, it's going for a very specific consumer who knows they're spending a considerable sum on in-ear monitors, and wants nothing but the best.

Final Thoughts

Audiofly is a brand I've wanted to try for quite a long time, and now I have. I've walked away with so much appreciation for the company that I don't know how I could use anything less, but the AF180s are some of the most expensive in-ear monitors on the planet, and for a damn good reason.

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If you're someone who travels a lot, or catches public transport to and from school/college/work, the Audiofly AF180s could be, and should be your next purchase. They give an amazing sense of noise cancellation, absolutely beautiful, crisp and perfect sound with a great amount of bass. So much pleasure for your ears can come from something small.

PRICING: You can find the Audiofly AF180 In-Ear Headphones (Stone Blue) for sale below. The prices listed are valid at the time of writing but can change at any time. Click the link to see the very latest pricing for the best deal.

United States: The Audiofly AF180 In-Ear Headphones (Stone Blue) retails for $850.00 at Amazon.

Canada: The Audiofly AF180 In-Ear Headphones (Stone Blue) retails for CDN$785.43 at Amazon Canada.