AFUL MagicOne: Do Not Misinterpret the Hype!

Pros

• Excellent stock cable
• High quality and complete accessories
• Very good fit and comfort
• Surprisingly full bass from single BA
• Rich, lush lower midrange
• Laid back upper midrange
• Good note weight 
• Very smooth treble
• Good treble extension
• Decent technicalities

Cons

• Very hard to drive
• Pressure build up due to ventless design
• Bass lacks physicality and rumble
• Slightly congested vocals
• Price is not competitive

Disclaimer

• Huge thanks to HiFiGo for providing a discount for me to review the AFUL MagicOne. I really do appreciate it. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own, and are not influenced in any way. 
• Please take this review with only a grain of salt, as everyone's hearing, fit, and gears may differ, so our experience may be different.

Price(MSRP)

• $139.99

Source(s)

• One of the hardest to drive IEMs I owned. However, both of my dongles are able to drive it with the 4.4mm output without any issues.
• FiiO KA13
• Truthear Shio

Ear tips

• Tangzu Tang Sancai

Packaging

• AFUL MagicOne with M sized wide bore silicone ear tips attached
• Hard metal storage case
• Good selection of ear tips.
• 2 pairs of generic wide bore silicone ear tips (S,  L)
• 3 pairs of generic narrow bore silicone ear tips (S, M, L)
• High-Purity Hybrid Stock Cable
• Feels quite premium and soft, doesn't tangle often at all.
• Ear hooks are very comfortable as well. 
• Only the connectors feel a little plasticky but this is just me nitpicking. 

Build Quality

• Good build quality, shell is made out of resin.

Fit

• Nozzle length and width are about average.
  
• One of the most comfortable IEMs I have tried in a while, very lightweight and sits very well in my ear. 
• However, pressure does get built up easily due to the ventless design. Personally, I use the Sancai tips to solve this problem for me.

Tonality

• Warm neutral. 

Bass

• Mid bass is more prominent than sub bass.
• Bass sounds surprisingly full, with good texture and thump.
• However, it still lacks the physicality, slam and rumble from a DD. 
• The bass is also not the most well controlled, and decay is slightly slower.
• Overall, despite the cons, the bass is still impressive to me considering that this is only a single BA IEM, where even multiple BA IEMs tend to not do well in this section.

Midrange

• Midrange is quite warm and rich, and is not really recessed at all.
• Lower midrange sounds full, which makes male vocals sound forward and lush without being bloated or muddy
• Upper midrange on the other hand sounds smooth and laid back. Female vocals barely pop out from the mix, which is perfect if you want a more relaxed presentation but I prefer a little more energy here based on my preference. Female vocals also have a slightly huskiness sometimes from the extra warmth in the lower end but it doesn't affect my overall listening experience too much.
• Timbre is great, everything including vocals and instruments sounded quite natural most of the time.
• Note weight and density is thick and heavy throughout the midrange, which honestly is surprising again for the single BA configuration. 

Treble

• Treble is very smooth throughout the low and mid treble, with enough sparkle to shine through without being fatiguing or harsh even after long listening sessions.
• Treble extension is also good, which adds some airiness to it.
• Details can be perceived fine, doesn't sound like the details are presented too "in your face". It sounds just about right, not too boosted and not too hidden.

Technicalities

Resolution

• Resolution and detail retrieval is decent for an IEM in this range, nothing groundbreaking but not bad either. Definitely went above my expectation for a single BA IEM by a little though.

Soundstage

• Soundstage is decent in terms of width and depth but nothing outstanding. At least it doesn't sound narrow and cramped.

Imaging

• Imaging and accuracy is good, I am able to pinpoint positions quite easily and accurately.

Separation

• Separation and layering is overall quite decent, but vocals may sound a little congested at times and not as well separated. 
• This may be because of the warmer low end and lack of upper midrange energy for the vocals to pop out sometimes. 

Conclusion

• Overall, the AFUL MagicOne exceeded a lot of my expectations for a single BA IEM. However, given the price tag of $140, it doesn't compete too well against other competitors in this price bracket. But again, if you're a fan of new tech and wanted to collect something that has a unique driver configuration, then I would say that this is a worthy IEM to collect, considering that the accessories are very complete and good.
• I am still very impressed by what AFUL has pulled off in the MagicOne, and I am looking forward to how they are able to implement this technology on their future products

Non Affiliated Link

• If you are interested after reading the article, feel free to check out the non affiliated link below.

• HiFiGo Web: 
• https://hifigo.com/products/aful-magicone

• Aliexpress:
• https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006184207746.html

• Amazon US: 
• https://www.amazon.com/HiFiGo-MagicOne-Earphones-Revolutionary-Technology/dp/B0CM5PMWGY?th=1

• Amazon JP: 
• https://www.amazon.co.jp/HiFiGo-MagicOne-%E3%83%90%E3%83%A9%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B9%E3%83%89%E3%82%A2%E3%83%BC%E3%83%9E%E3%83%81%E3%83%A5%E3%82%A2%E3%82%A4%E3%83%A4%E3%83%9B%E3%83%B3%E3%80%81%E9%9D%A9%E6%96%B0%E7%9A%84%E3%81%AA-SE-Math-%E9%9F%B3%E9%9F%BF%E3%83%86%E3%82%AF%E3%83%8E%E3%83%AD%E3%82%B8%E3%83%BC%E3%82%92%E5%82%99%E3%81%88%E3%81%9F/dp/B0CM5Q1T2X?th=1

Thanks for reading!