Short answer: the FiiO FH3. It ranks #897 of 1291 in-ear headphones by sound quality, rated 3.3/5, at $119.99; the AFUL Explorer ranks #965, rated 3.1/5, at $119.99. With prices this close, go by the sound-quality ranking rather than the cost.
The case for the FiiO FH3: Bass and sub-bass sit within about 1 dB above the Harman target, giving kick drums and bass guitar a full, warm foundation without bloat. The catch: The 3 to 6 kHz presence region sits about 5.7 dB below target, with a dip of 7.4 dB near 6.5 kHz, so vocals and cymbals lose bite and detail.
What the AFUL Explorer does well: Bass extends flat to 20 Hz and sits on target across 38 measurements, giving full, even low end without boom. The catch: The presence region is about 7 dB low with an 8.6 dB dip near 4.1 kHz, the deepest in this group, so vocals sound distant and instruments lose definition.
Buy the FiiO FH3. It is rated higher for sound quality than the AFUL Explorer at the same price, so it is the default pick unless a specific strength of the other one matters more to you.
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Bass and sub-bass sit within about 1 dB above the Harman target, giving kick drums and bass guitar a full, warm foundation without bloat.
Amazon $119.99 Lowest AliExpress $122.23 eBay
Bass extends flat to 20 Hz and sits on target across 38 measurements, giving full, even low end without boom.
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Specifications Side By Side
| FiiO FH3 | AFUL Explorer | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $119.99 | $119.99 |
| Ranked | #897 of 1291 in In-Ear Headphones | #965 of 1291 in In-Ear Headphones |
| Form Factor | In-ear | In-ear |
| Harman Preference Score | 65 (measured by HypetheSonics, via AutoEQ) | 63 (median of 38 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) |
| Deviation From Target | 2.59 dB standard deviation | 2.68 dB standard deviation |
| Tonal Tilt | -0.86 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) | -0.99 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) |
| Sub-bass Extension | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (+1.1 dB at 30 Hz) | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (+0.0 dB at 30 Hz) |
| Connection | Wired | Wired |
| Driver Type | Hybrid (1 dynamic + 2 balanced armature) | Hybrid |
| Drivers | 1 x 10mm dynamic + 2 x balanced armature | 1 x 8mm dynamic + 2 x balanced armature |
| Impedance | 24 ohms | 26 ohms |
| Sensitivity | 114 dB/mW | 108 dB/mW |
| Weight | 0 lbs (7.3 g) per earbud | - |
| Frequency Response | 10Hz - 40kHz (Manufacturer specified) | 10Hz - 30kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| Back | Closed | Closed |
Frequency Response Compared
Both headphones’ measurements overlaid on the Harman target. Above the target sounds louder in that range, below it quieter. Each curve is the median of several independent measurements, shifted so its 500 Hz to 2 kHz average sits at 0 dB, so only the tuning is compared.
Measurement data: the FiiO FH3 from adri-n, dentreviews, ekaudio, gadgetrytech, harutohiroki, jaytiss, lown-fi, melatonin, musicafe, precog, rg, superreview, theaudiostore, therollo9, timmyv and treblewellxtended; the AFUL Explorer from aden, adri-n, atechreviews, audioamigo, awsmdanny, banzai1122, bassaudio, boizoff, breampike, bryaudioreviews, dvewlsh, eplv, fahryst, flare, gadgetrytech, hadoe, hoods, hu-fi, iemocean, iemworld, jaytiss, koi, kuping-sensi, listener, lown-fi, lumerion, obodio, practiphile, precog, silicagel, sl0the, soundcheck39, soundignity, superreview, theaudiostore, therollo9, timmyv and treblewellxtended, all via squig.link.
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