This and That:
Comes in a large cardboard box packaging with many included accessories.
Definitely a premium unboxing experience and way improved over the times when I bought my InEar SD-2 that didn't have any proper packaging at all but came with all of the accessories and the in-ear stored inside the protective case (on the other hand, that's a good way to reduce waste).
Large, protective and sturdy carrying case with proper rubber and foam padding on the inside - unfortunately it doesn't have a holder for the cleaning tool that is also used to access the two switches on each shell (my UERMs' case is superior in this regard, as it does have a holder for the cleaning tool). There's unfortunately no holder for the drying capsule, either.
Proper industry standard cable with twisted conductors - supple, light and flexible. No real surprise here. Thankfully still 2-pin connections and no MMCX.
8 Balanced Armature drivers per side.
Ergonomically shaped shells with engraved model and serial number. High comfort.
Matte, sand-blasted finish. It's a matter of taste, but I have to say that I like it better in person than on the photos I saw before I bought the in-ear.
Two switches on the inner side of each shell (the one closer to one's back of the head is the bass switch whereas the other one is the treble switch - definitely easy to remember). Unfortunately they cannot be operated without separate tools (and the shells must also be removed from one's ears).
Sound:
Largest included black silicone tips, low impedance sources (mainly my RME ADI-2 DAC for stationary listening; sometimes the FiiO Q5 with AM1 module for PC listening or my iBasso DX90 for semi-portable listening).
Tonality:
Briefly summarised: Mostly neutral, natural and very coherent and even. Neutral, but more in a natural-neutral than flat-neutral sterile way. Excellent timbre.
I've used my ProPhile 8 with both switches in the down (off) position during pretty much all listening sessions since I bought it (the two reasons for that are that the treble is mostly still realistic and present enough in most cases, and that the switches aren't accessible without any tools).
Just to mention it, the bass switches add about 3 extra dB of bass to the sound over the entire lows without spilling into the lower midrange/upper fundamental range (and adds ca. 1 dB of extra treble in the upper middle and upper treble below 10 kHz), whereas the treble switches add about 2 dB of extra boost to the upper middle and upper treble below 10 kHz (and ca. 4 dB around 15 kHz in the super treble). (Activating both switches adds the bass boost of the bass switch as well as the treble boost of the treble switch.)
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I'd characterise the tuning as naural-neutral, therefore it's closer to my Ultimate Ears Reference Monitors (UERM) or the Ultimate Ears Reference Remastered to-go (UERR to-go) in tonality than to my Etymotic ER-4S or the ER4SR. So definitely still in the neutral sounding realm, but not as flat-neutral sterile as the Etys when listening to music and sine sweeps.
Compared to my UERM, my ProPhile 8 has got pretty much exactly 0.5 dB less bass quantity, is less "warm" in the higher root/fundamental range, is a tad darker in the presence range at 2 kHz (but similar at 3 kHz), and pretty similar in the rest of the treble, but lacks the UERMs' 10 kHz peak (that really comes apparent during sine sweeps and if a note hits it exactly) wherefore it is ultimately more linear and realistic, more accurate, in the highs. Therefore it is quite similar to the UERR that is however a little darker.
Compared to my ER-4S or the ER4SR, the ProPhile 8 has got a low-end that is pretty much exactly 3 dB stronger in quantity, with mids that are a tad warmer and darker (not really in a coloured way; still very natural) and a more relaxed, not as direct presence range as well as middle treble that is more on the relaxed side in comparison.
To compare it to my InEar StageDiver SD-2, my ProPhile 8 is less warm, less thick and a bit less bassy sounding in comparison, with much less midrange warmth and no thickness, and a less relaxed treble response.
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The (compared to diffuse-field flatness) mild bass lift takes place low so it doesn't radiate into the midrange, and its quantity is around 3 dB more than diffuse-field flatness.
The very low sub-bass is slightly less present than the upper sub-bass and low midbass, but at neutral quantity and not rolled off.
The mids are just very slightly on the warmer and darker side but without any colouration. The timbre is accurate here. Ultimately, the mids are actually even slightly intimate but not in an exhausting or forward way.
The presence range and middle treble is on the more relaxed way compared the diffuse-field target and the Etymotic ER-4S as well as ER4SR. Here, the ProPhile 8 is tuned a lot like the UERM; therefore it sounds still accurate and doesn't lack anything, but it a bit more relaxed with sine sweeps and when listening to music compared to the Etys.
Going up in the upper treble, the level is at mostly neutral level. In fact, I'd consider the default treble switch "down" position to be just a tad below absolute flatness, whereas it seems to be a tad above absolute flatness in the "up" position.
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Overall, it sounds extremely coherent and even. Great, natural timbre. No sudden peaks or dips. Just very well overall.
Personally, I'd say its sound, while still clearly in the neutral realm, is closer to that of a really good hi-fi speaker in a properly treated acoustic environment and chain than to a sterile studio monitor in a properly treated acoustic environment and chain.
Highly natural, highly even, highly coherent.
Resolution:
Tight, fast, highly resolving. Excellent midrange resolution and speech intelligibility. Clean note separation. Never starts to sound diffuse, even with super dense, fast and complex tracks.
Definitely flagship territory, and even somewhat above my UERM or the NocturnaL Audio Atlantis. In the territory of my Campfire Audio Andromeda but obviously with a way different approach to tonality (the Andromeda is clearly bassier and warmer, with an audibly more relaxed and darker upper midrange, and the brighter, sharper treble tuning) and a different bass presentation (tight and fast on the ProPhile 8, visceral and rumbling on the Andromeda).
Not that it really mattered most of the times (unless one is mainly listening to dense and very fast music) anyway, as all of those in-ears are excellent and deliver flagship performance, and even compared (but not directly head-to-head) to my ER-4S or the ER4SR (that I ultimately prefer for their superior sterility and flatness, whereas I am using my ProPhile 8 a little more often because of its higher comfort and less deep insertion (its superior technical performance doesn't matter as much to me most of the times in real-world listening sessions)), the technical superiority of my ProPhile 8 isn't always as important when listening to music for the sake of listening to music and not for the sake of listening to the performance of the in-ears.
Nonetheless when listening for the sake of determining the in-ears' performance, hands down down, the ProPhile 8 beats the comparably tuned UERR as it sounds tighter, faster and better controlled in the lows in comparison, with generally somewhat higher resolution and cleaner note separation. Therefore it also delivers the bit of extra resolution I sometimes/rarely desired from my UERM when listening to very dense, fast and complex tracks.
To make it short, an in-ear with excellent technical performance.
Soundstage:
Three-dimensional and especially precise, clean imaging, layering and instrument separation, but not as large, open and expansive sounding as most other in-ears in this price range. For example, the UERM, Andromeda or Atlantis have an audibly larger soundstage in comparison. Somewhat larger than the Etys' soundstage, though (and more precise).
Just like with the resolution, the soundstage remains rock-solid during fast, complex and dense recordings and doesn't start to appear foggy.
Conclusion:
Good stuff.
Natural-neutral, very coherent, realistic timbre, very even, technically very precise and capable.