Aful Polarnight Review
Intro
Hello, this review and feature covers the latest flathead earbuds from the very talented audio brand Aful Audio named the… Aful Polarnight ($179). I am jacked to receive this set folks! Can I tell you a little secret? Psss… I love Aful Audio. I love the chances they take, the boldness with which they craft and create their products. No two are alike. Everything they venture to bring to market is unique with cutting edge technology and they do so at ridiculously low prices in respect to how much R&D goes into these products. I know the same will be true of their brand new Polarnight flathead earbuds. I know it because everything they bring market is just that… It’s good. Everything they make is prototypical to Aful, it’s all novel, all special. Yeah, yeah, yeah, this sounds like bias. So, what. I have bias everywhere in life and judge to those biased standards everywhere. That’s life. I can tell you one thing that’s 1000% true. If the Aful Polarnight isn’t good, you’ll never read this. I don’t review what I don’t enjoy, or that at least a large portion of the audio community won’t enjoy. If you are reading this then the Polarnight is a solid set for somebody, that’s for sure. I can’t tell you how many Intros I’ve written that never see the light of day. At any rate, I’m pumped to hear Aful’s take on one of the most popular lost audio techs of yesteryear in the flathead style earbuds. I want to hear what Aful feels is good enough to put their name on. Mainly because I know that Aful doesn’t put anything out into the market… with their name on it… that doesn’t bring honor to that name. I already know, you’ll read this.
Aful Audio
I realize I went pretty hard there. I know I sound like a commercial for the brand. But I do this because I’m a true fan. I’m a fan of brands who give a damn about what they put to market. I’m a fan of brands who go the extra mile in their research, in their development, in their sound engineering, and in their designs. I freaking love that! I love seeing people do anything out of passion and who want to bring their best. There are many brands who do the same though. Please don’t think that Aful is on an island with their work ethic. There are plenty of brands who go the extra mile. However, this review is over the “Aful” Polarnight. At any rate, in 2018 a bunch of motivated folks bought some high-quality 3D printing tech, acoustic testing equipment, etc. and those folks built a special lab. I know this because I wrote that pretty much verbatim from what’s on their website. Anyways, every year they succeeded at bringing to life different techs. Whether it be driver tech, multiple patents, their S&E math technology, and by 2022 the Performer series hit the market. It has been off to the races ever since and Aful Audio hasn’t looked back. One set after the other, one device after the other receives huge praise and accolades and each one is unique to the next. I am always interested in what Aful is doing because I know for certain that they won’t half ass anything.
Reviews
I’ve actually had the fortune to be able to either own or review a handful of Aful products and generally each one of those reviews ended with a thumbs up from me. First off, I own but never reviewed the Aful Performer 5, but my first review was of one of the most beautiful vocal iems under $200 with the single BA masterpiece that is the Aful MagicOne (MagicOne Review). The technology used inside the MagicOne is simply awesome to be able to take a single BA and make it sound how that set sounds. Purely awesome. Next was the Aful Performer 8 (Performer 8 Review) which literally holds one of the top spots even today within its price point for analytical detail beast type signatures. Simply awesome for what it is. Next, I had the fortune to review one of my favorite dongle dacs under $100 in the Aful SnowyNight (SnowyNight Review). The SnowyNight just sounds great. I listen to that device often, believe it or not. Really a great first dongle dac from Aful. Lastly, I was able to spend time with and review the Aful Explorer (Explorer Review) which is one of the creamiest warm sounds you’ll hear. Truly a wonderfully tuned set for the cost and one I recommend to anyone who desires that type of sound. I’ve also spent a ton of time with the Aful Performer 5+2 but decided to not review for my own reasons (not because it wasn’t a good set either). It’s actually a very nice sounding set. I say all of that to hopefully put some of you onto Aful if you haven’t tried out their products. Really, they do a fabulous job.
Flathead Earbuds
Now, I must be honest here folks. I am not the hugest fan of flathead style earbuds as I’ll always prefer in-ear earphones. However, there’s something special which takes over my listening sessions when I remember why I used to love flathead style sets in the past. It hits me like a ton of bricks, and I simply melt into my music. I just want to say that I have finally received the Polarnight and they certainly are very well tuned, and they certainly will be loved by a huge swath of audio fans. You see, it was the Polarnight that reminded me. They reminded me of how special the Dunu Alpha 3 were (Alpha 3 Review) for example. Or all those Ultra cheap Venture Electronics sets, old school Nicehck sets etc. etc. Shoot, even my old Samsung earbuds that came with my old phones or those old Sony sets. I loved the open and airy nature of them. Just hanging, looking fly, feeling good, the sound had space, it had life, it felt freeing somehow. It was awesome. It took putting the Polarnight into my ears and hitting play to remind me how special flathead earbuds can be. I won’t forget again. Now, they’ll never replace in-ears as those are my first loves, but they do hold a sacred place in my collection where I can get absolutely lost in my music.
Babbled long enough…
Anyways, I’ve babbled on long enough about stuff that none of you care about. Forgive me for that. Let’s get on with this review. Friends, I am so very thrilled to learn more about this set. I’m going to let them burn-in for at least four full days and then I’m going to give them two weeks of long listening sessions. So, without further ado… the Aful Polarnight!
Non-Affiliated Purchasing Links:
Polarnight Pros
-Wonderful build quality
-Design is very unique
-Nice unboxing
-I do like the included 4.4 detachable cable
-Comfortable
-Scales very well with power and per quality sources
-Timbre is natural to my ears
-Very immersive sound, very open sounding
-Smooth yet crisp tonality with a slight warmth and engaging quality
-Precise punch in the bass department. Yes it has solid bass for the style
-Midrange is detailed, sculpted, while also sounding musically inclined
-Doesn’t miss on techs like detail retrieval, instrument separation, stage
-Overall, a very nice sounding unit, nice tuning, looks dope, easy rec
Polarnight Cons
-Fit may be troublesome for some folks
-Not for heavy bass or ultra rich lovers
-MMCX connectors gave me fits, very tight (usually a good thing)
-Not the most brilliant treble for the treble-bois
Gear used for testing
–IBasso DX240 with Amp8 MK2
Packaging / Accessories
Unboxing
The unboxing experience is quite nice for the cost. I mean, unboxing experience within the $100 to $200 can vary so much in this hobby. However, for a flathead earbud at this cost I feel you get quality accessories. So, the package which arrived at my house was a medium sized (what’s medium Chris?) rectangular black box with a dope looking photo on the cover of the Polarnight earbuds sitting on a table of sorts. Cool picture to put on a box. Anyways, on the back of this box you’ll see some specs and other attributes as well. Now, once you open the box, you’ll first see the gorgeous Polarnight earbuds staring back at you in all their glory sitting in foam cutouts with the Polarnight’s manual as well. Underneath the paperwork you’ll also see the beautiful carrying case also sitting in foam cut-outs. Inside the carrying case you’ll see the cable as well as the ear pads that Aful provides. Real quick, the ear pads are nothing special but are of solid quality. You get six sets of earpads in total. They give you two sets each of black, red, and blue. All of them are the donut hole style and for what it’s worth they are comfy. I wanted to share about the earpads really quickly here because adding a dedicated section to them seems a bit ridiculous. At any rate, the unboxing is nice. It isn’t over the top or super generous, but it’s nice. It’s expected. Not bad at all Aful.
Carrying Case
I don’t know why I’m such a sucker for a nice carrying case, but I am. Truth is, I rarely even use them. I just like them. I love a quality made and nice case. Something about them is cool to me. Well, the case that comes with the Polarnight is actually a very nice case. It’s nice in its build, its design, and its functionality. So, it’s a black faux leather case with a very soft outer cladding that feels good to the touch. It just feels like it’s quality even if its mass produced for $1.50. For the record, I just made that up and have zero idea what it costs to produce these cases. Anyways, the case is very good looking. I love the stitching along the outer edges as it adds a border of sorts. Maybe I’m easily amused but it simply has this quality and regal look. I like it. Also, the case is of a good size. Big enough to store the Polarnight attached to the cable, a bunch of earpads, and maybe even a small dongle dac. Inside of the case is a soft cushion covering its walls and on the backside of the case lid is one of those elastic mesh holders to store some accessories. It’s a nice inclusion.
Cable
The cable which comes packaged with the Polarnight is also of pretty solid quality. It isn’t some fatty-fat gorgeous expensive looking cable, but it’s nice. To be exact, the included cable is an all-black wire with mmcx connectors (which is awesome) and a nice-looking twist along with all black fittings holding the cable together. The cable itself is made of 5N single-crystal copper consisting of 4-cores and 112 wires in total. Again, it isn’t the fattest or most glorious in appearance, but it’s also highly functional and very comfortable too. I love that this cable doesn’t get all tangled up and I can roll it up and it doesn’t spring apart the second I try to store them. I love that. It’s a quality cable. Granted, I can easily use another mmcx cable as well. However, I found the included cable is of higher enough quality and sounded nice enough that cable swapping wasn’t mandatory for me. Now, you can purchase either a 3.5 single ended version or a 4.4 balanced version. I of course wanted the 4.4 balanced. I do think that the 3.5 se cable is perfectly fine but I should add that flathead earbuds almost always benefit from more juice (output power from your source) and usually a 4.4 connection will provide just that. So, you may consider going with the 4.4. Again, not that the Polarnight sounds bad with a 3.5 se connector. I used a different 3.5 se cable temporarily for some of my less powerful sources and the Polarnight sounds very nice. However, most of my impressions come from a 4.4 balanced connection. Anyways, the cable isn’t bad at all folks.
Build / Design / Internals / Fit
Build Quality
The Aful Polarnight is a very nicely built set of flathead earbuds. The Polarnight earbuds are built using both alloy and resin materials. They chose to craft the front cavity entirely in aluminum alloy and the rear cavity using 3D printed resin. Overall, the build is very solid. You can tell something that’s built weak, chinsy, or frail very easily and the Polarnight is the furthest thing from that. The earbud itself is a usual size I’d say, not too large for most ears. They also added in special resonance damping holes at the top of the stem as well as right behind the driver. The only other thing I could add is that the Polarnight are not a heavy set of earbuds. They are actually fairly light and so there hasn’t been an issue of them falling out or coming dislodge in my ears. I feel that Aful did a wonderful job of dispersing the weight so that isn’t an issue. All things considered, Aful built a nice set of earbuds. They feel and look well made.
Design
I love what Aful used for the inspiration for the design of the Polarnight earbuds. Truly a beautiful design which came from some artistic minds. The theme of the Polarnight revolves around the Aurora Borealis in the polar regions and the amazing colors that dance across the night sky. Aful tried to create that look, or the pattern of this phenomenon on the stems of the Polarnight and the end result is nothing short of great. Aful states that the left earbud is supposed to mimic the blue-purple waves of colors using geometric patterns between shell layers. Also, using the blue hues helps to differentiate between left and right earbuds, which is nice. The right earbud is the same thought process as it symbolizes Dawn’s fiery glow using red-purple geometric shapes in an attempt to create the feel of a polar sunset. I love the idea; I love how these earbuds came out and I feel that Aful should be proud of their work.
Internals
Aful did what Aful does and added in some pretty cool acoustic tech to help tune this set of earbuds. However, the driver itself is pretty impressive as Aful decided upon a huge 15.4 mm driver with a PET composite PU diaphragm and N52 magnets along with a copper clad aluminum voice coil. Based on Aful’s promotional material, they used a two-channel resonant airflow system which was precisely designed to measure perfect airflow internally. They call it their “Dual-Damping Amplitude Control Technology”. This features one resonance control damping channel directly above the acoustic chamber as well as another rear labyrinth resonance channel which features controlled damping foams and a long tube system. It’s another cool Aful feature which shows off their ingenuity and know-how. The end result is a very nice sounding set of earbuds.
Fit / Comfort
This is always a tough subject to breach, especially when talking about flathead style earbuds. Let’s just get this out of the way; the Polarnight is not going to fit everyone perfectly. That is simply an earbud truth. I think the donut style memory foam earbud covers help tremendously, but this is not a certainty for every user. Now, speaking for myself I don’t have any issues whatsoever and the fit is very nice. Also, the Polarnight are very comfortable for my ears. As I said they are very lightweight which is nice. Whether the Polarnight fits you is a different story. Are you the type of person who gets a good fit with flathead style earbuds? Having said that, I do have to occasionally fix the earbuds as they start to move around but all in all the fit is pretty good for me.
Drivability / Pairings
Output Power
Aful states that the Polarnight has an impedance of right around 32 ohms and a sensitivity of around 108 db’s. What this means is that the Polarnight are fairly easy to drive. In fact, they are easy to drive, period. I was able to use a number of different source devices of all output abilities, and I never had an issue. I swapped the included 4.4 cable for a 3.5 single ended cable and used three different smartphones, my iPad, along with multiple weak Amazon dongle dacs and had zero issues bringing the Polarnight up to good volume and decent enough dynamism. Of course, this thing also has a 15.4 mm driver that wants that juice! Without a doubt the Polarnight scales with power folks. In my opinion anyways. I found that providing at least the power of a good dongle dac does the trick and seems to bring on a more focused sound. Not necessarily more dynamic, but seemingly cleaner, more precise. So, try to find a decent source and the Polarnight will reward you.
Source Pairings
In my lengthy time with the Polarnight I found that most any source device from warm to neutral worked out just fine. There is some upper midrange energy which can sound less than thrilling with brighter sources and so I’d probably advise to stay away from those types of tonal colorations. I personally enjoy something warm/neutral like my Shanling M6 Ultra or my Fiio Q15 the most. They seem to blend well with the Polarnight’s tonality and unique timbre. Of course, you may feel different, but this has been my experience.
Sound Impressions
*Note: I want to preface the sound portion of this review with a few notes. Prior to critical listening I did burn-in the Polarnight for right around two full days. Now, I really don’t think this made a huge discernible difference. Perhaps I didn’t listen long enough before-hand, but I honestly didn’t feel there was much change. Also, I listen with flac or better files which are stored on my devices and rarely stream music. Not that I’m opposed to streaming either. My Android music player of choice is UAPP (USB Audio Player Pro) and Hiby Music Player at times.
What’s it sound like?
To me the Aful Polarnight has a sound that is very close to what I’d refer to as “natural”. Oh, it’s so very close folks. What a solid sounding set of earbuds! I say this yet in the same breath I feel there are definitely issues which these flathead style earbuds can hardly get around. I’ll explain those as I go through each section of the mix later. Anyways, Aful truly created a wonderfully tuned earbud that produces fantastic timbre that has an almost effervescent and outward dynamic to it. The Polarnight is very well balanced across the mix and very clean across the board as well. Nothing sloppy, nothing muddy, nothing out of focus on the Polarnight. In my opinion the Polarnight comes across as U-to-W-Shaped in sound signature. You’ll hear a forward midrange, a moderately emphasized bass region (for a flathead earbud) and an easy going treble which doesn’t cause offense or fatigue. Aful did a good job of creating a smooth sounding set with nice note body that doesn’t rely on the low-end to bolster those notes. I hear some very nice rhythmical smoothness that sounds great to my ears. However, that smoothness doesn’t seem to blunt any crispness or blur the stereo image to a detrimental degree. The wonderful thing is that this set is actually pretty well detailed with plenty of toned-down crispness and even some satisfying bite when a track calls for it.
Some quick observations
What this set sounds like to me is a very nice mixture of both musicality and technical capability with a certain fluid-like dynamic. It has a very outward presentation with a full and you could even say ‘bold’ sound. There’s a roundness to the presence of every note and each note seemingly has some mass to them. Now, depth of field is not the Polarnight’s greatest strength. Perhaps about average I’d say. However, in an acute way notes definitely have depth to them as the Polarnight does have a certain dimensional aspect. The staging is great and there’s this vastness of the sound field which really does feel immersive in some measure. Very nice for this style. There’s definitely some surface texture to notes and transients are on the quicker side of the aisle. Now combine good texture with tighter style transients and add in a semi-rich note body. What that equates to are some pretty dense & very clean notes along with a well contoured note structure. Add to that this lively but also “unbrilliant” air and openness and to me it just feels & sounds… authentic. The Polarnight also has surprisingly nice technical skills with good detail retrieval, decent enough instrument separation, solid imaging abilities, and a fairly wide and immersive stage. Just a very engaging sound. Really just a wonderful job Aful. The only aspect of this set which isn’t as close to natural is the pinna area which can get a hair too forward at times. A bit too vibrant at times in the right tracks. Other than that, I hear wonderful timbre.
Pleasing
I feel that Aful truly did a fantastic job for the particular tuning style that they went with. I am not one to usually choose flathead style earbuds over in-ears. Despite that, I keep reaching for the Polarnight. Perhaps it calls me back to my flathead love phase… or not. There’s just something so casually easy about this set. Maybe it’s the well contained and controlled dynamism along with the clean-lined notes? It’s controlled dynamism. Like it has a leash on it. Never too shouty, glaring, or uncontrolled. Never a jumbled mess of sound in most complicated tracks and never sibilant or metallic. The Polarnight has a very pleasing timbre that isn’t boring and offers the sort of musicality that’s great for just chilling and soaking in the sound.
However, this set will not please everyone. There really isn’t a very physical aspect to the bass region such as you’d have with in-ears and the upper mids do have some unnatural elements to them. That said, I’ll cover that in the next few sections…
Bass Region
Okay, so the low-end is obviously not going to feel and sound quite like some of you are used to. Especially to all the in-ear lovers. This is the nature of the beast ladies and gents. Unfortunately, without a solid seal you simply don’t get the sound pressure and deep sub-bass weight that you may expect. However, that doesn’t mean the Polarnight is without that feedback either. To me the bass is fast, punchy and pretty much unsullied. As I said, the sound overall is balanced across the mix and so the bass is not one to push its weight around. I find the low-end to carry a very clean bass that is far from one noted and pretty impactful. However, it is definitely the type you hear more than you feel. Having said that, I really do enjoy the output here folks. I suppose it’s because I know what to expect. Usually, flathead earbuds with copious amounts of bass will sound way too warm with wooly bass that can sound muddled and less coherent. Of course, that is a wild generalization and of course there are some pretty special sets which sound great that buck that trend. In the case of the Polarnight, I find that Aful tuned this set in just the right way to handle this end of the spectrum with just enough weight, and just enough slam to carry most genres pretty well.
Sub-Bass
The sublevels of the low-end are definitely not to the level that you can feel the rumble or get any haptic feedback besides very light vibrations. This sub-bass does come across a bit rolled-off. That is unless you have ears which can get some sort of a seal with the Polarnight. I don’t want to scare you off though as the sub-bass is still robust in a moderate way. One thing I greatly enjoy about this region is the perfect control that the massive 15.4 mm driver is able to have. I’m telling you this set keeps up with most any track I throw at it without breaking a sweat. It is a very engaging quality. It’s a very mature sub-bass with a textured quality and very nice note definition. This region will absolutely never overcrowd and bloat the mid-bass and instead works in tandem very well. Now, of course those bass heads, or even moderate big bass lovers, those guilty pleasure style bass fans etc. will not find this set too intriguing. If you can get a nice seal, I’m sure you’ll be a bit more impressed but still the sub-bass is not going to scratch the big rumble itch that I’m sure you want. I don’t want this section to be all about rumble though because the Polarnight offers a sub-bass that is very intricate and decisive with a very precise and hard-edged note body.
Mid-Bass
The mid-bass on the other hand does offer some fairly nice slam when a track calls for it. This region is another which keeps impeccable control and truly shows off when the right track is playing. This is a very clean mid-bass punch with a hi-res feel. This isn’t an overly warm bass either. It’s clean-lined and robust, it’s tight, fast, and and very well defined with great note separation whilst still adding enough kick and boom to make for very satisfying kick drums, even bass guitar. Well, I’d say just enough fullness to fill out the gritty and guttural sound of a nice bass guitar riff. Tracks like “Groove” by Ray Wylie Hubbard is a perfect example of the Polarnight rising to the occasion and giving this track it’s due with a very textured and even weighted low drone. Or “2040” by Lil Baby and Lil Durk. Once the bass drops the Polarnight definitely surprised me with plenty of meaty muscle to sound gratifying for me. Again, it isn’t going to blow your mind or anything, but it may just surprise you too. One other thing to mention is that the low-end only slightly bleeds over into the midrange. In all reality the mids don’t borrow a whole lot of warmth from the bass keeping them very clean and clear.
Downsides to the Bass Region
The obvious downside is the actual amount of low-end weight afforded to most tracks. It simply doesn’t have the best extension into the lowest of lows. Again, the Polarnight may surprise you here and there and it will rise to the occasion at times too. But don’t expect anything heavy and booming. It simply isn’t tuned in that way. The Polarnight was tuned with a very nice balance across the mix and the bass doesn’t deviate from that at all. All things considered, I am very happy with the output here and I am definitely satisfied. I simply know that not all tracks are going to give me what an in-ear can provide. It still has a very fast and well separated bass region which can and will take on most any track coming across with nice timbre.
Midrange
The midrange of the Polarnight is just delectable. This area is very well tuned folks. Clearly it is my personal favorite section. I hear a very melodic, very smooth but also very pristine midrange with exceptional detail and clarity. I find the Polarnight’s midrange to have very expressive macro-dynamics with an energetic feel that never seems to go overboard. Also, the midrange steals only a sliver of warmth from the low-end keeping them crystal clear with great tonal contrast. I adore vocalists on this set. To me the midrange is neither too far forward nor recessed. They still come across forward but not so much that the sound is thrown out of whack. I really enjoy the natural and clean organic approach to most of this region which only really has an upper midrange that can at times come across a bit too exuberant and less organic. However, I rarely notice this and most of the time so spent with me soaking in my music. I find that transients are tight, very refined, very agile, and each note carries a very clean outline without any fuzz, grain, sibilance, or anything metallic. Instruments sound on-point and natural and every last detail can be heard. I’m impressed.
Lower-Midrange
The lower midrange features some great vocal abilities as males sound both tuneful and authoritative as well. The sound of this region is not overly warmed however each note does come through with some very nice lean density and tactility. These aren’t those dull boring and recessed lower mids like we hear so often. Actually, males have just the right amount of embossed presence against the rest of the mix making them sound very prominent without sounding boxy or hollow. Each note has some very nice density with a semi-rich note body. Alex Warren sings “Ordinary” and I can’t get over how clean his voice sounds. Every inflection, every last intonation comes across very clear and pronounced. Even in the more boisterous moments his voice remains controlled. It’s simply an awesome lower midrange which makes me want to listen to all male or female voices which reside in this region. Instrumentation offers the same natural hue to my music, whether it be piano, acoustic guitar, or any other instrument; the sound will come through very unsullied and prominent.
Upper-Midrange
The upper midrange sits more forward than the lower half of the midrange with quite a bit more energy and vivaciousness. I’d say that the region is just a hair past organic (less natural) yet it comes with plenty of great qualities. The upper mids are more vibrant with a nicely controlled shimmer and sparkle to add to female vocals and instruments. There are some moments that the upper-mids will sound a bit more strident, but for me it has never been a problem at all. This is a highly detailed region with a slightly leaner note body but also, I hear some solid layering of sound that truly helps take this pair of earbuds to another level. There’s this wonderful spaciousness and vividness that sound amazing for an open style flathead set of earbuds. Now, females don’t always come across perfectly natural (as I suggested), but that doesn’t mean they aren’t very mellifluous and a joy to listen to. From Norah Jones, to Adele, to any other female singer I truly enjoyed the way females sound so highlighted against the rest of the mix. The Polarnight has this unique ability to sound rounded, crystal clear, and I feel that the sound is so open and airy in this region that everything comes across cleaner, more pronounced, precise, and almost more focused. So, yes it isn’t perfectly natural, but it’s lovely too.
Downsides to the Midrange
I really have a hard time jotting down issues to a midrange that I have so much joy over. Really, the only issue with this midrange are the preferential issues that some folks may have. Stuff like, perhaps the Polarnight will be too bright or too pronounced and forward for some folks in the upper mid region. Or maybe the Polarnight’s midrange isn’t warm, rich, and full enough for some folks. Heck, maybe the Polarnight’s midrange isn’t nearly as technically adept as they’d like? Who knows. Folks, I think it’s absolutely lovely. Truly a wonderful midrange that is very pleasing to the ear. It’s clean, it’s polished, no hanging fat anywhere, great in transitions, it sounds dynamic and layered with such clean transients that it never seems to get tripped up. I am very happy with this set, which is something I never expected to say, and the midrange is a huge reason for that.
Treble Region
The highs on the Aful Polarnight are similar to the rest of the mix. They are a perfectly measured piece to a puzzle, or a great supporting actor in a good movie. The treble simply fits perfectly and has just the right amount of emphasis afforded to this region. I have so many pairs of flathead earbuds where I have to “tolerate” the treble to enjoy my time with them. It’s usually the treble that turns me away. However, the Aful Polarnight is a different animal folks. I’m telling you all right now that Aful Audio absolutely nailed this region. Now, it isn’t anything special, it isn’t the focus, it isn’t laser precise, and it won’t change your life with its amazing ability to do…. something. What the treble does well is fit. Ahhh, an audio brand that understands they don’t have to boost the treble to the stars to find resolution and clarity. Maybe I’m giving them too much credit, but at least they understand this. Also, let’s be honest, many brands are coming around to this. At any rate, the Polarnight really does have a talented treble region which works wonderfully for this set. I hear no embellishments, no forced resolution, and on the flip side nothing is rolled-off, or dulled down. Again, it’s a perfectly fitted puzzle piece.
Technically…pretty nice
One thing I enjoy about the treble is its ability to come across both smooth in character but also fairly clean and resolute with a higher level of details than I was expecting. Detail retrieval is pretty darn good folks as the Polarnight has a very concise and condensed note body in this region, even with the smoother demeanor. This is not something I generally say about flathead style earbuds but I’m saying it now. Furthermore, the treble has some edge, some actual bite, it has that nice clean-lined agility to contour most notes. Now, some tracks will come across differently from others and some will make me a liar, but for the most part the Polarnight’s treble sounds more refined than most. I keep saying the word “clean” within this review but there really isn’t another word which describes its sound better. The treble is clean folks. Clean transients, they’re tight, with good dynamics, they sound decently sculpted for a dynamic driver, they sound very much unblemished without any additional grain, sibilance, or any smearing of treble tizz. Notes generally have solid air to them which also helps with instrument separation and aids in its ability to come across layered and prominent. Beyond that, extension into the upper treble is also nice as well. I don’t hear anything that I’d call unpleasantly splashy but rather splashy in an organic sense. Cymbals have that solid “chisk” and a nice harmonic trail that doesn’t sound clipped. All-in-all the Polarnight’s treble region is very skilled for a flathead style, and I hope I’ve spoken about it in a way that is easy to understand.
Downsides to the Treble Region
The biggest gripe that some will likely have is for those treble heads who desire the type of treble that feels and sounds like the focus of this set. This of course is not the case with the Polarnight’s treble. Yes, it can be a focus on the right tracks, but generally the treble is exactly as I called it earlier… “A perfectly measured piece to a puzzle”. Or, a very nice supporting actor, but not the focus. Having said that, I feel that most people will enjoy the output and clarity in this region. I think most people will completely enjoy the Polarnight’s ability to be both reserved as well as pristine and incisive in this region without adding any forced resolution and emphasis. On the flip side to that, there will be those who are dreadfully sensitive to any treble brilliance and would love to have something much warmer and more rolled-off. It takes all kinds folks. So no, the treble will not please everyone. I happen to think it is a very special treble based in the type of listening device that the Polarnight is, and I am more than pleased with it overall.
Technicalities
Soundstage
The soundstage is one of the greatest aspects of this set. No doubt about it the Aful Polarnight has a very vast, wide, and tall stage that feels and sounds very mesmeric and enchanting even. There’s nothing like a solid stage presence and the Polarnight (in my opinion) is tuned in a very refreshing way showing off a very wide (past your ears) stage and solid dynamics all the way out to the outer edges. It’s truly a very open experience folks. If you haven’t tested out a solid set of flathead style earbuds, then I recommend at least trying them as they have the propensity to have that vast and immersive stage. As far as the Polarnight is concerned; I absolutely love them, and the stage is a huge reason for that. Now, the only caveat to that great stage is the average depth of field. I first noticed on the track “Field of Vision” by King Gizzard and the Wizard Lizard as the instrumentation that’s usually further back and the instruments which usually are more anterior (closer) seemed to stay around the same level depth wise. However, that isn’t the same on every track. That said, I love the spacing on this set and have enjoyed its vast feeling.
Separation / Imaging
Instrument separation and imaging capabilities on the Polarnight are much better than many other flathead style earbuds that I’ve heard over the last few years. There’s such a clean and focused sound that it seems to zero in on the fine-lined contours of some tracks better than many others. Separation is very nice. Of course, I cannot compare to some better in-ear earphones, obviously, but all things considered the Polarnight stands next to those fairly well. I hear that quicker transient attack through decay, concise note delivery, good resolution throughout along with that wide and tall stage and it’s hard to not be impressed. However, as good as note separation is, the imaging is even better. It’s one area that I found the Polarnight to really excel was great instrument placement within the sound field. I can clearly hear everything left to right and even some slight layering of sounds too. Very nice.
Detail Retrieval
This brings us to the Aful Polarnight’s detail retrieval ability, or lack thereof. I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that the Polarnight is very nice at drawing those subtleties to the surface making tiny details easily discernible. Even in complicated tracks the Polarnight does seem to excel and does a great job. Micro-dynamics are great on this set helping to illuminate those fine and minute details within my music. For the same reasons the Polarnight excels at separation and imaging it also excels at details. Even with its smoother cadence. Again, it has a wide, tall and vast stage. The Polarnight has very clean notes with a high level of resolution, very transparent sounding. Every note has that semi-rich but concise delivery that doesn’t smoosh sounds together. Also, transients are not slow folks. To top it all off the sound is balanced across the board and so you really don’t have any real masking of sounds. Perhaps in some heavy bass tracks you may have some masking happening, but it really is few and far in between. I think that the Polarnight absolutely kills it with detail retrieval.
Comparisons
Dunu Alpha 3 ($80)
The lone comparison I decided to provide is with a set that I truly enjoy, that is the Dunu Alpha 3 (Alpha 3 Review). What the Alpha 3 represents is a somewhat similarly tuned set which is much less expensive. Granted, I do feel the price increase is worth it, but it truly is a nice set of flathead style earbuds. Now, the Alpha 3 comes with a slightly smaller 14.2 mm LCP diaphragm dynamic driver, and it is obviously a very solid driver at that. Dunu did a fantastic job folks and this is certainly one worthy of being looked at for anyone wanting to jump into the flathead earbud world.
Differences
First of all, the Polarnight has a much better replaceable cable. I mean, much better whereas the Alpha 3 is a fixed cable. That’s a huge bonus for the Polarnight. The cost is obviously much more for the Polarnight as well. Now, the build of both sets is very nice, but I enjoy the shorter stems of the Polarnight much better. I find both sets equally comfortable for long listening sessions. Also, the design of the Polarnight is night and day better. The unboxing is also much better with the Polarnight as well. Beyond that, each set is fairly easy to drive, and neither is difficult at that.
Sound Differences
I won’t go long into the sound differences between these two sets as I definitely feel that the price increase shows in the listening sessions, but also, it isn’t like these two are worlds apart either. To be perfectly honest both sets sound fairly similar. The Polarnight has a hair more bass punch along with a much snappier and more defined bass region. I found the Alpha 3 has a less focused punch and slightly less controlled. Both sets are very close tonally and both have similar timbre in my opinion. Both are close to organic with the Polarnight being a hair more energetic in the upper mids. The midrange of the Alpha 3 is slightly less intense in that area. I do find the treble quality of the Polarnight to be more refined, more bite, better extension. Without question the Polarnight has a cleaner sound across the board with much better resolution. Well, I say “much better” but in reality, the Polarnight simply sounds more transparent, better note control, cleaner note outlines, and better note density. Both sets have wide stages, but the Polarnight seems to feel more open, more dimensional, and better layered too. Both are fine sets for their respective cost.
Final thoughts on this comparison
Honestly, this went how I thought it would. Having said that, I really enjoy both sets and both are nice for their cost I’d say. My thought is this; the Alpha 3 is a great set to come into the flathead earbud world. It is a very well-balanced earbud with good bass, nice forward mids and a relaxed treble. It sounds very open and airy enough. However, the Polarnight is the better set. Yes, they sound close in many regards, but the Polarnight is simply more refined.
Is it worth the asking price?
The Aful Polarnight comes in at $179 and I understand if some folks feel that is a little high. I would tend to agree. While I love this set and feel it is wonderful for so many reasons, I think that if they could get it down to $150 then it’d be much better. Having said that, this doesn’t mean I feel like it isn’t a decent buy at $179. For what you are getting and for the overall sound value I think that even at $179 it is something I would purchase. Yes, I’d like to see it a bit lower, but I’m sure Aful put a ton of work and R&D into the creation of this set and so $179 really isn’t bad folks. You pay for what you get. Granted, ChiFi has come so darn far and some of the sound value we are seeing lately is absolutely through the roof. So, while $179 isn’t the worst price I’ve seen, there are still some other very nice sets which are priced less. However, with all of that said I still feel that the Polarnight is most definitely worth the cost in the end. Do I think a bit lower cost would attract more hobbyists? Absolutely. Once again, would I pay $179 to own the Polarnight? Absolutely.
The Why…
Because the unboxing is so much better than I would have anticipated with very nice and worthy accessories for the price point. The build quality is simply phenomenal for the cost. I love the aluminum and 3D printed resin mix as it makes the Polarnight both light and comfortable. Also, look at this set! The colors are awesome! It looks so dope in the ear too. Just a fine-looking flathead style earbud. However, it will always be the sound which drives any of us crazy Audio heads to hit the “buy now” button. No doubt it is the audio quality which makes this $179 flathead style earbud worth the $179 it takes to own it. Folks, the Polarnight actually has bass. However, it isn’t that it has bass that’s awesome. Many flathead earbuds have bass. But those which do usually sound bloated, muffled, and less defined. The Polarnight’s bass region is very very nice. It’s fast, great timbre, nice punch, nice extension too. It’s just a very nice bass replay. Also, the midrange has nice note weight coming across semi-rich, fast transients, wide stage which sounds airy and open, nothing too bright, harsh, sibilant, and the timbre is fantastic. The treble is non-fatiguing; it has some punch to it and very nice extension into the highest of highs. Everything is so well balanced and the Polarnight has great resolution folks. However, it’s the technical capability of this set which sets it apart from others. Detail retrieval is great, sound separation and imaging are spot-on and the stage feels vast, chasmic, and very open to my ears. It’s simply a very well-tuned and highly capable earbud. Yes, the Polarnight is worth the asking price.
Conclusion
To conclude my full review of the Aful Polarnight, I first have to thank the good folks over at HiFiGo for providing the Polarnight for review. I gotta tell you all, I use HiFiGo constantly. Now, I’m not trying to start up an advertisement for their store, but I have to hand it to them. Everything always ships fast, I get the product that I requested (yes, this is a problem with some online stores), and they have a huge inventory. On top of that, the people whom I deal with are truly awesome. Very helpful. Basically, I’m saying this because not every “online audio store” has been as kind. I have stories people. Anyways, for review purposes HiFiGo has never even once asked me to speak in any certain way about the products that they sell, and they’ve never asked to pre read any reviews. They simply ask for honesty and haven’t asked for anything else. Honestly, they’ve always been very solid to work with and so they deserve this small paragraph. Thank you HiFiGo. I also have to thank you, the reader, for clicking the link that got you here. I really cannot thank you enough. Clicks and views are our currency at Mobileaudiophile.com and to us it means the world. So, thank you so very much.
Other Perspectives
Now that you’ve read my full review, I hope you’ll read some other folks’ reviews. I’ve said it in every review I’ve conducted and I’m saying it again that we are all so very different. What I like, the next guy may not. There’s so much variance between people. We don’t all hear the same, we don’t all have the same music library, we don’t all have the same audio gear and about a hundred other variables which differentiate one reviewer from another. I really do hope you’ll take the time to learn about some other perspectives concerning the Aful Polarnight. It’ll help you learn more about it and you’ll possibly hear different perspectives. With that said, I think I’m done. So, please take good care, stay as safe as possible and always… God Bless!!