AFUL SnowyNight

AFUL SnowyNight Review​

Introduction: -

AFUL is highly reputed for its unique design for IEMs especially. They started their journey with IEMs in 2018 with a dedicated acoustic team that focused on developing cutting-edge acoustic technology. In 2023, AFUL has brought us MagicOne. They have designed a customized balanced armature driver for the MagicOne. Now, they came up with their first-ever DAC/Amp, Snowynight. AFUL Snowynight is a very well-built dongle with a full metal body with volume buttons on the side to control the volume with ease on the go and an attractive design painted with snowflakes. Due to its dual Cirrus Logic tonality, we feel it will synergize well with warm tonality IEMs and headphones. We would also like to inform you that Snowynight is very energy efficient all thanks to the Cirrus Logic chip. Alongside it's also highly compatible and has low heat dissipation due to its great design.



Specifications: -

• DAC Used: Dual Cirrus Logic CS43198
• Output Power: 4Vrms (BAL High), 2Vrms (BAL Low)
• 2Vrms (UNBAL High), 1Vrms (UNBAL Low)
• THD+N: ≤0.00037%
• Dynamic-Range: BAL - 130dB, UNBAL - 125dB
• Background Noise: 1.5uV (BAL), 1uV (UNBAL)
• Headphone Out: 3.5mm SE / 4.4mm Bal
• Input port: USB Type-C
• Output Power: 140mW-300mW.

Disclaimer: -

The review tour for AFUL Snowynight was arranged by AFUL and @gadgetgod in India. We are thankful to them for the opportunity. However, the review reflects our honest opinion.

Packaging & Accessories: -

The AFUL Snowynight comes in a small-sized box with the DAC/Amp and all the accessories. The unboxing experience is simple yet premium. Removing the box lead, we have the manuals and quick guides. After that, we found the DAC/Amp in a foam assembly. The Snowynight comes with a USB Type-C to Lightning male cable connection (In our case) and it is also available in USB Type-C male-to-male cable. All come under the price tag of US $109.99.



Build & Design: -

AFUL Snowynight features a medium-sized and compact build. The DAC features a full metal enclosure for the reason the DAC/Amp is comparatively heavier than many other portable USB Dongle-DAC. The housing is made up of high-quality aluminium material with top-notch machining quality. The cable supplied is also very sturdy and premium. On the side of the device, it has independent volume adjustment buttons. The volume buttons are also used to control gain and filter settings.



Sound Analysis: -

AFUL Snowynight the name itself depicts the sound quality it is trying to offer in our testing. It is one of the cleanest and most natural-sounding dongles we have auditioned or have in our Aural Café’s bank. One of the best things about Snowynight is its neutrality with very good imaging and crispy notes. The soundstage is decent with more depth when we compare it to the other dongles. We believe that the team has achieved it because of its decoding architecture supported by two powerful Cirrus Logic CS43198 DAC chips. The sound presentation is unique with a neutral with a very slightly warm tonality and a pitch-black background. One more interesting thing about the item is that it doesn’t try to overly colour the sound. The AFUL Snowynight’s non-linear volume control really helps especially with in-ear monitors and the onboard 4.4mm balanced output with 4 Vrms of output power can drive the most demanding IEMs and also drive the less demanding full-size headphones. This review will not do justice if we don’t write about the high-quality OTG cable the Snowynight is bundled with. The OTG cable is made up of high-purity 6N Single-Crystal Copper Cable which are properly shielded leading to a more efficient power supply to support its dual decoding architecture resulting in a clean background.

However, we would not mind if there were more amount of microdetails present. Another footnote we want to add here is the lack of App-Support where many of its competitors already walked the path and were quite successful.




Conclusion: -

We at Aural Café can happily assure you that if you are in the market for a well-built portable DAC/Amp at a competitive price then you can go with AFUL Snowynight because of its unique and clean sound production, robust build quality and efficient design. Also, we are surprised with AFUL where it’s their first endeavor in this vast dongle universe.

Non-Affiliated Links: -
- https://www.amazon.com/HiFiGo-SnowyNight-Amplifiers-Impressively-Distortion/dp/B0CSSGCV6T?th=1
- https://hifigo.com/products/aful-snowynight

AFUL as an Audio Company​

AFUL is a relatively new Audio Brand that placed itself as the new block in the kid by releasing exceptional releases like Performer 5/8 and the mysterious MagicOne which is truly a work of Magic. Basically, they pioneered the engineering aspect of acoustics very promisingly. Certainly, I always look forward to this company and what it offers next.

As they dipped their toe for the first time in the DAC-AMP market, they must go right otherwise there is a lot of competition in this section that would demolish the product’s existence. And I am happy to say that they did a good job.

Sound Characteristics​

General Tonality​

The tonality of this product overall is not neutral to me. I always feel neutral is the tonality that resembles how I hear the world around me. For me, it sounds slightly warm and at the same time dark too. Not that I dislike this tonality in any way or form. I adore matching this with a few of my IEMs and headphones.

Low-End​

This source is not shy of showing off its low end. It is warm and thick. The note weights are full of heft and have distinct time before falling off. It sounds like it have no rush to do something, everything comes off very naturally and in an organic way. It doesn’t make the bass artificially elevated, just everything gets a hint of warmth. Likewise, the vocals sound richer and more forward.

• Runaway – Half Alive
• Opr – Geafallestine

Mids​

Mids are rich. Not just rich, it’s full of heft and low-end elevation gave it a tremendous advantage to show it off. It is loaded with textures that come out very organically. There is not even a hint of nasal ness that you can get from low-distortion amplifiers. Mids are the best thing about this source. Mids don’t mean only vocals but they dictate the whole spectrum. Soundstage to Timber everything depends on the mids of the spectrum. And Aful did a fantastic job of reproducing that. The timbre of every instrument came out very natural and organic.

• Personal – Emotional Oranges
• Nobody Knows – Autograff

Treble​

The treble of this product is recessed in a very tasteful way. The lower treble is very inoffensive basically, such that in a few IEMs I don’t feel the need to EQ, which is a very good way to showcase source since it is very easy to mess up this range due to factors that are very sensitive to handle. Therefore, it is also an indicator that AFUL used high-quality internals to make this product. The treble is not airy to my ears and won’t satisfy trebleheads. Nor it will pierce your ears if you play something very sharp.

• Caravan – Whiplash
• Mountains – Interstellar

Technicalities​

Soundstaging​

The soundstage of this IEM is not very open. It will give you more of an intimate feeling than a spacious one. It is very good for a few genres like POP and HipHop but it is not optimal for something like Orchestra or Jazz since they feel more in your face. But it is not too intimate where you feel claustrophobic, you just won’t be experiencing Albums like Interstellar – in it’s full potential. Although for small-sound staging headphones and IEMs, it doesn’t feel too claustrophobic.

• Bubbles – Yoshi Horikawa
• Opera House – Ciggerate After Sex

Localization/Imaging​

Although the soundstage is not that bit, the way it uses the soundstage is pretty good. There is not a lot of space to play with its imaging but it can position instruments in the mix effortlessly. The channel separation seemed pretty good too, fast and snappy.

• Thriller – Michael Jackson
• Hideaway – Jacob Collier

Resolution​

Details and resolution are not good on this device for my ears. Not that it will feel underdetailed but definitely can’t resolve enough at its price point. Not only it does not hold the trailing edges of the notes but resolution-wise it sounds busy here and there. I would not prefer it for genres like Orchestra/Western Classical. Often people dictate crispiness as resolution or detail, I am referring to detail/resolution as “How many instruments I can focus on in a mix / how transparent the overall music is”.

• Contact – Draft Punk
• Western Classicals

We studied a lot of different portable and desktop audio setups, and we realised we needed to work on the source signal transmission to enhance the acoustic performance of SnowyNight. We noticed USB transmission is not the cleanest, and digital inputs such as Coaxial, Optical provided cleaner and better transmission in most cases. But in the case of portable USB DAC/AMPs, we get limited to only USB transmissions. So, to enhance the acoustic performance in such a scenario, we bundled the SnowyNight with an enhanced cable that brings noticeable improvements by stable signal transmission, USB Lossless transmission, and also protects the sound signal from external interferences. The cable has high-purity 6N monocrystalline copper wire cores. It effectively improves the overall performance of the SnowyNight and makes it comparable to Coaxial and Optical input options in other devices.
AFUL

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The Wire​

Sadly I was sent the product with a Lightning Port to USB C Connection so, I haven’t tested the wire included with this DAC. Although it looks and feels very premium.

So this review is done completely with Moondrop Dawn Pro cable.


Now before jumping further let’s see the specifications of this dongle.

Specifications​

DAC Chips: 2xCS43198.

Although off-the-shelf DAC chips are very good these days, their implementation matters a lot. This could differentiate a lot regarding price. What I liked most about this chip is the Clocking System, they use 22.5792 or 24.576 MHz clocks. Which means the PLL Ratio is lower. Now let me talk about the advantages of higher frequency clocks.

The advantages of lower multiplication are​

• Lower Jitter
• Lower Phase Noise
• Simplified Implementation
• Power Efficiency

But it can also cause problems such as​

• Not Generating a Wide Range of Frequency
• Depends on External Clocks

Birtate: 32-Bit/786kHz PCM, DSD256, DoP256.

Let’s not discuss them, because most of the Audio Files we have don’t have the quality to bottleneck them.

Output Ports: 3.5mm+4.4mm.

This is an excellent decision not to go with 2.5mm since they are thin and break easily.


Output Frequency Range: 20Hz-20kHz.

SNR: 125dB(3.5mm), 130dB(4.4mm)

Noise Floor: 1uV(3.5mm), 1.5uV(4.4mm).

DNR: 125dB(3.5mm), 130dB(4.4mm).

Operating Voltage Range: 4.2V~5.3V.

Output Level: 1Vrms(3.5mm, Low-Gain), 2Vrms(3.5mm, High-Gain), 2Vrms(4.4mm, Low-Gain), 4Vrms(4.4mm, High-Gain).

This is excellent too at this price. The 4Vrms helps greatly to drive high impedance dynamic drivers (Since they require more Voltage Swing than Current).

THD+N: ≤0.00037%.

Now this is where AFUL impressed me the most. Don’t get me wrong, our transducers have much higher distortion than this, so we won’t be able to get anywhere near the THD.

The reason why it impressed me is, occasionally companies use cheap techniques to boost the THD just to look good on paper(Overcorrection Using Feedback Loop). On the other hand by doing that they destroy the tonality of the source. This Dongle sounds nowhere near that. It doesn’t sound sterile, it doesn’t have digital essence, and it doesn’t lose note weight.

Output Power: 140mW-300mW.

It is very average nowadays to have this kind of power at the price range. It handled every IEM in my arsenal very efficiently. From Thie Audio Monarch MKII to Tripowin Olina, From IE600 to Softears RSV. Nothing felt underpowered.

Now comes the most important part of any DAC review, pairing​

Neutral Tuning​

This DAC is extremely tasteful for Neutrally Tuned transducers. It gave those transducers a subtle flavour, that increased the musicality.

Moondrop Blessing 2 became more fun, the treble took a backseat but the bass and vocals sounded very good.

Sotears RSV became very neutral. Surprisingly it didn’t get darker that much and the timber came out very good.

V-Shape Tuning​

This DAC is best with V-shaped transducers. It elevated the low end very organically alongside it controlled the treble. This source fits V Shape Tuning Very Much

IE 600 – This not only gave the mid-bass a meaty quantity. The mids became more organic, that’s why the timber became more correct. The spiciness was reduced although it decreased the soundstage.

EA500LM – This greatly helped reduce the unrefined treble of the IEM. Alongside it also increased the midrange recession.

Compatibility with other tuning​

• “Dark Tuned” – I won’t recommend this DAC for dark transducers, since it will make it darker. And the treble became veiled.
• “Brightly Tuned” – This dongle will help a lot to reduce the sharpness.
• “Mid-Focused” – This will be a great match for the transducers since it will give it a very natural and realistic timber.

Driving HD600​

From 2023, the Sennheiser HD600 became my reference headphone to test every audio source. Not only it is very neutral, but it is also extremely transparent towards every single device in the audio chain. So it is very easy to judge DACs and AMPs with this headphone.

And I am happy to say that this Dongle alone, can drive HD600. Driving a headphone doesn’t mean loudness, it means how well they can retain the frequency range from 20hz – 20Khz while maintaining crest factor.

Being said that HD600 is a very hard-to-drive headphone. (I will explain about powering dynamic drivers and operation of amplifiers in future ). On a short note, it needs a very good Voltage Swing to operate fully. And AFUL SnowyNight did a very good job of bringing out the bass, the vocals didn’t feel thin. The treble became softer (Sometimes HD600’s treble might get hot). I had no problem driving them on the go.

Battery Draining​

A new 4500mah battery phone with a modern 4-5nm Chipset can last easily 7 (with normal usage) hours for 3.5mm with IEMs like IE600, and EA500LM.

Pros​

• Output Voltage
• Energy Consumption
• Volume Button (Steps & Construction)
• Midrange Tonality and note weight
• Well-controlled treble

Cons​

• LED Light (Too bright)
• No Phone Application
• Bass Elevation is too much
• The soundstage is on the narrower side
• Micro Details and Resolution

The final and most important question​

Should you buy this?​

Do you want an organic and natural sound that primarily is musical and pleases your auditory senses?

Yes, you can buy this dongle.

Do you want a very high resolution and sterile sound that will sound digital and that comes with a big soundstage?

No, there are other options at this price-point.

AFUL SnowyNight is a great substitute to Moondrop Dawn Pro, combine they can tackle every kind of IEMs.
Duggu

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Conclusion​

I do think that at the pricepoint it stands it’s ground. Nothing groundbreaking as we expect from AFUL every time. Although as their first step towards source products. They did an outstanding job.

Opinions. All of us in this hobby have them. Some are more popular, some are not.

My unpopular opinion is this one: USB DACs (a.k.a., “dongles”) are the least fun gadgets in the audio hobby. They are unwieldy when using on the go. They consume a lot of battery from the source device. They can get quite hot. They tend to be too loud for IEMs. And most of the time, their sound quality is closer to the humble Apple’s USB-C to 3.5mm adapter (“Apple dongle”) than a proper digital audio player. As a result, they are quite difficult to review. Thus dongles have all but disappeared from my reviews.

Yet, here I am, sharing with you a review of a dongle. What happened? AFUL happened. In fact, my first reaction was to reject when receiving a gracious invitation to check out the first electronic device in AFUL’s line up. But then, I asked myself: “didn’t you have the same doubt about Magic One? How did it turn out?”

That’s how my time with AFUL Snowy Night began. Was that a good time? Read on, my friends, to find out.

Preambles​

• In this review, I use the term “source” to denote a DAC+amp combo for brevity and convenience. It’s not a technically correct term.
• When I say a source “sounds” a certain way, I talk about the change it makes to my IEMs and earphones.
• What I look for in my listening experience is immersion. I want to feel the orchestra around me, track individual instruments, and hear all of their textures and details. Sources that intensify those characteristics of my IEMs are considered “better”.
• The unit used for this review was a sample provided by Hifigo (Thank you!). The unit is retailed for $109 and can be found on Hifigo official store: unaffliated link

Specs​

• Decoding chip: 2x CS43198
• Highest sampling rate: 32-Bit/786kHz PCM, DSD256, DoP256.
• Terminals: 3.5mm+4.4mm
• Output Frequency Range: 20Hz-20kHz.
• SNR: 125dB(3.5mm), 130dB(4.4mm)
• Noise Floor: 1uV(3.5mm), 1.5uV(4.4mm).
• DNR: 125dB(3.5mm), 130dB(4.4mm).
• Operating Voltage Range: 4.2V~5.3V.
• Output Level: 1Vrms(3.5mm, Low-Gain), 2Vrms(3.5mm, High-Gain), 2Vrms(4.4mm, Low-Gain), 4Vrms(4.4mm, High-Gain).
• THD+N: ≤0.00037%.
• Output Power: 140mW-300mW.

Non-sound Aspects​

AFUL Snowy Night came in a sturdy cardboard box, wrapped extremely tightly by an outer paper sleeve. The sleeve was so tight that I needed to find a piece of thick and dense rubber to hammer the box out. This was one of the reasons why you wouldn’t find an unboxing video of Snowy Night from me.



Inside the box, you would only find the dongle itself, some paperwork, and a USB-C to USB-C cable. And boy oh boy, what a cable that AFUL provided.



The USB connectors are made of metal and have a beautiful chrome finish. The wire is thick and sturdy with excellent paracord sleeve. Despite the thickness, the cable is very supple, lays flat and does not hold memory. According to AFUL, the cable also has positive contribution to the data transmission, “like changing from a standard USB to Coaxial in desktop chain.” I think that I can hear a difference when swapping between my trusty ddHifi cable and the fancy cable from AFUL, but it’s baffling to me digital cable can make a difference. Therefore, I would have no conclusion on this topic, except that AFUL’s USB cable is an extremely pleasant to handle and I would buy more if AFUL sell these separately.





Moving on the dongle itself. First and foremost, I need to emphasise that it is a chunk metal, not plastic. Because of the elaborated design elements on the shells, I always assumed that this dongle is an injection moulded plastic gadget. No, it’s metal. Thick and heavy metal that feels studier than a few dual-ESS-chip dongles I have in my collection. The Snowy Night feels as sturdy and heavy as the Questyle M15. From memory, L&P W4 is still the king of dongle build quality. However, Snowy Night has a cool snowflake-shaped indicator light, which is interesting.





Regarding inputs and outputs, Snowy Night does not surprise. At the top of the device, you can find one USB-C input for both data and power. At the bottom the device, you can find a 4.4mm and a 3.5mm sockets. for balanced and single ended output. As far as I know, there is no line-out support.



On the side of the device, you can find my favourite feature of Snowy Night: independent volume adjustment buttons. It means you can (should/must) max out the digital volume on your phone or music player, and then use the volume adjustment on the dongle itself to change volume. From a practical perspective, this arrangement gives you more fine-grained control over volume. In the case of Snowy Night, the volume also goes much lower to support sensitive IEMs like Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020. Because Snowy Night does not have a screen like FiiO KA17 to show the current volume, I tend to hold the volume down button until the indicator light blinks, showing that the volume has reached zero, before starting the music.

The volume buttons are also used to control gain and low pass filter settings. Pressing both buttons once will switch between low and high gain, with high gain being the default mode. Holding both buttons for a second would switch between five types of low pass filters. Unfortunately, Snowy Night does not have built-in memory to remember the settings when you unplug the dongle, so I don’t find these settings practical. Fortunately, I don’t find the need to use them either.



Regarding battery drain, I’m happy to find that Snowy Night is quite gentle comparing to some scary ones like one of my old favourites, the Hidizs S9 Pro. In fact, I was able to pair Snowy Night with Hiby R3II to drive the tough-as-nail Symphonium Crimson without losing the multi-day battery life of the R3II. In comparison, when I pair R3II with FiiO KA17 in desktop mode (firing all cylinders), I can see the battery % of R3II dropping in real time. Whilst these results are highly subjective and unscientific, for me, I don’t have battery anxiety when using Snowy Night, especially if I pair it with easy to drive IEMs like Hiby Yvain. I didn’t find any heat problem during my time testing the Snowy Night.

Subjective Impressions​

Disclaimers: To me, the “sound” of DAC/amp is very difficult to recognize because these devices form the “frame of reference” of our entire listening experience. It’s relatively easy to compare two things (e.g., two IEMs) within the same frame of reference, but how do we know whether our frame of reference is “crooked” (e.g., bright, flat, edgy). When we hear sibilance or 2D soundstage, do we usually blame the IEM or the DAC/amp? Therefore, all the descriptions in this section were synthesised from the differences that I hear when swapping between multiple DAC/amp using many different IEM types and musical genres. You must excuse me for being less specific than my usual IEM reviews due to sheer amount of subjective data gathered.



I would describe the sound signature of Snowy Night as the DAC/amp equivalent of its IEM sibling: the AFUL Magic One. It features a neutral tonality with just a hint of warmth. It favours precision over the amount of bass. It has a precise separation and strong detail retrieval without “forcing” or being edgy. And, just like the Magic One, it has excellent instrument positioning and is fully capable of conveying a 3D sonic image, should the recording provides and the IEM is capable.



Let’s unpack the description above. What do I mean by “neutral with a hint of warmth”? In direct comparison against most dual ESS DAC I have in my collection, I found that Snowy Night is not edgy in the higher frequencies. For example, when I use the same IEM with a sibilant prone track, such as Pentatonix - Can’t help falling in love, at subjectively the same loudness, I found that both ESS dongles that I have for this test produce noticeable sibilance whilst the Snowy Night presents a smoother higher frequency, without dimming the treble. In this sense, I suspect that subtle “warmth” that I hear with Snowy Night stems from its lack of edginess rather than a lower frequency boost or some healthy addition or second order harmonic distortion.



What do I mean by “ favours precision over the amount of bass”? It means Snowy Night does not intensify the lower midrange (adding warmth) or adding midbass punch like my DX300 with stock Amp 11 Mk1 or my old Shanling M6 Ultra. In fact, when I listen to bass cannon IEMs from FatFreq (Scarlet Mini and Maestro Mini), the amount of bass I hear from Snowy Night is noticeably less than from my DX300. As a result, the bass of these IEMs feels tighter, the stage feels more open, and the overall presentation feels less “oppressive”. Interestingly, I found that Snowy Night controls the big bass shelfs of these IEMs better than my trusty R3II digital audio player, evidenced by the clean attack and textured decay of the bass notes. At least as clean as it can get for these ultra bassy IEMs.

How about “precise separation and strong detail retrieval”? As I mentioned, Snowy Night is not glary and edgy like some dongle DAC with dual ESS chips. However, I found that when I listen to the same detail-rich classical recordings using the same IEM, I can hear more nuances and ambience details with the Snowy Night. Perhaps it is the lack of that glary edgy higher frequencies that make it easier to appreciate the details.



Finally, let’s talk about the stereo imaging, my favourite thing in personal audio and the shiniest part of Snowy Night performance. In fact, the first thing I noticed when listening to Snowy Night was how good it conveys the sense of depth and layering that is embedded in a mix. It means that besides the left-to-right placement of sonic elements in a mix, which almost every decent IEM and DAC/amp can do, Snowy Night is also able to coax the front-to-back and low-to-high placement out of my IEMs, just like how my favourite sources such as R3II, DX300, and my desktop K7 can do. The end result is a more 3D illusion that makes everything, from music to a travel documentation on YouTube more engaging.



Let’s take a closer look at AFUL Snowy Night performance with some tricky types of loads:

• Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020 (8.74 ohm, 122.47dB/mW) represents an extremely sensitive and notoriously picky IEM. Coming from the DX300, I hear a brighter and more open midrange when pairing Andromeda with the Snowy Night. At the same time, I don’t hear any anomaly across the frequency response of the Andromeda. The bass is controlled and decent overall, indicating that the Snowy Night does not face any challenge when the impedance of the Andromeda dips to around 4ohm in the bass. The famous stereo imaging capability of Andromeda is well preserved. Thanks to the independent volume control, I have enough volume adjustment range. Finally, as the spec sheet indicate, the Snowy Night is dead quiet with the Andromeda.
• Symphonium Meteor (9.7 ohm@1kHz, 90.9dB/mW@1kHz) represents a hard-to-drive IEM. Even if a source can get these IEMs loud (by providing enough voltage), the overall presentation could be soft, blunted, and congested if the source has problem keeping up with the current demand. I’m happy to find that Snowy Night does not have any problem with Meteor. It keeps the bass well controlled, ensuring that the bass transients are properly produced, and bass textures presented. It also preserves the upper treble extension of the Meteor well to ensure accurate instrument placement and micro details. Interestingly, I found the differences between Snowy Night and other dongles in my current collection, particularly in depth and layering, show the most clearly with the Meteor. A great pairing that breaths a new life to an old IEM.
• TGXear Serratus earbuds (300ohm, unknown sensitivity) represents another class of hard-to-drive gear, the high impedance ones. Similar “scaling” can be observed with these earbuds. Another great pairing. My pair of Serratus has a troublesome peak somewhere around 6-8kHz, which prevents me from enjoying these excellent earbuds. Snowy Night does a great job taming this peak just enough to keep it from being annoying. Even when I listen to the harshest track in my library, Ed Sheeran - Shivers, I find the shrill and harshness to be tolerable (though still not exactly enjoyable). There is no surprise in terms of staging, imaging, resolution, and bass impact. The Serratus sounds just like what I expect, coming from my desktop DAC/amp K7.

Comparisons and Rating​

Thanks to good folks at Addicted to Audio store in Adelaide, I was able to borrow the KA17 and Questyle M15 for a couple hours for careful AB tests. The results were rather surprising. Let’s unpack:

• KA17: This dongle has two modes of operation. The normal mode engages 2 out of 4 THX amps whilst the desktop mode activates all four and consumes a lot of power. In the normal mode, KA17 presents a noticeably flatter, more “2D” presentation not unlike how I remember the KA3. The glary, edgy upper frequency presentation is also here. Switching to the desktop mode brings about a 3D presentation similarly to Snowy Night, though the glary presentation is still there. Credit where credit dues, I find the overall presentation more “refined” than the KA3 and BTR5 though, from memory, BTR7 is more enjoyable. The user experience is also quite excellent comparing to Snowy Night, thanks to extra buttons and a screen.
• M15: I have been waiting for so long to try this dongle. Appearance wise, I was not disappointed: it is even more beautiful in real life than in photos. Sonic wise, it didn’t disappoint either. Whilst the width is slightly narrower than Snowy Night when paired with Symphonium Crimson, M15 catches up in depth, layering, details, dynamic, and the smoothness of upper frequencies. My only concern is that M15 is very loud. Even on low gain, it needed only 8/100 digital volume level on my R3II to make the Crimson loud from 4.4mm connector. It makes me doubt whether a sensitive IEM like Andromeda or even a normal IEM like U12T can be driven conveniently with M15.

Conclusion​

Yes, yes. I have to admit: this article about Snowy Night was more gushing than criticizing. Trust me, I tried. Similarly to its sibling, the AFUL Magic One, I came into the review with cynicism and walked away in awe. This dongle handles everything I throw at it, from ultra-sensitive IEM to power hogs without breaking a sweat, whilst ensuring that the sweet sweet soundstage depth and layering are always there. The details that I want are there whilst the edginess that I don’t want is absent. And Snowy Night does all of this without burning through the battery of my phone or heating up in my pocket.

My conclusion: I bestow upon Snowy Night the highest honour that I can as an audio geek: giving it a new lighting-to-USB cable and a slot in my everyday carry audio box. Seal of approval and recommendation without reservation.

Absolute Sonic Quality Rating: 4.5/5 - Great

Bias Score: 5/5 - I love this.

What I like about this device:

• Truly neutral and natural tonal balance
• Great stereo imaging
• Detailed enough without being bright or edgy
• Independent volume control that can get quiet enough for sensitive IEMs
• Can handle high impedance and low sensitive gear
• Good energy efficiency
• Excellent USB cable provided

What could be improved:

• The device does not remember gain and filter settings, making adjusting these impractical.

Updated: March 24, 2024

Review Of The Aful SnowyNight​

Introduction​

I was really delighted to learn that the well-known company AFUL was also experimenting with making dongle dacs. The well-known Chinese business truly amazed me with the technologies they employed and the value they offered in terms of both cost and performance. I can personally attest to the quality and true technology employed in their P5, P8, and MagicOne IEMs, and many audiophiles have acknowledged their efforts and pushed the firm to surprise us even more. Thus, my enthusiasm didn't subside until I was able to obtain an original of Snowynight for review; but, before moving on, allow me to make a few clarifications.

Disclaimer​

*Since this unit tour was organised by the beautiful people at HiFiGo, I am grateful to them. And as I've said in all of my evaluations, the same is true for this one: all of the concepts I've expressed below are entirely my own, original ideas that haven't been influenced by anyone else. If interested, go to this link.
*I am not associated with the connection, and I receive no financial assistance from anyone.
*For the remainder of the review, I will refer to this device as “Snowy”
*Finally, I will only evaluate the Snowy based on their performance, even though I will explain how it feels and seems physically and aesthetically.

Specification​

With its twin CS43198 dac chipset, Snowy supports native DSD256 and DoP256 in addition to 32-bit/786kHz PCM. As a more user-friendly device, the Snowy supports type-C and lightning data transmission in addition to 3.5mm single ended and 4.4mm balanced connections. The output mode may be changed from low to high gain by pressing both of the two side buttons, which function as volume rockers. Additional technical details are listed below.:

Design And Aesthetics​

In addition to feeling as light and portable as any other dongle dac, the Snowy also seems really well-made and high-end in my opinion. In actuality, it is a small, straightforward gadget that is simple to operate and doesn't carry a lot for greater convenience—it would satisfy everyone. Regarding the superior quality, I do believe that it is sturdy and dependable, and this also holds true for the supplied cable, which can be used to connect lightning to type C or type C to type C. Additionally, there is an LED indicator that has three distinct modes of operation: blue, green, and white.

Usage ​

Although the semi-slim shape makes it seem distinctive and modern, and the design and aesthetics are excellent, the uneven surface does not guarantee a comfortable fit in the pocket. However, utilizing it when it's out makes it simpler, and I was able to appreciate it once again. Because I had to utilize my device whenever I needed to change songs, I felt that the functions were inadequate. That means that it isn't flawless all the way through. However, I experienced no problems utilizing the source devices—Mac, Windows, Android, or iOS—when using them.

Sound Impressions ​

IEMs​

Thieaudio Prestige LTD

Prestige LTD is the very reason I am now able to find the truth in my musical dreams; I have never heard another IEM that plows your ears with faith in each note, no matter how those notes should sound, and nurtures your senses with dynamics and presentation as if I were hearing reality. Previously, I owned the Monarch MKII, which established what one would expect, but once the prestige's magic began to flourish, I knew I could explore so much more with it, especially when it came to the air and presence of each nuances the notes were able to grasp over and tingled my senses. To summarise the prestige's response sounds as if the Monarch MKII were given steroid and enhanced the upper frequencies in all directions with better authoritative flow in the lower response. The response is neutral with sub bass boost, similar to the Monarch MKII, with the exception that the notes are airier and more revealing than any other IEM prior to this era. However, the thinner notes and excessive clarity provide obnoxious features that expose bad mixing and recordings, which were highly obvious when heard on my V6 but smoothed out on my WM1A, indicating source dependence.

When listening to LTD with Snowynight, the response is more expansive and revealing in the high midrange. Well, the lower treble, which sounded a little spicy, was toned down and sounded smoother. The mdi range is where I have a love-hate relationship, as the vocals sound a little dense and less expressive in the lower treble, and the psychoacoustics faded, such as the stutter and breathless that were very well revealed in the mix before disappearing in the upper mid range when heard through the snowy night. The bass was just as tactile and dynamic as previously.

Thor Mjolnir MKII

Mjolnir is a very bassy set which has a lot of sub bass emphasis. The treble and upper mid range is also very forward in the mix. The upper treble has great extension as well. The bass is very punchy and boomy while acting fast. Mjolnir is a great V-shape sounding IEM with a different approach to explosive bass that has better technicalities, especially in this price range. The stage is great with nice surround stage and depth where the separation of each element sounding distant enough them to procure space to breathe and distinct themselves. The attack and decay of the driver capability is really quick and performs great. The vocals may feel lean and sparkly, the warmth or the fuller experience is something that these lack. Th bass response does vary from sources to sources whether I listen to a warm source or a neutral one, the bass becomes either overwhelming or authoritative or both.

When I listen to Mjolnir with Snowynight, the response sounds more spread out than when I hear Thor with other sources, which sounds very close left or right, especially with the vocals, but with this pairing, the response was more forward back of my head, which helped the vocals come across as more roomy and realistic. The bass emphasis is also reduced in the mid bass, and the treble sounds more controlled and easy to hear.

Celest Plutus Beast

The Beast's sound is more of a V-shape than balanced, with booming bass and energizing highs, making it a really dynamic and entertaining concert to listen to.This may be the only uniquely designed IEM available in this price range, raising the question of whether they sound as well as competitors.It is not the finest sounding IEM, but it provides a unique experience when compared to other clinical or analytical IEMs, which are not as enjoyable.To be more specific, I have tried all of Celest's IEMs and have fallen in love with them all because of their unique approach to keeping the listener happy and interested while listening to music. However, the Beast tackles rivals and produces a highly pleasing response, which may be preferred by many.

While listening to Beast with Snowynight, the midrange response seems more sharper since the notes, particularly the female vocals and percussion elements, are more clearly defined. The bass felt more controlled, but the treble sounded the same. I thought the midrange sounded spacious, but not as expansive as when combined with the M2. However, this duo was more entertaining to listen to.

Kefine Klanar

Instead of having a neutral tuning, the Klanar's sound tends to be lean and bright, with a V-shaped tuning. It's a very interesting IEM for the price, with plenty of exciting bass and a focus on clarity and nuances. Since I've heard so many Planar IEMs employing a full range planar, I don't think this is particularly novel or exceptional—rather, it's more sophisticated in some respects and stunning in others. In order to illustrate such a response, I would use the Timeless as an example, since they shared a similar sound profile. They sound inviting and subjectively either lean or incredibly detailed and clear due to the emphasis in the vocal region and the quality of the planar driver. Yes, even though it sounds more accurate than warm, the bass is still good for a Planar. The Planar drivers do have some sense of that wet response, but they are far better than the Timeless, for example.

while listening Klanar with Snowynight, the response seems lot better positioned which helps in showing the intricacies and the impression of layering and imaging. Also the mid range sounded richer and better articulated which allowed the voices to seem more isolated and better stated. The bass had a relaxed, controlled tone.

BQEYZ Wind

With a strong bass and an upbeat feeling in the higher frequencies, the Wind's sound tends to be more V-shaped. The Wind, in my opinion, has a nice upper mid range intensity that provides strong clarity over the elements and makes for a pleasant listen. It's really encouraging that other IEMs that are priced similarly to these have had different responses from customers, since it breaks the monotonous loop of adopting the same goal that all businesses pursue. These sound similar to the EA1000, in my opinion, but not quite the same. I mean, the way the midrange and treble are handled feels like it was tuned for the EA1000 by SIMGOT. I think this is not the most detailed out there, even if I think the driver used in it is truly of a very high caliber.

While listening to Wind with Snowynight, the response seems more extended and layered, and the midrange is more calmed due to better placing. The stage makes it simpler to locate energy in the upper treble and achieve a more complete extension. The response has a stronger thud in the lower notes, making the bass around 100-200dB feel more accentuated. The energy distribution is significantly more balanced, allowing for a linear reaction.

HiSenior Mega5EST

I could tell the Mega5EST was a well-tuned IEM from the start because of its outstanding tone and great technical skills. The tuning is more in accordance with my own preferences, which are polished neutrals with a subbass boost flavor. I've tried the Variations, OH700VB, EJ07M, and all of its competitors, and while each of these IEMs has my preferred response, the tonality is by far the safest and most pleasant sounding. The bass is strong yet well-controlled, the midrange is forward-sounding, and the treble is spacious and smooth. Except for the fact that they are not warm-sounding IEMs, they sound as peaceful as any other.

While listening to Mega5EST with snowynight, the response seems more expansive and detailed, particularly in the upper frequencies. One thing I noticed with every pair coupled with snowynight was that the expressive quality of the upper midrange was more prominent in the mix, making the Mega5EST seem more spacious and airy.

Tracks​

Millet - Anytime Anywhere
Anri - I can’t stop the loneliness
Kohana Lam - A Few Sentimental
Kohana Lam - Loving Me, Loving You
Uru - Kimino Shiawasewo
Uru - Kamihitoe
Kujira Yumemi - Kenka
Majiko - Kokoronashi
Anly - Sukinishinayo
Kohama Lam - A Few Sentimental
Kohana Lam - Loving Me, Loving You
Miliyah - Kono Yumega Samerumade
Rokudenashi - The Flame Of Love
Yu-Peng Chen - A New Day with Hope
Yu-Peng Chen - Another Hopeful Tomorrow
Yu-Peng Chen - For Riddles, for Wonders
Valentino Khan - Satellite
Kai Wachi - Happier By Now
Jawns - Erotica
ISOxo - how2fly
Kai Wachi - Happier By Now
Weeknd - Popular
YUNGBLUD - When We Die(Can We Still Get High)
Bring to Horizon - Kool-Aid
Middle Kids - Bend
FLETCHER - Leads Me On
Loathe - Aggressive Evolution
The Weeknd - Save Your Tears
Sigrid - Burning Bridges
AURORA - Black Water Lilies
AURORA - Runaway
X Ambassadors - Renegades
Lupe Fiasco - Words I Never Said
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - Can’t Hold Us
Goyte - Somebody That I Used To Know
Jay-Z - Run This Town
Lady Gaga - Poker Face
Lady Gaga - Just Dance
Ladytron - Ghost
Travis - Love Will Come Through
LINKIN PARK - Somewhere I Belong
DJ Shadow - Six Days (Remix)
Hoobastank - The Reason
Ricky Martin - I Don’t Care
Tool - 7empest
Tool - Vicarious
A Flock Of Seagulls - Space Age Love Song
Zack Hemsey - Vengeance
Elton John - I’m Still Standing
The Moody Blues - Nights In White Satin
Micheal Sembello - Maniac
Guns N’ Roses - Sweet Child O’ Mine
A.R. Rahman - Kun Faya Kun

Conclusion​

To summarize this review, the AFUL Snowynight piques my interest every time I connect it to any of my IEMs since it makes it a highly trustworthy source anytime I use them, particularly for the sound quality it provides. I can't say how handy it is for others, but it was a bummer for me. Overall, I'm more concerned with the sound quality and performance, which it accomplishes quite well. As a result, I wholeheartedly suggest Snowy Night.

Introduction
Starting off with the brand, Aful is a not a very old brand, but it sure has been making huge strides in the Chi-fi market. It all started with the Aful Performer 5 which was a hit in its price segment, then came the Performer 8 which is my personal favourite Aful IEM, and on its latest lineup are the MagicOne which again is an IEM that I praise a lot. Now coming up to the first DAC release of Aful and that is the SnowyNight. Lets start with sound first...

Sound
The SnowyNight in one sentence sounds to me like the perfect balance in between the Questyle M15 and the FC6. The overall sound signature can be defined as balanced yet refined, detailed yet natural.
So what I mean here is that if you take the M15, it has immense technicalities and dynamics, so much so that it can sound unnatural in some IEM’s take the Performer 8 itself (on some music). Then on the other end of the Spectrum is the FC6, which again is highly dynamic but the technicalities on it present yet not as incisive as the M15. Now here comes the SnowyNight, what this device brings to the table is the mixture of the M15 and FC6. Although not as dynamic, it has great technicalities, yet controlled to the point it does not sound unnatural, and again, it has enough warmth and timbre that it sounds good, but does not overdo it. It is a lot similar to the FC6 than it is to the M15. So what you eventually get is a very smooth musical sound signature, without sacrificing too much on the technicalities, it pairs so well with the Performer 8 and the MagicOne that I feel Aful has probably tuned their source focusing on their own IEM’s. Because of this nature, the SnowyNight paired perfectly with the Simgots as well, the 500LM and EA1000.
Coming to the soundstage, I did feel that the SnowyNight projected better than average soundstage, it is slightly better than the FC6 and slightly less than the M15, again this is why I call this the better balance between these two. Again it sounds close to FC6 than to the M15, its like the baby FC6, or should I say Delta-Sigma version of FC6 with Balanced out, well not so much of a baby now.

Build Quality
This Dongle DAC is pretty cool to touch, what I mean to say is that it is made out of a metal shell, which is great for its nicely done build, although some sharp edges irritated me but not that of a concern. The cable that comes with it is also super high quality with metal connectors, apparently I got the lighting version, but having all Type-C devices I was not able to test that out, although it should not influence the sound, a nice cable really does enhance the overall look and feel of the device.

Specifications
SnowyNight is using the renowned CS43198 DAC Chip in a dual configuration, a lot of dongle DAC’s at this price range and even above is using this chip.
It supports resolution of up to 32bit PCM and DSD256, this is also pretty common on most dongle DACs at this price.
It comes with dual output as well, 3.5mm single ended and 4.4 Bal Output, apparently this for me is a very important feature even though it is common, with the FC6 as my daily driver, I can see the importance even more.
Driving power is good here, can drive any IEM, and some HP’s with Balanced out.

Overall, consider SnowyNight to be a Dongle-DAC that is neutral, more like balanced as it does add some slight note weight and the highs are not as airy as the M15, but then it makes it sound natural, and the best part is that it pairs perfectly with Aful’s own lineup. In one line, it is a well refined, well tuned, natural sounding DongleDac that pairs beautifully with slightly brighter IEM’s. Not that it sounds bad with the warm ones.

Would I recommend it? Yes definitely, you can and should consider this if you are looking for a Dongle-DAC at this price point. But I would not call it a massive upgrade over Dongle’s like the DawnPro 2, Tanchjim Space.

Introduction:-

Hey, Today its a snowy night I mean the snowy night.


Hello everyone, today we have the Aful Snowy night in for review. Its the first dongle from Aful, so lets see how it is.


I have also shared a video version of the review at YouTube any support there in form of a view, A like or A subscribe is greatly appreciated. But if you so wish to read the written version you can read this.




This is a review unit sent in from Hifigo, but all the thoughts and opinions you are about to hear are my own.

Buy it below (Unaffiliated Link) :-

Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CSSHBYF6/aful+snowynight/

Amazon JP:
https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0CSSXHHDC/aful+snowynight/

HiFiGo：
https://hifigo.com/products/aful-snowynight

Aliexpress：
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006476607781.html

I will be as usual following my bullet style format for better readability for those who are dyslexic and in general find it hard to read long paragraphs. I follow this guide in general from the British Dyslexia Association.


Lets start!

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Review:-



1. Well the packaging of it is very simple. It comes with the dac and a thick and nice usb c cable, Sadly no usb c to usb a converter inside the box.



2. The design of the cable is really nice, its thick and braided also this thick usb c chrome plated usb c endings. According to Aful its a high-purity 6N Single-Crystal copper material



3. The retail price of the aful snowy night is the $109



4. It comes with dual CS43198 dac chip



5. Although the exact power numbers aren't supplied anywhere, But it can supply from 140mw to 300mw. I Would assume 300mw is the highest power which can be supplied at high gain from the 4.4mm



6. The design of the dac is really simple and it looks really industrial.



7. It just has two volume buttons and double pressing that volume buttons together toggles between low and high gain mode.



8. You have UAC 1.0 and UAC 2.0 mode. They can be accessed by pressing the volume + button and connecting it to the device. There is a red blinking light and it stops blinking when the connection is done, this is great for devices like PS5, Nintendo switch etc.



9. It supports upto 32bit/768khz PCM and DSD256.



10. There are also 5 basic filters which can be accessed by pressing the Volume+/- button together for 1 second. I tried these, but never really noticed any difference. I just stayed at the stock setting which came in for the review.



11. Although aful doesn’t mention the volume steps, I found it to be around 61 steps



12. The aful snowy night is pretty ok when it comes to drive iems, but when driving the tanchjim kara via the 3.5mm stock cable. I had to use the high gain mode and almost be at around 50/61 steps to get a comfortable listening experience



13. As for the battery life the when playing the moondrop chu 2 at around 30% volume via the 3.5mm at low gain mode. I get around 13.5 hours from a 5000mah battery phone



14. Now before talking about the sound, I want to mention that its very hard to talk about it and it depends heavily on your personal preference, the iems you are using and also a-b ing it with other dacs.



15. The Snowy night offers a very neutral performance when it comes to the overall sound performance.



16. The overall clarity of the dongle is really good. And any colouration you hear is from the iem you are wearing or any eq from the app or music player you are using.



17. Although I want to say that, when I mean neutral while it does do a good job it isnt the cleanest our there. But for the price range it does a very good job.



18. The bass and mids are very neutral with no colouration whatsoever.



19. The treble while very linear too doesn’t have a harsher edge but they are softened up a bit, this makes it great for pairing it with harsher sounding iems



20. The imaging and soundstage stays the same and it completely depends on the iem or headphones you are wearing.



21. The tone of the timbre from it is really good and stays natural.



22.There is no background hiss that I heard of. Even the most sensitive iems like the fan 2 and nova stayed fine here.



23. Talking about the LED lights in the dongle dac, while they are good addition. They are quite flashy when on use and are quite bright when used at night.



24. I think so for the price they are good buy. But as for comparison with other CS43198 dongles I will make another video On my youtube channel where in I will talk about them in detail so that you get a good idea as to where each of the CS43198 dongles stand and what is the best for you and which one should you pick.



24. So thats my review of the Aful snowy night, if you are looking for neutral dongle with a bit of bluntness of the treble at around $100 these make a good buy and you wont certainly wont be disappointed.



25. Thanks for stopping by for my review.

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If you have any questions please feel free to ask me and also if you have any issues regarding this format of review please do comment I will try to mend it. Also sorry to those who are used to reading long paragraphs of review in headfi. I hope my review was upto the mark, I appreciate any feedback.

Again a big thanks to HifiGo for making this review happen.

Have a great day ahead Bye!

Introduction​

Aful does not need any more introduction by now, as they have established themselves as a competent brand creating beautiful sound through constant innovations. Till now, they have been creating mostly BA-based transducers, and with the SnowyNight they finally have ventured into the source segment.

Disclaimer: I received the Aful SnowyNight as a part of review tour. I will not retain this unit.

Packaging​

The SnowyNight is housed in a small and compact box.

In the box​

• SnowyNight
• Nylon sheathed type-c to lightning cable

Design​

The SnowyNight has a really nice design and build. Simple rectangular design, with just the right amount of aesthetics added via the three-pronged snowflake patterns to make it visually pleasing. The edges are not sharp. Another positive aspect is the compact size - I really do not like extra long or wide dongles. SnowyNight has just the right proportion.

The end where the 3.5mm and 4.4mm jacks are housed is a bit thicker than the rest of the part. In the snowflake pattern, an LED is hidden at the center right beneath a snowflake - looks classy.

The volume control buttons are located on a side. It is an independent volume control - much appreciated.

Aful has also selected a nice material for the cable - 6N OCC. Whether it has any actual impact on the sound - I was unable to determine that as I had to use a different cable, since the supplied cable was lightning and I do not have any apple source. The cable looks quite premium as well.

Internals​

The SnowyNight has dual Cirrus Logic CS43198 DAC embedded inside, the flagship one. It is also declared to utilise an advanced USB lossless transmission for enhanced performance.

SnowyNight Sound​

I used the SnowyNight with aftermarket type-c cable and Oriveti OH700VB for evaluation.

Click to expand...

The SnowyNight has a really refined and matured sound signature. The tonality is largely neutral with a slight hint of warmth to make the presentation comfortable and natural. Aful has struck a wonderful balance between the musicality and technicalities here.

The whole spectrum is handled in a very uniform and even manner. Nothing is emphasized over others, and yet the overall presentation is not boring. It is kept dynamic enough to grab the listener's attention.

The bass goes deep but does not have any added body here. The midrange is smooth and transparent. The treble is well-extended and has a very decent amount of energy. The notes are crisp but the edges are smooth, providing a comfortable but detailed presentation.

The soundstage has very good width, decent height and depth. The depth feels a bit less compared to the width so it might come across as a bit flat, but nevertheless, that is not a big caveat. The imaging is precise.

Comparison​

Vs. Fiio KA5​

For comparison, I have chosen another CS43198 powered dongle, the Fiio KA5 (currently my daily carry).

Not commenting on output as it is more or less comparable. Perhaps the SnowyNight is slightly more powerful than the KA5, but marginal difference.

The KA5 has a music play/pause button, along with a plethora of other functions - filter selection, volume step selection, UAC1.0 and 2.0 toggle, display rotation, S/PDIF On/Off, High and Low gain, etc. The small LED display further helps in providing the necessary information. The SnowyNight is much inferior in this, having just an LED light and High/Low gain, nothing else.

The KA5 sounds slightly more dynamic and slightly warmer. but the stage feels slightly more narrow, albeit with noticeably greater depth. It is also lighter and more compact compared to the SnowyNight. The SnowyNight is no slouch though, - the resolution and imaging seem to be at par with the KA5, and the more neutral tonality is a welcome change.

Where to Buy​

• Hifigo

Conclusion​

The Aful SnowyNight is a very morally correct source. It is like a model student - nobody can pick out any bad qualities of it, but it is also not fun in parties either. It is very hard not to like it, and yet after a while the heart will crave for something more fun. However, those who are looking for a comfortable source with no major drawbacks - SnowyNight is perfect for them. Smooth yet technical, Neutral yet enjoyable - the unique presentation of it is sure to win hearts. An altogether very mature performance, hats off to Aful for that.

Few things to note:

Thank you @gadgetgod and Aful for sending this unit my way to audition. I borrowed this unit purely because I was bored and wanted to try something new. I decided to write a review because I felt I should share my impressions / review as I was happy with it’s performance.

Also, I’m not a seasoned reviewer or a seasoned audiophile, so whatever I say are purely my observations and your results may vary.

I’m not the one to usually focus on specifications and numbers. I focus more on how happy I am with the equipment’s sound and that’s it.

Introduction:

The Aful Snowynight Dongle DAC AMP marks Aful's inaugural venture into the world of dongle DAC AMPs, and it's an impressive debut. Priced at $99, this compact device packs a punch with its simple features and promises to deliver high-quality audio performance on the go which I definitely feel it does.

We can always compare a $1 product with a $1000 product to show any short comings which I feel is unfair. I’ve evaluated this unit purely from the perspective of the value it offers at $99 and if you get your money’s worth or more.

Design and Build Quality:

Upon unboxing, the first thing that catches the eye is the Snowynight's elegant design. Crafted from aluminum alloy, it feels sturdy yet lightweight in hand (the shape feels similar to Moonriver that I used in the past) The creative snowflake design adds a touch of whimsy to its otherwise sleek appearance. The inclusion of a choice between a Type-C to Type-C or a Lightning to Type-C cable is a thoughtful addition, catering to a wide range of devices. (I thankfully got a lightning to Type C cable as I use an iPhone).







The quality of the cable was really good. It’s thick, malleable, braided cable and felt sturdy. Something like a ddHiFi MFi07s but can be bent to your satisfaction and feels good to touch.



It has a LED light that changes colour depending on the audio file that you’re playing and a volume up / down buttons on the side.





Features and Specifications:

Equipped with dual CS43198 DAC chips, the Snowynight supports up to 32bit PCM and DSD 256 audio codecs, ensuring compatibility with high-resolution audio files. It offers both single-ended and balanced outputs, catering to different headphone configurations. The device boasts high power output, promising to drive even demanding headphones with ease.

But I wouldn’t recommend that you use power hungry ones. Not that it cannot drive them, but you feel the dynamics lacking a little when you’re used to using your headphones on more powerful portable amps or desktop amps. I tried fairly efficient HPs like Elegia & AudioZenith PMx2 and was happy with the results.

For IEMs, I used, IER-Z1R, Xelento remote (2nd gen) & Penon Quattro, Final E5000, JVC FDX1.

Sound Quality:

The true test of any audio device lies in its sound quality, and the Aful Snowynight doesn't disappoint. I usually find it a little difficult to assess the sound quality of sources and find myself A/Bing more than I would an HP/IEM to come to a conclusion.

I felt SnowyNight had balanced, natural tonality across various IEMs and HPs that I tried. The sound presentation is linear, striking a delicate balance between musicality and clinical accuracy (at this price). The Snowynight maintains good detail levels and dynamic range, producing a captivating listening experience.

The bass quantity was adequate and the attack was decent. Mid-bass was slightly more pronounced compared to sub-bass.

It did however impress me with the vocal presentation. It was not too forward or recessed. It was just right. Vocals did not sound lean at all. They had good note weight.

Treble was smooth and not peaky.

That is all I can say about the sound.

Performance:

In addition to its impressive sound quality, the Snowynight excels in performance metrics as well. It demonstrates power efficiency, ensuring prolonged usage without draining the connected device's battery excessively. The device's ability to maintain a balanced sound signature without adding coloration or tinting is commendable, making it suitable for critical listening sessions.

The amp can output up to 2V 140mW (3.5mm) & 4V 300mW (4.4mm)



A point to note is that it has a high gain mode which I realised few days after testing and you can activate it by pressing the volume up & down buttons simultaneously.

The background was dark and I did not hear any background noise.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, the Aful Snowynight Dongle DAC AMP is a standout performer in its price range. With its attractive design, robust build quality, and impressive audio capabilities, it sets a high standard for dongle DAC AMPs in the market. Whether you're a casual listener or an audiophile seeking a source that is fairly powerful and has good sound quality , the Snowynight delivers on all fronts, making it a worthy buy.

Aful SnowyNight Review​

​

Aful SnowyNight​

Intro​

Hello, this is my full written review of the “Aful SnowyNight” from the very competent and highly competitive audio brand, “Aful Audio”. The SnowyNight is Aful’s first dongle dac/amp and was provided to me by another very highly competitive outfit… “Hifigo” in exchange for a written review and feature at Mobileaudiophile.com. The SnowyNight comes to us from an audio brand (Aful) that doesn’t seem to make mistakes, or at least does everything within the framework of their understanding and expertise to create products that truly compete for your dollar.

Aful Audio​

This highly talented brand actually began their journey back in 2018 when they quickly began setting up their lab and by 2020 they had procured three patents! That’s saying something folks! By 2022 the Performer series was off the ground with the release of the Performer 5, followed shortly thereafter by the Performer 8, and after much R&D the MagicOne came to us. Talk about a startup. This company went from relative obscurity to one of the big players very quickly.

I’ve reviewed a couple of Aful’s products. The first review I completed was for the Aful MagicOne (MagicOne Review) and I couldn’t have been more impressed folks, truly a standard bearer for anyone seeking an iem that has a unique driver configuration and also… Sounds truly fantastic! A couple months later I was able to complete another review of the Aful Performer 8 (P8 Review). What a talented iem the P8 is?! Another highly competitive set. Aful also crafted the very well regarded Aful Performer 5 (Mahir’s P5 Review) which took on the $200-$300 price point and one I use regularly for comparisons.

Impressive​

I’ve been very impressed by this brand folks, in truth… it’s hard not to. So often we are inundated with brands that seek out a “quick dollar” and pumped-up promises rather than being truly original, imaginative, and innovative. Like I said in my past reviews of Aful products, this is a brand that doesn’t seem to be okay with being the “status quo” within this vast rabbit hole of a hobby. I also realize that this is beginning to sound like a commercial for the brand, sorry-not sorry. I don’t mind giving praise to those who deserve it. Remember, this is all my own subjective thoughts and opinion. I think it’s about time we get into this review of the SnowyNight. I will try to answer “if” and “how” the SnowyNight is set apart in its respective price point as well as explain this product as best I can. Let’s get into it, the Aful SnowyNight everyone…

Non-Affiliated Purchasing links:​

–HiFiGo
–Aliexpress
–Amazon US
–Amazon JP

Disclaimer:​

I received the Aful SnowyNight from HiFiGo in exchange for a full review and feature at Mobileaudiophile.com. I have not received any payment or any other form of compensation for this review. This dongle dac is a sample device. HiFiGo has not requested to pre-read any review and doesn’t have any control over “what” or “when” anything gets published to mobileaudiophile.com. All thoughts within this review are my own though please take note that I will always have my own biases. This is impossible to get around. I try to be as objective as my subjective self can be, but this is an opinion piece folks. Thank you to HiFiGo and thanks for reading.


Full Review can also be found HERE

Gear used for testing ​

–Aful MagicOne

–Yanyin Canon ii

–Simgot EA1000

–Fiio FH9

–Hidizs S9 Pro Plus

–Moondrop Dawn 4.4

Packaging / Accessories ​

The Aful SnowyNight showed up at my doorstep in a very small box, nothing grandiose, nothing wasteful, or over the top. Aful keeps it classy folks. Covering the black box is a sleeve with what looks like a line drawn picture of the SnowyNight with the name above it in block letters. On the back you’ll find some specs for the unit and that’s about it. Once you remove the sleeve, you’ll find a hard cardboard black box with a glossy black Aful logo in the center. Remove the box lid and you’re presented with the SnowyNight in all its beauty staring back at you. Surrounding the SnowyNight is the usb type-c data cable looking very premium. That was my first thought. This isn’t just another dongle dac folks, but more on that later. This is a non-wasteful and very simple unboxing, as it should be.

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USB Type-C Cable​

Usually, I wouldn’t create an extra section in my dongle reviews describing the type-c cable. However as far as Aful is concerned the type-c cable is actually a selling point. In this case, I do agree. The cable I’m referring to is a 6N Monocrystalline Copper Cable with what is said to have improved signal conductivity and power transmission from the usual OFC cables in the market. Aful was trying to figure out how to improve this weak point of the data chain, that’s when the light build went off.

Improved​

Aful knows, just like most of us, that desktop style digital audio signal from coaxial transmission is better in terms of clean signal transmission compared to optical, and obviously better than USB (as seen in most dongle dac/amps). Again, this is the area that Aful sought out to try to improve to the best of their ability. A mobile & portable situation is how most of us will use the Aful SnowyNight. This transmission is created through the USB interface and Aful decided to try to mimic a coaxial/optical type sound as best they could as it is best to improve the connection at this integral point in the chain. In comes this new cable. Aful actually offers this type-c to type-c for Android and newer IOS devices, or the lightning port on IOS devices.

Better than standard cables​

The cable provided in the packaging is a gorgeous cable, roughly 4 inches long, black fabric, and stainless-steel strain reliefs that do a wonderful job of making this cable feel premium. It’s the little touches and stylistic aesthetic stuff that can make something look either cheap or completely dope. Anyways, Aful professes to have achieved completely lossless transmission by improving the speed and accuracy of this point in the chain. With improved audio signal software and actual “hardware” improvements Aful has achieved improved “data packet loss” as well as “data delay” which Aful states is far superior to standard usb cables. Said to bring audible improvements in high frequency resolution and the sound field scale which Aful describes as very close to a coaxial or an optical signal.

Cable:-
We studied a lot of different portable and desktop audio setups, and we realised we needed to work on the source signal transmission to enhance the acoustic performance of SnowyNight. We noticed USB transmission is not the cleanest, and digital inputs such as Coaxial, Optical provided cleaner and better transmission in most cases. But in the case of portable USB DAC/AMPs, we get limited to only USB transmissions. So, to enhance the acoustic performance in such a scenario, we bundled the SnowyNight with an enhanced cable that brings noticeable improvements by stable signal transmission, USB Lossless transmission, and also protects the sound signal from external interferences. The cable has high-purity 6N monocrystalline copper wire cores. It effectively improves the overall performance of the SnowyNight and makes it comparable to Coaxial and Optical input options in other devices.
Aful Promotional​

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Specifications ​

Specs：-​

– Name: SY01 or SnowyNight

– DAC Chip: 2xCirrus Logic CS43198

– PCM: 32bits-768KHz

– DSD: DSD256 DOP256

– USB Type: Type-C USB2.0

– Headphone interface: Dual Interface, 3.5 single-ended + 4.4 balanced

– Output frequency response range: 20HZ-20KHz

– Signal-to-noise ratio:

> 3.5 single-ended = 125dB

> 4.4 balanced = 130dB

– Noise floor:

> 3.5 single-ended = 1uV

> 4.4 balanced = 1.5uV

– Dynamic range:

> 3.5 single-ended = 125dB

> 4.4 balanced = 130dB

– Operating voltage range: 4.2V~5.3V

– Line output level:

> 3.5 Single-ended:

> Low gain = 1Vrms

> High gain = 2Vrms

> 4.4 Balanced:

> Low gain = 2Vrms

> High gain = 4Vrms

– THD+N:

> Single-ended = <0.00037%(1kHz@32Ω)

> Balanced = <0.00037%(1kHz/-6dB@32Ω)

– Impedance: 32Ω

– Power output:

>3.5 single ended= 140mW

>4.4 balanced= 300mW

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Build / Design / Internals ​

Build Quality ​

The build quality is obvious here folks. Certainly, up to the standard of a high quality and premium level dongle dac. Made of pure alloy, aluminum if I was guessing. I don’t see anywhere that this info is available as to exactly what the alloy is but just know that it feels very robust and solid in hand. I love the cold feel of alloy, it just gives off a strong feeling or a durable feel to me. On the front you’ll see a two-level design, skinnier closer to the usb-c connector and getting slightly fatter (roughly ⅛” fatter) about halfway down the device. At the fatter side on the SnowyNight, you’ll see a dual interface 3.5 single ended port as well as a 4.4 balanced port. Both offer secure connections. I have no fear of failure down the road. I have seen a lot of these dongle dacs and I feel that the SnowyNight is certainly built to the level of its price, without question.

Buttons​

On the left side of the SnowyNight you’ll see “+” and “-” buttons representing “volume up” & “volume down”. The buttons give off a nice haptic feel when pushing them in. I love a good click folks. These buttons provide just that. These buttons actually do way more than I would’ve thought. Of course, you can change the volume of the device itself only (which is fantastic) by single presses in either direction. You can also control the low and high gain from the buttons (more later), change UAC1.0 or UAC2.0 and set different filter modes from the device.

Design​

The SnowyNight has a very clean build with a lot of straight lines, 90-degree angles, and structurally sound all the way through. So, the build is great. Also, the design of this unit is pretty sweet too, friends. The SnowyNight is all black yet on the topside of the unit is a sweet design of snowflakes covering half of the device, or the skinnier portion of the SnowyNight. This is actually the exact design pattern used on Aful’s beautiful MagicOne earphones. Together they look very sharp. In the middle of this design is the indicator light which is there to tell you all kinds of info (I’ll get to that later). However, the contrast in the design against the black of the unit itself is very classy and cool. On the other half of the SnowyNight is the name “Aful” with the words “Audio Engineering” under it. On the back of the unit, you’ll see the device name “SnowyNight” with the audio transmission specs imposed like this: 32bit/768khz DSD256. I want to also state that the usb-c cable looks so rad attached with the stainless-steel fittings. It hard to speak on something like this in the correct way without going too over the top but I really am impressed with both the build as well as the design aesthetic.

Internals​

Inside of the Aful SnowyNight they added in two (dual) upgraded Cirrus Logic CS43198 deciding dac chips. It’s nice having dual chips of this quality and the differences are audible to me. The SnowyNight is capable of 32bit/768khz audio PCM transmission and DSD256 which is another feather in the hat of this little device. The Internals allow the SnowyNight to have output frequency ranges from 20hz to 20khz and an operating voltage from 4.2v to 5.3v.you get a great signal to noise ratio as I mentioned above in the “specs” section of 125db on 3.5 single ended and 130db on 4.4 balanced output. The SnowyNight also has dynamic ranges of the exact same numbers of 125db on 3.5 single ended and 130db balanced. This little device also has nice THD+N ratings of single ended= <0.00037%(1kHz@32Ω), Balanced= <0.00037%(1kHz/-6dB@32Ω). Also, the SnowyNight is capable of some high output and driving power for a dongle dac. Maybe not unprecedented, and we have seen higher values for less, but the SnowyNight can get up to 140mW @32ohms on single ended (high gain) and 300mW @32 ohms on 4.4 balanced (high gain). Folks, this is a talented device! Truly a competitor in the market.

High-End Dual DAC Chipset:-
We have equipped the SnowyNight with Dual CS43198 DAC chips. They support true high-resolution audio signal decoding supporting bitrates up to 32-bit/768kHz for PCM signals and DSD256 for native DSD signals. The high-end CS43198 DAC chips provide an extremely clear sound reproduction with best-in-class SNR, DNR, and THD+N performance. The SnowyNight has 125dB SNR through the 3.5mm port and 130dB SNR through the 4.4mm output port. We have a non-audible noise floor at 1uV(3.5mm), and 1.5uV(4.4mm).​

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Features​

Low/High Gain​

I’ve already spoken on this, but I figured it is a “feature” of the device so please just skip by if you must. Once again, the SnowyNight has the ability to switch between low and high gain from the left side volume +/- buttons. By simply tapping them both at the same time you can very easily and quickly change gain values on the unit itself. Again, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen this, but it is a novelty in the market and great to see. How nice is it that I can quickly add or take away some of the output from this device? I’ll answer that, um…it’s really nice. All you need to do is press both the +/- buttons at the same time and the indicator light will blink letting you know that you did indeed change the gain level. The amount of gain is substantial enough to provide an obvious power gain or reduction and the change is immediate. Single ended low gain is 1vrm, and high gain is 2vrms while on balanced you get 2vrms on single ended and up to 4vrms on high gain. Very nice.

UAC1.0 / UAC2.0 ​

Another nice thing you can do with the buttons is change from UAC1.0 to UAC2.0 and vice versa. All you have to do is hold the “+” button while the unit is powered off. Keep holding it and plug the SnowyNight in your phone, dap, tablet, computer through the usb-c port and wait until the red indicator light flashes. Once you see that just let go and you’ve switched to the desired mode. So, the buttons work somewhat like multifunction buttons as well as their obvious use. By the way, I adore this button setup. Being able to switch UAC1.0 & UAC2.0 at the device is huge for many folks who are gamers etc. For instance, my son would certainly need this operation for his Nintendo Switch and other devices he has which would otherwise not make any sound at all. This isn’t necessarily groundbreaking as we’ve seen it in the past, but it is not the norm and very easy to operate with the SnowyNight. Another nice job Aful!

Filter modes​

The Aful SnowyNight also comes with up to five different PCM pulse filter response modes. I don’t know what each one is yet as this info has not come out, or at least I haven’t seen it yet. I will edit this review later when I do know. Anyways, to change filters all you have to do is hold down the +/- together for over 1 second to activate the next filter. To be honest, these filters never radically change much, but with a very discerning ear you can spot subtle tonality shifts and transient behaviors. It’s something nice to have rather than not. Also, some of you may be able to tell the difference easier than others. I was able to notice the slightest differences, but it isn’t enough to really get excited about. It’s a good feature though.

Driving Power​

As far as driving power, the Aful SnowyNight has more than enough output power to drive most any iem out there. Having upwards of 140mW and 2vrms on single ended is actually quite a lot actually and really shines on any of my iems. I don’t have any beefy over ears to test so please forgive me for that. Of course, I listen almost e tiredly on balanced mode using the 4.4 port and again, the driving power is up to 300mW and 4vrms on high gain. This means that there really isn’t any iem that is going to be a chore to drive. I no longer have my Final Audio E5000 to test the ability for the SnowyNight to drive such a set and so again, forgive me. All I can test with at the moment is my iems. That said, on balanced listening the SnowyNight should be able to drive a vast amount of over ear headphones. Of course, you have to be somewhat reasonable as to how well you expect a small dongle to be able to push your high impedance cans.

Sound Impressions​

Note: All critical listening impressions are based after roughly 50 hours of playtime (give or take). This review was conducted while listening to flac or better files which are stored on my devices. I mainly used the three earphones I mention below but I also used many others during the course of my time with the S9 Pro Plus.

It was a good sign to see the dual dac chips implemented in the Aful SnowyNight as well as the good amount of driving power on hand all for the low cost of $109. Folks, this is a nice setup. For instance, the exact same chips are used in the Aune Yuki which would run you a cool $169 so, the price is certainly a huge “Pro” for anyone looking for a solid dongle dac. There are a couple others with this arrangement as well and they all perform pretty well. Of course, dac chips are not the only variable deciding on how a thing sounds. Also, the SnowyNight still has to actually sound good and compete sonically for your dollar. No worries, folks, the Aful SnowyNight sounds very good for the price. Certainly, the SnowyNight will turn your smartphone, tablet, or however you choose to use this dongle into a great hi-res portable listening device.

Great for the price​

The first thing I noticed about this dongle, which honestly set it apart from the other dongle dacs that I have on hand, is that the sound is very open and musical, closer to neutral with the most subtle shades of low-end warmth and smoothness. It has a nice 3-dimensional spatiality as the SnowyNight forms a more holographic type of presentation to me. Smoother rather than edgy or coarse, like some ESS type dac chips. No odd timbre artifacts or metallic timbre but a more naturally neutral sound with natural note weight. There is a delicate intricacy to note definition and effortless musicality, yet not so much to drown out details or clarity and never harsh. You also won’t hear any exaggerated peaks with iems which are borderline shouty themselves. It also won’t magnify or overemphasize the low-end either but instead reinforce these regions with natural dynamics and great timbre. Basically, the SnowyNight will not color your iems or over ears in any direction. Like I said, mostly neutral with subtle shades of warmth. Note definition is very nice although slightly less transparent than some dongle dacs which offer a drier presentation. I consider this a good thing. The SnowyNight is not dry or analytical and does offer a good note body with density to each note. Extension is pretty nice both ways with pretty nice dynamic range which extends the stage in an open and 3d manner. To me this is one of the better sounding dongle dacs priced near $100 that I’ve heard.

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Sound between the 20’s ​

Bass Region ​

The bass doesn’t color the low-end of any of the sets I’ve tested with it. You can tell this on Aful’s own “Aful MagicOne” as the SnowyNight takes an otherwise pretty laid-back bass region of the MagicOne and simply gives it a more concentrated punch. At least from something like the Moondrop Dawn 4.4. Honestly the bass does come across a hair denser than on less quality sources. Not to the degree of my Shanling M6 Ultra or more expensive sources but this should be expected. I found the SnowyNight can dig pretty deep with good extension into the lowest of lows and plenty of haptic rumble when paired with a rumbly set. However, I do feel that the SnowyNight isn’t necessarily adding any real color to the region. A non-bassy set is not going to all of a sudden “bang” in your ears. There is perhaps a slight emphasis. However, what this device does do considerably well is adds a clean note structure and note density.

The bass region is not the warmest I’ve ever heard and so you won’t have to worry about the Yanyin Canon II (for example) becoming warmer or muddier in the bass region than it already is. In fact, I found the SnowyNight to clean up this region with a concrete note body and nicely tight attack thru sustain for a $109 dongle dac. Clean, tight, defined, extended well and punchy with enough slam and grunt. Not overdone though. Again, this device is not going to add extra emphasis except a slight lift in the sub-bass area. For the price (this is key) I find that the SnowyNight really does compliment most sets that I use.

Midrange ​

The SnowyNight has a midrange that is slightly more forward, but not to a fault as vocalists sound well composed and with good presence. Surely this is a talented little device, and the midrange is a huge key to that. Vocals of both males and females have a very nice presence in the mix. They are smooth all the time but also there is a dash of controlled vibrancy which never spills over into glare. Unless of course you are listening with a set which runs a bit hot. Once again, the SnowyNight is not going to color your iems or headphones in any which way, but it will add a black background and good clarity with a feeling of openness and dynamics. The SnowyNight isn’t going to cause fatigue or add any elements of sharpness or shout either. I hear a very well controlled and resolute midrange. Again, I hear natural note weight, not thin, not thick but natural, with an underlying vibrance which coaxes fewer dynamic sets to feel a bit more engaging in that regard.

Musicality ​

However, the most impressive part of the midrange to me is the musicality in this region without losing out on the subtleties or micro-details. SnowyNight has a concentrated note framework or body. It also has a balanced potrayal of “technical meets melodious” or “mellifluousness say hello to precision”. I should also point out that it’s difficult to slap the “musical” buzzword on a source device when each and every iem or over-ear can affect just how “musical” this source device actually is. I’m speaking in generalities garnered through the many hours of experiential listening using many sets attached to the SnowyNight. It’s more musical (in general) with a midrange that has very nice macro-dynamics and a pleasingly organic timbre.

I also hear very good space between instruments and vocals giving each element of the stage room to exist, or room to breathe. The SnowyNight achieves all of this while also coming across smoothened and wave-like. Again, never colored so much to be perceived as harsh or knife-edged at the crest of midrange notes. I really like this dual CS43198 dac chip setup. They provide an almost analogue neutrality with only the slightest shades of warmth. Enough to conjure the perception of body. Depending (of course) on what is attached to the SnowyNight. There’s also well-defined depth for layering and good clarity. Also, the smoothness is a nice buffer, and that sense of body is persistent across the midrange. Never really bright as the SnowyNight never crossed that line while maintaining a subtle warm/neutral tonal color. It’s simply nice folks.

Treble Region ​

The treble is the same as the rest of the frequency with a smoothly refined sound. The SnowyNight treble is extended nicely with a sweeter disposition and naturally delicate timbre. This is not an oversaturated treble region and certainly isn’t harsh or peaky. The SnowyNight doesn’t have any undue brightness that is going to embellish your already bright sounding sets. For instance, the Simgot EA1000 didn’t all of a sudden become harsh up top to my ears. I found the SnowyNight has treble notes which may be perceived as slightly blunted rather than crisp. Not that the SnowyNight has anything to be ashamed of either. That said, I don’t feel the SnowyNight treble region lacks in the details department either. Resolution is quite nice from what I can tell, and detail retrieval seems to be very nice across the iems I used for testing.

Technicalities ​

Soundstage ​

The soundstage is very wide and tall with evident depth. This is a holographic sounding stage with a vaster and more immersive feel to it. Obviously, your iems or headphones will have a lot to say about this, but I don’t feel that SnowyNight takes anything away from any set I listened to. In fact, the SnowyNight was only a benefit in this regard. So, the stage is pretty vast and wider than average, tall, and with great depth of the sound field. Please trust that not every dongle dac can add a sense of space like this. Also, the SnowyNight does have some competition that also has a nice sized stage as well. This isn’t the only device performing this way. Still, I was immediately impressed by this device.

Separation / Imaging ​

I can’t stress enough that when reviewing a source device all I can truly speak on is how the SnowyNight will add or take away from your iems or over-ears sound signature. But, for the most part the SnowyNight seems to have fantastic spacing between elements of a stage. Yes, it is a smoother sounding dongle dac but it really doesn’t take away from how well Aful was able to create a sense of air and openness and well-defined sound images in my mind. Imaging follows suit with awesome imaging for a $100 dongle dac. I heard no obvious issues. All the SnowyNight has ever been a benefit to any set I used.

Detail Retrieval ​

Again, the SnowyNight has a refined, clean, naturally resolved but smooth note definition and timbre. Notes are a bit more blunted and not knife edged or crisp and so one would think that this would detract from the SnowyNight’s ability to resolve the finer details in your music. I suppose to an extent this is true and certainly there is better resolving dongle dacs for the price. However, SnowyNight is actually very nice in this regard. Again, the SnowyNight has a very good mixture of musical and technical to my ears.

Downsides to the sound of the Aful SnowyNight ​

If I were to come up with some drawbacks of the Aful SnowyNight there would only be a couple minor subjective qualms that some folks may have. I don’t, let’s just make that clear. I really enjoy this device. Anyways, the sound is smoother, it’s clean and it’s resolute but that smoothness is a hair more rounded which takes away some of the crispness which would ultimately be defined as… Details. Not that you lose much but you do have to be conscious of what you pair with this device. Also, for those who want a beefier low-end source, or for those who want a warmer source with even meatier note weight, you won’t necessarily find that here. Of course, whatever iem or headphone you use will also have its say about this aspect of listening. Still, the general tonality of the SnowyNight is closer to neutral with tighter transient shifts and very nice agility which comes across a bit leaner. Lean-lush rather than “lush”. That’s it, nothing else sound wise that I could point out as an issue.

Pairings​

Note: I will make these short and speak in very general terms as I won’t go into crazy detail about each iem pairing that I used. I went back and forth on even adding this section, but I chose sets that I used the most while critically listening to the SnowyNight. Now, I actually used many more sets during this time, but these are the four which garnered the most of my attention and to me sounded the best. These are in no particular order. Again, I’ll keep this short as there really isn’t a whole lot to say.

Aful MagicOne ​

Anyone who has used the Aful MagicOne (MagicOne Review) knows that this is a very hard iem to drive properly and to good fidelity. The MagicOne only has one full frequency BA under its hood but replays the entire mix wonderfully. I truly love and adore this set. One thing I know is the MagicOne is a chameleon of sorts, as to which source you use. As far as this pairing, you would think Aful made the SnowyNight just for the MagicOne because together they simply sing. You have the warmth of the MagicOne and the warm/neutral sound of the SnowyNight and it’s just dreamy. The SnowyNight tightens and cleans up the entire mix of the MagicOne in my opinion much better than other less quality dongle dacs. The MagicOne has a prevailing warmth which covers the mix and the SnowyNight does a great job of contrasting that warmth. The SnowyNight doesn’t color the sound to any great degree at all but instead just cleans, tightens, adds natural note weight and enough driving power to awaken that harder to drive single balanced armature driver.

Simgot EA1000​

The Simgot EA1000 is semi particular as to what you pair it with. I feel a dynamically warm to warm/neutral pairing is nice with this set, among a few other factors. Which brings us to the synergy between the EA1000 and the Aful SnowyNight. I feel the EA1000 sounds very good on almost everything, but the SnowyNight seems to make it a hair cleaner lined and controlled. One thing I was happy to hear is that the EA1000’s warm/neutral tonality didn’t all of a sudden become unbearably shouty attached to this device. Of course, I didn’t expect that but, you never know. In more glaring and shouty tracks the SnowyNight didn’t embellish upon the EA1000’s bright spots in its frequency, but in fact made a very nice duo. Another fact, I liked the EA1000 paired with the SnowyNight better than my iBasso DX240 by quite a wide margin. All about synergy folks. The EA1000 sounds very refined as is but I love the smoother textured pinpoint control and black background.

Yanyin Canon II ​

The Yanyin Canon II is truly one of the best iems between $300 and $400. Just an awesome iem. I actually reviewed this set last year (Canon II Review) and fell absolutely in love with its fun, dynamic and clean presentation of my music. Paired to the SnowyNight didn’t change much, it just sounded nice. I suppose if there is any one area that the SnowyNight obviously outperformed other devices, I would say that would be the bass region. I’m speaking “obvious” here folks. It was obvious to me that the bass was obviously tighter than something like the Hidizs S9 Pro Plus, Fiio KA3, Moondrop Dawn 4.4 etc. Also, there is a density to this device in the bass range without over emphasizing it and very good extension down low and this is something that is noticeable to me. Also, there was a slight reduction of detail retrieval in the name of a non-offensive and smoother sound. I was okay with that. It sounds awesome. Of course, it isn’t the easiest thing going back and forth between devices, just trust me in that. The comparison section next was a “time chewer”. Anyways, tonalities pair together well between the Canon II and the SnowyNight and again, the sound just comes across cleaner.

Fiio FH9 ​

One of my favorite iems that didn’t get enough praise, the Fiio FH9 (FH9 Review). The FH9 has a warmer sound and so the SnowyNight really did a marvelous job paired with it. There are a few things that I noticed. First, the bass tightened up even more than it already is and gave the bass very nice definition. Second, this is already a smooth set, but the SnowyNight just reinforced this without losing any clarity, definition, resolution or details. Not enough to speak on anyways. The clarity is outstanding for a $100 device and the dynamics turned an otherwise more laid-back sound into a set with a little cleaner pep. Obviously, there is more expensive gear that will outperform this dongle dac or “any” dongle dac for that matter. Still, in the realm of this portable type of listening, the Aful SnowyNight was a nice pairing with the Fiio FH9.

Final thoughts on pairing​

Like I said, I really questioned even putting this in the review because there are so many factors which can alter the sound of an iem. Also, it isn’t the easiest thing to describe in this format. It’s something which you really have to listen to yourself and so I don’t know how helpful this was to you. Basically, I don’t know how beneficial it is to the consumer. Anyways, at the end of the day I feel the Aful SnowyNight pairs very well with multiple different tonalities in general. The sound is very neutral with just a hint of warmth and so that is a great starting point in my mind for a device which won’t really color your iems or headphones all that drastically. I honestly heard nothing that I thought was a negative as far as pairings goes with any of my iems, not just the sets i included in this review. To be honest, I really consider the SnowyNight as almost a chameleon which really just lets my iems be what they are.

Comparisons ​

Note: I will be very brief in these comparisons. I want to keep my word count down for the algorithm and so I will use very general verbiage when describing these differences. All comparison testing was done with the same set of earphones listening to the same tracks for an extended period of time.

Moondrop Dawn 4.4 ($69)​

The Moondrop Dawn 4.4 is a very capable dongle dac and one of my price to performance favorites. The Dawn 4.4 utilizes dual CS43131 dac chips and has enough power for most any iem and even some over-ears with 230mW @32 ohms. There is a lot the Dawn 4.4 does right, and I have thoroughly enjoyed this little guy.

Differences ​

First thing you’ll notice is that the Dawn 4.4 is a cylindrically shaped dongle dac whereas the SnowyNight is obviously not. Both are built very well but the SnowyNight has some huge advantages. For one, the Dawn 4.4 has a fixed cable of questionable quality while the SnowyNight has that amazing type-c detachable cable. Also, the SnowyNight actually has volume / multi-purpose buttons as well. I feel the indicator light is much better on the SnowyNight too as the Dawn’s indicator light is barely visible and tiny in comparison. As far as design, the SnowyNight is simply better. Unless you like stark white devices with no real artistic flare. The SnowyNight has low/high gain on the device itself as well as the ability to add or take away volume, search through sound filters etc. Also, the Dawn 4.4 only has a 4.4 port. Hence the name “Moondrop Dawn 4.4”. Lastly, there is a justified price difference between the two as the Dawn 4.4 comes in at a cool $69. Of course, Moondrop does make an app (IOS & Android) which is fantastic, something the SnowyNight doesn’t have.

Sound Differences ​

To start, the SnowyNight has better driving power on 4.4 balanced by a wide margin of roughly about 70mW at 32ohms. Both devices have great timbre, but the SnowyNight has a more natural and dense note weight with a smoother overall signature. The Dawn takes an analytical approach with a dryer and more technically adept sound. Details are a pinch easier to discern on the Dawn but with less enjoyable timbre for me. The SnowyNight sounds better extended with better dynamic range to my ears, it has more profuse macro-dynamics and it simply has better musicality. To my ears the SnowyNight is better in almost all regards. Wider stage, just as clean a background, better note weight, even less harsh at times. I’d say that SnowyNight is definitely the more refined of the two with better extension both ways. Deeper and more dense bass, more melodic midrange and a more resolute and shimmery treble.

Further thoughts on this comparison ​

At the end of the day, it will all come down to what you prefer. I wanted to add in devices that I feel are some of the best you can buy at slightly lower prices as I do feel it helps the consumer. The Moondrop Dawn 4.4 is a special device, but it is lacking basic stuff. The non-detachable cable kind of stinks and the lack of a 3.5 single ended output is also a strike against it. However, the Dawn 4.4 does compete sonically quite well. It simply isn’t as controlled, and the dynamic range suffers in comparison to the SnowyNight. Still, like I said it all comes down to your pocketbook. Certainly, I feel the price difference is worth the SnowyNight but both provide fantastic sound.

Hidizs S9 Pro Plus ($89)​

The Hidizs S9 Pro Plus “Martha” is one of my favorite dongles under $100. This is one which has gotten a whole lot of play time since my review during the fourth quarter of 2023 (S9 Pro Plus Review). The S9 Pro Plus comes with an ES9038Q2M dac chip and decent driving power of 138mW @32 on 3.5 single ended and 180mW @32 on 4.4 balanced. Truly a performer that I enjoy having in my collection.

Differences ​

These two devices are much more similar than the last comparison. Both devices are about the same size, but the S9 Pro Plus is a bit fatter and thicker. Both devices are really dope looking in my opinion. They also both are rectangular with a nice design. Truthfully, I don’t know which I like better as far as build and design is concerned. The S9 Pro Plus has an aluminum chassis and glass back and front plates while the SnowyNight is an all-alloy affair. Both are fantastic for their respective prices. Both have removable cables although I do feel the SnowyNight’s cable is of better quality. One thing that both have in common is volume and multi-use +/- buttons. Hidizs crafted theirs to appear like little volume wheels but of course they are only buttons. The S9 Pro Plus has less-rigid buttons which are much larger and a more haptic click when pressing. The only other big difference is that the S9 Pro Plus is sold for around $89 while for $20 more (give or take) you can get the SnowyNight.

Sound Differences ​

Both sets have a slight warmth but cater to a mostly neutral tonal color. Perhaps the S9 Pro Plus is a hint warmer but that is seriously up for debate. The S9 Pro Plus has a beefier mid-bass but with a less defined note definition. The SnowyNight comes across cleaner, better separated and with a tighter yet still very satisfying slam. However, the SnowyNight has a denser and deeper extension into the sub-bass with better clarity. Honestly, clarity is better across the mix on the SnowyNight. The midrange performance of both devices is more forward and great for vocalists. I do feel that the SnowyNight has better midrange separation with a slightly more lean-lush note weight with a denser and more solidified note structure. Details are nice on both midranges, but the SnowyNight does bring out the subtle stuff a bit easier. The treble region has better extension on the SnowyNight and it also comes across more shimmery and has better control over the treble. These are very subtle differences folks. Technically I find the SnowyNight has tighter transients, better detail retrieval by a small margin but both devices have similar stage presentations. Both are great but the price increase is justified in my opinion.

Further thoughts on this comparison ​

Folks, I really enjoy both of these devices. For $89 it’s hard to find anything flat-out “better” than the Hidizs S9 Pro Plus. It is a sweet looking device and has some great functionality too with one of the best builds in any price point. However, the Aful SnowyNight exists at only $20 more which, if you can afford it, I feel it’s warranted.

Is it worth the asking price? ​

When I found out that Aful was creating a dongle dac I knew it would be a well-developed and solid product. Like I said near the intro, this isn’t a company who seeks to simply make a quick buck. The Aful SnowyNight embodies this standard through-n-through. I hate to say something punches above its price but in the case of the SnowyNight it is an easy conclusion to draw. Especially when there is the Aune Yuki costing roughly $60 more but with the exact same dual dac setup and also, the SnowyNight has better driving power. In fact, the SnowyNight has almost the same output power on single ended as the Yuki does on balanced. Not to mention the SnowyNight is almost twice as powerful on balanced. Not that driving power is everything but… it’s something. Obviously, there are other factors that set a device such as the Yukk apart, or not. Also, the Yuki comes equipped with some other Internals which help to justify its price so please don’t think I’m saying they are equal. Anyways, Hifigo has this device for $109 and I’m sure there will be sales for even less. Without question, 1000% the Aful SnowyNight is easily worth the $109 that Hifigo is asking.

The Why… ​

The reason why the Aful SnowyNight is worth the amount of $109 is because it could’ve been sold for even more. First off, the addition of the type-c 6N cable is a big plus. Also, the build quality is so blatantly obvious. Folks, this is a well built and solidly structured device. The onboard buttons and basic functionality of the dongle itself comes with no hiccups whatsoever either. However, it’s the immersive and engaging sound quality that sets this device apart in my opinion. I’ve had too many dongle dacs to list here folks. Ranging from $40 to $250 and honestly, the Aful SnowyNight is my favorite. I’m just going to put that out there. Also, it’s just my opinion. Still, the sound has a wonderful timbre with great dynamics and impressive musicality. Notes are clean with really great definition and the overall listen has some good resolution. In some regards the SnowyNight is even comparable to some of the mid-tier daps I’ve tried.

Conclusion ​

To conclude my full written review of the Aful SnowyNight, I want to thank HiFiGo. You can find the SnowyNight HERE (Non-Affiliated). I’ve had a great time reviewing this device as it has been quite a nice experience. I do feel that the SnowyNight can stand up to just about any set in its price point with relative ease and I also feel that $109 is a fantastic price. I personally recommend this device and hope to see some of you rockin’ it in the near future. It’s nice folks.

Different perspectives ​

As I always do in each and every review, I must ask you to please check out other thoughts about the Aful SnowyNight from other reviewers as it’ll help you to make a purchasing decision. $109 is a lot of money to many people and so I do hope you’ll do your homework. We are all very different friends. We have different gear, music libraries, likes and friends, and we haven’t all been down the same journey in audio. Take the time to research a bit and you’ll be better for it. I think this review is about done so please take care, stay as safe as possible and always… God Bless!

​

AFUL SnowyNight :: USB-DAC :: 3.5mm UNBAL + 4.4mm BAL

Founded in 2018, 'AFUL Acoustics' is a newly established Chinese earphone manufacturer.

The company's Performer Series and MagicOne IEM, which are based on a patented crossover circuit design and an acoustic engineering design exquisitely realised using high-precision 3D printers, have received good reviews since their release.

After the successful launch of three IEMs in a row, AFUL's next product was not another pair of earphones, but a USB DAC. It was a bit of a surprise, but in hindsight, given AFUL's strength in circuit design, a DAC might be a good fit.

-

Huge thanks to HiFiGo for providing a sample unit for this review.
However, this review fully reflects the my honest opinion without anyone else's interference.

Btw, are you more familiar with Korean?
So am I, and If that's the case, I think you'd be better off reading my review written in Korean here.

This entire review was translated from Korean article using DeepL Translator with some refinement by myself.




After removing the package box, you'll find a simple Instruction Manual and Warranty card inside.

The user manual is written in English, but there are a few things missing.
We'll get to those as we go through the review.



Inside the package, you'll find the SnowyNight DAC itself, and the cable - which AFUL has taken great effort to make.

My review unit came with a USB-C to C cable, but you can also choose a USB-C to Lightning cable for your iPhone at the time of purchase.



This is the USB-C cable bundled with SnowyNight.

It features 6N OCC single crystal copper wire, which has undergone an additional heating treatment to further enhance its purity compared to the usual oxygen-free copper wire. At the same time, it's said to be a cable that AFUL put a lot of work to match the SnowyNight, including hardware and software design to increase signal transmission stability.

Since it is a digital cable that transfer digital signals, so it would be hard for the human to tell the difference in sound compared to a cable of a decent quality.

However, most 'USB DAC' products are powered externally via a USB cable, rather than being self-powered via an inbuilt battery, so the quality of the cable could be relatively important for a USB bus-powered DAC, even if it's the same digital cable.

The high quality, gold-plated USB-C sockets and fabric-covered, flexible wires speak for themselves without the need for a lengthy explanation.



Looking at the SnowyNight USB DAC itself, you'll notice a distinctive design that keeps the overall thickness as low as possible.

It's 13mm thick in the area where the relatively bulky 3.5mm unbalanced and 4.4mm balanced terminals are located, and then naturally drops to 10mm as you move to the area where the USB-C terminals are located.

At 55mm in length and 22mm in width, the portability is top notch compared to its competitors, thanks to a design that sheds as much bulk as it can.



On the opposite side is the USB-C socket, with a snowflake-shaped LED on top and a snowflake pattern around it to hide it.

Next to it are the volume buttons, which can do more than just control the volume.



AFUL SnowyNight supports USB Audio Class 2.0, so you can connect it directly to Windows PC and Mac, or mobile devices including Android and iOS.

However, if you are using an older PC with Windows 7 or earlier, the DAC may not be recognised immediately, in which case AFUL has provided a separate driver for Windows via the link below.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nh5q0bbpuhDJnhy_HmdvpUcJ-cGo_9V3/view?usp=sharing

Due to the nature of the CS43198 DAC chipset which doesn't have an integrated amplifier in it, SnowyNight uses the separate amplifier chip. However, it still remains power-efficient which makes it a great match for mobile devices.

This means that smartphones - especially iPhones - which are limited to the amount of current they can draw, were able to be reliably driven without ticking or disconnecting, even when plugged into Planar headphones that demand quite a bit of power.



As mentioned earlier, most DACs on the market today use the UACUSB Audio Class2.0 specification to support high bitrates, which is not yet fully supported by some game consoles, including the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5. Connecting a DAC that only supports UAC2.0 to these devices can cause compatibility issues where no sound is played.

So if you're looking for a DAC to use with a game console, it's important to make sure you can force the device to use UACUSB Audio Class1.0, and the AFUL SnowyNight comes with a feature to force UAC 1.0 for compatibility with game consoles.

This is the 'missing feature in the manual' we talked about earlier, and you can force it to use the UAC 1.0 specification by simply holding down the Volume + button while plugging in your DAC. With this feature enabled, you can see that the external DAC is now recognised by the Nintendo Switch, as shown in the photo above.



As another hidden feature, SnowyNight has the ability to adjust the output gain.

Low Gain mode for high sensitivity devices, such as single BA earphones,
High Gain mode for devices that require a lot of power, such as Planar headphones.

To switch between the gain modes, simply press the volume - and volume + buttons simultaneously,
You'll see the white light flash once for Low Gain and twice for High Gain.

This is handy because the gain mode is stored even after the DAC is switched off, but it's worth checking that the volume isn't too high when switching between listening devices to protect your hearing.



The hidden features don't stop there.
AFUL SnowyNight includes the ability to switch between 5 different digital filters.

All delta-sigma DACs use a 'low-pass filter' to smooth out the waveform during the process of converting a digital signal to an analogue signal. The 'Digital Filter' setting is what determines the shape of this 'low-pass filter' and is therefore an important factor affecting both frequency response and impulse response.

I was unable to find any information on what digital filters are implemented in SnowyNight, but looking at the datasheet for the CS43198 DAC chipset used in this device, it mentions that there are exactly 5 digital filters built in, so I'm guessing it's a function for switching between the filters built into the chipset.

Pressing and holding the Volume + and Volume - buttons together for one second will cause the LED to flash once, cycling through the digital filters. If switching to the 5th filter, the LED will flash twice, so you can guess which filter you're using.

Since no filter can be perfect in both 'frequency response' and 'impulse response', many DAC manufacturers offer a wide range of 'digital filters' so that you can choose your favourite. It's not easy to hear the difference in sound between digital filters, but it can be fun to listen to music as you switch between them.



With all of these great features, what does SnowyNight sound like?

As you can see from the fairly good THD performance and Dynamic Range numbers, SnowyNight sounds neutral and smooth across the entire bandwidth, from sub-bass to treble.

In particular, with a very low noise floor of just 1.5μV, the low-noise design is well-engineered to block out all sorts of external noise, so I didn't notice any noise at all, even with the earphones having a fairly high sensitivity of 115dB/mW. I also didn't notice any noise when the device was near network equipment such as smartphones and routers, so I'd say the noise shielding is pretty good.



Despite its fairly small size, it has excellent low-noise, low-distortion performance. What's more, it's capable of delivering a high output of up to 300mW, 4Vrms, but thanks to its solid energy-efficient design, it's also highly compatible and has low heat dissipation.

There are a lot of USB DACs on the market these days, but it's rare to find one that combines portability and functionality with solid fundamentals. It's hard to find any downside from this device, and SnowyNight will serve as a great way to enjoy high-fidelity sound whenever and wherever you connect it to a variety of devices.

If you're looking for a high-performance USB-DAC with high portability and wide compatibility, this is one to consider.

- Non-Afiiliated Purchase Links

Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CSSHBYF6/aful+snowynight/

Amazon JP:
https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0CSSXHHDC/aful+snowynight/

HiFiGo：
https://hifigo.com/products/aful-snowynight

Aliexpress：
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006476607781.html

Intro
Hot, or should I say, cold on the heels from the latest release of AFUL, the MagicOne has been a technological showcase of what AFUL can think of. A concept where a single BA IEM has achieved levels unmatched before. AFUL lately has been at the forefront of proprietary tech within their IEM releases though this time, they are again on it but in the form of a DAC release for a change. Seems like a continuation from their 'snowflake' identity, the SnowyNight looks to be a match made for the MagicOne featuring a USB Lossless Transmission Technology. It may be another dual CS43198-based DAC under the hood but it does moreso than some. Let's see if it does break the mold from other DAC dongles in the market.


Packaging and Build
The AFUL SnowyNight comes in a black box with a slide-out cover sleeve with its label and branding in the front as well as info at the back. They could've gone for a clean acetate or white packaging to go with the product name but that's just a package design language. Inside you get the dongle itself housed in a black metallic housing with snowflake design as well as the LED indicator in the middle. The unit itself feels solid. Lastly, it includes what they call a USB Lossless interconnect cable which comes in either USB-C termination or Lightning depending on the purchase options. The cable itself feels of premium quality with metallic plug terminations and a bit extra thickness though that's it. No frills and no extras whatsoever. At this price range, you might expect for an extra interconnect or adapter but no it does not come with such. Also, do note that even if the cable itself is proprietary for optimized function and data transfer, it does still work with any other USB-C interconnect you might have lying around just in case you lose the cable. The cable does feel worth the extra bucks and might have a measurable difference with other interconnects but using another cable provides an inaudible difference.


Sound and Functionality
Aftrt plugging in the SnowyNight, it is immediately recognized by the device which I tested on a Samsung S23+ phone and a laptop. The SnowyNight provides a neutral tonality, with a touch of smoothness to the notes but maintains clarity. What is apparent though was that it audibly expands the stage and imaging, with pinpoint instrument locations while the width expansion is definitely noticeable. The output is clean as snow though one might find a bit reduction in detail while it smoothens out the music for a non-fatiguing listen. This was most apparent while listening to the neutral Performer8, smoothing down some of the peaks but still maintains the control of the said setup when busier tracks call for it. On the other hand, just like its breathren and similar chipset DAC, it does have a difficult time bringing the AFUL MagicOne to loud levels. Of course, I was expecting since it seems it was designed to play the AFUL MagicOne in mind and it does drive it cleanly and at a satisfying level but it is noticeable that its loudness could be higher as max volume still does not reach apex levels of loudness though. If you are a low-mid volume lister, this is fine. What's remarkable though is it does match well with my Symphonium Helios which is known to be picky with sources. The dual CS 43198 chipset brings out the cleanliness you'd expect out of this purist implementation (without additional opamps or the integrated amps of the CS43131) but to compare with a similar set, the DEW4X adds some body, thickness and heft to the notes and bass while the SnowyNight still keeps the low to mid frequencies a bit lean so there's the contrast to these 2 different dual CS43198 implementations.



Comparisons & Conclusion
An immediate point of comparison that I recently had the chance of testing side-by-side was with Simgot's DEW4X. The internals are almost identical, both utilizing the dual CS43198 chips as well as having both 140mW of SE and 300mW of BAL power output. Aside from minor differences in THD, the SnowyNight gives a bit higher level of clarity and technicalities by expanding the imaging and stage width more, though at the cost of somewhat of a bit leaner presentation while the DEW4X noticeably increases the thickness and body while boosting the bass a bit. From my last listening experience with other similar dual CS43198 setups, for me the SnowyNight already sounds better overall than either the Truthear Shio and Moondrop Moonriver 2. The SnowyNight though shows a more premium implementation in handling the sound to midfi levels especially upping the game of sets costing $200 and up to audible improvements. The dual CS43198 DAC market may be a bit redundant as Cirrus chips looks to become as the chipset of choice for performance and value, AFUL though does a good job differentiating the SnowyNight from others in the market. Other than the barebones core package with no extras, it's a job well done for AFUL.



The AFUL SnowyNight will be releasing soon on Jan 30th 2024 and will be available through the ff:

Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CSSHBYF6/aful+snowynight/
Amazon JP:
https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0CSSXHHDC/aful+snowynight/
HiFiGo：
https://hifigo.com/products/aful-snowynight
Aliexpress：
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006476607781.html

DISCLAIMER

I would like to thank the HIFIGO for providing this unit.

This Snowy Night can be gotten here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CSSVN36L/aful+snowynight/ and https://hifigo.com/products/aful-snowynight (no affiliate links).





SPECIFICATIONS/COMPATIBILITY

Retails at $109.99 USD.

The Snowy Night is a plug-and-play device, with no need for the installation of additional drivers on Windows 10 and above. I'm not an Apple user, but this dongle was immediately recognized on various Android devices and DAPs I connected it to. It has no app or internal EQ software, but there are 5 internal DAC filters to play with.


ACCESSORIES

During ordering, one can opt between a lightning or USB-C type cable, depending on whether you are an Android/Windows or Apple user.

Sadly, nothing else is provided inside the packaging. Specifically, there is no USB-A adapter provided, so you will need to source for one when connecting it to PCs or laptops for Windows users.



The stock cable is a 6N single crystal copper cable, with a fabric sheath to reduce EMI. The end terminals are mirror-like, and this is definitely one of the best-looking dongle cables for sure. This cable is touted to contain USB lossless transmission technology.


DESIGN/FUNCTION

The Snowy Night is a very portable device. It weighs 20 g and is compact enough to fit into pockets or to be stacked onto phones. The chassis comes in a black matte metal finish, and is solidly build. There are snowflake motifs gracing the front of the dongle as per its Snowy Night name.

This dongle does not have any LED screen display. On one end of the fuselage, we have the 3.5 mm (single-ended) and 4.4 mm (balanced) ports, with the latter having gold-plated reinforcement.




On the other end, we have the USB-C port for power and data transfer.




On the lateral sides, we have the volume controls. I am glad to report that these volume controls are independent, with finely-tuned volume steps. Some high-end dongles like the Questyle M15 do not have independent volume controls, so this inclusion is much appreciated.



A short press will change the volume up and down, whereas quick-pressing both buttons simultaneously will toggle between high and low gain. The LED will flash white twice to indicate it is high gain, while it will only flash white once when in low gain.

Long-pressing (>1 second) both volume buttons simultaneously will switch amongst 5 different DAC filter settings. Do explore with the various filters should you wish to, but they are quite subtle in the big scheme of things.


INTERNALS

This dongle DAC/Amp houses dual CS43198 DAC chips, and can support up to 32-bit/768kHz PCM and Native DSD256.




SOUND/PERFORMANCE

I tested the AFUL Snowy Night with Android phones and on Windows laptops and PCs. Apologies, as I am not an Apple user, I can't vouch for their performance with Apple devices.

Sound-wise, it is neutral, and lets the connected transducer do the colouring. It does not emphasize any frequency band too much. End-to-end extension is good, with no cut-off in the frequencies at either end.

In technicalities, this dongle cedes outright clarity and resolution to provide a more musical soundscape. Edge definition is slightly blunted to reduce fatigue and add some sprinkling of euphony to the sonics. Thus, the Snowy Nigh sounds smooth and refined. It will make a good pairing for harsher or sterile transducers, though folks who want to pick up every minute nuance in the music might need to look elsewhere.

Imaging is relatively accurate. Soundstage is a highlight on this DAC/Amp, with expansive width, height and depth noted. Instrument separation is also nicely done, with no claustrophobia noted in the sonics.

Timbre is very natural and sweet sounding, with the above mentioned rounded note edges.

The Snowy Night has 3.5 mm (single-ended) and 4.4 mm (balanced) ports, with the latter providing more power. On high gain, with the 4.4 mm output, the Snowy Night is advertised to hit 300 mW power.

My acid tests for source testing include 3 of my hardest to drive gear:
1) Final Audio E5000 (low sensitivity at 93dB/mW)
2) Sennheiser HD650 (high impedance at 300ohm)
3) Yinman 600 ohm (600 ohm impedance and 87db/mW sensitivity)

The above were tested with the 4.4 mm (balanced) port, on high gain.

Volume was not an issue with these 3 demanding behemoths, with headroom to spare in abundance.

The E5000 was driven acceptably, with decent bass tightness. Definitely desktop-grade amps would have done a better job, but not many dongles can lay claim to powering the E5000 to a satisfactory degree, with most dongle rivals causing the E5000 to sound one-noted and flabby in the bass.

The Sennheiser HD650 was juiced sufficiently, dynamics were-up-to scratch, with no compression in sound.

The final boss Yinman 600 ohm sounded a bit meh on high gain (4.4 mm), soundstage was a tinge scrunched, and the bass could have been tighter and more controlled. For sure desktop devices would have done a better job, but I've not encountered many dongles or even DAPs that could have done the Yinman 600's sound justice, so no shame here.

This dongle doesn't hiss even with fussy high sensitivity IEMs, which is a sign of good implementation of the internals. Unfortunately, no output impedance (OI) specs are provided on the product insert. FWIW, I think the OI should be relatively low, as some of the low impedance IEMs I plugged in sounded similar in tonality (i.e. not skewed by too high OI).

The Snowy Night, like the SNOW namesake suggests, remains cool to the touch even when driving heavy loads on high gain. This is once again appreciated, compared to rival dongles that sometimes get scalding during usage!


COMPARISONS

I will compare it against some dongles retailing at around the $100 mark.





Truthear SHIO

The Shio is also a dual CS43198 DAC dongle, with an independent volume controller. Tonally, the SHIO is warm with an emphasized mid-bass. Power is sadly anemic on the SHIO, with less headroom for hard to drive gear.

The Shio is technically inferior - it has a smaller soundstage, with worse instrument separation and imaging. The Shio is also hazier in resolution.


E1DA 9038D

The E1DA 9038D utilizes an ESS Saber ES9038Q2M chip. It is a sterile dead neutral set that is very analytical but with not much musicality. It does not have a volume control, and gets very hot during usage. The E1DA 9038D also maxes out at 180 mW output power, which is less than what the Snowy Night can provide.

The E1DA has a more claustrophobic soundstage, with weaker instrument separation, though it has a bit sharper edge definition to notes, with more clarity.

The E1DA only has a 3.5 mm output, but has firmware mods to change the sonics, and even has a tube amp sound version, for those that want more versatility.


Fiio KA13

The KA13 is neutral bright set that houses dual CS43131 DAC chips. It also has an independent volume controller (after firmware update). The KA13 has a thinner note weight with a more sterile tone. It is brighter in the upper frequencies too.

The KA13 has a smaller soundstage, but better imaging and micro-detailing, with a sharper edge definition to notes. Clarity is slightly better on the KA13.

The KA13 can juice out 550 mW on its 4.4 mm desktop mode, which dwarves the Snowy Night's output. The KA13 gets a bit warmer during usage, but has an app to play with filters and lighting.


CONCLUSIONS



The Snowy Night is a musical dongle DAC/AMP that combines a neutral soundscape with smoothness. It lives up to its namesake of Snowy Night - with rolled-off edges to notes, harshness is avoided, and this gives a rounded sweet tone to music. Soundstage is also commendable, with 5 DAC filters available.

This dongle does not get hot during usage, with no hiss noted on high sensitivity IEMs. I value the fine-volume steps with independent volume controllers, something which is not always available, even in pricier dongles.

For a dongle, the Snowy Night boasts of solid power output on the 4.4 mm port - at 300 mW - and also has a high gain function. It can power some demanding transducers serviceably, short of outliers, though of course dedicated desktop amps or some extreme dongles like the Fiio KA13/17 might fare better here.

This dongle is not the best option for folks who want something for critical listening or for analytical-heads, due to the blunted edge definition and placid tunes - it brings a musical panorama to the ears, rather than something very technical. It is a tinge pricey, but if smoothness personified is your cup-of-tea, with spacious and mellow melodies desired, then the Snowy Night should be considered in the conversation.