Shozy Pola 39, iBasso DX220, Amp 9.
Nice clarity and with decent treble reach, mids are elevated enough with slightly forward vocals. Strong but reticent bass.
AAW x Shozy Pola and Pola 39 Tour
Shozy Pola 39, iBasso DX220, Amp 9.
Nice clarity and with decent treble reach, mids are elevated enough with slightly forward vocals. Strong but reticent bass.
- Joined
- Nov 11, 2006
- Posts
- 1,273
- Likes
- 855
I am no reviewer and this is more of a melding of thoughts so keep that in mind when reading. These are initial impressions and they may change but i doubt it.
POLA
These fit my weird ears decently but with their shallow insertion felt more like ear buds. I tested both iems out on an AR M2. First, i want to say that when i listen to music i always focus on the drums. I am/was a drummer. However, the vocals on this set were the star of the show. Both male and female vocals sounded smooth and sweet. Every song i played I found myself paying attention to vocals more and more.
The Pola's are clean, punchy and sound tight. There is some air to notes. Decent bass impact with slight rumble but definitely not basshead. Decent macro detail retrieval with natural sound reproduction. Separation was good. It was easy to distinguish each drum hit and instrument playing. Every attack on the drums came through clean and precise. All instruments were portrayed nicely. The sound stage is around average. it felt intimate. Mids are slightly recessed or the positioning gave the illusion of being further away but vocals always felt slightly forward.
POLA 39
Fit was good. Still shallow but the shell fit snugly inside my ears.
I was disappointed with the Pola 39. They were energetic but sounded harsh. They did not portray the transparency in sound like the Pola's. Mids were upfront. Similar vocal presentation as the Pola's.
However, everything changed once connected to my Modi/Magni stack. I was enamored by that lovely mid-range. Notes had a thicker feel vs the Pola's but this was true on all sources. Every song came off luiqidity. I was in a race against time to play as many songs as possible. each one captured the same essence as the previous. Macro details shined through nicely as well as articulation of drums and cymbals. Treble is definitely more aggressive. This a lively set.
The Pola 39 has a nice sense of open-ness in regards to instruments and their natural sustain with ringtones. A couple of examples: Trust by Megadeth, tom hits did not feel choked and rung out as they should. Sticks attacking the drums sounded liquid. I could "feel" the sticks hitting each drum head. On the song Digital Bath by the Deftones both snare and kick resonate sustain were captured nicely. Any well produced song was displayed this way.
Soundstage was above average and maybe even wide. Mids are upfront with vocals once again the star of the show. Bass had good impact but very little quantity. The timbre of the cymbals sounds a little off at times. Articulation of instruments is good.
In my eyes these are two complimentary sets. The Pola's are tight, controlled and precise. Whereas as the 39s are more energetic, good (macro)details and fun.
I have to give the nod to the 39s even though i enjoyed the transparency in the Polas.
To sum up the two: The Pola's would be akin to being in a studio and listening to the result post-mix. Whereas the 39s are like being in that studio room while the musician is recording void of any computer magic.
Both are very nice sets in the given price range.
Listening material:
Starset - Echo
Deftones - My Own Summer/Digital Bath
Dream Theater - 6:00
Paramore - Aint it fun
Tesseract - Luminary
36 Crazyfists - Bloodwork
Tethra - Forever Ablaze
Point North - Heartbeat
Vitja - Light Blue
Megadeth - Trust
I will listen to these a little longer and then send them to the next person.
POLA
These fit my weird ears decently but with their shallow insertion felt more like ear buds. I tested both iems out on an AR M2. First, i want to say that when i listen to music i always focus on the drums. I am/was a drummer. However, the vocals on this set were the star of the show. Both male and female vocals sounded smooth and sweet. Every song i played I found myself paying attention to vocals more and more.
The Pola's are clean, punchy and sound tight. There is some air to notes. Decent bass impact with slight rumble but definitely not basshead. Decent macro detail retrieval with natural sound reproduction. Separation was good. It was easy to distinguish each drum hit and instrument playing. Every attack on the drums came through clean and precise. All instruments were portrayed nicely. The sound stage is around average. it felt intimate. Mids are slightly recessed or the positioning gave the illusion of being further away but vocals always felt slightly forward.
POLA 39
Fit was good. Still shallow but the shell fit snugly inside my ears.
I was disappointed with the Pola 39. They were energetic but sounded harsh. They did not portray the transparency in sound like the Pola's. Mids were upfront. Similar vocal presentation as the Pola's.
However, everything changed once connected to my Modi/Magni stack. I was enamored by that lovely mid-range. Notes had a thicker feel vs the Pola's but this was true on all sources. Every song came off luiqidity. I was in a race against time to play as many songs as possible. each one captured the same essence as the previous. Macro details shined through nicely as well as articulation of drums and cymbals. Treble is definitely more aggressive. This a lively set.
The Pola 39 has a nice sense of open-ness in regards to instruments and their natural sustain with ringtones. A couple of examples: Trust by Megadeth, tom hits did not feel choked and rung out as they should. Sticks attacking the drums sounded liquid. I could "feel" the sticks hitting each drum head. On the song Digital Bath by the Deftones both snare and kick resonate sustain were captured nicely. Any well produced song was displayed this way.
Soundstage was above average and maybe even wide. Mids are upfront with vocals once again the star of the show. Bass had good impact but very little quantity. The timbre of the cymbals sounds a little off at times. Articulation of instruments is good.
In my eyes these are two complimentary sets. The Pola's are tight, controlled and precise. Whereas as the 39s are more energetic, good (macro)details and fun.
I have to give the nod to the 39s even though i enjoyed the transparency in the Polas.
To sum up the two: The Pola's would be akin to being in a studio and listening to the result post-mix. Whereas the 39s are like being in that studio room while the musician is recording void of any computer magic.
Both are very nice sets in the given price range.
Listening material:
Starset - Echo
Deftones - My Own Summer/Digital Bath
Dream Theater - 6:00
Paramore - Aint it fun
Tesseract - Luminary
36 Crazyfists - Bloodwork
Tethra - Forever Ablaze
Point North - Heartbeat
Vitja - Light Blue
Megadeth - Trust
I will listen to these a little longer and then send them to the next person.
Last edited:
Shozy Pola Short Summary Review:
Source Used: iBasso DX150 (w/Mango Player)(Low Gain)
Bass: Strong and somewhat authoritative. It seems more buoyant in impact than hammering impact.
Mids: Took a small hit from the extended and enhanced bass. Still coherent, but not as coherent as the Pola 39's mids. The mids are overall warm and natural and a bit hearty.
Treble: Clear. Somewhat. It seems less extended than the bass. Taking a back seat as well. Faint shimmering. Very smooth texture.
Soundstage/Imaging: Wide staging. Average depth. Great separation. It could be better without the warm atmosphere provided by the romping bass. The dynamics are pretty good for an IEM of a warm atmosphere like this. The imaging being distinctly positioned keeps the dynamics from colliding into each other.
Pola 39 Short Summary Review coming within 24 hours.
Source Used: iBasso DX150 (w/Mango Player)(Low Gain)
Bass: Strong and somewhat authoritative. It seems more buoyant in impact than hammering impact.
Mids: Took a small hit from the extended and enhanced bass. Still coherent, but not as coherent as the Pola 39's mids. The mids are overall warm and natural and a bit hearty.
Treble: Clear. Somewhat. It seems less extended than the bass. Taking a back seat as well. Faint shimmering. Very smooth texture.
Soundstage/Imaging: Wide staging. Average depth. Great separation. It could be better without the warm atmosphere provided by the romping bass. The dynamics are pretty good for an IEM of a warm atmosphere like this. The imaging being distinctly positioned keeps the dynamics from colliding into each other.
Pola 39 Short Summary Review coming within 24 hours.
Last edited:
First, I would like to extend my thanks The Source for the Pola tour.
Like many, I was excited for electrostatic iems that doesn't require a separate amplifier to supply the necessary volts to power the drivers like the Stax SR-002 semi-portable system with the best accessory kit - CES-A1. The latter was my SQ benchmark and all it needed was a little deeper bass extension and impact to be perfect for my ears. Alas, I grew tired of carrying a stack and wasn't fond of the long and limp flat cable that required careful stowing. I thought if I can get this sound with more bass without carrying a brick, I would be in audio heaven.
So, when the Shozy/AAW Pola was marketed, I was very interested as to this day, my Shozy BK earbuds are still one of the best purchases I've made in this hobby. However, I've since jump off any of the hype trains and the so-called latest and greatest introductions, and it doesn't help that 2019 seems to be the year of the electrostatic and the like drivers for iems. Regardless of the technology, implementation and tuning is everything, IMO. My first experience experience with electrostatic iems was with the rather expensive universal Fitear and man was I disappointed. I sounded like ass to me and I felt it was the classic case of hype train madness with the latest and so-called greatest - just because.
Regardless of the product, when a new product comes out, there are one of two paths it takes:
1) Careful and thoughtful design and implementation with regards toward customer reaction so that the product hits it mostly out of the park with initial release.
2) Quick and hasty design and implementation with little regards towards customer reaction so that it can become part of the hype train - derailed.
IMO, the Pola falls into the second path and the Pola 39 more in the first. I have an eclectic music taste and I judge any transducer on the tonal accuracy of piano and string instruments, female vocals, and the representation of live tracks sound staging. I can only summarize the Pola as being warm, slightly dark, lacks treble extension, boomy bass, nasally vocals, lacks cohesion among bass/mids/treble and everything in-between, and instrument notes sounding dull and lifeless. My Pola reaction remained consistent with my S9, AK100, and desktop setup; although after swapping between the Pola and Pola 39, I learned that both deliver better results with more power.
It seems to me that AAW/Shozy took the feedback and designed the Pola 39 that to my ears fixed the Pola's offenders. The mids are sweet, articulate, and details. Treble has nice extension and very detailed. Bass - where's the bass? Yes, if love your bass extension and impact, like the SR-002, you can keep wishing. I initially thought the DD driver in the Pola 39 would create a near perfect signature and response. Now, I'm no bass head, but I do like that bass that I feel only dynamics can provide, but given the outcomes, the Pola 39 did right on concentrating on the mids and highs as I despise bass/mid bleed.
Back to the power requirement. It seems to me that to really hear the sweet goodness of these balanced armature sized electrostatic drivers, it needs power to maintain. If you're a low volume listener, the Pola 39 will sound bland, dull, and boring. I found myself increasing the volume to maintain that goodness, but after a song or two, and looking at the volume level, it's not sustainable. So, you'll need a power DAP or stack to really hear and enjoy the goodness.
These new hybrid electrostic iems has a lot of potential. I think the Pola 39 is priced well when compared to brands costing 2-4x more, the Pola 39 packaging would put many of those 2-4x more options to shame. Still, I'm on the fence with the Pola 39. If it can add maybe another dynamic driver to beef up the bass response, perhaps add a little more headroom, all the while keeping the mids and highs intact and unchanged, I think it would be my perfect iem/ciem.
In closing, thank you to The Source and Shozy/AAW for this tour. My fingers are crossed for a Pola 69 or 93 model.
Like many, I was excited for electrostatic iems that doesn't require a separate amplifier to supply the necessary volts to power the drivers like the Stax SR-002 semi-portable system with the best accessory kit - CES-A1. The latter was my SQ benchmark and all it needed was a little deeper bass extension and impact to be perfect for my ears. Alas, I grew tired of carrying a stack and wasn't fond of the long and limp flat cable that required careful stowing. I thought if I can get this sound with more bass without carrying a brick, I would be in audio heaven.
So, when the Shozy/AAW Pola was marketed, I was very interested as to this day, my Shozy BK earbuds are still one of the best purchases I've made in this hobby. However, I've since jump off any of the hype trains and the so-called latest and greatest introductions, and it doesn't help that 2019 seems to be the year of the electrostatic and the like drivers for iems. Regardless of the technology, implementation and tuning is everything, IMO. My first experience experience with electrostatic iems was with the rather expensive universal Fitear and man was I disappointed. I sounded like ass to me and I felt it was the classic case of hype train madness with the latest and so-called greatest - just because.
Regardless of the product, when a new product comes out, there are one of two paths it takes:
1) Careful and thoughtful design and implementation with regards toward customer reaction so that the product hits it mostly out of the park with initial release.
2) Quick and hasty design and implementation with little regards towards customer reaction so that it can become part of the hype train - derailed.
IMO, the Pola falls into the second path and the Pola 39 more in the first. I have an eclectic music taste and I judge any transducer on the tonal accuracy of piano and string instruments, female vocals, and the representation of live tracks sound staging. I can only summarize the Pola as being warm, slightly dark, lacks treble extension, boomy bass, nasally vocals, lacks cohesion among bass/mids/treble and everything in-between, and instrument notes sounding dull and lifeless. My Pola reaction remained consistent with my S9, AK100, and desktop setup; although after swapping between the Pola and Pola 39, I learned that both deliver better results with more power.
It seems to me that AAW/Shozy took the feedback and designed the Pola 39 that to my ears fixed the Pola's offenders. The mids are sweet, articulate, and details. Treble has nice extension and very detailed. Bass - where's the bass? Yes, if love your bass extension and impact, like the SR-002, you can keep wishing. I initially thought the DD driver in the Pola 39 would create a near perfect signature and response. Now, I'm no bass head, but I do like that bass that I feel only dynamics can provide, but given the outcomes, the Pola 39 did right on concentrating on the mids and highs as I despise bass/mid bleed.
Back to the power requirement. It seems to me that to really hear the sweet goodness of these balanced armature sized electrostatic drivers, it needs power to maintain. If you're a low volume listener, the Pola 39 will sound bland, dull, and boring. I found myself increasing the volume to maintain that goodness, but after a song or two, and looking at the volume level, it's not sustainable. So, you'll need a power DAP or stack to really hear and enjoy the goodness.
These new hybrid electrostic iems has a lot of potential. I think the Pola 39 is priced well when compared to brands costing 2-4x more, the Pola 39 packaging would put many of those 2-4x more options to shame. Still, I'm on the fence with the Pola 39. If it can add maybe another dynamic driver to beef up the bass response, perhaps add a little more headroom, all the while keeping the mids and highs intact and unchanged, I think it would be my perfect iem/ciem.
In closing, thank you to The Source and Shozy/AAW for this tour. My fingers are crossed for a Pola 69 or 93 model.
Last edited:
Libertad
1000+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2007
- Posts
- 1,094
- Likes
- 258
id like to see this electrostatic tech developed further they took it from a prototype to what it is now over years of R&D and im excited to see where this tech goes
Shozy Pola 39 Short Summary Review:
Source Used: iBasso DX150 (w/Mango Player)(Low Gain)
Bass: More controlled than the POLA Gen 1. More refinement. Still buoyant like the POLA Gen 1, except that this time it’s not romping bass. That’s because the quantity of bass has been diminished for the POLA 39, in comparison to the POLA Gen 1.
Mids: Very clear. Also, slightly more forward than the POLA Gen 1, but could be more forward if it weren’t for the almost cavernous-like depth. Despite that, it’s more than enough. The best parts about the mids are the almost laser-like microdetails in the background. Certain sounds and noise are easily detected in the background. As for vocals and instruments, there is certainly life-like rendering and it shows in more bass light and well-mastered soundtracks. I’d say that the overall atmosphere of the mids is slightly warm and considerably less warm than the POLA Gen 1. One thing I'd like to hear as an improvement from the POLA 39 is for the female vocals to be a bit fuller to really hear the music sing.
Treble: Extended. Moderately extended. This also renders the treble microdetails very well and it’s also almost laser-like. Maybe laser-like is wrong? More like shimmering like glitter? Yeah. Probably like that, but it’s not shimmering a lot. Just the right amount. Best of all, this part is not too enhanced either. It seems it has the right amount of vividness too.
Soundstage/Imaging: This part is quite exciting. Why? That’s because while the depth and width are similar in dimensions, the curvature seems to be more 180 degrees and with a bit more height than the POLA Gen 1. Also, the spatial cues are quite outstanding for the POLA 39. Color me impressed! The greatest aspect of the spatial rendering of the POLA 39 is that the stage has this feeling of transparency and contrast.
Source Used: iBasso DX150 (w/Mango Player)(Low Gain)
Bass: More controlled than the POLA Gen 1. More refinement. Still buoyant like the POLA Gen 1, except that this time it’s not romping bass. That’s because the quantity of bass has been diminished for the POLA 39, in comparison to the POLA Gen 1.
Mids: Very clear. Also, slightly more forward than the POLA Gen 1, but could be more forward if it weren’t for the almost cavernous-like depth. Despite that, it’s more than enough. The best parts about the mids are the almost laser-like microdetails in the background. Certain sounds and noise are easily detected in the background. As for vocals and instruments, there is certainly life-like rendering and it shows in more bass light and well-mastered soundtracks. I’d say that the overall atmosphere of the mids is slightly warm and considerably less warm than the POLA Gen 1. One thing I'd like to hear as an improvement from the POLA 39 is for the female vocals to be a bit fuller to really hear the music sing.
Treble: Extended. Moderately extended. This also renders the treble microdetails very well and it’s also almost laser-like. Maybe laser-like is wrong? More like shimmering like glitter? Yeah. Probably like that, but it’s not shimmering a lot. Just the right amount. Best of all, this part is not too enhanced either. It seems it has the right amount of vividness too.
Soundstage/Imaging: This part is quite exciting. Why? That’s because while the depth and width are similar in dimensions, the curvature seems to be more 180 degrees and with a bit more height than the POLA Gen 1. Also, the spatial cues are quite outstanding for the POLA 39. Color me impressed! The greatest aspect of the spatial rendering of the POLA 39 is that the stage has this feeling of transparency and contrast.
Last edited:
NiTROAUDiO
Member of the Trade: Second Hand AudiophileAKA SecondHandAudio, BettyL, bettyjo, Rezerf
I am an experienced audiophile as well as inspiring YouTuber and would love the opportunity to review and possibly recommend these products!
Just some quick thoughts. Popped the Pola in my ears for a few minutes over the weekend and it just wasn't for me. I found it sounded too warm & bass was bloomy. I had originally intended to give it a chance before popping the Pola39 in my ears, but curiosity got the best of me. Pola39 sounded immediately more refined. There is less bass energy, but the bass did seem cleaner & tighter with more rumble.
I originally intended to give the Pola a few days before jumping to Pola39, but these are two different IEMs.
TSAVAlan
Formerly with The Source AV
Hey shoot me a PM and we can certainly discuss it!
- Joined
- Nov 11, 2006
- Posts
- 1,273
- Likes
- 855
They are definitely "boring" and for me were more of an anaylitcal type listen. I didn't find them too warm or bassy, though. The background was cleaner in my opinion.
Last edited:
graphidz
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Nov 26, 2011
- Posts
- 3,434
- Likes
- 65
As an owner of the 39, I do feel the OG and 39 are polar opposites. The reason I went with the 39 instead was because the 39 had a more energetic and brighter while still leaning towards a more natural side of signature.
Both of them retain similar pemmtechnical performance like the soundstage and speed and details but the OG is darker and wasn't that favorable with what my music selection.
Overall it all comes down on what "flavor" r of music you prefer since their main difference is just the sound signature.
Both of them retain similar pemmtechnical performance like the soundstage and speed and details but the OG is darker and wasn't that favorable with what my music selection.
Overall it all comes down on what "flavor" r of music you prefer since their main difference is just the sound signature.
Just realized the Pola39 doesn't have "AAW" etched around the nozzle, while the Pola does. Not a big deal, but I've always found this to be a nice touch on AAW IEMs.
Also, I happened to receive a demo VE Elysium the other day. Pola39 & Elysium share the same overall sound, but of course, Elysium does everything better. However for about 1/3rd the price, Pola39 gets you most of the way there.
Also, I happened to receive a demo VE Elysium the other day. Pola39 & Elysium share the same overall sound, but of course, Elysium does everything better. However for about 1/3rd the price, Pola39 gets you most of the way there.
Users who are viewing this thread
