Campfire Audio Polaris 2019 Earphone Review – Rich Bold Bass King
Polaris II 2019
$499
Pros
- Large bass focused signature, works well with modern bass oriented music
- Rich comforting sound and bold design.
- Solid shells and quality overall package.
Cons
- Not suited to classical music.
Sound Signature:
Wow, the Campfire Audio Polaris II certainly excels when it comes to the sub-bass tuning, you can expect some jaw rumbling vibrations with beautiful sweeping textured tones. The Polaris II pushes low and deep into the frequency range, like its digging for hidden treasure and it does not fail, resulting in striking textured gold. Cliff hanging twitches and tremors are alive as the Polaris II delivers its payload of smooth vibration excellence, lifting a veil to pulse rich sound pleasures of resonant weighted substance. Giving the listener of the Polaris II a reason for smiling, as the Polaris II extracts treasures from the depths of the uncharted sound spectrum for your own unique personal listening experience.
Low end bass flows cleanly and with fluidity, the Polaris II has a strong focus in the area giving a smooth warmth and comforting texture of character. The attractive looking Polaris II has solid impact and weighted bass rumbles, punching with force and authority. It will certainly please the earphone bass lovers but be aware it is quite a prominent feature of the sound signature.
As a result the sound body is large and with a rich presence which adds some warmth. Due to the low end tuning focus, the signature feels full with a richness of body, adding some organic musicality to the Polaris II. A slight colouring of bass texture is present but this in my opinion is a positive feature, not feeling artificial or overly compensating.
As the bass focus is a major feature you may be worried about articulation and details being masked but this is not the case as Campfire Audio have taken the time to ensure coherence and a fair balanced tuning taking into account the large emphasis in this area.
Mids do have lower region overlap but I wouldn’t class it as bleed but more fluidity. Lower mids gel with upper bass region with a synergistic unity, like the handing of a baton from one racer to the next. The Polaris II has a strength in the area, blending with solidity and without compromise. Staying fun and accessible the awesome looking Campfire Audio earphone likes to remind you that musicality is of utmost importance and is able to cater to opposing audiences, audiophile and casual with expert dexterity.
The core mid range knows who is in charge but makes itself known even though it is clearly in the back seat. Making themselves heard, even though the vocals are not in the driving seat they certainly are not lost or veiled. but posses more of a textured interweaving, rising when needed and falling when no longer required.
The Campfire Audio Polaris II earphones upper mid range stays inline with the tuning role assigned. When coupled with the staging and imaging, again a unified pairing is present giving a natural realism that does not feel cold but more of slightly darker tone in this area. Slow and holding strength. The Polaris II is the opposite of airy, in-fact it is more of an immersion into the an ocean of olive oil.
Organically natural, with a body that can be both delicate and rich is texture, certainly a main course for my audio tastes. Sound stage is accurate and musical, feeling deep but with good instrument placement and positioning. Not heavily away from your head but more of a wideness and weighted feeling inline with the FR target tuning. The upper mid range eases into the lower treble zone and helps to open up the highs to provide a welcome spacious style.
Maintaining clarity in the depth of weighty warm signature treble brings in a welcome slice or precision and the Polaris II from Campfire Audio get a sparkle of detail and natural separation in the layering providing an extra dynamic. The power delivered from the great looking Polaris II is solid and the term bombastic as the Campfire Crew states is a perfect description. Irrespective of the blended texture of this earphone, it can still maintain speed and recovery to keep up with the most demanding of electronica and fast tracks.
Awesome to experience techno, trance, grime and more instrumental focused musical genres. Sparkles of treble elegance slice through the weighted signature with precision, like a Damascus blade through a rich chocolate cake of sound. Even though there is a consistent depth of signature character, the mid upper region keeps up, adding extra pace to this fun earphone. Complementing the impacting bass resonance, treble detail is delivered with excellent balance, punching into the spectrum and adding an element to the already versatile Polaris II, without taking away from its warmth.
Campfire Audio once again have delivered a rich immersive fun signature style with depth and musicality. I am sure there will be many audiophiles and casual listeners that this can be their go-to earphone, especially those into more electronic genres. Awesome job Campfire for another sure fire hit.
