A note about me, my preferences and approach to this hobby:

I’ve been interested in audio for most of my nearly 50 year life. My earliest memories of this hobby were long days spent exploring my dad’s record collection through his 70s era 2-channel system. I became interested in portable audio as soon as it became a thing and beginning with a Sony Walkman in the 80s I have had a portable audio device of one kind or another pretty much continuously ever since. The appeal of carrying a little portable audio paradise around with me wherever I go has always been strong. I have spent the last few years trying build and contribute to portable audio communities in order to find fellowship with like-minded enthusiasts but also to improve access to TOTL IEMS for those of us for whom it is not always easy to try them out for ourselves.

My music taste is pretty varied with a strong emphasis on classic rock, blues, instrumental jazz, soul, pop, funk, rap, folk, minimal techno. The most important thing for me is emotional connection—I want to whisked away on a journey as soon as I press play and to be embraced and transfixed throughout it. As such I am more concerned with the overall gestalt of an IEM’s performance than breaking it down into its constituent parts. When reading reviews I am most interested in whether the reviewer in question connected emotionally with the gear in question, as this is what I am seeking myself. As such my own reviews tend to be highly personal in nature with an emphasis on emotional connection. This may offend or confound some people’s sensitivities…but it is what it is. I have a strong preference for DD driven IEMs and analogue sound in general. I have have yet to be able to tolerate an all BA IEM or BA hybrid in my collection for more than a couple months—I just need that DD body and timbre. Of my current top 10 IEMs only the almighty Bird lacks a DD in there somewhere.

The above is not to say I don’t put any stock in technical performance-- quite the opposite-- it’s just that for me technicalities are more of a means to an end. In terms of tuning preferences I have enjoyed all kinds—balanced, neutral, v-shaped, w-shaped, bass, mid or treble centric…it doesn’t seem to matter so long as that certain “je ne sais quoi” factor is there. I like to be inspired and as such I tend to be drawn to IEMs with artisan tunings by inspired creative visionary individuals like Lee Quan Min, Master Rao, Ken Ball, The Vision Ears crew, and others. Hopefully this little background will provide some context for what you are about to read (assuming you’re still reading after the above, lol).

When a young lad dared to dream in 1979:



Preamble

Following is my personal review of the Trifecta, a triple dynamic driver IEM from Campfire Audio. Among other things the Trifecta is Campfire’s first foray into what could be dubbed the summit fi space, ie., that lofty tier of IEMs priced at about $3K US and up that, in theory at least, constitute the best one can get. Given that this is a first for Campfire it is not surprising that many will place (and have placed) an exceptionally critical eye on the Trifecta with an aim to determine if it deserves to stand with the hobby’s elite. This of course raises all sorts of interesting questions—not the least of which concerns exactly who gets to be the holy arbiter of what constitutes “summit fi sound”. I purchased the Trifecta with my own money with a very modest loyalty discount from Bloom Audio.

I have taken quite a winding path towards my attainment of the Trifecta. I have been a CFA fanboy since my recent entry into this hobby in 2019 where the OG Solaris was my first true love with IEMs. Subsequently a not-insignificant number of my favorite IEMs have been CFA releases. Campfire is a company that has always marched to the beat of its own drum, eschewing both popular trends and historic norms in their quest to explore varied and unique sonic territories. This approach has brought them a good degree of astonished admiration but has also made them something of a black sheep in the high end portable audio world, which as rule these days tends to be more fixated on top end clarity, exotic tech and highly technical sound signatures. To be honest I'd sort of lost sight of Campfire by the beginning of 2022 as pretty much all of 2021 whooshed by without much in terms of noteworthy releases from them. By about spring of 2022 I'd started to wonder to myself if maybe CFA's heyday was over. It turns out nothing could have been further from the truth. First we saw the arrival of the Supermoon in April—an IEM that in my estimation has currently set the bar for performance with planar IEMs and even at $1500 represents a tremendous value proposition.

The Supermoon intrigued me right away because after owning the 7HZ Timeless at the tail end of 2021 I'd been craving a more robust planar IEM experience. The Supermoon delivered that in spades and, while not perfect, it kept me enraptured for a good part of this year with its summit fi resolution, tremendous bass response and perfect coherence. Then came the announcement of the Trifecta out of the blue (literally and figuratively) in May along with teasers for 3 other IEMs that have yet to materialise in form. The Trifecta itself looked like nothing else I'd ever seen and was clearly the most opulent and ambitious product Campfire had ever aspired to. Unfortunately, as is often the case, while there were some promising initial impressions there were also numerous so-so impressions from CanJam London…enough that I thought maybe Campfire had a bit of a misfire on their hands. All of this combined with the fact that my honeymoon with the Supermoon was in full swing, the rumoured price, and unlikelihood of a demo basically kept the Trifecta out of my mind for months. And then an opportunity arose…

I had thought at first that I would probably never get to hear the Trifecta because a demo seemed unlikely and there was no way I was going to drop that kind of money blind despite the fact that Supermoon had brought the brand back to the forefront of my hobby mind. Fortunately for me, along with a few others in our Watercooler community, CanJam SoCal happened and I decided to make my way to the sunshine state last September for two epic days of demoing gear and hobby related fellowship. Trifecta was still far from my mind at that point and I went to SoCal not expecting to demo it because CFA dropped out of the show at the last minute. It was then with a combination of surprise, delight and trepidation that came over me when, immediately entering the show floor on Saturday morning, the first thing that grabbed my attention at the Bloom table was the Trifecta in a disembodied hand reaching from the clouds and beckoning me to listen. I went in with zero expectations and the Trifecta was the first thing I demoed at the show. Suffice to say it blew my mind at first listen and effectively stole the show for me. The Trifecta, in fact, put such a spell on me that I spent much of the 3 following months scheming to get my hands on one once they eventually released. I had many pleasant distractions along the way-- most notably in the form of falling in love with Lee Quan Min's tuning chops in IEMs like the Annihilator and Gaea. Still, Trifecta called and with the help of some encouragement and discussion from Watercoolers like @jwilliamhurst and @RTodd and the excellent service from @Andrew DiMarcangelo from Bloom I placed an order and received my set on December 21, the Winter Solstice, a time of year signifying re-birth into a new era and the return of the light of the sun. I geek out pretty seriously at crap like this so I won’t deny that I smiled to myself at this little bit of cosmic symmetry.


Packaging and Accessories

I usually don’t bring this up in my reviews as one can find out about the packaging and accessories of an IEM pretty readily elsewhere. I will make an exception here because the presentation of the Trifecta from and aesthetic and practical perspective is elegant, classy and eminently satisfying. At the same time subdued, not giving in to the excesses that accompany so many TOTL IEMs and staying true to CFA’s sustainable and conscious aesthetic, and yet simultaneously satisfying, varied and befitting of its price.

The box is not huge but it’s notably larger than the standard CFA package (which has now been scaled in the opposite direction for the orbit):

Trifecta comes with a very tasteful and high quality collection of accessories:

The presentation of the IEMs is quite unique, as though being gifted down from the sonic heavens:



Sound Impressions (general)

So, how would I describe the sound of the Trifecta? Try as I might I’ve yet to find the sound of this remarkable IEM better encapsulated as a “TLDR” than this description given by user @JS27 in his first impressions post:

"[Trifecta] sounds like the best possible audio endpoint you could dream in 1993. It tells its story with very analog - dynamic driver - organic pre-2010 R2R hallmarks. It will sound wooly and bleedy to those that worship at the alter of Our Lady of Balanced Armature….It does not reverberate from the silent, inky void where Planars ferry their magnetic souls. It is a wonderous, enveloping, swirling, resolving cloud of 2022-level special effects on top of the simple, warm, organic heart of the DD sound. This is a dream from Hi-Fi future as dared to be imagined by 1979."

My own initial experiences with the Trifecta are best captured by the following snippets lifted out of my CanJam SoCal report:

"Trifecta impressed me immediately with its massive sound, impeccable coherence, solid resolution and beautiful dynamic & analogue timbre. This is a sound that completely embraces you with warmth and depth and takes you for a ride… I went back to the table 4 times over the two days and gave the Trifecta a good once over and continued to find it utterly compelling with the only false note being treble that is a touch aggressive (but nicely extended and never metallic) at times…. The three DDs in the Trifecta, positioned as they are, act as so many matches whose intensity increases exponentially when they are brought together give the illusion that one is listening to a full-size single DD headphone. Single DD and single driver enthusiasts should give the Trifecta a serious look. Approach it with an open mind, you may be very pleasantly surprised."

So was it love at first listen (again) when I attained my own personal unit? Surprisingly, not quite. At first blush the bass was a touch overwhelming (but very high quality) and the mids & highs, while never seeming veiled, seemed a little incoherent and distinct from the bass. Fortunately this didn't last and the sound has been getting better and better for me with each successive listening session. I attiribute the aformentioned experience to brain burn in, but YMMV.


At the most basic level the Campfire Trifecta is an unapologetically fun, dynamic IEM with a beautifully top to bottom analogue and full-bodied sound-- it is an incarnation of pure listening pleasure. This is not an IEM after analytic perfection, no one aiming for perfect neutrality, strict adherence to some preconceived sense of "what the artist intended", a purely reference sound and the concomitant studio-like clarity should be aiming for this IEM. The Trifecta uses a finessed pickaxe and powerful bass response to mine into the soul your music and move you to joy—this is what it is all about to me.

Campfire obviously put a lot of thought and care into the refinement of the sound of the Trifecta. Campfire's IEMs historically have always been more about personality than sheer technical excellence—and I think that’s still the case here, to an extent. With Trifecta's asking price CFA had to produce an IEM that would deliver more than just the raw technical prowess of the Supermoon-- they had to cross into the territory of exquisite refinement also-- relative, of course, to the warm-ish full bodied and analogue sound they were going for and the character & capacity of the DDs themselves. In my humble and experienced opinion they delivered have delivered in spades. Staging on this IEM is massive, spherical, cavernous, distinctive layered, precisely imaged and impeccably coherent. Details and layers are constantly bubbling up as though from some vibrant sigularity of analogue bass driven goodness.

Simultaneously, the tonal balance is superb for an IEM that has such a bombastic character. I would say the signature is a shallow U with a light emphasis on the bass & treble with the mids recessed every so slightly but uniformly from bottom to top. This is a bass driven IEM but it's not a bass cannon by any stretch or even an IEM where the bass dominates to the point that it crowds out or interferes with the rest of the FR. Male & female vocals and instruments are all positioned similarly and the the midrange itself in general is very pleasantly refined to my ears. One great example of this is in Concrete Blonde's Bloodletting. The chorus of this song can often come off harsh, a little too forward, shouty or metallic sounding due to the recording itself (I have the remastered version). Trifecta renders it beautifully an abundance of energy but also belying a good deal of refined precision-- never harsh or unpleasant. The relative placement of the midrange is something that I imagine can be tweaked to preference with sources, cables and tips.

In terms of raw resolution Trifecta trails behind Supermoon (hard to compete with planar speed and precision) but Trifecta actually keeps up surprisingly well. Single driver coherence and the concomtent unity of sound that manifests is endlessly captivating to me. With hybrid IEMs I'm often thinking of which driver is doing bass, which is doing mids, and so on-- but with a single driver (or in this case a dash of sacred geometry allowing 3 of the same drivers to manifest as one) I find it easier to focus on the music given that its grounded in a unity of timbre, texture, speed, origin, positioning, and so on. As with all things the Trifecta won't be for everyone but anyone who: is fixated on DDs or DD sound, who loves bodied analogue timbre, single driver coherence, bass driven yet refined and balanced sound...the Trifecta is very much worth some of your time. YMMV, and all that.


With the Trifecta I tihnk it's best to walk in with as few preconceptions as possible and just let the sound speak for itself, ideally over a few focused demos. I think you'll be surprised at the quality of the highs on the Trifecta For me the treble was the weakest link on the Solaris SE-- treble on the Trifecta is much better though I can't speak for sure on which IEM wins on pure resolution as it's been a while since I heard a Solaris of any type. What I do know is that Trifecta for me completely overcomes what are typically the biggest setbacks of single DD setups, namely poor timbre in the highs, weak extension on one or both ends, and technical chops in general. There is definitely some "greater than the sum of the parts" magic emerging from the driver configuration and setup of the Trifecta. This is Campfire Audio's magnum opus.

Sound Impressions (specific)

Bass

Just as Jedi’s strength flows from the force so does the power and potency of Trifecta’s signature flow from its bass response. Try as I might I have yet to find anyone capture the bass-centred nature of Trifecta’s signature as well as @bigbeans in his impressions post with the following perceptive description:

“[Trifecta’s] sound grows in dynamics from bottom to top, the bass lines shape the soundstage. This is different to other IEMs, where bass notes would be independent of soundstage and dynamics. .. For instance, when a bass string is plucked, you can feel the stage and power grow upward but also outward.”

This is precisely it—the whole soundscape of the Trifecta feels as though it is emanating out from a pulsating gravitational centre of bass driven dynamism. It is unlike anything else I have heard in IEM form. This fact, coupled with Campfire’s drivers themselves—which were clearly designed with the ideals of classic DDs in mind, that is to say they’re not souped up or dipped in beryllium to make them speedy…no, here the goal is a warm, reverb-y, more hair-on-the-beast type classic analogue DD driven sound. This is not the fastest bass out there—and it doesn’t try to be. But it’s some of the most satisfying bass I’ve ever heard.

Trifecta is quite a contrast coming from IEMs like the Elysian Gaea, or Annihilator, IEMs that are super well articulated, finessed and well defined up top...with the bass response playing a decidedly background role. The Trifecta is an inverse of this-- it is a masterpiece of bass-- a cornucopia of thundering, bodied power that emerges radiantly from single centre of space within the soundscape. I have never heard such well articulated, well defined larger than life layering in a bass response before-- it's positively breathtaking and endlessly captivating. A month or so ago I was reveling in the joys of a highly finessed treble-centric tuning with the Annihilator and here I am again, having completely switched gears in favour of the analogue textures and warmth of a bass centric tuning. I have come to believe that the variety of tuning you're dealing with is far less important than how well executed it is. There is more than one way to skin a cat.

Some highlights from specific song selections:

Orion by Metallica - the sound is powerful, full bodied and well articulated top to bottom. Master of Puppets is a record that has a lot of low end body and growl but that can come off dry at times—not here. It is fully alive and highly technical. The sound has a distinct sense of 3-d tangibility here—I can always clearly pick out Cliff Burton’s bassline, which isn’t always the case.

I Don’t Know by Lisa Hannigan - is a sweet little folk tune. Trifecta has wonderful string timbre and the bass of the Trifecta gives this track an nice layer of bodied emotional warmth that I feels is in harmony with the composition—a joy to listen to.

My October Symphony by The Pet Shop Boys – This track is from the Behavior album which was recorded on some vintage analogue synthesizers that the group had use of for a time—it has the most distinct sound of any of their albums. This song has been on just about every one of my playlists since the 90s and the Trifecta captures it’s deep analogue textures, subtle warmth and nuance of emotion better than anything else I have heard.

Get Lucky by Daft Punk – That bassline…so juicy you want to sink your teeth into it. Pure gold right here my friends.

Dances With Wolves Soundtrack by John Barry – People don’t often think of classical or large orchestral type music in the same breath as DDs as the slower drivers aren’t as adept at reproducing really complex passages and nuances in the highs. What they are good at is moving air—and the epic sweep and visceral feeling you get from the air moved by a large orchestra in person has to be felt to be understood. Trifecta nails this and if it’s something you’re after make note.



Midrange
The midrange on Trifecta, playing second fiddle to the bass, is pushed back a touch from the bass and treble—this slight recession may be a deal breaker for some or at least relegate the Trifecta from the top of the pile. Instrumental timbre across the board, is superb. . A particular highlight for me are horn, piano and string timbre (Dukes Mixture by Donald Byrd for an example). This is especially noticeable coming from the Supermoon, which is a highly technical IEM but whose timbre, while decent enough, is more on the digital side of the spectrum. One point to note is that Trifecta not a vocal centric IEM. Vocals are decent enough, though sometimes they sound a touch recessed (Morissey's The Loop) or have a touch too much energy (Proud Mary Creedence Clearwater Revival) and in a few circumstances can aggravate sibilance (Coldplay's The Scientist). For the most part though vocals range from fine to great however if you're someone who needs seductive breathy romantic vocals a la VE or Oriolus then this might not be the best IEM for you. This is not something I’m personally too bothered about but possibly my one grip with this IEM is that a little VE magic in the vocals would have been oh-so-sweet.

Again, vocals are decent but they do lack some of the forwardness and seduction I get with IEMs like the EXT. Gaea actually works pretty well for me here sometimes. You might say “so a $1500 IEM outdoes a $3K IEM with vocals, how is that ok?” and to such a one I would say “well my $1500 Supermoon has a bass response that that mops the floor with the bass from IEMs like the UM Mentor, which is 3x the cost. This is why I caution against in getting caught up splitting hairs with specifics and why for me the whole presentation needs to be taken into account en masse when weighing one IEM against the another. There are some technical specifics in which the Sennheiser out does at roughly half the cost of the Trifecta—but as a total package the Trifecta is leagues beyond to my ears.

Highs

Along with the mids the highs on Trifecta are secondary to the bass. I was not expecting Elysian level articulation and sweetness, or Elysium like resolution in the highs as you're not going to get that from a 10mm DD in an IEM tuned from the bass on out..but I find he highs on Trifecta to be quite good for the most part and serviceable at worst. I have heard some say that Trifecta struggles with cymbals, and this is not an area I'm particularly fixated on, but they sounded fantastic to me on Brubeck's "3 to get ready" where the cymbals ring with a nice decay and beautiful timbre. The same is true with A Boy Named Charlie Brown by The Vince Guaraldi Trio-- you can hear the cymbals continuously throughout the whole track and the sound is always sweet, delicate and with a nice decay. Incidentally this track is a great example of what a joy Trifecta can be to listen to. Using Supermoon as a reference point in something like Caravan from the Whiplash soundtrack, Trifecta loses it a little but during the catharsis of cymbal strikes at the end but it does pretty well for the most part. The highs are straddling on aggressive times but I don't see this as a fault-- it's a tuning choice that aids in staging and brings energy to the signature. That said this will be an area where cable/tip/source synergy will be of massive importance for some as the wrong synergy has the potential to be fatigue inducing. I tried my Eletech Victoria on Trifecta because I love the aesthetics but unfortunately this cable adds a bit too much energy to the top end on Trifecta and I would say the synergy is not the best so for now I'm sticking with the stock cable.

Here is a thought I had having just owned the Annihilator for a few weeks. Ani has summit fi treble, decent enough mids, serviceable bass...and it gets held up as the end all be all by many prominent influencers. Trifecta's tuning comes from the opposite direction-- summit fi bass, good mids, serviceable treble. Trifecta's treble is no worse than Ani's bass…in fact I would personally say it is better. The two IEMs cost about the same yet one is seen as bae and the other a pariah by the same group of people. It comes down to tuning ideals and preferences....there's more than one way to skin a cat. FWIW Annihilator and Trifecta are presently my two favorite IEMs.




Technicals

If there's one thing single DD IEMs are not known for it is robust technical chops-- were this not so I'm guessing we never would have bothered looking beyond DDs for IEM drivers. I will say that while Trifecta is not a technical resolution or imaging monster like the Aroma Jewel or UM Mentor it does bring a sufficiently heavy dose of its own technical secret sauce to the table that even if you're not already wow'd by the spectacularly fun & engaging sound or the sheer uniqueness and stunning execution of this whole package the technical goodness this IEM does have should more than justify its asking price on the market. In fact I am going to make the bold statement that relative to other IEMs at the summit the Trifecta actually shoots above its price simply because there's nothing else on the market that even attempts to do what it does in anywhere close to as technical a fashion. Campfire Audio can hit or miss, but when they hit it's really something and the Trifecta is, as has been noted, the most unapologetically pure Campfire expression ever.

The staging of the Trifecta is massive and spherically holographic with the sound seemingly emanating from centre of bass driven goodness. This is quite possibly the most massive stage I've ever heard in an IEM. While the Campfire Trifecta is not the most highly resolving set ever the resolution is pretty spectacular once you settle into the sound and let your brain adjust to it. The whole signature basks in the glow of a bodied analogue warmth that lends the sound an intoxicating appeal and emotional pull. While the Trifecta is no Mentor here I also found the layering and imaging of the Trifecta to be deceptively great. Check out Fleetwood Mac's Tusk for an example of this brilliant layering-- there is a tangible sense of layering, air and depth to the staging here that is quite spectacular.

So, while the Trifecta is not set I would rec to someone for whom resolution and sheer technical chops was the top priority-- I wouldn't personally describe it as lacking. I've spent much of the last few months with more resolving sets like Supermoon and Annihilator and I've spent a good deal time of a/b'ing Supermoon and Trifecta for exactly this. While Supermoon is clearly the winner in this regard Trifecta has actually held its own pretty well and whenever I'm listening to it I'm too immersed in its own charms to care too much about the last bit of detail it's not picking up. YMMV and all that.

Select Comparisons

Campfire Supermoon


Trifecta is a bigger, bolder, richer, more bass driven, unapologetically fun sound. Supermoon (due to it being a planar) is more purely resolving, still has elements of fun but is more of a referency sound on the whole. Supermoon has some timbre/glare issues in the upper mids (which people seem bothered by to a greater or lesser degree) that Trifecta does not have and if I had to guess on account of this primarily I am tempted to say that Trifecta has a more widely appealing sound. What Trifecta does do really well in particular is give you an indulgently bass heavy sound with lots of midrange clarity. It's not a resolution and detail machine, but as already mentioned it's by no means low resolution or anything. While super bombastic I am tempted to say that Trifecta's sound and tuning is more refined.

Unique Melody Mentor


Unfortunately I don’t have a Mentor on hand right now and have never a/b’d these two IEMs directly but since this is a comparison many will be interested in I’ll try my best from memory and hopefully update this section later once I have a Mentor in my possession again.

Following are snippets from my notes and impressions of Mentor:

“The whole sound just envelops you and the layering and imaging of all the instruments is wonderful. This is a sound in the vein of VE8 & Phonix and kicked up to the next level technically. In fact I would say that tuning wise Mentor is something of a hybrid of the VE8 and Phonix by Vision ears-- so imagine this with some BCD on top and you're some way there. People who haven't experienced BCD tech should really try to-- the effect is tangible and when done really well as it is here it is thoroughly mind blowing. The sound seems to emanate spherically from the centre of your point of focus within out beyond your head in all directions….

The UM Mentor has a massive, immersive, enveloping and engaging sound-- which means that when it works it's really phenomenal, and when it doesn't you really notice it. It's been hit or miss for me with some tracks over the last day and a bit…

[Mentor’s] Sound is very clear and coherent, mids are well delineated, nicely textured and clear. Bass is serviceable but not close to a good DD to me yet...this is quite noticeable to me coming from EXT. I would also say at this point that it's more a compliment to Traillii than a one up. Mentor seems to me like it's trying to mimic a good full size DD headphone, whereas Trailliil to me in terms of overall gestalt is closer in spirit to a planar.

[On Mentor] all the instruments are as large as life and jump out at you from their own real and distinct positioning within a life-size 3-d space. You can hear the finger picks on a stand-up bass and place the picking of the fingers at the "top end" and the acoustic body of bass on the "bottom" if that makes sense. Just wonderful. Another real standout here is the piano. I'm not a real piano guy this sounds really nice-- the impact of the keys and resonant tone/decay/ringing is just perfect.”

Mentor and Trifecta to me represent epitomes if different sonic ideals. Mentor blows Trifecta out of the water technically, but Trifecta has more soul. With Mentor I’m more aware of nuance, precision and scope of imaging…with Trifecta I’m more aware of the groove. I find personally with IEMs like Mentor they wow me off the bad but eventually I need more than technical excellence to sustain my interest. This is why the Traillii is so enduring and why it’s still my choice for an IEM without a DD in it. At the end of the day In my opinion IEMs should be judged on their own terms by virtue of their own strengths and how well they accomplish what they set out to do. Trifecta is not trying to be a Mentor, a Jewel, or a Traillii...so I will not criticize it for not living up to the standards, ideals and voicings of those IEMs.

Fir Frontier Series



I don’t have any of the Frontier series on hand to compare which is too bad as the IEM which most begs for a comparison with Trifecta is arguably the Xe6.

The most general and accurate thing I can say at this juncture is that the Frontier Series are hybrids and manifest all the strengths and characteristics found in hybrids and in using multiple types of drivers for what they each bring to the table.

The Trifecta is a triple but in essence single DD IEM. Dynamic drivers do not have the speed and articulation up top to compete with BAs, e-stats, planars etc. so it is a given at the outset that the Trifecta will not have the same summit fi resolution and detail retrieval as IEMs like, say, Xe6, Mentor or Supermoon. But I will not fault Triecta for that as it's hardly fair to criticize something for not being able to do that which it is not equipped to do. I will say however that the Trifecta's resolution and top to bottom extension is the best I've ever heard from a purely DD IEM. That is something. In terms of their unique character and manifestation of such I regard both Trifecta and Xe6 as earning their respective places at the summit.

Vision Ears EXT



This is an interesting comparison, again done from memory. The “DD half” of EXT shares a lot of characteristics with Trifecta, only with EXT the tuning is around the mids, as per VE house sound. The top portion of EXT is done by e-stats which brings some character but also sacrifices some of that pure DD goodness. While I would love some VE romance in the mids on Trifecta, as a total package wins the day for me. I would love to see a triple DD tuned like EXT, with upper treble only being done with an e-stat a la Xe6 and with some Mentor BCD thrown in…pretty please?

Wrapup and Closing Thoughts

In closing this review I thought it would be worth talking a little about sonic ideals and what one should reasonably expect from a $3K IEM. I came across a very insightful post on another forum which posited that on average different types of tuning profiles are more preferred in different parts of the world. American manufacturers tend to tune around a solid foundation of bass (think Campfire or Audeze), European manufacturers around a natural and present midrange (think Vision Ears, Lime Ears) and Asian companies tend to be more fixated on top end clarity and air (think Elysian or Hifiman). I'm not claiming that this distinction is absolute as there are of course people with a full range of preferences in all countries in the world....but I do think there is a core of truth in there somewhere. More to the point though-- I don’t think any single approach to tuning is more “right” than the others. This year I have been on a rather adventurous IEM journey and have at various times owned and loved the Vision Ears EXT, Elysian Annihilator and the Campfire Audio Trifecta. Each of these IEMs in my estimation is an epitome of the different types of tuning just mentioned: Annihilator (treble), EXT (mids) and Trifecta (bass). It just so happens that I love all of these IEMs basically equally despite their differences—each of them has something it sets out to do and pulls it off at an exceptional level. That, ultimately, is what matters to me. At the end of day it’s not the conception that matters so much as its execution.

Perhaps related though not entirely similar to this is another contrasting set of sonic ideals. Once in a fascinating Darko interview Ken Ball talked about the differences between DD and BA drivers and their relative strengths and weaknesses—BAs being quicker, more resolving but thinner sounding, with DD sound having “more meat on the bone” but not being as purely technical. He went on to say that you have “BA people” and “DD people” which he likened to “cat people” and “dog people”. Since my earliest days in this hobby it has been evident to me that there is indeed such a divide in this hobby in terms of preferences that seem to place people in general on one of two sides—one side preferring clarity, precision and technicality with the other preferring a wetter, warmer, more full bodied and analogue approach. While of course most of us can appreciate the strengths of both, and have preferences that fall somewhere in the middle, in general I think it’s fair to say that when push comes to shove most people will lean more towards one side than the other. I have been trying for years to pin down the exact nature of this divide—technicality vs. timbre, analytic vs. musical—but those terms just apply labels they don’t seem to explain the essence of the distinction.

Sometime after the aforementioned Darko interview with Ken Ball I came across another interview (this time with Caleb Roseneau, incidentally, also from Campfire) who summed up the differences between BA and DD drivers in a way that I feel captures the essence of this distinction—and also what is really at the bottom of what appears to be a fundamental difference in what different groups of people expect from and are after in their pursuit of great sound. Roseneau said that BA drivers are better at “describing sound” and DDs are better at “making you feel it”. Putting the specifics of driver type aside for the time being I think this description cuts right to the heart of two distinct sets of ideals in this hobby. One set looks at an IEM, above all else, to provide an accurate and complete description of the sonic tapestry. To achieve this the focus is more on raw technical skill, resolution, detail, imaging etc. The other set of ideals is more concerned with evoking a or an emotional connection. Here there is more emphasis on wetness, warmth, body and analogue timbre to the sound.

On the spectrum between “describing sound” and “making you feel it” most IEMs these days fall somewhere close to the middle. On the extreme end of the “describing sound” side you have IEMs like the 64 Audio u12t, u18t and, I would wager, the in-the-process-of-being-released Subtonic Storm. Further to the centre to the centre but still on the technical side you have IEMs like Jewel and Mentor. Perhaps Traillii would be close to the middle if not dead centre. On the other more musical side of the spectrum you have IEMs like the EXT, Fir Frontier Series, EE Odyssey, and so on. In the Campfire Trifecta we have perhaps for the first time an IEM at the summit fi level that finds itself at the extreme end of “musical”. It’s worth establishing this distinction in this way because I feel it provides one with the vantage point one needs in order to judge and appreciate the Trifecta on its own terms.

It is interesting the array and power of emotions that exists in this hobby. Our favorite gear is like family to us and we often feel compelled from the heart to rush in and defend it. Personally I am exceedingly grateful CFA exists. Ken Ball is really living the audio dream-- imagine starting your own company to tune and produce IEMs after your own heart, passion and ideals and those of other like-minded people. I tip my hat to him for that and also for the fact that we apparently have very similar tastes and sonic ideals. CFA have brought a lot of inspiration and joy into this hobby for me. If it isn’t plainly obvious by now I am absolutely in love with the Trifecta and currently regard it as possibly the most satisfying purchase I have ever made in this hobby. On the whole the sound is like getting into a hot tub that is just the right temp after a long day…so nice. The bass approach can be overwhelming off the cuff but once you let its sound take hold of you everything expands before you in sonic wonderment and it's hard (for me) to point to anything substantial missing or lacking.

To close: What I love about Trifecta more than anyting else is that it is a love letter to DD bass and analogue sound. It just lets the DDs be DDs on their own terms and doesn't tweak them to make them come off as BAs. As others have said it's an old-school style of voicing that doesn't get much if any love these days...but those for whom it strikes a chord will have something pretty special on their hands. Nicely Done, Campfire. And thank-you for being you.




Edit: Epilogue, Comparison with Unique Melody Multiverse Mentor

I had the pleasure of hosting a Mentor unit for my tours so I thought it was a good opportunity to do a comparison. The results are some thoughts I've gathered over the course of a few hours of listening spread over the last week or so. All listneing done through the Shanling M6U.
Campfire Trifecta vs. Unique Melody Multiverse Mentor – Clash of Two Titans



Some thoughts on EQ

As is the case with many of us in this hobby who have been at it a long time the more I engage with IEMs, sources etc. in a systematic way my sense of my own preferences becomes both broader and more fine-tuned. Many of us like to tweak sound in various ways before it reaches our ears. This is done through sources, tubes, cables, tips, EQ and probably other things I’m forgetting. It also seems to me to be true that, more often than not, most of us are fixated on one or more area of the FR to a greater extent than the rest. In my early days in this I was fixated mostly on bass. It is thus not surprising that early on I became fixated on Campfire Audio, a company whose house sound is quite often defined by a robust and dominant bass response. Later on through exposure to companies like VE & Oriolus I came to understand the charm and importance of a clear, present and seductive midrange—often with either male or female vocals taking centre stage. It’s interesting that while I wouldn’t say my library is particularly fixated on vocals I have found that IEMs tuned around vocals tend to have everything else fall into place in a way that is generally very appealing and engaging to me. This doesn’t diminish my fixation on bass in any way…as at the end of the day it’s probably the area of the FR I’m most picky about when it comes to a “main” IEM. I supposed in that way I fall neatly into the stereotype that as a “westerner” I require a foundation of deep and satisfying bass to be happy. In any case I tend to place a higher premium on bass & mids than treble. This isn’t to say highs aren’t important to me-- I have deeply appreciated a very well executed treble in IEMs like the IER Z1R, Elysium, Ragnar, Annihilator and Gaea—it’s just that I think at most an IEM can master one, maybe two areas of the FR with the third taking more of a supporting role.

In my review of the Trifecta I noted that its primary cons for me were that at times vocals were a bit recessed or lacking some of the emotion and seduction I’d come to crave thanks to my exposure to VE & Oriolus tuning. So why is it my favorite IEM in light of the above? Because the bass is just that good. People talk all the time about technicalities with a focus on midrange resolution or upper air, refinement and sparkle. What you don’t hear mentioned as much is technicalities in the bass and in this Trifecta reigns supreme on the current market in my estimation. I have never heard bass so layered, with so much air, so well textured and with nuance and detail emanating in waves out of a centre of 3-d space. What’s even more remarkable is that this is an IEM that is an unapologetic homage to classic DD sound. No neutering of the DDs to speed them up, coat them in beryllium or make them sound closer to BAs—here the dynamic drivers are unleashed on their own terms and the result, for those of us drawn to such a sound, is glorious.

Still, with the Trifecta in its native tuning I was contemplating rounding out my collection with a more purely mids-focused IEM. While playing around with the EQ I made some adjustments in the bass & mids to preserve the grandeur and impact of the bass but to shift the FR a little towards the mids bringing vocals forward a bit and taming the mid-bass just a wee bit. The result has been a game changer for me and has turned the Trifecta from a fundamentally bass centric IEM to a more balanced presentation that is both a mids and a bass powerhouse. This is the first IEM that has fully satisfied me with its midrange and bass presentation simultaneously. Essentially with a little EQ I have taken the Trifecta and added a good dose of EXT like magic. Thus I have an IEM that effectively masters three of my main fixations— 1) a foundation of epic, technical yet natural bass, 2) open, clear and seductive mids, and 3) all mixed up with an extremely technical, massive full bodied analogue sound. The Trifecta for me takes a single classic DD sound and elevates it to the highest level.

When it came to the Multiverse Mentor my issue with the FR was almost an inverse of that with the Trifecta. With Mentor sometimes for me there is a touch too much upper mids and not enough mid-bass or bass in general. Thus I have also applied some EQ here to good effect to turn the IEM into something more satisfying in the bass and less fatiguing up top. Unfortunately though this improvement, while notable, overcome my main gripe with the IEM—its limp and in my opinion quite average BA bass response. In the case of Trifecta I applied some tweaks that unleashed something already inherent in their very capable drivers. With Mentor I was hamstrung by the limitations of the drivers themselves. It’s not their fault per se—this is purely a matter of my personal taste and preferences.

The point of my writing the above, beyond wanting to flesh out some thoughts, is that when I compare Trifecta and Mentor I will be comparing them after having EQ’d them in the way I described. I believe that when assessing an IEM I should do so under the circumstances where it sounds its best to me. (FWIW I EQ most of my IEMs.)

Mentor vs. Trifecta: General Thoughts

The reason I have titled this writing “clash of two titans” is because I think what we have here are respective epitomes of two different sonic ideals. Mentor, with its BCD augmentation, takes an all BA sound and elevates it to a very high level. Trifecta conversly takes a classic DD sound and elevates that to a very high level. Interestingly, Trifecta achieves a result similar to what I have heard with BCD only instead relying on 3 highly capable dynamic drivers in each earpiece inspire by some sacred geometry and all fixated on a single point.

Comparative strengths and weaknesses:

Mentor

+ More precise imaging
+ More resolving up top than Trifecta
+ A little more resolving in the mids than Trifecta
+ Instrumental and vocal timbre very good
+ From the perspective of highs and high mids renders complex passages more deftly than Trifecta

- Stage is wide and tall but not as deep or holographic as Trifecta
- Bass response is wide but lacks resolution and the solidity and foundational depth/impact of a DD
- Instrumental and vocal timbre is good—especially pianos—but cannot compete with the full-bodied analogue naturalness that Trifecta’s DDs can produce
- sound is very matter of fact and technical and lacks soul and substance—like a movie with epic production values but very little in terms of story.

Trifecta

+ Massive spherical 3-d stage with excellent layering and holographic presentation
+ Summit fi bass response
+ Class leading instrumental and vocal timbre
+ For a lover of bass driven, natural analogue sound without equal on the current market
+ Quite resolving for a warm, bodied dynamic signature

- Imaging not as precise as Mentor
- Not as resolving as a pure BA set like Mentor
- treble detail lags behind Mentor—mostly noticeable in complex passasages

Similarities

Trifecta and Mentor are similar in some respects, most notably in that they are both warm leaning IEMs and both notable for their massive staging.

Key Differences

The most profound difference between the IEMs in my book stems from what I said earlier about one being an epitome of BA driven sound and the other an epitome of DD driven sound. I have often referred to a comment made by Caleb Roseneau of Campfire in which is says that BAs are better at describing sound and BAs are better at making you feel it. This to me captures the essence of Trifecta vs. Mentor in a nutshell. Mentor- with its clarity, resolution and precise imaging-- is providing a fundamentally descriptive sort of sound. Trifecta, on the other hand, just envelops you with its full bodied, impactful layers of sound.

Techicalities

When I first received the Trifecta I hadn’t heard Mentor for some time. My lingering thought of it was of an IEM that wowed one with its technical impact but was wanting in terms of emotional connection. The line I used in my Trifecta review that I feel sums up the two IEMs quite succinctly is listening to each “with Mentor I’m more fixated on the precision in the imaging and with Trifecta I’m more fixated on the groove” or the soul of the music. Having spent the past week with both IEMs I still feel that this is the best way to really capture the differences between the two IEMs, beyond that Mentor is natively more of a mids and treble IEM and Trifecta is more of a bass centric IEM with great mids.

One thing that jumped out at me over and over again while a/b’ing the two IEMs is how well Trifecta held its own against Mentor in terms of its technical chops. Yes Trifecta does not have quite the level of imaging s that Mentor has but it has a deeper, more layered stage and ultimately is more natural and “correct” sounding to me on the whole due to its more analogue driven timbre. To my ears everything just sounds so right and poignant on Trifecta. Furthermore, while it is true that there is more resolution and detail up top with Mentor, the same could be said for the bottom end on Trifecta. Further, yes it is the case that there is a greater degree of native transparency in the mids on Mentor, the extra body and thickness you get on Trifecta gives it a more natural and seductive timbre and overall sound. There is obviously a heavy degree of bias here as I am someone with a strong preference for mids & bass DD sound generally. Conversely someone more interested in mids and highs or with a fixation on imaging will just by default prefer the tonality and presentation of the Mentor. In terms of value I think both IEMs offer a lot to people drawn to their respective strengths but in terms of technical capacity—a measure commonly associated with value or worth of an IEM—I must say I had a very hard time understanding how the Mentor could justify costing $1200 more than the Trifecta. At the end of the day both IEMs succeed very well at what they set out to do and whichever one prefers will be a function of their own tastes and ideals.

Some songs used in my comparisons:

Carmannah - Long Way Home
Dire Straits - Setting Me Up
Moonraker Soundtrack – Flight into Space
St. Germain – Land Of…
Daft Punk - Get Lucky
Metallica - Orion

Preamble: My Zen Pro was purchsed by me from Amazon. There was an open box discount but I was not asked or required to review it. This review is motivated by nothing other than my wanting to express and share my regard for this IEM.

Today I am reviewing the Zen Pro, a single DD IEM from Dunu. Dunu is one of those companies I’ve long been aware of through positive impressions I’ve heard from friends of IEMs like the Luna, SA6 and earlier models like the DK3001. However given that I live in Canada-- comparatively an IEM wasteland relative to many other parts of the world— I am completely at the mercy of whatever IEMs I can borrow through friends or hear through the rare tour I have access to. As it happens the Zen Pro is the first Dunu IEM I’ve had the pleasure to hear.

As is my custom whenever I do a review like this I begin with a preamble describing a bit about myself, my preferences and where I’m at on my own audio journey as, in addition to the satisfaction I derive from expressing myself in words, this gives potential readers a bit of background and context that will hopefully give a greater sense of where I’m coming from with respect to whatever IEM currently owns my heart—in this case the Dunu Zen Pro.

I have found over time that the scope of what I like or don't like can't be captured by a single target curve or tuning ideal-- my tastes, while definitely possessing some trends (a tendency towards DDs, for example), have evaded all my attempts to reduce them to a rule or small set of rules. I will say two things however—firstly that of all the main bands of the FR it’s the mid-range that I’ve started to recognize as the one I’m most fussy about. To wit: lately it seems to me that it doesn’t matter how good the bass, treble, technicalities and so forth are if the midrange isn’t to my liking none of it will matter.

Secondly, certain things—like perception of micro-detail—that often get elevated to the highest ranks of importance by the audiophile orthodoxy, has never been a massive priority for me personally. Accordingly I often don't rank IEMs noted primarily for their technical chops as highly as many others do. For me the most important thing, to put it bluntly and at the risk of inciting a few facepalms, is how the IEM in question makes me feel when I listen to it. I have a degree in mathematics & philosophy and teach the former for a living. I run a chess club and study great chess matches with intense interest and passion-- most of my life is focused on logical structures, rules, sequences, arguments and symmetries...and yet when it comes to music and this hobby it is 100% about feeling for me. When I'm listening to a great piece of music-- be it Barry, Coltrane, McCartney or Beethoven-- I am not reasoning or thinking or questioning or analyzing about who or what or how long-- I am having an experience, fundamentally, of the heart.

On that note let’s talk about the Dunu Zen Pro.


TLDR: Neutral & highly transparent sound with a hint of warmth. Blissfully coherent. Natural, bodied, balanced, dynamic, energetic & holographic sound. Impeccably technical & detailed, super linear, non-fatiguing though can be a bit vibrant in the upper mids depending on source. Beautiful timbre—to my ears especially with electric guitars, and horns. They're probably just on the "emotive over technical" side of the spectrum. Imaging & layering is top tier...staging is not massive but very layered & deep and everything is very well placed. Mids are even-keeled & clear, bass sometimes felt more than heard…but always felt, very well extended and reaches from the stygian depths. Treble is non-fatiguing, clear & decently extended. All in all the balance across the spectrum is wonderful. I don’t want to sound like a shill but holy balls do I love these IEMs. Listening to them through the AK SR25ii or Cayin RU6 and my heart is in want of nothing.

Fundamentals

I’m not going to dwell too much on packaging & technical specs as it’s not really my style and that info is available readily elsewhere. I will say though that the Zen Pro come equipped with the most powerful set of magnets I’ve ever seen on a pair of IEMs. The magnets are so powerful in fact that if they get too close the Zen Pro earpieces will lunge and cling together. II’m careful to not let them do this though as even micro-impacts can damage the small drivers in these IEMs. I’m curious about the effects of the magnets however. I know that magnets are often a feature of dynamic drivers—growing up my buddy’s dad had a set of speakers with magnets so powerful they wrecked 2-3 of his TVs. Certainly they contribute to the sonic profile somewhere via the magnetic field they generate but I’m not sure how. The Zen Pro is notable for a very muscular & ballsy sound across the whole spectrum. The sound exudes weight, texture & authority—but not in an intrusive or belligerent way…rather in a seductive, well balanced and disciplined way. This muscular character is one of those intangible factors I’ve long been drawn to in IEMs without really zoning in on it as a particular point of interest. The only other IEM that has this quality to the same extent is the Dorado 2020—and indeed this is, I am finding, one of the main quality that has endeared me to this IEM. In the case of the Dorado 2020 I believe the hardness of the ceramic shell is what gives the sound it signature solidity and clarity—is the powerful magnet in the Zen Pro a different pathway to the same sonic character? This is something I will be looking into going forward.

Drawn together:


My understanding is that the original Zen was similar to the Zen Pro in many ways and has been refined due to some feedback they received on that earlier model. I had always heard of Dunu IEMs being notable for their bass and the OG Zen is probably the close I’d come prior to the Zen Pro to purchasing a Dunu IEM. What held me back at the time were consistent reports I’d heard of the OG Zen having too much energy in the upper mids—a consistent deal breaker for me. My decision to purchase the Zen Pro—in spite of the fact that I really didn’t need another IEM at the time—was based on a perfect storm of events consisting of some glowing reports I’d heard from fellow enthusiasts, the perpetual curiosity that afflicts all of us who regularly chase IEMs, my love of single DDs and long-held curiosity about Dunu. Couple all of that with the wind-in-one's-sails & opportunism that often attends finding a good deal at Amazon…and well the rest is history. I'm happy to say that my leap-of-faith towards the Dunu Zen Pro has turned into what is currently shaping up to be the definitive highlight in a year full of highlights for me in this hobby.

So how do they sound?

The Zen Pro put forward an impeccably balanced & exceedingly technical, bodied, dynamic, clear, detailed & spacious sound-- and the timbre is excellent across the board. Sound is forward and energetic-- these are not really what I'd call a relaxed listen per se. Guitars, horns, percussion, cymbals all sound perfectly natural to me. Guitars have both body & bite in nice measure. To be perfectly honest I never fully understood the appeal of neutral tuning until I heard these-- they are just so fun, engaging & satisfying to listen to and yet effortlessly technical, transparent and precise in their presentation. Everything feels so open with each element feeling, no matter how miniscule, is given its own clearly defined piece of the sonic tapestry in which to shine. I often classify IEMs as veering more towards an analytic (technical, detailed, precise) sound vs. a more fun & emotional sound. The Zen Pro strike as perfect a balance between those two qualities as any I have heard-- there is no excess and everything is represented perfectly and their ballsy dynamic sound is a constant pleasure. It was only after my initial musings of the Zen Pro that it occurred to me that the name "Zen" is perfectly apt for these IEMs. The Zen Pro is a little source sensitive and on more v-shaped or brighter players the upper mid/lower treble region can display a touch of harshness at times-- but for me it was minimal and this has been totally mitigated for me since using the Astell & Kern SR25ii and Cayin RU6 dongle. Synergy is a thing however it bears noting that this appears not to be an IEM you can plug into whatever source and get the same result...so YMMV there.


Bass, Mids & Treble

The Zen Pro are some the most balanced IEMs I’ve ever heard. If you’re looking for a bass or treble specialist they may not be the best bet—the Sennheiser IE900 might be something to look at there. Alternately if you want something with more of a pure focus on the mids then the Oriolus Isabellae may be work checking out. Where the Zen Pro knocks it out of the park is how it manages to bring out the best and be totally satisfying across the entire FR spectrum. When listening to the Zen Pro I feel like am maximizing my enjoyment of the entirety of what I’m listening to to a greater extent than I’ve yet experienced with an IEM. As mentioned some have reported a touch of metallic timbre and harshness up top but in my experience if you get the right source this ceases to be an issue.

I am particularly impressed with the bass on the Zen Pro. It doesn't jump out at you at first-- and you might initially be tempted to think of the Zen Pro as bass-lite...which it isn't at all. It's super tactile & well defined-- and the extension is deceptively good. When the bass hits it seems to reach up from the murkiest depths-- it's a bit like the Odin this way and I would describe the bass on them both as reserved yet highly efficient, precise & powerful. Zen Pro’s bass is the sonic equivalent of Bruce Lee’s one inch punch. Sub & mid bass are, along with everything else, nicely balanced. A lot has been made about Zen Pro’s sub-bass roll off…but to me the graph is deceptive. Zen Pro’s bass has balls & weight—even when you don’t quite hear it there’s never any doubt it’s there.

Zen Pro’s bass reminds me of the bass on the Solaris...almost homeopathic in amount but the authority, weight & texture is spot on and it's subdued enough to maintain a sense of balance across the FR. I have many bass-leaning IEMs and it’s nice have one that's close to neutral...and a highly technical single DD to boot-- it's a big win for me. I think the ticket to the bass working for me is that it's got a nice sub -> mid-bass transition...the bass doesn't overwhelm but simultaneously it's warm and bodied enough that I don't feel anything is lacking. The bass on the Zen Pro is also much more technical and satisfying to my ears than the bass on the Solaris was. You’re not going to walk away after your first listen to the Zen Pro and go “wow! That bass!” like you will with something like the IE900 but after 3 weeks with these IEMs my awe of and appreciation for the bass on the Zen Pro increases daily.



The midrange is another highlight of the Zen Pro. It’s not as perfectly romantic, intimate and seductive as the midrange on the Isabellae is…but it is forward, clear, unveiled, layered, detailed and possessing of a wonderful natural timbre. In terms of vocals Mark Knopfler, Howlin’ Wolf, Morrissey, Fogerty, Sinatra, Sky Edwards all sound wonderful to me—bodied, full and clear. I’m not a particular expert on female vocals so I’ll defer discussing them…but I haven’t heard any issues. Instruments all sound full, dynamic, natural, detailed & clear. Of particular note to me are electric guitars (Knopfler’s strat has seldom sounded as good to me) but also saxophones—strings and horns in general.

Highs are (for me) adequately extended, clear and non-fatiguing. Highs historically have been the hardest things for single DDs to get right for me—often coming across as metallic, harsh or lacking in extension. Most of my favorite highs in IEMs come from IEMs with e-stat highs (like the Bravado 2 or Elysium) or with another type of DD (as in the IER Z1R). The highs of the Zen Pro don’t fall into the usual pitfalls for me, but they also don’t quite soar to the same heights (pun intended) as the highs on something like the IE900 do. What you get instead is a more even-keeled presentation across the spectrum.

Technical Chops

As I’ve come to understand the term “technicalities” are those features of an IEMs sound that allow it to create in the mind of the listener a fully vivid & realized head stage. Stage on the Zen Pro is not massive per se but is fathomlessly deep, layered and detailed. Imaging is superb with voals ever at the front and centre.. The Zen Pro is technical enough to satisfy those who usually pursue BA driven sets and the timbre is natural, thick and engaging enough for those of us who usually gravitate towards DDs. I was considering the word holographic with respect to these IEMs and in particular around what the word actually means. One of the characteristic features of a holographic image is that the entirety of the image is present even in tiniest part of it—in this sense while the stage certainly isn’t as massive as on something like the Campfire Solaris I do very much get that holographic feel from the coherent soundscape they present in that it doesn’t matter where I place my attention the entirety of the sonic spectrum is always to the fore—it’s a rather impressive experience and one I feel that to this point has not been fully captured on any hybrid setup.

As a rule the IEMs I gravitate towards aren't defined by their technical chops and I often wind up explaining myself in terms like "well I prefer timbre over technicalities anyway". The Zen Pro is remarkable in its ability to provide both bodied, natural DD timbre as well as, not just technicalities that "get the job done" but thoroughly impressive technicalities. I had no idea a single DD in IEMs could image & stage like this-- it's so deep and vividly and precise. Vocals are un-veiled, sibilance free and naturally seductive-- and the FR is smooth from top to bottom. While there is some sensitivity to sources with respect to some harshness up top and metallic timbre—on the right source like the Cayin RU6 or AKSR35ii— there is no fatigue, no peaks or pressure points to my ears though it must be stated that I do love a mice punchy, dynamic in-your-face sound as you get with many Campfire IEMs so YMMV there. For my own tastes I've never heard a single DD this consistently good across the FR.



Single DDs have the capacity to afford an amazing coherence—and the Zen Pro takes full advantage. The whole soundscape manifests as one cohesive, unified and entire structure of sound that, when coupled with natural bodied DD timbre, allows for us to be immersed in a sonic palace of natural grandeur and engagement that capture's both one's heart and attention in a way that hasn't yet been fully replicated in hybrid or non-DD setups-- at least to my ears. Traillii may be the only exception to this I've heard but I haven't yet spent unbroken days with one so ultimately the jury's still out on that one for me.

I think the outstanding feature of the Zen Pro from a technical standpoint is its resolution. I used to have a hard time talking about resolution because I wasn’t really sure what it meant and always thought of it as being synonymous with detail. In J Gordon Holt’s audio glossary he defines resolution as “that quality of sound reproduction which enables the listener to distinguish between, and follow the melodic lines of, the individual voices or instruments comprising a large performing group”—in other words resolution is in actuality a combination of things like detail and what I typically think of as “instrument separation”. Based on this definition I can assuredly say that the resolution of the Zen Pro is off the charts good and easily the best I’ve ever heard from a single DD. Through the Zen Pro every layer, every instrument, every performer manifests simultaneously with their own individual air, space and identity and also as an intrinsic part of a unified sonic tapestry. The more I listen to the Zen Pro the more I settle in to its fully realized, detailed, living, vibrant soundscape.



Comparisons

VS. Oriolus Isabellae

Compared to the Zen Pro Isabellae feels like more of a specialist-- more intimate, mid-range/instrument/vocal focused. Zen Pro by comparison is balanced across the board and it wouldn't surprise me if, once the dust settled, I proclaim it the best "all-rounder" I've yet heard. It doesn't quite sweep me off my feet and draw me into the mid-range like Isa does, and to be fair it's midrange on the whole probably isn't as emotionally evocative-- but the bass, treble and overall tonal balance & technical chops of Zen Pro is a decided step up from Isa imho.

I want to caveat the above statement-- one area where Zen Pro does shine above Isa is in the treble-- it has better extension and sparkle up top. Bass is about equal in quality, but tuned differently. It's not really fair to say that Zen Pro has a better tonal balance because I think that the goals were different with each IEM. Isa was never meant to be balanced across the FR-- it's about warmth and intimacy in the mid-range and it pulls this off marvelously. Zen Pro is more about balance and technicalities and it also pulls this off to great effect. On the whole each succeeds in its own area and I don't think it's really fair to say one is better than the other as they're like two fine but distinct wines. Zen Pro isolates better and is probably a better choice for a versatile all rounder. It doesn't romance me like Isa does, however.

Vs. Fiio FD7

From memory Zen Pro has a better tonal balance than the FD7 for me. I know some have described FD7 as "warm and bassy" but for me it was not that at all-- it achieved a tremendous amount of resolution up top but it achieved that by selling the low end short to my ears. Zen Pro does not have this problem-- it is very balanced and while there's certainly not a bass/lower mid emphasis or anything there is certainly nothing lacking there to my ears. The only ding in Zen Pro's armour for me so far is that it appears to be a little source sensitive-- the upper mids as has been mentioned straddle the line of being a bit too energetic at times…but with the right source and some time this seems to go away completely.



VS 7HZ Timeless

Timeless puts forward a presentation that is almost as balanced, more resolving, possibly better micro & macro dynamics. Timeless is an IEM that takes you by surprise with its naturalness whereas the Zen Pro is more in-your-face about it. In terms of engagement they’re probably about equal for me but Zen Pro is more energetic and in your face with that more bodied & ballsy sound…particularly down low…that other drivers just can’t emulate. Timeless is more effortless and natural…particularly through something like the Cayin RU6. Timeless is a shining star among releases this year but still has a couple kinks to work out—on its own terms little can touch it but it doesn’t quite lure me way for long from my favorite DDs like the Zen Pro. With the technology involved and the pace of innovation these days that day may not be too far behind.

VS Sennheiser IE900

My time the IE900 was very brief but it differs from Zen Pro in that, where Zen Pro is balanced & neutral the IE900 has a decided bass & treble specialty with the mids pushed back. IE900 has a tremendous reputation and in its own way it excels. If you want top tier bass & treble it’s by far the better choice—however if you’re looking for balance & neutrality in an all rounder the Zen Pro is worth a look.

VS Moondrop Kato

These are quite similar to the Zen Pro-- less balance, more tilted towards the bass, a lot less technical, more of a generic tuning. Not factoring in cost the Zen Pro eats them alive however when you consider that they only cost $200 or less than 25% of the Zen Pro they come off as a benchmark for the price tier they occupy. If you want an even keeled IEM that sounds good with everything, has no glaring flaws in bass, mids or treble, has more than adequate technical chops and you don't want to spend more than $300 then these are an easy rec. They're great for what they are but don't have any real standout qualities-- they don't have the balance of emotive engagement, impeccable tonal balance & technical prowess of the Zen Pro, or the divine mids and capacity for genuine intimacy of the Isabellae. They're a standout for $300 but they would not come close to tempting me away from the Zen Pro.


Wrapup

One of the most profound lessons I’ve learned in this hobby recently can be summed up in a quote by Steve Jobs—that I think I even featured in an earlier review in the year: “Sometimes you don’t know what you want until someone shows you”…how true this is. For myself I have found that whenever I try to really pigeon-hole my own preferences—which I thought I was on the verge of doing once I started really comparing the graphs of many of my favorite IEMs like the Duo, Dorado and Isabellae—along will come an IEM like the Zen Pro that throws all of that to the wind and completely reorients my own idea of what I’m looking for.

This brings me to another lesson—one so important that I’ve probably restated it in one form or another every time I’ve sat down to review an IEM: never judge an IEM by its graph. On two occasions this year—first with the Isabellae and later with the Zen Pro—had I gone just by the graph I would have never considered either IEM however upon listening to both I was instantly swept off my feet and smitten, albeit for different reasons. The point: ever be ready to try something new and always be willing to let your own ears be the final judge.

In closing I really want to emphasize the importance in recognizing the different approaches everyone may take in this hobby as they wend their way along the pathway to audio Zen (pun, again, intended). As hinted at earlier I often comment that there are two main ways to approach the listening experience with an IEM-- either intellectually or emotionally. The former implies looking at the different components of the sound through a proverbial microscope and the latter implies being more concerned with how one responds emotionally to the cohesive whole of the experience. Both approaches are valid however I think most people are skewed more to one side or the other. I like having a balance of different perspectives out there and so long as they're sincere they can all be helpful. As I said above my own personal bias is strongly towards the "emotional' side. When forming & writing impressions my inclination is much more towards the overall picture of the emotional experience of listening to an IEM-- and consequently when looking for impressions of others the number one thing I look for is someone having the same sort of emotional reaction to an IEM that I myself am craving...though I know some find this approach too wishy washy and not very helpful in much the same way that some find an overly analytical approach to be too devoid of the necessary romance of the experience. The beauty of this hobby and communities like this one is we have access to the full spectrum of different opinions and approaches and are free to take or leave what works for us or what doesn't.

Caleb Roseneau of Campfire audio in an interview I heard once described the main differences in BA vs. DD drivers being that BAs are better at "describing" sound and DDs are better at making you feel it. In light of the distinction I just made above DDs are more naturally suited to emotional engagement (evoking feeling) and BAs are more suited to intellectual engagement (being more detailed and technically precise). There is of course overlap but so far in my experience the best BA IEMs can't compete with the best DD IEMs in terms of sounding natural and evoking a certain type of emotional engagement and conversely the best DD IEMs can't compete with the best BA IEMs when it comes to technical skill and precision.

With the Dunu Zen Pro we have in my estimation a benchmark in the IEM world. It is a single DD that manages to take an extraordinarily balanced tuning and simultaneously imbue it with the bodied natural timbre one finds in a DD and a degree of technical perfection that, while certainly falling short of the most purely technical sets using BAs or e-stats—nonetheless leaves little to be desired. Dunu strikes me as one of those brands that have been quietly plying their trade for years...often below the radar. I never heard the OG Zen or any other Dunu for that matter but the Zen Pro, tuning wise, has the mark of a degree of polished perfection consistent with a clear vision and lots of experience. I'm feeling seriously tempted by the Falcon Pro just to experience more Dunu DD magic. The Dunu Zen Pro is my de facto IEM of 2021.



Samples of music used to generate the impressions used in this review:

Preamble: I’ve been a Campfire fanboy since the Solaris became my first true love in IEMs in March of 2019. I appreciate their overall aesthetic, approach and the way they go after different types of tuning, some of which are inspiring, others less so, with all of them being at least interesting. I appreciate CFA’s mid-bass heavy DD offerings and am always up for a fun and engaging IEM so when Campfire announced the Honeydew, a single DD that, in their words is “Optimized for Full Range Dynamic Fun” and an “Excellent choice for drummers, bassists, DJs, and electronic beat makers”… well at $250 I simply could not resist.


Purchased with exceptional service through @Andrew at Bloom audio my Honeydew arrived with one of their characteristic treats

TLDR: This a single DD Campfire IEM with an advertised bass emphasis. Unless you’ve been living with your head in the sand of the IEM world the past few years you should have a good idea what this entails-- massive bass, fun sound, good technicalities. The Honeydew puts forward an engaging & satisfying sound but with colored mids that can be overshadowed by the bass at times. I would describe it as an IEM with a dark tuning-- highs are very smooth and clear but never in the forefront. There is nothing remotely fatiguing about this IEM up top in the form of peaks or shoutiness. I would conclude by adding that it’s an IEM that is very sure of and true to itself—it is one that I would unhesitatingly rec to anyone looking for a fun bassy sound—especially at its price point—but the simplicity and sincerity of its overall signature is such that I wonder if it would win over a few who don’t normally go for basshead IEMs. At the very least it’s ideally priced for a bassy side piece that one has on hand to “get a fix” every now and again.

Overview

I never bother with tech specs & unboxing in my reviews as this info is available copiously elsewhere.

In a nutshell the Honeydew is an entry level single DD from Campfire that uses a 10mm “liquid crystalline polymer (LCP)” which is distinct from their signature A.D.L.C 10mm driver used in their high end DD IEMs like Atlas, Vega, Dorado 2020 & Solaris and seemingly is also distinct from the 10mm “bio-cellulose” driver in the recently released Mammoth. I’m actually hoping to get my hands on a Mammoth at some point just to do a comparison of the 3 different bass drivers from a weight, clarity, grip & timbre perspective.

Here are some succinct pros & cons:

+ These are certainly bass cannons-- but they're a fun clean, detailed, well extended and not-too-invasive sort of bass
+ They sound really oomphy & satisfying at low volumes
+ Mids are thick, bodied, reasonably forward and clear…for the most part
+ Lots of mid-bass though it doesn't degenerate into bloom really...it's a little like being in a confined club-like space with a massive sub.
+ They sound really good with old jazz, classic rock, hip hop
+ Nice wide stage
+ An aesthetically compelling little package

- Definitely coloration in the mids, which can be overshadowed by the massive bass at times
- Not for people who like lots of air, sparkle or forward treble
- Stage is wide but not very deep
- They are kind of cheap feeling for a CFA product due to the plastic but imho their charms more than make up for it, especially at this price tier.

The biggest deal breaker for me in single DD IEMs tends to be the highs, and typically because they tend towards being metallic or peaky—Honeydew has none of these problems. At first, admittedly, the bass totally dominates the sound field, I have found that I get used to it and after a time everything coherently & serently dissolves into a thumping and engaging unity. What’s persistently interesting to me is how I can spend a day or two listening to only the Honeydew and, in spite of having technically superior and more satisfying IEMs around, find myself able to enjoy the Honeydew almost endlessly, on its own terms. It’s not the most sophisticated but gawd damn it hits an emotional sweet spot, kind of like a burger & fries at the diner you and your friends hung out at when you were young— not necessarily the healthiest choice but they will find and occupy a secure and deep niche in your heart.



FR Breakdown

Mids & Highs
The Honeydew has a bass driven signature with relaxed highs and a mid-range with inconsistent openness and clarity. Sometimes, in something like Underworld’s Juanita/Kiteless it can come off sounding a little veiled and hazy. Similarly, with Morrissey’s I am Hated For Loving which is one of my test tracks, or Supertramp’s Take the Long Way Home, or Dire Strait’s Southbound Again the bass tends to crowd out the vocals and strings a bit too much for my liking. More often than not however vocals & instruments are sufficiently forward and clear for me and I never find myself craving air or space. Couple all that with a wonderful coherence and natural dynamic timbre and the overall picture is still firmly on the side of “win” for me. Honeydew tends to excel at a lot of the classic rock, pop & hip hop I listen to and am often the most sentimental about. Some standout tracks that I have found sound excellent & fully satisfying on Honeydew: Al Green – Take me to the River, Annie Lennox – Money Can’t Buy It, PM Dawn - A Watcher’s Point of View, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – Don’t Do Me Like That and Skinned by Blind Melon.

Speaking specifically to the highs—these are darker leaning IEMs to be sure and probably not for “treble heads”…though I must point out I never find the sound to be blunted sounding, lacking clarity & air, rolled off or really missing anything in terms of extension up top. The highs are not forward and they don't jump out and grab your attention-- but when you focus on them everything is there. I just listened to Kid for Today by Boards of Canada and it sounded wonderfully clear, open and layered.

To close out this section I will say that I am not aware of any IEM that attempts any type of colored sound that does not sound better with some stuff than others—it’s just a question of what you’re looking for, what you listen to and what you like. While the Honeydew is not an IEM for a “mids head” I can’t fail to point out that I’ve become something of a mids head lately and despite that I can still very much enjoy Honeydew for what it tries to be and how sincerely & well it pulls it off.



Dat Bass
The Honeydew is consistent with CFA’s DD house sound, which is characterized by big bass with a noted tilt towards the mid-bass. This is anathema for some people but those of us who love it can’t get enough of it. Thanks to their tuning proficiency, which includes their use of 3D printed shells specifically designed to have certain geometries & acoustic properties my finding is that they are consistently able to milk a high degree of technical performance out of their “big bass” IEMs. I have found with the Honeydew, and as well with the Dorado 2020 that, once you get beyond the bass, there’s actually a very well layered sound with no loss of details. Because of the bass putting Honeydew on for the first time is like walking into a brightly lit room after being in the dark for a time—it’s overwhelming at first but after a while you get used to it and find, for the most part, everything in its place.

The characteristic feature of Honeydew’s tuning is its tendency to bring the rhythm & bass forward than they would be in a more balanced or neutral tuning. This does have an effect on the mids, as has been discussed in the previous section, but what it means for the listening experience in terms of the bass it those little basslines creeping in the background of so many of your favorite tracks are brought forward making it easier for you to sink your teeth into. This is why the Honeydew is aptly advertised as good IEM for those who want to reference monitor bass lines in tracks. At its best Honeydew sees you surfing on waves in a sunny sea of delicious bass. It’s not the most sophisticated presentation but hot damn is it satisfying. Some hightlights: Weird Science by Oingo Boingo, Get a Move On by Mr. Scruff, Hey Ya by Outkast, Swamp by Talking Heads and Genius of Love by Tom Tom Club.

Campfire as a company has long been associated with “big bass” in their DD headphones and IEMs. This is not without justification. To my ears CFA’s house sound is characterized by a strong mid-bass presence. I have heard plenty of IEMs with great bass. Right now the “holy trinity” of bass drivers in IEMs right now are Sony’s 12mm DD from the IER Z1R, Empire’s updated W9 driver as found in the Bravado MKii & Odin and lastly CFA’s 10mm A.D.L.C (Amorphous Diamond Like Carbon) driver. To my ears each of those 3 drivers is a great all rounder but each of them also specialized in a different aspect of the bass experience. CFA bass' greatest strengths imho are its thump, grip and density. This is a strength of the bass in the Dorado 2020 and also the Solaris, where it stands out despite the latter’s very polite bass response. This is where Honeydew bass falls short relative to higher end offerings—the bass is not quite as clean, thumpy or grippy with the resulting response not being quite as tight, dense, controlled, nuanced or quite as well extended as it is on the Dorado 2020. I’m picking nits here though—the bass on the Honeydew is quite satisfying in its own right.



Comparisons

I’m honestly not sure what to put in this section as Honeydew isn’t really like anything else I own. Some have said it’s a baby Dorado but I would disagree as it lacks the Dorado’s sharpness & shimmer up top…it might be something of a baby Vega 2020 but I haven’t heard the Vega so I can’t say.

The only other single DD IEM I own is the Isabellae and it’s a complete apples & oranges sort of scenario.

Conclusion

On the whole I think the Campfire Audio Honeydew are a great offering for their price point and offer a great intro to one prominent branch of the CFA house sound. They are a super fun and well executed little package at a reasonable cost. I’m not aware of many other options at this price tier for this type of sound and as such my guess is that these will make lots of people very happy. Yes they are colored to a state of indulgence but on their own terms they excel. I listened to the Honeydew a few hours immediately after demoing the Oriolus Traillii and, while obviously of an entirely different echelon of quality, I was still won over by Honeydew’s playful, transparent and non-pretentious charms even immediately after partaking of the grandeur and imho peerless nature of Traillii’s overall sound.

So at the end of the day while I don't think Honeydew will break any boundaries or set any new standards they're very endearing and imho succeed quite well at the modest task they've embraced. I was standing in the kitchen making lunch the other day and (appropriately enough given the summer theme) The Beach Boys' "Little Douce Coup" came on and before long I was dancing around my kitchen in a happy little zone just sort of lost in the moment. I've often said that whatever else you can say about an IEM-- its technical capacity, tonal balance or what have you-- is merely a footnote if the IEM in question can pull me into its little world and work its magic on me. Not every IEM does that and it's always a strong point in its favor when it does. All in all, Nicely Done.



(I don't have an actual honeydew on hand so the above was the best I can do.)

Edit: I wanted to update this review with some impressions from the Cayin N3Pro.



My initial review was written with the Honeydew through primarily normal listening volumes. I recently received a Cayin n3Pro and have really been enjoying the Honeydew through the linear tube. mode, which I feel has a bit of clarity added to it via the tubes somehow. Also I've come to really enjoy listening to the Honeydew at low volumes through the n3Pro. I find the level of bass decreases disproportionately to the rest of the FR when you lower the volume and the result is a nicely balanced sound with a nice, full, dynamic, detailed and robust bass response at a relatively low vol. Another consequence of this is that you get more openness & clarity in the mids (though there's still coloration to be sure) and increased perception of technical skill. For anyone interested here is how they stack up in this draft of a scoring scheme I'm trying to develop (this is very tentative and a work in progress):

“It's really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them.” ~ Steve Jobs

Following is a reflective summary of my experience with the Oriolus Isabellae. This will consist of a consolidation of my thoughts & impressions of Isa in the roughly six weeks I’ve had it, as well as some follow-up thoughts including discussion on how this IEM and concomitant exposure to Oriolus, their tuning & IEMs and overall wizardry of "The Old Man" has helped redefine & sharpen my own approach to & understanding of this hobby and what it is all about for me.



TLDR: Isa can be described as very well balanced, decently technical, perfectly coherent and possessing a rich, pleasingly weighty sound with a beautiful natural timbre and a top tier bass response. However what sets it apart for me is the inspired tuning, especially the mids, the vocals and such an immaculate balance across the whole soundscape that one can always zone in on any one element of the sound without losing sight of the whole. The Isabellae to my ears can be approximated alternately as a baby Elysium or in the spirit of what I’ve always imagined a single DD tuned like Andromeda to sound like. If either of those sound appealing or if you are someone who is after perfect balance across the FR, who places a lot of stock in a natural, forward, seductive midrange with a superbly intimate vocal presentation... the Oriolus Isabellae imho are worth a serious look.

For those who want to dig into this a little more...

Personal Caveats:

1) What I am after, with the listening experience, is emotional involvement. All other factors-- technical proficiency, perceived tonal accuracy, neutrality etc.-- are secondary for me. That’s not to say that those factors don’t play a role—but for me they are simply the means to the desired end of emotional engagement.

2) The more time I spend in this hobby and the more IEMs I hear the less I feel inclined to break an IEM down into its constituent parts—bass, mids, treble, technicalities etc. More important to me than individual factors are how they all play together and coalesce into the overall gestalt of an IEM’s presentation.

3) I'm running the Isabellae, and everything else I’ve listened to in 2021, through the Shanling M8 a player which is far from neutral and in my experience has a magical effect on everything I plug into it.

4) Fundamentally to me this hobby is a form of self-discovery. This is my personal review and as such it will be expressed in such a way as is meaningful and authentic to me. Some will find my approach too subjective/wishy-washy/starry-eyed to be useful—to them I say that there are plenty of other sources of information out there that will better suit your needs. This is fundamentally a hobby for me and one of the ways I derive joy out of it is to share my personal experiences in writing. If this is at all useful/helpful/informative/entertaining to anyone, then great! If not, oh well.



Background & Preamble:

I’ve had a fixation on good music and good sound for much of my life since spending hours as a child fiddling with my dad’s-- what was in the early 70s-- pretty solid 2-channel setup and later as an adolescent saving for the latest Sony Sport Walkman I could use to play all the mix tapes I lovingly crafted on my CD player at home.

The Campfire Audio Solaris was my first real love in IEMs. This was partly because of Campfire's whole aesthetic and philosophy, which I just vibe with, but also because Solaris set the first standard for me of a mature version of my personal target, which could be described essentially as balanced with a musical mid-bass emphasis. I tried for a long time to find an IEM which for me constituted a wholesale upgrade to Solaris but for some time I never came across anything that I felt really one upped it across the board (though many came close). The Elysium was the IEM to finally pull me away from Solaris, but even then concessions were made as I had to go without dynamic bass. It seems to me now in retrospect that Oriolus and their IEMs are what I was really searching for back then but, due to a variety of factors not the least of which is Oriolus’ comparative lack of marketing and publicity, it's taken me until now to get some real exposure to them.

Oriolus is one of those brands with a unique & cool mystique to them. Every hobby has its brands that are super hyped and everybody knows and others that are more low key that you only really discover after immersing yourself in the community for a time. Oriolus is just such a brand-- they seem less concerned with fanfare and almost entirely focused on the integrity of their art. It helps that the Old Man is arguably the Masamune of tuning IEMs...without an equal perhaps anywhere in the world. Say what you will about the Traillii but there is no denying it is a masterwork of tuning, with arguably no equal right now. There's a certain satisfaction in discovering Oriolus and their unparalleled tuning despite the lack of hype and publicity as it feels like I've earned and accomplished something worthwhile after a lengthy effort-laden search.



While their overall approaches and aesthetic are distinctly & uniquely their own the more I read about Rao (IE., “The Old Man” or should I say “The Old Master”) and his approach-- which sees him eschewing industry & market norms and forging a path rooted in his own vision, with his products often generating controversy among those of a more traditional caste of mind -- the more I get the sense that he and Ken Ball are kindred spirits in a way, which is perhaps why I am so drawn to both of their respective companies. Oriolus & Campfire Audio are the Yin & Yang of my portable audio life. When I’m after stillness, connection and bliss I turn to Isa or Reborn. Incidentally I listen to my Oriolus IEMS more often while I’m at home. Conversely when I’m more active, out and about, or generally want to have a little fire & thump added to my step I invariably seek out the Dorado or Honeydew. Orilolus, Campfire and Vision Ears all seem to embody different shades of similar ideals reflected through their respective cultures. Each company uniquely embodies and reflects the ideal of visionary devoted craftsmen and each are equally dear to me.

Something I've been thinking about a lot in this latest chapter of my hobby life, in particular my decision to part ways with Elysium largely in light of Isa, is use case. Most of my listening, as in over 95% of it, is done out and about, on the go, or otherwise preoccupied with something like marking or working on the computer. When I sit right down and listen critically it's very clear all the ways that an IEM like the VE Elysium excels Isa (and absolutely everything else I've ever heard for that matter) in terms of subtle creation of an almost living breathing atmosphere, nuance in detail and naturalness, and overall technical skill. The thing is that most of the time I'm too preoccupied with whatever else is in my sphere of activity to give Elysium the attention it deserves to really do it justice.

More important to me is an IEM that can draw me in and keep the back of my mind constantly entertained and engaged in a little bubble of musical bliss whilst I go about my day. For this the thump and overall timbre of a DD is irreplaceable, even in the context of a more balanced presentation like the Isa. I took Dorado on the road with me yesterday and even with the ever-present ambient noise of worldly activity I had its nice, meaty thumping bass & rich timbre keeping me moving and engaged all day. I have done this with Elysium before too and while great it's not the same. Whereas Dorado & Isa provide a backdrop to whatever else I'm doing-- Elysium commands that I stop everything and give it all my attention so it can pull me in to the proverbial palace of Elysium and entice me with its effervescent charms. As much as I enjoy this when it happens it's not something I get to do very often due to my life and listening habits...or at least often enough that really feel I'm getting the most out of it.

All of that said let’s take a look at the Oriolus Isabellae…

Oriolus is a company I first became aware of a few years ago when @twister6 listed the Mellianus as one of his favorite IEMs. I’ve been tangentially aware of them in the time since but, given their comparative lack of marketing, hype and availability in the North American market they’ve pretty much flown under my radar…and I think a lot of people’s radar…until the of the Traillii rocked the portable audio world this year with its exorbitant cost and reputation for weaving a sufficiently potent spell that many “came to scoff but stayed to pray”.



By the time the Isabellae was announced I had become sufficiently interested in the company because of the continued astonished admiration the Traillii was commanding that dropping $600 on an entry level single DD by the company just to see what they were all about seemed like a no-brainer. Initially I had some fears that the tuning was going to be of that variety that has too much upper mids and not enough mid-bass for my liking, to the point that I even cancelled my original pre-order. Fortunately, due to the munificence of @tgx I was able to get my hands on his personal Isabellae early on to hear it for myself. Right from the moment I first heard it I was swept off my feet and won over by the graceful, inspired, alluring human tones of the Isabella.

Suffice to say all my fears proved to be unfounded and I immediately purchased one for myself. Because of my initial reticence about the tuning I went straight to some Creedence Clearwater Revival as their music is typically intolerable to me on IEMs with overloaded upper mids and not enough mid-bass. Suffice to say I was pleasantly surprised. There is a lot of clarity & definition up top as well as sufficient air and energy-- without ever veering into anything shouty, overly vibrant, peaky, piercing or otherwise fatiguing. I could see these being described as bright leaning but it's brightness done right imho-- silky smooth, airy and well extended. These are by no means a bass dominant signature but the bass is very present, thick, well defined and extended with a smooth, natural and clean timbre. Mid-bass oomph seems to dominate a little over sub-bass and lower mid presence is bang on as far as my preferences are concerned. Bass quantity seems about on par with something like the Solaris or Andromeda...but single DD coherence & magic allows Isa to get “more with less” in terms of bass my suspicion is that most people who feel that Andro and Solaris are “bass lite” should be totally fine with the level of bass in the Isabellae.

The Isabellae are a wonderfully smooth, clear, balanced and engaging listen...I often find myself excitedly flipping through my library and liking what I find each time. Standouts for me are vocals and midrange timbre in general-- I'm not usually a "vocal" guy but the texture & delivery seems totally natural, full, seductive and organic. Staging, resolution, layering etc. is good to above average but all of that stuff is secondary to me if the IEM is able to muster that "je ne sais quoi" romantic factor and sweep me off my feet. And the coherence is off the charts good...which I guess is to be expected from a single DD IEM. And just to illustrate a point-- I plugged these in for the first time thinking I'd just get a quick sense of them but they impressed me so much I was sucked in and ended up wiling away my whole lunch hour without getting around to eating lunch. Consequently I spent the whole afternoon hungry, but it was worth it.



Tuning

TLDR: Encountering Oriolus and their products has opened my eyes to the depth of the craft involved in producing & tuning IEMs and further they have imho set the bar in terms of the degree of artistic expression & mastery it is possible to express through tuning. This experience has had a catalyzing effect in various elements of my approach to and understanding of this hobby. In particular it has solidified in my mind the notion of tuning as a mode of artistic expression vs. merely as utilitarian process aimed at shaping a target curve according to some algorithm. Thus far there have been many IEMs whose tuning I’ve loved and appreciated but Rao’s peerless affinity for extracting nuance, emotion and subtle textures out of vocals; of bringing the whole upper mid-range forward without overshadowing the lower mids, sacrificing weight and body in the mid-bass, sweetness in the highs or veering into anything too shouty; of coaxing out the most subtle, dense and satisfying textures from all levels of a bass response—and all the while conjuring a signature in which one is able to fixate on any individual element of it while never losing sense an overarching gestalt and unity…has, in my mind, elevated his best work to a level approaching transcendent perfection. The quality of the tuning in Oriolus' IEMs shines through whether we’re talking about the modest $600 Isabellae or the $6K titan Traillii which presently stands unchallenged as the preeminent example of IEM sound engineering craft available anywhere on the market.

Isabellae certainly isn't the technical marvel that Traillii is...but it shares the same tuning DNA and it was only after hearing Isa for the first time that I finally felt I had some sense of the spell that had been cast upon so many Traillii users since it hit the scene in January. Technicalities alone have never had an emotional impact on me...but good tuning does. Prior to hearing Traillii for myself I would imagine how Isa-like tuning bolstered by summit fi technicalities could have the sort of effect on people that Trailli has had...in fact until actually hearing it this was the easiest way for me to make sense to myself of the whole Trailli phenomenon.

Isabellae also provides me with another example of why I shouldn't read too much into FR graphs. Prior to demoing I was worried about too much upper mid presence. In retrospect I think the excellent mid-bass presence in this IEM serves to balance out the upper mid/lower treble region...which is so deftly tuned as to offer wonderful clarity, body and air without ever being shouty, peaky, metallic or anything. Highs are usually the deal breaker for me on single DD IEMs and the highs here are wonderful. I am coming to understand that regions of the FR shouldn’t be looked at in isolation as it is how they play and interact together, along with other factors, that will determine the quality of the overall sound.

Considering how Isa is able to maintain such clarity and forwardess in the upper mids & highs without ever being (to my ears) too much, I thought about the following possibilities:

a) where and how the FR slopes into the highs

In Isa the FR has a local max in the upper mids and then slopes downward into the highs. I am wondering if it is because there is not a lot of extra energy in the highs, in the form of upward slopes and peaks that I think the mids can be as forward and energetic as they are without becoming shouty or fatiguing. Compare this to an IEM like the Cayin Fantasy that slopes upward into the highs, manifesting ultimately in a few peaks and a more inconsistent midrange presentation.

b) the type of driver

I think the natural, rich and comparatively blunt character of DD timbre allows you to get away with a degree of upper mid presence that would have a greater chance of being fatiguing through BAs.

c) how much mid-bass energy there is.

In the Isabellae the FR has its two highest points at identical local maximums in the upper mids and in the mid bass. I think there is something of a synergistic parity here as the mid-bass presence helps balance out the upper mid presence. Usually in “eastern” tuned IEMs there is more of an emphasis on sub-bass than mid-bass, which is often a lot thinner and, I suspect, leaves the upper mids standing out a bit more. The Isabellae has full bodied lower mids and the bass emphasis is skewed towards mid-bass oomph over sub-bass rumble. While the bass on the Isa extends rather well there is less presence in the sub-bass region. There is lots of upper mid presence on the Isabellae however coupled with the aforementioned mid-bass presence and the downward sloping peak free highs Isa's upper mids serve to add a nice layer of clarity and air to the sound without ever becoming shouty or overly dominant.

Tuning wise Campfire Audio IEMs at their best derive no small amount of their charm by being a little rough around the edges. They remind me a little of Jimmy Page's guitar playing-- a little wild but soooo bloody soulful. They're bombastic, dynamic, in your face and I wouldn't change a thing about them. The Isabellae, expressed in terms I am familiar with, can be described as a Campfre-like tuning but polished to perfection with many of the personality quirks ironed out. Similar in character, but less bombastic, more even keeled, but slightly less distinct-- and no less engaging or enthralling to me.



My experiences with Isabellae have gotten me thinking a lot about different tuning styles and approaches. Different people have different needs and wants when it comes to sound signatures. I have often noted that there are, very broadly speaking, two general paths along which one may approach this hobby—either via the intellect (the head) or via emotional connection (the heart). I understand that most people fall somewhere in the middle, manifesting elements of both in their preferences—but in my experience most people, ultimately, tend to fall more on one side or the other. Approaching sound reproduction from an intellectual standpoint and one tends to focus primarily on technicalities, measurable factors and making sure everything is properly represented in a magnificently consistent order. Approaching from an emotional standpoint and the focus is more on tone, timbre and how one feels when listening to the sound.

In general in this hobby I find there is a lot of overlap around how we approach listening to music and our favorite gear and how we approach food. Imagine if I were to tour the world, taking in all the different sorts of food people ate and liked and subsequently came up with a sort of generic superfood that optimized nutritional needs with people’s preferences so that it was optimally nutritious and minimally offensive. From an entirely intellectual perspective this makes total sense and seems like an optimal, sensible and efficient thing to do. However to those who approach eating from an emotional standpoint, and who want to experience food that inspires and is inspired, food that has flavor, variety, soul and substance—the idea of the act of eating food to a mere utilitarian exercise, while not without its validity, is an anathema, or at the very least somewhat dull and uninspiring.

It seems to me there are parallels with the above to tuning IEMs. IEMs, for example, that are tuned to some variant of a Harman curve are not unlike the “superfood” described in the previous example—they are designed to hit some sort of common average and be minimally offensive but by necessity they are lacking a degree of passion, individuality, inspiration and, I would argue, humanity. The genius in Oriolus’ tuning at its best in that it straddles the best of both worlds—it gives us a tuning that is instantly accessible, highly technical, minimally offensive…yet at the same time sublime and inspired. It actually got me thinking of the idea of a “single perfect tuning”…I have long thought that such a thing is not possible, but my experience with Oriolus and the inspired tuning of their IEMs…has be wondering if that conclusion was premature. If I were permitted to make a bold conjecture I would propose that the u12t is the Traillii equivalent for those whose tastes are more squarely on the “intellectual” side of the spectrum I referred to earlier.

COMPARISONS



Vs Campfire Dorado 2020

I took the Dorado 2020 on the road with me for a few hours one afternoon and listened to it for the first time after close to a week straight with Isabellae. Gone was the tonal perfection, tuneful sweetness and intimate reverie that I have come to love about the Isa-- but to make up for it the Dorado ushered me into a world more primitive and wild but addictively engaging, muscular, bombastic, soulful and fun...and ultimately no less satisfying.

Ultimately, Dorado & Isabellae are nothing alike. Isabellae is about balance, tonal & tuneful sweetness, and vocal intimacy-- Dorado is about big bass, high contrast and bombastic sound. If I had to pick a “Dynamic Duo” of my IEMs that were complimentary and spanned the greatest stretch of my tastes Dorado & Isa would be it.



Vs. Oriolus Reborn

As with Isa & Traillii there are many similarities—and a few key differences between the two Oriolus models Isa and Reborn.

Isa: more balanced, slight mid-bass emphasis over sub-bass, less technical, more romantic, intimate & coherent, a smoother listen overall, more natural timbre in the highs & mids, single DD charm.

Reborn: Maintains a nice balance but is a more fun & musical sound, sub-bass monster, less mid-bass emphasis, which allows it to get away with more bass without sacrificing mids anywhere, more technical (layering, separation & resolution is better), can be a little sharper up top

Both: Bright leaning, open seductive midrange, enticing vocals, Oriolus magic.

Vs. Oriolus Traillii



The idea of a Traillii being simply Isa on steroids is a bit trite and doesn’t come really come close to conveying the epic grandeur and experience of something near transcendent bliss that listening to the Traillii can offer…but imho it’s presently the best way to roughly approximate it. I was as perplexed as anyone come January at the onset of the Age of the Bird when people—and not just people, experienced, reliable level headed Head Fi’ers-- were throwing $6K at this thing like there was no tomorrow. Is there something to this, I often wondered, or is it simply a case of mass hysteria and purchase justification? Lacking a direct frame of reference for myself it was impossible to say. It wasn’t until I heard Isa, and its deceptively alluring, emotionally evocative and balanced tuning, that I finally got some sense of what the Bird was all about—and when I finally got to hear one it did not disappoint.

The power of the Traillii is the gentle urgency with which it pulls you into a fully realized emotionally connected 3-d soundscape-- and on that level the Isabellae falls well short. That said it’s not a pure win for the illustrious Bird. While Traillii is unquestionably the better IEM there humble Isa still has a few aces up her sleeve—including superior mid-range timbre, single driver coherence, alluring intimacy and dynamic bass.

Vs. Vision Ears Elysium



In terms of midrange openness and clarity the Isa is second only to Elysium for me. Vocals on both IEMs are a thing to behold. Both male and female vocals sound fantastic-- always in the spotlight, crystal clear and with a sweet, bodied, and lifelike timbre. Male vocals on Isa are as intimate and natural as any IEM I've heard, surpassing even VE8 for me in terms of overall presentation and I would put Isa behind only Elysium for female vocals.

On the whole Ely has a number of things going for it over Isa—and most of them are in the realm of technicalities. The 1-2 punch of the mids & highs on Elysium are, (or were, now that I’ve heard Traillii) peerless in their capacity to bring a sense of air, naturalness, clarity and breathable space to vocals & instruments. If you listen to music that really benefits from this then I’m not sure anything can really compete with Ely here until you get to the Bird.

All of that said, and as with Traillii, Isa does bring some notable strengths to the table, namely (again) single driver coherence and DD timbre. Modest Isa has a decided edge over Ely for a lot of the music I listen to.

Vs. Campfire Andromeda 2020

My best and most concise description relative to what I've heard before would be to say that Isabellae is a single DD with Andromeda like tuning filtered through the genius & inspiration of a master craftsman. Isa takes a similar "mid/vocal centric & bright leaning with a mid-bass emphasis" and, sacrifices a bit of the raw resolution and staging and adds a healthy dose of DD secret sauce. To my ears Andro, Ely and Isa all share the same central tuning philosophy expressed through different driver configurations.

Vs. Campfire Honeydew

Honeydew and Isa are like an Odd Couple of single DD IEMs. If someone had remotely similar tastes and preferences as me and wanted my rec for a perfect covering-as-many-bases-as-possible one balanced one bassy complimentary pair of IEMs for less than $1K Isa & Honeydew would be my strong rec.

Vs. KBEAR Believe

I was loaned this IEM by @tgx78 because modded it has an FR curve that looks a lot like Isa. There are indeed a lot of similarities with the sound and someone who wanted something approximating Isa at a lower cost would be well advised to take a look at these. But to my ears the tuning lacks, as ___ put it the “grace and refinement” of Isa. The vocals aren’t quite as seductive and the highs seem less finessed and controlled—I found myself reaching for the the skip button sometimes due to fatigue in the highs, which doesn’t really happen with Isa. Also I think the parity between upper and lower mids isn’t as good as the latter sometimes came off a little hollow sounding to me. All in all though the Believe are a great set of IEMs and would get a strong rec from me at their tier.

Vs. UM 3DT

I never compared these two back to back but the Isabellae from memory has much more coherent overall presentation. Both have great mid-range timbre but Isa is much more nuanced and open, especially with vocals. 3DT requires a mod without which it lacks mid-bass and tends towards shoutiness in the upper mids. Isa is perfect out of the box.

Vs. Tansio Spark

Apples and oranges. Spark has more vast and open 3-d staging, more vivid, bodied and resonant highs and is much more of a technical powerhouse. It also has a weak-sauce bass response and lacks Isa's end-end coherence, natural timbre and seductive midrange tuning.

Vs. Cayin Fantasy

The Fantasy has a lot in common with the Isa from the bass to upper mids. Fantasy has a slight sub-bass emphasis so you get better perception of extension down low but you miss a bit of oomph and body in the mid-bass and lower mids. Female vocals are nice and sweet on the Fantasy and the mid-range has decent speed and texture. I found the mids to be reasonably forward, however on the whole not quite as clean, refined and polished they are on the Isabellae-- in particular with vocals. Male vocals are fuller and more natural on the Isa whereas on the Fantasy they seem a little...chesty or something sometimes. On the whole though the bass & mids of the Fantasy and the Isabellae are way more similar than different...it's the highs where the two IEMs are the most different. Isbella feels much more even keeled across the FR and the graphs of Isabellae confirm this-- the highest point of Isa's FR is in the upper mids with the trend being generally downward through the highs. This maintains balance keeps Isa free from peakiness, disjointedness, sibilance, and other issues stemming from overloaded treble.

I haven't seen graphs of Fantasy yet but if I had to guess based on what I've heard I would say that the highs, instead of sloping gradually downward following the elevated upper mids as they do in the Isa, instead slope upward. It wouldn't surprise me if there was an 8K or so peak in there somewhere. For my music I would say like 70% of the time the Fantasy sounds great, and notwithstanding Isa's cleaner mids and more seductive vocals, it stands neck and neck with Isabellae for the most part. A big difference I think is that the aim of Cayin's tuning seems to be more towards a clean and airy sound whereas Isabellae seems more about intimacy and emotional connection

In Summary

The Oriolus Isabellae is the IEM that currently owns my heart. Sublime coherence and timbre across the board, summit fi bass response and along with the Traillii about as close to a perfect tuning overall as my ears have ever beheld.

Most of my IEM experience so far has been with hybrids or IEMs with multiple drivers. I think at least some of the magic in this IEM derives from its single DD coherence-- it gives the whole signature an underlying cohesiveness, completeness & unity that is simply not possible with hybrid or even multiple BA setups. And there is the tuning...so tuneful, so seductive, balanced, well tempered and sweet...it really is like being charmed by a little bird on a tree outside, capturing your attention with its simple yet sweet and melodious musings.

The Isabellae has really impressed me with its masterful tuning-- from bass to highs the signature is wonderfully balanced and oh so refined. When you're listening to it your mind is drawn to the signature as a whole but your heart is drawn into the midrange...not since Elysium have I heard an IEM that so easily draws me in to the heart and soul of what I'm listening to. Further,

In a world that has seemingly gone insane, and in a hobby where more and more IEMs are coming out that push the price to quite frankly ludicrous levels I am quite I relieved that I can derive seemingly total and indefinite satisfaction from such a modestly priced and masterful creation as the Oriolus Isabellea. I've said it before but here is conclusive proof you don't need to break $1K to attain TOTL sound. I could take this as my only IEM and be totally happy for a very long time.



Epilogue

For reference here are my current 5 faves and most recent attempt at a tiering:

Satya Loka (Divine Realm)
1) Oriolus Traillii

Tapa Loka (Enlightened Realm)
2) Oriolus Isabellae
3) Vision Ears Elysium

Jana Loka (Earthly Realm)
4) Oriolus Reborn
5) Campfire Dorado 2020

“Simplicity is the final achievement. After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art.“ ~ Chopin

Fire on the Mountain - A Review of the Campfire Audio Dorado 2020



Instead of sharing manufacturer specs, talking about packaging etc., all of which is information available in any other review (and, for that matter, on the website) I will post some opening caveats/points that will give anyone who reads this a sense of where I’m coming from:

• My thoughts and rankings are essentially a measure of respective IEM's capacity to pull me in and make me forget the outside world for a while. This can be accomplished via various means-- through sheer intimacy & connection in the case of Elysium, epic awe inspiring grandeur mixed with playfulness and realism in the case of the IER Z1R, and a combination of precision, style, naturalness and simplicity married to a playful yet raw and primitive bombasity in the case of something like the Dorado 2020 (and limitless other ways no doubt)-- but the net result is the same.
  
  
• IEMs should be assessed on their own terms and according to their own strengths and aims. I will not criticize an eagle for being unable to swim, and I will not criticize the Dorado 2020 for not trying to be the Andromeda. When reading reviews I am less interested in the routine of "bass, treble, technicalities" and am more interested specifically in the IEM's own unique identity, how well its executed, and how it is experienced by whoever is doing the review.
  
  
• My guiding maxim in this hobby is that everyone should be free to pursue their "audio bliss" in whatever way is meaningful to them without being judged or held to the artificial and/or limited standards of others. There are certainly objective and subjective elements to this hobby, but it is the subjective elements that determine for us, via our own individual tastes, inclinations, experiences, preferences, biases, sensitivities, life situations etc., what individual path we are to follow to call forth that feeling of joy, bliss, satisfaction from within that is, I think, the root of what many of us are seeking. What works for you may, or may not, work for me.
  
  
• My own investigations have revealed that improved technical performance doesn't necessarily translate to a more satisfying and enjoyable listening experience for me. Consequently when I read people's reviews and hear them gush over some manner of analytic perfection of this piece of gear or that-- if I can't also detect in their writing some sense of their being moved emotionally by the experience of the gear then I tend to dismiss it in my mind (or at least relegate it to a lower tier of interest) and move on as emotional engagement is for me the top priority.

It’s worth pointing out (if this wasn’t obvious) that I’m something of a huge CFA fanboy. Campfire were one of the first companies I encountered in this most recent chapter of my audiophile life, and they’ve been something of a mainstay for me throughout the last couple years. I love Campfire and have no problem admitting that they are among my favourite audio brands. I love their whole design philosophy, aesthetic and sustainable business model. I like Ken Ball a lot-- he's one of those old hippy types whose outlook and vibe seem informed by a time and place when the idealistic wind of the 60s still at people's backs. I'm very excited to see how this company and brand move forward in the coming months and years.

Campfire IEMs are not primarily known for their raw technical prowess but what they do better than most other companies is go for that balanced, more holistic "je ne sais quoi" factor that lends their best products a certain quality of fun, engagement and, ultimately, humanity that-- combined with their appealing sustainable asesthetic and peerless build quality-- makes them quite irresistible to me. Campfire, along with Vision Ears (and I would say Empire Ears too) get my respect for taking chances with bold tuning approaches, for thinking outside the box and daring to try new things. I am not affiliated with the company in any way. I purchased the Dorado 2020 on my own over a week ago and am interested in sharing my thoughts on this simple yet remarkable IEM.

All of that said on to the review…



Preamble: A few years ago the Atlas was my first Campfire IEM. I really liked it at the time but eventually moved on to the Solaris, which was my reference for the better part of two years. The Atlas was a lot of fun but (for me) was a bit bloomy in the mid-bass and I found the treble a bit peaky/metallic at times. In the time since I’ve gravitated to more balanced/mid-centric IEMs but I can appreciate a good W sig and have craved a worthy follow-up to the Atlas. The Solaris wasn’t it as that was more a refinement of the Andromeda. This is where the Dorado enters in. Ultimately what I was after was a fun-bombastic sound with good mids and a decent bass emphasis that was decently technical. I was not looking for another Andromeda or Solaris with the Dorado 2020. I realize that any signature attempting the sort of sound I was seeking here needs to make concessions—typically due to a sacrifice in raw technicalities or a dip in the mids somewhere. I will not be criticizing the Dorado for this—instead I will focus the effectiveness of how the signature presents as a unity.



General Observations

To put bluntly (and mildly)-- I really really like them. I’ve loved various IEMs for various reasons over the years but I don’t think I’ve ever heard any that have made me smile as much and as easily as the Dorado 2020 has. They are exactly what I was hoping they would be-- and much that I wasn't really sure was possible. Anyone who: was at all a fan of the Atlas and was hoping for an upgrade/refinement of that sort of sound from Campfire, who doesn’t mind a polite but definite bass emphasis, who is seeking an IEM that prioritizes fun and engagement above all, and who places a high priority on natural and open mids-- should take a serious look at these. Between the cleaner mid-bass, refined highs, and greatly improved technicalities within a signature that is deceptively simple yet supremely confident in itself I feel they’ve delivered a perfected Atlas and captured lightning in a bottle with these IEMs.

Suffice to say I don’t think Campfire tuned these to bring out all the detail and nuance in someone’s perfectly recorded jazz collection, with an aim of neutrality. or to be mind-blowingly technical or detail oriented. They have a good degree of balance but that is not their primary aim, nor are they trying to be technical virtuosos or detail/resolution/staging monsters-- even though from a technical standpoint they are, in fact, very very good. There is an effortless quality to the Dorado's technical ability. It doesn't jump out at you right away-- rather it emerges as the inevitable result of numerous factors working together in perfect harmony. There is no fanfare or pyrotechnics or overeagerness-- the Dorado has such a natural sound that its power is deceptive, at first seeming merely playful. But there is a depth, precision and power below the surface.

The Dorado 2020 are incredibly versatile—I have not found anything that sounds bad on them. I can listen to a very varied playlist all day without feeling the need to skip or coming across music that sounds off. This is a W shaped tuning so there are inevitably areas where some elements of the mids feel pushed behind the bass. In areas where more vocal or instrumental presence is needed a slight bump at 4K should do the trick. I will say though that Dorado 2020 excel with (often less well recorded) pop and rock music that the bulk of us grew up with during the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, an on into the present really-- specifically anything defined to some extent by a driving low end. Exile on Main Street, James Brown, CCR, recordings from the 60s, Metallica, Fleetwood Mac, Peter Gabriel, Talking Heads, Dire Straits and so on, sound incredible on these. All in all a very dynamic and "in your face" sound that I’m currently finding rather insanely fun to listen to—not since the Atlas have I experienced an IEM that was this much fun.

A Note on Packaging

I love Campfire’s packaging— the art direction, the minimalism, the design. In a world were packaging can be quite ostentatious and overboard Campfire’s is a breath of fresh air. Alone of all the gear I’ve purchased, my Campfire IEM boxes always go on display in my living room as I love the way they look.




Sound Impressions

The sound of the Dorado 2020 can be characterized by: 1) dominant but disciplined bass, 2) open mids and an endearing natural timbre, 3) a notable authority and clarity across the spectrum that becomes more and more apparent with time. The layering and separation on the Dorado 2020 is surprisingly great-- nothing gets muddied up in busy passages. The bass is clean, present, tight and just disciplined enough. In terms of staging they’re like a more intimate Solaris with its sign reversed—less width but decent depth. The midrange is very present, though there is a bit of a recession in the upper half of the mids relative to the bass-- but the profound discipline of the whole FR combined with the natural timbre greatly negates any issues one may have with this. It's worth emphasizing again that there are some occasions where parts of the mids can feel pushed behind the bass-- but this is unavoidable with this type of sound. The Dorado 2020 is an IEM for someone who wants a dominant low end. Highs are clear, sweet and detailed-- never harsh, tizzy, metallic or piercing.

From a purely technical standpoint (clarity, resolution, separation etc.) there are clearly superior IEMs out there than the Dorado if what you are mainly after is to put your music under some kind of analytic microscope. Where the Dorado knocks it out of the park is with its natural timbre and voicing-- vocals, strings, horns, percussion-- all have a depth, density, realism and, fundamentally, a deceptive naturalism that, to my ears is, utterly compelling. The Dorado hooks me in with what is ultimately a sense of playfulness-- I just want to tap my feet, bop my head, sing, dance, express myself in some way when I listen to these. Putting them on is a passport to a musical Disneyland.

In terms of timbre and naturalness in the midrange I would say it trails behind something like the Vision Ears Elysium (though not as much as you might think) but surpasses other hybrid IEMs like the IER Z1R, Solaris OG, 64 Nio and UM MEST. The naturalness of Dorado’s mids make the sound easier to embrace emotionally than is the case with IEMs that are more technically focused. Yes the mids are a bit pushed back at times, but they never feel disconnected, distant or muddied. The bass grips and captivates and it has that Campfire speed and density that keeps it from overwhelming me or craving air after a time as I do with something like the Legend X.

I think the Dorado's capacity for realism and engagement has one of its roots in the fact that the mids are done by the DD (the other significant factor imho is the ceramic shell). Most hybrid IEMs in my experience (Z1R, Nio, Solaris, MEST, LX etc. etc.) have mids done by the BA. BAs are better from a "technical" standpoint (clarity, detail, speed) but I have learned that DD is much much better from an emotional engagement standpoint (timbre, naturalness). BA mids are easier to place under a technical microscope, but DD mids are generally much more "lifelike". The Vision Ears Elysium has DD mids and there also is the source of a good deal of its magic. I was curious about the Dorado as soon as it was announced but once I experienced Elysium, and the magic of the fast e-stat treble working on the DD mids I became extra curious about Dorado and its fast BA treble working on Dynamic mids. It is said that the great Pyramids of Egypt used to have an outer layer and shimmering capstone of gold...this must have been a thing to behold. This effect, the shimmering flourish atop a mountain of solidity and power...is similar in character to what I experience in IEMs with quick and clear highs over a dynamic lower end (Ely, Dorado and, for that matter, the IER Z1R). The summative effect is magical.

The only real elephant in the room with respect to tuning is an upper midrange dip created largely by the elevated bass. This region is seemingly one of the most controversial and hard-to-get-right areas of the whole FR for many people. Too much in this area to some sounds shouty to some, too little makes the sound muddy to others. It seems to me most IEMs tend to be biased more towards the upper mids or lower. The IER Z1R is an example of a great IEM with an upper mid bias and weaker lower mids. With the Dorado 2020 we see the reverse-- a lower mid bias with a dip in the upper mids. What this means is that sometimes female vocals or instrumental sounds in this range sometimes sound a bit pushed back or lacking in closeness. Depending on what you listen to and what your sensitivities are this may or may not be an issue-- YMMV etc. Dorado's ace in the hole is its rich natural timbre combined with the sure footed sound made possible by the ceramic housings (more on that later). The combined result is that even when the mids are pushed back they still feel well bodied and have a solid presence.

Dynamics are great— on both highs and lows. CFA's 10mm driver produces bass that is every bit as satisfying as bass titans like the IER Z1R and UM MEST and a step above an IEM like the 64 Audi Nio. The Z1R's more woobly decay gives way for the sake of incredible density and grip put out by Campfire’s driver. Dorado 2020 won’t give you all the air and separation of Andro...but it does go some way there. The highs of the Dorado are really nice. The quicker BA treble working on the dynamic mids and lows balances out the thickness of the latter with a welcome dose of air and space. The net result is a pleasing balance and sense of naturalness.-- guitars, horns, strings and percussion sound natural, bodied, airy and real. Treble and upper mids have a nice etched-ness to them but they never feel harsh or fatiguing and never cross over into sibilance or graininess and there is no sign whatsoever of a metallic timbre. I was worried going in about the 8K treble peak but I think, much like the Dude's rug, it sort of ties everything together. Sheer detail and resolution get sacrificed a bit on the altar of the thicker bass...but that’s honestly inevitable with this type of signature and sometimes just what the Dr. ordered for me. If I had to place the Dorado 2020 in the general pantheon IEMs I would describe it as "fun perfected". In this respect nobody tops CFA at this price tier imho, maybe anywhere. Nicely Done.



Ceramic Shell

After my days and hours on the Dorado 2020 really started to add up (and also having owned the ceramic-tuning-chamber-laden SE Solaris for a year) I started to appreciate the value of the ceramic shells Ken has been advocating and trying to perfect for years. The Dorado doesn't wow you with techicalities at first, and it's technical skill probably won't become apparent during a short or superficial listening session. But the more I listen to them, the more my brain wraps itself around the signature I realize how strikingly and deceptively good the detail retrieval, clarity, layering, separation is on them. There is an almost fathomless clarity to the sound-- no matter where or how deep you look you will not find any smearing, over-vibrance, graininess, harshness, metallic timber or things blending together that shouldn't. Everything has its own sense of space and nothing really gets too much in the way of everything else. The clincher is that it does all this with a robust and authoritative bass response that acts as a gravitational centre to a signature that still has quite a bit of air, and where everything has its own space to breathe.

I am starting to suspect that a good deal of this has to do with the density of the ceramic shell that is used in the Dorado. Because of its hardness it doesn't allow for any interference or muddling with the sound-- all the frequencies just sort of stay in there respective lanes and the whole signature has this notable coherence, clarity and, to use @Tristy 's phrase "sure footedness". There was a bit of this quality in the lower vocal mid-range of the Solaris SE but with the Dorado 2020 it's across the board. It's quite remarkable and it might be what gives this IEM its true staying power for me. I really look forward to seeing how Campfire uses this tech in future IEMs. Could there be a future Solaris with more ceramic inside? I'm starting to hope so. Again, nicely done.



Point form Comparison with Solaris

TLDR: Solaris is more of a classical "wife material" tuning, Dorado 2020 will quickly win your heart, but you may wait a bit longer/be more reluctant to introduce her to your parents at first.

Dorado
+ more v-shaped than Solaris- though like the Atlas the Dorado 2020 is more W shaped than V
+ adds more body and weight to older/poorly recorded music than Solaris does
+ more traditionally staged (everything feels like it's coming at you whereas with Solaris it's almost wrapped around your head), and also a lot more intimate
+ sacrifices a bit of the vastness in staging/air/separation/detail for the sake of a more robust bass response
+ generally a much more "fun sounding" IEM, meaning it's not afraid to sacrifice a bit of detail/resolution/technicality for the sake of a thicker more bass driven sound.
+ better bass-- they let their 10mm driver off the hook a bit (and I love it), but just as well controlled (relative to quantity)
+ great mid-range timbre-- I would say it one ups Solaris here even if Solaris' mids are more present. The mid-range texture/naturalness is really really good on the Dorado-- along with the clarity and openness of the mids (W is much more to my liking than V) as well as superb imaging and separation the Dorado 2020 is imho saved from the clutches of many common criticisms of IEMs tuned like this.

Solaris
+ almost perfect balance across the FR
+ bass is reigned in/disciplined for the sake of preserving balance resulting in a cleaner more BA-like speed and sound overall
+ holographic stage, layering, seperation etc. better than on Dorado (though not as much as you might think-- Solaris is nearly peerless in this regard, especially at its price)
+ more present mids, especially on the SE, even if not quite as natural sounding as on Dorado
+ more resolving/detail oriented
+ handles super well recorded music a little better I would say
+ possibly a little more versatile than Dorado, but not as fun
+ Treble on the OG is a little better (though possibly not on the SE)

Other Comparisons



Vs. Elysium

It’s honestly hard to compare these two as they’re so fundamentally different in their tuning and ideals.

Listening to music on the Elysium is almost a transcendent experience-- with Dorado it's totally the opposite, instead of becoming totally absorbed within you just want to move, to bop your head, tap your feet, sing, dance, whatever the moment calls for. Elysium is masterful at subtlety and nuance and facilitating a real sense of intimacy. Listening to Miles Davis' Kind of Blue I can hear the "tsss" sound as he starts to blow on his trumpet, or in Zeppelin's Houses of the Holy I can almost make out the sound of John Paul Jones' fingers on his bass strings as he plucks them. It's really quite a profound effect and feeling overall and imho is what places Elysium in a class above much else I have heard when it comes to basically immersing yourself in your music.

The Dorado is more emotional in the sense that the sound is a big, bold, impactful, wall of sound presentation that really gets your head bobbing and feet tapping. Although there is plenty of detail if you look for it, the Dorados not about being perfectly accurate or calling attention to every little detail.

Instead there is a stark simplicity to Dorado's whole presentation-- but everything fits together so perfectly that it's profoundly effective. When I first got into this hobby as an adult (2 years ago) I gravitated immediately to the sort of sound I'd been seeking my whole life (bass heavy, sparkly, impactful) and went right for the Atlas. That wasn't as perfect as I'd hoped and I branched off, experienced the Solaris, and fell in love with the more mature, technical and balanced presentation. That byway reached its penultimate conclusion for me with Elysium, which is the epitome of my "audiophile purist" sensibilities. But when I heard the Dorado 2020 a few days ago it wasn't long before I realized that I was hearing, finally, a masterclass presentation of the sort of sound I'd been looking for originally. I will not rank one over the other as they both give me a similar amount and degree of satisfaction-- just at different times. Sometimes I want to watch the Shawshank Redemption and be moved to the core of my being, other times I want to watch Pulp Fiction and just have fun...both are masterpieces of their respective genres. So it is with Elysium and Dorado 2020 imho.



Vs IER Z1R

This is possibly the most interesting comparison I will do today as of all the IEMs I can think of the Z1R is the closest to the Dorado in terms of overall gestalt, despite quite different approaches. In some sense the Dorado is a scaled down, streamlined Z1R with a more "western" audio tuning. The Z1R offers a much grander, larger sound. In a sense the Z1R is an IEM that takes much of the fun factor of the Dorado 2020 and adds a hefty dose of staging and technicalities. In a sense the Z1R is the inverse of the Dorado as it has an upper mid-emphasis, whereas Dorado is more prominent in the lower mids. Z1R has a sub-bass emphasis with mid-bass punch and oomph being absent sometimes, Dorado has a bass emphasis a little further up with more mid-bass prominence and not as much subterranean sub-bass as the Z1R offers. Both have a very nice natural timbre, though the mid-range timbre of the Dorado is superior. Both IEMs are insanely fun to listen to but the FR of the Dorado 2020 plays nicer with more of the music I listen to. The Z1R has more grandeur, but Dorado has the kind of effortless natural sound rooted its aesthetic of simplicity. I had always thought the Z1R would have been better if they dropped the BA, let the DD to the mids and lows and the super tweeter do the highs—listening to the Dorado has cinched that thought for me.

While it is quite versatile and Sony did a laudable job at a pretty safe presentation, on the whole they are-- quite understandably-- skewed in the eastern direction in terms of their tuning. This is clearly seen in the tuning of the bass, lower mids, upper treble etc. on the IER Z1R. I don't think it's a flaw-- but it is a tuning choice. I really started to notice it after I compared the Dorado 2020 and Z1R directly. They are both great IEMs, they're both really fun to listen to, and they're both in my top 5 but ultimately the FR of the Dorado is significantly more in line with my preferences and the demands of a lot of the music I listen to.



Vs. UM MEST

If bass, treble, staging, technicalities etc. are your priorities then the MEST may be the IEM for you. There is a lot of overlap between the Dorado 2020 and the MEST. The MEST has superior technicalities (like insane technicalities—I have never experienced in an IEM a stage like the MEST offers…I think my bones like being conducted), more detailed treble etc. Where the Dorado wipes the floor with MEST is in mid-range texture, timbre, naturalness, presence etc. Since these latter are what I’m really after lately it’s an easy victory for the Dorado here…but YMMV.

Vs. UM MEST MKii

The MEST MKii a very nicely balanced and engaging IEM. Compared to my memories of the OG MEST I miss the oomph and impact of the bass, but the mids are more forward and natural sounding. It doesn't have the almost surreal wow factor that I remember the staging on the original having that left me feeling almost that I was inhabiting another dimension when I was listening to them. Upper mids seem just a hair breadth too energetic for me...though possibly no different than OG. On the whole I would say the MKii is a refined and ultimately more polite take on the original...more mature and natural but not as much spectacle or fun. Compared to the Dorado the mid-range of the MEST MKii it lacks the the density, sure-footedness and rich natural timbre that I've come to love about the Dorado (and the Solaris to a lesser extent before it). The bass on the MKii, again, isn't nearly as satisfying as the bass on the OG MEST and considerably less so than something like the Dorado 2020 or IER Z1R.

Vs. 64 Audio Nio

Not much to say here really. The Nio is in some ways the Dorado’s more polite, mature and technically accomplished (and a lot less fun) older brother. There is a definite emphasis on technicalities, the bass is more polite (but still present) and the treble is a lot smoother. In addition you get more presence in the midrange (but inferior timbre) and a lot better layering and separation. I’m generally not a fan of 64 Audio IEMs as I find their house sound to be too thin for my tastes and their IEMs are often technical to the point of lacking enough emotional engagement to keep me interested. The Nio is the first IEM I’ve tried of theirs that bucks that trend a wee bit, though for my own needs right now it trails considerably behind the Dorado 2020 in terms of raw engagement and enjoyability. If you want an IEM that’s technically accomplished, reasonably bassy with layered and detailed mids and that is basically fatigue free then the Nio may be a great choice.



A/B/C single track comparison with Elysium, Nio and Dorado and Zep's Whole Lotta Love

I took some time to compare the Elysium, Dorado and Nio in depth with Zeppelin's Whole Lotta Love

Elysium—Bang on the money. Everything is perfectly balanced and the texture & timbre is off the charts. Vocals are right in the middle, crystal clear, well bodied and seductive. Guitars have crunch, bite and body with zero veil behind the bass. Bass is thumping, detailed, crunchy, impactful.

Dorado 2020-- Vocals and guitars are pushed behind the bass. It does seem like a dash of the FR is pushed completely behind the bass. Vocals are present, have great texture, despite being pushed a bit in the background. Guitars have great texture and body but lack crunch and bite-- a touch of info here and there does seem nearly totally eclipsed by the bass at times. Bass texture, timbre, impact, is off the charts good.

Nio-- This one was interesting. The Nio has more of the forwardness, detail and clarity of the Elysium, but it lacks the body, texture and natural timbre of the Dorado. Guitars have crunch and bite but they lack body and texture-- at times the sound of the Nio sounds like a 2-d image atop a 3-d surface of bass.

Conclusion-- the Elysium is the closest thing to a total package IEM for me right now and this comparison illustrated precisely why. The most remarkable thing about it is that I never find myself missing the DD on the low end when I'm listening to them. Between the Dorado and Nio it's a "choose your poison" kind of situation. For those who prefer detail and clarity over naturalness and timbre then the Nio may be the way to go.

As I've indicated, it's the bass response combined with the natural timbre of the mid-range that has won the day for me here with the Dorado. When seeking an IEM that has a forward and dominant bass response I went into it knowing there'd be a sacrifice in the mids somewhere. Thus, when listening to the Dorado I take it as almost axiomatic that there will be times when I hear part of the midrange lose some of its dynamics by being pushed behind the bass a bit. Regarding the bit that seems to be completely behind the bass the bright side of this situation is that it’s not a super wide range of the FR that is missing information. As I noted in my full review of the Dorado, a slight bump to 4K on EQ should open up the most recessed area of the lower treble enough reasonably mitigate the issue and remove any sense that anything is "missing". I have been using the Dorados for the last day or so with +2db @4k EQ applied and it seems to be doing the trick rather well. FR can be EQ'd in but no amount of EQ can produce the seductive rich natural timbre of the Dorado 2020.





Wrapup

In summary-- I can't get enough of the Dorado 2020. They may not be the most sophisticated or complicated (indeed that's part of the charm) but CFA here has taken a really basic tuning and refined to absolute perfection. I've followed Campfire’s releases in this vein as long as I've known about the company and while they’ve all been commendable some way, they all had a few issues here and there--in some cases minor deal breakers, or they were special teams IEMs that had a range of stuff they sounded good with. With Dorado they've come across a goldilocks presentation that gives you modestly basshead level bass (I don't consider IER Z1R, Solaris or even MEST to be basshead IEMs) with a supremely textured and natural midrange that feels open, inviting and veil-free and a sweet natural treble that is sharp but never unpleasant, sibilant or fatiguing. Couple all that with an instantly accessible, insanely engaging versatile tuning I have a feeling these could eventually overtake, or at least equal the Andromeda as CFA's most storied release. They are that good in my opinion.

In a video review on Youtube by Audiolevels he remarks that the Dorado 2020 is an earphone that allows you to just sit back and enjoy your music like you did when you were younger—this is absolutely true and I think is part of their deceptively simple yet remarkable appeal. So ultimately who are they for? The Dorado 2020 are not the best IEM for someone who wants to place their music under a microscope, or marvel in its analytic perfection. But for someone who just wants to listen to music for the sheer joy and love of it, with no pretense or other agenda-- the Dorado 2020 is a solid rec. I don't know how else to say it, and the cliché will have to be forgiven-- but these IEMs make me feel like a kid again. It's a totally different sort of engagement than with something like the Elysium, but it's ultimately no less satisfying. Elysium is a romantic trip to Florence Italy with someone you love, Dorado is a day at Disneyland with that same person-- variety, after all, is the spice of life.

At the moment the Dorado 2020 is my favorite Campfire IEM. I love that Campfire plays around with different tuning ideals. I have always been a fan of their more fun and bassy excursions and with the Dorado 2020 I feel they've finally reached a laudable level of perfection with that sort of tuning in that they're allowing me to totally rock out and not feel like I'm missing anything substantial in terms of staging or details. I've had these in my ears for days straight and they have not hit a false note for me yet-- in fact I can barely wipe the smile off my face most of the time.



When the MEST MKii was released its marketing literature noted that it had been tuned with "western audiophiles in mind". This was the first time I'd heard this phenomenon openly referred to in association with an official release and quite frankly I think is a great development and something that's not acknowledged enough directly. Ultimately what it comes down to I think is that much "western music" (rock, blues, rythm & blues, funk, soul, pop, r&b, hip hop) has its DNA in the mid-bass/lower mids region. Conversely a lot of "eastern music"(Jpop, Kpop etc.) has its DNA in the lower treble/upper mid region. Unless the tuning aim is total and complete referency balanced neutrality (which is not what I'm after at all personally) IEM tuning in my experience tends to be colored more in one direction than the other. "Western tuning" as a rule tends to emphasize mid-bass over sub-bass and lower mids over upper. Eastern or "Chifi" tuning as it's sometimes colloquially referred to tends to emphasize sub-bass presence over mid-bass presence and upper mids over lower. Music tuned in the western direction can sound flat, veiled, lifeless and muddled to someone who prefers or listens to music which benefits from an eastern tuning, and music tuned in the eastern direction can sound shouty, thin and weird to someone who prefers or listens to music which benefits from a western tuning. IMHO the Dorado 2020 is, in essence, an IEM tuned almost exclusively in the "western" direction. I totally understand why someone after neutrality or a more "eastern" tuning won't be in to the Dorado 2020, but for someone into the sort of sound the Dorado is putting down they are, to quote Chandler Bing, near perfection to my ears-- something still becoming more and more apparent to me even after listening to them pretty much exclusively for over 3 weeks now.

To close, I am aware that this IEM has received some mixed reviews. It’s tempting to be troubled by these sorts of contradictions-- but then I remember that we’re all only human. Once upon a time Rolling Stone Magazine trashed all Zeppelin’s early albums upon initial release. Those classics eventually got the credit they deserve but this story goes to show that even good sources of information are capable of being totally wrong, or so caught up in their own meme that they don’t recognize greatness when they see it. As is often said in this hobby let it be said again: trust your own ears above all.

Following is my personal review of the Vision Ears Elysium, a flagship monitor made by the (Cologne) Germany based company Vision Ears. The Elysium was originally released as a custom monitor in mid-late 2019 and roughly a year later in 2020 a universal version was released. Thanks to some what-appear-now-to-be-prophetic early reviews and impressions by the likes of @mvvRAZ , @circafreedom , @Deezel177 , and @marcusd from Headfonics, I have long nursed a curiosity about this IEM. I was fortunate to be able to demo the universal Elysium via @Barra 's Vision Ears tour. I was sufficiently captivated that, 3 days after receiving the loaner unit, I took advantage of a sale put on by peerless North American retailer @MusicTeck and purchased a set of the universals for myself. This review is not motivated by anything other than my desire to convey my impressions of and enthusiasm for this unique and profoundly engaging piece of audio gear.



A few opening points and caveats:

1) This is my personal review and as such it will be expressed in such a way as is meaningful and authentic to me. Some will find my approach too subjective/wishy-washy/starry-eyed to be useful—to them I say that there are plenty of other sources of information out there that will better suit your needs. This is fundamentally a hobby for me and one of the ways I derive joy out of it is to share my personal experiences in writing. If this is at all useful/helpful/informative/entertaining to anyone, then great! If not, oh well.

2) My impressions and viewpoints are unfailingly and intimately connected to my own values, preferences, motives and inclinations. It’s taken a while for me to fully come to grips with what this entails—in fact it is the Elysium, more than any other single IEM, that has helped solidify it for me. In the ultimate sense what I am seeking through the listening experience is a degree of intimacy with my music— listener, that being listened to, and the act of listening all serenely dissolving into a unity, or at least as much as is possible. Everything else that can be said—tonality, technicality, bass, mids, treble, and on and on, is wholly subservient to the aforementioned goal. If an IEM can deliver this sort of connection I am seeking while also having great tone, technicalities, bass, mids, etc…then that is great, but ultimately a generous redundancy.

3) Above all the most important lesson in this hobby is—trust your own ears above all. As a corollary to this I would add: always be ready to try something new and give it a chance to express itself on its own terms, with little to no pre-conceptions or biases imposed upon you by other groups or individuals. Sometimes we don’t know what we really want until we hear it. Sometimes we are so used to a certain conception of what is preferred or thought possible that we have a hard time imagining anything beyond that. To wit: the driver configuration of the Elysium is so unorthodox that in my head I didn't see how it could possibly work and though I've been curious about it for a while, I never came close to buying. Turns out it was an act of genius.

4) Synergy is a commonly underappreciated aspect of this hobby—sometimes an ounce of synergy can add a kilo-buck or two to the perceived value of your gear. On that note it is important to try everything you have at your disposal—different tips, sources, etc.—to see if you can find something that works for you. The reward for doing this can be very very great.

5) My musical tastes run a pretty wide spectrum, from classic rock, blues and jazz to various shades of Romanian minimal and dub techno, funk, rap, EDM, classical, vocal, and so on. The sources used for this review, and and pretty much all of my listening is the Cayin n6ii + E02 and Lotoo PAW S1.



All of that said, on with the review…

The Elysium is Vision Ears’ flagship hybrid and contains arguably the most unique driver configuration I am aware of— Sonion electrostats for the highs, a DD for the midrange and, perhaps most interestingly, a single BA for the lows.

'Twas the night before Christmas in the dying days of 2020 and I was just finishing a 3-week loaner stint with the MEST, an IEM I liked about as much as I could like an IEM without it making me want to sell off my gear to purchase one. The VE tour kit arrived that same day but honestly I wasn't feeling that excited about it at the time-- I'd already bought and sold a VE8 earlier in the year and while I was curious about Elysium I'd pretty much resigned myself to the thought that it likely wouldn't wow me. What I really wanted was to just sink in and spend some QT with my newly acquired Andromeda MW10 and I vainly imagined that after going through the motions the VE kit would languish in a corner as I focused on the Andromeda. Suffice to say that's not how it went down.



Preliminary Comments
Up until somewhat recently I was too entrenched in the basshead tendencies of my audiophile youth to seriously consider an IEM with a single BA for the bass. The Elysium was released in the spring of 2019 and at the time I remember being struck by its unorthodox driver configuration but unwilling to even consider taking a chance on what I thought would be an inadequate bass response.

After I unpacked the kit I popped in the VE8 before the Elysium to see if it was at all like I remembered from when I owned one early in 2020. In brief: it was basically exactly as I remembered—something of a thicker, darker, more intimate Andromeda. It sits in the upper echelons of my personal favourites alongside the Campfire Andromeda 2020, which I consider to be something of a spiritual sibling to the VE8 in that both IEMs specialize in the aforementioned important quality—emotional connection and engagement, ie., the ability of an IEM to draw me in, to stir my heart, to make me feel something when I listen to my music. It is this quality which to me elevates IEMs like the Andromeda and the VE8 above some of their flashier or more technical peers.

In a nutshell while I loved the VE8 the Elysium is decidedly another level to my ears....

Sound and FR Breakdown

General
The Elysium presents a balanced and holographic sound with a clear emphasis on an open, but not really forward mid-range. I would place it on the slightly bright with a musical leaning part of the spectrum. Vocals are emphasized slightly above instruments, but both are clearly discernible with their own air and space in the mix. Though there is a mid-range emphasis I don't feel that any one area of the FR is over or under-represented (though some people may make this claim about the bass-- it's a YMMV thing)-- my attention naturally inclines toward perceiving the signature as a unity. I find the bass sits below the mids and highs in a way that allows you to clearly discern all the nuance of the bass response without being distracted by it.

Highs
The highs on the Elysium come from dual Sonion electrostat tweeters. In an info card that comes in the the box VE explains that these drivers love power and will perform in different ways with different daps and cables. I find the highs on the Elysium to be crisp and lively, but never sharp; they are pronounced, detailed, nuanced and they blend harmoniously and seamlessly with the rest of the signature. The level of detail they convey is unlike anything I have heard. The closest would probably be the MEST and Z1R but the Elysium handily tops both of those, if for no other reason than minutia of detail, refinement and (imho) more mature tuning. I found the synergy with my n6ii + E02 wonderful as that board delivers a nice wollop of power. The sabre chip in the E02 does provide nice dynamics but to my ears it adds a slight glare to the sound, which tends to exaggerate sibilance in some recordings. To mitigate this I dropped 8 and 16k each by 1.5 DB on my EQ and it eliminated the problem entirely. The Elysium seems to respond nicely to EQ though admittedly this is the only EQ I have tried.

Bass
Here we have easily the most controversial aspect of the Elysium’s presentation—the bass. This is also the element most likely to trip up someone’s subjective preferences and needs. Bass is like spiciness in foods—we all have different preferences and tolerances. What is overwhelming for some will be barely register as worthwhile to someone else. As such everything I say about the bass response on the Elysium could be the exact opposite to the experience of the next person who hears it, that’s just how it goes. In addition to spiciness in food bass response also a bit like sugar in food-- sometimes we can get too used to too much of it, to the detriment of everything around it.

So how is the bass on the Elysium? To my ears it is ultimately very satisfying. It is impactful, well extended, sufficiently dense and nuanced—coming from a bass titan like the MEST I definitely notice a decrease in quantity of bass, but all the info is there and the quality is wonderful. It stands alongside the best BA bass I’ve heard. Think Andromeda in quantity but with better timbre, texture, nuance and a vastly superior surrounding cast. Anyone who is fine with the bass on the Andromeda plus, I would wager, at least half of those who aren't, should be fine with the bass on the Elysium.

The burning question on regarding the bass on the Elysium is surely this: will it satisfy someone who historically requires a DD and lots of slam? It might, and it might not—the key, I think, is how one responds to the topic of the next section.

The Midrange
The defining quality and ultimate the highlight of the Elysium’s sound is its midrange. When I first read about the driver configuration—namely a DD for the mids and the bass getting a paltry single BA I heard the news coldly and sadly…but now having had days and hours so far to fully sink my head and heart into the magic of the Elysium I’m prepared to classify its choice of driver configure a bold act of brilliance. It’s the execution of the mid-range on the Elysium that makes everything come together and justifies every concession and tuning decision to this point. Why is this so? To understand the liberating shock I felt upon coming to grips with the sound of the Elysium it’s important to understand my prior preconceptions around bass response.

Elysium aside all the hybrids I have heard to this date have opted to use the dynamic driver for the low end. This is because it has (presumably) been generally assumed that the best application of a DD in a hybrid is in providing a thick, resonant, natural timbre in the lows—which it certainly does. Mids, typically, are provided by generally-more-artificial-sounding BA drivers. The problem with this approach is that—in even the most skillfully put together hybrids—it always results in something of a timbral disconnect between the mids and lows. This problem stands out more in some hybrids than others, but it is always there to a certain extent. It wasn’t until I experienced Elysium that I understood that this approach is flawed and, in a sense, puts the cart before the horse.

A realization I have gradually been awakening to through my experience with IEMs is that the mid-range represents the emotional centre of the music. Voices, strings, instruments of all kinds…any form of expression most intimately connected with a human heart flows through the mid-range of the music. Since a dynamic driver, by nature, excels at providing a rich, deep, natural and organic timbre they are thus more suited to convey the nuance and texture of deep and subtle soul-felt emotions-- all of which, in music, have their fountainhead in the mid-range. Dynamic bass is indeed satisfying but just as it is rumoured that we only use like 10% of our brains it now seems to me, in light of the Elysium, is that we only derive a limited amount of what a DD is capable of bringing to the table by confining it to the lower registers alone. Bass can be exciting and hypnotic, but it doesn’t grip us by the core of our being the way a properly executed midrange can. What’s more is that with a dynamic midrange we get an astoundingly rich, naturally textured and alluring soundscape. Instruments and voices feel at times so natural, so alluring that they almost break the 4th wall and convince you they are right there with you—and it is on account of this mid-range voodoo that after a short time I don’t even notice the lack of bass anymore and find myself totally captivated with what I’m hearing. Ultimately the issue is that organic bass timbre cannot extend up and enliven the mids to make them feel more organic and natural, however the opposite is true-- namely organic, lush, natural mids can grip us so much that the perception of "naturalness" extends up to the treble and down to the bass, leaving nothing feeling disjointed in texture. It is for this reason that the Elysium avoids the timbral disconnect pitfalls of all other hybrids I have come across.

In most IEMs I’ve tried the mid-range takes second stage to the highs and lows. With the Elysium every tuning decision seems directed towards the aim of bringing focus, body and realism to the midrange. After a couple hours of listening, by the time my brain actually wrapped itself around what it was hearing that very first time I heard the Ely, the effect it had on me was little short of cathartic and the net result was that my idea of what is possible with IEMs-- the degree of intimacy and connection they could achieve-- was so broadened and came as such a liberating shock that it feels like something of a re-birth of enthusiasm for this hobby. It seems so obvious in retrospect. The midrange is the emotional centre of music. Why not give the DD--the driver known its natural, realistic and organic timbre-- to the midrange instead of to the bass which just thumps and never really has the capacity to convey anything truly emotively deep. The mid-range presentation of the Vision Ears Elysium has been a game changer for me and quite frankly I will have a hard time going back to anything less.



Staging and Technicalities
TLDR: Top tier in all respects. Stage could be a little wider. That’s about it.

In a nutshell picture an Andromeda with a more open mid-range, slightly narrower stage but improved everything else. The most remarkable and enduring thing about the Elysium is the openness and seductiveness of the midrange. Listening to song Get Lucky by Daft Punk and I was pulled into the song like never before. All the different layers lay effortlessly open, enticing and enveloping-- and with texture for days. Fever by Peggy Lee made me swoon. This may sound cheesy and contrite but through the Elysium it feels like I’m experiencing much of my music again, for the first time, and accordingly falling in love anew. Here is an IEM that doesn’t take any “ground breaking” chances with its staging, or novel midrange diffusion a la something like the Solaris or MEST— in the Elysium everything is precisely where it should be.

Comparisons



The only IEMs I’ve heard sufficiently recently to provide meaningful comparisons to are the Campfire Audio Solaris SE, Campfire Andromeda MW10/2020, Unique Melody MEST, so I’ll do my best to elucidate where I feel these respective IEMs sit with respect to each other and to the Elysium.

VE8
I don't have a lot to say here really as apart from a cursory demo to verify it was the same IEM I remember from January I haven't had any urge at all to touch the VE8 since connecting with the Elysium. That said much of what I am going to say about the Andromeda more-or-less applies to the VE8 as well. In brief: to my ears the Elysium is a wholesale upgrade to both.

Andromeda
I’m not going to start waxing poetic about Andro here—chances are if you’re reading this then you know all about the Campfire Andromeda. The Andro kind of came out of nowhere to become the de-facto reference IEM for much of the audio community—a status it maintains to this day in the eyes of many. Of the Andromeda people often say "nobody, not even CFA realize why the Andro is so beloved". Now that I’ve spent some time with the Elysium I think I understand the appeal a bit more. What both Campfire IEMs do to some extent is push the bass into the background to facilitate a more balanced presentation. Further, they both put a lot of stock in a natural and organic timbre. The Elysium, with its dynamic midrange focus, is really the next and most natural evolute of this line of thinking and it is for this reason that I maintain that the Elysium is the first IEM I have heard that constitutes a wholesale upgrade to the Andromeda..at least in terms of what I most love about it the Andromeda, namely its balanced sound, staging and capacity to sweep me off my feet and facilitate an emotional connection with my music.

Solaris
Like the Elysium, the Solaris is an evolution of the Andromeda-type sound only taken in a different direction—with the DD being used to emphasize the bass. I still love the Solaris and will probably throw it on every now and again when I feel like some more visceral bass…but the approach of the Elysium has clearly won the day for me. Again, it is the first IEM I've heard that is a comprehensive upgrade to the Campfire flagships in terms of balance, staging and emotional engagement. One of the things I've always loved about Solaris is how it pushes the bass to the background a bit so as to not clog out the rest of the sig...Elysium, again, takes this line of thought and pushes it to its logical conclusion.

MEST
The Unique Melody MEST is a technical powerhouse of an IEM, and a very enthralling listen. It goes for a similar level of engagement but via a different means. Where the Elysium grips you with it’s alluring and captivating mid-range and detailed sparkly highs—the MEST opts instead to grab your attention with the awesome display of deep textured lows, technical pyrotechnics and a chamber-of-secrets like head stage. The MEST’s midrange was to me its weak link—serviceable most of the time, but not the most forward, natural or, really, engaging. In this respect it is more traditional. If big bass and sparkly highs, and addictive staging tick your boxes more than an emotive mid-range then the MEST might be for you. I love the MEST and enjoyed my time with it but the Elysium is more to my preferences.



Wrap-up
The Vision Ears Elysium has, in a very short time, totally and completely won me over. The mid-centric presentation with its subdued bass was a bit weird at first, especially after days of rapid fire jumps from the MEST to the Andromeda to the Solaris, But once I upped the gain on my n6ii and just sat back and let the Elysium do its thing on its own term it wasn’t long before I was swept up in its beautiful textures and gentle nuances-- and the effect is still holding all these days later. Again, I was initially quite thrown off by what appears to be an almost homeopathic amount of bass—and I know of at a few people who did not get on that well with the Elysium on account of this. However the response of my own ears is that the comparative lack of bass frees my mind from being side-tracked by spectacle and pyrotechnics and allows my attention to fully engage with the midrange of the music, which is really its heart and soul. The greatest strength of the Elysium is that it lays bare the essence of what your are listening to...but not artificially as through raw detail and resolution, which can come off as sterile. Instead the Elysium forces you to forsake a little of the visceral spectacle and theatrics of a more robust bass response and instead, through a deft focus on a wonderfully alluring and textured mid-range, facilitates an intimacy with whatever it is you are listening to. Here we have an IEM that sees its role, not to draw attention to itself but to get out of the way, and let you connect directly with your music and to my ears. This connection, as mentioned earlier, is what I am ultimately seeking from the listening experience. At first Elysium’s driver configuration struck me as crazy. Now I regard it as a brilliant act of vision and daring that was brilliantly executed.

The Elysium has totally changed the game for me and is the first IEM I’ve heard that sounds a tier above everything else I’ve heard. It is, in my humble opinion, the IEM to top right now. Other than those whom I feel wouldn’t jive with its bass response I could recommend it to just about anyone. No IEM is "for everyone" but anyone who glosses over the Elysium and doesn't get to know it on its own terms before judging it is imho potentially denying themselves one of the, if not the, preeminent IEM experiences currently possible. I know that sounds like a strong statement-- but as my days with Elysium wear on my heart just cries out “this is the way”.

I have had to revisit a few things and have taken down my review for the time being. I will resubmit it after I have made some constructive changes. The rest of this is just me trying to make up the necessary 250 characters. I wish Head-Fi let you temporarily take reviews down.

Like a Finger Pointing Away to the Moon-- My Quest for the Perfect DAP

First off let me say that I am somewhat new to the world of high-end portable audio and as such I probably lack the experience, perception and vocabulary to do a really thorough review. That said I have been passionate about great sound my whole life and I know what I like. In that spirit I will share a bit of my journey through the audio world in an attempt to describe and do justice to this amazing music player.

It all began for me earlier this year when I picked up a pair of Campfire Audio Atlas IEMs and a Fiio M9. The Atlas totally blew me away with their massive sound, thunderous low end and crisp, sparkling highs. The M9 is a great sounding player and belongs on the "cooler" more analytic side of the spectrum. In this regard it was a great match for the naturally robust and powerful sound of the Atlas which was held in check by the subdued tonality of the player. As luck would have it (or tragedy if you talk to my wallet) I had an opportunity to demo the Campfire Audio Solaris and fell in love with them (the full story is recounted in my showcase review of that IEM). As it turned out, while great for the Atlas, the more balanced and "polite" presentation of the Solaris didn't come through as well on the M9. Detail retrieval and sound quality was excellent but the cooler more reference tonality coupled with Solaris' comparative lack of bass emphasis left a little to be desired. It didn't help the EQ on the M9 is absolutely useless...and thus I began searching for a better player to complement my IEMs.

In terms of tonality DAPs tend to fall somewhere on a spectrum with neutral, reference, and cooler sounding players on one end and warm, musical and more organic sounding players on the other. After a lot of reading and research I came to the conclusion that my preferences were more on the latter end of things and with that I ended up replacing my Fiio M9 with a Sony ZX300. The ZX300 is an amazing player full of that 'je ne sais quoi' almost sexiness that characterizes the best Sony products. The interface is slick, intuitive and fast, the battery life is amazing, the player is eminently portable and most importantly the sound has a slightly warm, organic presentation that is clear and clean. Furthermore the ZX300 has a decent EQ and capacity for tweaking sound. Ultimately it was a clear step above the M9 in terms of synergy with the balanced and musical majesty of Solaris. My only qualms with the sound presentation of the ZX300 were that often (especially on older tracks) the presentation seemed slightly veiled, making it difficult to become fully immersed in the music; the higher frequencies tended to be a big fatiguing during longer listening sessions at times; and lastly there was some degree of hiss present (though not enough to really be distracting). For all I knew at the time this was more due to the tuning of Solaris than anything so I trudged on and, whether due to burn-in or my own psychology I eventually got over this and fully embraced the sound of the ZX300.

If sound quality was the only factor I would probably have been totally content with the Sony player however the thing that eventually drove me nuts about it was its playlist functionality. In a word-- it sucks. I love to keep a favorites list going and quickly throw together playlists on the fly-- both of these things are impossible in Sony's ecosystem. At first I shrugged it off but got more and more irritating-- to the point that I eventually started browsing the marketplaces on Head-Fi and reading everything I could on up and coming DAPs. While all that was happening I had a chance to demo both a Questyle QP2R and Cowon Plenue R. Both had their strengths but were not for me. The Questyle in particular sounded amazing but it's user interface (both physically and software wise) were so frustrating that if I had to rely on it as my daily player I probably would have smashed it to pieces by now.

(For those who are still with me and haven't given up while shaking your heads wondering why, this far into a review of the N6ii I haven't even mentioned it yet-- be patient, I'm getting there.)

I came to realize that, for my needs and preferences, a quality DAP embodies a number of factors-- usability, battery life, playlist functionality, functional EQ and, most importantly, an organic and musical tonality and, as long as it's my main IEM, compatibility with Solaris (which for my tastes implies a DAP with a warmish and natural presentation with non-fatiguing highs). With that in mind I set out researching the latest slew of releases by Fiio, Ibasso, Astell & Kern and Cayin. A&K was out for me because at this time I'm more-or-less committed to 4.4mm balanced and they're still stubbornly relying exclusively on 2.5. Fiio was out because, based on what I'd read, I saw no reason to suspect that the presentation of the M11 would be dramatically different from the M9 in terms of overall tonality. Furthermore, I also read that, in a lot of ways the DX220, at least in its stock configuration, is close to the M11. This coupled with some early reviews I'd read describing its sound and battery life lead me to pull the trigger on the Cayin N6ii and, spoiler alert, I'm only two days in but am prepared to say that it embodies everything I've been looking for in a DAP, plus a few things didn't know I was looking for.

First off I wanna give props to Andrew and Musicteck for their impeccable service. All my questions were answered and the device was shipped to me promptly and arrived in record time. First impressions of the device-- it is unequivocally a brick. It's a little thicker and longer than a pack of cards and the device packs some serious heft. I'm not sure I'd want to bring it on an airplane for fear security would worry about my capacity to club someone out with it. While not the most portable, I would be (and have been) comfortable carrying it around my house, on shopping trips, on short trips about town. Where it might not work is for when I go biking, running, hiking, or on longer excursions as the impact of my exertion and the weight of the player would probably pull my pants off. In any case I am probably going to keep my ZX300 on hand for those purposes and it suits them perfectly. The N6ii feels great in the hand and can be operated with one hand very comfortably. The controls are intuitive and the screen is sufficiently responsive. One of the advantages of Android based DAPs is the ability to choose a music player that suits your needs. I have played around with Hiby Music, Neutron, Jet Player and Cayin's own app. On the whole at this point I am preferring the Cayin app-- the interface works well for me, it's easy to use and does everything I want it to. An added note the player comes with a nice leather protective case-- something I deem an essential for players at this level.

Charging this thing is fairly easy as it is quick charge compatible-- it's nice to go back to USB C after dealing with (and worrying about losing) Sony's proprietary cable for the last few months. The battery life is decent. Based on reading around the average for flagship DAPs seems to hover around 8 hours. It's too soon to say unequivocally at this point but extrapolating from my current usage I seem to be burning about 8% per hour with occasional (<10 min/hour) of screen time while listening to FLAC files on high gain with the EQ activated and WIFI off-- which should net me about 12 hours playback total. Not bad at all. On my first night with the device I turned off WIFI and bluetooth and, after 7 hours overnight I awoke to find the battery had dropped about 15% while idling. On the second night, with WIFI and bluetooth off I also unplugged my earphones and when I woke up the battery life hadn't dropped at all-- so maybe having the earphones plugged in keeps something in the device active. Perhaps future firmware updates will address this.

Now is where things get good-- the sound quality. An obvious caveat here is that when describing the sound quality of a DAP it's hard to know where to draw the line between whether you're really describing the qualities of the DAP, your earphones, or the synergy between the two...so take this as you will and, of course, YMMV. The sound of this DAP is robust and muscular and, I would say, leans slightly to the warm side. The whole presentation has a richness and weight that I haven't heard in other players. I would definitely describe it as analogue and organic-- it's got a density but at the same time plenty of air with everything having room to breathe. The EQ on this player is very effective-- my Solaris responded very well on all frequencies-- more so than on any other player I have tried. There are many people who deny that, after a certain point, increases in power make any difference or who claim that people who spend over $1000 on a DAP are just rubes jerking themselves with snake oil. Truth be told prior to hearing this DAP I had almost completed my application form for the club of people who don't think there's a significant difference or improvement in sound quality as you move up the power and price chain. My experiences with the N6ii have wholesale converted me in the opposite direction. The Solaris is very easy to drive but its 10mm dynamic driver responds very well to EQ. Now, that's not to say that the differences are huge, that diminishing returns aren't a thing, or that everyone will feel the same way with the same experiences-- but for me the past two days with this device have been a revelation and I am wholly satisfied with the money I have spent.

So what places the N6ii in an echelon above the Sony ZX300 for me?

Firstly the hiss is greatly diminished and this has lead to an increase in detail coming to the fore but much more importantly is that the slight veil I had experienced through the ZX300 on many tracks is wholly gone. Forgive the analogy but the best way I can describe this is to compare the difference between using condoms and not. It's still possible to have an amazing and beautiful experience with them but as long as even a slight barrier is present it prevents a total and complete connection. When you remove said barrier the level of intimacy and depth of connection you feel gets magnified in ways that can have a profound emotional impact. I've never felt this connected and in touch with my music before-- even with older and less ideal recordings. Everything just feels like it's right there around you. I've been sitting here listening to music while trying to write this review and so often I've been pulled away from writing because the sound coming out of my Solaris through the N6ii is so enveloping and engging that it captures all my attention. I feel fully immersed and one with the musical space and not simply a spectator to it.

I can say with all honestly that I never really understood what the terms "emotional" and "musical" with respect to sound signatures meant until I heard the Solaris through the N6ii. This player is a perfect complement to the natural honesty and balanced tuning of the Solaris. I listened to a high res version of "Horse With No Name" and it brought forth a wave of emotion greater than I'd ever felt listening to that song before. A/Bing for a bit it felt that, on many tracks, my ZX300 indeed seems almost veiled and lifeless in comparison. Separation, imaging and holography-- already exemplary on Solaris-- are greatly improved, which leads to an increased perception of air, detail and soundstage. Couple that with the weighty and thick signature of the N6ii and you have winning combo. Extension is great on both ends, the low end is tastefully enhanced, mids are robust and the top end is presented in an engaging and non-fatiguing way...and yet none of this is really the point. I can imagine players that are better extended, that retrieve more details, that are more neutral and analytical-- but they still wouldn't capture the charm and beauty of the "Cayin sound" which seems to me to be the capacity to present the music as an organic, musical and engaging whole. If I had to sum it up in two words I would quote the late, great Bruce Lee and say that the essence of the N6ii is "Emotional Content".









(Will add more images as I get around to taking them.)

This review isn't structured like a normal review-- it's basically a stream of consciousness collection of some of my thoughts after owning the Solaris for a few days. I originally posted it in the Solaris thread here on Head-Fi and decided I would share it here too. I will start by saying that I'm in no way affiliated with Campfire Audio-- this review was not sponsored in any way. If I come across as a fanboy it's because I'm quite taken with the company. Their philosophy, craftsmanship and grassroots ethic place them in a class all their own. You really get the sense that the people behind these products are in business because they share the same passion for music and sound as the rest of us. Couple all of that with peerless build quality, accessories, value and customer service and it's a bit of a no-brainer. On with the review...

The Marriage of Heaven and Hell-- or how I learned I'm not a basshead.

Sitting here enjoying my coffee and my Solaris on the first day of spring break proper and it feels like a good time to jot down some impressions. Before I say anything I want to take a moment to re-emphasize the importance of trying something for yourself, or at the very least taking everything you read online with a massive grain of salt. I'm fairly new to the world of high-end IEMs and in the comparatively brief time I've spent perusing forums and reviews I've come to the conclusion that nothing can substitute for actually LISTENING to something for yourself. Pick any great IEM you want and if you read enough you will find people who hate it, people who love it, people who say it excels at this or that and others who say it's weak in those exact areas. So many times I tried to get to the bottom of whether a particular IEM was right for me and I'd only find myself bewildered at all the varying opinions and perspectives. Even people who are often in line with my views and preferences will occasionally say things I disagree with-- it's all part of being human. Psychology is a funny thing-- you can read 100 glowing impressions of a product but all it takes is one false note to throw everything into doubt in your mind.

Another thing is that it seems to me that people in this hobby are prone to a funny sort of auto-suggestion. You can read dozens of glowing impressions and then someone will come along and say something like "I tried to like it but I noticed a hollowed out sparkle register in the lower mid-treble and I couldn't get over the tonally imbalanced dynamics of the floo floo-- here are some graphs which back that up". Invariably following that there will be a string of new impressions, and a few of the originals will come back and say "well I liked it originally but when listened to it again I really noticed that hollowed out sparkle register in the lower mid-treble and those tonally imbalanced dynamics of the floo floo". Then along will come someone like me who doesn't know any better who will think "oh wow I was considering pulling the trigger on this, and I have no idea What any of that means but it sounds bad...maybe I should hold off". Then later on I'll get to try the thing for myself and I'll think something like "I don't know what any of those people were talking about-- this thing sounds amazing."

I had similar experiences with the Atlas and most recently the Solaris. I almost passed on the Atlas because I put too much stock in the words of a prominent internet reviewer. Had I done that I would have missed out on one of the best sounding IEMs on the market right now. The point: there is no substitute for hearing something for yourself-- we are all different. It's true that I am fortunate to live near a Campfire Audio distributor. If I lived in Toronto I'd probably be in the Empire Ears thread right now raving about the LX because that's what the store there carries. But the point still stands-- no two of us react the same to the same stimuli. And just hearing something in a shop briefly isn't enough. Having an IEM is like being in a relationship-- you get wowed by certain features off the bat, but those little quirks you gloss over initially might drive you mad in the long term. Find any IEM on the market and there will be people who love it and people who trash it. All of that being said...

Prior to having the Solaris I had thought that my ideal was along the lines of a V shaped signature with a robust and powerful low end and just enough sparkle and detail in the treble. While they're both amazing IEMs I much prefer the Atlas to the Andromeda-- I'm not a fan of BA bass in general and, as much as love the detail and precision of the Andro, in a pinch I would rather have the bass of the Atlas...and I did for a few weeks before picking up Solaris. When I went to demo Solaris my idea was to pick up something to compliment the Atlas. I had read many impressions of Solaris that said it lacked bass or that "bass heads need not apply". With that in mind I figured the Atlas would be main daily with Solaris stepping in every now and again to give me something different. I then made a playlist of songs I felt would sound great on Solaris (and a few Atlas favorites for comparison) and headed to Headphone Bar in Vancouver to try it out.

A note on fit: I am a large man with a large head and large ears and the Solaris fits me perfectly. Even Travis at headphone bar commented that the Solaris fits me as well as the Andro fits him. The memory wire holds it in my ears perfectly, it doesn't protrude at all and I can wear it for hours comfortably. Also, make sure you find tips that give you a good seal. I have read a few impressions by people who complained of the "hollowed out mids" but were able to mitigate it with the right tips.

When I arrived at Headphone Bar on Saturday I had been listening to the Atlas straight for a number of hours-- so I had impressions of its signature firmly in mind. I was able to sit down in the shop with an Andromeda and Solaris for over an hour going back and forth between the two forming impressions. Regarding the Andromeda, it was just like I remembered from prior demos-- amazing in its own right but not my ideal signature. It would never satisfy me as my sole daily like the Atlas did. When I tried Solaris I was totally blown away. Expecting a lack of bass I found all, or at least enough, of the Atlas sound present to totally satisfy me. Instead of a lack of bass I found near perfect balance. I don't have the vocabulary to really do this justice but all I can say is that when listening to some of my favorite tracks for bass (Exodus by Bob Marley or Not Exactly by Deadmau5 to name two) I found absolutely nothing lacking. Instead what I found was the meaty dynamic bass of the Atlas thumping below me with the precision, detail and sparkle of the Andromeda whispering in my ears. Having previously been listening to these same songs on the Atlas for much of the previous day and month I didn't find myself missing anything at all.

In addition to the Atlas quality bass Solaris delivers a vastly increased soundstage with all the best features of the Andromeda woven in and around it. I stand by my original impression: Solaris is Andromeda plus bass-- a beautiful synergy of the best of both the Andromeda and the Atlas. When I first demoed the Atlas I fell in love with its massive sound. The Solaris takes that massive sound, stretches it out and fills in all the spaces with detail, holography and pinpoint precise nuance. Put Another way, listening to the Atlas feels like you're in a small room (though it took the Solaris to make me realize it was small) with the bass and treble in the forefront (ie., a V) and everything else a little bit further back. The Solaris takes that same bass and treble, puts it in the centre of a bigger room and surrounds it with lush layers of extra detail and mid/treble flourish a la the Andromeda. So while it's true that the low end doesn't dominate with the Solaris like it does with the Atlas-- you can still very much tell that it's present, only dispersed over a larger soundstage. Quite frankly I find myself too wowed by all the detail, sparkle, precision and space that have been added to mind the decreased emphasis on the lower end. Again, I still sense it there, I don't feel it's lack, rather I'm too busy focusing on the Andromeda-like loveliness that's now filling the gaps. It's not at all what I was expecting bass-wise from the Solaris based on the reviews I'd read...maybe the lesson is that I'm not a basshead after all?

When I got the Atlas I raved that it was all I ever wanted-- but with the Solaris it's all I ever wanted from the Atlas plus everything I didn't know I wanted from the Andromeda. I have probably close to 30 hours on the Solaris and it's only getting better and better. When I went to try it I imagined that I would prefer Atlas maybe 70% of the time and use Solaris for the remaining 30% but what I'm finding is that just about everything sounds way better, fuller, on Solaris. There is a bit, maybe 5% of my music that I would rather listen to on Atlas, but this mostly (I think) boils down to poor mastering. The Atlas is more forgiving of this than Solaris in this regard. My takeaway from all of this is that maybe my preference is for a more neutral sound signature-- and with an IEM as honest and well executed as Solaris it's a match made in heaven.

One thing about Solaris that is unique for me is that it's perfectly satisfying to listen to at very low volume. Usually I'm one to crank the volume-- I was always resisting the urge to do this on Atlas. With Solaris I can sit there with my Fiio M9 on 30 and not miss any detail, bass or sound quality. I will not be looking at new IEMS for a very long time. It these are at all on your radar, and you have the ability to try them without putting yourself out too much, you owe it to yourself to do so. If you have the Solaris and the means check out In the Gallery by Dire Straits-- it brings to the forefront everything Solaris does best. I have admittedly not heard a wide variety of TOTL IEMS so I can't do any worthwhile comparisons-- all I can say is that, for my tastes and preferences Solaris does everything right. Nothing is lacking-- and, again, this is coming from an Atlas fanboy, so take that for what it's worth. It sounds cliche but my heart just says "Nicely Done".

Edit: After a week and probably close to 60 hours of listening one thing I'm appreciating more and more about the Solaris is how balanced and cohesive it is. Nothing stands out yet at the same time everything stands out. I've never tangibly perceived such a sense of unity from portable music before-- I can focus on each level and be totally wowed but at the same time sit back and appreciate how seamlessly it all blends together. If I were to chime in on the burn-in factor at this point I would say that as the hours wear on with this unit the sound becomes more and more cohesive. When I first tried it there was a vague sense of each of the different layers working to carve out their respective spaces but as the time wears all on of that dissolves into a serenely engaging unity. It doesn't matter what I'm listening to-- I can engage with each of the different layers if I choose but it's also easy to sit back and embraces the whole of the sound and not be distracted by any particular layer of it. Whether it's due to actual burn in or psychological burn-in who's to say but I think it stands as a testament to the quality of the tuning on this thing (for those who prefer a more balanced signature). I will edit again in a few days if I've noticed anything significant after the mythical 100 hour burn in has been achieved.

Campfire Audio display at Headphone Bar in Vancouver:


Package:


Fit:


Earphones of the gods:


Radiating beauty, elegance and power:



Conclusion: