Campfire Audio CASCADE

These are not new in the market, in fact, they are close to getting, if not already discontinued. That said, I've always found these (along with the atlas) some sort of an enigma, and as such i knew i had to get a pair. When an opportunity presented itself in the form of a 50% off for a basically brand-new unit, I bought them without a second thought.

Unboxing
Having owned and sold a plethora of campfire's models they are nothing to write home about. The same old carton box (just bigger) riddled in a psychedelic theme. Inside that, you'll be greeted with a big and bulky pleather finished carrying case with a lanyard attached. Opening that, is where the headphones are nestled with 2 included goody bag envelopes one for the cable inside a Ziplock bag and the other, filled with the tuning filters, warranty, and a pamphlet about the headphones and the filters.

Build
To simplify, it is fine and decent for its price point. For a $800 product it should at the very least be built like this (Metal, leather and pleather). It's not as confident feeling as my z7m2 from sony but it's forgivable since the gimmick for it was to be a 'portable' pair of cans. One thing i really hate about the build is the headband. It feels worse than the headband on my sub $150 beyerdynamic dt770 and compared to that, it's just embarrassing. The seams where the pleather ends look very barebones and diy, I can see the threads coming undone with only a strip of glue holding it in place. Not to mention the headband has started to disintegrate in some areas where it touched the inner lining of the case.

Cable
it feels like the stock campfire (pre smoky litz) iem cable in a slightly bigger gauge. Sadly, i won't be able to confirm it since they encased it in some sort of cloth which makes it look very cheap... the way this cloth behaves is weird it has lots and i mean lots of kinks, it is not smooth, and instead its quite rough. For a cable company it's just upsetting. As for its connectors, its rather good. The 3.5mm plug is in a 45-degree angle making it very pocket friendly. As for the lemo connectors, it's very robust feeling I unplug them after every session and I'm probably closing in to 60x of un/plugging and it still feels very secure definitely no complaints there.

Fit
I have to dial it to 2 clicks both sides to get it to fit me, but they never really feel in place. Sudden head movements would cause it to shift. shaking my head left to right in rapid succession would result to total removal.

Sound
A little background about me, I don't have a particular preference for sound but i can tell you that i love campfire's atlas. I sold my empire ears zeus xiv (which was a $2700 iem) because of it and it reignited my passion for this hobby but that's a story for another day. I place technicalities above anything else.

The set up i used for this write up is as follows:
Stock Cascade with the square filters (I'm currently in a trip and i havent changed the filters since middle of last year so i don't quite know which... It's probably 2T iirc)
Cayin N8 3.5mm mix of SolidState/Nutube, P/P+, Hi gain, Short Delay Sharp PCM Digital Filter, with no EQ

Generally, The signature is a typical v shape one where bass hugs you from all corners and it feels cozy and welcoming.

Treble
Very well extended but never got sharp, rather its quite smooth with enough bite to avoid dulling the detail. It is also quite good at presenting details. One thing that caught me by surprise is the airy nautre it has. Despite the amount of bass it never really masked the treble much.

Mids
As it's a typical v shaped tuning, it is pushed back. It has a rather thick lower mids which still makes the vocals sound engaging and makes up for the recessed upper midrange. As a result, everything does sound a bit heavy note wise.

Bass
It is STRONG, HEAVY, FULL, and DOMINANT (also surprisingly clean). For a 42mm driver it can push serious amounts of air! It outdoes sony's 70mm driver with ease. But despite all that air and decay it never became sluggish, in fact its quite agile (for what it can do) and very, very (oddly) textured! It can bleed to the other frequencies but i found that it is somewhat track dependent. Songs like Of Monsters and Men's From Finner, Theres a questionable amount of bleed everywhere and it as a whole, sounds very bloated and muffled, the depth is there but the attack it very much masked by the dominating midbass. On the other hand, Vampire Weekend's White Sky sounds quite at home with this tuning. Theres a bit of recession in the upper midrange but it is easily forgotten because of the thicker than usual vocals. (I picked these songs as they are released around the same time and are of the same genre).

Soundstage/Depth
They're not wide sounding. They're more deep than they are wide. They never felt suffocating, there's enough air and space in between instruments to avoid sounding claustrophobic. Just quelle your expectations if you're keen about these.

PRaT
Attack is actually pretty good, Timbre is on the warmer side, it never sounded wrong just somewhat heavy. It never got bogged down by the bass all in all quite decent and pleasing.

Drivability
Like any other cfa product, it's very easily driven. But note that it can SCALE! Off my Laptop (X1 Carbon gen7) it sounds very boring, the treble is too smoothed out it sounds as if it's all midrange specifically lower mids and very warm. Off my Sony A105, it gets better though the texture disappears and there's not much distinction between subbass and midbass, it is still clean sounding just not emphasized. And you all know about the N8.

Conclusion
They're fine. Definitely not worth its original asking price (back then and even more so today!). But for what they are, portable fun sounding headphones, they're pretty great! There are lots of room to tune the sound, whether it be in pad rolling, or the filters (especially the funky thing my friend told me about which was to remove all the filters including the ones that are stuck on by adhesive lol) there's a lot to be gained from a single headphone. I'm not really expecting anyone to read this but hey, i hope this updated take helped you in this intoxicating hobby of ours. Cheers!

This headphone is something else, in a bad way.

Its like they gave up on comfort half-way thru the design process and made the infamous hotspot.

The sound is.. Lets be clear here;

The sound is extremely low-emphasized to the point its not even funny or can be taken serious (I write this as a total techno, dnb basshead btw - deep dark tribal progressive trance and energetic dnb is my jam). Campfire has seriously imprinted themselves into my memory as tone-deaf headphone makers..

Everything is sacrificed in the Cascade for a bass that resembles an arcade cabinet. Boomy, too much, just hurtingly bad.

You try to drive the volume knob and you realize all you get for 2/3 of the knob is just all low frequencies coming forward to drown out everything else.

I'm a basshead, but I can't recommend this headphone any day of the week. The only situation this headphone shines is with epic cinematic movie soundtracks with unreal amounts of bass like think big godzilla and dinosaur shrieks.. That thunderous crackle of godzilla entering or the thunder sparking.. There it does deliver an experience similar to being blasted in the theatres on the back row just in front of the loudspeakers - It almost surprises you how loud the crackles can get, but its mostly because the sound is layered in such a way that bass is ultra-forward and everything else is recessed. Its just too much, even for mostly bass-focused music with the deepest growly wobbly bass.. Music is way too colored and lose details.

But a good headphone it is not.. And I'll never take Campfire Audio serious again.

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Take note that this review is not being sponsored, this is an accurate reflection of my opinion. YMMV

Campfire Audio is an audio brand from Portland, Oregon. Starting out as ALO Audio, a company primarily focused on selling high-end headphone and IEM cables, the Campfire Audio rebrand began its foray into the competitive IEM market.

From their universally acclaimed “Andromeda” to the entry-level “Comet”, Campfire Audio has carved a name for itself among the Porta-audio community in the last 4 years, cementing them as a reputable IEM brand.

When news came around that Campfire Audio was developing an “audiophile” pair of headphones, the hype surrounding its impending release grew. What started out as a passion-project turned out to be a tiresome, 3-year “R and D” process. As a result, the “Cascade” was born. Featuring 42mm Beryllium PVD drivers, these headphones were conceived with the purpose of emulating the “sealed-sound” of an IEM. A bit of an oxymoron, but I’ll explain further as we dive deeper into my review.



Price:
$1099 (AUD)



Specifications:

Cascade is a culmination of a 3 year engineering effort to bring our signature sound to a headphone.

The result is a portable, closed-back headphone that sounds and performs like it’s open. Even better; it has the unique sound you expect from a Campfire Audio headphone.

Campfire Audio

• Frequency Response: 5Hz- 3kHz
• Impedance: 33 Ohms (1kHz)
• 100dB SP/mW Sensitivity
• 5 oz (without cable) or approximately 383 g
• Inside ID is approx.-1.5-inch-wide x 2.5 inch

Packaging:

Like its siblings in the Campfire Audio line-up, the box itself is sourced from an American-made, French paper company. As someone who appreciates writing on high-quality paper (Tomoe River, Midori paper company), I deeply admire a company that takes pride in its packaging. The color-saturated prints and the leafed-lettering oozes personality. Their cohesive aesthetic distinguishes their brand from the rest of the market.

A product is only as good as its packaging.



Accessories:

1. Campfire Audio Cascade + Campfire Audio SPC Litz Cable
2. Campfire Audio Headphone Case
3. Campfire Audio Pin
4. Filter Set (4 pairs of Damping Pads)
5. Warranty Card

There isn’t much to criticize. The lavish leather headphone case is basically an enlarged copy of their IEM cases, with the same faux-wool lining and leather outer-shell. Sadly, the bulky, over-sized case is hardly portable, taking up too much real-estate in my backpack. The case does come equipped with a leather sling; in case someone wants to carry it around like a man-purse (not the most practical option).

Overall, the accessories included are more than substantial.



Design and Build:

The headphone is built like a brick craphouse. According to the Campfire Audio website, the headphone is almost entirely made out of machined aluminium and stainless steel. From the reinforced yokes to its oblong ear-cups, the build itself feels virtually indestructible. The all-black paint job and its angular edges reflects unpretentious, industrial design

The downside of using an all-metal (almost) build is its combined weight; it is a hefty headphone. If you’re looking for something suited for long-listening sessions, this is not for you. If you’re looking for an ultra-portable over-ear headphone, this might not be for you either. Yes, the Cascades are collapsible, but it still occupies a significant amount of space.

The ear-pads and headband-padding are made out of sheep-leather. In spite of the headphone’s heavy mass, the plush padding helps to ease the pressure exerted on my head and ears.

The lambskin pads are magnetically attached and easily switched out should they wear out over time. Do take note that the replacement pads are proprietary to Campfire Audio. The headphones are equipped with HD800 connectors; an odd choice considering the multiplicity of common connector types available in the market. Nevertheless, I have zero qualms with that decision.

My biggest gripe with the Cascades lies in its cable. While the cable is made out of high-end components, the cloth/fabric sheath retains too much memory. The cable bends and twirls uncontrollably. To make matters worse, the fabric is incredibly rigid, resulting in a cable that is barely malleable. It is almost impossible to undo the kinks that form along the cable. In addition, the Y-spit and 3.5 mm termination feel remarkably cheap.

This was a huge oversight on Campfire Audio’s part. It’s hard to not nit-pick when they’ve nailed every other aspect in its design.



Isolation

The headphones aren’t exactly “closed” per se. There is a tiny, pinhole-sized vent at the top of each respective earcup. As a result, it doesn’t seal as well as other closed-backs in the market. In spite of this, it still isolates fairly well. Be prepared to turn the volume pot up in louder settings. Don’t expect Bose levels of NC.

At Home: My apartment is generally quiet. In an undisturbed setting, I used the Creative Super X-fi DAC/Amp at approximately 70/100 steps.

At a Coffee Shop: Slightly noisier, with more ambient noise in the foreground. I used the Creative X-fi DAC/Amp at approximately 82/100 steps, a slight increase from a “home” setting.

Google Pixel 2 XL Test (Now Playing): Thankfully, the placement of my Pixel 2XL next to the Cascades on my head did not trigger the now-playing feature (can’t say the same for open-back headphones).



Sound:

Track List:

• Neko Case- I wish I was the Moon
• Mahavishnu Orchestra- Be Happy
• God of War (PS4) OST- Valkyries
• Fleet Foxes- Tiger Mountain Peasant Song
• Diners- Little Pad

Hardware:

• Aune X1s
• Creative “Super X-fi” DAC/Amp
• Shanling M0

Drivability:

The Cascades are easily powered by the aforementioned source. However, it performed exceptionally well with the Aune X1s in particular, as expected from its higher output power and quality DAC. Nevertheless, the Cascades are a forgiving headphone that pairs well with most sources.


Bass:

PHAT. THICC. In your face. Campfire Audio held no restraint in tuning this bass beast. The low-end is bombastic, with meaty sub-bass rumble and mid-bass punch. The Cascades boast an unconventional tuning, sustaining each bass-note as long as it can.

At this price point, most audio hobbyists would expect your typical mid-range boosted, clarity-centric headphone. Campfire Audio has instead, turned that philosophy on its head.

The bass is fun, exciting and never fails to emulate the chamber-like pressure of an IEM with a proper seal. Unfortunately, the monstrous bass-response does bleed into the mids, overshadowing the vocal-range and other instrumentation in the foreground.

It is important to note that this is not your run-of-the-mill, “Beats by Dre”. I’m simply using headphones in the same price bracket as referents.


Treble:

The Cascade features a treble section with air and sparkle. Stringed instruments are given ample space to breathe, never coming across as strident in the process. Oddly enough, the Cascades allow the treble to decay at the exact moment when vocals start to sound raspy, hitting the acoustic “sweet spot”.


Midrange:

It is safe to say that Campfire Audio has opted for a V-shaped response on these bass-cannons. The mid-range remains clear, with enough presence for it to remain coherent. However, there is still a noticeable dip in the upper mids, with vocals placed further back in the entire mix. The PHAT bass complements the mid-range by backing it with weight and heft, creating an almost “tube-esque, vinyl-like” warmth that hearkens back to an analogue age.


Highs:

Highs are well extended, rolling off at the opportune moment so as to avoid ear-piercing sibilance. Considering the gargantuan bass response of the Cascades, its highs are surprisingly distinct, unfazed and undeterred by its explosive bottom-end.


Sound-stage:

The piston-like bass response overwhelms the sound-stage, stealing its thunder. Expect an intimate presentation when compared to its open-back counterparts in the market (Hifiman HE-560, HD800). I would describe the stage as a circular sphere, your head as the metaphorical center.

On the other hand, imaging is razor-sharp, allowing you to unconsciously pinpoint the placement of instruments and vocals with ease. This an impressive feat for a closed-back headphone. There are some occasions where the bass proves to be too thunderous, drowning out everything else in the process.



Summary:
For their first headphone release, Campfire Audio has undoubtedly, created an unorthodox creature in a crowded sea of high-end, reference headphones. In a market where developers strictly adhere to the Harman Target Response Curve like dogmatic scripture, it is refreshing to witness a company carve its own path.

Like the Audioquest Nighthawk, this headphone is bound to polarize listeners with its velvety tonality. Nevertheless, I believe they will develop their own cult following as time goes by.

If you’re looking for a reference headphone with clinical precision, look elsewhere. If you’re up for an unashamedly fun listen, this is the headphone for you.

Disclaimer:

The unit I reviewed is part of a review tour set up by Head-Fi members Wiljen. Huge thanks to Ken and Wiljen and everyone involved in this tour.

Intro:

Campfire audio is a well-known American manufactory famous for its high-quality IEM. Andromeda is one of the most iconic IEMs in the market, which bring huge success to the company. Then in recent years Campfire audio also launch serval IEMs with the great build and sound quality. With huge success in IEM market, Campfire first time ever launch its new portable, closed-back headphone Cascade.


Driver:
Cascade feature 42mm Beryllium PVD Diaphragm Dynamic Drivers. Beryllium is one of the superior material for the diaphragm of a high-frequency electroacoustic transducer. The driver components were manufactured through a method known as PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition), which is a process that involves depositing thin layers through the condensation of the vaporized element onto a form. Compare to other drivers like Aluminum and Titanium, Beryllium has the lowest mass, the highest stiffness, the lowest Poisson Effect, the highest speed of sound, and the highest tensile strength of the acoustically useful light metals. Also, the beryllium diaphragm exhibits substantially more output in the two octaves from 3 to 12kHz than all of the standard materials.





Build Quality:


The build quality of Cascade is maybe the best I have seen.
It is phenomenal. Aluminum and Stainless Steel Construction make it looks solid but not heavy, a nice weight on your hand. Sheep leather detachable pads are very elegant and plush, it feels like the whole pads are “hug” you into the Cascade. Also, It is very easy to replace because of the magnetic design. The clamping force is firm but not make me any discomfort. This plus the sheep ear pups give you a very good seal and secure fit. Again these pads are really really good.
The headband is touching my head, but nothing uncomfortable. The cable is lightweight also durable. Cascade use the Sennheiser HD800 style of push/pull connectors which is very easy to use.





Sound Impression:
Cascade has a very powerful and impactful sound signature, excellent speed and detail retrieval. It is very fun to listen to and it sounds open. The overall sound signature is warm, great quality bass, mid is a little recessed but still can have some impact. Scalability is incredible.

During my almost 7-day listening, I used cascade 80% of the time in my office 20% at home.
What I listen: Jazz, Light Electronic music, Rock etc.
I try different filter but I prefer no filter, so I will not cover filter sound different in this review.



Source:
In office: MacBook pro and mojo, Player: Jriver;
At home: Audio-GD Master 11, Player: Jriver;
IPad pro, player: HibyMusic.
All music file are using DSF or lossless 16 bit/44.1khz or higher FLAC file


Synergy:
I prefer to use MacBook directly with Cascade which still provides very nice sound without DAC/Amp. The synergy of Cascade and mojo is okay but because even Mojo give more detail but they both have warm tonality, sometimes it is just too much.
I am a little surprised after hearing Cascade pairing with Audio-GD master 11, I personally preferred this synergy, it makes the sound tight and provides a much cleaner sound. It shows Cascade has very nice scalability compared to some other bass-head headphones which typically lack. This might be a reason I still prefer it for in-home use rather than portable use.

Cascade is very source sensitive. One little default of the file or player will lead to a huge difference of the sound quality. When I play “Hotel California” DSD file using IPad pro's "HibyMusic" app and there is low-end distortion I never noticed. Same DSD file plays on master 11 using Jriver, there is no distortion at all and that is the first time I noticed it.







Bass: Cascade hits very hard, deep, great quality bass. It puts the entire low-end in front of you. Overall best bass quality I have ever listened, Try MJ’s Billie Jean and ACDC’s Thunderstruck which will give you thunder-like bass.


Mids: Mids is not his strength, but not like some other bass-head headphone, which you can’t feel the mids. Cascade still has some light impact which you still can hear it effortless.


Treble: Treble is a little roll off, but keep its crispy taste, a little forward presentation. Try Kenny G Always if you like Saxophone.


Soundstage:
This is very interesting. When you listen to some good quality recordings. you really can feel the size of the recording studio, with Cascade, it feels much more obvious. The different recording you can easily feel the different size of the recording studio, You can tell where the boundary is, which make the song much more interesting and fun to listen with. Try the Norah Jones Day Breaks album. Very relaxing sound with some low-end emphasis. Then listen to Peter Gabriel Sledgehammer. You can feel the drum sound reflect the wall and tell how big is the studio. But at the same time, some of the song you will feel too busy to keep too many things in this little room.


Conclusion and some thought:


Overall, a good product is the reflection of its creator. Good product has its own soul. People know what they want before they design a product. Cascade is a great product, if Ken is a chef, Cascade is one of the best treats he gives to this world. On the other hand, IMHO, Cascade is some kind of overkill for portable use. Because of some ergonomic design, you really can feel the compromise for its portable purposes, imagine how good it will be if it is a full-size can. But this is really a great start for a company. At $799 price point, this is an absolutely fantastic headphone if you want a fun, entertaining campfire house sound signature, great speed great detail retrieval, but also has great scalability.

Introduction –

Campfire Audio requires no introduction in the modern day, but just a few years ago, many were scratching their heads at cable manufacturer ALO Audio’s foray into in-ear monitors. It’s evident that their efforts were a huge success with the Andromeda and Vega quickly becoming benchmarks for their respective sound signatures and driver types. The Cascade represents the next step in the company’s evolution, as their first closed-back over-ear headphone.

Utilising 3 years of development and growing experience, Campfire offer a headphone featuring 42mm berrylium drivers and the same gorgeous build quality that we have come to expect from the company. With an isolating closed-back design combined with deep, plush lambskin ear pads, the Cascade strives to find versatility between home and portable use, catering towards audio enthusiasts of every kind. You can read more about the Cascade and treat yourself to one here.



Disclaimer –

I would like to thank Caleb from Campfire Audio very much for his quick communication and for providing me with the Cascade for the purpose of review. All words are my own and there is no monetary incentive for a positive review. Despite receiving the headphones free of cost, I will attempt to be as objective as possible in my evaluation.



Accessories –


It’s almost amusing to see the same packaging from Campfire’s in-ears expanded for the Cascade. Campfire’s signature box design makes a return as does their terrific zippered carrying case, this time scaled up in size. The included hard case is gorgeous with a full grain leather exterior and soft faux shearling interior that prevents the headphones from becoming scratched while providing some drop protection on top. Inside the case are the headphones themselves in addition to the included accessories within two paper pouches. One contains the cable and warranty/instructional papers with the other containing 4 pairs of filters that enable the user to fine-tune the sound of the headphones.



Design –

Sloping lines, smoothly formed edges and a smooth finish all define the Campfire’s first foray into a market of flashy and abstract portable designs. The Cascade rather comes across as subdued with a design language translated from their previous in-ears. Accordingly, we’re gifted the same unyielding metal construction and a sense of styling that is distinct and industrial if not as low-profile as competing models. In line with other premium portable headphones from Bowers and Wilkins and Bang and Olufsen to name examples, the Cascade makes use of lambskin leather that beautifully compliments its cool stainless steel/aluminium complexion. The result is a headphone that’s both solid and luxurious. Though the metalwork is immaculate, I do have qualm with the finishing on the headband as there’s no sealing strip where the leather meets the inner frame to prevent fraying.


Ergonomics are a strong point of the Cascade though it does come at the cost of portability relative to competitors. The headphones are in-between a home and conventional portable headphone in dimension, with very deep angled ear pads and a reasonably wide headband. In return, the headphones are very comfortable; their wide headband spreading weight evenly and their spacious, ultra-plush pads flattering with great long-term comfort. The pads magnetically attach, enabling easy replacement while permitting users to swap out sound tuning filters. I did find the headband to lack curvature, forming a mild hotspot on the top of my head after several hours of listening. That said, as its frame is made from stainless steel, I was able to form the headband into a more ergonomic shape (I take no responsibility for damage should you choose to do the same!).


The Cascade uses a traditional stepped headband slider. They were quite loose on my unit, lacking defined click, but with barely adequate tension to maintain their position. This could be unit specific, however, as other reviewers have not expressed similar concerns in private correspondence. Like Master & Dynamic’s headphones, I had to maximise the setting of the slider due to the shape of the headband. That said, Ken has expressed interest in an extended slider that would permit a larger range of adjustment on retail models. As a result of their strong seal, the Cascade can get a little hot though in return, they provide above average noise isolation. They don’t attenuate nearly as much as class-leading active noise cancellers from Bose and Sony or certain portable headphones such as the Oppo PM3, but suffice for public transport and commute when combined with their full sound.


Using their experience with cables, Campfire elected to use dual entry HD800 connectors on the Cascade; reasoning that, though not widely adopted, they have the lowest fail rate on the market. I didn’t personally experience any intermittency and both connectors engage with satisfying action. The cable itself is very pleasing too, with silver plated litz internals and a durable yet supple fabric sheath. The Cascade’s cable is smooth and compliant with zero memory and minimal microphonic noise. The terminations are well-relieved and Campfire’s pre-moulded connectors all look professional and coherent. Campfire offers a range of terminations, my 3.5mm variant has a pocket-friendly 45-degree plug, a wise choice for its intended uses.



Sound –

Tonality –

The Cascade is discerning, flamboyant and engaging. Those searching for anything vaguely neutral will want to look away, they are clearly V-shaped with abundant sub-bass and vibrant treble. The Cascade isn’t lacking in-between, maintaining fair linearity and a very pleasing tone, ensuring natural midrange voicing and an impressively organised image. Treble is very crisp and airy from factory with filters enabling users to tone down highs to achieve a smoother presentation. On a side note, I did notice that pushing the ear cups in to flatten the ear pads brought the midrange forward. I would presume that as the ear pads wear in, the headphones will become more balanced. The Cascade received over 200hrs of burn-in prior to review to ensure optimal performance.

Filters –


Campfire includes 4 tuning filters, all providing various levels of damping. As the number increases, the filter attenuate more high-frequency presence, thereby creating a warmer, smoother sound. I found the 2nd most conservative filter to suit my preferences best, smoothing treble while retaining some crispness and edge for acoustic. I felt the headphones sounded under-damped stock as they become noticeably more detailed in this configuration simply by smoothing treble peaks and improving control. Higher numbered filters sounded a little over smooth and warm to my ear though, of course, this will be up to individual preference.


On the flipside, if you want even more clarity and high-frequency presence than even the vanilla tuning, users are able to remove the white “fixed” filters on the bottoms of each earpad. This results in a brighter, more open sound but also a very thin, unnatural midrange. I would not recommend this configuration and it’s clear that the white filters are adhered to the pads for a reason. The beauty of this system is its flexibility. Though they don’t have a transformative effect, the differences between each filter are distinct and effective. One can see this in play just by reading reviews online with almost every reviewers opting for a different filter.



Bass –

The Cascade is a creature of rumble and visceral kick on behalf of its very elevated sub-bass and flawless extension. Sub-bass hits with precision and rumble assumes a physical character that flatters genres such as electronic, R&B and rap in addition to gaming and film. This is offset by a more modest mid-bass emphasis enabling a tone that is fairly clean, with noticeable but not obtrusive warmth. Accordingly, low notes are bold and impactful but the Cascade doesn’t sound overly full and woolly as its emphasis is mainly contained within the very lowest frequencies. Upper-bass is fairly neutral, enabling greater midrange transparency and preventing over-warming of the Cascade’s presentation. Bass is a little omnipresent as a result of its emphasis, though due to its excellent control, bass doesn’t drone nor does it become congested on busier tracks.

What impresses most about the Cascade’s low-end is its control, reminding very much of Campfire’s Vega; a dynamic driver in-ear with big sub-bass reeled in with surgical control. Though its notes are large, the Cascade maintains definition, preserving detail and texture. Sub-bass is tight, especially considering its level of emphasis, reaffirmed by a very solid, coherent impact at the very bottom. Though the Cascade doesn’t strike me as an especially fast headphone, compared to lower-end headphones with similar tuning and even the similarly priced MDR-Z7, the Cascade thoroughly impresses with its ability to follow complex passages; a by-product of its great control paired with a nicely considered mid-bass emphasis. Really, the Cacade’s bass is very respectable in quality, there’s just a lot of it and you can have too much of a good thing.



Mids –

The Cascade’s midrange is laid-back on a whole, but clean and slighty bright, treading a fine line between clarity and balance. To my ears, Campfire have found a fair middle ground with a nicely revealing signature set to a fairly neutral tone. This is achieved through slight attenuation of the lower-midrange that serves to counterbalance the headphones emphasized bass, and a slightly enhanced centre midrange that produces a presentation slightly biased towards vocals over instruments. The Cascade pairs this tuning with a slight upper-midrange lift that feeds more evenly into its elevated treble while providing additional midrange clarity. As such, the Cascade has a clearer presentation and an almost exaggerated sense of separation at the cost of a little body and linearity. I wouldn’t characterise the Cascade as a realistic sounding headphone as a result, though due to its excellent tone, it remains naturally voiced and upholds respectable transparency.


It should be noted that though both male and female vocals are well-present, they’re still laid-back relative to the Cascade’s enhanced bass with treble presence depending heavily on the chosen filter. At times, male vocals sound slightly chesty on behalf of its enhanced bass while female vocals hold constant spotlight with slightly greater presence and reduced colouration. The Cascade layers very well even if it isn’t perfectly balanced and its excellent resolution enables great background detail retrieval. With the right filters, mids are refined and smooth with accurate articulation, lacking negative traits usually associated with V-shaped headphones. True to its slight brightness, instrumentation is crisp and the nature of the headphone’s treble tuning avoids overly emphasised sibilance. Again, this is subject to change with filters, as I did find the Cascade to sound more explicitly cool stock. Mids are very well done unless you absolutely prioritise timbre.



Highs –

Up top, the Cascade is revealing, resolving and terrifically well-extended. Lower-treble has slight emphasis resulting in a more aggressive presentation of foreground detailing and nicely crisp, if thin instrumentation. Using the included filters can have quite a profound impact here, attenuating peaks to produce a more even and detailed image. With my preferred filters installed, instrument body is bolstered, becoming slightly organic, with the higher resistance filters further pushing the Cascade into smoothness. In this configuration, the Cascade is a very detailed headphone that scrutinises background detail in addition to being superficially clear. It delivers excellent micro-detail retrieval, especially with acoustic, in addition to naturally decaying cymbals and well-resolved high-hats. Regardless of filter choice, the Cascade’s elevated middle-treble always shines through, enhancing air and aiding shimmer.

It sounds very open as a result, a large contributor towards its spacious stage. Compared to a lot of other brighter headphones, the Cascade’s emphasis here is well-considered, I wouldn’t call them over-bright and middle-treble doesn’t overshadow detail lower-down. The Cascade’s background remains fairly clean and composed when combined with its excellent control. The same can be said for its upper-treble. Ironically, with a lot of high-end headphones and in-ears, upper-treble emphasis can become a bit excessive; it does showcase the level of extension they’re capable of but can skew their tone and timbre. In this regard, the Cascade is nicely done, it doesn’t possess the same upper-treble energy as Campfire’s BA in-ears, but retains plenty of sparkle without throwing its technical prowess in the listener’s face. Regardless, the headphone’s impressive extension is always evident through its high resolution, micro-detail retrieval and organised stage.



Soundstage –

Probably one of the first aspects that creates an impression on first listen, the Cascade’s soundstage is very spacious while maintaining coherent imaging. It has a nicely rounded presentation with great expansion in all axis, achieved through its airy tuning, well-extended treble and laid-back vocals that emphasize depth. Some have even likened the Cascade to an open back headphone, and though it’s certainly no HD800 and lacks the same sense of natural expansion, the Cascade is roughly on par with the average open-back.

Layers are very defined and the Cascade’s background remains well-detailed despite being so expansive. Imaging is respectable, especially considering the nature of the Cascade’s tuning, likely a result of its more linear midrange. Separation is generally pleasing too, with controlled, agile and slightly thinner notes working in conjunction with a spacious stage to produce a very delineated presentation. Bass separation is the weakest element due to its sub-bass emphasis that can overshadow mid-bass details, and treble can get slightly busy at times.



Driveability –

With a low 38ohm impedance and 100dB sensitivity, the Cascade is quite easily driven to high volumes from a portable source. For the majority of listeners, even a smartphone will provide sufficient volume. Despite this, the Cascade scales immensely well from higher end sources. It definitely benefits from a strong amplifier and has the resolution to take advantage of a resolving source. Even coming from the Fiio X7 II, running the Cascade from my Schiit Magni 3 desktop amplifier yielded a noticeably more controlled low-end with tighter sub-bass and greater separation. Its soundstage noticeably expanded and micro-details were easier to discern. Select pairings below:

iPhone 6S: Loose, woolly bass with little definition. Slightly warmer tone. Midrange is fairly balanced but slightly more laid-back and lacking a little transparency relative to dedicated sources. Less detailed, pleasing air and resolution. More intimate soundstage with less defined layers. Lacking separation. Liveable, impressive but not ideal!

Echobox Explorer: Slightly fuller bass, mid-bass a little woolly and lacking some control. Midrange is slightly fuller, but still fairly transparent, upper-midrange is laid-back producing a denser image. Enhanced detail presence, crisp and clear, nice air. Good resolution, great soundstage expansion but mediocre layering and separation.

Fiio X7 MKII (AM3A): More vibrant, slightly lifted mid-bass, larger bass notes. Slightly forward upper midrange, enhanced midrange clarity. Well-detailed with nice air. Great resolution, medium soundstage expansion with clear layers and good separation.

Shozy Alien+: Very balanced, clean, great bass control, more neutral tone. Transparent midrange, slightly clearer. Slight lower-treble emphasis aids midrange clarity and detail presence. Nice air and resolution. Medium soundstage expansion with clear layers and great separation.

Hiby R6: Very balanced, clean, well-controlled bass. Slightly diffuse sub-bass slam relative to the DX200/Magni 3 combo, but also a more neutral bass tone. Transparent midrange, slightly less dense but clear and balanced. Well-detailed with nice air. Nice resolution, great soundstage expansion and layering. Well separated.

iBasso DX200 (AMP5): Very balanced, clean, extended bass with nice control and definition. Transparent midrange, very slightly full-bodied vocals. Excellent detailing, slightly enhanced air and terrific resolution. Great soundstage expansion and layering, well separated.

DX200 w/Magni 3: Very balanced, very clean bass with a slightly more physical quality. Excellent bass control, slightly more neutral tone with enhanced definition and separation. Transparent midrange, slightly clearer on account of more controlled bass. Excellent detailing, enhanced air and retained resolution. Expansive soundstage with great layering and separation.



Comparisons –

All comparisons below were running through the DX200 + Magni 3 setup, volume matched using an SPL meter.

Oppo PM3 ($450): The PM3 does not compete within the same price class, but it is my personal portable headphone benchmark. It features planar magnetic drivers and a very balanced signature that contrasts to the vivid Cascade. The Cascade is immediately more V-shaped and more resolving with greater extension at either end. The PM3 has a slight sub-bass emphasis while the Cascade has a fairly significant boost in addition to slightly more extension, producing considerably greater slam. The Cascade also has more mid-bass though its low-end is tighter and more defined despite the PM3 being more balanced. The two diverge heading into the midrange where the PM3 is full-bodied with sustained emphasis through its upper-bass and lower-midrange.

By contrast, the Cascade sounds cleaner and a little more transparent on account of its more neutral upper-bass and attenuated lower-midrange. The PM3 has a more present midrange overall, it’s very linear with an especially realistic timbre. The Cascade is brighter and thinner, but not excessively so. In return, it’s clearer while retaining a pleasing amount of body. The Cascade layers a lot better and it has higher resolution throughout, aided by its clearer tuning. The PM3 has a small bump in its lower treble for detail presence before a moderate slope into an attenuated middle and upper treble. On the contrary, the Cascade is emphasized all the way through, most notably within the middle-treble.

Resultantly, the PM3 sounds dark and mellow while the Cascade is rather open and airy with a brighter background. The Cascade extends a lot further up top which accentuates its openness and contributes towards its higher resolution. When it comes to soundstage, the Cascade is the clear winner, considerably more spacious in all dimensions, more layered and a lot more separated. At twice the price, the Cascade provides all the technical upgrades one would expect and its tuning really capitalises on its strengths. Of course, the PM3 is a lot more balanced, but on a technical level, this demonstrates that driver type should not be considered a limiting factor.

Sony MDR-Z7 ($800): The Z7 is another high-end closed-back dynamic headphone with a bassier tuning. Compared to the Cascade, the Z7 is slightly more balanced but also less transparent and technical. Both dig very deep when it comes to bass, with the Z7 producing greater impact due to its greater sub-bass emphasis. The Z7 isn’t as bassy overall, but as it has a greater focus on mid-bass with a less emphasized sub-bass. I personally prefer its less emphasized sub-bass, but it sounds more bloated and tubby due to the nature of its tuning. It’s also more obviously warm in its presentation where the Cascade is more neutral in tone. In addition, the Cascade has noticeably greater control and it’s clearly more defined and detailed within its lower registers as a result. The Cascade also has a considerably more natural midrange.

Of note, the Z7 has a sucked out lower-midrange combined with over-articulated vocals on account of its more pronounced lower-treble. The Cascade on the other hand is fairly neutral through its lower-midrange. Combined with its more neutrally toned bass, it’s more transparent, natural and refined. Vocals are slightly more laid-back but have more realistic body and timbre. The Z7 has a forward upper-midrange that enhances the presence of female vocals and increases midrange clarity. That said, the Cascade is again smoother and more natural in this regard where the Z7 is more vibrant but also quite unnatural. The Z7 is a well-detailed headphone accentuated by a clear, crisp lower-treble that brings details forward in the mix. The Cascade is considerably more linear through its upper-midrange and treble, providing more naturally bodied instrumentation.

It’s the more detailed headphone even if it lacks an iota of crispness compared to the enhanced Z7. The Cascade also extends further up top, it has immediately more sparkle, a little more air and noticeably higher resolution than the Sony can. The more linear nature of the Cascade’s midrange and treble tuning works wonders with its soundstage. The Z7 actually has the advantage with size and, in some regards, separation; it’s an immensely spacious headphone and its thinner midrange sounds nicely delineated. That said, the Cascade is immediately more layered with clearly superior imaging. It has greater background detail retrieval and separation overall is higher. It’s the more nuanced, coherent headphone if less superficially vibrant and clear.



Verdict –

Over the years, audiophiles have been conditioned to appreciate (almost exclusively), a balanced or neutral orientated style of tuning and with it, have gained a hyper-critical perspective on almost everything else. As an enthusiast with such a mindset, my first minutes with the Cascade were quite a shock yet despite this, I came to thoroughly enjoy my time with the Cascade. It goes without saying that most headphones carry a V-shaped signature, so what makes the Cascade more unique than most is its technical prowess; enabling them to uncover more and more detail over longer listening periods. In another sense, the Cascade is also a poignant reminder of the bassy, hyper-engaging gear that introduces most listeners to the hobby in the very beginning; and it’s one of those products that makes me question my own preferences and whether one can concretely categorise what brings them enjoyment.


For Campfire, the Cascade not only represents their first non-in-ear design but a refinement of the V-shaped signature initiated by the indomitable Vega; realising great vibrancy without skewing midrange tone. As someone who highly values timbre, the Cascade cannot be universally recommended, despite its technical ability. Still, I’m sure it will be a sound that many will love and many will grow to appreciate. It’s not balanced, neutral or realistic, but executes its tuning through marvellous control. I’m especially enamoured by the Cascade’s midrange that shines through with its clear yet natural voicing achieved through careful transitions that achieve overall coherence. I have to thank Ken and everyone working with him for providing an experience that was surprising, engaging and most importantly, memorable.

The Cascade can be purchased from Campfire Audio for $799 USD. I am not affiliated with Campfire Audio and receive no earnings from purchases through this link.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed my review, please see my website for more just like it!

Intro: I am an admitted mids-head,rather than a basshead. I found the Cascade to be too bass heavy naked,so my thoughts that follow are from listening with the 2nd strongest filter in place.

Build Quality/Comfort/Presentation:

I found the build quality to be excellent. Well built with a smart design. The magnetic cup/pad design will hopefully become more popular with other companies as it made pad rolling to be a breeze.

I have read others complain about the comfort of the headband,and while I agree that the weight could be better dispersed across the band,I didnt find the Cascades to be uncomfortable on my shaved head. Im guessing having a full head of hair would help further.

The only problem with the design for me was the narrow width of the pads. Theyre simply too narrow for the average ear.


Sound and Technicalities:


Tone: The Campfire Cascade is a very warm headphone. I admittedly enjoy a warm tilt to my headphones, I think however that the Cascade is too warm, especially when used sans the included filters.


Lows: These are a bassheads dream. Theres gobs of bass to go around,from impactful midbass slam to the deep rumble of sub bass. Its quite clear that Campfire gave zero thought to trying to make these anywhere close to neutral...and they succeeded.
Unfortunately as mentioned by others, the bass often times creeps into the mids,which muddies up the detail quite a bit,especially with older,warm recordings.

Mids: While I wasnt particularly impressed with the mids in general,for a bass-centric headphone however,these have pretty good mids.
V-shaped but not to an extreme degree I would recommend these to a basshead who happens to like mids. For a midhead who happens to like bass,not so much. The above forementioned bass bleed really detracts from the mid section.

Treble: The highs are relaxed to my ears,which I rather enjoy. Detail retrieval isnt this headphones main strong suit,nor is it a weakness,but given the alternative of these,or a fullblown treble heavy screech machine (like the DT770) I will take the Cascades relaxed treble everyday of the week.


Soundstage:

Compared to the comparably priced Aeon Flow Closed, the Cascade has a narrow sound stage. However i did not find it any more or less narrow than many closed back headphones, but this is not the expansive width (nor depth) of the AFC either.

Amping: The Cascade is a breeze to drive,whether it was direct from my LG V20,or an Ibasso DX50 or from a AGD R2R-11 the Cascade delivered essentially the same performance,punchy warm controlled bass.


Final Thoughts:

My wife,who is a pop child of the Eighties absolutely loved the Cascades. I found that with modern music that had a lot of slick,studio board created bass The Cascades sounded phenomenal. In addition, bright music and/or EDM,rap,hip-hop,and even some hard rock like AC/DC these headphones are a ton of fun.

My son,whom is a metalhead, hated the Cascades. I would fall somewhere in between,neither loving nor loathing my time with The Cascade.

If I was just starting out in this hobby and had $800.00 to spend I feel that there are better ways to get going in this hobby rather than the Cascade. However if youre in the market for a portable closed back,already have a competent home system in place, dont want to be bothered with carrying around an amp, and your musical tastes lean towards bright poppy tunes and enjoy bass in abundance then the Cascade might be the exact headphone youre looking for.

Preface:


The unit I reviewed was part of a loaner tour set up by fellow Head-Fi members. I appreciate the opportunity to be included in the tour and a big thank you to everyone involved. This is also my first experience with Campfire audio products. I'm personally not a fan of IEM’s, so I had never demoed any of their gear before.


Build Quality/Comfort/Presentation:


I was immediately impressed with the packaging and presentation of the Campfire Cascade. Inside a colorful product box is very handsome looking black hard shelled case with a removable clip-on arm strap. Inside I found the Cascade's neatly folded up on a bed of a faux-wool looking material. It’s been some time since I’ve used headphones with a folding headband, but Campfire has designed a solid and well constructed system. Overall the Cascade’s build quality feels quite premium. Aluminum and stainless steel is predominately used, most notably in critical areas like the folding hinge.

The earcup housing swivels slightly forward and goes completely 90 degrees back to lay completely flat. The earpads are premium feeling sheepskin and are very plush and supple. Their opening isn’t that large, but my ears fit just fine and I found them quite comfortable. The headband is wrapped in a durable feeling, synthetic material. There is a decent amount of padding under the apex to help prevent hot spots. During my time with the Cascade, I didn’t have any comfort issues and found them pleasant to wear over extended periods of time. They also seemed to stay firmly put on the move. Note that I have a pretty average sized head, so user comfort could vary depending on head size.

Isolation is good for a closed back, but it’s not quite the best I’ve heard. The included silver plated copper Litz cable is excellent. It’s cloth covered, very malleable and the perfect length for portable use. My only real big issue with the build is the choice to use the same connectors as the Sennheiser HD800 uses. I’ve never been a fan of this connection type and I think there’s much better choices out there that are the same/similar size. According to Campfire, they find these connectors almost fail-proof, so that’s the reasoning they went with them. Also included are several acoustic dampeners so the user can tweak their overall sound. I’ll comment more on these later.

One thing I’ve heard mentioned a few times is that the Cascade looks rather silly on your head. The NAD HP50’s were my go to portables for quite some time (and I still like them quite a lot, especially for the price), and they have an even more ridiculous looking headband. Overall I rather like Campfire’s design choices and feel they’re rather unique and attractive. As far as how they look on your head? I personally don’t care, but I supposed if you live in a house made of mirrors it might matter.


Sound and Technicalities:


The first thing you notice with listening to the Cascade is the bass. The 42mm beryllium coated pvd drivers have some of the best low end impact/slam I’ve heard on a pair of portables. These can be head rattlers for sure, and bass-head’s will no doubt love this about the Cascade’s sound. While I don’t consider myself a “bass-head”, I do like elevated bass if it works with the overall tuning. Unfortunately, I didn’t find that the case with the Cascade. Lets go into more detail.

Lows: Like I already mentioned, the bass response of the Cascade is no doubt their highlight. Rich and robust with plenty of presence, punch and rumble. I’d consider it very high quality on a pair of portable closed backs. Unfortunately for me, I found that the quantity is just too much on most sources. Using the supplied acoustic dampeners, you can reduce the amount of low end. However, even with the highest dampener used, I still felt the bass bleeding into the mids. Sub-bass is rather good, but doesn’t reach down quite as much as some other headphones I’ve heard.

Mids: I’d consider the Cascade’s overall midrange competent, although not terribly exciting. I already touched on the overreaching bass bleeding into the lower mids, which I felt distracting on certain tracks. Instruments overall sounded good and were fairly realistic sounding. Clarity is solid, although I found the upper mids to be withdrawn somewhat. Not egregiously so, but some vocals seemed too sit too far back in the mix.

Treble: The Cascade is slightly rolled off in the highs and lacks upper extension. This can be adjusted somewhat with the supplied tuning dampeners, but they still fell short for my tastes. Besides the lack of extension, I didn’t have really many issues with the treble. Much like the midrange, it was pleasant sounding and not very offensive. The absence of air and sparkle hurt the overall tuning for me. I almost wish they would have went full V-shaped with the signature as it could help balanced out the excessive mid-bass.

Soundstage/Imaging/etc.:

The Cascade really excels with some of it’s technical abilities. Detail retrieval is very competent and also overall has good transient response. I found the soundstage to be quite good for a closed-back. Expansive, yet not artificial sounding. Imagining and instrument separation are really exceptional, especially when paired with a high quality gear/source.

Gear pairing:

True to being a portable headphone, the Cascade is very easy to drive. It sounded competent from pretty much everything I threw at it. I ran it on multiple DAP’s, smartphones and everything up to my Liquid Gold/Yggdrasil combo. Surprisingly, I found that the Cascade scaled quite well. Despite how easy it is to drive, the drivers really seemed to come alive with more power. Although running them on full sized rig rather defeats their portable form factor, they would do well with a desktop home/office setup. I found a neutral/leaner sounding setup also benefited the Cascade due to their warmer sound. My favorite pairing was directly out of my HTC u11 smartphone, which is very lean and bright sounding. It actually tamed the over enthusiastic bass enough for my tastes and sounded more cohesive tonally.


Final Thoughts:


Campfire has delivered a solid first effort for their first full sized headphone. Most of my issues rely solely on the Cascade’s tuning, but many people will no doubt enjoy their sound. If you’re looking for a high quality portable headphone and primarily listen to Hip Hop, Pop, Electronic and Modern Rock, the Cascade might be worth looking at. I do feel the $800 price point is perhaps a little high for a portable with such a specific tuning. I would be much more enthusiastic about them if the were a few hundred dollars less. Still the Cascade is a very premium feeling product, and I’m excited to see what Campfire delivers next as far as full sized headphones go.

Disclaimer: The headphone I’m reviewing is a demo unit provided for an on-going tour.

Campfire Audio is a name I’m pretty familiar with as I thoroughly enjoyed their TOTL iem offering, the Andromeda. So when it was announced that Ken has been developing a headphone, piqued my interest. This headphones is the Campfire Cascade, which is the one I’m reviewing.

Cascade is a closed back headphone utilizing 42mm Beryllium PVD Diaphragm Dynamic Drivers. In terms of looks, it doesn’t have the typical rounded shaped headphone cups, but rather a rectangular shape. It’s not the largest cups for the ears, but fit my ears just fine, but feels like there is a bit of a limited room even if my ears are considered compact in size. People with bigger ears may find it more constricting.

The headphones comes in this large box similar to the small sized box that comes with their iems.


Within the box, contains a carrying case with the headphones inside, two envelopes. One of the envelopes contains the warranty card, two quick guides, and the filters. The other envelope contained the headphone cable.







The pads are easy to take out to swap out the filters. Nice feature of the Cascade is that the pads are held on by magnets on the pads and the drivers. So, it’s quite easy to pull out the pads, slide the filter in, and placing the pads back on. Pads go back on in precise placement by magnetic attraction without any fiddling. This is quite refreshing from headphones that take a bit work to pull out the pads. Sometimes they use little plastic coupler that you can accidently damage or wear out over time, or worse, they maybe adhered with an adhesive.


When I heard that these headphones come with filters, I expected to be some sort of foam inserts you find with MrSpeakers headphone. The filters used for the Cascades are totally different as they are not foam of any kind, but a cut sheet of plastic film that is placed on top portion of the earspeakers. There are 4 different types of filters sized from 1T to 4T, and with increasing number, the pore size increases from 7 to 15um. Each filter can be identified with a specific notch shape as shown on the quick reference guide provided.

Filters can be applied by pulling out the pads, and placing it on top of the round portion of the driver that is located at the center. There is a notch at the top that the top notch of the filter film can be aligned.

The quick guide(for the filters) provided states, “The lower number value of the acoustic dampener the higher the level of mid and low frequency response will be.” So, I decided on lowest filter, 1T, and I didn’t notice much of a difference in sound. Upon further investigation on the forum threads, somebody recommended to just not use filters altogether, and I thought there was a slight difference without the filter, reducing some warmth and bringing out more mids coherency, and highs in general. The bass response on the other hand, I couldn’t tell if there were reduction or not as the bass of the Cascade is very strong that if there is some reduction, it should be quite noticeable, but I couldn’t tell.

The cable came inside the black envelope. I was quite surprised the entire cable fit inside there. The cable isn’t long, and terminated with a 3.5mm connector. The driver connectors on the cable is same connectors used for HD800 headphones. The cable is covered in fabric material, and doesn’t get coiled up or has memory, which is quite nice. It’s quite light as well, and I think the cable works quite well for portable use.



Upon initial listen, first thing I noticed was hard slamming bass large in quantity. I immediately had to turn down the volume as that was a whole lot of hard hitting bass. I never had this the other way around, usually it’s the treble side I’d adjust the volume for.

Well, I can say, it’s for people that want to feel the music as there a highly significant bass presence to these. These in particular to many other headphones, pushes out significant bass, particularly the mid to lower mids bass. The bass hits very hard with it’s mid bass region, and outputs a particular woofer like resonance effect as well. Listening to genre like pop, hiphop, R&B, you get hit with these type of bass, particularly in large quantity. The hard bass gets reveal, but quite significantly if the track contains it, but if it does not, you won’t get hit with such hard bass. But a bit of warning, bass hit really hard and quite significant than the avg. Be forewarned.

When I got these, there was already a filter placed in the drivers, 1T, or the filter that should(according to the quick guide) should have the lowest level of mids to bass, and I still found the bass to be quite high and significant. Matter a fact, these headphones has the greatest bass quantity I’ve ever heard on an headphone. This maybe because I’m into more balanced response, and therefore I don’t have much opportunity with bass rich headphones..

A forum member mentioned that the lowest bass quantity would be without any filters applied, so I tried them without any filters. Although I didn’t notice much of a difference in terms of bass quantity(still quite high), taking out any filters seems to increase mids clarity slightly and seems to be slight increase in lower treble as well.

I can say that these headphones do sound like Andromeda(in the mids to upper frequencies ignoring the bass), particularly without the filters. It does have have a bit of that warm lower-mids presence to sound. This response is a bit above neutral that mids can come off a bit on the warm side. Mids sounds a bit less clear due to the warm nature of the signature(especially with the filters). What’s really interesting though is that even with such a large volume of bass, the bass doesn’t bleed much to the mids for a closed headphone, but there is still that warm presence in the mids that provide greater weight to the mids, and therefore find the mids to be reduced in clarity slightly compared to a response with lower bass quantity, but overall, it’s got to be the clearest sounding headphone for such large quantity of bass. I think the way the Cascade FR being emphasized more toward the mid to lower mid bass, probably keeps the bass from bleeding to the mids significantly. I didn’t hear any mids to upper mids-recession. I think the upper frequencies are well balanced.

Overall, I find these to be fun sounding headphones that with modern genre, and pop, by adding much ummph in the low end. These headphones do quite well with modern and pop genre of music, and doesn’t sound incisive in the upper frequencies. It’s not a response that you’d hear much sibilance either, which is a trait I like about the upper frequency response. It should play well with wide genre of music.

If you are looking for hard hitting bass with a bit of warmth, you should definitely look into the Cascades. It’s a good option for those love bass(have a particular taste for hard hitting bass), and looking for something that works portably. I’m not much of a bass-head, but can’t deny that these in general do sound good(but, lower bass would of course be closer to my preferred sig).

Like I’ve mentioned, these are suited for portable use being a closed back, comes with thin light cable with 3.5mm termination, and being easy to drive(which would be suited for portable devices),

I find that it does sound similar to Andromeda if ignoring the significantly raised mid to low-mid bass. It seems CA has similar philosophy for it’s target response. Overall warm, but without too much upper-mids treble, and articulate the treble with lower treble(but, not with too much in quantity), and in some cases like the Cascade, push lots of bass. Since I’m not really a bass-head, what I wonder about is, how the Cascade would sound without so much bass. I do find the upper frequencies pretty nicely done that I don’t hear any tonal abruptness, and sounds relatively smooth. So, I think a Cascade without such large quantity of bass would be the type of response that would jive well for me.


I’d like to thank Ken Ball from CA in providing opportunity for us to demo the Cascades.

Price: $799

Product site: https://campfireaudio.com/shop/cascade/

Acknowledgement


These headphones have been provided to me by Campfire Audio for the purposes of this review, along with their SXC8 4.4mm balanced cable. There is no incentive (financial or otherwise) for giving these headphones a positive review, and all the words and opinions expressed within are my own (no matter how misguided!), with no editorial input from Campfire Audio.

This review was originally posted on the UK based audio blog I contribute to (Audio Primate) and is being posted here for the benefit of any Head-Fi'er who may be interested.

About me:
I'm a fairly recent convert to audiophilia but a long time music fan, also aspiring to be a reasonably inept drummer in my spare time. I listen to at least 2 hours of music a day – generally prefer IEMs for out and about, and a large pair of headphones when I have the house to myself and a glass in my hand. I have converted most of my library to FLAC or 320kbps MP3, and do my other listening other listening through Tidal HiFi. I am a fan of rock, acoustic (apart from folk) and sarcasm. Oh yeah, and a small amount of electronica. Not a basshead, but I do love a sound with some body to it. My ideal tuning for most IEMs and headphones tends towards a musical and slightly dark presentation, although I am not treble sensitive in general. Please take all views expressed in my posts with a pinch of salt – all my reviews are a work in progress based on my own perceptions and personal preferences, and your own ears may tell you a different story



Introduction
Campfire Audio are a brand that are quickly becoming one of the defacto “go to” manufacturers on the current audiophile scene for high end portable audio. Based out of Portland, Oregon (USA) and headed up by Ken Ball, this American audio powerhouse originally sprang from Ken’s other business selling high end audio components and amplification, ALO Audio. Despite the fact they have only been around for a couple of years, they have quickly slipped into the fabric of the audiophile upper echelons with releases like the Jupiter, Andromeda and Vega, utilising advanced tuning techniques in the IEM shells and unusual driver materials to keep the driver counts down while producing some of the most well regarded IEMs in the $1k bracket.

I first heard a Campfire Audio product when the Nova was made available on the group buying site Massdrop. As Campfire don’t currently have a UK distributor (at time of writing), the only way for me to hear their take on sound was to jump in with both feet and buy blind. To cut a long story short, while the Nova wasn’t my own personal endgame in terms of preferences, there was something in the skill of the tuning that very much appealed to my inner sensibilities, so I made it my goal to hear as many more of their lineup as I could, whenever the chance arose. Having since heard (and reviewed) their 2017 flagship models (the Andromeda and Vega) and loved both very different takes both IEMs produced, I was hugely intrigued to hear what Ken & Co could cook up with a 42mm over-ear driver, so I positively jumped at the opportunity to review these headphones once the chance came up.



Unboxing
Campfire Audio are becoming synonymous in their IEM range for the simple elegance and diminutive size of their packaging, and the Cascade certainly doesn’t veer far from that established blueprint here. The headphone is initially presented in a dark green cardboard box, with a grey constellation pattern meant to evoke the feeling of sitting around a campfire and staring into the stars (hence the name of the brand, or so the story goes). On the top face of the box is overlaid a classy grey and silver sticker with the name of the headphone and some basic information in shiny silver writing, set on a swirling grey background. It is simple but undeniably classy, with the front face of the box carrying more information including a picture of the headphones, the relevant certifications and a nice holographic Campfire Audio sticker verifying the serial number of the headphone. The rest of the box is bare, with just a couple of stick-drawing trees and a small Campfire Audio logo in gold breaking up the starry green and grey backdrop.

Opening the flip top lid of the box, you are presented with a large faux-leather headphone carrying case, in the same form as the iconic carry cases from their IEM range, including the faux-wool interior cushioning. Removing the carry case and opening it reveals the headphones themselves, along with two small black envelopes. Tipping out the contents onto the table will reveal the ALO Audio headphone cable that comes as stock, a small Campfire Audio pin, a warranty card, two sets of instruction manuals and some small acoustic tuning inserts.

The manuals for things like headphones are usually of the strikingly obvious variety, and don’t often offer much in the way of any useful insights. The main manual follows this format, providing some useful info on how to detach the earpads from their magnetic assembly, but otherwise sticking to the tried and tested format of “plug this in here and place on head”. The second manual is far more interesting, as it details the effects of the four different acoustic damping filters that are provided with the Cascade to tweak the tuning.

All in all, it’s a classy presentation, not overly ostentatious but definitely in keeping with the pricetag of the gear. It sets a good tone for the whole first listening experience, and as the headphones fold into the carry case, is actually not a horrific size in terms of the overall package when you actually have to store it on a shelf somewhere. Off to a good start.

Build quality and aesthetics
Taking the Cascade in hand, they are a sturdily built affair, sporting a solid aluminium frame with a padded headband and ultra-thick detachable earpads which are held on by a magnetic fastening system. The entire headphone feels sturdy and robust, even down to the metal extenders that move with a solid click as the extend and retract. Despite the all-metal build, the weight is pretty reasonable, and is well distributed across the head when worn. I have a head that is only marginally smaller than an elephant (or so I’ve been told), and occasionally I can feel a slight hotspot right in the middle of my skull after protracted periods of wear, but this isn’t a huge concern for me personally. Otherwise, the clamping force is firm but not overpowering, the swivelling earcups and plushness of the memory foam padding making for a very good seal and secure fit.

The pads click on and off easily, with a strong pulling force to keep them in place when they are on your ears. As mentioned, the foam filling is on the thick side, with a ergonomic wedge shape to the pads that is thicker at the back of the headphone, following the contour of the head. The size of the pads is on the smaller side of the circumaural scale, being only marginally bigger than the circumference of my ears. The softness means that this isn’t uncomfortable if your ears do touch the outside of the padding, but if you do have ears that wouldn’t look out of place on the front cover of the BFG, this will probably be a snug fit. The detachable pads also allow the user to fit one of the four included tuning filters into a specially designed gap between the driver and the pad, allowing some subtle fine tuning of the sound. The act of placing the micropore fabric over the driver vents is a delicate process for those with fat fingers, but they stay in place very well once you have the pads back in place, so isn’t an odious process to change whan you fancy a slightly different tang to the presentation.

The Cascade use the Sennheiser HD800 style of push.pull connectors, and these are angled out of the bottom of each earcup at 45 degrees. This allows for a nice solid cable connection, and naturally angles the cabling forwards so it lays more easily across the chest. The cable connectors and socket both look well machined and fairly robust, so should last through multiple connection and disconnection cycles. This is handy, as the cables need to be detached from the cups before being stowed in the carrying case. In conjunction with the hinges in the headband (just above the extender on both sides), this does allow the Cascade to pack down into a very compact shape for ease of transport in their case for taking on the bus/train/plane.

Finally, the included cable is a high-quality fabric sleeved cable from Campfire’s sister company ALO Audio, terminated in an angled 3.5mm connector. The cable is a silver-plated copper cable, and is very flexible, with practically no microphonics or memory effect. The grey sheathing is less “custom” looking compared to the exposed insulation of something like the SXC8, but it is still in keeping with the overall aesthetic, and the lightness and manageability of the cable go a long way towards making the portable experience more practical.

Overall, these headphones feel sturdy and beautifully put together, and sport an angular industrial design that doesn’t take up too much real estate on the skull. They look different (and not in a bad way), and pack down neatly and easily, giving the impression that they will survive a multitude of trips wherever you intend on taking them without the slightest hint of trouble. Like much of Campfire’s design work, they are definitely a bold design, but unless you really hate the industrial look they are going for, these tick all the major boxes for a top of the line headphone.



Initial impressions on the sound signature
The Cascade is unabashedly a Campfire Audio product in terms of the tuning, sharing a similar sonic slant to both the single DD in-ear monitors on their current range, the Lyra II and Vega. For the uninitiated, this means depth, a weight to the sound you usually only get from sitting in the front row at the World Anvil Dropping Championships and some world class musicality. While it has balance, this is not a headphone for the neutrality-lovers out there. It has bags of bass, a detailed and forward leaning midrange, and a decently crisp treble.

The first and most prominent frequency range is the bass, and it’s here that the Cascade takes full advantage of the Beryllium driver technology to present a sound that is big, bold and punchy. It had the same sort of presence as their flagship IEM the Vega, verging on basshead levels of quantity and slam. Straight out of the box, it occasionally approaches boominess with some poorly mastered tracks, but manages to keep enough of the beast in its cage to cruise just inside the lines. After 200 hours of use, the bass (or my ears) has tightened up, giving a superb sense of dynamism and texture to the lower end, with no small amount of snap. Despite the size, the bass doesn’t overshadow or bleed into the midrange, managing to keep from drowning the lower registers of the vocal ranges in mud or haze. Big, bold and musical are the order of the day here.

The mids are slightly forward and verging on the intimate side in terms of stage position, but a little behind the bass in volume level. Detail levels are surprisingly high for such an overtly fun tuning, with the Cascade being able to spit out gobs of fine detail and texture when required. Guitars sound damn fine, carrying a physical substance and crunch that works superbly with most genres of rock music. The presentation is densely layered, hitting you with a tightly defined wall of sound without sounding cluttered or congested. Vocal delivery is throaty and emotional, and remains fairly even handed when portraying both male and female singers. Overall, musical and thickly detailed is how I would describe these, taking the sort of tuning that worked so well for the Vega and adding a little tweak.

The upper end is crisp but not overblown, sitting somewhere between an XXx and XxX sort of tuning. Ken @ Campfire recommends >75 hours of burn in for the drivers to really relax and start showing their true colours, and while I’m neither a believer or disbeliever, the treble does seem to have moved more to the fore as the hours have racked up, so be prepared to give your brain or the drivers time to break in before you pass judgement.

Again, detail level is high, with a crispness to the leading edge of the notes that adds just a splash of bite to the otherwise warm and musical tone of the Cascade. They are far from congested or dark, but there isn’t a huge feeling of air or sparkle in the upper registers for me, with the treble staying firmly planted just above the midrange rather than glittering off into the rafters. Lovers of 1000C treble heat should probably look elsewhere for their dose of in-ear acupuncture – these cans are definitely not tuned for the stereotypical HD800 fan.

Bass
Getting into the main talking point of these headphones, the bass is something that will polarise the card carrying “audiophiles” out there. With a sound that is thick and beefy, the Cascade kicks out a huge amount of body in the lower end. It isn’t a bass that is woolly or loose in its presentation, and carries a nice sense of agility and punch, but it is BIG. It’s the sort of bass that feels almost tactile, filling the lower end of the frequency range with a sound that is rich, velvety and textured. It lends a very musical and “live” feel to the sound, evoking the chest rattling feeling you get at a good gig when the bass and drums kick into gear.

In terms of balance, the Cascade shares the load fairly evenly between the mid and sub bass frequencies, with a slight tilt in the midbass and then a strong and linear descent into true sub bass (or as true as you can get from a pair of over ears) without and loss of power or emphasis. The bass quantity is definitely a way north of neutral, verging on basshead territory depending on which filter setup you use. It shares a similarity with its IEM counterpart the Vega in that no matter how big the bass feels, it doesn’t feel like it is overshadowing or muddying up the sound above it.

Speed is good, if not quite planar-quick, with a crisp snap and sense of dynamics that keeps drum hits clearly separated in the midst of the most demanding of tracks. “Coming Home” by the prog / rock supergroup Sons Of Apollo starts with a thunderous fill across the width of the kit from Mike Portnoy, and this rolls from left to right across the back of the Cascade stage like a tidal wave. Each strike of the drumhead occupies its own space, both in the X-Y axis and also along the Z-axis, giving a three dimensional feel to the rhythm section.

The bass guitar on this track is thick, distorted and lightning quick, and the Cascade keeps up with the frenetic fretwork easily, providing a thick and rasping low end to the crunchy guitar and vocal histrionics going on above. Another bass growler on my review playlist is “Bad Rain” by Slash, and this absolutely roars on the Cascade. The bass riff that kicks in at the 20 second mark fills the lower left half of the soundstage, and sounds so rich and thickly textured you could probably sell it as a steak in a Michelin starred restaurant. The inner detail here is top notch, presenting layering and resolution in the lower end that is of the highest order, especially for a can in this price bracket. You can hear the heavy gauge strings on the bass guitar vibrating after each hit, slowly starting to fade before the next note hits the ear. Despite the thickness, this is sound with body but no bleed, keeping each strike distinct and taut against the listener’s eardrum.

In comparison to some of the bassier IEMs I have, I find the Cascade presents the lower frequencies in a physically larger and slightly more diffuse way, filling more of the sonic picture in my head. The imaging is actually pretty tight, but the overall presence just feels a little more physically real to my ears.

Switching to something a little funkier, “Here Come The Girls” by Trombone Shorty kicks off with a driving bass and snare drum intro, then the titular brass comes to the party. The Cascade captures the energy of the song, each bass drum hit landing with a solid physical impact and the snare packing a seriously heavyweight punch. The bass quantity adds a richness to the lower end of the horn section that makes the song sound organic and alive, each instrument having a solid and thick foundation to the underside of the notes that plants the music firmly in the listeners’ brain.



“Get Lucky” by Daft Punk sounds sublime through these headphones, the liquid chocolate of the bassline dancing around the ears and dropping lower and lower without losing emphasis. Some drivers can leave the bassline sounding a little one-note as it scrapes the floor of the track, but the Cascade is able to pick up the fine differentiation between the notes without iver-analysing it and losing the inherent Rogers and Pharrell funk that gives the song its heart.

Another genre that benefits from the Cascade’s loud and proud bass stylings is funk, with both Rock Candy Funk Party (yet another Joe Bonamassa driven supergroup) and the more bluesy crossover from artist like Keb’ Mo’ sounding at their toe-tapping best through the Campfire cans. “Stand Up (And Be Strong)” by Keb’ Mo’ is a current favourite, mashing a bluegrass style fingerpicked blues riff up against some vintage Stevie Wonder hammond organ and a whole heap of funk in the rhythm section. The bass is multi-layered and thick, propelling the song into the front of your brain and getting the feet tapping involuntarily. The Cascade is very good at that, the thick and full bodied sound just feeling so damnably engaging that you end up losing yourself in the music and just going along with the flow. At the end of the day, you can talk technicalities until the sun comes up, but sometimes it just has to be about how a particular headphone/DAP/amp makes you feel with a particular piece of music, and the Cascade has this pretty much nailed.

Rounding out the bass, “Heaven” by Emile Sande tests out the sub capability of the Cascade, and once again it doesn’t disappoint. The track kicks off with a meaty thrumming, the sense of vibration building slowly in your ears until it feels almost physical. To be fair, this isn’t the most sub-bass I’ve ever heard in either an IEM or over-ear, but it is definitely north of neutral, sitting nicely weighted against the beefy mid-bass to round out the sound without overly tilting or skewing the signature. EDM lovers will be well served with this headphone, the Cascade punching out each kick drum and snare impact with a visceral authority, contrasting well against the physical hum of the sub bass tones.

“Why So Serious?” from The Dark Knight OST underlines the prowess on display, the ominous rumbling as the track passes the 3 minute marker really sucking the listener into the sound, and slowly pulsing in the ears as the track starts building again. As mentioned, this isn’t the biggest sub-bass I have ever heard, but it is present, dense and physically involving, which is all I really want from the low-low end of my headphones.

In summary, the bass on display here is large, tight, fully textured and capable of excellent layering and detail retrieval. More than that, though, it is just downright involving and fun, putting a big grin on your face and a little shudder in the soft grey stuff behind your ears as it plows through each track you feed it. Yes, it demands attention, but it manages not to overshadow the rest of the music in the process. If you are looking for anaemic texture-but-no-substance “audiophile” bass, you have most likely come to the wrong set of cans, but for everyone else who loves a bit of meat on their music, the Cascade are as close to perfect as they can get for this particular tuning.

Mids
In its naked (no filter) configuration, the mids aren’t recessed, but sit a little behind the bass in terms of stage presence. This has balanced out a little with brain/driver burn in, but my personal preference for the Cascade is running with filter #4, which adds a little more emphasis on the mids to the mix (to my ears, anyway). If the bass is the talking point of the Cascade, the mids could be its most unexpected strength.

In keeping with the presentation below, the midrange is thick and meaty, sounding rounded and muscular. There is a subtle detail and clarity to the presentation that lays underneath, however, and once your brain has tuned in to it, it can provide a very pleasant surprise. This can reminds me of the way the Questyle QP2R presents music – plenty of body and richness, but never at the expense of the detail sitting behind. The Cascade are actually one of the more resolving headphones I have heard, allowing the listener to resolve small details on well known passages of music that can be muddied or obscured by other cans. This is the difference between treble emphasis (which can artificially boost perception of micro-details) and actual resolution, where the details are present in the music for the listener to discern, rather than being pushed up against the front walls of the soundscape demanding attention.

For avoidance of doubt, these are NOT headphones that will take on detail monsters like the HD800 in a straight micro-plankton sifting contest, but they also deserve more credit than they seem to be getting for the actual insight into the music they provide.

Starting with “Everybody Knows She’s Mine” by Blackberry Smoke, the first thing I was looking for to test out the clarity of these ‘phones is the acoustic guitar lick that comes in over the chugging electric at around the 20-second mark. The Cascade give the main riff a meaty and thudding sense of body, but the acoustic guitar still comes through clear and neatly defined, sitting just on top of the main sound. On some IEMs and headphones I have, this lick can be swallowed up by the body of the amplified guitar underneath, or sticks to it like an unfortunate bug on a windshield as it blows by your ears, but the Cascade manage to avoid both of those outcomes. There is plenty of other macro-detail in this track that is pulled out well, the jangle and resonance of the acoustic guitar strings as chords are strummed playing into the periphery of the sound and adding a nice layer of texture to the main body of sound.

Sticking some vocal testers into the mix, “Whiskey And You” by Chris Stapleton sounds powerful and rich, avoiding traces of sibilance or harshness as the raw sounding chorus kicks through. The weight of the mids and bass beneath fill in the gaps around the singer’s gravelly roar, keeping the detail in place but sounding very forgiving on the hotly mastered ballad, which can sound unpleasantly ear-shredding on sharper setups. “Starlight” by Slash also passes the sibilance test, the nitro-fuelled wails of Myles Kennedy coming through with texture and power but no unpleasant edge or harshness as it soars. The body around the track allows the vocals to hit the limits of listenability without bothering the eardrum, and more importantly without compromising on the inner detail. The Cascade present both male and female vocals with the same level of prowess, voices in the lower register coming out just a shade thicker due to the bolstering effect of the bass underneath it, but not enough to unbalance the delivery.

The last of my vocal stress tests belongs to Emile Sande. Whoever mixed and mastered “My Kind Of Love” from her debut album either directs spends their leisure time directing an off-off-waaaay off Broadway show consisting of recordings of babies screaming for 3 and a half hours, or has a serious high range hearing deficit. The track is sharper than a bag full of scalpels, and is positively punishing on some gear. Again, the Cascade keeps a lid on the harshness, making the track listenable if not fully enjoyable. While the vocal presentation is usually on the warm and slightly sweet side, even the Cascade has its limits, so while this is definitely a headphone that brings the best out of most things you feed it, there is too much detail underneath to fully hide a really bad recording.



Guitars sound sublime on the Cascade, both electric and acoustic types sounding big and dynamic. A decent portion of my music library involves either of these instruments, and the thick and beefy sound of a chugging rock riff just sounds right through these cans. To put it simply, this is a headphone that is tuned to excel with all types of rock music. There is a thick, viscous feel to the body of the notes, hitting with genuine weight and presence. Despite this, the presentation doesn’t feel muddy or clouded, keeping a nice sense of separation between each of the large bodies of sound. The sounds feel full bodied, carrying a thickness through the middle of the note and just sharpening up around the edges to retain the detail.

The Cascade isn’t picky what it sounds good with, either. From radio friendly AOR (“Be Good To Yourself” by Journey) through instrumental tracks (“Crazy Joey” by Joe Satriani) to something like Metallica or the Foo Fighters, all sound thickly resolving and full of life. The Satriani track is particularly well recorded, and the Cascade revels in putting the little sonic cues around the stage into focus, playing the reverb from Satriani’s wailing guitar cleanly into the space between each note.

Moving to something a little more funky, “Stand Up (And Be Strong)” by Keb’Mo’ channels Stevie Wonder into the finger-picked guitar that sits on top of the pure funk bassline and hammond organ. The bassline is thick and driving on this track, but doesn’t cloud the acoustic guitar accents, all coming together to generate a toe tapping gospel/funk/blues fusion that actually got my feet moving while I was writing this paragraph. The Keb’Mo’ album this track is taken from is actually pretty good for testing headphones, with some high quality recording and plenty of subtle micro-detail in the tracks. “Gimme What You Got” is another funk/blues number, which starts with a barely audible count-in from the drummer that is picked up on one of the drumhead microphones. On a lot of gear it can blur together with the opening organ notes, but the Cascade manage to present it faintly but clearly in the back of the soundstage.

Piano and keys are also represented with authority, with a warm and natural sounding timbre that prioritises weight and physical impact but still retains detail (noticing a theme here?). The piano evokes more of a smoky jazz bar theme than a classical recital in Carnegie Hall, carrying more weight on the bottom end of the notes, but that fits in nicely with the overall tone of the Cascade. On “Your Heart Is As Black As Night” by Beth Hart and Joe Bonamassa, the opening piano bars sit on top of a rolling bassline, and set the tone perfectly for the sweeping jazz-soul of the track. They sit just underneath Hart’s throaty vocals, accentuating the bass without getting drowned in it.

So, we’ve discussed how the Cascade chews through rock tracks like an 80s roadie, and how it treats wailing walls of sibilance. How does it do with the more civilised end of the spectrum when you feed it some classical music? The answer to that is: pretty damned well. It lacks the super-expansive soundstage and uber-detail of something like the HD800 to really give you that “in the opera house” feeling, but for most classical or classical-fusion fare, the Cascade present a more than adequate sonic picture. Stringed instruments feel full and weighty, cello and violins carrying a sackful of texture in each bow stroke. The relative bass emphasis adds a fair slice of sturm und drang to passages like “Orpheus In The underground” or “Toccata & Fugue”, sacrificing stage size for a more intimate but heavyweight presentation of the music. “Danse Macabre” by Dual & the London Session Orchestra sounds full and rich, the violins taking centre stage. This presentation is more orchestra as a wall of sound than a full symphony, but no less moving or engaging for it.

In summary, the mids here are weighty, smooth and warm but still carry plenty of peripheral detail and bags of texture. They are slightly in the shadow of the bass, but certainly never overshadowed by it. In terms of staging, they are still further forward than neutral on the stage to my ears. They make rock and other guitar music sound excellent, and make a pretty good fist of correct tone and timbre for other stringed instruments and piano. In isolation, they provide a beautifully tuned take on a musical midrange that doesn’t sacrifice detail. In concert with the bass below and the treble above, they make even more sense. These aren’t mids for the audiophile purist, these are mids for the music lover, and like the rest of this headphone, are all the better for it.



Treble
Considering these are a set of headphones tuned for bass presence, the treble is a pleasant surprise, packing a good anoint of presence and very good clarity. “Starlight” by Slash starts with a screeching guitar harmonic, which comes through clear and strong on the Cascade, sounding deliberately dissonant but not grating. It isn’t the most emphatic or forceful rendition I’ve heard, but it certainly isn’t lacking. The rest of the track has some gentle guitar fretting and reverb sounds that the Cascade havens equally well, presenting them softly in the upper layers of the sound without letting them be overshadowed by the thickness of the sound underneath.

Cymbal crashes and hi hats on the track feel realistic and deftly emphasised, providing a percussive backdrop to the music without distracting. Again, not the splashiest, but the decay feels weighty and real, cutting through the music and dying down shortly afterwards. The sound isn’t overly tizzy, having a very realistic (to me) timbre.

Sticking some more electronic fare into the playlist, the upbeat synth of “Drinking From The Bottle” by Calvin Harris carries a chunky presence, sitting a little further back on the stage than the mids and bass but not feeling overly shelved or rolled off. This treble is clean and thick, painting itself across the ceiling of the soundstage rather than echoing out Ingrid the distance. There is a small element of sparkle hiding in the occasional synthesiser run, but this isn’t a headphone that screams Beyer or Senn HD800 when you think about how it presents itself up top.

This is a headphone that concentrates more on purity and blackness in the higher registers, presenting a treble that is crisp and crunchy, but doesn’t sparkle in the same way as its stablemate the Andromeda. There is delicacy and detail in the upper reaches of the music, but it feels a little more reserved compared to the titanic midrange and bass to my ears. Listening to “Mountains” by Emile Sande, the sweeping strings and delicate finger picked acoustic guitar float about in the top end of the song, showing a nice level of finesse without dominating proceedings. This headphone feels a little more present in the treble than IEMs like the Vega and Lyra II from the same manufacturer, carrying just enough edge in the treble to let the notes cut through the notes around them and retain their clarity without getting lost in the body.

“Theme” by the classical duo Duel is rendered with a twinkling finesse that underlines the credentials of the treble, strings dancing around in the upper left and upper right quadrants of the sound, the delicate pluckings of other instruments like the harpsichord (I think – ironically, I used to fall asleep in music lessons in school) adding finesse to the more emotive orchestration underneath. The whole album (also called “Duel”) is actually fairly eye opening through the Cascade, the twin violins and smattering of synthesiser and other more modern electronic instrumentation being beautifully presented as the tracks ebb and flow.

The general tone of the treble lends a more enclosed rather than spacious feel to the sound, with the notes dying away into silence a little quicker like they would in a well damped room or packed music venue, rather than echoing around a larger hall or audio space. This doesn’t feel cramped or squashed, and for a closed back can the soundstage is still far more than adequate, so the tuning choice here sits well with me in terms of the overall cohesion of the sound signature. For those who had issues with the Vega’s treble (I wasn’t one) and wanted something a little more , the Cascade may be just the thing you are looking for.

Separation, soundstage and layering
The Cascade have a naturally compact soundstage, presenting a big sound that hovers around the circumference of the head. They are slightly above average for a closed back headphone in that respect, but still clearly a closed back model in direct comparison to open-backed models. It presents with good depth and height, however, lending a feeling of scale and size to the notes that give the presentation a “big” feel to it, even if it doesn’t wander off too far while playing with your ears.

The staging is relatively forward and intimate rather than spacious and distant, the size of the notes and the stage they play on pulling you forward into the mix, rather than leaving you sitting a few rows back in the crowd. Vocals are strongly centre-field in the stage, coming down through the top of my head on a slight angle for most tracks, as if I was sitting on a chair with the singer standing up and performing in front of me. Imaging is strong on this headphone, allowing “live” recordings like Better Man by Leon Bridges to place the instruments in the room in exact places, notes drifting forward over your ears and sitting at the back of the sound depending on which instrument is playing. There is a gentle whistle at the end of the chorus (around the 1:05 mark) that floats in just from the left, giving a strong picture of the backup singers in their position in the cavernous room this track was recorded in.

Separation is good, hard panned instruments pulling well to the left and right of the soundscape and multiple strands of music resolving themselves clearly in the ear without bleeding together or being bulldozed by louder passages of music. Layering is similar, with the Cascade more than capable of stacking multiple textures and tones into the same musical space without becoming blurry or smeared. The feel of the sound is dense but detailed, and rewards critical listening by allowing you to move around the various strands in a well recorded track without too much mental effort. Given the relative size of the stage, the peripheral instruments never stray too far on the x-axis from the main central image, but again, this is in keeping with the overall presentation.



Cable choice
The Cascade uses the push/pull HD800 style of cable connectors, so there will be a plethora of available upgrade cables available from the usual aftermarket suppliers if you want to experiment with different cable “tones” for this beast of a headphone. The demo unit I got sent was lucky enough to come with a 4.4mm terminated version of the ALO SXC 8 upgrade cable, currently being sold on the Campfire and ALO websites for $349. Like the stock cable, it is an SPC configuration, this time in an 8-braid form with transparent sheathing and the eyecatching ALO 4.4mm golden connector plug at the end.

As these are the only two cables I currently have using this type of connector, and one of them (the SXC8) runs balanced, I wasn’t able to do any thorough A/B comparisons. To my ears, the SXC8 sounds a little richer in tone out of the balanced out from my ZX300, and the Cascade does seem to benefit from the additional power at the same matched volume levels. The SXC8 is a beautiful looking cable, and while it lacks the absolute flexibility and lack of microphonics of the stock sheathed ALO cable, it does look and feel premium. Added to the additional benefits of being able to access the sonically superior (to my ears) balanced amp pathway of the ZX300, it has become my cable of choice for the Cascade. It does suffer a little with microphonics and stiffness, so if you are mainly intent on using the Cascade as a fully portable unit on your daily commute, you will probably want to stick with the highly capable and more manageable stock cable, which has no real stiffness or microphonics to speak of. On the other hand, if you do have access to a 4.4mm balanced source and intend to listen to the Cascade in more “stationary” locations (coffee shop / office / home) then the SXC8 does help to my ears to bring a small but noticeable improvement to the signature – as mentioned, the ZX300 is known to have a “better sounding” balanced out due to the way the device is put together, but as always, we are talking about very small margins here, so please take that opinion with the appropriate grain of salt.



Power requirements and matchability
The Cascade share many similarities with their fraternal stablemate the Vega, and one of them is their approach to amplification. Neither unit needs to be amplified, with both being able to produce louder-than-comfortable output from things like mobile phones or typically underpowered DAPs like the Sony A-series. That being said, if you do apply the power, both models do a very good job of drinking it up, scaling in dynamic impact and power as the wattage increases, and taking a slightly tighter grip on the lower end. I don’t have any true face melting power outputs at my disposal, but running the Cascade off my desktop CMA400i from Questyle or the portable Continental V5 from ALO, the extra juice adds a little something to the sound that suggests that these should be fed as much power as you have on tap when you have the chance – you will be pleasantly surprised with the results.

In fact, if you have a CV5, you should definitely consider welding it to the cable of the Cascade, lest you forget to use these together. On paper, the warm and tubey sound of the Continental may not be the best match for the already warm and deep tones of the Cascade, but the additional voltage swing the CV5 is capable of putting out takes a slightly firmer hand on the rudder in the more lively bass passages, and the staging of the amp lends itself well to really flesh out the stage of the Cascade in the ears in all three directions.

In general, though, the warm and thick sound of the Cascade will typically benefit from a cooler source to really unlock the levels of detail and resolution that the drivers are capable of. Paired with the Sony ZX300 in balanced mode (using the ALO SXC8 cable kindly provided with my review unit), the Cascade double down on the thick and warm element to their sound, with the ZX300 adding more solidity to the already prodigious bass on display with its classic Sony house sound. For some tracks, the texture is so rich and decadent that you could probably market it in a patisserie, but for others, it flirts with the border into stuffiness. Music never sounds anything less than good, but if you aren’t a fan of overly warm signatures, this may not be the best pairing for you. Personally, I do enjoy this pairing for the huge feeling of substance it is capable of evoking, but as always, one man’s nectar may be another man’s poison (or whatever the analogy is!). One thing the Sony does have to counteract the effect on the bass is a naturally expansive soundstage, which does go some way to alleviating the warm air in the midrange by giving it a bigger stage to play on.

The Echobox Explorer produces similar results to the above, with less solidity in the bass but without the expansive staging properties of the ZX300, pulling the music into a denser and smaller central image. This isn’t a great pair up to my ears, and again while it still doesn’t sound bad, it isn’t a coupling I have reached for since my initial listens.

The best matches in terms of DAC signature I have found from my collection have been the LG V30 and the CMA400i. The V30 provides ample power to run the Cascade, and the naturally cooler and more analytical tint to the sound allows the full clarity of the mids to come through a little easier. The CMA400i takes things up to the next level, the neutral/revealing tone of the DAC bringing out more of the potential of these cans without losing their warm and engaging sound. The unusual “current drive” technology employed by Questyle also plays very nicely with this headphone. Given the CMA400i shares some sonic similarities and much of the same technology as the QP2R (from memory – I have never compared the two in the same room), I suspect that the QP2R will also be a very good source pairing for the Cascade.

Comparisons


Focal Elear

The Elear is Focal’s entry into the high-end dynamic driver headphone market, with a list price of slightly more than the Cascade as at time of writing. The Elear are an open-backed headphone, with a unique “M-Dome” driver design and a mostly metal construction rivalling that of the Cascade.

Starting with sound, the Cascade has a bassier tuning, losing out slightly in dynamics to the Elear, carrying more body to the low end and a slightly less crisp feel to the presentation. It carries a little more physical impact down low, but can lack a little of the Elear’s class leading dynamic punch in the midrange with more frenetic tracks. That isn’t to say the Cascade is lacking, as it does sport a hugely dynamic sound itself, but just isn’t quite at the stellar level of the Elear in this specific regard.

Tonally, the Cascade are a warmer headphone than the Focal, with voices feeling slightly more forward in comparison to the Elear. The Elear has a slightly leaner tone, so carries a little more texture in the midrange, where the Campfires tends to sound a little smoother and more emotional in its delivery. Audible detail retrieval and resolution is similar between both, with the Cascade keeping pace with the Elear, despite the increased bass presence. The Elear feels the “crisper” of the two cans, but this is due to its relative lack of warmth and bass compared to the Cascade. In contrast, the Cascade feels the fuller and richer of the two, with a more enveloping sound. Guitars sound crisp and spiky on the Elear, and solid and meaty on the Cascade. Drums hit with visceral immediacy and then relax on the Elear, but hit you slower yet a lot heavier on the Cascade, and linger a little longer to see the damage done. The Cascade also has the advantage of the four included tuning filters, giving you a total of 5 variations on the main tuning to find your preferred sound, in comparison to the fixed tuning of the Focal unit.

In terms of driving power, the Cascade requires a little less juice from all of my sources except the LG V30 (which has its high gain output triggered by the 80 Ohm output of the Elear). Comfort wise, the Elear feel a little lighter and less “present” on the head than the more solidly built and sturdy feeling Cascades. The Cascade offers far superior noise isolation, and has smaller earpads which hug the outer ear a lot closer than the Elear but feel a lot softer and plumper. The Cascade also leaks practically no noise into the surrounding environment, in comparison to the portable loudspeaker effect of the Elear.

In terms of presentation and loadout, the Cascade sports a less ostentatious but more practical package, with the “usual” Campfire loadout and carry case being far more portable and usable than the more regal but less practical presentation box of the Elear, which is the same size as most 1980s teleevisions and sadly doesn’t come with a portable alternative. It looks very foam filled and plush, but the sheer volume of real estate it takes up makes it difficult to store.

The cabling is also more practical on the Cascade – the Elear’s amp friendly 6.3mm connector is married to a 3m rubberised monstrosity of a cable, fixing it firmly in the non-portable (and frankly unwieldy) category, and is a lot less ergonomic and user friendly to actually use without resorting to the aftermarket cable landscape.

Build quality on both headphones is high, but the Cascade edges it overall, with a more compact and sturdy feel to the construction. It is marginally heavier on the head, but the weight distribution is good and it feels more robust and solid than the Elear. It also molds more completely to the shake if the head and ears when worn due to the rotating earpads, in comparison to the Elear’s fixed pad design.

Overall, both headphones are heavy hitters in their price brackets, with the Elear costing about $200 more than the Cascade at current street prices. Neither is an outright winner, with the Elear having a crispness and dynamism to its sound that the Cascade can’t quite match. The Campfire model parries in response with a weightier bass, a warmer and more intimate feeling sound (the word vinyl-esque keeps springing to mid) and a feel of physical substance to the notes that the Elear can’t outdo. If I had to pick just one, I’d probably go with the Cascade – it shares a similar stage size but adds a chunkier feel to the sound without losing detail (once you get used to the presentation), and is usable both as a portable can on things like the daily commute, and a sit at home listening pair, which the open backed Elear can’t do. I wouldn’t like to give up the Elear’s unique sense of dynamism, however, so it wouldn’t be a decision that came without a downside.



Audioquest Nighthawk

As a closed back portable can, the Cascade actually has more in common physically with the older brother of the Nighthawk (the Nightowl), but in terms of sound, the Nighthawk shares more of the Cascade’s sonic DNA. Both headphones share a rich, warm tonality, with a generous bass response and a smooth but surprisingly detailed upper end.

Starting in the bass, the Cascade has slightly more weight and noticeably more punch down low, with the Audioquest model hardly being bass shy, but presenting in a softer and less aggressive manner. Quantity is also higher on the Cascade, but not by a huge amount overall. The Nighthawk is more centred around the mid bass, with the Cascade having a more even spread between mid and sub bass. Detail levels and texture are similar on both models.

Mids are slightly softer and more romantic on the Nighthawks, but a touch more emphasised in comparison to the Cascade due to the lower quantity of bass in the Audioquest model. The Nighthawk does very well at conveying the emotion in a vocal, due to the almost smoky delivery through the midrange. In contrast, the Cascade feels a little crisper and more raw in its delivery, with a more obvious texture to the sound. Guitars sound crunchier and more aggressive on the Cascade, but have a more natural tone on the Nighthawk. Piano sounds equally good, if different, on both. It almost feels like comparing an impressionist painting from one of the old masters (the Nighthawk) and a modern Ultra-HD photograph of the same scene (the Cascade) – the Nighthawk is the more stylised, with the Cascade providing gobs more audible detail and contrast.

The treble is similar on both, erring more towards clear and silky rather than glittering and sparkly. At a push, I’d say the Cascade has the better audible extension, but despite the lack of emphasis, the Nighthawk can also push up into the higher reaches as well when needed. Quantity is definitely higher on the Cascade, with the slightly sharper edge to the notes contributing to a crisper and cleaner feel to the sound, and more overt detail retrieval.

Comfort is won quite easily by the Nighthawk, with the floating headband and super comfortable ear cup construction, plus the more generously sized ear cups. The Cascade is more robust and suitable for portable use, with the Nighthawk feeling fragile and lightweight in comparison to Campfire Audio’s all-metal bruiser. The Nighthawk also leaks like a post-iceberg Titanic in terms of letting sound out, whereas the Cascade is deathly silent. Conversely, the semi-open Nighthawk actually manages to block slightly more external noise out than the Cascade, which lets a surprising amount of noise in even the music isn’t playing.

The Nighthawk has a tuning that isn’t as forward as the Cascade, giving a slightly more spacious air to the sound, and pulling you a few rows further back from the stage as a result. The Cascade sounds more direct and punchy, with the ‘Hawks having a more laid back feel to the presentation. In terms of stage size, the Cascade presents a slightly wider staging, with a more pronounced sense of L/R separation. Dynamics are won easily by the Cascade, which is second only to the Elear for sheer punch and impact on my own personal listening experiences to date.

Overall, these cans exhibit two very different approaches to music reproduction; the Nighthawk is perfect for losing yourself and floating off into beautiful music, and the Cascade is for those times when you want your tunes to suck you in, grab you by the throat and drag you round the room until you agree to start grinning and tapping your feet like an idiot. Both sound absolutely stellar, and are now my two favourite sets of over-ears. If you are a fan of uptempo rock, electronica and a more vivid, Vega-like sound, then the Cascade are an easy choice. If you prefer more laid back and acoustic tracks, or prefer a softer and more tube-like tinge to the sound with the ability to let you drift deep into the music, the Nighthawk would be my suggestion.

I said to Ken Ball when I agreed to review these over-ears that if they managed to knock the Nighthawks off their perch as my all-time #1 over-ear headphone then they’d be doing pretty well – while there are still some things that I’ll choose the Nighthawks for (soul, relaxed acoustic and old vinyl records), if I had to choose just one or of the two, I think the Cascade has just taken the new top spot for me. Congratulations, Mr Ball – I doff my cap to you.



MrSpeakers Aeon Closed

This seemed like a good comparison to make (and I handily happened to have both sets of cans in my possession!). The Aeon Closed has won plenty of accolades as the best closed back headphone of 2017 on various audio sites, and shares the same closed back construction and price point ($799) as the Campfire model.

Starting with build, the Aeon have a metal and carbon fibre build, with a super-thin Nitinol frame and self adjusting leather headband in comparison to the Cascade’s solid metal frame and leather padding. The Aeon feel extremely light in comparison with the Cascade, and sit on the head almost effortlessly, the half moon shaped earpads enclosing the ears neatly and providing more space for the larger ears out there, in comparison to the more compact Cascade ear-slots. As a trade-off, they feel very flimsy in comparison to the Campfire model, feeling better suited to stationary listening and more delicate handling. Comfort is definitely won by the AC, rivalling the Nighthawk for long term wearing comfort.

Accessories are similar, with both coming with top notch carrying cases and a nice but simple display box, and the Aeon providing one tuning pad insert compared to the Cascade’s four. The ALO stock cable is more ergonomic and easier for genuine portable use than the Mr Speakers DUMMER cable that comes with the Aeon, although both are high quality.

Moving on to sound, the two headphones are far more different than similar. The Aeon are a painstakingly neutral and crystal clear sounding headphone, with just a splash of warmth with the foam inserts and enough body not to sound thin. The Cascade are almost the polar opposite, with an exaggerated sense of musicality and far more weight and dynamism to the music. The Aeon are the sort of headphone you listen to when you are trying to unwind and sink into the music, and the Cascade are the headphone you listen to when you want to wind back up and live and breathe the tunes coming in through your ears.

Starting with bass, the Cascade has a much higher amount of both mid and sub bass than the lightweight Aeon. Slam and impact go to the Cascade, with the Aeon exhibiting a great sense of texture and a similar extension down into the deep sub bass, but without a huge amount of physicality to back it up. It almost feels like comparing a dynamic driver IEM with a balanced armature model – the bass on the Aeon is quick, extended and packed with detail, but just lacks the physical sense of body that the Cascade are capable of conveying. This changes slightly when the Aeon are hooked up to some serious desktop or portable amplification (my favourite combo being the ALO CV5), the sound taking on a slightly more bodied and substantial tone in the bass, but still nowhere near as punchy and powerful as the Campfire model.

Mids are slightly cleaner sounding on the Aeon (especially in the sans tuning pad configuration) due to the relative lack of bass. They are thinner and more spacious sounding, lacking some of the physical solidity of the Cascade that is imparted by the titanic bass sitting underneath. The feel is a little more laid back on the Aeon, where despite the leaner note structure, there is less edge to individual notes and a little less dynamism in the sound. The Aeon feel like the more detailed of the two headphones (although there isn’t a huge amount in it), with the cleaner presentation and greater air between the notes making things sound a little crisper, despite the lack of “edge”.

In the treble, the Aeon present a cleaner and crisper tone, with less weight and more airiness to the notes. There is a slightly sharper tint to the tuning (especially without the foam tuning insert), and comparison to the more rounded and weighty treble of the Cascade. Microdetailing and room noise are actually on a similar level between both headphones, but the Aeon presents the information with a greater sense of space and lightness around the notes, making it easier to discern some subtle phrasings and tiny scraps of sonic information against the less full sounding musical background.

In terms of amplification requirements, the Cascade is the easier of the two headphones to drive well, and can generally be run off most sources (mobile phone, DAP etc). The Aeon will generate sufficient volume off most things. although with a sensitivity of around 93dB it can take a lot more of the available volume pot to do so with some devices. Where they differ is that the AEON need a powerful source to sound their best, exhibiting that planar tendency to really come to life with some big current and wattage flowing. The Cascade respond well to amplification too, but don’t actively need it to get close to their full potential, unlike the AC.

Looking at isolation, the Aeon closed are the more isloating of the two headphones, being able to block out external noise more effectively than the Cascade. This doesn’t overly affect the Cascade in portable situations, as the increased bass output in comparison to the Aeon Closed helps mask the background noise more effectively anyway. On the flipside, the Cascade are far better at keeping noise in behind its metal earcups, with practically no leakage out to the nearby listeners – the Aeon is actually noticeably worse in this regard, still not leaking much but being more easily audible when using them in bed next to a sleeping partner, for example.

Lastly, as far as soundstage and separation go, the Aeon has a slight advantage, pushing the sound further out of the head along the X-axis, and pulling musical information further out onto the edges of the sound with hard panned audio cues, giving an impression of a bigger stage. The relative neutrality of the note thickness the Aeon portrays in comparison to the Cascade helps here, carrying enough warmth not to sound dry or analytical but not particularly meaty or thick. This gives the instruments a little more breathing room between them in the soundscape, and makes the Aeon a more “spread out” presentation. Please note that of these headphones are closed back, so the observations are relative to each other – neither will have a huge soundstage in comparison to a true open-backed can.

Overall, these are two headphones that both aim for a musical presentation, but take two very different routes to get there. The Aeon presents clean, crisp tones with a wider staging and a pleasing sense of warmth and purity, whereas the Cascade puts out a thicker, more densely packed sound. You would be splitting hairs in terms of technical capabilities, as both resolve very well for the price bracket, and neither has any major issues or flaws. This is definitely a battle of preferences – if you value portability, bass presence and a thicker, lusher presentation, then the Cascade would be my tip. If you prefer a more neutral and laid back tone with a splash of warmth, and intend to do more listening at home or out and about with a powerful DAP/amp combo, then the Aeon would be the go to here. Both are stellar examples of what can be achieved in the sub-$800 price range, and both are equally worthy of the praise they are receiving.



Specifications

Specifications
Price $799
Driver type 42mm beryllium PVD dynamic driver
Frequency Response 5Hz – 33kHz
Weight 383g
Cable 4ft silver plated copper (SPC) litz cable
Pad type Sheep leather, detachable
Impedance 38Ω
Sensitivity 100 dB SPL / 1mW @ 1kHz
Connectors 2 x push/pull circular connectors (HD800 style)


Overall thoughts
The latest evolution of the Campfire Audio “house sound” is definitely going to be a polarising one. Ken and Co seem to have a clear idea of what tuning they want to achieve with their flagship products, differentiating themselves from the rest of the marketplace with their failure to adhere to the recent audiophile sentiment that “bass is bad”. The Cascade are a headphone tuned to appeal to the soul rather than the brain, making you feel the music rather than analyse it. Could they have dropped the bass tuning down a few dB for a more subjectively balanced sound across the range? Yes, they could. Would it have been such a compelling offering if they had? In my humble opinion, no it wouldn’t.

The Cascade manage to marry a technical proficiency with a big fat slab of musicality that makes the combination both rare and admirable at the same time. These won’t appeal to everyone in the marketplace, but they shouldn’t be written off as “just a basshead can” or for Vega fans only. There is plenty of technical prowess in the presentation, a beautiful sounding midrange and a bass presentation that comes close to standing in front of a proper music venue amp stack on occasion, all wrapped up in a compact and portable package that looks almost as good as it sounds. This isn’t tuned with some nod to the audiophile version of political correctness, and it feels all the better and more enjoyable for that unwillingness to compromise.

Objectively, I think they could have made the holes in the earpads a little bit bigger to accommodate all ear sizes, but as they are detachable, I’m sure that will be an easy upgrade if they wanted to do that at some later point. They could also pad the headband a tiny bit more for better comfort in marathon listening sessions. Neither of these things are issues or dealbreakers for me, and they are certainly comfortable enough for my daily use cases (1-2hr stints, a few times a day). This is just nitpicking, as otherwise the whole Cascade package presents music in such a unique (and uniquely “Campfire”) way that I can do nothing else but be impressed with the musicality and sheer enjoyment they bring to my ears. For people with huge heads, oversized ears or a chronic aversion to bass: you may want to look elsewhere. For everyone else who enjoys listening to music rather than the gear it is played on, these are a stone cold certainty for one of the best choices you can make under $1000 in this hobby at the moment.

Hence, we come to my rating. A 5-star rating across the board is pretty rare, and in the case of a headphone that patently won’t cater to everyone’s tastes, could come across as slightly biased. While I am happy to admit that the Campfire house sound plays beautifully with my own personal listening preferences (see the “About Me” for more details), that isn’t the reason I have given this the hen’s teeth rarity of a full house. It isn’t because I thought it was like an improved version of the Vega (which is my current highest scoring review on the site). No, I have given this the top rating as I genuinely feel that Ken Ball and team have nailed the exact sound they were shooting for, in at a pricepoint that is competitive or better than its peers.

Please bear in mind that a headphone at this price won’t be 2 or 3 times better than a headphone coming it at $250, but even in the heady arena of diminishing returns this is an easy recommendation if you have the cash to consider it. It’s getting boring to write this about Campfire gear, but this is very much another case of “Nicely Done”.

There has been a somewhat limited number of choices lately when it comes to high-quality portable, closed back headphones. The Campfire Audio Cascade looks to fill that gap and that is what we’ll be looking at today.

Anyone who has an interest in high-end earphones surely knows the Campfire Audio name. Heck, even those who don’t own any TOTL IEMs are likely familiar with it. In almost all earphone discussions from the budget entry-level to the pinnacle products, you’ll see the brand mentioned again and again. People are always asking how X, Y, Z compares to something from Campfire Audio’s lineup.

Mention things like Andromeda, Vega and Lyra in any conversation among audio enthusiasts and people know exactly what you’re talking about. Anyway, enough with the preamble. Let’s get into the review.

Campfire Audio website.

This product was provided for the purpose of an honest review. I’m not affiliated with the company and all observations and opinions here are my own.

Pros

• Rich and engaging, full-bodied sound
• Impeccable build quality
• Detachable cable
• Filter tuning system
• Compact, foldable, portable

Cons

• Not for those seeking neutrality
• Cable connectors badly positioned for laying the headphones flat and may, over time cause damage to the cable

SPECIFICATIONS
5Hz–33 kHz Frequency Response (attn -26dB)

100 dB SPL/mW Sensitivity

38 Ohms @ 1kHz Impedance

13.5 oz (without cable) or approximately 383 g

Earpad Dimensions Outside OD approx – 2.75-inch wide x 4 inches tall

Inside ID is approx – 1.5-inch wide x 2.5 inch

FEATURES
42 mm Beryllium PVD diaphragm dynamic driver

Sheep Leather Detachable Headphone Pads

Circular ‘Push-Pull’ Connections

Cast + Machined Aluminum Cup and Hanger Arms

Steel headband, pivot and joints

Litz Cable – Silver Plated Copper with Cloth Jacket (4′)



Package and accessories
The Cascade comes in a tasteful cardboard box with the familiar Campfire Audio styling. It’s predominantly green and speckled with stars, while the top and front sides have a swirling grey and white pattern. On the top you can see the model clearly printed, along with a brief description and some of the key features. The front flap has a small image of the headphones with some branding and a barcode.

What struck me at first sight of the box was its small size. I knew the Cascade was dubbed as a portable headphone but seeing the box made me think they must be quite small, like a cross between supra-aural and full-size. However, that is not the case, as you will see in just a bit.



Opening up the outer cardboard box reveals a semi-hard faux leather, zippered carry case with a carrying strap. It’s quite compact; easily small enough to carry around in a backpack or travel bag. On the top side, the Campfire Audio branding is embossed onto the lid.

When you open the carry case you’re presented front and centre with the gorgeous headphones, nestled snugly into a sheepskin-like padded interior. The case’s lining feels soft and luxurious and it’s a really nice change from the usual foam padding we see so often. Apart from the headphones, there are only two black envelopes which contain the accessories. Here’s what you get:

• Cascade headphone
• Faux leather carry case
• 4 x sets of tuning filters
• Acoustic Dampener tuning guide
• Use and care instructions
• Detachable Litz Cable with Cloth Jacket
• Warranty card
• Campfire Audio pin

Cable
The supplied cable is a Litz silver-plated cable with circular push-pull connectors and special cloth jacket which reduces microphonics and adds durability. Only time will tell about the durability but it does look and feel very sturdy so should not be a problem.

As far as microphonics go; there’s practically none whatsoever. This is a very, very quiet cable, in fact, one of the quietest I’ve ever (not) heard. The cable feels strong but at the same time, it has just the right amount of suppleness, so it sits and rolls up really nicely. I’m usually not fond of fabric covered cables but this one is excellent.

I’m also really pleased that CA went with the HD800 connectors. The cable plugs in really securely and firmly, so there’s no fear of it coming loose or falling out, yet it’s extremely easy to connect and disconnect from the headphones with very little effort or force. And of course, it also means that should you wish to use a third party at some time, there are plenty of options to choose from.

The connectors are colour coded for easy identification and have very good rubber strain reliefs. At the Y-split is a hard rubber strain relief embossed with the CA logo. It’s small and unobtrusive but works perfectly well and adds to the overall satisfaction I get from this cable. Finally, the cable terminates in a 45° angled 3.5 mm, Gold-plated plug with another solid strain relief.



Build
A quick glance at the Cascade or even a picture of the Cascade gives you an immediate impression of solid build quality. Once you get the Cascade in your hands any lingering doubts will be swept away as it is clear that this headphone is built to last.

Constructed from stainless steel and lightweight aluminium, the headphone is unquestionably premium in materials and engineering. Those robust materials do add some extra weight to the headphone but not enough to be a burden in any sense.



The headband consists of spring steel, covered with black pleather. On the top side, the Campfire Audio branding is embossed into the pleather in a subtle and tasteful manner. Beneath the pleather cover is a layer of foam for comfort.

Inside the headband is a steel adjustment slider that clicks into place at your selected extension. This connects to the steel joint. As you can probably guess, the joint is what enables the headphones to be folded.

Next is the pivot, which allows the earcups to oscillate in both directions. This serves to provide a better fit on your head and also lets you lay the headphones flat around your neck or on a surface. This pivot connects to the arm that attaches to the earcups. At the bottom is another pivot that provides roll and pitch movement of the earcups.



The Cascade’s lightweight, machined, aluminium earcups have an anodized finish with the CA logo embossed in silver just above the cable jack. Speaking of the jack, this is the only fault I can find in the Cascade’s physical design: If you want to lay the headphones flat around your neck or on a surface, the connectors meet end to end. This can put a lot of stress on the cable just below the strain reliefs as it basically bends the cable at a 90° angle. It probably won’t be an issue but it’s worth consideration IMO.



Finally, we have the soft, sheepskin earpads. They’re attached via magnets which is by far my favourite method because it makes removing and attaching them so quick and easy. The earpads are angled to give you a better fit and seal on the side of your head. These are really lush and luxurious and the sheepskin leather feels divine.\

Comfort & Isolation
I personally find the Cascade to be a very comfortable headphone. The headband does stretch out quite wide, so only a small area rests on the top of your head but this doesn’t really bother me unless I’m wearing the headphones for a long time.

As for the earpads, they are just fantastic. They’re super soft and deep enough to prevent my ears from touching the driver cover inside the earcups. Some people have complained that they’re too narrow but I have no issues with that at all, even though I have fairly large ears.

When it comes to isolation, the Cascade performs fairly well but doesn’t eliminate as much external noise as you might expect. This isn’t really a negative though because once the music starts playing you’ll barely hear anything else.

What the closed backs do extremely well, however, is prevent noise leakage, making the Cascade perfect for public transport or use in an office environment. You would need to play your music at ear-damaging levels before it would bother anyone else nearby.



The Campfire Audio Cascade Sound
For the majority of my testing, I was using the 4T / HD15 filters (more info on the filters below). This tamed the bass a little bit which was more fitting to my preference. Although the midrange did lose a hint of richness in the process, this was my preferred setup.
As recommended by Ken Ball from CA, the Cascade was given over 150 hours of burn-in before I started any critical listening. All testing was done using the stock cable.
The Campfire Audio Cascade gives a first impression of being unabashedly bold and boisterous. It’s rich, full-bodied and energetic. You’ll notice its powerful bass right off the bat but the more you listen, the more you’ll come to appreciate its other subtleties.

Having said that, the bass is always the star of the show, regardless of which tuning filters are applied or how many hundreds of hours of burn-in you’ve administered. In short, if you don’t like a heavily accentuated low end, the Cascade is probably not for you.

BASS
As I alluded to above, the Cascade’s bass is pretty huge. It’s definitely leaning towards the realm of the basshead and overshadows the overall presentation. That might sound like a condemnation but I assure you that is not the case. What makes the Cascade outstanding is its ability to have that massive bass but retain clarity, resolution, separation and a natural tonality throughout the rest of the spectrum.

The sub-bass digs deep. Really deep. Deep enough to make you think that Godzilla is stomping around your backyard. But again, the magic is that the overall tonality is still very accurate, making the Cascade a rare beast.

With the HD15 filters in place, even Trevor Morris’ The Vikings (OST) did not sound too bassy. In fact, that entire album has never sounded so good to my ears. Listening to “Journey to Kattegat” with the Cascade, it’s not difficult to imagine yourself setting out across the sea in a Viking ship under a blue sky or traversing the cascading (see what I did there?), rocky hillsides around Denmark.

MIDS
As we get into the midrange the Cascade flexes its muscles once again. Despite the bassy overtones that are always present the mids remain clear and detailed with a very natural tonality. Naturally, the low midrange carries over some warmth from the bass and this fills the sound with a natural amount of body and richness.

Another surprise is how resolving the Cascade is and its ability for layering and instrument separation. Vocals are rich and smooth and tracks like Lalah Hathaway’s mid-focused “Forever, For Always, For Love (Live)” highlight the Cascade’s mastery of the midrange. Her sweet vocals simply ooze forth with a lush density, while the guitars sound clean and uncoloured. They are incredibly textured and have a physicality, almost as if you could reach out and touch them.

TREBLE
Although the Cascade’s treble is fairly relaxed in its presentation, achieved by sitting further back than the bass and mids. It has very good extension and wonderful, crisp notes. This is an important factor, as it gives the sound airiness, retains a hint of sparkle and is non-fatiguing at the same time.

Just like the rest of the Cascade’s presentation, the treble notes have good tonal accuracy. It is linear in its transition from the lower to high treble without any noticeable peaks or dips. Despite its laidback nature, the treble doesn’t struggle to keep up with the bass or midrange thanks to that great extension and definition.

SOUNDSTAGE
While the soundstage is not particularly wide, it’s still good for a closed headphone. Fortunately, the Cascade provides a good amount of depth as well and this greatly enhances its layering and instrument separation. While the bass notes are decidedly thick, those in the midrange and treble are not, so the stage maintains space and doesn’t become congested or adversely affect the dimensions too much.

Vocals are positioned quite forward and intimately but there is sufficient space between them and other instruments to keep the stage from feeling crowded. With its solid mids and treble definition, the Cascade has a solid grasp of imaging and positioning.

Filter system
I’m just going to touch briefly on the filter system here. The changes in sound between various filters are fairly minor so doesn’t drastically change the overall presentation. It is always nice to be able to customize a headphones signature more to your preference though, without having to resort to modding it yourself.

There are 4 sets of tuning filters provided, and they’re basically just little fabric pieces with different pore sizes ranging from 7 microns to 15 microns. The filters are named 1T, 2T, 3T and 4T. In a nutshell, the higher the number, the more the bass and to a lesser extent, the midrange are slightly attenuated.

Changing the filters is really simple. You just remove the earpads (super easy with the magnet system) and place the chosen filters in the space provided above the driver. That’s all there is to it.



Sources
Although the Cascade is described as a portable headphone, I’m sure there will be many people who, like myself, use them primarily at home or with a desktop setup. For that reason, I’ve added some desktop DACs for comparison.

AUNE X1S 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION
The X1S has an energetic, transparent signature that works well with the Cascade but demands a lot of your attention. Its 32bit Sabre DAC provides excellent resolution and instrument separation. The soundstage has good depth and imaging is great. Despite being a more affordable DAC, the X1S performs really well, with a clean, dark background and excellent sense of timing and lack of jitter.

ARCAM IRDAC-II
With the irDAC-II, the Cascade’s soundstage is wide and spacious. Layering and separation are superb, as is the timbre and sense of rhythm. Strangely, this DACs smooth presentation doesn’t dull the Cascade’s sound or further ‘thicken’ the bass. Great dynamics and extension at both ends round up the presentation, making this an awesome DAC to pair with the Cascade.

TOPPING DX7
The DX7 brings out a fuller bass and less sparkly treble. Smaller soundstage and less instrument separation. This was surprising as the DX7 is generally lean and resolving but this matchup was pretty ordinary. It might be due to an impedance mismatch or something else causing the lack of synergy.

ACOUSTIC RESEARCH AR-M200
AR’s newest DAP has a neutral and airy sound that brings out the best in the Cascade. It has a very wide soundstage and excellent layering and definition. Bass notes are faster and leaner but still have lots of impact, making this one of my favourite pairings.

ACOUSTIC RESEARCH AR-M20
Excellent definition and imaging. Lots of depth in the soundstage. Vocals have extra density and instrument separation is really strong. Treble notes have a bit less sparkle. The layering and imaging are what stands out to me most with this DAP, along with the clean, black background and potent driving power.

ATC HDA-DP20
This little DAP is a bit of an unsung hero, in my opinion. Although its feature set is basic and the battery life average, it has a great sound. Soundstage is very large and maintains good layering throughout. It’s a linear and transparent sound that works really well with the Cascade. The bass feels less dominant and more in balance and there’s an added airiness that makes the Cascade sound a little less in your face.

Comparisons
ULTRASONE PERFORMANCE 860
The Performance 860 is vastly different in sound to the Cascade but they do share some similar physical traits. For example, they both have rotating earcups so the headphones can be laid flat around your neck or on a desk. They both also have a similar size and shape and are meticulously crafted, though the Ultrasone is primarily plastic compared to the Cascade’s metal construction.

The Performance 860 has a much more linear presentation in comparison to the Cascade. Its bass is close to neutral but has very good extension and is able to dig deep without significant roll-off. The midrange is leaner with less richness, which at times can make the upper midrange a little aggressive but female vocals tend to have more prominence.

Both have a relaxed treble but the 860’s is slightly more forward. In regards to resolution, the Cascade holds up really well considering the fullness of its bass. The 860 has a wider soundstage with less density in midrange instruments and vocals.

MEZE 99 NEO
Meze Audio’s Neo has a similar sound signature but there are some key differences. It has a comparable amount of bass but with less weight and impact. The midrange has less density, making vocals less rich but gives them an airier feel. This makes the stage feel a bit more open, at the expense of some resolution and layering. It’s in the treble where these two headphones sound most similar to me, both being laidback but with nice, clean edges and good extension.

If you like the sound of the Meze 99 Neo or 99 Classics, you’re sure to like what the Cascade has to offer. On the other hand, if the Cascade is out of your price range, the Meze headphones are a very solid and more affordable alternative.



Campfire Audio Cascade Conclusion
In recent times it seems like Campfire Audio can’t put a foot wrong, and the Cascade looks to continue that trend.

Something to keep in mind is that this is CA’s first attempt at a full-sized headphone. When a first attempt is this good, it more often than not points to good things to come in the future and I can’t wait to see what they do next.

There can be no doubt about the Cascade’s solid construction. You’ll know this as soon as you touch it.

The Campfire Audio Cascade has a bold, energetic sound, defined (on the surface) by its dominant bass. But it’s bass done right. A resolving midrange and clear but relaxed treble seal the deal. Currently, there simply aren’t many other closed-back headphones in its price range that can compete.

*This review was originally posted on my blog over at Prime Audio.

Ken Ball has a long history with personal audio. Starting out by soldering his own headphone cables and modifying headphones well over a decade ago, then manufacturing amps and DACs, and now producing IEMs and headphones, his progression has been somewhat backwards from normal. Now with the Cascade going into production, he has come full-circle.

Featuring 42mm Beryllium PVD Diaphragm Dynamic Drivers inside an entire custom design which is designed to be portable, yet produce an “open” sound, they are entering the market at the $500-1000 segment. The $700-800 price point is significant to me as is double the $350 standard the original Beats set and the point now where headphone quality starts getting serious. For regular, non-audiophiles, the idea of spending over $1000 on a pair of headphones is crazy, yet one of the most common questions people ask who are considering the jump to serious headphones is whether they will be an improvement over their $200-350 headphones.

My impression from the manufacturers’ side is the aim of getting the quality of their 4-figure headphones down into something that can be viably manufactured and sold for under $1000 without serious compromises, yet is still better-sounding than sub-$500 headphones.

HiFiMan seemingly nailed this with the HE500, which started at $899 ($100 below the Audeze LCD-2 at the time) and then dropped to $699. That, along with their tuning and the more ready availability of higher-current-output amplification, made them a huge hit and showed there was a market for what I might describe as “entry level high-end”.

As well as HiFiMan, MrSpeakers has entered into that market with the Aeon Flow and Aeon Flow Open models, and prior to that Sony had with the MDR-Z7. Now Campfire Audio, the IEM-manufacturing offshoot of the more well-known ALO Audio has entered the fray.


The first surprise upon receiving the Cascades were how small the box is. I’ve complained in the past about headphones coming in ridiculously-sized boxes that weighed more than the headphones themselves (Sennheiser, I’m looking at you) so I was happy to discover that inside the box is the faux-sheepskin-lined case with the headphones parts inside.

Surprise number 2 was how light and thin the cable is. I’ve said before that I think part of Ken’s success with his IEMs has been the good-quality cables they come with and this is no exception. The source termination is a 45-degree angled plug in the manner of V-MODA and the headphones use the HD800 connector. While an unexpected choice, Ken states that while the connectors are difficult to work with, they are very reliable.

For me, this was handy, as I have now amassed a collection of HD800 cables, including a Reference 20 that was part of my Studio Six purchase. Importantly though, it is part of idea that they should be used as a pair of portable, high-end headphones. This harks back to the days when ALO Audio was modifying Ultrasone headphones, including the Edition 9, which were often bought by people wanting high-end, closed-backed portable headphones.

While the Ultrasone Edition 9 is no longer made, essentially the same headphone can be purchased as one of the Ultrasone Signature series models, with, funnily enough the Signature DJ selling for the same price as the Cascades!


As headphones intended to be portable, aside from their ability to fold, their profile is somewhat smaller than, say, the Massdrop Focal Elex. The front-to-back size of the earpads, being the widest part, is exactly 3/4s that of the Elex (7.5cm vs. 10cm). Likewise the headband front-to-back thickness. Folded, you’ll need a space that is 17.5cm in diameter at their widest point and 14.5cm at its narrowest. The case, in comparison, is about 19x16cm and 9cm thick.

Manufacturing quality is excellent, really only behind Focal, whose headphones I’d describe as “flawless”, with precision machined parts. Really the only area I’d consider to be an issue is when it comes to comfort, but that again is a result of their portable design.

The magnetically-attached earpads are soft and deep and the headpad well-padded. However because it is thinner than usual, it tends to press a bit on the top of one’s head. The ear pads too, as they are smaller than usual, with only a 4x6cm opening (Focal’s are 5x7.5cm) will cause issues with people who have large ears.

For me, my first day of listening was a bit uncomfortable, but was fine afterwards. The rather firm clamping force is balanced out by the soft and wide contact area of the ear pads. The cable entry sockets point sufficiently far forward that even the rather long plugs on a Kimber cable weren’t an issue.


The Cascades were intended to have a similar sound signature like the Vegas, the Campfire Audio flagship dynamic driver IEMs. The Vegas have an unashamedly thunderous, but detailed bass and somewhat recessed mid-range, the treble being quite ear-tip dependant. At first Iisten I felt that the Cascades were somewhat over-the-top too at both ends of the spectrum, but after leaving them playing pink noise overnight for a few nights (they require “burn-in” according to Ken) they started to settle down.


To allow for a degree of personal tuning, 4 sets of filters are included which fit over ports under the ear pads. While removing the ear pads is easy, since they are only held in place by magnets, placing the filters, which have no means to adhere beyond a bit of material friction, is a bit fiddly.

However, once placed, the treble is tamed slightly and the mids have a chance to make their presence better felt. I usually find the treble of headphones such as MrSpeakers Ether Flow and Aeon Flow Open to be a bit too muted for my tastes, however I ended up settling on the 12µm pore filter, which brought out just the right amount of treble for me, bringing down to a level similar to those other headphones. Each progressively coarser filter lowers the treble a bit more, allowing one to take the edge off just as much as desired.


I ran the Cascades out of a wide variety of equipment, ranging from a $129 Bluewave Get up to an iFi Pro iCan, Soundaware P1, ALO Audio Studio Six and Hugo 2. What was readily apparent was just incredibly well the Cascades scale. While being readily easy to drive with a 100 dB@1V sensitivity and 38 Ohm impedance, I could easily make out, for example, how much wider and deeper the sound was out of the Studio Six versus the Pro iCan.

I was constantly amazed how excellent and distortion-free the mids and treble were when listening. To being with, the treble quality, at my moderate listening levels, is, in my opinion, faultless. Out of the Hugo 2, which I felt was the best match given the feeling of slightly greater upper-mid and lower treble strength from it versus other equipment (let the arguments about “neutral” begin) the Cascades excelled with music such as old jazz and pop that had been mastered with an insufficient amount of bass.

The mid-range delivered vocals and instruments in a way which, if not as forward as other headphones, was mostly excellent, despite being a bit overwhelmed by the bass. Sibilance in the vocals on tracks where it was prominent was also somewhat noticeable, despite the inserted filters. On tracks where instruments were most prominent I had almost no complaints, given how sensitive I am to them, especially piano. With guitars and violin there was a touch of sharpness, which was fine at moderate volumes but a little fatiguing at higher levels.

That had me feeling that the Cascades were best suited to higher-quality music and the faults in recordings were somewhat noticeable.


Whereas with the Utopias I found the Pro iCan’s bass boost just the ticket for older, less bass-strong music, the Cascades did the job for me without any tuning required. Granted, the Utopias can draw out more detail from a high-end system than the Cascades, but for a lot of music I like, such as with many older recordings, I could enjoy listening to a greater degree.

What is more, the perceived sense of width to the soundstage belies the Cascade’s closed-back design. While some of this is obviously the result of the mid-range being further back than usual, where the bass doesn’t intrude too much, it was only classical music where I wished for a more spacious sound.

With more modern music, which more often than not has a great deal of bass, the bass-strong presentation of the Cascades, despite the precision of delivery, could be a bit much. Using the above example, listening to classical, you want to feel the cellos and drums, and the stronger than neutral bass makes that happen. But with modern music it made the sound rather oddly overwhelming on some tracks and the soundstage cluttered, something that is more likely a consequences of the ear pads being smaller than those of full-sized headphones.

To begin with, the bass from the Cascades rolls off at its deepest levels (for which the 10 or 20 Hz bass boost from the Pro iCan was helpful). That leaves them with slightly less than the most ideal degree of rumble. Then with mid-bass strong music, I sometimes felt that the bass had run off and gone wild, not quite being in harmony with the rest of the sound.

Much like the Vegas did with IEMs, I’m glad that Ken chose to give his own take on how headphones should sound, instead of just attempting to be neutral. Sony seemed to do the same thing with the MDR-Z7, but didn’t quite succeed. If I would have one wish, it was that the bass would go down flat to 20 Hz, but without sacrificing the excellent mids and treble.


Headphone Comparisons

Massdrop Focal Elex
A very good example of the difference between these two headphones is Dead Can Dance’s Spiritchaser. On Song of the Stars, the track starts with the deep rumble of a didgeridoo and much of their music covers a wide range of instruments alongside amazing vocals. The Cascades brought out the rumble of the of those instruments, while the flatter-tuned Elex brought the vocals more front and centre.

Sony MDR-Z7
The Z7 has a closer tuning to the Cascade, with a strong bass. It also has the comfort advantage with a design that is light and easy to wear for long hours. However it lacks refinement in the mid-range and treble, with a bit of harshness coming in. This is easily fixed with the “tape mod” (see my video on Z7 mods) bringing them closer to the Cascades. However the Cascade seems to scale more with its incredibly listenable mids and treble. The Z7 seems to manage to keep more spaciousness to the music with slightly better imaging.

MrSpeakers Aeon Flow
The funny thing about switching to these immediately after listening with the Cascades was that I immediately thought “Where is the bass?!?”. The Aeon Flow seems flat to a fault — monitor flat, so I had to go back and listen with them separately at the start of a listening session as it felt like all the fun had gone.

Selected music impressions.
Cascade with Norne cable, Massdrop Focal Elex with stock cable, Sony MDR-Z7 with Kimber cable and tape mod.

I decided to use a fairly recent evaluation playlist (#82) for the Cascades, plus some old jazz and pop as already mentioned as I wanted to experience more familiar tracks with the bass-strong tuning.

Oye Como Va - Santana

The presentation is very entertaining, but I wish the guitars were more forward, as it is part of what makes this track so great. Of course, this can be achieved by turning up the volume, but the soundstage closes in as a result.

Angel - Massive Attack

It’s not just the strong bass line that makes this haunting tune what it is, so even at a moderate listening level the headphones end up vibrating and the vocals and other instruments are a bit far back to be ideal. In the sections of music where things get busy, the soundstage becomes somewhat cluttered.

Hey Lion - Sofi Tukker

I thought that the bass of this dance track was going to be too much, but it worked better than expected. As it is entirely electronic with vocals, I was more interested in the entertainment aspect of the sound than anything else, and the Cascades very much delivered that.

When I Get My Hands on You - The New Basement Tapes

I partly listen to this for the low bass rumble and the slight roll-off down at 20 Hz is noticeable here, but doesn’t detract significantly. The track is presented with good spaciousness with vocals presented beautifully, if less forward than other headphones.

Old Man - Neil Young

It’s the great job with vocals and guitars that makes this track a pleasure. At the beginning of the track the pluck of each note is a pleasure. The chorus becomes a bit cluttered and a bit of harshness creeps in to the higher vocal notes. This is tamed somewhat with amps such as the iFi Pro iCan and Studio Six.

Arlington - The Wailin’ Jennys

The opening drums have a wonderful impact and the vocals are beautiful, if a somewhat pushed back by the bass.

The Elex, in comparison, brings the vocals right forward, but the drums sound more distant in return. That leaves more overall space and less clutter as the track becomes busy, but less impact.

The Z7 is darker-sounding, somewhat like the Cascade. The vocals are also pushed back a bit by the bass. They also have a bit of harshness in the mids and treble without mods.

Extrapolation (album) - John McLaughlin

This is one of those classic jazz fusion albums that is so very’70s (though it was released in 1969) and is the perfect candidate for the Cascades. The guitar bounces off the walls while the drums and cymbals are delivered beautifully, the double-bass filling in the sound nicely.

Gear impressions

For fun I made up a portable rig with a HiFiMan Mega Mini and ALO Audio Continental V5 (CV5). The Mega Mini is a $99 minimalist player with a basic headphone drive — enough to stick in a shirt pocket to use while catching the train or similar. The Continental V5 is a very revealing portable amp, like a mini Studio Six. Out of the Mega Mini, which has only minimal power output, I could listen OK with the Cascades, but the bass was clearly not as in control as when I added the CV5 to power them. It was an enjoyable listening set-up though.

With larger amps and DACs, I switched to using custom HD800 cables from ALO Audio, Norne Audio and Kimber Cable. With those, the Cascades powered easily out of Chord’s Hugo 2. For some reason I felt that the Hugo 2 brought out a bit more in the upper mids and wasn’t quite as smooth as, say, Audio-gd’s Master 9 amplifier and R2R 7 DAC set-up. However using the Hugo 2 as a DAC to iFi’s Pro iCan, I could discern the better performance of the more effortless ALO Audio Studio Six. Given that the amp is from the same stable as the headphones, this might not be so much of a surprise.

Conclusion

Overall the Cascades are an excellent first entry onto the market. While I’m sure some things about the design might be improved in the future, what sticks with me is the outstanding clarity and musicality of the headphones. Their ability to scale with better sources, amps and cables could also make them an excellent choice for someone who wants a great pair of full-sized headphones.

First of all, this is my first review in Head Fi and wish to say hi to all the Head-Fiers here!
English is my second language so please bear with me if there are some grammatical errors

Waited long for this model to be launched in Singapore and yeah finally I got it 2 weeks ago.
Burned 200 hours and decided to write a review for this.


Physical Appearance
The box of Campfire Audio Cascade is the bigger version of their IEM - Enlarged to fit in the Cascade. Very simple design but eye-catching.

Opening the box, there is a leather case, again the enlarged version of their IEMs' leather case.

I like the case a lot because the inner part always provide sufficient cushion to absorb the shock and protect the "gem" in the case. Together with the headphone, there is a cloth cable terminated with 3.5mm jack. The cable disappoint me because I am expecting it to come with braided cable.

The earpads of this headphone are genuine lamb skin leather on memory foam which able to give you extra comfort. One good point of genuine leather earpads is reducing the chance of earpads peeling off. This is one major issue for audiophile in Singapore because of the humidity here.

Sound
I have to admit that I was so impatient and I had a try once I opened it. It gave me a shock because the presentation is merely messy After 200 hours burn, everything get better. The soundstage is opened up and the separation is there. Campfire Audio always have very good separation, soundstage and details. I am using Campfire Audio Nova now and I love it. However, Cascade sounds a bit different from the traditional Campfire Audio's sound signature.

Lows
The lows is strong as compared to Campfire Audio balanced armature driver lineup. I think the bass is closer to Campfire Audio Vega, boomy and engaging. This will definitely suit those who like the bass of Vega. I am not a bass head so this is a No-No for me The upper lows is slightly too strong to the extend it bleeds to the mids. I appreciate mids a lot and hence this deducts some points as well

Mids
As usual, the mids are smooth and forward. I love mandopop and mid to me is the most essential part. Campfire Audio has never disappoint me in this that's why it is always the best for me. Male vocal are solid and powerful while the female vocal are extended but not to the extend of causing fatigue for long listening. The only cons is as mentioned, the upper lows have slightly bleed towards the mids.

Highs
The highs are well extended. I like the highs because it is not too sharp or roll off. This solve the problem that I am facing with my Nova now because the high is rolled off by a huge extend.

Soundstage and Imaging
I do not think I need to comment much on this portion because Campfire Audio always ace the soundstage and audio imaging. It will not disappoint you.

Comparison
I did a comparison with SONY MDR-Z7. Z7 attracts me slightly because of its well controlled bass. I would say the bass kills my interest in Cascade - too boomy.

Conclusion
The change of cable will able to improve the sound quality for sure but it will burn your pocket a hole. Nonetheless, this is the very first headphone from Campfire Audio and I believe they will come out with more and better headphone to fulfill my expectation to them

Greetings Head-fi!

Today we're checking out Campfire Audio's first foray into headphones, that being the Cascade.

Campfire Audio (CA) is an American company out of Portland, Oregon. It is the brainchild of Ken Ball, CEO and founder of ALO Audio, a company renowned for their high end portable audio cables. Campfire Audio was a brand I had been watching closely since they released their first earphones, the Jupiter, Orion, and Lyra in mid-2015. Right at the tail end of 2017 I finally got the opportunity to check out one of their newer products, the Polaris.

What caught my eye, and why I started following CA, was their unique design philosophy. It was unlike anything else on the market I had seen. The aggressive and edgy lines of the Jupiter and Orion were stunning with tons of detail, such as the visible screws holding on the outer face plate, and the small CA logos. I’m someone that appreciates and values design and build nearly as much as sound quality, and Campfire Audio consistently nails the visual appeal of their products

The headphone we're checking out today, the Cascade, brings a softer but no less bold form of their design philosophy (along the lines of the Vega) to the premium full-sized, closed back headphone market. Like the broad range of in-ears that came before it, the Cascade is crafted from durable materials with a fine attention to detail in both the final design and construction quality. Having been in development for three years, I would expect nothing less.

So how is Campfire Audio's first headphone? Let's find out.


Disclaimer:

I would like to thank Caleb at Campfire Audio for arranging a complimentary review sample. There was no financial incentive provided and the Cascade is still considered the property of Campfire Audio. All thoughts within are my own and to not represent Campfire Audio, ALO, or any other entity. At this time the Cascade was retailing for 799.00 USD and could be found here on Campfire Audio's main site; https://campfireaudio.com/shop/cascade

Source:

For at home use the Cascade found itself being powered by my TEAC HA-501 desktop headphone amp with sound being sourced from an Asus FX35V laptop, Shanling M1, or the HiFiMan MegaMini. On the go the Cascade was pushed by my Walnut V2S/F1 dac/amp combo or straight out of the Shanling M1. My LG G5 also had a hand in driving the Cascade and did a surprisingly good job with the two having some synergy. Music quality ranges anywhere from super high quality 128kbps tracks I've been carting from device to device for the last 15 years, to the majority being 320kbps and FLAC.

While the Cascade is easy enough to drive, I highly recommend amping it. It sounds a lot more textured, dynamic, and precise when powered properly. Otherwise, the low end comes across a little sluggish and loose. Considering the robust low end is the defining feature of this headphone in my opinion, you want that running at peak performance.

Personal Preferences:

I listen primarily to various EDM sub-genres (liquid drum and bass, breakbeat, drumstep, etc.), hip hop, and classic rock. While I enjoy a variety of signatures in my headphones I generally lean towards slightly warm with elevated treble and sub-bass, an even and natural mid-range response, with reduced mid-bass. The HiFiMan RE800, Brainwavz B400, and thinksound On2 offer unique examples of signatures I enjoy. I listen at what I would consider much lower than average volumes, based on my experiences sharing my headphones with others while set to my personal volume preferences, and on comments throughout the forums concerning gear I also own or have used.

Specifications:

• Driver: 42 mm Beryllium PVD diaphragm dynamic driver
• Impedance: 38 ohm
• Frequency Response: 5Hz-33kHz (attn -26dB)
• Sensitivity: 100 dB SPL/mW
• Earpad dimensions: Outside is approx. 2.75” x 4” / Inside is approx 1.5” x 2.5”

Packaging and Accessories:

While I know many of you out there couldn't really care much less about packaging, I do. In my mind's eye it says a lot about the respect a manufacturer has for their product along with the initial experiences and first impressions a purchaser will have. While Campfire Audio's packaging with the Cascade is quite basic, it is full of the same charm and character experienced when I unboxed the Polaris. That's because it's basically the same thing, only larger.

The hand drawn artwork found on the Cascade's box falls in line with their celestial naming scheme, displaying a starry night complete with a mountain range, cabin, and clusters of trees dotted in various areas around the box. Covering the front flap and top of the box is a massive sticker showing off the CA and Cascade branding with an image of the Cascade itself on the front flap. Also announced is that while the Cascade was designed in Portland, Oregon, it was “assembled in China using globally sourced components”. All of this is backed by a very stylish looking mass of swirls that looks to have been inspired by an oil/water mixture.

The interior of the box is dominated by a large hard shell carrying case in which the Cascade and accessories can be found. This case is absolutely amazing. It is more or less an upsized version of the cases included with their iems. Along with even beefier twin zippers it has a wrist strap that can be removed if you so choose. Inside is the same woolly substance found on their smaller cases that does a great job of protecting the Cascade from bumps and movement. In addition to the case, you find a few more items tucked inside two paper slips;

• Campfire Audio Litz Cable with Cloth Jacket; Silver Plated Copper Conductors with Circular Push-Pull Connectors and 3.5mm Stereo Plug
• Four styles of custom acoustic dampeners with an accompanying tuning guide
• CA branded lapel pin
• Warranty slip
• Instruction pamphlet

I would have liked to see a separate set of pads made a different material, like velour or hybrid sheepskin/velour, but in all I have no complaints. The inclusion of various tuning filters and a proper guide on what each does is also a neat addition. Most other manufacturers would give you a very basic, generic description of each filter, such as “balanced”, and leave you to figure out the rest.


Build, Comfort, and Isolation:

Being a headphone intended for mobile use, the Cascade is made from durable materials. The ear cups and yolks are crafted from cast aluminum, followed up by some machining to keep the weight down. The well cushioned headband is inset with stainless steel, as are all joints and pivots like those making up the folding mechanism. Many headphones are plastic in these areas which leads to failure, especially in colder climates where the plastic becomes brittle and loses flexibility. This shouldn't be an issue on the Cascade since the use of plastics is kept to a minimum and used only in places that really won't see any wear and tear, like the faceplate the pads clip to. In all fit and finish is stellar. So much so that pretty much every seam seems to be uniform in width.

It seems right to assume that people spending the money to buy the Cascade will treat it well and not deliberately abuse it, but as they say, Schiit happens. I mention this because the right yolk on the sample received was slightly bent out of the box leading to the cup binding against it when folded. I was able to carefully return it to it's original position and it hasn't budged since which is great, although it does make me question how well these would survive multiple drops. Aluminum is rigid and tough, but isn't a metal that likes being bent. I'll be reporting back on this section in the future if this ever becomes an issue as the Cascade will likely be rolled into my daily driver rotation for the next few months and see lots more use.

Onto the angled pads, they are flippin' fantastic. They feature a fairly steep rake of just over 1.25” at their deepest to about 1” at their most shallow. The opening itself isn't particularly large (1.5” x 2.5”), but the depth and rake give your ears lots of room to play with. That spaciousness combined with the exceptionally plush sheepskin and low resistance foam within makes for a very comfortable set of pads. While they are removable, they are permanently attached to the magnetic clipping mechanism that very securely holds them in place when installed. Speaking of which, these are the easiest pads to install and remove that I've come across. There is quite literally no effort required. Just vaguely line up the little pegs on the faceplate with the clip and let the magnets pull them in and seat them for you. It's actually perfect. Really. Now Campfire just needs to make replacement pads of various styles for us to play around with.

The Litz cable included with the Cascade features the same conductor design and materials used on their other products, but this time wrapped in a cloth sheath. I'm really not a fan of cloth coated cables for a variety of reasons; they're usually noisy (contrary to every claim ever saying they reduce cable noise), they pick up dirt, they fray, and they often develop odd little twists here and there that keep them from ever fully straightening.

Given Campfire Audio and ALO are part of the same family, I'm hopeful the Cascade's stock cable will hold up fine, though up near the push/pull connectors I've already noticed a few strands poking out after only a month of daily use. Keep in mind that my headphones are treated better than myself. On the plus side, it is an exceptionally quiet cloth cable, transmitting way less noise than I'm used to. The 45 degree angled jack is slim and should fit well in any case opening, be it for your phone or DAP, though it could use better strain relief. They y-split is much of the same being a compact rubber interconnect. Leading up to the push/pull connectors the cable is well-relieved but a touch thinner than I would prefer. The connectors themselves feature a tiny ridge inside and clear left/right indicators via blue and red colored rings respectively, ensuring they're always plugged in correctly. Like the ear pads, once lined up they magnetically snap securely into place. They have yet to pull out accidentally. I could nitpick and complain that the ridge location isn't mirrored on both sides, but really, who cares? It affects nothing.

While the Cascade isn't what I would consider a light headphone, at 13.5 oz (without cable) it doesn't feel particularly heavy either. For me it is very comfortable though on the very limit of a headphone that actually fits my head. Not because the Cascade is too small, but because it's almost too big. On the smallest size it rests just a teensy, tiny bit lower on my head than I would like. Regardless, I can still wear it for the majority of an eight hour shift without getting too hot or uncomfortable, only needing to take small breaks here and there. Probably going to be a different story in the summer vs. the early spring/extended winter when this review was written. I'll have to revisit this section later in the year to let you know how it goes.

Now, while the Cascade is almost too big for my tiny noggin, reading through the forums and impressions from others I am well in the vast minority.For most they're great, but for others that are seemingly on the small side. If that's the case for you, it is important to keep in mind that yes, the headband is well padded. However, when you stretch the cups apart it flattens out quite a bit. While hardly noticeable, when flattened there is still a tiny up tick in the padding that should be enough to keep you from experiencing a hot spot right on the peak of your cranium.

For a closed back headphone the Cascade's passive noise attenuation is on the lower end of what I would consider average. For example, about 15 feet from my dining table is the fridge. It lets off a very audible hum. Wearing the Cascade with no music playing, that hum is muffled but still very present. Compared to the thinksound On2, a compact, closed-back, wooden on-ear, the hum is reduced to a nearly inaudible level. The Polk Audio Buckle's sealed aluminum ear cups also passively block more of this noise than the Cascade, though not to the same extent as the On2. Cruising around outside with music playing, I could still hear cars and people and the usual sounds of the city, but they weren't anywhere near intrusive enough to ruin the experience. After a few minutes, the brain will do it's thing and ignore that incoming noise for you without you ever noticing. What it comes down to; if extremely effective passive noise attentuation is tops on your list of “must have” features, see if you can try the Cascade before you buy. It might not do the trick.

In all the Cascade is as well built as you would expect from a Campfire Audio product having been crafted with top quality materials. Comfort is excellent with me able to wear the Cascade for extended periods with ease. Passive noise isolation could be better though.


Sound:

Acoustic Dampeners: The Cascade comes with four different sets of dampeners that can be used to increase mid and low frequencies. After experimenting with them all, I found the effect they had on the Cascade's overall presentation was fairly minimal and hence why they're covered in this little aside. They're a great way to fine tune the basic signature. That said, if you're looking for a set that reduces bass, there isn't one. You're going to have to resort to good old fashioned EQ which the Cascade is thankfully very receptive to. In the end, none of the included filters suited my preferences so I stuck with the stock, dampener free setup. The below impressions are based on that.

There were two things that really caught my attention when I first fired up the Cascade for a listen. The first was that they did not present themselves like a closed headphone. The large, 42mm Beryllium PVD drivers in the Cascade deliver music with a great sense of space and air. The thinksound On2 has a good stage for a compact portable, but the Cascade completely dwarfs it. The AKG K553 Pro gives the Cascade a run for it's money in this area, but despite being a closed back headphone and terminated in a 3.5mm jack, it doesn't really offer anything you want in a portable, such as sound isolation. Or portability. Pitting the Cascade against ADVANCED's open planar, the Alpha, showed the limitations of a closed setup.

To my pleasant surprise, even the hefty low end couldn't muddy the waters and restrict the Cascade in it's ability to surround you in your music. In addition to simply sounding much larger than it is, the level of detail in its staging is impressive. The way sound images and moves around is exceptionally well-layered and with impressive separation. Running through the entirety of BT's experimental opus “If the Stars Are Eternal Then So Are You and I” was a fantastic experience with the Cascade. I was completely immersed in and surrounded by the world crafted throughout this album. Listening to it alongside the official videos further drew me in.

That meaty low end is the second thing that really caught my attention. This is a very full figured headphone with a bass line that dominates the balance. The Cascade isn't subtle about it's bass which is always on, even in acoustic ballads like Led Zeppelin's “Going to California”. This is a thick, heavily textured low end with excellent extension and good control. Throwing on “Desperado” by Savant showed the Cascade is a little soft and slow on impactful bass lines, but on extended sub-bass notes can provide some serious rolling thunder. The Alpha in contrast hits with greater impact but doesn't linger and hold the lowest notes with the same authority. As a result of the way the Cascade presented it's bass, I found myself listening to tracks with bass lines in place to support the track, leading with other elements. Black Tiger Sex Machine x Apashe's “The Grave (Ft. Gabriella Hook)” is a good example of this and through the Cascade got me up and moving.

While the Cascade has a bass forward sound, other frequencies do not take a backseat. Treble is well-extended and extremely detailed, lifted slightly to give mid-range vocals presence and clarity. Even though it isn't emphasized much, it really supports the airy presentation of this headphone through it's focus and precision. Both male and female vocals are well presented, though female vocals get the nod through the level of intimacy and care with which they're presented. Adele's “Skyfall” is gorgeous example of this. Those averse to sibilance will be happy campers since nothing of the sort is present here. My workplace provides us with a wide variety of surprisingly high quality (320 mbps) ambient “nature sounds” audio files to listen to while we work. Babbling brooks, birds, storms, and other effects are backed by light woodwind instrumentation and drumming, along with chimes and other instruments and effects. Through the Cascade it all sounds eerily realistic and shows off the impressive timbre of this headphone.

The heavy, constant force that is the low end is balanced nicely by an articulate and dare I say, delicate presentation everywhere else making the Cascade an engaging, intriguing, and very capable headphone.


Final Thoughts:

Campfire Audio's first foray into the world of full-sized headphones certainly doesn't hint at their inexperience in this particular market. This is a bold product in both design and sound, hitting all the right marks out of the gate. The years of development that resulted in the Cascade were put to good use and will undoubtedly reward those that choose to invest in this particular product.

Thanks for reading!

- B9Scrambler

***** ***** ***** ***** *****

Some Additional Test Tunes:

Aesop Rock - Skelethon (Album)

Daft Punk - Random Access Memories (Album)

Elton John - Yellow Golden Brick Road (Album)

King Crimson - Lark's Tongues in Aspic (Album)

King Crimson - Starless and Bible Black (Track)

Supertramp - Crime of the Century (Album)

Infected Mushroom - Converting Vegetarians (Album)

Infected Mushroom - Legend of the Black Shawarma (Album)

Gorillaz - Plastic Beach (Album)

Massive Attack - Mezzanine (Album)

Fleetwood Mac - Rumors (Album)

Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels (Album)

The Prodigy - The Day is My Enemy (Album)

Tobacco - screw*d Up Friends (Album)

Felt - Felt 2 (A Tribute to Lisa Bone) (Album)

website: https://campfireaudio.com/shop/cascade/



(intro written after about two weeks and 60+ hours)

Intro:

Listening to Roger Waters The Tide is Turning, while my 7mos old Australian Shepherd “puppy” is underfoot kind of brings things into perspective. What an incredible album Radio Kaos is. Timely then, and as much so today. Begging me to play with her, I succumb, and it is good. She is a beautiful, fantastic partner for our family, and I am so thoroughly in love, that I feel pangs of guilt upon leaving for school each day. She knows, and she copes. Upon return each day, we rejoice in that partnership again, and again. Begging us to play soccer with her outside, no matter the cold or weather…she simply loves whatever the weather; we rejoice in that unabashed love for each other. I well up now thinking of that bond. That unbreaking unconditional love only a dog can bring (besides life partners and children of course). That incredible overwhelming feeling of love drives me through each bad day (and there have been many lately…), knowing she awaits our return. Willingly forgetting that we left her alone (and yes, she is sometimes not as well behaved in the house as she should…), but all forgiven when we greet. What an inconceivably fantastic feeling.



I mention the above not only because I love my dog. I love her very, very much; but because I do believe that this is the same love with which Ken and CO greet their workshop each morning. Guilty for having left at the end of each (most likely long) day. Guilt knowing there is still wares to be put together. Customers who have shown faith (both new and old) in those wares, with that wanting of NOW, that wanting of “I can’t wait any longer!”. I feel their anguish, those customers. Especially knowing of Ken’s reputation for somewhat upheaving the in-ear market with the excellent Jupiter, which I am lucky enough to own (now onto the Andromeda/Vega in that vein), but his uncompromising passion for what HE and company thinks is the best (notice I did not say ultimate, for a reason…) sound that they can provide. Not ultimate mind you, a craftsman such as Ken knows that they may never attain that “ultimate” sound. At least I like to think that, since I do not know of him other than what some acquaintances state through conversation regarding all audio. But, it is obvious that Campfire Audio strives to improve our sound and our relationship with sound through their products.



Having been lucky enough to hear not only my excellent Jupiter (and previously owned Nova) along with @Pinkypowers fantastic Dorado I do get from where Ken & CO are coming from. I get it, I understand it, and I do approve of it. Wholeheartedly. They do not submit “new products” for our perusal simply to keep up with the times. In fact, there was an almost stagnation of “new” for a bit. One, which was used to catch up on their popularity. A well-earned popularity, I might add. But, while that was being done (to criticism of some, good Lord give me a break…get over it, it’s their company they do as they want…), word was out that new products were of course in the works (of course they were!). Happily, the Cascade is the result of such work.



Initially word was that they were taking the Vega sound to a closed-back headphone, with the portability of a mid-fi priced headphone. Almost unheard of at this level (I do have the excellent VModa Crossfade ii, which are portable, wireless and significantly less expensive). Many scoffed (as I read the thread…) that it could be achieved, or that something had to give due to A) the price point, B) the portability issue, or C) the fact that it was their first foray into headphones. Lofty goals, would have been an understatement. Implausible would be a better descriptive. But, one thing of which I have observed from that distance to Campfire Audio, was that this could very well be what drives their psyche. The challenge to do something, which has not been done, or not done well-enough to their satisfaction. THAT is key to what drives them, and to why when @Wiljen asked, I jumped. He offered his pair before the tour, and until the tour is arranged for a long-term audition, Ken himself gave leave of Will to do the tour and offer the headphone for my consumption (or so I like to think…). It was through this, and I was afforded an extended listen of which I still harbor. Of which I still savor and listen. Happily, I might add. Whomever receives the pair from me after will have a fully broken in pair, with nie on 310ish hours (it came to me with 133hrs, so sayeth Will). Suffice to say it is broken in. To say I was also lucky, goes beyond that feeling of luck, into well treasure.



Specifications:

5Hz–33 kHz Frequency Response (attn -26dB)
100 dB SPL/mW Sensitivity
38 Ohms @ 1kHz Impedance
13.5 oz (without cable) or approximately 383 g
Earpad Dimensions Outside OD approx – 2.75-inch wide x 4 inch tall
Inside ID is approx – 1.5 inch wide x 2.5 inch

Features

42 mm Beryllium PVD diaphragm dynamic driver
Sheep Leather Detachable Headphone Pads
Circular ‘Push-Pull’ Connections
Cast + Machined Aluminum Cup and Hanger Arms
Steel headband, pivot and joints
Litz Cable – Silver Plated Copper with Cloth Jacket (4′)









Unboxing:



With familiarity comes comfort. Complacency can also be wrought, but that need not be, nor is it the case here. Familiarity is at it should, what with the recognizable Campfire Audio green box, replete with stars, camping and mountains outside of Portland; the headquarters. Familiar and appreciated, for it pays homage from whence they come. Appreciated because of that remembrance. Why change something when it doesn’t need changing? As Yogi Berra said so many decades ago, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!”






Knowing of this beforehand, I appreciated how concise the container was, and of how accustomed people are to seeing this familiar shape. Opening said green box, you are of course presented with the familiar rectangle zippered “box” of faux leather, complete with the Campfire audio logo. Giddiness led to the opening, and again I was met with Sheepskin-like material in which the Cascade lay. Not wanting to disturb the sleeping headphone, I carefully removed the two-plain dark gray envelopes. One of which contains the excellent Litz cable almost as soft & supple as the pouch itself, the other the tuning filters. With a two-way zipper, which could keep a tiger at bay in the container due to its girth, complete with logo-laden zipper grabs of quite the heft, a long grab handle rounds out the package. Simple, superb and top quality. Nicely done, indeed. But, it is what was inside, which draws all of us to Campfire Audio, even if the zippered cocoon is worth the price of admission.









I was taken aback at how compact the critter looked. From pictures, one gets the impression of something truly massive, of VModa-size (I say this now owning an excellent pair…). But, just like that brand, the Cascade surprised me with compactness belying the pictures. They are also fairly light. As Will aptly described, “Built like a tank, without the tank-like weight.” I would concur, as some of my personal headphones do in fact weigh more. With a dearth of accessories, or at least the plain envelopes to me epitomizes Ken and CA. Classically represented. As it should be.




Fit-n-finish:

Placing the Cascade on my cranial matter, I was taken aback at the grab pressure associated with the placement. Almost too tight, I moved my head vigorously from side-to-side with no movement at all. Almost too tight. Cushioning my ears with real sheepskin comfort, the square pads enveloped my ears, just. Fit was good, but none-too-big/small. Those with bigger earlobes could be in trouble, and some have mentioned this after receiving theirs. I did find for a time, that due to the pressure, the pad/ear cups would “swivel” inward, at an angle to which the bottom would be almost touching my ear…almost. A simple rearranging of the cup angle took care of this. I had little problem with fit, other than the occasional readjustment needed.







Moving beyond the ear cup, the overall approach is one of quality. Quality exudes from the very first time you remove the Cascade from its cradle. Almost too afraid to pick up the critter for fear of disturbing it, I do, and I am engaged with the overall excellence of quality. No misfits here. Tightly sewn seams, tightly fit parts, with no mismatch. One comes to expect this when we spend our own hard-earned dollar; and Campfire Audio does not disappoint. Often companies will afit glamour with their ware, much to the detriment of keeping said ware clean…think of some IEM’s you have, which are a pain in the arse to keep clean and you understand. Or most anyone’s Smartphone screen. I clean mine several time a day as a result. I just can’t stand it, otherwise.









But with the Cascade, you need not worry. The matte-like finish of the ear cup does not warrant worry. It does not breed fingerprints like my iPhone X screen, which I swear is like a rabbit in heat when it comes to smearing…not a pretty site mind you. You needn’t worry. Not at all. With that quality construction, comes durable material and an aesthetically pleasing look.








Another nice feature is the magnetic ear cups. Used to access the four included filters, a simple pull takes the ear cup off, presenting you with the area in which you can access and change the filters. At first and after reading some, I was skeptical at how easily the cups may come off. This was quickly alleviated once I did it for myself. While the cup does remove quite nicely, there is no fear of it coming undone once remounted. A nice easy feature, without the use of pins/slots and twisting. I do like this and affords easy access/change of those filters. A nice touch. Do be very careful when removing the cup as the filter is small and can easily come off. Make sure the adjustment is perfect before returning said cup to driver housing.








Thankfully a user tuning manual is included: https://campfireaudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Cascade-Tuning-Manual.pdf

A softish leather band graces the headband. One in which many agree (as do I) that there be more adjustability fit-wise and a bit more cushioning. But, not all can be pleased no matter the price, and this certainly wouldn’t be a deterrent for me. My Elear gives better cushion, on the bottom, but not quite the adjustability of the Cascade. Stainless steel hinges makes for quite the durable critter at what can be a troublesome spot. No worries here, though.



With ample vertical adjusting, the Cascade should fit any head this side of Herman Munster. I had four notches out on each side, while wearing a hat. No problem, good fit. Again, not quite the comfort of my Elear, but ahead of the more economical Crossfade’s. With near 90-degree swivel to the rear, and what I think is about 20 degrees to the front, there is ample adjustment to fit most heads. And with about 40-45 degrees vertically, most can achieve a parallel fit to their cranium. Good stuff, indeed.



As for the cable, Campfire Audio took the same approach as with all of their wares…it is the Campfire Audio designed Litz wire and of plenty good quality. While I would have liked a bit more “sturdiness” to the cable, one cannot complain about the quality, nor that it WILL indeed last a good long time. And with the ability to order other cables, you shan’t be disappointed. It is a cable befitting the Cascade, and you need not worry. It does not tangle and can easily fit back into the envelop. But knowing said envelop is paper, will soon disintegrate, and need to be recycled. I simply unplugged from the headphone, wrapped carefully, and placed on top of the headphones in the case. No problem.



Putting the whole package together, one is privy to the entirety of Campfire’s quantity to date. And it is good. Knowing that this is their latest iteration into our pleasures is a good thing. And knowing this is their first foray into full-sized headphones, one can only think of what lies ahead. That said, I would be jumping into a future of which I would rather be surprised, so I will keep “grounded” with the Cascade.


Equipment used/compared:

thebit Opus #2
thebit Opus #1S
Shanling M3S
FiiO x5iii

Focal Elear (similar priced now, and model level)
Focal Listen (closed-back portability at an “affordable” price)
VModa Crossfade ii, wireless & wired (compared for closed-back portability, too)
Unique Melody Maestro V2, w/ Effect Audio Ares ii balanced cable
64Audio U8 (comparison of bass)
Campfire Jupiter (Norne Vorpal SE & bal, flagship to flagship, same price)

Songs used:

Bob & Ziggy of course. Bob would be proud
Roger Waters- The Tide is Turning
Twentyonepilots- Guns For Hands, Trees
Santana- Gypsy/Grajonca
Dave Matthews-Jimmy Thing
10,000 Maniacs- Candy Everybody Wants, These Are Days
Stevie Ray Vaughan- I Ain’t Goin’ Give up on Love (live and studio versions)


Overall Sound sig:

* Disclaimer: I used the 2T filter, which was mounted for the majority of the time. Wanting to note if there was more bass and mid response with the 1T, I switched for the last of my time. Due to my inabilities, I was unable to discern a difference. Switching to the 4T, I could discern a bit more openness to the treble. Do not take that as gospel as it could very well have been placebo/brain trickery in my case. Those with better ears will probably be able to discern differences. *

I am always loathe to give an abstract of sound, for I feel it hard to boil down into a fair bit of words the overall sound, which pervades the unit in question. There is so much more than what can be provided in a short summary, but as a good Scientist, one must be able to digest down the best qualities of their research into the pertinent. I shall try.

Knowing this unit was still of the “less than fully burned in” I was taken by the dichotomy of the first two songs I played: Guns For Hands & These Are Days. A full deep rich sound was heard from the first, and a BOOMING bass from the second. So much so, that I had to remove the Cascade and draw down the volume. I was astounded by this utter loudness of bass. It was huge. To the point, where I immediately wondered of what I was entering into…After what I would consider an adequate brain-burn and afforded extra 10 hours or so, that harsh AMOUNT of bass settled. Running the same song, through the same volume and set up after about another 10 hours, I can report that it seemed to be an anomaly of burning in. I blame the Beryllium driver, stupid rare earth metal… (absolutely joking there…)



So, to boil this down into not so few words, I would describe the Cascade as full, rich warm and deep of reach. This is certainly not reference quality (I’m not even sure what that might be really, as each has their own “reference” sound…smh). A sound, which can put a smile on a dog’s face when their owner comes home. A sound, which when listening to Natalie Merchant’s sweet, sweet melodic voice indeed brings a smile. Oh, my goodness, this has the richness of a triple-layered chocolate cake at a fine restaurant. You know you shouldn’t but do simply because to not do so would insult the chef and restaurant. And both are glad you did.




That said, there is ample detail present. To me, when one talks of bass, and plenty of it such as the Cascade has clarity or detail does not come into mention. This is too often the case in my short ride, and humble opinion. Too often bass overtakes the overall sound quality. The VModa of which I have somewhat defies this, but with a certain sparkle up top for compensation. And it can become tedious with the wrong songs. There is no such compensation with the Cascade. None, period. The sound is allowed to speak the CA song and method, without the addition of tuning to compensate. This is a bass heavy sound, and warm as mentioned, but one would be silly not to try if that was one’s not preferred signature. It is of that quality, which it can pervade other’s preferences to the good. There seems to be no lack of quality across the board, just some enhancing. And this can be put down to the closed-back nature of the Cascade as much as tuning (OK, to a point, but I do hope you understand…).

Noah’s Dove is a very good example. Building piano provides each note with detail and clarity of sound. Bring in that bass guitar for depth, and the acoustic guitar for more detail and you get it. You get what drove Ken & CO to do what they did. There, I said it. That’s my abstract…







Delving deeper:

I also struggle when pulling out the separates…due to my inadequacies and lack of formal training, I simply provide what I hear. And what I don’t, I cannot. This has saved me from entering some arguments of which I would surely lose. I provide what I hear, and that is it. Someday I will add formal measurements, but I have not the time to learn another expertise at this present time.

Staying with that bass point, Ziggy & Bob sound simply magical on the Cascade. Dragonfly Ziggy’s seminal song to me is as detailed and of excellent quality as I would expect. I found myself playing that song over and over, as I did 10,000 Maniacs. That sound out of my Opus#2 is deep, rich and booming, while not losing too much of the upper end. Detailed, separated, spacious-yet intimate as with a good closed-back set. A sound worthy of being called a TOTL from a company, and one which aims to “go after” several of the bigger headphone companies.



Bass: A am enthralled with the bass presentation to the point at which I could consider this a basshead representation. Someone else mentioned that this is their “endgame,” and being a basshead that says a lot. I may not go that far, but I am still smitten with how the Cascade can present such wondrous bass, while holding excellent control of that. Too often with models such as this, there is that compensation of which I spoke before. The need to compensate by taming or uplifting another sound to match the bass. Too much, too hot treble can be encountered to balance the deep delving bass. Not here though. Control and detail are the end of that. It is one thing to enjoy thunderous bass. It is another to enjoy it AND get the clarity of a detailed presentation as complimentary. I would consider this classic Campfire Audio bass, evident especially in the Dorado, and somewhat in the Jupiter. I really wish to spend more time in the Dorado for comparatives sake, but memory will have to suffice for now. Excellent bass presentation when you need it, and an excellent foundation on which to build. Well done, Ken & CO.

Mids: Of all the sounds, I have the hardest time discerning differences of the mids. I just cannot separate enough of that to competently draw conclusions. I will do my best, and you can take it as you may. That said, I do find the mids to be presented in an exemplary manner befitting a flagship. To me there can be a shouting match when one describes the flagships…“I am the flagship for a reason!!!” or “You had better listen to me NOW!!!” Not here, though. Just wonderfully presented, and a fit into the overall signature that ties all together nicely. There is a slight cow-towing to the bass, but only in reverence to how wonderful the bass really is. This would be the example of a Mother telling her three kids to all get along and play because company is coming. And they dare not cross what their Mother says…and it would be that middle child who holds all together in unison and harmony, even at the expense of themselves. My wife is a middle child…



There is a little bleed of bass into the mids from my perspective, and with the closed backs I have or have heard (albeit limited) this is somewhat refreshing. Sometimes bass heavy closed headphones can overpower the mids to the point where the mids throw up the white flag, knowing resistance would be futile. Giving up completely. Here though, the mids are almost completely copacetic with that and willingly take the bass into the fold, despite the overshadowing. Without a cross word, without a cross sound, and tying nicely into the overall signature. Again, think that middle child who doesn’t want to be a bother, nor any attention drawn. Their work represents themselves. And here is where the mids shine, on the upper end. Simply sublime presentation of guitars and male vocals represent to me the highlight of those mids. When I can hear Stevie Ray Vaughan or Ziggy Marley almost completely open and with natural warmth, then something has been done right. Done right, indeed. I really dig this warm sound.


Treble: this to me, is where the Cascade falls behind my Elear, and Crossfade. Not as present, not as well defined, either. But, if I have to quibble, it really is of a minor one, as this is still quite a good presentation of treble, albeit a laid-back version. To me, the Cascade is a bit of rolled off on the top. Again, that is where my deficiency is (I know you are most likely tired of hearing that, but…), so please take a listen for yourself. What could have been the icing on the headphone cake goes a bit flat. I wish a bit more sparkle was present. And of all the sounds, I dislike peaky treble the most, as this absolutely bothers me. So, in that vein the Cascade is quite good…no harshness, not sibilant, just a bit too mellow for me. If CA had incorporated the excellent treble of the Jupiter, this darn well might be perfect. But they did not. And typically speaking something has to give, or there is that one “fault” we find, which does not suit our tastes. And, if this is the high-end Campfire Audio was after, then I do applaud them for staying true to their sound. I really do.



But, compared to the VModa or Focal, it is a bit flat. Compared to the Crossfade, I welcome that mellowness, as the VModa can come across as harsh after a good listen. Nothing of the sort with the Cascade. It is really quite pleasant in that vein. Tom Petty’s I Won’t Back Down epitomize that dichotomy. WELL too harsh on the VModa, simple melodious on the Cascade, and I listen to my anthem of the year (personal reasons, PM me and I will tell…) over and over and over. If this is the treble in which Ken & CO strove to achieve, I approve. And I would hold the same on the Elear, the song simply sings perfectly to me through the Focal, better than the Cascade. But, comparing a really excellent open-back headphone to a closed-back isn’t really fair. But, that is what I have at that price-point. Again, I approve of the effort and cannot wait for V2.

Soundstage/Separation: While quite good for a closed-back, this really isn’t a fair comparison. While decently wide, one would not purchase this set for the soundstage. The sound would be key. And on Bob’s seminal I Know, he is speaking directly to those interested. Ain’t it good to know, defines what Cascade owners can expect, and indeed it will be good. Everything is neatly in place and does not crowd for the most part. I will call this “good enough,” and quite good for a closed-back.


Sources: Using mainly the Opus#2 provided me with a sound worthy of two flagships. And I would hope so. Excellent detail, excellent clarity, excellent separation. All three were superb. If I had to describe in a bit more detail, it would be one of grace, melody and comfort. The two melded together in such a manner that this could be not only my home unit, but I would make it work for commuting (if I did), and office critter. I spent many hours using the combo at work, unfortunately only for about 45 minutes at a time due to my schools structure, and interruptions during plan (DRAT!!). But every evening I could, the pair was my go to set up. And I was not disappointed.



Combining with the Shanling M3s was not as pleasant to me. While quite acceptable, the two didn’t meld as well to me. With an overt tonality of ME FIRST!!!, I found that instead of working together, the Shanling wanted to take front and center. For something such as my FLC8S, this is fine as that is the pair I use in running and lifting. But for pure listening, it just didn’t work.

The Opus#1s was also quite good, as I would expect. With “less” of the above Opus #2, the pair fell behind, but in keeping with the Audio-Opus tradition of clarity, and an honest open sound, the pair was very acceptable. I used this pair before shipping the Opus off to Will for his perusal, so it was only in fleeting, the two together.



Coming into my last night or two, I decided to bring an old friend out of the storage bin, the Fiio x5iii. Remembering when this was the Cat’s Meow flavor of the month, I awaited the updates, and virus scanning in order to run the critter. As an interesting note, I had not used the FiiO in well over two months. And it lost only 7% battery…incredible. And yes, it was powered completely off. So in power off mode, that equates to well…a darn long time! Since I was too lazy to pull an SD card from another player, I chose to stream Tidal Premium, since many of us stream as much as we do play from SD. And…I was shocked. Simply taken aback. If I had to, I would say the meld of the pair was right up there with the Opus#2, my favorite. And yes, I know even Tidal Premium isn’t the best quality sound, but the deep rich tone from the stream added into the right places with the Cascade. Me brain is still wrapping around the concept of streaming and the two together as Hometown thunders and strains from the Cascade. Except it isn’t strain. It is melodious commuting near-perfection. This is bloody cool! Heathens, might be for enjoying this pair, but isn’t that the point?! If one cannot enjoy what one has, or must have the newest greatest, then you really should find another hobby. I have fallen prey to that myself, but the Shanling M5 and the FiiO x5iii keep me grounded. And yes, I know the FiiO is “only” two years old…an eternity in portable audio I might add. While the sound from Heathens highlights the limits of each…too boomy of bass, lacking that fine detail, it is still a raucous good time! Tyler is singing directly to us in this pair, and it is a worthy listen.



Other stuff: I can define layers pretty well here, again for a closed-back there is a very good detailed layered presentation. Imaging speaks volumes, and is worth it’s wait (weight?...). If we had to boil this whole schpeel to one word, it would be detail and clarity. OK, two. The detail representation is very, very good. Each layer can be deciphered like that fine five-layer chocolate cake, and it is good. And, to top it off? Well…clarity. The way those details are presented is pretty clear, except for the aforementioned treble miss (to me). So there you go, detail and clarity in a closed-back headphone.


Finale:


As usual, I wandered, pondered, worded, scribbled, verbiaged way too much…but that is what this critter can do. The more I listened, the more I had to write about it. That is the “spell” the Cascade has me under. Call it Brain Damage, by Pink Floyd and you will most probably get it. I listen…I write…I listen some more…I write some more…then I just listen. And listen for a good long time…Pretty much everything I threw at the Cascade sounded good. Very good. Very few times did I fast forward to the next song. And that was mainly because the song did not fit the mood. And I thought about one of my initial thoughts/feelings…that odd shape and the comfort factor.




The longer I listened, the more I became accustomed to the Cascade fit and feel. It didn’t bother me nearly as much as the early feel. But, occasionally it did become a bit warm around the cups. Even in moderately cool temperatures it was a bit warm. Well, it is a closed-back after all. I’m not sure what could be done without ruining the sound signature, but maybe something in the future…I also enjoyed the varied personality of the Cascade per each source above. The wondrous detail of the #2 to the raucous good listen of the x5iii, I thoroughly enjoyed it! I haven’t had this much fun since trying to make the Apex Pinnacle2 falter…a fruitless ploy, I might add.


And, the longer I listened, the more I had that thought…the same one as when I first listened to the loaner Focal Elear, and the loaner Grado GH-2…that what can I sell so I can purchase this beauty feeling and thought. Again, it was so powerful back then, that I ended up purchasing both eventually. And that nag hits me with the Cascade…not quite as hard, but just like that itch on the shoulder blade or small of your back, which you cannot reach; eventually it will need scratching. My hope is I hold out until V2 comes out, or I break down. I consider it Dirty Pool, from Campfire Audio, and I will eventually lose that game. And the bet? Well, I will let you figure that out…



I want to graciously (gratuitously?...) thank @Wiljen for the loan of the Cascade. Without provocation, he offered, and I jumped. I do believe that I will be unable to repeat exactly what I said then, but suffice to say, my extended time with the Cascade was a treat, a very, very good treat. I finish this listening to Willy Nelson with Susan Tedeschi’s most excellent version of Kansas City. If you have seen neither in concert, find a place close NOW and go. Both are well worth the price of admission, and dare I say the Cascade is too. I also want to thank Ken & Campfire Audio for allowing me the honor of a “pre-tour” listen. Suffice to say, that between Will & I the critter is broken in, putting myself through close to 175hrs of “torture.” Quite gracious, generous and just plain nice. It is the companies of this character, which allow us the pleasure of their wares, and I am glad, very glad. Think Ziggy’s live version of Redemption Song, from Live at Soho, and Bob would indeed smile on this pair.

Campfire Audio Cascade Headphone Review
- Expatinjapan




Campfire Audio Cascade headphone review
- expatinjapan

'Cascade is a culmination of a 3 year engineering effort to bring our signature sound to a headphone.
The result is a portable, closed-back headphone that sounds and performs like it’s open. Even better; it has the unique sound you expect from a Campfire Audio headphone.'


https://campfireaudio.com/shop/cascade/


Campfire Audio Cascade and ALO Audio SXC 8 upgrade cable


Ken and Caleb with some of the early prototypes of the Cascade

I knew from various show photos and word of mouth that Campfire Audio was working on a headphone. I wondered what it would be like. Campfire Audio having sprung from the loins of its older sibling ALO Audio and whilst they possess oodles of experience with cables, amps and nowadays in ear monitors (IEMs) this was going to be a first.
Being an unashamed Campfire audio fan I had faith, but also I had doubts. This was after all their first foray into the headphone market. Of course I knew they would approach the project with the skill, expertise and experience of past endeavors, but it is a first after all.
Did they succeed, or did they suck eggs? Lets find out...

Unboxing and build.


Campfire Audio Cascade with stock cables and iBasso DX200 (Amp 1).


A beautiful box. My photo doesn't really do it justice.

Authentic Campfire Audio Headphone Packaging
USA Made “French Paper Company” Paper
Printed Locally in Portland, Oregon USA



Campfire Audio Zipper Headphone Case










'Cascade is the headphone that we wanted while traveling. It folds up to a compact size and is an isolated closed-back design. '



Warranty, user guides and a set of four Filters to tune the Cascade to your liking.





'Cascade
Unmistakably Campfire Audio Sound
42mm Beryllium PVD Diaphragm Dynamic Drivers
Aluminum and Stainless Steel Construction '










'The headband, joints, and pivot are all made of stainless steel. This makes the traditionally weakest parts of a headphone the strongest. The cups and hanger arms are aluminum; cast and then machined to reduce weight.'





'Our headphone pads are soft sheepskin, attached via magnets and replaceable. Each element’s design is there to improve your ownership experience.'



The pads are removable and are so securely fixed by magnets I didn't even notice during the initial photo shoot. No matter how much I twisted and turned they stayed attached easily.










'42mm Beryllium PVD Driver
Cascade delivers exceptional musicality and openness. It has a soundstage that expands well beyond the listening space. It possesses sonic traits not found in typical ‘closed-back’ headphone designs.
Specially crafted custom drivers are at the heart of Cascade. Powerful and impactful sound with excellent speed and micro detail retrieval. Superior highs extend over precise and controlled bass notes. '







'Premium Materials, Durable Build
Creating a portable audiophile headphone requires using materials that are up for the job.
Light weight forged and machined aluminum cups paired with stainless steel components. This provides added strength in the places where you need it most.
Premium sheepskin ear pads are not only comfortable, but they provide excellent isolation. '




'Detachable Cable
Cables are where we started with ALO audio so we know the importance of including an awesome cable.
That is why we include our acclaimed Litz cable with Cascade. It has the same conductor design and materials as the Litz cable included with each of our earphones.
Here we’ve added a special cloth jacket to the cable. It minimizes microphonics and adds a level of durability to the cable for headphone use. '



'Campfire Audio Litz Cable with Cloth Jacket; Silver Plated Copper Conductors with Circular Push-Pull Connectors and 3.5mm Stereo Plug '









Push/pull connectors for easy entry and release.





The stock cable is free and easy in its movements.







Specifications
5Hz–33 kHz Frequency Response (attn -26dB)
100 dB SPL/mW Sensitivity
38 Ohms @ 1kHz Impedance
13.5 oz (without cable) or approximately 383 g
Earpad Dimensions Outside OD approx – 2.75-inch wide x 4 inch tall
Inside ID is approx – 1.5 inch wide x 2.5 inch


Features

42 mm Beryllium PVD diaphragm dynamic driver

Sheep Leather Detachable Headphone Pads

Cicular ‘Push-Pull’ Connections

Cast + Machined Aluminum Cup and Hanger Arms

Steel headband, pivot and joints

Litz Cable – Silver Plated Copper with Cloth Jacket (4′)






Size, fit and comfort


Caleb of Campfire Audio showing the easy fit of the Cascade.



My head in horizontal circumference is around 58-59cm. Curiously the same size as our family soccer/football ball...
Over the top of my head from ear to ear is approximately 28-29cm, our heads often being more oval in shape, well mine anyway.

I delicately pasted a picture of T.Hanks on top of my ugly mug to give an idea of fit.

For me the fit is quite comfortable and my dainty pixie ears fit inside quite comfortably. The pads take a short amount of time to break in, soften and loosen up to better fit the contours of the head, offer a decent seal and place the ears slightly closer to the drivers.

I am able to wear for quite a considerable amount of time with no discomfort like a yogi.

My head being smaller than some I reluctantly bent the head band slightly to get a better seal on the pads and a tighter grip on the sides of my head.

Earpad Dimensions Outside OD approx – 2.75-inch wide x 4 inch tall
Inside ID is approx – 1.5 inch wide x 2.5 inch
Sheep Leather Detachable Headphone Pads.

Campfire Audio is at present working on offering a larger head band option.

"Wiiiiiiiiillson!"





Sound

'Designed with portable use in mind, Cascade is a durable headphone for use at home and on the go. The more you listen, the more you’ll find you’ll want to keep it with you, where ever that might be.

Cascade has excellent high-frequency extension; cymbals sparkle and expand on a wide soundstage. Mids are clear and uncolored.


The bass response is special; rich in texture and well defined. All qualities you won’t find in a typical closed back design. '


The listening was mainly done with the iBasso DX200 using amp 1 and the stock cable to maintain some sort of continuity during the break in/burn in process.
Standard Flac 16/44 on shuffle mode was generally employed.
Volume 95/105 on high gain or 105/115 on low gain (approx).
Stock pads with no filters used.

It ended up more a journey of discovery or even an epic odyssey than a review...


Campfire Audio Cascade and ALO Audio SXC 8 upgrade cable to iBasso DX200 (amp 4).

Early impressions from zero hours up to the 150 hour mark.
(iBasso DX200 using amp 1 and the stock cable)

Here are some of my basic findings from intermittently picking up and listening to the Cascade whilst I leave it to get the recommended hours (150-200 hours).

They have certainly improved with time.
The unboxing photos were done last Friday and I gave them a brief listen.
With the iBasso DX200/amp 1.

Friday afternoon: A little rough around the edges soundwise. A bit rusty and crusty. Like they were trying to perform but were restricted.
Saturday morning: Still a few rough edges but not as prevalent as the first listen.
Saturday afternoon/24 hours: Got that Vega feeling.
Sunday/ 48 hours or so: Still got that Vega sense about them.
Monday, midday/ approaching 75 hours: Symphonic.
Tuesday morning: combination of Vega and Andromeda.
Tuesday afternoon/ 100 hours: Depth and width. Vocals and music more balanced.
Great layering and sound stage.

Wednesday.
With Opus#1S - because I thought I should break/burn both in.
(Combo breaker- I shoulda stuck to DX200 for consistency in my findings- apologies).

Wednesday evening/124 hours: Smoother, deeper, exquisite.
The ear pads also need breaking in for a decent seal.
Lovely vocal representation.
Bass at times still a bit slow and lingering.
Hits deep (whatever that means - I had a cold and fever that evening and today).

Thursday(Today)
Back to iBasso DX200/amp1
Thursday/today/in bed with a cold/150 hours:

Overall the Cascade has tightened up considerably. Bass is faster and tamed.
Track reproduction is accurate and leans towards a reference sound.
Sound stage is more noticeably expansive and instruments well placed.
Vocals centered well within ones skull.
Even though the pads haven't been properly broken in the fit is better.

Quite stunning.


Campfire Audio Cascade with stock cable to Opus#3

Reaching over 225 hours now.
(iBasso DX200 using amp 1 and the stock cable)

After about 200+ hours the bass suddenly drastically tamed (more so than at 150 hours), and was less boomy than earlier, more controlled and the decay was much faster. Still ample enough bass, but not the defining feature as at first listen. Refined.

Using the upgrade cable, but I did first test it at about 150 hours with the upgrade cable and took some notes and then put it on the burn in.

Going to go back to the stock cable tomorrow and recheck my findings.
200+ certainly seems to find the sweet spot.

The next day: Using the stock cable I found the above findings to be accurate, although the upgrade cable has various benefits in resolution, detail and imaging I was able to perceive easily the jump from 150 to 225+ hours had certainly refined the Cascade.


Campfire Audio Cascade and ALO Audio SXC 8 upgrade cable to iBasso DX200 (amp 4).

Over 400 hours now (OMG, what a jump).

(iBasso DX200 using amp 1 and the stock cable)

I feel I have failed you my dear readers. I did intermittently pick them up and listen but the weekend interrupted the proceedings and my fastidious note taking.

What I noticed was that the refinement continued although not as drastically as from the 0 - 200 hours mark. There was another The significant part is the speed, everything has sped up considerably overall.

bass is quick and responsive, the deep, low slow rumblings pre 150 hours has been replaced by an entirely different creature.

At this point I had to plug in my general reference spot IEM the Campfire Andromeda and recheck my imaginings. More bright in the top end, and those mmm mids.

Back to the Campfire Audio Cascade. definitely that sub bass is pumping, upper bass is strong and fast but not over aggressive.

Vocals are nicely matched to the recording of the track and not artificially forward nor recessed. They seem to have achieved a decent balance.

Sound stage is satisfying wide.

Imaging and instrument placement is excellent, I find myself stopping writing and listening to the music and wondering did I just hear that or not. Listening to The Clash 'Radio clash' where the sounds are coming from all directions is a cacophony of satisfaction.

Lets carry on, but with random shuffle to get rid of any control of choosing tracks and have the unexpected and see what happens..

Joy Division 'Novelty' even sounds well mastered. Those drums thumping along that they employ so well, the emotion of Ian Curtis voice communicating itself with depth and feeling.

Lana Del Rey 'Cherry' makes my head vibrate with its sub bass at times, the vibration of the bass contrasts starkly with the control of the vocals, so smooth.

Lou Reed 'Perfect day' is a pleasant track in its presentation, dark in its vocal undercurrent of meaning. The track has a lower bass at is foundation with the strings floating above it all and just under the vocals. Soaring. Stirring.

The Pixies 'Caribou`, 'Dead'. The Pixies generally a good test for any dap or earphone with their quiet/loud, fast/ slow style.

lana Del Rey 'Pretty when you cry' is detailed and subtle, restrained in the way that the track presents itself, the Cascade staying congruent to the intended style. Deep music with contrasting lush and clear vocals.

The Smiths 'Last night I dreamt that somebody loved me' - I forget which earphone or dap I reviewed when this track came on and so moved me. The piano and roaring crowd at the beginning giving me goosebumps then the track bursting through. Imaging and separation excellent. Sound stage wide and with clarity.

David Bowie 'The prettiest star' has fantastic clarity and detail, resolution is near perfect. more tame in the lows but with far reaching highs that extent without any sibilance.

Throwing Muses 'Bright yellow gun' is a driving track that is heavy with upper bass and lower mids. but the cascade handles them well, keeping a bit of space in what can often be a congested track.

The Fugees 'Killing me softly' The bass thumps along, vocals as usual are soaring and excellent. fast.

The Velvet underground 'There she goes again' well as many know the early VU wasn't recorded so well, but who cares, its the Velvet underground!

Norah Jones 'The long day is over'. Good old Norah, a staple of audio show daps. I like her though.
The usual lush and meandering journey of mids and vocals is suitable smooth and refreshing.

The Beatles 'Eleanor Rigby' (stereo) comes across superbly. Recorded more for a home system probably as was the main method of listening at the time still translates across to a set of earphones nicely, with the vocals going from right to left and centering. Lovely seperation.

The Chemical Brothers 'Let forever be' made me turn down the volume a wee bit from before.
Deep, full, beating bass.

Massive Attack 'Saturday come slow' it seems some sort of synchronicity is attracting bass full tracks to my current shuffle rotation.

Mazzy Star 'I've gotta stop' careens along as Mazzy Star does so well. rambling along in a blissful state. the cascade retains the dreamy atmosphere and presents a large sound stage.

Nina Simone 'Gimme some' is light and the instruments separation is well done, although the recording of the instruments positioning isn't great. Vocals clear and realistic.

Mud Flow 'The sense of me' is a recent recording and really showcases what the cascade can do well.
Full heart beating bass, soaring emotive vocals, strings individually plucked.

Natalie Merchant 'Seven deadly sins' has prominent, clear vocals. Great strings.

Tricky 'Pumpkin' is heavy in the lower reaches. The female vocals still reach above it all.

Dire Straits 'Brothers in arms` is well reproduced through the Cascade. Excellent.
Compared the cascade to the CA Nova, no comparison, Cascade trumps.

Discharge 'Free speech for the dumb' ooh, something messy. Handles the extremes well.

Hole 'Softer, softest' has nice tight and fast bass, gliding guitars. The width, depth and height of these headphones is amazing.
Vega time. the Vega seems lighter with more space, more treble extensions and less mids.
The Cascade is more closer to linear at times with more bass and mids. Fuller sound, larger sound stage.

Rammstein 'Du hast' is accurate. Loses nothing. very engaging.

Black Flag 'Scream'

Radiohead 'Thinking about you'. Light, fresh. Jangling guitars, vocals crisp and correct.

Norah Jones 'Nightingale' I won't skip this as I have for a few doubled artists. Norah Jones is great for pin pointing some finer points of presentation for daps and ear/headphones.

Bass, vocals/mids, treble or Bass, vocals/treble, mids. I am still deciding in which order they are most dominant. can on occasion be track dependent or it could be my bad ears.

Opus#2.
Opus#3.
Opus#1S.
Shanling M3s
Echobox explorer
Shozy Alien+
FiiO X7ii

I had written some notes about each dap but found that I kept repeating myself as the findings between the daps were generally similar as regarding the Campfire Audio sound signature. (Then as you can see below I went back to it anyway...SMH)

The defining feature of the Cascade is certainly the bass, whilst not overly domineering of the whole signature is is certainly noticeable even after significant burn in.
The highs dont disappoint, and whilst imaging is excellent there is certain evenness overall that drifts the earphone towards a linear area, even though it is not that. Confused yet?
The mids are present but not like say in an ATH-ESW9, the highs bass are there but not like an ATH-ES10 where it is fatiguing and uneven in its approach. A soft v? A tick mark?

If you like a strong fast, controlled bass, clear, concise and realistic vocals, enough treble to please but without losing that small concert venue intimacy, and with a touch of mids to give it body without veering into lush or muddy territory you will enjoy the Cascade.

Slightly linear, a tad reference but with enough bass to dispel those notions yet never departing too far from the original intention of the artists recording.




I listened to the CA Cascade with a few daps.
Stock cable, no added filters.
Volume matched with a SPL meter.
All on high gain.

FiiO X7ii: Smooth, upper bass, light, fairly even, medium sound stage.
Opus#2: Nice low end, more mids present. Slightly forward vocals, expansive.
iBasso DX200 (amp1): More definition, lots of space, excellent separation, good balance.
*I will have to try some other iBasso DX200 amps with the Cascade.

Echobox Explorer (UAPP app): Fast, more brighter, lots of space, even. Detailed. Mids a bit more noticeable. Bass where it counts.
Opus#3: Clear, clarity. Bright. spacious. Light. Defined. Nice low end. Tight bass thump. Nice separation.
Shanling M3S: Fairly linear, natural. Great depth and width. Accurate.
*Echobox Explorer and Opus#3 had some similar traits.

Opus#1: Medium sound stage, fairly linear, more mids. Slower upper bass.
Opus#1S: More forward, energetic, more depth and space. Nice sound stage. Upper end sparkle.
Shozy Alien+ (short delay sharp roll off filter): Lively, deep, good separation and imaging. Good sound stage. Deep bass.
(Short delay slow roll off filter) similar to Opus#1S.

Summary. Whilst all the daps are fairly reference by todays standards. The output impedance being from under 1 ohm OI to 2 ohm OI: Opus single ended out (recalling daps OI from memory) results in slightly less bass at 2 ohm OI and more definition at 1 ohm OI.
There are slight but noticeable differences in general signature and overall performance (detailing, timbre, imaging, layering, sound stage etc) but these are largely incremental,..but noticeable.

I was less focussed on the Daps performance and more delving into the headphones themselves.
This was more to confirm things in my head, pointless in some ways considering the similarity of daps these days. wrks better with BAs rather than DDs or headphones. oh well. For science! To infinity and beyond!

The Campfire Audio Cascade has an extremely uncolored mids, its easy to think of V shaped, U/u/v etc, or even W as the vocals come into play. Careful and concentrated listening will reveal what is fairly obvious anyway to most general listeners...that the Cascade most certainly has 'dat bass', but after settling in it is quite controlled, fast and definite, mids are perfectly present, not lush or over emphasized but tuned in the background like a sub woofer for a home system. There, but not in your face, reasonably uncolored. The vocals are smooth and beautiful, Highs reach out, but no too far.

In a way its a Vega/Dorado cross over with a touch of Andromeda - but being a headphone there is just so much more.



Campfire Audio Cascade with stock cable to Opus#2


Some headphone comparisons.
I don`t have any appropriate similar headphones to compare with the Cascade, but nevertheless, onwards and upwards. price points are all lower.

Round 1:
Campfire Audio Cascade: Deep, full, full bass and lower mids. Vocals well matched to the music. Treble isnt lacking but isnt the defining feature.

Audio Technica ATH-ESW11: Nice and smooth, a bit thin. great highs and mids. More body and sound stage than the ESW9. bass is ok, a bit light. vocals forward. (I used to love these when I bought them- I might sell them now #sadface).

Audio Technica ATH-ESW9: Tame with nice mids and highs. (My first big headphone purchase. since refurbished and used by my son).

I have the ATH-A900 upstairs but will pass on them.

Round 2:
Campfire Audio Cascade: See above. Smooth, coherent, imaging and timbre is excellent. handles volume well. fast defined bass, treble is present but understated. Superb layering.

Meze 99 Neo: Quite beautiful. Great definition, slow lingering deep bass, some mids, more treble than the Cascade. Vocals forward. Controlled. Brighter than the Cascade.

Meze 99 Classics: A bit darker and warmer than the Neo. can be congested. Highs can be sharp.

In terms of Performance the Cascade was the clear winner in this uneven comparison.





Filters

'Custom fit acoustic dampeners to find the sound that is right for you. '




From the manual:
'The lower number value of the acoustic dampener the higher the level of mid and low frequency will be.'

Stock cable
Filter 1T: Evens out a little bit. Slight tweak. Sweet at times.
Filter 2T: Mids coming up now, treble much more noticeable. A sense of space.
Filter 3T: Sound is a bit fuller now, the mids coming into play. Treble not over bearing. Bass not absent but still quite active. Lots of 'body'.
Filter 4T: Prominent mids and treble. Bass relaxed in to the background.

The filters certainly change the frequencies, experimentation with the filters can be a bit time consuming but rewarding as one can discover a particular signature suited to their tastes and one that has synergy with their source and music tastes.

This is similar to the iBasso DX200 and FiiO X7ii swappable amp systems. A great idea by Campfire Audio.

I am undecided on my particular favorite. perhaps 2T or 4T with the stock cable.

At first I misread the blurb to read:
'The lower number value of the acoustic dampener the higher the level of mid and HIGH frequency will be.'
Instead of the correct:
The lower number value of the acoustic dampener the higher the level of mid and low frequency will be.'
Which caused me to go back and forth multiple times checking and rechecking until I read it correctly the next day. SMH.


I will eventually be using the Campfire Audio Cascade with the upgrade cable, so I will wait and see how that results with no filter first.

AL0 Audio SXC-8 and the Filters
Filter 1T: Surround and slightly holographic. Defined. Layered. Lightness.
Filter 2T: Clear with lots of space. Mids quite present. Strong bass.
Filter 3T: Deep. More bass. Mids more prominent. Treble not as active.
Filter 4T: Fuller, more intimate. Warm. Slight high extension. Mids take front seat. Forward at times.

1T would be my personal choice of Filter with the SXC-8 cable.

As I noted earlier the pads are removable and are so securely fixed by magnets I didn't even notice during the initial photo shoot. No matter how much I twisted and turned they stayed attached easily.




'...headphone pads are soft sheepskin, attached via magnets and replaceable.'

ALO Audio SXC 8 cable.









Campfire Audio stock Litz cable (Silver plated copper with cloth jacket)
versus
ALO Audio SXC 8 x 22 awg silver plated copper cable

Early impressions after 150 hours.

Cascade stock cable
1: Still a bit bassy, a pad scrunching evened it out a bit.
2: Clean sound, still bass - sub bass.
Deep. Fairly flat. Needs more definition.
3: More delicate. Fairly even. Still that 'boom, boom'.

SXC-8
1: Fuller overall. Still dat bass. But more control(?).
2: Clears it up a bit. Better separation. More space.
3: Bass lingers.

After 300+ hours

Cascade stock cable
It has balanced out more. Bass is tight and controlled. Still full bass. Clean defined sound. Even, not overly dramatic.

ALO Audio SXC-8
Beautiful. fuller, sound stage expanded. Imaging exquisite. Instrument separation and general timbre is excellent. Resolution and detail are greatly improved. Vocals are gorgeous. It comes alive in a sense.

Changing to the SXC-8 made me stay up for another hour past midnight - aural bliss.

*Results may be skewered due to using the iBasso DX200 Amp 1 for stock cable and Amp 4 for the SXC-8.
*I will also experiment with the Vega and Andromeda with MMCX Litz 2.5mm to an iBasso 2.5mm to 4.4mm adapter and also the MMCX to 4.4mm SXC-8 cable ultilizing Amp 4. (see further below past the colorful pictures).



The cable Y is quite long so I made a neck slider out of the tiny velcro strips which come wrapped around IEM cables.















ALO Audio Litz MMCX to 2.5mm to iBasso CA02 2.5mm to 4.4mm adapter
versus
ALO Audio SXC-8 MMCX to 4.4mm.



Hopefully to further shed some light upon the differences between the two cables going out on a side limb here. The important part being they both share the 4.4mm connection, and hence the same iBasso amp 4 unit for consistency.
Using iBasso DX200 with Amp 4. Low gain.
JVC Spiral tips.

Campfire Audio Vega:
ALO Audio Litz: Bass, though not as heavy as the Cascade, lots of space, extended highs, subtle mids. Excellent resolution and clarity.
ALO Audio SXC-8: More clarity, increase in space, more body, rich.

Campfire Audio Andromeda:
ALO Audio Litz: Open, wide sound stage, lovely mids, extended in all directions, exquisite layering and timbre. Light.
ALO Audio SXC-8: Lovely body, layering is defined, imaging is definite and clear, deep and full. large sound stage.

Campfire Audio Orion:
ALO Audio Litz: Soft, even, mids, linear.
ALO Audio SXC-8: More definition, slightly wider, still mainly retains linear signature.

Campfire Audio Lyra ii:
ALO Audio Litz: Fairly linear, reference leaning, nice light touch of body, very gentle. Upper bass and lower mids quite complementary towards each other.
ALO Audio SXC-8: More speed, increase in body and timbre, imaging improved, vocals more silky smooth.

Campfire Audio Dorado:
ALO Audio Litz: Bright, and low ended. Medium sound stage at times.
ALO Audio SXC-8: Deep full bass, clear vocals, highs clear but not over extended, mids come up more. Larger sound stage. More depth and body. Smoother.

In summary: The sound stage is increased, mids brought up a tad, more coherency, smoother, overall body has depth and the layering is more defined. Via the better clarity instrument placement and separation is more noticeable.





Manual
https://campfireaudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Cascade-Headphone-Manual.pdf


An interlude



Campfire Audio Cascade, ALO Audio Continental V5 and Shanling M3S

A great match, the Continental V5 seems a lovely match. the added power and the gorgeous definition with an overlay of lushness brings the Cascade magically to life.




Campfire Audio, iFi Nano iDSD Black Label and Shanling M3S
The Campfire Audio Cascade seems to pair fairly friendly with many devices.


Gaming time.
I quite enjoyed using the Cascade for gaming. Although I didnt really test out all the various dac and amps I have at my disposal. Too busy 'Stayin alive, stayin alive!'

Price

The Campfire Audio Cascade retails for US$799 from Campfire Audio or approved distributors.



Overall

The Campfire Audio Cascade headphone is a tour de force. A success within a crowded market.

I was very curious as to how their first foray into headphones would result in design and sound. To my eyes and ears it is a thing of beauty.

With an array of 4 (+1) filter settings to craft the sound to ones liking the Cascade is quite versitile.
If using the stock cable I would most certainly employ them as my sonic tastes are fairly specific.

The suggested upgrade cable ALO Audio SXC-8 seemingly improves all aspects of an already high performing headphone. It truly is like a piece of jewelry. So shiny. Fairly weighty, yet also supple and barely a hint of micro phonics.
yet also the supplied cable when combined with the filters is no slouch either.
Also I have read that HD800 cables are compatible.

The Cascade need many hours to open up. I recommend 150 hours +. set em and forget em for a few days...If you can.

I find the Cascade a comfortable fit of my average sized head and pixie ears.
At one stage I listened for over four hours at one stage whilst reviewing with no discomfort.

It is a solid and well built headphone, but surprisingly light despite its looks.

If you like a strong fast, controlled bass, clear, concise and realistic vocals, exquisite layering, detailed and smooth, with enough treble to please, a large sound stage but without losing that small concert venue intimacy, and with a touch of mids to give it body without veering into lush or muddy territory you will enjoy the Cascade.




Thank you to Campfire audio for sending Head pie the Cascade for review

First off, a huge thanks to Ken at Campfire for allowing me the privilege of taking the Cascade to Carolina Canfest and sharing it with the other members there. It got a lot of attention at the show and sparked a lot of positive comments. My review is based on that same sample that was taken to Canfest and the thoughts presented are purely my own and were not coerced in any fashion, nor was I financially compensated for this review.



Unboxing

The Cascade arrived a couple days before the show via Fedex. Upon opening the Fedex box, I was greeted with a pleasant green and black cardboard box with the name prominently displayed on the top. On the front flap of the box, there is a photo of the headphones but other details are not displayed on the box. In the overall, I was slightly underwhelmed at this point. Knowing the retail price, the packaging is a bit pedestrian.



That observation fades quickly once the box is opened. Inside the box is a leather hard shell zipper case with a carrying strap, a CA pin, and two small envelopes. Inside the case is lined with a soft synthetic wool that does a good job of cushioning the headphones themselves.


The only knock here is that the case doesn’t have a separate compartment for the cable so leaving it on the headphones in the case may ultimately end in scratches. Also, worth noting, is no adapters come with the kit. If you order a 3.5mm cable, you will need to supply a 6.3mm adapter to use the Cascade with home equipment or to purchase an optional additional cable.



Build

First impression is, the Cascade is dramatically overbuilt. In looking at it, I expected the weight to be substantial and it is, but not nearly as much so I had anticipated. Most of the cascade is made of metal of one form or another. From the top down, you have a spring steel headband covered in foam and wrapped in a black pleather cover with the Campfire logo across the top. The headband terminates with steel hinges that allow the earpieces to fold in for storage. Below the storage hinge is another hinge also made of steel that allows the cups to rotate on the vertical axis for comfort and fit adjustment. This vertical hinge allows 90 degrees movement toward the rear and roughly 20 degrees of motion past center toward the front for a total range of roughly 110 degrees of adjustment. The cups attach to the headband via a single connection at the mid-point of rear of the cup. The connection between the cup and band provides the horizontal adjustment for the cups and allows from 5 degrees past vertical to 25 degrees less than vertical. From the outside, the cups and gimbles appear to be all aluminum because they are. All steel parts are carefully hidden inside the cast aluminum shell which allows Campfire to carefully color match the anodizing of the aluminum to the color of the pads and headband for a very classy high-quality look. The cups are cast aluminum, anodized in a flat black, with the CA logo in bright silver at the lower edge of each cup just above the jack. The jacks are recessed bi-pin designs and are in keeping with the rest of the design in being equally over-engineered and strong. Left and Right are clearly marked on the inside of the gimbles along with the serial number clearly displayed.

Pads are leather and memory foam filled. These are very reminiscent of the Dekoni Memory foam pads for the Beyer and Fostex products if you have had a chance to try those. Attachment of the pads to the earpiece is via magnet. I initially questioned the security and durability of this arrangement, but after a couple weeks with them, I have had no trouble with any slippage or movement. On the inner surface of the pads is a permanent damper at the bottom center and a place for an optional damper immediately above the earcup. I will discuss the filters a bit later in the review. At this point, lets suffice it to say the filters work and are well designed if the documentation leaves a little to be desired. I would love to see a set of FR graphs with each filter mounted and without filters just to give a little more detail and set the expectation. Having said that, I’m not a believer that FR tells the entire story, but they are a nice reference point to have.


Cable

The cable is understated and overbuilt like everything about the Cascade. Without dissecting it, some questions remain but what I can tell about it is. It is a stranded braided cable wrapped in a PVC cloth coating (that may as well be Kevlar from the strength of it). At the single terminus, a 45 degree 3.5mm TRS jack with black soft rubber strain relief. While well made, this is probably the single point in the whole design that looks like it might be subject to breakage. It is a typical 3.5mm jack which somewhat limits the armoring that can take place, but the jack doesn’t show the over-engineering that the jacks on the other end of the cable exhibit. At the Y end of the cable is a soft black rubber strain relief followed by an inch-long steel connector housing with recessed bi-pin connections in the center. The connectors have a blue or red band on them for ID and a pin that indexes the pins. Overall the cable is one of the most well designed and overbuilt I have seen. One complaint, why not make it black to match the rest of the aesthetic? (I know if that is the worst I’ve got, it aint much of a complaint).




Fit and Isolation

I’ve mentioned the adjustments in the build section but it is worth saying that they do an excellent job and the range of adjustment allowed everyone who tried them at Canfest to find a comfortable fit as well as trying them on children ranging from 7 years old up. So, if they will fit my over-sized noggin comfortably and my neighbor’s 7-year-old equally well you know the adjustment range is substantial. The pads themselves are soft enough that they don’t bother the temples of my glasses and seal well around them. To those who don’t wear glasses, you have no idea of how big a deal that really is. My ears fit inside the pads from front to back with very little room to spare. On the upper and lower I have about 3/8 of an inch of open space between my ear and the pad. Isolation is good. With no source enabled, you can hear some ambient sounds but they are reduced by roughly 4db. This cannot be thought of as great isolation as you will hear some ambients through them. Once the source is enabled, this is quickly forgotten as the driver quickly delivers enough volume of sound to make anything outside the headset disappear. Leakage is absolutely minimal. I have been unable to tell what others were listening to while standing less than a foot behind them. Even when leaning over to place my ear directly in line with the cup on my wife’s head, I could not hear anything clearly enough to discern what the song was. So, for blocking noise out when not in use, they are not the equal of an in-ear for isolation, but when in use, don’t expect to hear anything but what the source provides.




Sound

Burn-in - Ken warned me that the burn in on the 42mm Beryllium driver was more than most drivers need. He wasn’t kidding. Out of the box the bass was very dominating and over the next 150 hours, they have improved with each day. I put them on pink noise for 3 solid days before the Canfest meet and that helped a good bit, but they have continued to open up since the show and I’m not sure how good they will eventually get as I can’t promise they are done with burn in yet. I’d estimate 150+ hours and if they are fully burned in, it is just barely.

Bass – Big! This will be the first thing you notice about the Cascade, Big bass. Not loose, muddy, slow, or ugly, just big. Extension at the low end is simply superb with the sub-bass easily rivaling anything I have had the pleasure to listen to. While a lot of headphones have a lot of mid-bass and roll-off as you go further down in Hz, the Cascade manages to keep its bass quantity all the way down into the 30hz range before you start to hear any significant roll-off. In running test tones, I was able to begin to hear a loss of clarity and volume between the 28Hz and 24Hz test tones but everything above that was at full volume and clarity. Bassheads will appreciate the Cascade but what is more amazing is so will those who generally shy away from anything that says basshead approved. To most of us, basshead approved is synonymous with huge mid-bass hump, lots of bleed into the mids, and a total loss of detail in favor of lots of visceral thump. The Cascade manages to deliver the visceral experience without sacrificing detail and with only minimal bass bleed into the mids.

Mids - If the Bass is the first thing you notice, the upper mid-range is a close 2nd. Lower mids are slightly colored by the bass and slightly recessed in comparison, but the upper mids and the presence range are surprisingly good. The combination of bass and mids makes for a full, warm signature with lots of thickness in the vocal presentation. Initially, I thought the warmth was at the expense of detail, but the more these burn in, the more detail cuts through. I’m a skeptic about the impact of burn-in but on these I can say unequivocally that it makes a difference. Do not judge these on the first 50 hours as it will be a genuine disservice to you and them.

Highs - Highs are well extended and very polite. The treble is definitely a full step behind the mids and bass and can easily be dismissed if not listened for specifically. I threw a couple of Jethro Tull tracks (Hunting Girl and Locomotive Breath) at the Cascade specifically to see how Anderson’s flute would come through. I was surprised at how well rendered and realistic sounding it was. I had discounted the upper end of the range due to the overall warmth of the signature. Lower treble is well behaved and sibilance was only present in places where I know it is present in the recorded track. Top end air and sparkle is somewhat limited due to the overall warmth of the signature but cymbals are still rendered well enough to be believable if not perfect.


Details - The Cascade is a detail monster. That will be the most controversial statement in this review for two reasons. 1.) Those who do a cursory listen will discount the details due to its warm nature. 2.) Anyone who listens without burn-in will not hear what I am talking about. If you give them time to completely open up, the bass becomes a bit more polite and backs off just a ¼ step. That is enough to let those upper mids and lower treble really shine and details are fantastic. Micro detail is present from the bass all the way up through the lower treble and for me and my love of blues rock, the ability to render detail in the lower registers is a welcome thing. Too many headphones think details below 250Hz don’t exist and as such they are lost. The Cascade instead surfaces those details and does so with great care. Take a listen to the walking bass line at the opening of A view to a kill (Duran Duran) and I think you will agree.


Filters – The Cascade comes with four filters to help alter the mid-bass signature. Those expecting the kind of changes in signature provided by the FLC8s or Lz A4 filters will be disappointed as the impact of the filters is very subtle in the Cascade and may go undetected. The first thing about the filters that needs to be discussed is how they are intended to be used. The Cascade comes with 4 filters that are small cloth pieces with different pore sizes ranging from 7 micron to 15 micron. The different filters are identified by the notches at the edge of the filters. No notches is 7, square is 10, triangle is 12, and circular is 15. As the pore size increases, so does the amount of sound the filter allows to pass so expect to see the biggest impact from the filter with no side notches and the least from the one with circular notches in the sides. Placing the filters is most easily accomplished by removing the pads and placing them pad side down on a hard surface. On the back of the pad, you will see a white permanent damper on the lower side of the driver port, and a cutout for the interchangeable damper opposite it (immediately above the driver cutout). Place the damper of choice so that the not in the top of the damper lines up with the pin hole for aligning the pad to the ear-cup. Once aligned, gently place the ear-cup on the pad. The magnets do the rest and the pressure holds filter in place better than one would expect. It became apparent at Canfest that expectations of the filters were not well defined, nor was where and how to mount them. The system is fairly straight forward once you know the intended use but would still be helped by a few frequency response charts to give a more exact idea of what impact to expect.

Because each filter has successively larger ports, combining them does nothing additional to alter the signature. If you think of them as screen wire, once you filter out something using a small screen, adding a larger screen after it catches nothing further. It might be possible to alter the signature by placing a 2nd filter over the permanent damper at the bottom of the pad, but without knowing the pore size of the permanent damper, this is conjecture at best. If it is already 7 micron or less this again would presumably have no impact on the sound. To my ear, the number 2 filter (Square notches) reduces the mid-bass just a hint and opens the lower mids slightly which is a welcome change to my ear. I started with the #4 and worked up, finding the #1 was a just a bit too much and started to have a negative influence on the upper mid range so I quickly stepped back the filter 2.



Soundstage / Imaging The soundstage on the Cascade is very much that of a closed back design. It is intimate but does manage to show both height and width in better proportion than expected. The depth of sound stage, while good is the place I think it is most obvious that the Cascade is a closed design. If the soundstage is not as large as some designs, the Cascade manages to make up for it with fabulous instrument separation and imaging. Even in the small space of the soundstage, audio cues are well placed and it is easy to envision the seated orchestra in their proper positions on stage. This is a major accomplishment for any headphone let alone an introductory offering from an outfit known for in-ears. Kudos! to Campfire.


Sources The Cascade played reasonably well from both an HTC M9 and an Iphone 6+ using the 3.5mm jack as well as an Iphone 8 using the apple lightning to 3.5 adapter. With the Cascade designed for the portable market, one would expect that. The fact that when you introduce amplification the Cascade scales right on up along side the improvements in DAC and amplifier is the bigger surprise. Making headphones easy to drive has been done, making them scale well has also been done. Making them do both is a much more rare occurrence. It is worth noting that the Cascade does indeed like a bit more power than most phones can provide and the addition of something like the Walnut F1 or Xduoo Xd-05 will insure that you are able to get the most out of the Cascade if you are using a low powered device for a source.

Comparisons


Aeon Flow Closed - The Aeon is far more balanced with bass and upper mids coming across as very thin compared to Cascade. The treble is considerably more forward on the Aeon and comes across as hotter when comparing to the warmer darker sound of the Cascade. These two are so different that it is hard to draw comparisons. At first I would have said the Aeon was more detailed but after more listening, I think the brighter signature makes it seem more detailed when in fact the two are nearly equal. I am torn on this as both headphones have things I really like but neither has all the features I look for in a headphone.

Sub-bass - Cascade

No Mid-bass hump - Aeon

Forward Upper mids - Cascade

Treble Extension and Sparkle - Aeon

If you like a brighter signature the Aeon is going to be your choice, if you like a warmer, thicker sound the Cascade has it in spades.


Audio Technica W5000 - I had a very short time to compare this one so impressions are very limited. I found the w5000 considerably more balanced, faster on both attack and decay when compared to the Cascade with more detail but very thin in the presence region.


Sennheiser 598C - The 598C is a bass first affair not unlike the cascade. The difference being bass is much looser on the 598c and not as well extended. The Cascade is much more visceral when compared to the bass of the 598c. clarity is better on the Cascade as well as the 598 has a tendency to get a bit muddy on busier tracks. Both have some bleed into the mids but the 598c suffers from exaggerated upper mids that will be too prominent for some. For me, the 598c is just over the line and is fatiguing as a result. The Cascade is much better mannered in the mids and doesn't have the same "in your face" mids as the 598c. Treble extension is better on the Cascade and less veiled and recessed when compared to the 598C. To my ear, my comments on the 598c could easily be swapped with the AD MSR7 as both have similar signatures although I think hte MSR7 is a bit less congested when compared with the 598c.


OPPO PM3 - PM3 goes deeper in sub-bass but has less bass quantity. Similar warm/thick mids on both, upper mids maybe slightly more revealing on the PM3 vs the cascade but not by a big margin. Both are smooth, warm, with big bass capability. Hard to contrast as these are more similar than different.


AKG 553 - Similar to Pm3 and Cascade. Larger soundstage to the 553 than either the Cascade or PM3. 553 is slightly ahead PM3 is bass depth and slightly behind Cascade in bass quantity. 553 exhibits good extension at the low end as did its predecessor the 550 but differs in that the 553 shows a mid-bass hump similar to the Cascade. Upper mids on the 553 are even more recessed than the PM3 when compared to the Cascade, making female vocals in particular sound thin and lack a bit of life that is present when using the Cascade. (Here the 550 is better than the 553 as its upper mids while still not as good as the cascade are much forward of the 553). In the treble region, the 553 is well behaved and has really good extension but somehow manages to lose a step in the lower treble regions and as a result doesn't have the air or sparkle one might expect. Imaging of the 553 is very good and perhaps a bit better than the cascade again based partially on size of soundstage.



Shure 1540 - Bass extension is similar to Cascade but tends to distort significantly as volume increases and can get really muddy on busy tracks. I'll admit, I listen at levels on the higher side so this is a huge point in favor of the Cascade. If you listen at more moderate levels, you may not be as impacted by this. The mids are recessed significantly as the 1540 has a very V-shaped signature. Here the Cascade outshines the 1540 by a considerable margin. Vocals are a bit thin and veiled due to this recess and those looking for something primarily for vocals would do best to avoid the 1540. Treble is much more forward on the 1540 than the Cascade with a spike in the 9-10kHz range that can result in cymbals sounding sharp and unrealistic at times. The one place the 1540 really impressed me was in soundstage. It has more dimension than most closed backs and seemed considerably larger in all dimensions to most other headphones compared in this review. It should also be noted my listening to the 1540 was done with an amp as it needs that extra punch to do its best work.


Beyerdynamic DT 1770 Pro - First off, yes I know - not even slightly portable between their size and 250ohm rating, these are a use them at home with an amp proposition only, having said that, they are also the closed back I judge all else by. Sound wise, the 1770 has great bass extension and good control. What differentiates it from the Cascade is the transition from bass to mids. The 1770 is very clean in the transition with minimal bleed into the mids where the Cascade is a much more gradual transition with significant bleed-over. Mids are similar in that both are slightly laid back and warm presentations. Treble is the typical "Slap in the face" of most Beyers and is much more prominent than that of the Cascade. For those that like a bright signature, the Beyer may be enjoyable but for those that are treble shy, the Cascade will be a better option as it is much less fatiguing for long listening sessions. Soundstage is also much larger on the 1770 as it is 2nd only to the 1540 in overall size and a bit more evenly shaped as the 1540 has good width but the 1770 outclasses it in depth and height.


Meze 99 Classics - Big bass with good extension, very similar to the Cascade. Upper Mids are much more recessed on the Meze and as a result, vocals come across as somewhat thin and a bit behind other instrumentation. Treble extension is good on the 99 but quantity is lacking. Neither the 99 or the Cascade are treble forward designs but the vocal range of the Cascade is more engaging than that of the 99 to my ear.



Comments/thoughts from Carolina Canfest

In taking the Cascade to Carolina Canfest, I must say the feedback was predominantly positive. Comments broke down into basically 5 lines of thought.

1.) Build Quality: That the Cascade's build is top notch cannot be denied.
2.) Sound Quality: Details and micro details are better than expected by most who tried them. Consider the fact this is in a loud environment so isolation was also key to being able to hear any details.
3.) Sound Signature: The Cascade is definitely a mid and bass centered affair, which is not to say the top end is bad, just not emphasized. Even with filters, these are a mid-forward/bass forward design.
4.) Soundstage: Somewhat small due to closed back design but still well shaped, intimate, manages to have better dimensions than expected.
5.) Filters: Universally not well understood. No marking on pads to show proper alignment, no diagram in manuals to show usage clearly. Video on website makes no reference to proper use of filters or show filter placement. Additionally, most were confused on what impact to expect each filter to have when used.

A set of FR charts showing each filter would go a long way to dispelling some of the confusion along with a video or still shots of placement of the filter properly on the pads.



Conclusions


I think the name is absolutely appropriate as the Cascade mountains are full of peaks and valleys, smaller ridges, and all sorts of terrain features. The more generic term Cascade refers to a multi-stage waterfall, with lots of fluid motion and features packed into an overall beautiful scene. For a first offering in the on/over ear space, the Cascade makes quite a statement. Big sound, warm signature, tons of details, tank like design without tank like weight, good comfort even for those of us with glasses, and attention to details that we have come to expect from Campfire products. With an MSRP of $800, the Cascade sits squarely in the cross-hairs of some very big named competitors and if it were not up to the task, it would fall flat very quickly. Instead what the Cascade manages to do is put every one of those bigger names on notice. Campfire is now in the Over-ear business and they intend to raise the bar just like they did for in-ears. Knowing the progression that Campfire went through to get to the Andromeda, I can’t wait to see where their full-sized line goes next. The Cascade is a great headphone in and of itself, but if it is a harbinger of things to come, Wow! Just Wow!