Campfire Audio Ponderosa

Campfire Audio Chromatic Series - Ponderosa

Disclaimer

I have the Chromatic IEMs on loan from a friend, I write this to share some comparisons between the Chromatic models.

All impressions are my own subjective thoughts after having used them for a good time. These are my thoughts at this moment, and as time moves I might change my opinion.
This is also a very subjective hobby where everything from experience, anatomy or age will affect what we hear. Also keep in mind that it is easy to use bold words when talking about differences, while it may be perceived as a small change for you.
While I can perceive something as natural sounding, I do believe we can never get a perfect performance similar to what is achieved live.

Ranking System:
1 Very bad or unlistenable
2 Listenable but not good
3 Average
4 Very good
5 Exceptional or having a special sauce

My rating system highly values what is musical for me, so my rating will always be a subjective opinion.



About me and my gear used for the review

My audio preference is neutral with some warmth, I can also like forward midrange and treble if not excessive. I am a believer in having different tuned gears for different genres or moods instead of chasing the single perfect one.

Main music genres I listen to are Metal, Electronica, Jazz, Indy rock/metal, R&B, Pop. I am a music lover, and can also listen to almost all the genres out there.
I have been into music gear since the mid 90s, gifted some big speakers at an early age. Then moved more and more into headphones with the Koss Porta Pro and a Sony Discman.
I have also tried playing many instruments over the years from piano to sax and have a feel for what's a natural tone, but not the biggest patience in learning to play.

My current favorites in Headphones are ZMF Verite Open and Beyerdynamic T1 G2.
My current favorites in IEMs are 634ears LOAK2-TX02 and Campfire Audio Bonneville.
My current favorites in Earbuds are FranQL Caelum and Venture Electronics Zen 3.0.

Gear used in the main rig is Denafrips Ares 12th-1 DAC together with the Topping A90 Discrete headphone Amp. I also have a Schiit Lokius I can swap in if I want to do a little analogue EQ.
Portable main gear being HIBY R8 II, with some dongles like HIBY FC6 and Colorfly CDA-M1P.






So what is the Chromatic Series

Instead of introducing them all I will quote from CFA, with links below to read about each one:

Introducing Our Chromatic Series
"At Campfire Audio, our initial mission was straightforward: to offer uncompromising sound at an excellent value. With the launch of the Chromatic Series, we're not just extending our product line; we're expanding on that mission. This series brings the same exceptional audio quality that fans of Campfire Audio have come to love, while also aiming to make premium sound more accessible.
The Chromatic Series is designed for discerning listeners who don't want to compromise on quality, no matter their point of entry. It's our next step in a continuing commitment to bring unparalleled sound experiences to an ever-widening audience. Because in the world of Campfire Audio, exceptional sound is an attainable aspiration for all."



https://www.campfireaudio.com/products/ponderosa

https://www.campfireaudio.com/products/bonneville

https://www.campfireaudio.com/products/supermoon-1

https://www.campfireaudio.com/products/cascara




Timbre

First off, what is Timbre?
From the Wikipedia:
The Acoustical Society of America (ASA) Acoustical Terminology definition 12.09 of timbre describes it as "that attribute of auditory sensation which enables a listener to judge that two nonidentical sounds, similarly presented and having the same loudness and pitch, are dissimilar", adding, "Timbre depends primarily upon the frequency spectrum, although it also depends upon the sound pressure and the temporal characteristics of the sound"

First minutes of trying a new set of gear, what I always listen to is how natural and musical it sounds. Much of this goes down to how I perceive the Timbre.

Bonneville is warm and bold sounding, with punchy bass and crisp highs.

Supermoon is energetic and clean sounding, has a more analytical sound with good warmth.

Ponderosa is smooth and warm, very easy to listen to.

Cascara is thick and slightly dark, the sound is very warm.

Going to use the ranges here in review:





Comparisons

When evaluating the sets I use each of them over longer periods and also some shorter sessions swapping back and forth, it takes a long time and is not done in one sitting. The most critical comparison is done on my desktop setup that is highly resolving, with volume matching to take away loudness variance.

My other reviews on the rest for deeper thoughts on the sound impressions:

Bonneville
Supermoon
Ponderosa
Cascara

The spider chart is slightly exaggerated on some points to show differences.





Music

https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/ad7bbfa3-2067-4235-b2ed-f5a3fb53ff28

When comparing the Chromatic series to each other I have used some of the tracks in the playlist and also some under here.
I will mention a few tracks below and explain how they each do:



Dire Straits - You And Your Friend
https://tidal.com/browse/track/2570512?u

Bonneville
Dire Straits and Bonneville are like made for each other, the stage is super wide and separated.
The sound is so full bodied and dynamic, the guitars and his voice sound so lively and engaging. The upper mids being taken back assist in older rock recordings not sounding too sharp or bad.

Supermoon
This is also very good, very resolving and clear. Some parts are a little harsh and aggressive due to the planar midrange and forward tuning, but also make it very lively and engaging. The stage is smaller than the Bonneville and the Cascara, and more similar to Ponderosa.

Ponderosa
Smooth and relaxing, everything just sounds softer. In a way this works well with older rock, even the bass guitars sound full and dynamic for BA. Very much of the music is in the midrange, so the warmth of the Ponderosa works well making it engaging while also having the softer BA taming it. Less resolving than Supermoon and Bonneville, but more than the Cascara.

Cascara
The stage is close to Bonneville in size, but not that wide and lacks the same clear separation of the stage. The overall tonality is a little similar, just a little thicker and less clear. Clearly my second favorite of the bunch for older rock.



Infected Mushroom - Mush Mushi REBORN

https://tidal.com/browse/track/331065005?u

Bonneville
The bass is big and tight without being overblown, the treble energy makes it sound very open and resolving. Bonneville might have too much high range energy for some electronica, but this track doesn't have that issue for me. Bonneville is also super detailed and speedy, just very addictive.

Supermoon
Planar is awesome for being resolving and speedy for this, but lacks the bass fulness of a DD making it more fun. But I could sometimes trade that away for technical electronica, to get such open and transparent sound.

Ponderosa
This sound more close to a DD in its bass than the Supermoon, and is actually pretty impressive for a BA set. It also is quite resolving even while having a smooth sound to it, surprised that I liked Ponderosa that much for this.

Cascara
The darkest and densest sounding, the bass is big and very fun. I do lack something as it sounds slightly congested and not open, affecting how separated and clear it sounds.
What it does give you, is more of a club feel with rhythmic addictive bass and less detail blasted in your ears. The bass here is also looser than on Bonneville, find this interesting as I thought the DD had some similarities.



Caroline Polachek - Sunset

https://tidal.com/browse/track/346733631?u

Bonneville
Just focusing on her vocal, it's very clear and forward in the mix with good air to her voice. She has some sibilant parts that can get pushed due to the Bonneville having forward treble.

Supermoon
Sound very resolving and airy on her voice, forward projection in your face. Admit it gets slightly too much for my taste, also lack the soul that I need for vocals.

Ponderosa
The warm midrange is excellent with Caroline, good amount of detail. Lack a little dynamic soul in her voice compared to Cascara and Bonneville, but sound more realistic than Supermoon. Has also the smoothest sound of them all, making it forgiving and never tiresome.

Cascara
This is better than expected being that the Cascara is so low end heavy, while also being engaging and fun it does sound a little husky. But I also can like this presentation, less airy and open in her voice compared to Supermoon and Bonneville. But also the least one to show the sibilance in her voice.



Camille Thomas, Julien Brocal - Lento con gran espressione

https://tidal.com/browse/track/293115723?u

Bonneville
It Sounds so rich and beautiful. Bonneville has an authority to the cello that I will argue is lacking from most IEMs, since cello sounds big and full in real life. The warmth of the Bonneville makes it sound more true to life, and also the piano that is accompanying sounds organic and real. Highly resolving and picking up a lot of the nuanced playing with also the background noise of the breathing.

Supermoon
This is one of the main reasons why I dislike planar IEMs, it sounds lifeless and lacks the organic timbre for string instruments. The sound is too metallic and analytical, in return you get a very resolving and open sound. Also means the climax of the track can get a little too much for me.

Ponderosa
When swapping over to Ponderosa after Supermoon I'm met with a warmer and more organic sound, and this to me sounds more realistic and engaging. I lack some airyness compared to Supermoon and Bonneville, and some more intense parts can have some extra sizzle in the mids.

Cascara
Nails the organic timbre that DDs are so good with, slightly to thick sounding perhaps. Some of this probably since the bass shelf goes more into the mids and also due to not being the most airy of chromatic IEMs. The Cascara doesn't handle the dynamic climax as controlled as the Bonneville, and has almost the same bite as Supermoon.



Suldusk - Chrystaline

https://tidal.com/browse/track/333294431?u

Bonneville.
Bonneville has the tonality to make intense metal less shouty and tiresome, but without making it sounding veiled or dull. It's just a thick and visceral sound, but due to the less aggressive upper mids it's not shouty. Both the instruments and her parts are super resolving and expressive, capturing a wide dynamic range. And sound equally good during the softer and melodic parts as the intense ones.

Supermoon
Has the cleanest and most open sound, and sounds the least busy during the intense parts. But also lack some warmth making it a little thin when compared to the other, for many this warmth is probably the best on metal as the low mids have less thickness to it.
Has the least soul on the instruments and her vocals making the music more analytical, but again perfect for the resolution.

Ponderosa
Has a more thick and smooth sound, BA sets can often be good at being forgiving and having smooth transients. Due to this also sounding the least open and slowest of the bunch, during the intense parts I lack the openness of Bonnenville and Supermoon. Not my first pick for metal music, but I would pick it for this over Cascara.

Cascara
The sound is least resolving of all of them and not as clear playing this. It Sounds darker and lacks the sparkle for cymbals, similar to Ponderosa it's not my first pick for metal. But again I find this very easy to listen to, not tiresome at all. And could see my using this for older bright metal and rock, as it would give the music more body and soften it.



Snarky Puppy - Belmont

https://tidal.com/browse/track/228999274?u

Bonneville
Has a good balance for jazz music like this, balanced rich sound that is very resolving without being too aggressive or tiresome. The micro details of instruments are quite remarkable, with excellent separation and staging. Bass is also so dense and addictive, the opening kick drum is just perfection. The stage also sounds much wider than the rest here.

Supermoon
The best one for clarity with its more sharp and intense tonality, there are actually some parts of the drumming where I flinch due to the brightness on Supermoon.
The bass also lacks a good realistic presentation for the kick drum, sounds more dead and lifeless.

Ponderosa
Warm midrange and smooth sound, I quite like this.
Then I hear the bass and I get sort of disappointed, but still better than Supermoon. It's punchy and fast but lacks the impressiveness of Bonneville and Cascara.
But the mids are so creamy on the rest, so more traditional Jazz with Ponderosa is a much better match.

Cascara
Similar to the Bonneville in the bass, the bass kick sounds so impressive and real. The sound is also overall very rich and full bodied, still Cascara is not my pick for traditional Jazz. But the more bold stuff like Snarky Puppy align very much with thicker sounding IEMs, unless you want more clarity.



Conclusion

I will make this a conclusion for the Chromatic series as a whole, the colourful design suits the series with all of them having colourful tunings. Each of them sound very different from each other, and it can be nice to own them all if you like variety in tunings.

The flagship Bonneville with its bold and fun sound, that is highly resolving and clear up top with voluptuous bass.
The Supermoon is perhaps the best planar available if you like energetic sound, resolving and clean.
The Ponderosa with its relaxed and smooth sound, overall warm bass and mids with decent technicalities.
Then the Cascara with the warm and darker sound, the bass is visceral and mids are thick.

The price may seem high for some when we compare with typical offerings from China, I think it's justified since they are made in the USA. They also have some of the most ergonomic shells out there, nicely sculpted to get a secure and deep fit. Good accessories, and cool packaging presentation that is not over the top.

This was a loan from my friend, the only reason I write this is since few out there have tried the whole series.
I clearly love Campfire Audio, and the Bonneville still remains my favorite IEM. I bet many would instead love one of the others in the series more, so hopefully this has been helpful to get an idea about them.

The Ponderosa from Campfire Audio is an IEM from the new Chromatic series. Campfire's original mission has always been to offer uncompromising sound at an excellent price-performance ratio and with this new Chromatic product line, Campfire continues this mission. With an RRP of €899, the Ponderosa is significantly cheaper than an Andromeda, for example, but should still offer an incomparable sound experience and appeal to a wider audience for the price. I will shed more light on whether this has been achieved below.



The Ponderosa is equipped with a total of 5 BA drivers. The patented T.A.E.C technology is also used here, which enables the drivers to be better coordinated with each other. The Ponderosa is available in an Essential or Deluxe version. The difference between Essential and Deluxe is that the Deluxe Edition comes with 3 cables instead of 1, as well as a premium leather case. For the review, I received the Essential Edition with a 4.4 mm cable, a fabric bag, various ear tips, a brush, a fabric bag for the individual earphones and a cleaning cloth. The cable itself is a bit stiff and a kind of flat ribbon cable. I would have liked a rounder and softer version here. The colors of the fabric bag and the cable are very funky with the bright green. That is a matter of taste. It would be too much green for me, so I chose the IEM itself in black.



The fit and comfort of the Ponderosa is very good. For me, the Azla Clear pads offer the best results in terms of sound and comfort. The IEM itself with its 3D printed housing and stainless steel front panel looks very high quality.

With an impedance of 6 ohms, the Ponderosa is very easy to drive. I even have to set my DX320 MAX Ti to 83/100 with a digital volume adjustment so that I still have a control range at all in the low gain. It is also the first IEM ever to cause minimal background noise on my MAX Ti. If I'm sitting in a very quiet room, I can hear this a little. When the music starts, you can no longer hear it. For powerful DAPs you have to keep this in mind. With my very powerful stationary amp, the Niimbus US4, it's even noisier. This is a combination that I cannot recommend.



Tonally, the Ponderosa plays on the warmer side. Here Campfire has chosen a very safe tuning that doesn't emphasize any frequency range in particular or start to get on your nerves. The bass is strongly boosted. The BA Bass can really punch. It will put a smile on the face of every basshead! I almost didn't believe that it was (only) a BA bass, it kicks like a DD driver. The upper bass is slightly more boosted than the low bass. There are some recordings where it puffs up a little and then radiates a little into the mids. For most recordings, however, it is fine.

The mid-range is very direct and plays extremely full and very smooth. It is an IEM for lovers of the more intimate style. You feel right in the middle of the action at all times. The stage is rather small, especially in terms of depth. At a metal concert, you are sitting in front of the stage and not 10 rows behind it. If you like that, you will really like the Ponderosa.

The treble is very gentle and has a slight roll-off. Sibilants never stand a chance. The airiness is also somewhat less than with a U4s. On the other hand, the Ponderosa isolates really well. The resolution is okay for this price range. You have to go for a more expensive U4s, which then offers more resolution.

With the Ponderosa, Campfire Audio has created an IEM that performs very well technically in this price range and delivers a warm and very pleasant sound. Friends of a more intimate presentation who prefer a sound that is not so big on stage will be delighted with the Ponderosa. I find it very suitable for traveling, as it offers great isolation and is comfortable to wear.