Any response?
Campfire Audio - Holocene and Mammoth
- Thread starter KB
- Start date
I've already asked before and 99% sure they don't do them anymore.
Keep those impressions coming between the two! what would cause you to send them back?
I also like the clarity of the Andromeda‘s high end, and I don’t expect to match it with the Mammoth. But “muffled“ is certainly something I want to avoid!
I wouldn't necessarily say the top end is muffled, moreso the upper mids (at least from what I heard). Female vocals, higher pitched male vocals seemed a bit muffled in comparison to the Andromeda. Soundstage is also less defined, and imaging noticeably worse. The bass really does have a lot of feel and impact, though. Songs I listened to seemed to have a hidden bassline I hadn't heard before. It caught me off guard. I didn't even realize there was supposed to be sound there, but there it was.
From my earlier comments, I was considering the Dorado 2020 as well. I wanted something to supplement my Andromeda's but I really am a "buy once, cry once" type of guy. If I keep the Mammoth, I know that at some point in the future, I'll probably upgrade to the Dorado, so I may as well just go for it now. That's just my personal philosophy. It drives my wife crazy lol.
I would say that there is definitely an audience for the Mammoth, but going right from Andromeda to the Mammoth really is stark, and I think it'll take a few days to really see them for what they should be.
Okay, now I need to look for the Mammoth vs Dorado comparisons.
For me, a clear delineation of the mids and a clean high end - not the bass quality- would likely make the difference.Listening recently to many of my other diverse IEMs, including some Finals, the IO, and my trusty ER4SR... the Mammoth are special. I can tell how they are not neutral, but sound so good. Detail, mids, and juicy, rich, natural bass. Delicious string bass pizzicati. Tons of bass detail. The soundstage opens depth-wise-thus, they do not really sound congested unless you compare them to high quality, very airy earphones... Reasonably airy still. Sound very lovely and refined within its concept. Really love mine, if it ain't obvious yet!
(Meant no hype train-they just are really sounding very nice and natural. Still using stock silicons, large sized; not Final E this time.)
(Meant no hype train-they just are really sounding very nice and natural. Still using stock silicons, large sized; not Final E this time.)
Mammoth in the house as of 30 minutes ago and in my ears since. Impressions to come after they are burned into my brain and I have adjusted.
Initial impressions off of our Micro iDSD Signature with the Mammoth with Final E tips:
The Mammoth is not going to be an IEM for everyone, but like the Polaris II, it will find its niche, and perhaps again at the end of its official lifespan like the aforementioned did.
As we know, the bass is the star of the show here. It's consistently present, but not overpowering in quantity like the Vega 2020, and is much more controlled than Polaris II. It's a well-known fact how much I disliked the Vega 2020. which gave me a headache and caused my ears to ring. I enjoyed the Polaris II, but it was far too uncontrolled to keep. This fits right in that gap.
The mids...if you don't like Campfire's accurately coined term by the community of "haze-fi", you won't like these. If you do, however, these will be up your alley. They are still overall W-shaped, but pulled back figuratively and darker than the Andromeda. I can see why people think these are nasally, but knowing what CFA can do with the Andromeda it is pretty clear that this was quite intentional. Unlike the Vega, this HAS MIDS and everything is easily discoverable if you look for it.
The highs are on the darker end of things and rolled off, but not like the L shape of the Vega 2020. Initially speaking, I'd say there's still sparkle but also intentionally pulled down and back.
You are enveloped in the world of the Mammoth with it's deeper than wide soundstage. It stays in your head just right and envelopes it with sound, but doesn't extend far past it.
It reminds me of a mini-Atlas more than what I've read of the Honeydew, which reminds me of a mini Vega 2020.
More to come! Not sure if I'll be keeping these since I am continuously on the hunt for DD IEMs, but I think they would be a great compliment to Andromeda for the right people!
The Mammoth is not going to be an IEM for everyone, but like the Polaris II, it will find its niche, and perhaps again at the end of its official lifespan like the aforementioned did.
As we know, the bass is the star of the show here. It's consistently present, but not overpowering in quantity like the Vega 2020, and is much more controlled than Polaris II. It's a well-known fact how much I disliked the Vega 2020. which gave me a headache and caused my ears to ring. I enjoyed the Polaris II, but it was far too uncontrolled to keep. This fits right in that gap.
The mids...if you don't like Campfire's accurately coined term by the community of "haze-fi", you won't like these. If you do, however, these will be up your alley. They are still overall W-shaped, but pulled back figuratively and darker than the Andromeda. I can see why people think these are nasally, but knowing what CFA can do with the Andromeda it is pretty clear that this was quite intentional. Unlike the Vega, this HAS MIDS and everything is easily discoverable if you look for it.
The highs are on the darker end of things and rolled off, but not like the L shape of the Vega 2020. Initially speaking, I'd say there's still sparkle but also intentionally pulled down and back.
You are enveloped in the world of the Mammoth with it's deeper than wide soundstage. It stays in your head just right and envelopes it with sound, but doesn't extend far past it.
It reminds me of a mini-Atlas more than what I've read of the Honeydew, which reminds me of a mini Vega 2020.
More to come! Not sure if I'll be keeping these since I am continuously on the hunt for DD IEMs, but I think they would be a great compliment to Andromeda for the right people!
I agree with most of what you stated, Mr. Chiu. If these had the extension of super airy earphones, they would be a *perfect* recommendation for me. But even this treble works well with most of my music, so I can hear everything without weird, distorted highs noise (or worse, hearing no highs/detail at all, as can happen with some other options.)
For my taste and music, a win. I do not have the Andromeda, but do have many neutral headphones and the ER4SR, so I believe the Mammoth better compliments my collection. Honestly, I do not need any more bass than this, and its bass tonality is really a 10 for me (not as in "reference 10", but more as a bassy IEM.) The biocellulose driver they chose and tuned for it is really nice-sounding. And since it is "natural" sounding in the mids and do not kill the treble to show off their "bassiness", it better fits my more "reference"-tuning preferences.
A bassy, balanced "hifi" signature, rather than just a bass IEM. It significally "enhances" many tracks that were mastered a bit poorly or with a rather lean character. Modern tracks can also sound spectacular. Not a mere one trick pony IEM (IMHO, of course), for better or worse.
The bit that could be confusing is that Mammoth does suggest "huge", and people may be led to believe it is a big bass beast. Big, "exciting" sound yes-with detail-but it is not an L shaped earphone.
Thanks for sharing-happy music listening to all.
For my taste and music, a win. I do not have the Andromeda, but do have many neutral headphones and the ER4SR, so I believe the Mammoth better compliments my collection. Honestly, I do not need any more bass than this, and its bass tonality is really a 10 for me (not as in "reference 10", but more as a bassy IEM.) The biocellulose driver they chose and tuned for it is really nice-sounding. And since it is "natural" sounding in the mids and do not kill the treble to show off their "bassiness", it better fits my more "reference"-tuning preferences.
A bassy, balanced "hifi" signature, rather than just a bass IEM. It significally "enhances" many tracks that were mastered a bit poorly or with a rather lean character. Modern tracks can also sound spectacular. Not a mere one trick pony IEM (IMHO, of course), for better or worse.
The bit that could be confusing is that Mammoth does suggest "huge", and people may be led to believe it is a big bass beast. Big, "exciting" sound yes-with detail-but it is not an L shaped earphone.
Thanks for sharing-happy music listening to all.
whistlebug23
100+ Head-Fier
Citation needed lol. Good write up, my friend.
Love Mammoth more with the stock silicons. I tried these and Final E tips last night on and off on different test tracks, and while the bass is even thicker and hits deeper with the finals, the mids get somewhat less clear-the treble just slightly less present. Of course there are disadvantages to the softer stock silicons-you have to move them around sometimes until you get the perfect fit, whereas the Final Es, due to the more rigid silicon, are a much more immediate fit. And there may be slightly less isolation with stock. I could use the Final Es, as they do their job well, but find the stock silicon sound more balanced and clearer to my taste.
(I have not purchased Mr. ExpatinJapan's suggested JVC tips yet.)
Oddly enough, the Final Es sound definitely better on another CFA IEM I have vs the stock. Cannot explain it scientifically, as much as I wish to.
(I have not purchased Mr. ExpatinJapan's suggested JVC tips yet.)
Oddly enough, the Final Es sound definitely better on another CFA IEM I have vs the stock. Cannot explain it scientifically, as much as I wish to.
If you like CFA's stock silicons you should defo check out spiral dots (regular) and Sedna lites imho.
Thanks for letting me know, Mr. Rockwell. I thought I liked the Es, but not so much in the Mammoth. Looking forward to testing those in the future!
Cheers man I think you'll find that both the Sprial Dots and Sedna lites will help tame and control the bass a little.
kmmbd
500+ Head-Fier
Listened to the Campfire Audio Holocene today, and I think I am ready to share some first impressions.
The Holocene has a triple-BA setup, and the shell design is similar to the Andromeda.
Ironically, the shell design isn't the only common factor between them.
The Holocene seems like a cut-down version of the Andromeda (to be more specific: Andromeda S). It's a bit brighter than the original Andromeda due to more mid-treble emphasis but other than that the atmospheric nature of the vocals, the wide staging and great imaging reminds me of the Andros. These do have a bit more pronounced bass response but other than that, in terms of technicalities, it's quite close to the Andros. The bass has a nice rhythm to it and doesn't sound as anemic as many other BA offerings.
As for sources, I personally liked the pairing with the Sony WM1A a lot, and despite the low ohm nature, it didn't hiss at all (unless you push the volume very high with no music playing). The Lotoo PAW 6000 was the most revealing in terms of pairing but it further pronounced the treble emphasis on some tracks.
The Holocene has become my most favorite of the 4 new Campfire Audio IEMs. It's also priced the highest, but for my tastes I'd pick the Holocene over the Mammoth almost always.
The Holocene has a triple-BA setup, and the shell design is similar to the Andromeda.
Ironically, the shell design isn't the only common factor between them.
The Holocene seems like a cut-down version of the Andromeda (to be more specific: Andromeda S). It's a bit brighter than the original Andromeda due to more mid-treble emphasis but other than that the atmospheric nature of the vocals, the wide staging and great imaging reminds me of the Andros. These do have a bit more pronounced bass response but other than that, in terms of technicalities, it's quite close to the Andros. The bass has a nice rhythm to it and doesn't sound as anemic as many other BA offerings.
As for sources, I personally liked the pairing with the Sony WM1A a lot, and despite the low ohm nature, it didn't hiss at all (unless you push the volume very high with no music playing). The Lotoo PAW 6000 was the most revealing in terms of pairing but it further pronounced the treble emphasis on some tracks.
The Holocene has become my most favorite of the 4 new Campfire Audio IEMs. It's also priced the highest, but for my tastes I'd pick the Holocene over the Mammoth almost always.
Last edited:
Users who are viewing this thread
