[vsg28]

Just submitted my review of the Holocene, although both Mammoth and Holocene reviews might take a month to be actually published with the backlog I have. I am definitely more impressed with these relative to the Mammoth, and especially the lackluster Satsuma from before. Nearly everything marketed is valid in reality, even if some of the things are going to be divisive or even technically a mishap in my books- the missing compensation for inner ear resonances makes some music genres and female vocals seem real weak here, for example. It's otherwise quite enjoyable with good balance of imaging and soundstage alike, and takes EQ better than I thought it would which helps fix some of the issues. These are quite sensitive IEMs though, so much so that I had the unpleasant background hiss even with overkill sources at times. I can see the Mammoth and Holocene being a good pair for different use cases, as with the Honeydew and Satsuma before. But I would rather go with Honeydew + Holocene if I had to pick two from the recent CFA releases, and I have no experience with the rest at this time.

 

[Star Ace]

Thank you vsg28 for the Holocene review above. I wonder how it compares to the old Jupiter. The Holocene appears more neutral in theory.

I have been using my Mammoth mostly every day, giving it a break for a few other non-CA IEMs I have. I also am now using an SR25 as opposed to my Qualcomm based Note 9 with USB Audio PRO-the latter device is not as bad as you may think, but does have less power.

Still cannot find much fault with the Mammoth. It is even better with the SR25. But the eartips do make a big difference.

The regular silicons are its "standard" sound to me-bassy but open and clear sound. Mids sound fine, just slightly behind one of the eartips mentioned below. But one can get "great sound" with the stock silicon tips.

the clear sedna tips are good, but bassier without losing treble. Depending on tracks this may be good or bad, as it has solid bass to begin with. I like that they are stable and easy to put on and off your ears, with great isolation and no clarity loss.

The Xelastec have had the "best" results-for my taste-but you have to be OK with them deforming a bit, and to girate them a bit when they appear too lose a fit. That will give you full seal again. Mids are better emphasized, the bass is slightly lessened (this is less evident when the tips are new and have not adapted to your ears as much.) Clarity is still amazing.

So I know the treble is supposed to be bad, but in practice, with the aforementioned three eartips, only looking at an graph would I notice a problem. The CA foamies and Final Es do make it darker. But I still consider the Mammoth big and full sounding, not muddy or even dark in the least. It's treble surpasses most of my other IEMs. Some of my other IEMs have more air, but the lower low treble area makes them not as clear with cymbals. I cannot complain about cymbal tonality with the Mammoth at all. So the important thing is not to expect treble hyperextension as some other CA models. With that said the treble is nice and clear in my experience, granted using the tips I have mentioned throughout this thread.

Just posting the above as a sort of confirmation of what I stated earlier, in more detail. Treble could be deemed "bad" only if you expect very, very extended highs. Which is not even the norm for excellent headphones that have been widely accepted and loved. Your mileage may vary, as some will always want more or less treble than the Mammoth can provide. But I do suggest a listen. I use graphs as a guide myself all the time-I had already seen Mr. Crinacle's version before purchasing it on July, and expected something very different. Ended up being much better than anticipated in my perhaps quite unique experience.

 

[DCofficehack]

So far I haven't read anything to convince me that the Holocene is a good purchase unless I'm the sort who collects lots of expensive gear and might appreciate having it in my collection. It doesn't help that most of the reviews focusing on comparing it to the Mammoth, which isn't particularly interesting. They're really different, I get it. Folks are either interested in one or the other but I doubt anyone's going to put much time into figuring out which to get given the stark differences. But what I want to know is, why spend $650 for Holocene when I could buy some great ChiFi for that money or for a little bit more get second-hand Andromedas. How does it compare with ChiFi that costs about $300 like the Blessing 2 or Oxygen?

 

[Star Ace]

So far I haven't read anything to convince me that the Holocene is a good purchase unless I'm the sort who collects lots of expensive gear and might appreciate having it in my collection. It doesn't help that most of the reviews focusing on comparing it to the Mammoth, which isn't particularly interesting. They're really different, I get it. Folks are either interested in one or the other but I doubt anyone's going to put much time into figuring out which to get given the stark differences. But what I want to know is, why spend $650 for Holocene when I could buy some great ChiFi for that money or for a little bit more get second-hand Andromedas. How does it compare with ChiFi that costs about $300 like the Blessing 2 or Oxygen?

For some of us-though perhaps a minority-where it's made is important. There are excellent Chinese made earphones, but what if I want to stay out of that market? They make tons of money already on their "value" products, and do not need my help. I rather find high quality elsewhere, even if I have to pay more for it.

If you want to save maximum bucks, of course ignore most CA IEMs. Perhaps you are not their intended customer? Not being elitist-I myself am relatively poor, and cannot even afford a new Andromeda. Also, I realize there are many really good non Chinese options that aren't too expensive such as those you have listed on your profile. But comparing Chifi to American/German-made/etc. products is not an apples to apples comparison (IMHO-and I bet not all Chifi are good values either.)

I have not tested the Holocene myself, but it is *probably* intended to be more "reference" than Andromeda, which is generally considered a great all-rounder. I surely may be wrong without having either of them, though.

Rather than an Andromeda to Holocene comparison, I am personally more interested in Holocene vs Jupiter, as these appear closer to each other in theory. Some people thought the Jupiter was V shaped somehow, which I have not read from Holocene reviews. I am going to try a Jupiter soon, which I found relatively affordable used online, and appeared to be in good condition-I shall see/hear.

Did not mean to offend-enjoy and buy what *you* like. Be well.

 

[sg2k]

Hows the Mammoth comparing to the Honeydew? Is the Mammoth a better Honeydew cleaner, fuller sound, better highs with same amount/quality of bass?

 

[kmmbd]

Hows the Mammoth comparing to the Honeydew? Is the Mammoth a better Honeydew cleaner, fuller sound, better highs with same amount/quality of bass?

Mammoth bass is cleaner and the mids more upfront. Staging/imaging is also superior. Highs aren't better really, they have a bit more focus than on the Honeydew but you won't get good extension/airiness on either. The Campfire Holocene is the one with airy treble.

 

[Star Ace]

Mammoth is like a refined, clear-sounding bassy IEM, with pretty good depth if not air on top. I personally love the upper mids and lower treble emphasis. kmmbd states the truth in that they are not super extended, but I think we have been spoiled by riches even from Campfire Audio itself. In truth, the treble on the Mammoth is well done, and avoids sounding dull on top-not extended, but it is not as if you cannot hear most highs. It is not a Jupiter/Holocene/Andromeda/Ara/etc. (even IO has very extended highs.) But if you consider the treble with the rest of the frequencies "as intended", it is pretty well done, IMHO. Many bassy IEMs can sound overly bassy, too warm, or too muddy/dark. The Mammoth can sound full but not dull.

I cannot compare with the Honeydew, but perhaps it is fair to say that Mammoth focuses on bass quality and depth more than sheer quantity-maybe the Honeydew is bassier (cannot say from personal experience). *I* think the biocellulose driver they chose for it sounds fantastic. Worth a listen if you can, so you can decide for yourself. Maybe the Honeydew will be enough for you depending on what you are looking for in terms of bass.

I did finally acquire an excellent condition Jupiter, and while loving them as well, they cannot replace or do what the Mammoth does, despite the lower cost as a new product, relatively narrower soundstage, and less air.

 

[cleg]

My video about Mammoth

 

[cleg]

And, of course, a logical sequel

 

[Star Ace]

Mr. expatinjapan was right; the Spiral Dot++ eartips are clearer than even the Xelastec which I previously favored. Brighter and clearer, the bass remains on a similar level, if not a bit more. It's like a clarity filter was added to the IEMs. Not placebo, tried several times with many of my own badly mastered tracks which I use often to test treble and general clarity.

So I would definitely recommend them for the Mammoth for sure! The "treble is bad" graphs and comments, I cannot agree on. It's indeed less upper treble than many extended treble earphones. But bad? It is an exaggeration, IMHO. Better than average, even.

(I have to reiterate, I did not love the Final Es on the Mammoth. Even people who like the Mammoth test them with Final Es. These are not bad, and match the bassy aspects of the IEM well. But I think a better picture of what the Mammoth could do can be achieved by trying other tips. I do not hate the Final Es, as they have worked well with some of my other IEMs, but just feel it is worth mentioning for the Mammoth in particular.)

Because of the Mammoth's and other modern, similar shaped CFA's IEMs extended nozzle (since 2019?), I can adjust the Spiral Dot up to only one dot showing, but I let two dots out. I tried AB testing this, and the difference between both positions wasn't as much as using the Xelastec vs Spiral Dot++.

The Jupiter I mentioned earlier in the thread benefitted even more from the Spiral Dot++ than the Mammoth (EP-FX10-I am using ML due to huge ear canals, and am sure I could use the L, though at a longer distance from the ear.) The difference in the mids it brought out was quite startling plus even better treble than it had. Because of the short nozzle length as one of the oldest CFA models, all three dots show, probably as intended. If anyone finds the Jupiter a bit mid shy in the upper mids-as they are definitely not emphasized-you should definitely try the Spiral Dot++ tips.

I imagine for those sensitive to highs and upper mids, the Spiral Dot++ will not be the best match. For what I look for in my music, they are very hard to beat. All violins nicely improved and more present. Great for Mammoth (though Xelastec are good too for it), excellent for the Jupiter ("clearly" better than the Xelastec there to my taste.) I imagine they should be good for the Holocene too, given how the graph looks on the mids and my experience with the Jupiter.

The bad news for me are that these tips are even pricier than Xelastec, and that I may need to get more for my other IEMs, as I dislike switching tips around unless I need something else on them.

I still enjoy the Xelastec, and the tonal signature is different enough than someone would want to switch tips for different applications. The mids sound different for both-it is not just a matter of treble extension. But what I did not expect is that the JVC tips would deliver on the "More clear sound & Natural fit" as stated in the packaging. Often these are mere marketing claims, but indeed they do offer astounding clarity.

I haven't tested isolation-tried them at home. It appears that the Xelastec may be more isolating due to the excellent sticky material used, but I do not think it will be a killer difference, to be honest.

Best wishes to all. Stay safe and enjoying your music.

 

[vsg28]

My Mammoth review is finally live: https://www.techpowerup.com/review/campfire-audio-mammoth-in-ear-monitors/

Holocene should not be much longer now either

 

[vsg28]

and now finally the Holocene review: https://www.techpowerup.com/review/campfire-audio-holocene-in-ear-monitors/

 

[kmmbd]

and now finally the Holocene review: https://www.techpowerup.com/review/campfire-audio-holocene-in-ear-monitors/

Agreed with the review, and I think Holocene is the best among the recent Campfire releases. It's the only one that gives that coveted "Andromeda" vibe, though more of the OG Andro rather than the 2020 revision.

 

[Dobrescu George]

For the weekend, you're probably looking forward to enjoying some of your favorite music, so my review of the Campfire Audio Holocene IEMs should be right in time to bring the fun!

Those are some of the most detailed IEMs (Earphones / In-Ear Monitors) that you can get, they have a wide soundstage, lots of detail, a refined sound with a lighter but natural approach. I love musicality in an IEM, and this is exactly what Campfire delivers in their Holocene, the latest adventure from their midrange lineup, and my most recent favorite IEM in the category

I took the time to make comparisons to all the relevant competitors, even flagships, and if you have questions, don't hesitate to ask, I'm always around to help~

https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2021/11/campfire-holocene-clarity-details-musicality.html

 

[upsguys88]

just got my mammoths listening to empire of the sun, man dat bass is noice!