See @ExpatinJapan post on the prior page for some basic config info.
Back on the pricing
I have not heard back from my email to Campfire Audio (Ken) yet. Maybe traveling Japan or battling through all the various requirements of air travel during covid.
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So thinking out loud:
As an erlier twitter post i posted said ‘two configurations: two are shape related and two private’ to paraphrase
I related some of the information i could communicate in my earlier post with basic show impressions.
Andro and Solaris and X and X.
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Here is a Yahoo post from a well known Japan audio media:
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/41add4738e97c92157e9830426523c33e2be2d76
Google translated and screenshot
I am presuming they checked the prices and talked with CA about it (i did not - just listening and general conversation and tech talk).
This is also similar to what others posted earlier:
www.campfireaudio.jp
Blue Triangle - MSRP $3375
Yellow Diamond - MSRP $2250
Green Square - MSRP $1450
Sand Circle - MSRP $2670
(Supermoon via CA website is US$1500).
The prices are a bit different from the past:
Square: improved Andromeda? Stays about the same
Sand Circle: improved Solaris- goes up a bit.
Yellow diamond: planar ba (ba/bas?). hybrid. Up in price frim the planar only Supermoon.
Blue triangle:
Regular browser and Google(translate on)
Entering the US$ amount on a currency convertor website yields about the same price.
Seems to balance out about right ($/¥) using the Square as an example.
Going by Occums razor that getting both amounts wrong in $US/$JPN is unlikely if manually entered.
So i am now riding the train that these are probably possibly the correct $¥ amounts. But i also am prepared to be wrong and corrected when an email comes in.
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More on Twitter is coming up if you search ‘campfire audio’ and set setting to ‘latest’.
For me i liked Square, Circle and Triangle. (Andro+, Solaris+ and Atlas/Vega +++ ?)…Then the Diamond.
Triangle needs a bit more tuning.
I also enjoyed the Supermoon. But as its a custom i am mostly sticking to talking about universals.
(I listened with DX300/amp11mk2 and used CA foam tips).
Also it looks like a type of ribbon cable this time around which is interesting. I saw variations.
And onwards - any other shows coming up for more impressions? Or someone lived in Portland and can drop by CA offices for a listen?
Thank Google chrome translate
Yes, early days with the beta shells (they were comfortable and seemed a good in between size between the traditional Andro size and the smaller recent satsuma/honeydew size).
Stainless steel, clear, anodized aluminum and ? are meant to be the final shell type designs.
Also the nozzles were a good length, a bit longer on the Triangle model if i recall correctly. Less width than trad andro nozzle and more like mammoth?/andro gold style.
Yeah, if someone lives in the area they could email Campfire and request a listening session - probably better than just dropping in.
Give the rest of us more to read
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Edit: going by Campfires Ken instagram he was up late out and about in Shinjuku Tokyo having some fun and food.
So probably no email for a while. Sleep timezzzz
Campfire Audio and Askell & Kern collaboration
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/ast...-new-products-at-high-end-munich-2022.963348/
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AK PATHFINDER IEM (July 2022 - $1,899)
The AK PATHFINDER becomes the second collaboration with IEM manufacturer Campfire Audio to produce in-ear monitors (IEMs) under the Astell&Kern brand. Pathfinder is a newly designed hybrid IEM not based on previous Campfire IEM.
PATHFINDER has a new Dual-Chamber Balanced Armature (BA) Driver from Knowles for the key part of the midrange, two BA drivers for high frequencies, as well as two dynamic drivers with a hybrid diaphragm that create bass and midrange.
Knowles’ new ‘Dual Chamber’ Balanced Armature Driver, used for the first time ever in PATHFINDER, is an innovative driver in which a single coil operates two individual diaphragms. It’s like a twin cylinder engine – delivering more horsepower and smoother operation compared to one with a single, larger piston.
Compared to a traditional BA with a single, larger diaphragm, the all-new design incorporates two chambers, each housing its own diaphragm and drive rod actuated by a single coil, resulting in a higher, more powerful output for its size than any other BA and is excellent at expressing a warmer and more natural midrange.
A Radial Venting Acoustic Chamber, newly developed by Campfire Audio, is applied to Dual Custom 10mm Dynamic Drivers. The 3D-printed chamber design naturally expresses the intense low-frequency sound produced by the two dynamic drivers while preserving the unique sound of the BA driver.
Beryllium Copper MMCX connectors are more resilient against wear and tear than regular brass connectors, providing a robust mating mechanism; one that is typically made from soft brass. This selection of a harder material extends the life of the component and the earphone.
PATHFINDER comes with three silver-plated copper cables (terminated in 3.5mm, 2.5mm and 4.4mm headphone jacks) allowing the earphones to reach their full performance potential. The silver-plated OFC copper Litz cable is a newly produced flat cable, with enameled silver-plated copper wire conductor to offer clearer, extended sounds. The flat cable prevents tangling, can be wound for easy storage, and has minimal cable distortion. It is over-molded for increased durability and finished with a metal housing.
In addition to the three cables, AK PATHFINDER includes five (5) pairs of Final Audio E-Type Tips (XS/S/M/L/XL), three (3) pairs of Campfire Audio Marshmallow Earphone Tips (S/M/L), three (3) pairs of Silicon Earphone Tips (S/M/L), Earphone Cleaning Tool, Leather Zipper Case, Earphone Protection Sleeve and Earphone Tips and Cable Storage Pouch. All IEMSs are handcrafted in Portland, Oregon by Campfire Audio.
AK PATHFINDER will be available in July 2022 at Astell&Kern dealers in the US and Canada for $1,899.
Oh wow! I'd seen a screenshot of this announcement, but totally missed the fact that it had DUAL DD's
I'm getting Empire Ears Legend X/Evo vibes here; hope we're looking at a similarly hardcore bass. But that's probably just me lol.
So I'm assuming this a wholly separate release to the 4 new 'Shapes' models you posted about previously?
I know one of them had a 'Solaris' shape, but I'm guessing they'll be making their own Solaris 2022 model (hopefully also with twin DD's on each side)
If so, this means you have this A&K collaboration, plus the Supermoon, plus the 4 new 'Shapes' models..
Campfire being like buses recently; you wait for ages, then a whole load of them come along at once
