Campfire Audio now on sale at ALO audio
Aug 5, 2015 at 8:25 PM Post #16 of 30
These are beautiful. If they stack up well to the competition I may take a dive into the IEM market.
 
Aug 5, 2015 at 8:34 PM Post #17 of 30
kb said:
   
Mathi8vahanan,
 
I am glad you mention this because I would like mention a few thing as co-developer of the Lyra.
 
We started the Lyra project almost 2 years ago with the IE800 as a loose starting point. The IE800 was my most used IEM at the time because of many features such as ease of use, size, looks and most importantly the dynamic driver sound. I really liked using my IE800s and they went with me everywhere I went. I feel like there is a "cat" and "dog" types for IEMs with regards to universal IEMs where "cat" loves dynamic driver sound and "dog" favors balanced armature (BA's). I find my self in the "cat" category and its the type of sound you going to get with a good dynamic driver IEM, I describe it as a very deep smooth natural relaxed, low fatigue delivery in the music. Not that I am totally against BA's, the BA is going IMO have more focus, have a more precise and accurate sound in many ways. I guess in the end like with everything in this hobby its a a personal preference as to what make it click for you. BA and Dynamic technologies both have their distinct advantages and disadvantage, to me the mechanical resonance issue with BAs weighs large on me.
 
Back to the IE800, I wanted to take all the good things about the IE800, spice them up just a little, then do away with all the things I did not like. Things I liked were the ceramic shell, for looks, size and for what the material did to the sound. For fun we tried, polycarbonate as well as liquid metal, the exact same ID shell as the production ceramic. There was no contest the ceramic was better that the other materials sound wise, Sennheiser knows what they are doing for sure :wink:. The polycarbonate, liquid metal and ceramic all had the same frequency response but they sounded different.
 
The dynamic driver that is ported (tuned vent). The sound really has a tight low end response that I really like, with good high freq extension, but again just a liquid natural sound. 
 
Things I did not like on the IE800, no detachable cable, no detachable cable :wink:... very poor fit, no interchangeable ear tips. 
 
I think we kept the overall type of IE800 sound but gave it just a little more pop, so it is not as flat as the IE800, I feel like the Lyra is more fun-er sounding. We upgraded the cable to a MMCX standard, and we do make a fully balanced version (2.5mm 4 pole) to the stock cable as a direct replacement. We make the stock cable as well it is a huge improvement over a normal stock cable. So if you want to go balanced with the Lyra its very easy.
 
We feel the ergonomics are far better, fit is very good, we include generic foam tips, then also Comply set, as well as silicone. I know very well you can have the very best IEM on the planet but if the fit is no good the sound will also be no good so we wanted to make sure the IEM fit well and included a lot of tips.
 
Yes, the Lyra is not inexpensive however we put a hell of a lot into the project, we designed the product locally grown, had a number of extremely talented engineers working on the driver, there is nothing off the shelf used on the Lyra, had all the tools made for it and spent a long time tuning it to make it in the same "end zone" as something on the level as the IE800. That was our goal and I think we achieved it. 
 
So thats my story, I love the IE800, just wanted to take the things I liked and change all the things I mentioned above and add our design ID to the product. Me and the Campfire team are super happy with the product and we hope more than anything the IEM aficionados at head-fi will as well. 
 
Thanks
 
Ken
Click to expand...

Hi Ken,
Thanks for taking time to describe your design philosophy. I did read the story of Lyra on your website, it was interesting and a I can see a lot of original work went into the design (driver and housing).
I can't wait to hear it for myself. 
 
Aug 5, 2015 at 10:58 PM Post #19 of 30
nmatheis said:
Can we drop by ALO HQ and give these a listen?
Click to expand...

 
 
Please! anyone in Portland please simply call ahead and make a appointment with Lily so we can make sure we can clear the table and set up some gear for you. 
 
Phone number and address is here:
 
http://www.aloaudio.com/contact
 
2 days ago Steve Huff 
 
http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/
 
Stopped by and bought a pair as well as some other gear, was a surprise and was great to meet him. 
 
Ken
 
Campfire Audio Campfire Audio - Nicely Done. Stay updated on Campfire Audio at their sponsor profile on Head-Fi.
 
https://www.campfireaudio.com/ Support@campfireaudio.com
Aug 6, 2015 at 7:57 AM Post #22 of 30
I'm definitely in the "cat" category
biggrin.gif

 
Hopefully, I can get the chance to audition this someday.
 
Aug 25, 2015 at 3:57 PM Post #25 of 30
Campfire Audio Campfire Audio - Nicely Done. Stay updated on Campfire Audio at their sponsor profile on Head-Fi.
 
https://www.campfireaudio.com/ Support@campfireaudio.com
Sep 4, 2015 at 12:46 AM Post #26 of 30
Just visited ALO today, met Ken and the crew, and got to listen to the Campfire Audio lineup and a couple secret smoothie goodies. Thanks for spending the time with me KB!

One of the really impressive aspects of their lineup is that they try to keep as much of the production as local as possible. Machining and assembly is done in three towns in Oregin where I currently have family living. Cool beans. Kudos to the Campfire Audio team for supporting our local economies :beerchug:

For anyone hesitating, these are the real deal, folks. Great sound, solidly built, and beautifully crafted. My favorites were Lyra and Jupiter, which were quite complementary.

Lyra was what you'd chill out to when relaxing. Warm and smooth.

Jupiter was what you'd listen to for an engaging yet non-fatiguing listening session. Energetic and powerful.

I would've been a very happy camper (see what I did there :wink_face) if I could've walked out with those two.

Orion was awesome in its own way, as a reference monitor type IEM. Not my preferred sound sig, but I can appreciate it and know some headfi'ers who will just love it!

And keep a lookout for upcoming releases from Campfire Audio. The not ready for prime time prototypes already sounded amazing but still weren't good enough for them to release. When they go live, watch out!!!

Any Pacific NW'ers out there, make a point to stop by for a visit sometime. They're great, no bs guys to chat with and it's fun to audition their great gear.
 
Feb 10, 2016 at 2:50 PM Post #29 of 30
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