[Wiljen]

"Yes,now I want to punch you in your nose" If I suddenly stop posting on Head-Fi its most likely due to domestic violence,brought on by the Campfire Cascade.

While I hate to be a sponsor of domestic terrorism, I can certainly understand her point if you tried to take them away from her. The obvious solution is to buy two so you get to keep one.

 

[Jearly410]

I have received the Cascade from @Roscoeiii with all accessories etc. Will post photos later when I have a chance. Thanks again for setting up this tour @Wiljen!

 

[Roscoeiii]

I have received the Cascade from @Roscoeiii with all accessories etc. Will post photos later when I have a chance. Thanks again for setting up this tour @Wiljen!

Enjoy! It was quite the saga getting them out to you (postman needs to be fired). So apologies on slowing things down on this leg of the tour!

 

[Jearly410]

Some initial impressions:

Dont sound very good sans filter. Liking filter 2 atm.

Not comfortable. Puts pressure behind my ears. Even my Elear is more comfortable.

 

[Wiljen]

@Howlin Fester is out for a business trip so @mangler is up next on the eastern tour and we will circle back to Fester when he returns to the Addam's family home.

 

[mangler]

Great, I can't wait!!!

 

[Monsterzero]

Cascade is all boxed up and I will ship them out to @mangler tomorrow. Will send tracking info via PM.
I will type up my review shortly.
Thanks @Wiljen !

 

[Wiljen]

Thanks for keeping us posted @Monsterzero. Hope the wife is going to let you live if you send those out the door.

 

[Monsterzero]

My review is up ! Thanks again guys for organizing this tour!

 

[pbui44]

Okay, so here are my first impressions on the CA Cascade:

-Box is plain-Jane, but the case is beautiful, which is what really matters to me.

-The cable is nice and is easier to connect/disconnect than the HD800S and even the ENIGMAcoustics Dharma D1000. However, I saw some silver-plating at one of the fabric kinks (there were a few cable kinks), so maybe putting Kevlar on the cable will work better.

-There is metal everywhere in the headband, gimbals, and ear cups. In this case, build quality is the best that I have seen in a portable.

-However, fit-and-finish leaves a lot to be desired. My Ultrasone Signature DJ’s headband has hard layers of PVC-like plastic, but the leather is more upscale and hard plastic covers to lock-in the leather and gimbal adjustment pieces. On the Cascade, the leather edges are exposed and are susceptible to cracking or peeling.

-I wish that the ear pads were user-detachable...with a metal ear pad lip to fold the ear pad linings over or something. The leather is nice and supple, but evidence of cracking and tearing is showing up Hearn the ear cup edges. (Ear pads are user-detachable, but with metal...still not preferred.)

-The ear pad openings are small, so I had to push in the left-right sides in to make the openings more oval. The angles are nice, but might open any ear-sealing as a person moves, as it is a portable. Maybe CA can look at the B&W PX ear pad and how it was revised over the B&W P7 ear pad, as the gimbals and ear cups are great, but ear pads are not great. Maybe a more oval design can reduce the angling as well.

-I only felt fabric from the ear pad over the driver, so CA can take a B&W-design or putting fabric over the driver itself, as the drivers are beryllium-coated. (There is fabric over the entire driver and ear-facing surface...still, it could look better.)

-The sound is very detailed...and rather unforgiving...a rare characteristic for a portable. So far, it took my iphone about an hour to finally play 2 volumes above the middle without harshness. (The ear pads had the 2T filter at that time.)

I will go on with the continuing of the sound impressions as I get more listening time and comparisons.

Edit: Revised info in parentheses after the bullet point sentences.

 

[pbui44]

After three-and-a-half days, I have found a lot more stuff about the Cascades:

-The fit-and-finish negative aspects were not as negative as I thought...but I still hope CA can learn off of them for new included accessories, like XL-earpads and a Kevlar-lined-cable, or at least a new larger portable for those with larger heads and larger ears.

-So I have tried three configurations: 2T, 1T, and no filters (thanks to Cascade owner suggestions). The 2T (plateau response with 90-degree-ends) gives a more mid-centric sound, but in the sense that the lows and highs are in the background, though extensions are not rolled-off...just flattened. The 1T (flat response) provide a more balanced sound, yet still has a more intimate sound that makes you feel like you are in, at largest, a 20’x20’x10’x acoustically treated room, even in live recordings. I don’t see this as a bad thing, especially when the details are more present than even many open-back over-ears that I have tried...though probably up to $400 MSRP.

-This leaves the no-filter-configuration, which sounds so good to me that it deserves a bullet point on its own. Now the sound is more open and airy with all extensions are more full...but it does leave kind-of a slightly more chamber-like sound. The speed and decay are still very good, but not quite as quick as with the filters. This is especially good for genres that require a more acoustical presence, as the soundstage is more expanded and tougher to measure. Plus, the details do not need as much volume to be present.

-I am glad that I pushed the left-right sides of the ear pads, as the soft-and-supple leather has confirmed more towards around the edges of my ears and sides of my head. With this said, add-on XL ear pads would still be better IMO.

-In the beginning, I flattened the entire headband and now the center and almost 3” on each side has protruded up to 0.33” each side of the center to provide a much more comfortable headband with more control on the frame.

-A little exercising of the gimbals has now allowed the gimbals to move a little on their own more freely, allowing the ear pads to contour my head much better.

-IEMatch by iFi allows the CA Cascade to become a quick portable reference tool, though requires the use of an from the decreased sound pressure.

So that is it for now, I will go back to the music.

 

[Makiah S]

Hey thank you for posting your thoughts man that's awesome!!!

@VRacer-111 Your next so when you have a moment please reach out to @pbui44 to exchange shipping info, that way once he's finished he can get it shipped out to you!

 

[VRacer-111]

Hey thank you for posting your thoughts man that's awesome!!!

@VRacer-111 Your next so when you have a moment please reach out to @pbui44 to exchange shipping info, that way once he's finished he can get it shipped out to you!

Just sent the info, Thanks!

 

[Wiljen]

Seems the USPS has managed to lose the Eastern tour sample. We are working on either finding or replacing it at present - bear with us.

 

[heliosphann]

Seems the USPS has managed to lose the Eastern tour sample. We are working on either finding or replacing it at present - bear with us.

Nothing but the best from the USPS. Not only are they good at losing packages, but even better at losing money!