Campfire Chat - Official Campfire Audio 2024 Thread!

[Kerouac]

Now, if I had to choose 3 'desert island' iem/cable synergy combinations from my current collection, I would probably end up picking these 3 atm...



Two of them would be CFA iems: Supermoon and Stellar Horizon! Both with (different) EA Eros S cables => just perfect synergy matches to my ears

 

[JAnonymous5150]

Now, if I had to choose 3 'desert island' iem/cable synergy combinations from my current collection, I would probably end up picking these 3 atm...



Two of them would be CFA iems: Supermoon and Stellar Horizon! Both with (different) EA Eros S cables => just perfect synergy matches to my ears

What's the third IEM, if you don't mind me asking? I don't recognize it of the top of my head.

 

[Kerouac]

What's the third IEM, if you don't mind me asking? I don't recognize it of the top of my head.

That CIEM is the Tashin Sevgel Model 2. I've posted about it over here about a year ago in a dedicated thread:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/tahsin-sevgel-audio-devices-model2.972633/#post-18097629

It's tuned quite special and complements the other 2 (CFA) soundsignatures very nicely imo! Therefor it also ended up in my 'desert island' top 3

 

[JAnonymous5150]

That CIEM is the Tashin Sevgel Model 2. I've posted about it over here about a year ago in a dedicated thread:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/tahsin-sevgel-audio-devices-model2.972633/#post-18097629

It's tuned quite special and complements the other 2 (CFA) soundsignatures very nicely imo! Therefor it also ended up in my 'desert island' top 3

Nice! I've never heard of them and I like checking out new companies. Thanks for the answer and happy listening.

 

[Glotka]

In the context that Campfire Audio IEM’s are deemed to be very sensitive, what DAP’s work well/good synergy with CA IEM’s? Thanks

 

[JAnonymous5150]

In the context that Campfire Audio IEM’s are deemed to be very sensitive, what DAP’s work well/good synergy with CA IEM’s? Thanks

Most modern DAPs have low output impedance, plenty of power, and enough fine volume adjustment ability to be able to handle Campfire IEMs without any problem. The options fall along a very wide price range so if you give me an idea of what your budget is and even which IEMs you're looking to pair with the DAP, I can probably narrow things down and give you some good suggestions.

 

[Glotka]

Most modern DAPs have low output impedance, plenty of power, and enough fine volume adjustment ability to be able to handle Campfire IEMs without any problem. The options fall along a very wide price range so if you give me an idea of what your budget is and even which IEMs you're looking to pair with the DAP, I can probably narrow things down and give you some good suggestions.

Thanks. I’ve read that there’s some audible noise floor with some DAP’s from Hiby, iBasso when using CA IEM’s.

My budget is up to $1k. The DAP would be used with CA’s Alien Brain.

Thanks for your help.

 

[JAnonymous5150]

Thanks. I’ve read that there’s some audible noise floor with some DAP’s from Hiby, iBasso when using CA IEM’s.

My budget is up to $1k. The DAP would be used with CA’s Alien Brain.

Thanks for your help.

I'm happy to help. My Campfire lineup consists of the Supermoon, Polaris II, Astrolith, Black Star, and Andromeda 2020 and there is no audible noise floor on my iBasso DX220, the DX180, or the DX260. These are the iBasso models that I'm familiar with that are under and around your budget. I went with the DX220 when looking at these three as I found it to be a bit more to my taste with its clean, detailed, and smooth presentation. The DX180 was a bit more warm and musical while the DX260 was more precise and neutral. Depending on what you're looking for in a DAP as far as sound and features, any of these could be a good pick.

The N7, Cayin's upper mid level R2R/1-bit offering, is about $100 over your budget at its regular price, but if you're looking for DAP with a very musical sound to it it's an incredible pick. It has some warmth added to the mids and does some really special things with vocals, guitars, saxophones and other instruments that live mostly in the mid range. N3 Ultra is is one of their mid-range DAPs that can be had for a little over $500 and I was actually really impressed with it. It has a great AKM DAC implementation that gives you the effortless presentation AKM is known for and it also has two mini tubes so you can add some tube magic/euphonics by switching to tube mode when you want. I have the Cayin N8ii and have been surprised at how often I enjoy switching to the tube mode when I want a little extra warmth and musicality. It's a nice option to have that I initially wasn't sure I'd use all that much.

The Astell&Kern SR35 is a great option that has the precise, highly detailed, but natural sound A&K are known for. It really gives you exceptional timbral and tonal accuracy and lets the music and IEMs do their thing without any notable coloring from the DAP. I really enjoy A&K's UI too which is snappy and intuitive. They've got some other options that are in and around your budget, but the SR35 is the one I would recommend as having a great sound and a good price to performance/features ratio. It's the sweet spot in the offerings within your budget.

My last pick is a bit of a darkhorse and it's another R2R DAP: the Hiby RS2. They sit right around the $500 or $600 mark if I'm remembering correctly and they offer a notebly warm and lush sound that can be pretty awesome with the right pair of IEMs. I'm not familiar with the Alien Brain yet so I can't say whether or not it would be a good fit with them. What I can say is that it's a fairly simply DAP with an easy to navigate UI. It's got a ton of features that let you shape the sound like EQ, Hiby's propreity DSP tone shaping software, NOS and OS modes for the DAC, selectable filters, etc. It doesn't support streaming so if you're looking for a DAP that can stream it's out. I've got the RS6, the RS2's bigger bro, and I really enjoy it. It's terrible that they stopped making it and now only offer the 2 or the much, much more expensive RS8.

Those pretty much wrap up the currently available models that I'm familiar with and would recommend. I'm not impressed with Fiios newest mid-level stuff. The models I've tried seem to have a very sterile sound that's a bit bright and lifeless. I'm not incredibly familiar with Shanling's offerings outside of the flagship models I tried when I ultimately bought my N8ii. Their flagships were nice as far as construction, features, and UI went, but nothing about the sonic performance stood out to me. Anyways, I hope this info helps you out a bit. If you have any questions feel free to ask, but I may not have time to answer until much later on though I will answer as soon as I can.

Happy hunting and happy listening!

 

[Glotka]

I'm happy to help. My Campfire lineup consists of the Supermoon, Polaris II, Astrolith, Black Star, and Andromeda 2020 and there is no audible noise floor on my iBasso DX220, the DX180, or the DX260. These are the iBasso models that I'm familiar with that are under and around your budget. I went with the DX220 when looking at these three as I found it to be a bit more to my taste with its clean, detailed, and smooth presentation. The DX180 was a bit more warm and musical while the DX260 was more precise and neutral. Depending on what you're looking for in a DAP as far as sound and features, any of these could be a good pick.

The N7, Cayin's upper mid level R2R/1-bit offering, is about $100 over your budget at its regular price, but if you're looking for DAP with a very musical sound to it it's an incredible pick. It has some warmth added to the mids and does some really special things with vocals, guitars, saxophones and other instruments that live mostly in the mid range. N3 Ultra is is one of their mid-range DAPs that can be had for a little over $500 and I was actually really impressed with it. It has a great AKM DAC implementation that gives you the effortless presentation AKM is known for and it also has two mini tubes so you can add some tube magic/euphonics by switching to tube mode when you want. I have the Cayin N8ii and have been surprised at how often I enjoy switching to the tube mode when I want a little extra warmth and musicality. It's a nice option to have that I initially wasn't sure I'd use all that much.

The Astell&Kern SR35 is a great option that has the precise, highly detailed, but natural sound A&K are known for. It really gives you exceptional timbral and tonal accuracy and lets the music and IEMs do their thing without any notable coloring from the DAP. I really enjoy A&K's UI too which is snappy and intuitive. They've got some other options that are in and around your budget, but the SR35 is the one I would recommend as having a great sound and a good price to performance/features ratio. It's the sweet spot in the offerings within your budget.

My last pick is a bit of a darkhorse and it's another R2R DAP: the Hiby RS2. They sit right around the $500 or $600 mark if I'm remembering correctly and they offer a notebly warm and lush sound that can be pretty awesome with the right pair of IEMs. I'm not familiar with the Alien Brain yet so I can't say whether or not it would be a good fit with them. What I can say is that it's a fairly simply DAP with an easy to navigate UI. It's got a ton of features that let you shape the sound like EQ, Hiby's propreity DSP tone shaping software, NOS and OS modes for the DAC, selectable filters, etc. It doesn't support streaming so if you're looking for a DAP that can stream it's out. I've got the RS6, the RS2's bigger bro, and I really enjoy it. It's terrible that they stopped making it and now only offer the 2 or the much, much more expensive RS8.

Those pretty much wrap up the currently available models that I'm familiar with and would recommend. I'm not impressed with Fiios newest mid-level stuff. The models I've tried seem to have a very sterile sound that's a bit bright and lifeless. I'm not incredibly familiar with Shanling's offerings outside of the flagship models I tried when I ultimately bought my N8ii. Their flagships were nice as far as construction, features, and UI went, but nothing about the sonic performance stood out to me. Anyways, I hope this info helps you out a bit. If you have any questions feel free to ask, but I may not have time to answer until much later on though I will answer as soon as I can.

Happy hunting and happy listening!

Thanks for the prompt and comprehensive response and congrats for the nice collection of CA’s IEM!. I was planning initially on getting the Supermoon. I will buy a pair at some point.

Glad to know there are great options.

Much appreciated!

 

[Tristy]

Thanks. I’ve read that there’s some audible noise floor with some DAP’s from Hiby, iBasso when using CA IEM’s.

My budget is up to $1k. The DAP would be used with CA’s Alien Brain.

Thanks for your help.

Highly recommend the Cayin n6iii with alien brain, excellent pairing and dead silent (with the cirrus logic board). I haven’t tried my N7 yet but it has an audible hiss with Vision ears VE10 so I’m not expecting it to be silent.

 

[JAnonymous5150]

Highly recommend the Cayin n6iii with alien brain, excellent pairing and dead silent (with the cirrus logic board). I haven’t tried my N7 yet but it has an audible hiss with Vision ears VE10 so I’m not expecting it to be silent.

That's interesting. When I demoed the N7 (used my buddy's at his house for maybe 20 to 30 minutes) the Supermoons were the IEMs I was using and I had no hiss, hum, or other background noise of noise floor of any kind. Now I'm wishing I had had some of the models with BAs in them as they're know for being more susceptible to such issues.

Thanks for the input on that. This is the best part about Head-Fi. So many perspectives and so much combined experience.

 

[potatosh]

I’ve got the Dark Star too - very curious to hear your opinion when you get the Modulate.

Just finished taking my impressions and ordered half shell modulate today
Will post some brief review between modulate and my favorite tip - wide bore divinus velvet once they arrive!

 

[zadillo]

Just finished taking my impressions and ordered half shell modulate today
Will post some brief review between modulate and my favorite tip - wide bore divinus velvet once they arrive!

Thanks!

What did you choose as the model (since neither Black Star or Dark Star are choices)?

 

[potatosh]

Thanks!

What did you choose as the model (since neither Black Star or Dark Star are choices)?

I confirmed with CFA via email, you should just choose Solaris Stellar Horizon

 

[CFA Chris]

Hey all,

Anyone curious about Alien Brain, be sure to check out Nihal's write-up over at Headfonics!

https://headfonics.com/campfire-audio-alien-brain-review/