[Spie1904]

I am close.... haha very twitchy trigger finger

Same here on the Dorado or Vega as I hope it may be more comfortable than Dunu Luna

 

[Tristy]

In my personal experience with the $1k+ price bracket, I have found it very hard to really discern major performance differences. Everything is really small, and most of the differences are in the intangible things which are really hard to actually nail down. At least for someone like me who is much more interested in enjoyment rather than squeezing absolutely every last drop of performance out of things. And for me personally, sound signature is more important that pure technicalities and performance. If something performs great, but doesnt match my preferences, to me, its not better than something that might not perform as well but hits the sweet spot for me.

So, in that sense, I think overall performance is fairly similar. The one big thing I would say the solaris has going over the dorado is soundstage. Again, talking very minor differences here, but the solaris has a bit of that holographic soundstage thing going. The dorado on the other hand isnt bad, it has some decent width and good separation, but its a bit more a closer in feeling than the solaris.


I think I have grown to appreciate mid bass too, though, I absolutely want it in conjunction with subbass. I love that rumble you get from good subbass, and the z1r delivers there. But I also enjoy the thump that comes along with the midbass, so when you get those together in a good mix, its nice. The bass on the nio for instance is not the tightest or cleanest, but it carries nicely into the mids (without overpowering them) making the whole signature just sound really warm and inviting.

Anyways, as an actual answer to your question, I decided to do some more quick comparisons with the atlas, but I think the takeaway is that the bass presentation is pretty similar between both the atlas and dorado up into the mids, likely not exactly the same, but close. But then going up from the mids to the treble thats where a lot of the difference is. The dorado overall is not as warm as the atlas, in part just due to the overall tuning, but also in part to the presentation of the treble being more crisp and clean from that ba.

And as per our discussion from a few weeks ago, I am actually pretty pleased that the dorado does seem to be like what I was hoping for, essentially an Atlas+. Im not going to claim its perfect or the best thing ever, but it definitely feels like it has the solid low end foundation of the atlas, but with a more balanced signature and enhanced detail and clarity provided by the BA.

Any updated impressions on the Dorado now that you've had a couple of days with them and some more burn in may have occurred @mashuto? Where would you place then out of everything you've heard? Do they have a niche that they excel within?

 

[mashuto]

Any updated impressions on the Dorado now that you've had a couple of days with them and some more burn in may have occurred @mashuto? Where would you place then out of everything you've heard? Do they have a niche that they excel within?

I don't have any more real in depth impressions since I havent listened to them since Friday. I dont usually do any IEM listening on weekends, as its mostly a hobby I picked up to give me some background noise during work. Which I know is kind of crazy to be spending lots for "background noise". Im exaggerating, but again, just havent listened in a couple days.

As @Rockwell75 asked in flinkenicks thread, I am enjoying them quite a bit though and I am pretty happy with the purchase. Biggest area I would say they dont quite compete with some of the higher end stuff is soundstage. But theres a big caveat there. I find soundstage pretty small on all IEMs I listen to (even the z1r or solaris which have excellent soundstages for IEMs), and that I find it very hard to actually quantify. I can say that its got decent width and stereo separation, but it does present as more of a front row type of experience rather than sitting farther back in a larger concert hall. And with that said, imaging and separation are pretty good as well. Things are crisp and clear enough that its been easy to pick out different instruments.

As far as a rating... keep in mind that for me, I would place things mostly based on subjective enjoyment more than pure technical prowess. I would put it below the z1r and the nio, probably close to the 64 trio (remember not going purely on technicality here), and likely above the other campfire stuff I have owned in the past, including the atlas, andromeda gold, and solaris 2020.

As far as a niche... I dont actually know if I would say they have a niche they excel in. Thats not a bad thing though. The tuning on them is pretty good in my opinion and decently "balanced", which I think means they will likely do decently well at everything, even if they dont quite excel at anything in particular. If that makes sense.

 

[Tristy]

I don't have any more real in depth impressions since I havent listened to them since Friday. I dont usually do any IEM listening on weekends, as its mostly a hobby I picked up to give me some background noise during work. Which I know is kind of crazy to be spending lots for "background noise". Im exaggerating, but again, just havent listened in a couple days.

As @Rockwell75 asked in flinkenicks thread, I am enjoying them quite a bit though and I am pretty happy with the purchase. Biggest area I would say they dont quite compete with some of the higher end stuff is soundstage. But theres a big caveat there. I find soundstage pretty small on all IEMs I listen to (even the z1r or solaris which have excellent soundstages for IEMs), and that I find it very hard to actually quantify. I can say that its got decent width and stereo separation, but it does present as more of a front row type of experience rather than sitting farther back in a larger concert hall. And with that said, imaging and separation are pretty good as well. Things are crisp and clear enough that its been easy to pick out different instruments.

As far as a rating... keep in mind that for me, I would place things mostly based on subjective enjoyment more than pure technical prowess. I would put it below the z1r and the nio, probably close to the 64 trio (remember not going purely on technicality here), and likely above the other campfire stuff I have owned in the past, including the atlas, andromeda gold, and solaris 2020.

As far as a niche... I dont actually know if I would say they have a niche they excel in. Thats not a bad thing though. The tuning on them is pretty good in my opinion and decently "balanced", which I think means they will likely do decently well at everything, even if they dont quite excel at anything in particular. If that makes sense.

Yeah that makes sense, it seems quite versatile from what I am able to make out. Kind of like the Solaris albeit more bass emphasis / less technicalities. Thanks for taking the time to write that out, I'm really not sure why other reviews haven't been brought to light yet but as you referenced in the other thread. I'm thinking it may be due to the re-releasing name convention which takes away from the significance of the product release.

 

[mashuto]

Yeah that makes sense, it seems quite versatile from what I am able to make out. Kind of like the Solaris albeit more bass emphasis / less technicalities. Thanks for taking the time to write that out, I'm really not sure why other reviews haven't been brought to light yet but as you referenced in the other thread. I'm thinking it may be due to the re-releasing name convention which takes away from the significance of the product release.

I really do wonder about the naming convention here. Is this truly a followup to the dorado? Does it share any other similarities with the sound signature or what they were going for? I just dont know as the original dorado was never on my radar when it was around. But with a different driver configuration and a crossoverless design, it does seem like its going for something new. Other than it being a hybrid in that shell design, I just dont know.

As I also mentioned over in the other thread, I think the price is probably a real sticking point. Not necessarily because its priced wrong by itself, but I think there are two things there that may be holding it back.

First, we here should likely all know that driver count is not an indicator of quality. But at least with higher driver count IEMs you at least know where some of the cost is going. And for a two driver IEM, $1100 is a lot (though single driver DD's often get a pass due to the percieved coherency benefits). As an example, look at the 64 Trio. A 3 driver IEM priced at $2300. Even 64 audio admitted it wasn't selling well and dropped the price by 30% for months to move some units. And that says nothing of the performance of it, as its excellent, especially so for how few drivers it uses.

Second, and the more I think about it, the more I wonder if this is really it, but at the price, it has to compete directly with the andromeda. The andromeda is a freaking GIANT around here. Super well regarded, super popular. Everyone knows the andromeda. So to compete directly against that is just really tough. And some of the other campfire releases have been... polarizing to say the least. So taking that into account, I think for a lot of people the dorado 2020 might be a bit of a tough sell.

Again though. I still am enjoying it quite a bit. I cant compare directly to the andromeda, but I think it performs well, and I dont think I overpaid anymore than I think we all do for these high priced IEMs. I hope more people get it in hand and we get some more impressions soon. I do like to see how my impressions stack up to others, and whether I am totally off base or not.

 

[Tristy]

I really do wonder about the naming convention here. Is this truly a followup to the dorado? Does it share any other similarities with the sound signature or what they were going for? I just dont know as the original dorado was never on my radar when it was around. But with a different driver configuration and a crossoverless design, it does seem like its going for something new. Other than it being a hybrid in that shell design, I just dont know.

As I also mentioned over in the other thread, I think the price is probably a real sticking point. Not necessarily because its priced wrong by itself, but I think there are two things there that may be holding it back.

First, we here should likely all know that driver count is not an indicator of quality. But at least with higher driver count IEMs you at least know where some of the cost is going. And for a two driver IEM, $1100 is a lot (though single driver DD's often get a pass due to the percieved coherency benefits). As an example, look at the 64 Trio. A 3 driver IEM priced at $2300. Even 64 audio admitted it wasn't selling well and dropped the price by 30% for months to move some units. And that says nothing of the performance of it, as its excellent, especially so for how few drivers it uses.

Second, and the more I think about it, the more I wonder if this is really it, but at the price, it has to compete directly with the andromeda. The andromeda is a freaking GIANT around here. Super well regarded, super popular. Everyone knows the andromeda. So to compete directly against that is just really tough. And some of the other campfire releases have been... polarizing to say the least. So taking that into account, I think for a lot of people the dorado 2020 might be a bit of a tough sell.

Again though. I still am enjoying it quite a bit. I cant compare directly to the andromeda, but I think it performs well, and I dont think I overpaid anymore than I think we all do for these high priced IEMs. I hope more people get it in hand and we get some more impressions soon. I do like to see how my impressions stack up to others, and whether I am totally off base or not.

Yeah I think CA have recognised the shortcomings in their pricing strategy from earlier releases with the Atlas and Vega. Now I don't know the sales figures but Im willing to wager that the Andro was far and away the more successful model out of the three. The fact that the 2 mentioned models were also going for a less conventional (and in the audiophile realm, a somewhat less desirable) frequency response than the Andro would have also inevitably taken its toll on sales. Add to this the fact that the IEM environment looked a whole lot different back then with hybrids being in their infancy and milti-driver BA and Single DD models reigning supreme, CA would have had more luck at a higher price point back then. I think these points have manifested somewhat in the pricing of the Vega 2020 this time around. The Dorado 2020 however, looks to be facing a similar issue with its pricing. CA has put it in direct firing line of the Andro 2020, which is again receiving widespread praise. And to make things worst, the Dorado has a significantly lower driver count (the same amount as CA's own £500 Polaris II - To me and you this doesn't mean much but to the audiophile newb, it could), they have released it during a global pandemic, and they have also tuned it more-so towards the 'musical' side of things. with all this in mind, I can see the Dorado 2020 being overlooked as with its predecessors.

The flip side to this however, is that the Vega 2020 is now a lot more accessible to those just entering into the high end audio realm. This could be countered by the Vega 2020 taking a more 'audiophile' or reference tuning (from what I've read so far). It is yet to be seen on how this decision may impact on how budding audophiles may see the brand. I know that the Vega and Atlas's unconventional tuning certainly had an impact on me and my perception of the brand, making me an advocate, so I am not convinced CA have taken the right approach but only time will tell.

 

[macdonjh]

This whole perception that driver count equals sound quality bothers me. I hope it withers away. Campfire Audio introduced me to the capable single driver IEM: the Lyra II, which I still have. I liked the sound enough that when it came time to upgrade I tried the Atlas. That might have marked the end of my upgrade path for a while if I could have gotten a good fit. Alas.

However, that opened the door to other brands and I have two hybrids with fairly low driver counts I really enjoy. The new Dorado has me curious, too.

 

[mashuto]

This whole perception that driver count equals sound quality bothers me. I hope it withers away. Campfire Audio introduced me to the capable single driver IEM: the Lyra II, which I still have. I liked the sound enough that when it came time to upgrade I tried the Atlas. That might have marked the end of my upgrade path for a while if I could have gotten a good fit. Alas.

However, that opened the door to other brands and I have two hybrids with fairly low driver counts I really enjoy. The new Dorado has me curious, too.

Yea I wasn't trying to make that claim, I just think that perception still exists. Plus with the way high end IEM prices are going, it's a hard thing to ask people to spend top dollar for IEMs with low driver counts because at the very least, with higher driver count IEMs there's at least some idea of what specifically your money is paying for. And most of that discussion was just due to speculation about why this iem may not have been as popular out of the gate as some other campfire releases.

Anyways, just a quick Monday morning update. Still enjoying the dorado, but impressions may be slightly different now than first listen. Not going to claim it's burn in (since I haven't been doing any burn in procedures), but I'm hearing the dorado as more balanced. It's still got the solid low end, but it maybe feels a bit less emphasized than on first listen. I would say as I'm getting more of a grip on these I would say they are definitely a balanced sound with a bit of a warm tilt.

Still a few things to note.

Fit and seal are obviously super important to maintaining bass response. And maybe I have just been spoiled by months of listening to the nio with apex, but getting a great seal without excess pressure has been a bit challenging. So I'm definitely still firmly in the tip rolling phase. Comfort though has not been an issue.

Compared to other campfire IEMs I have tried, these have the least hiss. Practically none on my cayin n6ii. Every other campfire IEM I have used with this dap (atlas, andromeda gold, solaris 2020) had noticeable hiss to me, even if it wasn't that apparent when music was playing.

Still hope some others can get hands on and start sharing impressions soon.

 

[macdonjh]

Yea I wasn't trying to make that claim,

I knew you weren't.

 

[rev92]

https://ear-fidelity.com/2020/10/31/campfire-audio-dorado-2020/

Instantly fell in love with these, great job Campfire Audio - well, as usual

 

[Tristy]

Yea I wasn't trying to make that claim, I just think that perception still exists. Plus with the way high end IEM prices are going, it's a hard thing to ask people to spend top dollar for IEMs with low driver counts because at the very least, with higher driver count IEMs there's at least some idea of what specifically your money is paying for. And most of that discussion was just due to speculation about why this iem may not have been as popular out of the gate as some other campfire releases.

Anyways, just a quick Monday morning update. Still enjoying the dorado, but impressions may be slightly different now than first listen. Not going to claim it's burn in (since I haven't been doing any burn in procedures), but I'm hearing the dorado as more balanced. It's still got the solid low end, but it maybe feels a bit less emphasized than on first listen. I would say as I'm getting more of a grip on these I would say they are definitely a balanced sound with a bit of a warm tilt.

Still a few things to note.

Fit and seal are obviously super important to maintaining bass response. And maybe I have just been spoiled by months of listening to the nio with apex, but getting a great seal without excess pressure has been a bit challenging. So I'm definitely still firmly in the tip rolling phase. Comfort though has not been an issue.

Compared to other campfire IEMs I have tried, these have the least hiss. Practically none on my cayin n6ii. Every other campfire IEM I have used with this dap (atlas, andromeda gold, solaris 2020) had noticeable hiss to me, even if it wasn't that apparent when music was playing.

Still hope some others can get hands on and start sharing impressions soon.

Just curious, have you had a chance to try out the Silver cable that came with the Atlas on the Dorado 2020 yet? If so, does it seem to be an upgrade over the stock cable?

 

[mashuto]

Just curious, have you had a chance to try out the Silver cable that came with the Atlas on the Dorado 2020 yet? If so, does it seem to be an upgrade over the stock cable?

I havent, but I can certainly give it a try and see. Though, a couple things to note. Im not a big believer in cable rolling making much if any real difference in sound quality. So I expect if I do hear any differences they will likely be very minor or more down to volume mismatches due to different impedance levels. Second, based on conventional wisdom, I am not sure that the silver would be better to my preferences. Silver is usually associated with a brighter sound vs copper or spc, and for the dorado, I think any brighter would likely not be the best for me as I tend to prefer warmer signatures in general, and the treble on the dorado is already at about that level where its nice and sharp and detailed, but can border on getting a bit hot at times. So boosting it further seems like it might be too much. And I already find detail/clarity/separation/imaging quite good on the atlas, so I am not really sure they would need that boost either.

And with all that said, what I am most interested in terms of cables is ergonomics. And while I dont remember how soft or supple the silver cable might have been when I got my atlas, its a bit stiff now and based solely on ergonomics when comparing them, I would definitely choose the smoky litz.

But, I will still give it a try at some point and see, though may not be until tomorrow.

 

[Tristy]

I havent, but I can certainly give it a try and see. Though, a couple things to note. Im not a big believer in cable rolling making much if any real difference in sound quality. So I expect if I do hear any differences they will likely be very minor or more down to volume mismatches due to different impedance levels. Second, based on conventional wisdom, I am not sure that the silver would be better to my preferences. Silver is usually associated with a brighter sound vs copper or spc, and for the dorado, I think any brighter would likely not be the best for me as I tend to prefer warmer signatures in general, and the treble on the dorado is already at about that level where its nice and sharp and detailed, but can border on getting a bit hot at times. So boosting it further seems like it might be too much. And I already find detail/clarity/separation/imaging quite good on the atlas, so I am not really sure they would need that boost either.

And with all that said, what I am most interested in terms of cables is ergonomics. And while I dont remember how soft or supple the silver cable might have been when I got my atlas, its a bit stiff now and based solely on ergonomics when comparing them, I would definitely choose the smoky litz.

But, I will still give it a try at some point and see, though may not be until tomorrow.

That's fair enough. Just a thought if you get a spare minute, given the characteristics of silver I'd imagine a silver cable would be better placed on a Vega 2020 rather than the Dorado because of the characteristics you mentioned.

 

[mashuto]

That's fair enough. Just a thought if you get a spare minute, given the characteristics of silver I'd imagine a silver cable would be better placed on a Vega 2020 rather than the Dorado because of the characteristics you mentioned.

I gave it a quick try. First listen I was kind of surprised, a little more crisp without being piercing, some extra bass power, mids were a bit sweeter... So I switched back and yea I'm pretty sure it was just louder with the silver cable. Turning the volume up a couple notches with the smoky litz sounded pretty much the same to me. I am definitely not the one to ask for potential sonic differences from cables.

 

[Tristy]

I gave it a quick try. First listen I was kind of surprised, a little more crisp without being piercing, some extra bass power, mids were a bit sweeter... So I switched back and yea I'm pretty sure it was just louder with the silver cable. Turning the volume up a couple notches with the smoky litz sounded pretty much the same to me. I am definitely not the one to ask for potential sonic differences from cables.

Can only report what you hear! Cheers for doing that.