[Precogvision]

Thanks for these impressions!
Can I ask if your Solaris has been burned in much?
I've currently got one burning in prior to starting my review process; my impression out of the box was that there was significant mid-bass presence, definitely going into 'bloat' territory.

It’s a new review unit. Personally, I've never heard any audible differences on my IEMs, but I’ll probably give this one at least ~100hrs. It can’t hurt, and I have seen quite a few comments about that! I don't have the patience (or time) for ~500hrs though, haha.

I haven't heard the 2020 but relative to the OG/SE this is almost comically untrue. The u12t has very nice bass for a BA with a nice natural decay. However relative to the bass on the Solaris (SE/OG) the u12t's bass is almost thin and wispy by comparison and it lacks the density and subterranean definition, nuance and extension that the Solaris has. Again, I can only speak to the OG/SE but I find it hard to believe that the situation is different in the 2020.

Can only comment on the 2020 unfortunately. One of the key distinctions between a BA/DD (for me at least) is texture. I find that BA's generally decay too quickly to produce this, and the Solaris 2020 is eerily reminiscent of it despite having a slower decay. Really not sure what to make of it. I certainly hear more dynamic slam and presence, but the texture...just isn't there. Both the U12t and Solaris 2020 extend nicely to my ears.

The Solaris strikes a nice balance of providing excellent layering and detail retrieval without losing sight of presenting the music as a cohesive whole. The u12t is a great IEM if you want to listen to details but (imho) the Solaris has the edge (as does the Andromeda) if you want to listen to music. Honestly this is undoubtedly some people's thing but I found the u12t way too clinical to hold my attention and interest in the long term.

Yeah man, I'm very much aware that this is why you (and many others) like the Solaris! I totally get what you're saying, and I subjectively enjoy listening to the Solaris myself. But like you noted, I have a predilection for more balanced, resolving sound signatures. It's what keeps me listening in the long run. I prefer the Andro 2020 over the Solaris 2020 by a good margin, as well, because I find it has a more "laidback" quality to it like the U12t.

How about against the Nio?

Should have a review unit for that coming in soon

 

[CL14715]

It’s a new review unit. Personally, I've never heard any audible differences on my IEMs, but I’ll probably give this one at least ~100hrs. It can’t hurt, and I have seen quite a few comments about that! I don't have the patience (or time) for ~500hrs though, haha.



Can only comment on the 2020 unfortunately. One of the key distinctions between a BA/DD (for me at least) is texture. I find that BA's generally decay too quickly to produce this, and the Solaris 2020 is eerily reminiscent of it despite having a slower decay. Really not sure what to make of it. I certainly hear more dynamic slam and presence, but the texture...just isn't there. Both the U12t and Solaris 2020 extend nicely to my ears.



Yeah man, I'm very much aware that this is why you (and many others) like the Solaris! I totally get what you're saying, and I subjectively enjoy listening to the Solaris myself. But like you noted, I have a predilection for more balanced, resolving sound signatures. It's what keeps me listening in the long run. I prefer the Andro 2020 over the Solaris 2020 by a good margin, as well, because I find it has a more "laidback" quality to it like the U12t.



Should have a review unit for that coming in soon

Solaris SE > Solaris 2020

 

[Tristy]

Well Trio definitely doesn't best the Odin so that's why its for sale lol

I may keep it though... still not sure.

But Hero bests the Trio?...

 

[CL14715]

But Hero bests the Trio?...

Ummm it's a similar sound.... really will boil down to preference. The Trio is a little more open and softer sounding. Is the Trio $1k better? No

 

[cr3ativ3]

I a/b'd the Trio against the Solaris and preferred the Solaris' more balanced sound to the Trio's mild V. 64 is one company I know a lot of people love but I have yet to personally connect with one of their IEMs...though if any IEM is poised to break that spell it's the Nio. At the end of the day all that matters is that each of us happy with what we have right? (Or at least happy enough during the wait between purchases.) I'm still utterly smitten by the Andro 2020 and am very curious to a/b it with my Solaris which I'll have not heard for 3-4 weeks by the time I get it back.

id say you would love the nio ... its something between solaris and lx

 

[Rockwell75]

One of the key distinctions between a BA/DD (for me at least) is texture. I find that BA's generally decay too quickly to produce this, and the Solaris 2020 is eerily reminiscent of it despite having a slower decay. Really not sure what to make of it. I certainly hear more dynamic slam and presence, but the texture...just isn't there.

Thank-you for clarifying-- this really helps me understand where you're coming from. I think we're using the term "texture" differently (and perhaps I'm using the word wrong)-- but for me bass texture is, as the word implies, how the bass feels which is a combination of two factors, namely 1) weight/thickness/density and 2) decay. Typically DD bass is denser than BA bass with a slower decay. Often people get caught up in the decay but what I've learned in my experiments with IEMs is that, as far as DD bass is concerned, what I value in it is its density-- DD bass to me has a certain solidity to it that BA IEMs simply cannot replicate and personally when I go too long without it I start to feel like something is missing. Solaris is a hybrid and as such combines the best of both worlds in terms of bass-- you get the authority and density of a DD with the speed of a BA. Many people use the quick decay as a mark against the Solaris but for my tastes and the music I listen to it works just fine. For example Solaris renders a TR808 bassline better than any other IEM I've heard (to my ears). The u12t has the decay of a DD but still the weight of a BA and as such still find it lacking even though it is really great for what it is. I hope this clarifies somewhat where I'm coming from.

 

[pbui44]

Ah man...these 1st gen (OG) Solaris with Azla SednaEarfit Xelastic MS ear tips really competes hard and absolutely places itself between my Philips Fidelio X2 with Brainwavz Oval Angled (real) leather ear pads and no ear pad fabric and Sennheiser HD800 with Accessory House hybrid (real top/pleather sides) ear pads and cotton headband cover. For those wondering: I call my Solaris 1st gen (OG) because they work very much more like over-ears for me than IEMs and absolutely makes up for all of those live concert hours lost within my teenager and young adult years. If anything, I probably preserved quite a bit of my hearing after all.

If there was a song that shows how my Solaris 1st gen (OG) places itself between my beloved over-ears, then it is this one:

Grizzly Bear - Deep Sea Diver

 

[SBranson]

I had the U12t and, for what it’s worth, I feel that any comparison must begin with the fact that these are completely different in how they portray music so any sense of “better” will come down to preferences.

I’m by no means “married” to the Solaris 2020 but overall I find its coherence makes it “better” by which I mean more enjoyable for me.

The easiest point of difference for me is in the relationship between the vocal track and the microphone.

With the U12t, there is a palpable sense of the distance between the singer and the mic as if you were hearing it from a mic further away. With the Solaris I feel like you are not hearing the distance as much as the voice, or as if your ears are the microphone. Further, with the U12t on studio mixes I feel like I can hear each track as they were recorded separately. The Solaris has a sense of everything being more like a live performance.

Now this difference can really be a benefit with the U12t. Actual live performances and solo acoustic performances can be magical with the U12t. I have classical recordings of solo lute music and you can truly feel like you’re at the performance. But the Solaris is no slouch here too but I find myself listening more to rock or more modern music with them. The air and space are there, it’s just the main drive is closer so in this sense you feel you are sitting too close in comparison to the U12t.

But... ultimately this is the presentation difference, watching a performance vs being within the music

What you prefer will determine which is “better”.

 

[Rockwell75]

I had the U12t and, for what it’s worth, I feel that any comparison must begin with the fact that these are completely different in how they portray music so any sense of “better” will come down to preferences.

I’m by no means “married” to the Solaris 2020 but overall I find its coherence makes it “better” by which I mean more enjoyable for me.

The easiest point of difference for me is in the relationship between the vocal track and the microphone.

With the U12t, there is a palpable sense of the distance between the singer and the mic as if you were hearing it from a mic further away. With the Solaris I feel like you are not hearing the distance as much as the voice, or as if your ears are the microphone. Further, with the U12t on studio mixes I feel like I can hear each track as they were recorded separately. The Solaris has a sense of everything being more like a live performance.

Now this difference can really be a benefit with the U12t. Actual live performances and solo acoustic performances can be magical with the U12t. I have classical recordings of solo lute music and you can truly feel like you’re at the performance. But the Solaris is no slouch here too but I find myself listening more to rock or more modern music with them. The air and space are there, it’s just the main drive is closer so in this sense you feel you are sitting too close in comparison to the U12t.

But... ultimately this is the presentation difference, watching a performance vs being within the music

What you prefer will determine which is “better”.

Brilliantly put, as usual. Vocals aren't a big part of the music I listen to so I don't often analyze from that perspective. That said my favorite part of your post above is this:

Happy for you...can't wait to check that out at our next meet.

 

[SBranson]

Brilliantly put, as usual. Vocals aren't a big part of the music I listen to so I don't often analyze from that perspective. That said my favorite part of your post above is this:



Happy for you...can't wait to check that out at our next meet.

Ha ha... it was mailed today and I cannot wait to hear it. I’ll keep you posted on it’s progress so we can plan out meet. More important for me is to find out if the following is in fact true... I hope not..

Solaris SE > Solaris 2020

But also to your point about vocals, I actually didn’t listen to much vocal music until the Solaris. I really like how they portray female vocals and keep finding myself mining my collection for old albums I haven’t heard in a while.

A last note on the U12t.. Even tonally I find these hard to compare because they are so different(to my ears).
I never find the bass on the Solaris bloated. In fact I find the bass so tight on the Solaris that at first I thought it sounded more like a BA bass but the best BA bass I had heard.. there is a caveat to this statement as my previous experience with a DD bass was the EE Bravado and Legend X. In fact most of the time I’m not particularly aware of the bass being DD until the deep notes kick in and then the muscle shows itself and it’s effortless. Maybe my ears aren’t the best judge of bass And maybe this analogy is strained but I think of the difference between the Solaris and U12t is like the difference in horsepower. They both can go deep but I always feel like the Solaris has power to spare. The U12t had deep bass but I feel like it was less defined in the deepest notes.. strange how we interpret differently but I also must defer a little the fact that I am going on memory with the U12.
And lastly, as a source and cable advocate, I feel that my WM1A and Leonidas (Eros II 8 wire with the U12t) have a significant impact on the tightness and definition of the bass response.

 

[tusing]

Just posted a Solaris 2020 review here

 

[Rockwell75]

Just posted a Solaris 2020 review here

That was a great review-- it describes many of the reasons I was fond of the original Solaris over the original Andromeda. I would love to hear your thoughts on the Solaris 2020 vs. the Andromeda 2020-- I have the latter right now and it's totally won me over. The Solaris is still my favorite but I feel they're basically on the same level as the Andromeda 2020-- with each excelling in its own way over slightly different trajectories.

 

[VTMA8132]

Credit to Campfire Audio, I got a prompt full refund. Looking at return policies from different sellers and other iem makers despite the 15-day window this is about as good as it gets, unless headphones.com sells Campfire iems with full refunds and that absurd one-year window that makes virtually no sense to me.

did you open the campfire IEM box while you return it? I got the campfire Andromeda 5 days ago but it has so much hiss on my Fiio M11 so I wanted to return it. Thanks for sharing your experience.

 

[Rockwell75]

Now there's a name I haven't seen in a while.

I got the campfire Andromeda 5 days ago but it has so much hiss on my Fiio M11 so I wanted to return it.

Keep the Andromeda and lose the M11.

 

[pbui44]

did you open the campfire IEM box while you return it? I got the campfire Andromeda 5 days ago but it has so much hiss on my Fiio M11 so I wanted to return it. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Get this:

https://www.amazon.com/Ear-Buddy-He...2A70TZ1EQEE&psc=1&refRID=NFC8APRXA2A70TZ1EQEE

...or get this for 2.5mm trrs balanced connections:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B079...tail_0?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A34JWT04R7KMFW&th=1