[GroovyAudio]

@CFA Chris Hi! What about Fathom vs Black Star. How do they compare?

 

[ryanjsoo]

Hi Chris,
how does the fathom compare to ARA?
thanks

Hey Andreas, taken from my comments section:

As compared to the Ara, the Fathom is warmer and fuller, subjectively a bit more balanced. The Ara is brighter but more tonally transparent as it’s bass tuning is flatter, the Fathom having more warmth and fullness that also colours it’s midrange.

Despite this, the Fathom has a more dynamic bass and it also has a cleaner background. The Ara is airier and brighter with higher clarity and separation. The Fathom has a deeper stage while the Ara is wider. The Fathom is more forgiving and the Ara is more revealing in summary.

Of note, the Fathom is also notably easier to drive as the physical crossover on the Ara makes it especially sensitivity to output impedance. This gives it an inconsistent character between sources and is primarily why some call is lean and some are more than satisfied with the bass presence.

 

[NewEve]

I'm excited to announce my review of the newly announced Fathom is now live!



In essence, the Fathom represents an evolution of the Andromeda formula that feels highly familiar yet changed in a meaningful way that earns the new title. Consider the Fathom a spiritual successor to the Andromeda 2020 with a similar tuning, updated housing from the Emerald Sea and new 6-driver platform.

The bass and midrange are almost identical but the treble has been enhanced with a darker, cleaner background and superior extension. In addition, the bass extends slightly better, offering more slam and weight. Altogether, a nice update to the vanilla Andro variants with a more authentic treble note timbre, improved imaging and greater dynamics.




The Fathom appeals to those wanting an upgrade over the previous Andromeda variants and successfully fills the gap created by the more radically changed Emerald Sea as Campfire Audio’s premium all-rounder. Full review here

These look very interesting.

Would you mind sharing how they compare to the 64 Audio U6t?

 

[cats4cans]

Of note, the Fathom is also notably easier to drive as the physical crossover on the Ara makes it especially sensitivity to output impedance. This gives it an inconsistent character between sources and is primarily why some call is lean and some are more than satisfied with the bass presence.

By "physical crossover" do you mean no electronic crossover, just the tuning of the BAs in their respective chambers, TEAC? I did some swapping between a Pietus Maximus (1.5 ohm) and Magni Unity (<0.1 ohm) to see which I preferred. All other things being equal I think I might have preferred a lower impedance source, but all other things are rarely equal. Maybe someday I'll make a buffer with a dial to fine tune output impedance, or at least a decent range of discrete choices.

Thanks for the review

 

[ryanjsoo]

By "physical crossover" do you mean no electronic crossover, just the tuning of the BAs in their respective chambers, TEAC? I did some swapping between a Pietus Maximus (1.5 ohm) and Magni Unity (<0.1 ohm) to see which I preferred. All other things being equal I think I might have preferred a lower impedance source, but all other things are rarely equal. Maybe someday I'll make a buffer with a dial to fine tune output impedance, or at least a decent range of discrete choices.

Thanks for the review

Exactly, there is no electronic crossover circuit here. The Ara is one of the few IEMs I have tested that benefits from a sub 1-ohm output impedance, even on a 1 ohm source it can sound a bit lean for many.

These look very interesting.

Would you mind sharing how they compare to the 64 Audio U6t?

The U6t was a loan unit so I haven't heard it for some years now... At a very basic level, expect a more deep-bass on the U6t and less warmth around the upper bass to lower mid transition. The U6t has a slightly more transparent midrange but both are on the coherent side. The treble will be slightly brighter on the Fathom but I haven't directly compared the two so I cannot make more detailed comments on this.

You can read the comparison I wrote to the Andro 2020 here, excluding the treble and improved bass weight, most comments will apply to both the Andro and Fathom given the tonal similarities.

 

[NewEve]

The U6t was a loan unit so I haven't heard it for some years now... At a very basic level, expect a more deep-bass on the U6t and less warmth around the upper bass to lower mid transition. The U6t has a slightly more transparent midrange but both are on the coherent side. The treble will be slightly brighter on the Fathom but I haven't directly compared the two so I cannot make more detailed comments on this.

You can read the comparison I wrote to the Andro 2020 here, excluding the treble and improved bass weight, most comments will apply to both the Andro and Fathom given the tonal similarities.

Thanks a lot!

 

[NewEve]

@CFA Chris I'm a strange CFA fan of your previous line of cables — any major issue expected running the new Fathom, say, with the Smoky Litz Cable that came with my Andromeda 2020?

 

[CFA Chris]

@CFA Chris I'm a strange CFA fan of your previous line of cables — any major issue expected running the new Fathom, say, with the Smoky Litz Cable that came with my Andromeda 2020?

Hey there! No, shouldn't be a problem at all. They have very similar sonic performance, the main changes here are the form factor/aesthetic

 

[NewEve]

Hey there! No, shouldn't be a problem at all. They have very similar sonic performance, the main changes here are the form factor/aesthetic

Thanks for the quick reply!

 

[NewEve]

@CFA Chris Hi! What about Fathom vs Black Star. How do they compare?

@CFA Chris I'd be curious about this comaprison as well

 

[Sebastien Chiu]

Hey Andreas, taken from my comments section:

As compared to the Ara, the Fathom is warmer and fuller, subjectively a bit more balanced. The Ara is brighter but more tonally transparent as it’s bass tuning is flatter, the Fathom having more warmth and fullness that also colours it’s midrange.

Despite this, the Fathom has a more dynamic bass and it also has a cleaner background. The Ara is airier and brighter with higher clarity and separation. The Fathom has a deeper stage while the Ara is wider. The Fathom is more forgiving and the Ara is more revealing in summary.

Of note, the Fathom is also notably easier to drive as the physical crossover on the Ara makes it especially sensitivity to output impedance. This gives it an inconsistent character between sources and is primarily why some call is lean and some are more than satisfied with the bass presence.

Thanks, Ryan! Very excited to try, I enjoyed my time with Ara while I had it. Fathom is looking to be enough of the old I liked with some of the new!

Great review and photos as always.

 

[CFA Chris]

@CFA Chris I'd be curious about this comaprison as well

@CFA Chris Hi! What about Fathom vs Black Star. How do they compare?

Most of our listening samples are all packed up for NY so A/B-ing is tricky right now haha. I'll have some time next week to do some more thorough comparing and share any notes I have with folks.

I'm sure a bunch of impressions will be coming out from those who try stuff out over the weekend too! A couple more writeups coming soon from other outlets as well.

 

[CFA Chris]

Speaking of which, Ear Fidelity also coming through with a Fathom write-up!

https://www.ear-fidelity.com/campfire-audio-fathom-review/

 

[PixelSquish]

Glad this has no DD so I'm at least not tempted by it. That is the last thing I need!

 

[SpaceInvader77]

@CFA Chris Once you are able to do some A/B testing again, I’d love to hear how these compare to the Ponderosa.