[efftee]

Oh my… Are those duelund caps?
Man you got me excited… I presume you upgrade it? … or it comes standard with duelund?

Yes they are duelunds and they're an upgrad from the default caps.

 

[Royal Navy]

Had some spare time this afternoon to visit Addicted to Audio Melbourne, and I finally got a chance to demo the Campfire Trifecta

I’ll cut right to the chase, this isn’t an IEM I’d be willing to pay anywhere near its current MSRP for, at least for my tastes and priorities. However, I can understand the appeal for those that value a rich, analogue presentation with DD timbre, because Trifecta offers that up in spades.

My two main dealbreakers were the technicalities and treble response. I found its technical performance to be quite underwhelming for its high price tag, particularly its speed, separation and detail retrieval. The lower treble sounded rather splashy, almost peaky, and the upper treble extension felt rather poor.

The bass, whilst being pretty well textured and extended, really struggled on faster paced bass lines from my electronic test tracks. I heard quite a lot of mid bass, and the slow speed of the drivers made bass hits sound wooly, like as if they’re firing behind a wall. The mids seem decent, a bit recessed behind the huge bass and forward lower treble but they have a nice organic tone to them that I expected from a warmly tuned DD IEM.

When I listened to one of my acoustic test tracks (Angus & Julia Stone - Yellow Brick Road) it seemed to perform at its best and where I felt CFA’s tuning choice for Trifecta made a bit more sense. It certainly felt like a unique sound, and if my library consisted more of that type of music, I’d probably be more inclined to consider picking one of these up. But again, at $3400 it simply too much of a specialist of a specialty I don’t prioritise enough.

It’s a shame, I was really hoping for it to impress me because I do have a soft spot for CFA and their older mainstays, the Andromeda & Solaris.

Thankfully, it wasn’t all lost for Campfire today because I got to try the A&K x CFA Pathfinder once again, and this time impressed me so much that I had to pick one up! It pairs amazingly well with SP3K. Last time I heard it I didn’t own this DAP and I thought it was okay but nothing too special. But this time, it was like a completely different experience. Looking forward to more listening of this little hidden gem over the weekend

Congratulations on your new toy.
I must admit that I am intrigued by Pathfinder's design. Matches very well with AK Daps. If it sounds impressive then it's really a no-brainer deal.
Looking forward to your detailed review.

 

[Damz87]

What would you say the Pathfinder sounds most akin to? I’ve heard reports of an OG Solaris with better bass

Yeah, pretty much this! The bass is impressive. Much better than I remember of Solaris’ bass. I’d add that Pathfinder’s mid and treble notes also sound fuller than Solaris, more akin to Andromeda to my ears. I remember Solaris having a distinctly thinner midrange. Also I think the treble is a little more forward on Pathfinder but I’m finding it to be quite good quality. Last time I demo’d it, I thought the treble was a bit intense but SP3K seems to be smoothening it out enough to keep it in check.

 

[boromcom]

Brise Ultimate 8 Wire in the house!



I will reserve my full impressions for when it is broken in, but it's holy crap good. Jewel+Ultimate 8W is RIDICULOUS. I can comfortably say it's at the same level as the Orpheus, different tuning, but in terms of abilities and magic it's right up there. Uber black background, crazy micro details, huge stage, very natural and effortless. Incredibly clean and clear, shockingly so. It has that Orphy fatness and huge note weight, but it's more linear, with greater extension of both sub bass reach and treble airiness. More energetic with faster transients vs Orphy's more relaxed vibe - just super, super impressive. A large upgrade over the 4 wire to be sure, if anyone is wondering. While the 4 wire is amazing, this is something else entirely.

Once it is fully broken in, I look forward to sharing how it truly compares to Orphy in my full review in the coming weeks, so stay tuned. It's going to be quite a battle!

Can’t wait for your review compare to Orphy!

 

[boromcom]

@Tokpakorlo where did you order for Brise? Their official website?

 

[kevin638880]

Aha. Trifecta available in Hong Kong. Can't wait to try this.......

 

[552609]

By the way, what is the smallest portable real tube (not nutube) headphone/iems amp that is available on the market?

Does the Woo Audio WA8 Eclipse count?

 

[rush1]

I am anxiously waiting for some incoming tubes, it uses full size 12AU7 or ECC88 tubes, so my vast collection of 12AX7's wont work.

I shall wait for your impression on them then... I got myself quite a few of those NOS ECC88 in telefunken and mullard, back from the day of my home audio "adventures" if I may say so.
If you are near I am willing to send to you for loaner, however sending it abroad makes me feel queasy though.

 

[291079]

Well you can't compare directly because you can't hear 2 cables simultaneously so all what you say is made up, since none of that has ever been measured.

But yes let's just leave it there, reminds me why I've been away since a year or more from this cesspool of knockoff autists.

Well, i can't hear 2 cables simultaneously, but i can do the next best A/B experiment...
Identical iems, identical modules, identical tips, same source, 1 $20 nicehck cable, and 1 $1800 eletech cable.
Yes, i had my doubts too because of the coat hanger vs monster cable test (https://www.engadget.com/2008-03-03...the-difference-between-monster-cable-and.html), but the difference between these 2 cables is easily noticeable.
And this is coming from someone who completely wishes that the 2 cables sound similar so that i don't have to spend more money.
(Excuse the z1rs, it's for other tests)

 

[dmphile]

Had some spare time this afternoon to visit Addicted to Audio Melbourne, and I finally got a chance to demo the Campfire Trifecta

I’ll cut right to the chase, this isn’t an IEM I’d be willing to pay anywhere near its current MSRP for, at least for my tastes and priorities. However, I can understand the appeal for those that value a rich, analogue presentation with DD timbre, because Trifecta offers that up in spades.

My two main dealbreakers were the technicalities and treble response. I found its technical performance to be quite underwhelming for its high price tag, particularly its speed, separation and detail retrieval. The lower treble sounded rather splashy, almost peaky, and the upper treble extension felt rather poor.

The bass, whilst being pretty well textured and extended, really struggled on faster paced bass lines from my electronic test tracks. I heard quite a lot of mid bass, and the slow speed of the drivers made bass hits sound wooly, like as if they’re firing behind a wall. The mids seem decent, a bit recessed behind the huge bass and forward lower treble but they have a nice organic tone to them that I expected from a warmly tuned DD IEM.

When I listened to one of my acoustic test tracks (Angus & Julia Stone - Yellow Brick Road) it seemed to perform at its best and where I felt CFA’s tuning choice for Trifecta made a bit more sense. It certainly felt like a unique sound, and if my library consisted more of that type of music, I’d probably be more inclined to consider picking one of these up. But again, at $3400 it’s simply too much of a specialist of a specialty I don’t prioritise enough.

It’s a shame, I was really hoping for it to impress me because I do have a soft spot for CFA and their older mainstays, the Andromeda & Solaris.

Thankfully, it wasn’t all lost for Campfire today because I got to try the A&K x CFA Pathfinder once again, and this time impressed me so much that I had to pick one up! It pairs amazingly well with SP3K. Last time I heard it I didn’t own this DAP and I thought it was okay but nothing too special. But this time, it was like a completely different experience. Looking forward to more listening of this little hidden gem over the weekend

Yeah, pretty much this! The bass is impressive. Much better than I remember of Solaris’ bass. I’d add that Pathfinder’s mid and treble notes also sound fuller than Solaris, more akin to Andromeda to my ears. I remember Solaris having a distinctly thinner midrange. Also I think the treble is a little more forward on Pathfinder but I’m finding it to be quite good quality. Last time I demo’d it, I thought the treble was a bit intense but SP3K seems to be smoothening it out enough to keep it in check.

Pathfinder finally getting some recognition. @riverground and I are no longer alone on the Pathfinder HYPE!

 

[Royal Navy]

Pathfinder finally get some recognition. @riverground and I are no longer alone on the Pathfinder HYPE!

Photos and impressions are always good for the hype

 

[KuroKitsu]

@Damz87 I see Pathfinder has your seal of approval. Time to start up that hype train!

 

[Kiats]

Not quite sure if these have been released elsewhere. But these arrived today. Courtesy of Jaben Singapore. The Softears Tremolo. Single DD customs.

 

[gnahra]

Yeah, pretty much this! The bass is impressive. Much better than I remember of Solaris’ bass. I’d add that Pathfinder’s mid and treble notes also sound fuller than Solaris, more akin to Andromeda to my ears. I remember Solaris having a distinctly thinner midrange. Also I think the treble is a little more forward on Pathfinder but I’m finding it to be quite good quality. Last time I demo’d it, I thought the treble was a bit intense but SP3K seems to be smoothening it out enough to keep it in check.

It's been awhile since I had the Pathfinder, but based on my recollection (and why I ended up not buying it) - as @Damz87 said I too found the treble a bit too intense/spicey (prior to him listening on the SP3K). this was off of the DX320 (with modded amp 12); bass definitely 'better' than the solaris (slightly more quantity, much better quality, particularly with regards to texture and rumble). Having said all of that, I did really enjoy the pathfinder, save for the slightly spicey upper mids/lower treble.

 

[Stu Paddasso]

Well, i can't hear 2 cables simultaneously, but i can do the next best A/B experiment...
Identical iems, identical modules, identical tips, same source, 1 $20 nicehck cable, and 1 $1800 eletech cable.
Yes, i had my doubts too because of the coat hanger vs monster cable test (https://www.engadget.com/2008-03-03...the-difference-between-monster-cable-and.html), but the difference between these 2 cables is easily noticeable.
And this is coming from someone who completely wishes that the 2 cables sound similar so that i don't have to spend more money.
(Excuse the z1rs, it's for other tests)

I notice they have no pictures of the supposed coat hanger wire so it didn't happen!!!!