Campfire Audio - NEW - Atlas and Comet

Discussion in 'IEMs and Portable Gear' started by KenBall, Apr 3, 2018.

  1. deafdoorknob

    deafdoorknob Almost "Made"

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    btw did you end up trying the dream with narrow bore tips?

    Final E type tips, futuresonics biflange butt plugs (needs some elbow grease to work them in tho) or their own blue core type all work, avoid spinfits (makes them hollow sounding)
     
  2. donunus

    donunus Friend

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    I will watch this now. Curious about first impressions
     
  3. AvijitS25

    AvijitS25 Acquaintance

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    He discusses a lot of different aspects and provides references in terms of music.

    goes on tangents frequently.
     
  4. donunus

    donunus Friend

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    He said that he will follow it up with a full review.
     
  5. Rlin987

    Rlin987 New

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    Well I upgraded my vega to atlas already.. there is no way back :)
     
  6. Metro

    Metro Friend

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    How did you upgrade already, because they said Atlas doesn't ship until May 1st?
     
  7. donunus

    donunus Friend

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    @KenBall Will the wires (Comet) controls work with ios devices?
     
  8. slc66

    slc66 New

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    Yes it will.
     
  9. Rlin987

    Rlin987 New

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    Ah, it means I already sold my Vega, so I have to wait for my Atlas :D there is no way back
     
  10. Defguy

    Defguy New

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    These are interesting points but I'm probably more of a 2 channel person (or was) and of the headphones you mentioned above that I've heard (Nighthawk,LCD2,Jupiter, not sure on Lyra2). I didn't find any of them to be too similar to my 2 channel set up. HD800 was probably closest in signature.
    Currently spending more time with my portable set up now than the 2 channel but it's taken a fair amount of trial and error to come up with a set up that provides similar enjoyment to my 2 channel set up. CA Dorado run balanced from Cayin N5II ended up being fairly close. Not to say that Dorado's sound much like HD800's at all :)
     
  11. lastflowers

    lastflowers New

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    It works with my iPhone X.


    edit: quoted wrong post
     
  12. AvijitS25

    AvijitS25 Acquaintance

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    Hi, guys, I don't know If It is okay for me to post my impressions of the CFA Comets. My only comparison points are the Orions Which I have had for about a year and the ZMF Atticus, I have been listening to the Comets and Orion through the Sony NW-ZX300.

    The Songs I listened to were On & On By Joey Bada$$, This Place was A shelter by Olafur Arnalds, Middle of The bed By Lucy Rose, Time For Space by Emancipator, and lastly, GoodBye by Toe.


    These are very Initial impressions with the caveat of I am shit at explaining what I am hearing, I have very little experience with describing how something sounds, and I can't tell you what is better.

    I really don't know how I feel, The vocals sound better on the Orions a bit more forward I think, and Cymbals sound more like a tssh, while they sound like a ths/tsh on the Comet, strings also have more energy on the comet which is not something I really like, Soundstage is around the same overall, and the impact of the bass is about the same to me but there is more quantity on the comet.

    For the price and design, the Comets are probably a better value, But the midrange on the Orions are something I would rather have.

    PS
    I did not realize how big of a difference spinfits had on the Orions before I did this comparison. Everything I have written may be inaccurate so take whatever I say with a grain of salt
     
  13. antdroid

    antdroid New

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    I'm a newly registered member here but I've been listening to headphones/earphones for a long time and long-time lurker. I just recently picked up the Comet and have been listening to them for a few days now. Thought I'd share some initial impressions.

    The Comet came very nicely bundled with a great case and a selection of tips. I was happy that they included spinfits since I really dig them with my iSine 10, Unique Melody ME.1 and Massdrop+ IEMs. The build quality is excellent on these. They feel solid and shiny. I quickly switched the cable out for my own mmcx cables but the cable it comes with is good. I like the braided style though, so may not appeal to everyone.

    As far as usage. I had a heck of a time getting a good fit. I have relatively small ear canals. My right ear canal is also unusual. That's why spinfits worked well for me. Unfortunately these specific spinfits didnt work as well. They fit in but I didnt like the pressure they were causing or they fell out eventually with heavy movement. I think I also had some trouble getting these to stay in with various tips (silicone, spinfits, spiral dots, mandarin-e hybrids, and others) because of the weight/shape of the comets, and the weight of the cable I use.

    In either case, I ended up sticking with foam tips. I dont particularly like using foam tips because of the work required to put them in and in many experiences I've had, they tend to bloat the midbass too much. But they actually worked very well with the Comets for me.

    As far as sound goes, I probably made a big mistake receiving them the same day as the Unique Melody Me.1 which blows every portable I have away, that aside, the Comet is a solid performer. I would say that they don't particularly do anything spectacular but they dont feel deficient in any way. They have a very smooth sound to them that I feel well appeal to many people.

    The bass doesnt punch nor does it extend as far as the planar IEMs I have but they are alright for where they are priced at. The have some weight to it, but sometimes feels a bit loose. Mids/vocals are full and in front of you. Slight warmth but not overbearing. The treble is smooth, with no sharpness or peaky harshness. No sibilance at all. Highs don't have as much energy and detail as I like, but I think this will appeal to a lot of people, which is what I gather this IEM is geared towards. I think it really appeals to a lot of different genres, and listeners.

    They sound good. They dont have have the detail/resolution of some higher priced IEMs but I feel like they are priced just about right.

    Comparing them to another popular earphone in this price range - I'd rate them above both the 1More Quad and the Noble X, which I have owned both for a period of time. The Quads and X both have an exaggerated mid/bass hump which I feel makes the sound too bloated and warm.

    Oh another thing on comfort. I like wearing IEMs over ear but I had a tough time getting these to work over-ear. They are obviously designed to be worn wire down but you "can" wear them over. I had trouble finding the right angle to put them in and also having them stay in with the foam tips. Oh well.
     
    Last edited: May 19, 2018
  14. xtreme4099

    xtreme4099 New

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    Picked up both the Atlas and Comet over the weekend. My HE1K wasn't getting any love so I sold it.

    I mainly sit in front of the computer all day with other people but I didn't want to plop down some cash on a closed pair of headphones like an LCD-XC or Mr Speaker Ether Flow C just yet, I wanted something I could take with me on the go. I love my Andromedas, I remember borrowing my friends Vega for a bit and remember some good qualities about it, mainly the bottom end and some of the rich textures from having a single DD, strings were mesmerizing, and to my ears they had slightly less artifice than the Andros, even though it wasn't as sparkly in the treble. So I opted for Ken's latest and greatest.

    So yes the rumors are true, the soundstage of the Atlas is very close to that of the Andros. The Andros appear to be more forward and lit in the midrange, although im getting used to the Atlas' midrange, its not as warm as the Vega, or scooped in the mids as the Jupiter(I had these briefly).

    The Atlas is very source dependent, for a portable im using a Fiio x7 Mk2, my LG v30, main rig is a a custom dac and headphone amp from Phil LaRocco formerly of Triad Audio, im probably the only one besides Phil that has this desktop single pcb board 34v version of his PPA amp, a truly amazing and neutral sounding amp with killer dynamics. I use the Campfire earphones and his amp with a -16db iFi Earbuddy to attenuate the small low level hiss. In the office I usually have the Fiio handle external dac duties connected to the custom desktop amp, so far its been an amazing combination with the Ifi Earbuddy. I also have the iFI IEMatch and it seems that the Earbuddy's -16db appears to be the sweet spot for the Campfire designs vs the -12db and -24db of the IEMMatch. Using the Fiio x7mk2 is defintely better than the LG but not hugely so, it does have better low end and is a bit quieter with either of the Campfire designs.

    An amped Atlas appears to have worked out better than the HE1k, not that the HE1k sucked, it was airy, had accurate bass, silky sweet mids and treble, a great tall soundstage, but I feel it lacked that nth level of dynamics, that even the HE6 had, i wasn't ready to graduate to Utopias just yet. Either way i wasn't missing much going the iem route, the Campfire designs basically replaced my full sized headphones. I still do have an Audeze ELC8 rev2 for gaming, but even the Atlas manages to slam harder than it in the bass, and is overall much fuller in every frequency.

    As far as memory serves the Atlas does appear to go deeper than the Vega, the Andros are no slouch in the bass, they do slam but not with the sub texture that the Atlas has, i liken them to my home theaters Rhythmik F18, with its clean low distortion WTF bass that hits fast and hard, it lets you hear things that you wouldn't hear with most subs, even when I had my SVS PB12 Plus 2, awesome sub, great output but not as accurate as the Rhythmik.

    Surprisingly the Atlas low end as great as it is, doesn't overpower the other frequencies, as a single DD, it appears to be very seamless and of one cloth, the wonders of no x-overs. I still love the Andros, it can appear to be more holographic for mainly the mids and treble, the bass can slam when it can, adequately, nothing really sticks out with it that you could complain about. The Atlas is just different, it can invoke that sense of realism that Andros hinted at, where as the Andros is good at making everything come at you with laser like precision and layering, the Atlas gives you the ambience of the space between the notes, its treble is quite close to the Andros in extension, and yes it effectively is a hybrid of the Vega/Andros, its especially great with classical and anything with subtle cues and low level ambient bass information, think depth, ambience, and palatable intimacy, where as the Andros smothers you in its big soundstage and layering, fairly even keeled frequency response, the Atlas does something very close with its DD while giving you the full ambient details the Andros hinted at. I'm still keeping both :)

    Also picked up the Comet for the girlfriend, she was hooked on some shitty bluetooth headphones, wasn't getting much use of the Etymotics ER4P's i gave her, they weren't comfy, she liked my Andros more, and well the Comets are just Baby Andros in the mids and highs for the most part, they don't quite have that low end, but they are about 60-70 percent of the Andros, and for 200 bux, a no brainer, she was immediately satisfied with them. Might have to gift another as a birthday present sometime.
     
    Last edited: Jun 6, 2018
  15. Clemmaster

    Clemmaster Friend

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    Very nice write-up!
     
  16. thegunner100

    thegunner100 Hentai Master Chief

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    Are these IEMs officially available now? The CFA website says "Backordered" and "Available in 6-8 weeks".
     
  17. caputphone

    caputphone New

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    Define available? I bought the Atlas from a headphone store in Canada, although it took two weeks before I got them. So they are out there. Amazing sound, I think they are better overall than my Shure 846s.
     
  18. ufospls2

    ufospls2 Friend

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    [​IMG]


    Hey Guys,

    I’ve sold my CA Vegas, and am selling my Audeze LCDi4’s, and consolidating down to one pair of IEM’s for now. I’ve been giving it a lot of thought, and ended up going with the CA Atlas, as I enjoyed the Vegas so much whilst I owned them. To sum it up quickly, the Atlas is like a bigger sounding Vega, with a hint of Andromeda about them.

    Now, these are just initial impressions, the kind of stuff that hits you right away, vs the smaller nuances you notice over time. Mostly this will all be in comparison to the Vega, as that is my previous CA reference point.

    The Bass is similar in quantity to the Vega, but seems to integrate into the whole frequency response more, if that makes sense? It doesn’t over do it, and drown out the other frequencies. Its a bit less harsh sounding, more rounder sounding, easier to listen to.

    The mids seem more detailed than the Vegas. In fact, everything seems more detailed. The mids are a tiny bit recessed I think. Kinda sound smoother, and more even than the Vegas.

    The treble is the most improved part over the Vega. Its a bit less bright than the Vega, and less shouty. I haven’t noticed any sibilance yet :)

    The soundstage is a bit bigger than the Vega, but perhaps not as wide as the Andromeda. However, I’m going off of memory of the Andromeda, I haven’t heard them for a little while. The Atlas sound “bigger” than both the Vega and Andromeda, a more enveloping and full sound.

    As usual with CA/ALO, the cable is great. Doesn’t get all tangled and messed up. Nice and supple. The Atlas are really comfy, especially wearing them down vs. Over the ear.

    I haven’t done a lot of tip rolling yet. I’m having a bit of trouble with the Final Audio tips and suffocation of the sound completely in my left ear. I’ll keep working on this and report back with how I feel about all the tips. Currently running the marshmallow CA tips, small size.

    All in all, the Atlas are great so far. Bigger and fuller sounding than the Vega, but also a bit easier to listen to. Less harsh. If you guys have any questions, just let me know :)
     
  19. ufospls2

    ufospls2 Friend

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    Ok. So.

    I have been doing tons of experimenting with different tips trying to work on the driver flex/suffocation problem that I have been having with the Atlas. Along with this, I have some impressions of the various included tips.

    Please note, I'm just a dude who likes headphones. I'm not super experienced. I've only had the Atlas for under a week, so these impressions of the tips might continue to evolve. I'll check back in, in a few weeks :)

    Least Favourite: Marshmallow Foam
    Second Favourite: Final Audio
    Favourite: Single Flange Silicon

    What I have found with the Final Audio tips is that the only thing which works for the driver flex/suffocation problem is an extremely light insertion so that a seal does not form. This also works with the single flange silicon tips. With the single flange silicon tips, half of the time, if I do a very deep insertion, there is no problem....but that is only half of the time. Weird isn't it? The worst in terms of driver flex/suffocation is doing a normal insertion with both the Final Audio tips, and the single flange silicons. I get complete suffocation of the driver on both ears, no sound at all. A real bummer, as this is the comfiest for my ears. In terms of driver flex and suffocation, the marshmallow foams are the best, exhibiting no problems at all. However, for my ears, they are the least comfortable. I am going to try to get my hands on a smaller size, as I think it might be more comfortable for my ears. YMMV.

    In terms of sound

    Marshmallow Foam: Sounds kinda closed in and...marshmallow like. No hard edges to the sound, it sounds rounder, especially the bass. Gives a warmer presentation, which some might really enjoy.

    Final Audio: Seems to be like a combination of the marshmallow foams, and the single flange silicons. A bit more treble than the foams, but less than the single flange silicon tips. Similar closed in sound.

    Single Flange Silicon: My favourite. Opens up the treble completely, a real sense of "airy-ness." You definitely loose a bit bass, but I have been bringing it back up a couple DB with EQ. For me and my ears (you might be completely different,) this is working the best. Best soundstage of the three tips. The treble is a bit sharper with these tips.

    Hope that helps someone who is struggling with the tips that come with the Atlas.

    It might be a bit of a pain finding the right tip, at the right insertion depth but holy cow, it is 100% worth the struggle. These sound fantastic!
     
  20. Warrior

    Warrior RIP 2021

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    Any more comments on the Atlas? I'm 99% sure I'm ordering these tomorrow. They are on backorder unfortunately. I even checked the used market, not much available. I think there were 2 left for sale one for $1k another for $1100...mkght as well buy new at that point. Although tempted so I don't have to wait.
     

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