Thread: Praise for Campfire Audio and it's IEMs

Just wanted to post a recent positive experience with Campfire Audio and my Campfire Comet IEMs. I bought these in 2019 after a review by John Darko, and I've been using them with my Astell & Kern AK100MkII portable player.

Some backstory: I've used Etymotic hf3s for years, but had consistenty durability issues with them, the most common problem beng the cable splitting open, eventually causing the conductors to short and fail. I've probably had four pairs that failed this way. The problem with the Etys is that the cable is not replaceable or interchangeable.

Along the years, I had also bought a pair of Shure SE535s and Westone W40s. While these sounded very good, I found them a bit large for everyday wear and preferred the fit of the more compactly-sized Ety hf3s, so durability issues aside, I always came back to the hf3s as my first choice for use.

I'd heard of ALO and it's aftermarket IEM Cables, and subsequently, Campfire Audio, which was founded as an IEM company by ALO's founder, Ken Ball. After a review of the Comets by John Darko in 2019, I bought a pair for use with my A&K. I liked the Comets in particular because they were small and inserted "straight into the ear canal" more like the Etymotics rather than the manner in which the Shures and Westone's fit, which are inserted with just the nozzle into the ear canal, the body of the IEM "sideways" into the outer auricle of the ear.

Here's some pics of the Comets:


Close-up of a single channel "driver". The Comets, like all Campfire Audio IEMs, used the MMCX interchangeable cable standard, you can change out different cables by simply snapping them on to IEM "driver". You can also use different sized and shaped tips of different materials, which plug onto the nozzle.


The Comets come with a large range of types and sizes of tips, from the dome-shaped silicone tips


to the "marshmallow foam"-type Comply style tips, shown here. I've always used mine with the foam tips as they provided the best seal and bass response.


Recently, I had one of the channels of my Comets fail, and contacted Campfire. They responded quickly and said a replacement channel for the Comets would only cost $30, so I sent my pair in for service. While my pair was out for service, I tried my Etys again...EEK! Way too bright. Can't believe I wore these all those years. The Comets are way more balanced and neutral with better bass and foundation. With my Comets in for service, I got out my pair of Westone 40s, and found out one earpiece was dead and...Westone will not repair a dead earpiece. Urg. So, then, I broke out my Shure SE535s and wore those for a couple days while out on my bicycle ride. They sounded fine, but like the Westones, the larger size weren't as convenient to wear while cycling as my Comets. And, then....the nozzle for the Left channel earpiece snapped off, as the body of the IEM is made of plastic; this for an ~$600 IEM.

While all that was happening, I got my Comets back from Campfire with a new channel, and I'm back in business! Wore them while riding yesterday, and after all the back-to-back comparisons, I'm so glad I have these and discovered Campfire Audio a few years back as these, hands-down, have become my favorite IEMs.

So...long story short, if you're looking for a well-designed, well-manufatured pair of IEMs from a company that provides excellent service and support after-sale, check out Campfire Audio. They also wll make custom 'phones for their Solstice, Supermoon and Equinox models if you prefer have an audiologist do a custom IEM fitting for you.

Campfire Audio Home | Campfire Audio

I love my Dorado 2020. Recently I got the wireless Orbit and found that it surprisingly retains CA higher end DNA even in that price range.

Yes, I just watched Darko's review of the Orbit, and he said the same thing about it retaining the CA "DNA", as it were. Looks interesting, thanks!

I like how Ken Ball is putting out different types and "flavors" of IEMs for different types of music, applications, or folks' sensibilities.

One of the things I like about the Comets is they insert straight into the ear canal, and thus are small and don't get the way when I wear them along with my bicycle helmet.

I was thinking of picking up a pair of his Satsuma to try out as they have some B-stock available at an affordable price.

Have you seen his new Smoky Litz cable? They're silver-plated copper conductors in one of his no-tangle weave designs....

Smoky Litz Cable | Campfire Audio

Looks pretty nice...

Originally Posted by Bones13

I got a pair of the “Atlas” single driver IEMs, but eventually felt they were a bit too bassy for me. My son loves them. I bought some limited edition Andromedas, and still love them, clear and concise top to bottom.

I too liked the Etymotics. I cursed myself for months after leaving my pair (with the original iPod Shuffle) on a plane. I’m pretty sure I could not use them anymore.

I also have an older set of Jerry Harvey JH13 (v1) customs, which continue as my favorite IEMs.

With all that said, traveling nowadays, I use Bluetooth headphones (with ANC), rather than needing a dongle from iPad, and dealing with the cord.

The Atlas came out around the same time-frame (2019) that the Comets came out, and I knew they were something of a bass-monster, with a V-shaped FR curve, so I knew they wouldn't be for me. I like neutral FR curves.

I still have a pair of the Etymotic hf2s, which are the hf3 without the remote and mic. I used 'em briefly while my Comets were out for repair, and found the top-end to be too bright. I also have a pair of HiFi Man RE400s, and they're okay, but the Comets have become my "go-to" IEMs. I may look for another pair of Comets for sale on-line; if I lost mine, I'd be hard-pressed to find something else I like as much.