Campfire Audio Dorado 2020 In-Ear Headphones - Official Thread

My new favourite Campfires…

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Nice stuff Rock. Getting the Vega 2020s in today for myself and look forward to the low end fun!

I haven’t heard the Vega but from one Solaris fan to another-- you need to hear the Dorado 2020. It’s the most satisfying and accomplished CFA IEM to date imho.

Definitely on the to try list. Won’t be missing out on them.

Vega 2020 in the house! Thanks to headphone dot com for the fantastic service as always.

Can compare them to the Solaris 2020 if you’d like @jrockwell!

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Always down for some fresh Vega impressions. I’d be curious for your general impressions of the 2020 Solaris too.

Sorry to hear the Vega didn’t work out for you. I hope you get to try the Dorado at some point-- it’s the new king of Campfire’s lineup imho.

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I hope I do too! It may be more my thing vs the Vega.

The Vegas…I do enjoy bass, but this is a little too much even for me. I think it’s because the sound comes of as more of an L shape vs a true V shape akin to the Andromeda Gold, which I loved.

That said, if you’re a basshead through and through you will love the Vega 2020.

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Dorado 2020 with Shanling M3X

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Needless to say, I am not a big fan of these. I posted my impressions on my blog, wont bother copy and pasting them here. It’s not my thing. Also gave me ringing in my ears after listening.

@jrockwell i like the M3X thus far though, love the case. I am a little sad ROON doesnt work with the player’s buttons though.

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Crazy discount! Never seen it this low.

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At that price you could still get a Dunu SA6, Moondrop Variations or stretching the budget a little bit , Sennheiser IE600.

My post wasn’t meant to be combative, simply highlighting other options at the same price point.

This forum was actually quite positive for CFA in the past. Opinions and taste can change over time. When CFA started making IEMs, their only competition were Westone, JH and Shure which were all pretty much making the same, flat monitors and CFA stood out as something very different.

Now the IEM market is fiercely competitive with a ton of options and it takes something unique to stand out from the crowd.

Experiences are experiences. It would be strange to judge someone’s subjective experience with a product unless you think others should find your subjective experience suspicious as well? IEMs in particular are prone to different experiences because of fit, different HRTF, etc… Both Resolve and DMS listened to the Sennheiser IE600 and while both of them heard the same thing, their enjoyment of that was different.

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It definitely is, which is why it’s important to familiarize yourself with a couple of reviewers and their preferences. Once you get a sense of what they like and dislike, whether you agree with their opinion or not, it’s a lot easier to get an idea if it’s a good fit or not. But nothing will compare to trying it out yourself still!

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I took advantage of this pricing three weeks ago and have been listening primarily to the CFA Dorado 2020 for the past two weeks from several different sources. I wanted something different from the CFA Ara, CFA Satsuma, and Moondrop Aria Snow Edition IEMs that I already own. I had thought about a Empire Ears Bravado MK II, but given the price difference and my plan to get better cables for the Ara (which I could then use with the Dorado 2020), I went with the CFAs.

I’m in the midst of testing ear tips (I really like the sound of the included CFA marshmallows, but wanted to try out other tips such as Spin-fits, Spiral-dots, etc. The one thing that is very apparent with the Dorado 2020 is that it is very seal dependent. With the wrong tip, I get a lack of bass or complete lack of sound. However, with the right tip, it’s the most fun I’ve had in a long time regardless of music - AC/DC and TWICE both sound great to me with these.

I hope to have a review finished by Labor Day weekend.

Regards,
Vic

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This is an insightful comment. You can see this phenomena holding true with IEM manufacturers as well. CFA. EE and Fir are the 3 preeminent American IEM makers and their sound sigs are generally defined by their bass. Lime Ears, Vision Ears, Custom Art (European) are generally focused on mids and Elysian, Acoustune, etc.are often well known for their highs and upper mids.

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