I just wanted to give an update on the Campfire Ara. I’ve done some measurements and now have a first impression:
To me the Ara sounds like a straightforward upgrade over the Andromeda if you’re someone who prefers the Andromeda from a 2.5 ohm output impedance source. Basically, it has less bass, and is more analytic. Overall the balance is also better than the Andromeda with more midrange presence. I do hear that dip around 2.5khz (or rather the elevation before it is more pronounced as a result), and there’s a slight forwardness to 5khz, but not enough to cause any percussion compression issues. The rest of the treble balance is also excellent, better than that of the OG Andromeda (2020 is a bit more relaxed).
A few other things:
The Ara has an impressively wide and layered soundstage for an IEM - this is perhaps its most interesting quality, and it jumped out at me right away. It’s not that everything sounds spacious, certain tones can come across quite forward and intimate, but there’s a really interesting range for depth. Front left and front right in particular are really impressive.
This also doesn’t sound like what I was used to with other Campfire Audio multi-BA IEMs, meaning something about the timbre sounds a bit more natural. Also, I feel like the bass performs better? Not just that it’s at a more flat level, it feels tighter and almost punchier than the Andromeda. I’m now curious as to what they did differently with their BA implementation.
Overall, my first impression of the Ara has been very positive. I think I almost wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I do because I generally prefer a bit more bass than the measurements indicate. But really, the Ara is a solid performer with a well-balanced tonality for anyone looking for something almost resembling a modern DF neutral (even though it’s not that… it’s way more normal than that haha).