Campfire Audio Solaris in-ear Headphones - Official Thread

IEMs / In-Ear-Monitors Official IEM Model Discussion
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Thank you got the SpinFits 4.5MM and the 5.5MM on the way.

The Final tips are shorter with a smaller bore, these tend to bring out the highs more and tame down the bass, which work well with the LX, they just do not seal well in my ear.

For the Solaris I have had to use the SpinFit 4.5MM and so far so good, I will see what happens with the 5.5MM version. I have a feeling its going to bring out the bass more, but if it instead brings out the highs, ill slap them on my LX instead because the 4.5MM are a bit to bass heavy.

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Update:

Switching from the Solaris to the LX has been interesting.

I was like… whats wrong with the LX?

No, it took a minute to get used to the sound change, so far the highs are better on the Solaris without a doubt. Sound Stage and sparkle is better as well.

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If there’s one thing I’ve learned since higher quality audio gear has come into my life it’s to appreciate the importance of a well executed mid-range. At one point I cared mostly about bass…but those days are over. I owe this shift in perspective to the Solaris more than anything else…and the SE absolutely excels in this regard. Vocals in particular have never sounded better on anything I’ve owned. The LX is great but it’s not an all rounder in the way the Solaris is…it rocks with certain things but the first thing I think when I put them on is “where did the mids go?”

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Ok,

So its more about the length of the tip then it is the bore size.

Longer + bigger bore tip = more bass

Shorter + bigger bore tip = more treble

90% is the seal, no seal = sounds like poop

I found the Final Tips are actually not half bad now that the driver is starting to come into its own. Side note: Anyone else find the Solaris a bit slow on the bass, just a tad, very minor?

The best tips so far for balance at least for me have been the SpinFit CP145’s

Large: L= 10.1mm W= 13.5mm B= 4.5mm

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Update on the tips.

The Final Tips bring out the bass more, the wider bore tips that are longer make the bass just like boomy\muddy. IDK? I think it has to do with the seal and how deep it is.

The smaller the bore the better the bass, thats a fact, I hear it now. The wider the bore the shorter the more treble. The further away you bring the IEM, the more it cools it down I found.

I found a happy medium with some spinfits and now the bass and treble sound amazing.

I switched between my LCD-2C to the Soliras and thought, WTF this IEM is better then that headphone by a good amount.

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Right on man…glad you’re enjoying Solaris. My favorite tips are spiral dots by far. They’re wide bore and kind of stubby but they fit my ears perfectly. I’ve never noticed much of a difference with bass so long as I get a full seal-- this is the most important factor for me. Incidentally I’m thinking of picking up an LX as a secondary basshead IEM to complement Solaris. Balance & Bass…my endgame destination.

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Hell yea man, thank you. I will try the spiral dots for sure.

This IEM definitely needs brake in, because the bass sounds amazing now. When I broke them out the box, I was like there is no bass! How could every reviewer be wrong, so I give them a bit of time and now they sound great, no doubt I was wrong, lol.

The sound stage and vocals are great and they have bass for days.

The highs and sound stage are wonderful for 1500 bucks and in an IEM.

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I compared the two yesterday, like actually sat down and did an A/B comparison.

I found wile listening to some artist from Boston Clairo, her songs were, Alewife, North, Closer to you, and Bags.

I found with every song, that the Solaris offered a more holographic sound. The notes were coming from the bottom left, bottom right, upper left, and upper right, all wile the singer was dead center, and all at the same time. It felt like they were layered, almost as if they were on top of each other. It was actually very impressive and I think I figured out why you guys love this IEM so much now.

The Legend X does this but its not as in your face noticeable. The Solaris I feel has more noticeable separation. However, everything about the LX is smother, it has more detail too. The detail is more audible, you can hear the plucks of the strings along with the guitar notes, the drum stick tapping along with the drum notes, if that makes sense? I feel you can hear this with the Solaris, however you need to tune the IEM with different tips and sacrifice low end at the same time. I was using the Final Tips on the Solaris yesterday, I did switch to spinfits too. I found the Spinfits gave it more detail at the sacrifice of bass, but the bass was still fine, just duller or not as forward.

IMO the Legend X is a better preforming IEM, its Treble is a bit different, its not as loud, its darker. Think LCD-2C vs LCD-X in terms of treble.

You can tune the LX with tips to balance it out, that’s what I did, the sub bass is overpowering at times. I removed the final tips and replaced them with spinfits 4mm bore, they are the shorter ones with the yellow ring at the base. I think the Solaris offers more vocal fun and balance, wile the LX is a “lets relax” and listen and enjoy the music IEM, yet you can hear every last detail wile doing so.

The legend X takes more power to drive it then the Solaris. The Solaris is very picky about its source, it can find a noise floor real fast

I think they are both different IEMs that have their own party tricks. IMO its worth owning both for whatever mood you are in.

At the end of the day, the LX did not really have to sacrifice anything to hear detail. The Solaris did this insane layering and holographic thing that I never heard before. The highs were a bit fuller too and more forward. The highs on the LX are darker, I want to say rolled off but IDK if that’s the right word. The Solaris is a lot more uncomfortable in the ear then the LX to me. The Solaris hurts, unless I move it more forward. With the LX it just sits there and I don’t notice it.

IMO, I would say to anyone get the LX if you have the 2200 to spend, then get the Solaris later. Unless you need a more treble in your IME and you want to hear some insane holographic separation. If your budget will only allow between 400-700 get the Fiio FH7 or the Empire Ear’s Bravado, also the Atlas is at 900 dollars on Campfires website. I think the Andromeda would sound a bit anemic in today’s line up, given it has no dynamic driver, plus its been unchanged for years now. (I have never heard this IEM. I am making this assumption on the fact it has no dynamic driver. I have heard all BA and they don’t sound good to me, they are lacking in low end IMO. Plus its older tech, this IEM came out years ago, however its still being sold. So they must have done something right and I could be wrong, but that’s why I didn’t want to buy it)

This is all subjective to ones preference in music. I enjoyed the both with great quality recordings, also I would say both are have a great balance, I had no problem switching from POP to Jazz then to Rock with either of these IEMs. If you like more balance go with the Solaris if you like more thud and detail go with the LX.

What I am wondering is how the Special edition stacks up to the original Solaris and also how the Empire Ears Wraith VALKYRIE compares, has anyone heard any of these yet?

Side Note: Sorry for any mistakes in my grammar.

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Great write up! A very interesting perspective there. The impressions I’ve read of LX are some of the most varied of any IEM I’ve researched, with some, like you, almost describing it as an “all rounder” whereas many others complained that there was so much bass it permeated every aspect of the signature, rendering it only suitable for certain genres. I would certainly like to spend some more time with it.

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So,

With Treble tips, like short wide bore, or foam tips for example. It tunes the IEM in such a way that it brings the bass way down and brings out the mids and highs more.

With the Finale tips its to bass heavy, with my spinfits 5mm bore, they sound great to me. They still have a bit of bass, but thats my preferred sound signature when using IEMS.

The Legand X’s party trick is detail, speed, and separation IMO.

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I take back my statement about the foam tips, I used them first thing in the AM before listening to anything else. I really enjoyed them.

It relaxed the lower frequencies bringing out more detail and the rest of the mid & upper ranges.

Ordered the spiral dots, going to see how they sound to my ear.

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In other news I bought used LX off someone local to me…should be picking it up later today. Looking forward to spending some time with it.

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OMG, thats great new man, I picked mine up for 1800 during the black Friday sale. I came close to getting one of the 1500 dollar options, but felt like I should go all out and take advantage of the sale.

I love mine, you can tune it with tips of course, you will be happy with level of detail you get. The only thing I can say about it is the relaxed highs, think LCD2C, or HD650 on the highs. They are just more relaxed, darker might be the right word. The bass and sub bass is out of this world, I think you will enjoy this one.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on it.

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I’ve heard it before so I know what I’m getting into. It strikes me as the perfect complement to my Solaris.

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Yes 100%

They were different enough for me to justify keeping both.

I was going to return the Solaris then it started braking in and sounding better, so I kept it.

Funny story, I dropped it off at UPS to return it. Then the next day, I went back when they opened up and took it back. I was like F-IT, I love this thing, its too good to let go.

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So I’ve spent the last few hours with the Legend X and holy balls this thing is amazing…it’s about as perfect a basshead audiophile IEM as I can imagine and is just what I was looking for. The reputation of these having monstrous/intrusive bass seems to be unfounded to me though, perhaps ironically, it’s in music that a lot of bass that these become a bit too much. I think you are right in that it bests Solaris in terms of raw detail retrieval though (imho) it can’t touch Solaris in terms of instrument separation, holographic stage the overall sense of space that Solaris provides…the two will make a great pair.

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How does it compare to the IER-Z1R?

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I am glad I came close to your description. I am learning more when describing these types of things every day. It takes a while to train your ear to pickup and listen for certain things.

For the longest time I had no clue what people were talking about when they would describe imaging. I knew by reading a description of what it was, but to pick it up while listing and be able to compare then make a judgment on it, took time for me. I have only been listening to good stuff for about a year now.

Then not long ago, I was listening to my HD650 and the HD660s, I put on Billie Eilish to test some bass, all of sudden I heard imaging! The 660 images far better then the 650, but It was like a light bulb went off.

Try them with the foam tips from the Solaris, or you spiral dots. Let me know what you think.

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@ValentineLuke I might not be the best person to ask as I’m not as fond of the Z1R as many seem to be. Personally I much prefer the Legend X. The Z1R is a weird one for me as it occupies this strange no man’s land in that it doesn’t have enough bass impact to satisfy me a V, but its mids are too recessed to satisfy me as balanced sound signature. The Z1R probably has better sub bass texture, and definitely treble extension, but the LX gives me the bass impact I crave from that sort of sound, even if it can be a bit overwhelming at times. The LX is a lot smoother, with the treble never becoming harsh like it can on the Z1R Fit is miles better on the Legend X. So, if you’re after a more balanced sound with delicious DD bass and don’t mind the recessed mids then the Z1R might be a better option (though I would personally go for the Solaris over the Z1R), but if you’re after a v-shaped sound done right with killer bass impact, amazing detail retrieval and smooth, natural timber, and if you can cope with the fact that in bass heavy music it can be a bit much on the LX…then it’s a tremendous IEM.

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@Inkey31 yeah describing sound is very difficult if for no other reason than that many people seem to have slightly different ideas about what the different terms mean. I’m using Azla Sednas on the Legend X (they’re very similar to spiral dots in terms of shape and fit) and they’re great. I’ve never had any luck with foam tips as I can never get a seal.

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