Campfire Audio Clara Review

 

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Sound General

The Clara is a very textured, warm, mellow, and smooth IEM with great musicality in the mid-range. It’s not aimed to sound technical or analytical at all. Above all else, this is all about smoothness, non-fatiguing delivery, and straightforward enjoyment. The unit sounds very relaxed, and everything is easy-going and smooth. So it never feels uncomfortable at all, as everything flows beautifully.

The Clara’s strengths are its coherence and balance, as well as its musicality and timbre. Although not technically very strong, I would prefer it after a hard day’s work rather than a Sennheiser IE 900. I often reached out to the Clara when I came home from work. It is for relaxing, listening to some instrument timbre, the piano, the violin, the sax, the guitar.

Sound Classics

Bass

The bass has substantial impact and texture characteristics. It is focused on texture and sufficient bass quantity. Whenever you need bass, the Clara delivers it, and it has even more in reserve. For instance, this thick bass presentation feels very good with enjoyable R&B recordings, and the Clara provides every bass note beautifully. 

I would say it’s a bit more bass-quantity than neutral, and sometimes, it gets a bit too thick in the mid-bass section, but it never sounds bloated. Final E-type tips elevate the bass even more, so I don’t quite recommend them.

The Clara also provides the richness often associated with dynamic drivers, yet it doesn’t truly shine in bass speed, an area where planar and BA drivers excel. While dynamic drivers are traditionally praised for their texture, they’re not the best in PRaT.

However, the Clara seems to have reached a point where it delivers a significant amount of texture, especially in the mid-bass. This results in an enjoyable bass response that offers more body to the mid-range, especially in the lower section.

Mid-Range

The Campfire Clara’s midrange is clear, warm, and organic, boasting an outstanding timbre. The timbre represents the most enjoyable aspect of the Clara, featuring remarkably natural-sounding instruments and vocals. If you prefer your midrange to be lush, rich, and smooth, the Clara is the ideal choice in the flagship IEM category. 

In the mid-range, the Campfire Audio Clara truly excels. It delivers a natural and fluid sound that brings life to vocals and instruments, allowing every component to shine with clarity and definition. The tonal balance is masterfully crafted, creating an immersive and emotionally resonant listening experience.

Instruments are portrayed with high realism, while vocals possess a richness and depth that highlights them without feeling overly pronounced.

One of the key strengths of the Clara is its ability to combine musicality with detail. The mid-range is rich and dynamic, providing the sound with a smooth, effortless flow. It effectively balances warmth and clarity, ensuring no mid-range section misses the nuances.

For those who cherish rich, lifelike timbre, the Clara offers a gratifying experience, presenting a refined and polished mid-range. If you seek an IEM emphasizing mid-range excellence, the Clara stands out as a definitive choice, delivering an engaging and fluid sound signature.

Treble

The treble is smooth, yet it still retains all the necessary detail. It does not aggressively present the treble but keeps it understated. The performance in the treble range is smooth, offering a clean and forgiving sound that merges excellent clarity with impressive micro-detail retrieval.

Its transparent and airy sonic profile provides a good sense of resolution, prioritizing crispness over an overly bright sparkle. This gentle approach makes the highs exceedingly comfortable while still ensuring enough articulation. 

The treble steers clear of harshness or listener fatigue, sounding detailed and pronounced without overshadowing the overall sound signature. The high frequencies blend effortlessly with the rest of the audio spectrum, presenting a soft, enjoyable, and musical quality that still captures plenty of detail and resolution.

This cohesive treble representation highlights the Clara’s capability of delivering a captivating and refined listening experience.

However, this may not suit you if clarity and brightness in an IEM are your main priorities. The treble lacks energy, brightness, clarity, and articulation in this specific range.

The review continues on the Third Page, use the links below to go there.

4.4/5 - (44 votes)
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A keen audiophile and hobby photographer, Berkhan is after absolute perfection. Whether it is a full-frame camera or a custom in-ear, his standpoint persists. He tries to keep his photography enthusiasm at the same level as audio. Sometimes photography wins, sometimes his love for music takes over and he puts that camera aside. Simplistic expressions of sound in his reviews are the way to go for him. He enjoys a fine single malt along with his favourite Jazz recordings.

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