Campfire Audio Jupiter IEM Measurements and Review

Discussion in 'IEM Measurements' started by purr1n, Dec 28, 2015.

  1. Kunlun

    Kunlun cat-alyzes cat-aclysmic cat-erwauling - Friend

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    Ken at ALO posted his own measurements to counter somebody on head-fi who was posting uncompensated vibro veritas measures of the Jupiter.

    Here's Ken's graph, just to see:

    [​IMG]
     
  2. M3NTAL

    M3NTAL Friend

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    @Kunlun - What thread did you find that in?
     
  3. Kunlun

    Kunlun cat-alyzes cat-aclysmic cat-erwauling - Friend

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    The australian campfire tour thread.
     
  4. OJneg

    OJneg The Most Insufferable

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    My thoughts on the Campfire Jupiter:

    The Jupiter is a game-changer for me. To put simply, I've never enjoyed an IEM as much as I have the Jupiter. My initial impressions of the Jupiter were lukewarm; I would have placed it behind the Lyra from my brief listen. Now that I've had the Jupiter for a few nights, I can say it redefines what an IEM is capable of in terms of an overall listening experience. Like Marv mentioned, I would say the Jupiter is THE new reference IEM by which any other IEM can be judged against.

    I think the simplest way to describe the Jupiter's sound is to compare it to a well setup loudspeaker system. The Jupiter tends to melt away and simply let the music flow through. The Jupiter combines the best of what good speakers do....effortless staging, relaxed tone, smooth and even treble....with many IEM strengths....BA precision, supreme focus, great inner detail.

    The Jupiter's tone reminds me so much of a good monitor that it's uncanny. I do this funny thing where I put in one side of the Jupiter and listen to the other side via my speakers and the result is surprisingly believable. This is not only an important aspect which shows the Jupiter to be accurate tonally, but also goes to my next point which is genre-bandwidth. I get the same genre-bandwidth with the Jupiter that I do with a good pair of speakers. I feel like I can plug the Jupiter in at any time and conquer any recording. It's a great feeling of power and control to have a tool that lets you listen to both analyze and enjoy. It's the reason I bother with this hobby actually.

    To touch on a few of the technical abilities that the Jupiter excels in, the first thing that comes to mind is the bass. The Jupiter has one of the better bass performances I've heard in an IEM, period. Great heft and extension, but never bloated like a lot of IEMs these days. I have about zero tolerance for bassy IEMs that muddy things up. As I mentioned earlier, I get great imaging and soundstage that simply melts away and puts a focus on the music coming through. Absolutely believable and locked into focus, with layers and layers upon each other that are all delivered in their own places. In terms of resolution and inner detail, the Jupiter will fool you with its inherent ability. The Jupiter does not highlight detail in a forward manner as other "reference" IEMs might. I would almost describe the Jupiter as being a series of euphonic waves that bear down on you softly. It's so much more subtle and delicate in how it retrieves detail. You have to appreciate a careful hand here and how it adds to the listening experience. I would call the Jupiter HIGHLY resolving despite it's more relaxed tone, again, like a good pair of speakers can be.

    The only downsides of the Jupiter I feel worth touching on is a slight BA haziness that doesn't give you the absolute clarity or openness that I get with the HD800 or a focused pair of loudspeakers. For those that have used the UERM for so many years the Jupiter will undoubtedly sound warmer (perhaps unacceptably so) at first. I think a reevaluation of reference IEMs and house curves is worth considering in that case. I know that while I have respected the UERM for its great technical ability, the tonal issues (forward upper-mids, gritty treble, similar BA haze) disqualified that monitor from ever becoming a mainstay in my audio arsenal. For those that persistently complain about the HD800 for similar issues, as a reference I would consider the UERM a 10x greater offender tonally, and therefore too far beyond redemption (keep in mind HD800 barely makes the cut).

    The Jupiter OTOH has found its way to the top of listening options. I've been listening to this IEM every minute I've had the chance to in the last few days. It is absolutely addictive in that regard, and I love how much more music it's making me listen to because of that itch that needs to be scratched. The Jupiter absolutely scratches my audio itch and I love it for that. I'll be sad to let this one go.

    Congrats to Campfire Audio and Ken Ball. This is an epic win in my book.
     
  5. Greed

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    @OJ - What eartips are you using? I miss the pair of Jupiter I had every time I listen to my portable setup. I found them to be quite comfortable despite the weight of the shell itself (although I did get some fatigue after a few hours). This is rare for me, as I find most universal iems to be subpar in terms of long term comfort.

    I may pick up another pair down the road or if I decide to listen more on the go. Do you find the Jupiter to be more resolving than the Lyra? I recently bought a pair to try, I'm quite curious about the dynamic driver as I've always found dynamic to be much more cohesive and fluid sounding.
     
  6. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    I'm curious to see how people respond to the updated flagship Campfire headphones compared to the Jupiter. A lot of people are selling their Jupiters right now to jump on the new IEMs without having heard them.
     
  7. OJneg

    OJneg The Most Insufferable

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    I'm using the narrowest(?) comply tips. I hadn't tried the complys before but they're just about perfect to my ear, sound and comfort. Listen all day, wear all day.

    I originally liked the Lyra more because it seemed more dynamic (macro and micro) sounding, although I was taken back by a brighter treble. Surprisingly I did not find the Lyra any bassier than Jupiter when I briefly demoed, but I am told otherwise. It'd be nice to give the Lyra a longer evaluation and see if it does the same thing that the Jupiter does for me. Hard to judge resolution without all the controls in place
     
  8. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Meaningless without comparisons to other known IEMs. Especially with IEMs which are generally tough to measure, or have compensations done by randos with crappy ears.
     
    Last edited: May 5, 2016
  9. Griffon

    Griffon 2nd biggest asshole on SBAF

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    Yep, that's exactly my thought as well. On the other note, Jupiter now has largely taken over UERM as my main rig.
     
  10. sphinxvc

    sphinxvc Gear Master (retired)

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    Good write up, @OJneg. The Jupiter loaner ruined the Noble 4S for me.

    @purrin, if possible, would be keen to buy it when the loaner ends.
     
  11. imackler

    imackler Key Lime Pie Infected Aberdeen Wings Spy

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    Don't say things like that! Now I'm tempted... It's a steep entry price though.
     
  12. Kunlun

    Kunlun cat-alyzes cat-aclysmic cat-erwauling - Friend

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    @Greed let us (or me, at least) know how you find the lyra.
     
  13. M3NTAL

    M3NTAL Friend

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    That chart is the Jupiter and the SE535 - (I had to go find the original post to see that) (DOUBLE EDIT 535 not 846)
     
    Last edited: May 6, 2016
  14. Greed

    Greed Friend

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    Sure, I'll write something about both of them. I'm going to send them to OJ to compare as well.
     
  15. Kunlun

    Kunlun cat-alyzes cat-aclysmic cat-erwauling - Friend

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    Greed, you're the Super Best!
     
  16. brencho

    brencho Friend

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    dammit, i had sorta sworn off IEMs and pricier on-the-go phones. my reasoning was that music on the go was sorta like warm food while camping. if it's warm and tastes like something, then i'm all set. but i've been wanting a little more recently, and i might be traveling more in the near future. this makes these Jupiters mighty appealing.

    A few things on my mind are:

    1) how much do you miss by running these unamped out of an iphone or similar?
    2) how similar are these to the cheaper campfire audio phones?
    and i suppose now 3) how different are these to the andromedas that are blowing marv's dick off?
     
  17. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    First post updated with Jupiter Impedance graph. This might explain a few things. I used the Jupiter from my Sony X (highish Z, maybe up to 8 ohms). This would have resulted a less laid back sound according to the Jupiter's impedance curve.
     
  18. Chris F

    Chris F Boyz 4 Now Fanatic - Friend

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    I got to listen to these as part of the loaner program.

    Overall I liked it but the scooped mids and especially presence region (4-6K) were a deal breaker for me. It makes everything sound very pleasant but at the same time it kills the emotional connection for me because the singers are moved back, the horn section has lost it's bite etc... The dip also causes a mild disjoint once the treble comes back in at 8-9K. Technicalities wise they are good to great. I found nothing to dislike there and I agree with nearly everything @OJneg said a few posts above.

    I liked the Jupiter best with a near 0 output impedance. Either balanced from Ragnarok or with the UE pro line drive and a portable source. Yes the bass is probably a bit too much there but I feel it makes it very fun to listen to.

    @brencho These are very different to the Andromeda. Jupiter has more bass, a laid back presence and roughly the same treble. A bit of boom and tizz but in a good way. Andromeda has a more "reference" signature and better technicalities but it also requires careful amp pairing due to it's extreme sensitivity and impedance curve.
     
  19. PoochZag

    PoochZag The Shadow knows - Friend

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    I've had these for a couple months now. I really like Jupiter, my favorite IEM sound wise by a wide margin (although I haven't had many high tier IEMs) and if my K10's weren't customs they would be gone.

    I think they do a good job of towing the line between super-serious audiophile reference sound and a fun, enjoyable, easy to listen to signature. Bass is quick and elevated, but not overly so and the treble is there but doesn't draw attention to itself. I don't hear the midrange suckout quite as much as others, and really like these for rock based genres as while they are laid back they don't make guitars and drums sound too dull.

    Tips really change my impressions of these, so much so it took a couple weeks for me to like them. Spin fits do me best, followed by Spiral Dots and RHA siliones. I love the included 2.5mm TRRS, but I'm secretly waiting for these cables to die so I can justify replacing them because they are incredibly annoying and manage to tangle themselves in ways that defy physics.

    (most listening time balanced out of Onkyo DP-x1, does ok out of a Galaxy S7, although minor noise floor)
     
    Last edited: Sep 28, 2016
  20. Griffon

    Griffon 2nd biggest asshole on SBAF

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    What filter on the DP-X1 did you prefer with Jupiter?
     

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