Campfire Audio Vega 2020 Measurements

SBAF subjective impressions here: https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/campfire-vega-2020.10054/

Very briefly, these are bassy IEMs. With respect to the Atlas and Vega, from memory, the Vega 2020 don't seem to be as bass cannon-ish. If the Vega 2020 are slightly V-shaped with a slight roll-off at the top, then the Atlas are more U-shaped with some sizzle at the top. The OG Vega seemed to exhibit some sibilants which receded to some extent after a certain number of hours of use. The Vega 2020's mid treble and air regions are smooth, slightly muted even. With neutral desktop amps, there's a bit of brittleness in the highs. With warmer sources, e.g. Sony ZX2, xDuoo, Shanling M6, this brittleness goes away.

Silicon tips yielded a bit less bass with some lift toward the lower treble lift. Foam tips were bassier with flatter upper mids and muted highs. I didn't try deep insertion because the flanges are narrower than usual and I was afraid of losing a looser fitting tip in my ear.

The Vega 2020 is a natural evolution of the OG Vega which has address complains of the OG Vega being a bit too much of a bass canon while smoothing out the highs. LIke the OG Vega, the lows tend to be faster and less physical than most other DD IEMs, say for example the FDX1 or the IER-M9. Physicality is still greater than BA types. Bass clarity is actually quite good given the copious about of bass, although reproduction of bass textures is behind the DUNU Zen and Sony EX1000. Otherwise timbre and cohesiveness are very good as would be expected with the Vega 2020 being a single-driver DD.

Campfire Audio Vega 2020
Frequency Response


Campfire Audio Vega 2020 vs Ara (WHT)
Frequency Response


Campfire Audio Vega 2020 vs 64 Ears U18t (WHT)
Frequency Response


Campfire Audio Vega 2020 vs Gaudio Nair (WHT)
Frequency Response

 

Campfire Audio Vega 2020
Impedance (YEL = free air, GRN = in ear) and Electrical Phase

 

Last set of measurements

Campfire Audio Vega 2020
Harmonic Distortion vs SPL
Traditional View

The 200Hz spike for the third harmonic is a measurement artifact. The 60Hz in the second harmonic for the lower level measurements could be environmental noise.

Very low third harmonic except in the lows below 40Hz or at the highest volume where this a bit jump. Most harmonics are second order, which rises proportionally with volume. I would have liked to see the mid bass upper bass harmonics a bit lower. Part of this distortion could be from the emphasized bass.

Compare to DUNU ZEN here:


The DUNU is generally better with respect to distortion with the exception of the upper mids from 3k to 5kHz.

 

Also alternate view.

Campfire Audio Vega 2020
Harmonic Distortion vs SPL
Alternate View (think this is where the distortion actually manifests)



Compare to the U18t below. The U18t was criticized for its one-note bass. The U18 has superb, very low second order distortion in the lows. However the third-order is rather high (grouped tightly together) at middle and lower volumes measured.


U18t
Harmonic Distortion vs SPL
Alternate View (think this is where the distortion actually manifests)

 

In a nutshell, the Campfire Vega 2020 is an evolution of the Vega. It's slightly less of a "bass canon" compared to the original version. The V-shaped response is still there, but the highs are smoother and less peaky. There is some room to tune the response with tips. Supposedly, taping over the vent will bring the lows down. I may try this take measurements if there is interest.