Lyra by Campfire Audio (Dynamic Universal IEM)

So, Campfire Audio's Lyra. Can I get some opinions on these from owners or those who heard it?

http://campfireaudio.com/products/lyra/

Thank you!

 

I gave it a listen through my Geek Out 450. An intrusive and prominent mid-bass hump really got in the way of an otherwise clear and involving presentation.

 

I briefly heard it from a demo. Didn't really like it though, found it slightly too shrilly and lacking any substance to it. Found it really overpriced as well

 

It seems there are a lot of varying opinions on the Lyra. Just looking at the above two responses is a pretty good summary of the opinions I have seen. I am guessing that tip rolling has an especially large impact on the sound.

 

I have demoed the IE800 out of curiosity before and have found it much more pleasant to listen to. It was just simply more neutral and balanced and engaging with an excellent emphasis placed on how unrestrained the music sounded. Just comparing high end dynamic driver models. I would say the cable is really gorgeous though, and the build quality is superb as well, but again the IE800 with it's ceramic build is excellent as well. I honestly don't get the uproar and positive reviews over the lyra.

 

I liked the lyra when I heard it back at the Newport show.

I was using comply foam tips + rwimod+piccolo amp, funny thing is that these iems like power I had to switch up to midgain (first for a IEM, usually at low gain) to control them comfortably. Bass is very present (though I didn't feel it overpowered the mids) overall I though there were good.

 

Opinions on IEMs seem to vary even more so than Headphones, eh? I shall go and demo them on my portable gear Thank you folks!

Keep the impressions/opinions coming! Would have been nice to see some measurements on Tyll's or other measurement rig we are familiar with.

 

Tried Lyra at Headphonbar today... You'd be better off with RHA MA750

 

Sorry, late to the show. New here and thought I'd post some impressions of the Lyra. I did lots of research before buying this. Really like its signature. Hated the cable that came with it. Way too microphonic and stiff. For a dynamic driver, it has some really nice separation and detail. Bass and treble are very nice. Mids are decent but can seem a little lacking, really sensitive to song type and genre. Love jazz and rock on these, classical and acoustic seem a little thin. For all those haters of the cable drama, stop reading. When I put the Norne Theriums on this, seemed to bring out some better clarification of detail for me. That cable is so comfortable, it almost disappears. Overall, very happy with the Lyra.

 

They're pretty awful. Lots of boxy resonance and not much redeeming qualities was about all I noticed in the 10 seconds I listened before ripping these out of my ears and confirming the price. Terribad.

Try Hifiman RE 400 and then maybe EX1000 (which are different, mostly worse not better). Honestly though just get RE 400 and call it a day. Check the measurements...

 

The Lyra is being discontinued!

Turns out the ceramic housing source is no longer available.

They are going to use a metal housing, maybe?

I wish the reviews of the Lyra weren't so mixed to poor.

A dynamic driver's advantages are excellent timbre, real sub-bass air-moving feel, and the real sound that comes from the total coherency of a single driver that can cover the whole range including the upper treble without roll-off.

I'd Love to see a dynamic driver iem that really displays these strengths.

 

Interesting, where did you read this information Kunlun? I cannot find it anywhere.

I personally really enjoy my Lyra, but I've never heard TOTL IEMs. My previous IEMs were the VSonic GR07 and DUNU Titan 1. I think the Lyra is a big upgrade from either of these, though I do understand the "mid bass bloat" compared to my GR07. Honestly, I don't think it's as bloated as other headphones I've heard, but I get where you're coming from. I personally value sub-bass much more than mid bass so I wouldn't mind less mid bass for a future revision.

 

First off, both of these IEMs are quite enjoyable in their own way. I’m really impressed with what Campfire Audio has done tackling the issues that many of us have with IEMs. Most of the market is saturated with multi-driver and complicated crossovers that end up sounding unnatural in a plastic timbre kind of way. Campfire has been able to develop reference sounding products using a simple, no BS method. I’m tired of seeing these high-end IEM companies using their flagships and such as a measuring stick for their e-peens. More doesn’t equal better. That isn’t the answer which is clearly evident by the performance of the UERM which many of us have enjoyed for years now.

I really enjoyed my time with both the Jupiter and Lyra. A direct comparison is always preferred when evaluating gear and once again I want to thank SBAF for making that happen. Here are my general thoughts on the two Campfire IEMs:

Lyra –

The Lyra IEM was quite interesting from initial listening. It wasn’t what I was expecting and it took me a few days and a direct comparison to really establish a baseline for how they sounded and how they stacked up versus its older brother, the Jupiter. Overall I’d summarize the Lyra as a fun, consumer-friendly audiophile IEM. I know that is confusing so let me be more specific...

The Lyra isn’t going to leave a lasting impression on you if you come from a place where your reference is the UERM or something similar in sound quality. It isn’t stark with detail or have a super balanced sound. What it does sound like is a more refined, more matured, consumer tuned IEM. I hear it as a gentle U shaped tone with powerful, hard hitting bass. I say consumer friendly because this is exactly the type of IEM I’d recommend to someone that wants a little more than your average consumer grade portable gear –Beats, etc. It still has the powerful, strong bass without the shitty harsh treble, wonky mids, and distant vocals. The problem is, the price just isn’t going to attract those type buyers so where does that leave the Lyra in the lineup? Well, I’d give the nod to the bassheads and those that generally like listening to rap, hip-hop and pop. Those that like the old Denons or better yet the Fostex TH-900. These are cut from the same cloth, but with improvements that make them more balanced.

In comparison to the Jupiter it doesn’t quite stack up. It isn’t a complete slaughtering, especially if you are someone that listens on the go. It isn’t as refined, detailed, or as tonally balanced.

On the plus side, I did find the Lyra to be a pleasure to listen to. I wasn’t fatigued, and I found overall the sound was quite fun, fluid and well put together. Nothing too nasty which can’t be discounted as I tend to find something nasty about most of the IEMs I’ve heard.

Rough notes:

-Strong Mid Bass boost

-Slightly loose bass, somewhat unrefined in comparison to the Jupiter

-Not as well extended top to bottom as the Jupiter

-Non-fatiguing, good coherence- fluid sound

-Good dynamics – macro dynamics, lacking in micro-detail

-Bass seems a bit overbearing and can sound un-naturally boomy with the wrong source

-Source dependent, can sound quite bassy

-Mids are clean, clear and smooth. No fatigue, no honky or wonky vocals – although female vocals and strings lacked attack, bite. Very good male vocal presentation.

-Treble lacks air, but has decent extention. No harshness or brittleness. Could be more resolving and clearer. Slightly veiled in comparison to the Jupiter.

-Some peaks in the treble that could be toned down. Wasn’t an issue 90% of the time. On shitty pop recordings it can get a bit nasty at high volumes.

Jupiter –

I think the best compliment I can give an IEM, at least for my use, is it gets out of the way. I feel like that is what we are all trying to achieve. A transducer that can sound neutral. I’ve gone back and forth about what I would describe as being neutral but one thing I know it isn’t is a flat frequency response. I tend to mix the two words together now, neutral should sound natural and vis versa. Well the Jupiter just sounds neutral and it just sounds natural. Nothing about it as a whole sounds off or unnatural.

In comparison, the Jupiter is just the better IEM. I can’ recommend the Lyra over the Jupiter because it just doesn’t stack up. I was hoping that the Lyra being fitted with a beryllium dynamic driver would sound similar to those full sized speakers that I’ve heard before. Because that is really what I’m after, an experience similar to what I have at home, on the go. I don’t want to give up or compromise when buying portable gear. The way I see it, this stuff costs just as much or sometimes more than what desktop gear costs – so it better sound just as good. So far, the Jupiter seems to get pretty close. I’m hoping the Andromeda gets even closer.

Rough notes:

-Balanced sound with a warm, euphonic tilt. This is full sounding done correctly. Nothing sounds veiled (like the Lyra), or murky. The euphony isn’t over-done; this isn’t a romantic sounding IEM. Instead this is an IEM that has reference quality tone and resolving abilities but without any nastiness.

-Delicate, nuanced, highly resolving

-Treble: smooth, just the right amount of sparkle and air without being fatiguing, harsh or brittle. Wonderfully extended, in this regard - better extended than the Lyra.

-Mids: Clean, clear, crisp. Vocals sound very good, life-like. There is a quality (magic perhaps) that presents the mids in a way that sounds extremely resolving and full. Nothing sounds artificial or brassy. Just a clear picture into your music. Well integrated and coherent.

-Bass: Refined, tight bass with good extension. Slight boost in a classy, non-intrusive way. The bass never becomes overbearing or bloated. Just a nice warm bass that hits fast and hard.

-Imaging and soundstaging is excellent. Not ethereal or overly spacious but the right amount of width and height – just natural in the way that everything sounds where it should be.

(Trying out the phone feature - kinda fun but please excuse if it is annoying)

 

Thank you Greed!
How would you compare the comfort and fit between these two IEMs? Their build is pretty different - the Lyra fits me well but I'm a bit apprehensive of the Jupiter's (or Andromeda's) sharp lines.

 

Both IEMs give me similar comfort, which is to say no discomfort even after a few hours of use.

The Lyra is smaller and more ergonomically sound, although they don't seem to go as deep. I really enjoyed the shape of the Lyra and prefer it over the Jupiter but I didn't have any issues with the sharper lines. CA really nailed it when designing their housings. The Jupiter (and Andro) seem to be on the larger side but still offer very good comfort. I suspect most ears would have no issues with either.

 

I pm'd Ken on HF and pointed him to this thread. He had a look, it's a lot harsher than HF, that's for sure.

He did say he's a fan of dynamic drivers and I am looking forward to the next generation of the Lyra, when it comes out.

 

Let's hope that the next version of the Lyra is tuned in a more reference manner than the mid-bass humpyness of the original, the market could really use a good high-end single DD as a worthy sucessor to stuff like the EX1000.

 

I wonder if Ken has heard the ex-1000?

I'll pm him with an offer to loan him a set. I think it would be great for him to hear it!

 

I'm gonna guess he most likely heard it, but probably thought it deviated too much from the campfire house sound, being a current owner of the EX1000, and having heard the Orion and Jupiter, it's clear that the campfires are aiming at a more intimate, warmer presentation, while the Sonys have more top-end presence and are more wide-open sounding as a result.