Audio speaker in the form of a skull.

Headphone review Campfire Audio Jupiter - Major league

1 Main Pic

Let's continue our fascinating story about the headphones Campfire Audio. Last time I talked about their one-wheel model Orion, now it's time for the older model. Jupiter uses as many as 4 drivers and, as shown by acquaintance, uses them knowingly.

In Campfire went on the path of maximum universalization and use for different models the same case, differing only in color and content. In addition, those two models of headphones that I heard clearly have similar features in sound, so here it is possible to talk about "branded handwriting." Jupiter is similar to Orion, but raises the "level" of his sound several steps up. A more complex interior design, naturally, was reflected in the price, which for Jupiter is almost 900 dollars . What do listeners get for this money?

2 Box

Specifications

  • Emitter: 4 radiators with balanced armature for each ear
  • Impedance: 35Ω @ 1 kHz
  • Frequency range: 10 Hz ~ 28 kHz
  • Sensitivity: 114 dB / mW @ 1 kHz
  • Cable: interchangeable with MMCX connectors, complete with two 1.3 m copper-plated copper cables, one with 3.5 mm TRS, the other with 2.5 mm TRRS with separate ground

Packing and delivery kit

Re-use also affected the packing of headphones. The same compact box of thick dark blue paper, a sticker with the name of the model and a psychedelic pattern. Inside, the changes are much larger. Firstly, the cover is made of pleasant suede, which gives it a more expensive look. Secondly, the second cable comes with Jupiter. It is similar to the usual, but is made with a 4-pin 2.5 mm plug, which is increasingly used in players with a balanced connection. The set of nozzles includes 3 pairs of Comply foams with filters, 3 pairs of anonymous foam nozzles and three pairs of nozzles made of silicone. Also in the box was a brush with a loop for cleaning the headphones and an icon with the Campfire Audio logo.

3 Acessories

In general, the packaging is simple, but the package is very good.

Design and comfortable wearing

In the appearance of headphones, there are obvious traces of American design. There is a complete departure from the typical rounded-licked forms and interesting work with facets and polyhedra. Headphones from Campfire have their own special face and do not look like anything else. The body is made entirely of metal, the top cover is held on cogs, performing the same decorative function. Despite the completely manual assembly, the level of performance is incredibly high, there is not the slightest hint of quality problems.

4 Bottom View

Quite sharp inner faces initially gave me a little discomfort when wearing, but then I picked up a position in which the earphones do not touch the ears and even the slightest hints of problems disappeared. Due to the competent selection of the angle of the sound guide Jupiter worn very comfortable even with prolonged listening. Sound insulation is very good, especially with foam nozzles. Of course, for the metro or flights in an airplane, it will not be enough, but there will be guaranteed only headphones with an intracerebral fit or a system with ACP.


Naturally, in a model of this level it was impossible to do without a replaceable cable, and, of course, Campfire Audio did not do it. Headphones allow you to change wires, use a standard MMCX connector. Both cables are made of silver-plated copper in transparent insulation. They please the eye and appearance and quality performance. There is a site with a memory effect for the formation of zaushin. The wires are light enough, they do not harden in the frost and are easily unraveled. Their only disadvantage is that they make a little noise from the friction about the clothes, but thanks to the bouncy landing of Jupiter, there is no problem with the microphone effect.

5 Rear Plates

Sound

The following equipment was used for listening.

  • NuPrime DAC-10H and Resonessence Labs Concero HP as DAC and Amplifier
  • Apple MacBook Pro Retina 2013 as a source
  • Fidelia as a player
  • Fiio X7 and Luxury & Precission L5Pro as portable players
  • Ambient Acoustics AM10, Lear BD4.2, Campfire Audio Jupiter and Dunu DN-2000J as headphones for comparison
  • High Definition Records in Lossless-formats (Dr. Chesky The Ultimate Headphone Demonstration Disc and others)

6 Side by Side

Before listening to the headphones were warmed for 48 hours, which, as expected, did not affect the sound.

After getting acquainted with two models from Campfire, I would say that they have their own vision of filing, what is called "branded sound". Of course, Jupiter is several heads above Orion, but the overall notes in their sound are clearly traced. The company tries to bet on a detailed and smooth pitch without unnecessary accents, but so that it does not go to the detriment of musicality. It is enough to look at the almost rectilinear curves of the frequency response of these models from 20 Hz to 1 kHz (in Jupiter even further 1 kHz).

7 With Cable

Jupiter, in fact, takes the sound of Orion and on all fronts improves it: adds weight to the bass, smoothes the HF, the middle frequencies become a little more musical. As a "payoff" for this, you have to use a multi-driver scheme, so the resolution of the JF in Jupiter is slightly lower, but this is standard plus reinforcement singledrivers, here with them no one can compare. In general, the Jupiter scheme is quite unusual. In this model, two dual emitters and only a two-way crossover are used. In this case, the emitters are placed in separate volumes inside the housing and dispense without acoustic impedances. Twitter is directed directly into the ear of the listener, usually such solutions are found in hybrid circuits. In general, this allowed Campfire Audio to achieve very good results.

The bass of this model is at the level of the best multi-turn reinforcement solutions. It's weighty enough, it's very detailed and does not suffer from the lightness of the single-drivers caused by fast decay. In total, this gives an excellent study of the low-frequency range both in resolution and depth. Developers also managed to find the right amount of LF for the model with monitor feed. Jupiters do not have the familiarity of the majority of listeners in raising LF, so the basshead model will not work, but for the rest of listeners it is enough. Despite the fact that below 30 Hz there is a slight decline, the headphones can go to the LF very deeply.

8 Rear Side LP

The midrange, of course, is not as dry as the one-wheel models, but still Jupiter can not be called the kings of emotional filing. They will play strictly what is in the record and do not add anything from themselves. Naturally, I'm not talking about resolution, microdetails and speed, for modern multi-drivers it's the norm. The only small niggling - a slightly veiled supply of the lower midrange, most likely, this is due to the influence of the woofer. What is especially good at Jupiter is the construction of a scene in depth. They effectively highlight the vocals, pushing it to the forefront, which allows you to achieve a great sense of presence, especially on the camera recordings. With Jupiter and pulls to listen to different "audiophile" vocal compilations. Very good imaginary scene and wide. Also very good at Jupiter is the positioning of specific sound sources and the transfer of character instruments.

9 With Plazma

The high frequencies in the performance of this model are very long and detailed, and the developers do not make the slightest attempt to hide them. Thus, the headphones are clearly not tolerant of poor-quality sources and bad records. To the credit of the headphones, it is worth saying that it does not add a single gram of sharpness from itself, since the RF is balanced quantitatively, but the blemishes of the player and the track show mercilessly. Therefore, on the one hand, these headphones are not for HFs, on the other hand - this is what gives the headphones the necessary airiness and naturalness in the sound. Very good headphones succeed in the easiest attenuation, which many models do not win back, but without them the music loses much of its expressiveness.

Compatibility

Headphones require the highest quality source, absolutely not allowing any compromises. Like a magnifying glass, they enhance all the features of your tract, allowing you to view them in the smallest nuances. So there is no question of any use with smartphones or tablets. In addition, the headphones almost do not give their color, so if you are used to the "beautiful" feed, you should look at other models, for example, Kaiser from Noble Audio.

10 Front Side LP

Genre headphones are very versatile, but here it is worth considering that not all styles are worth using. Many kinds of music are too simple and using similar headphones will be similar to nailing nails with a microscope. Also, individual styles are simply frankly poorly recorded, so Jupiter will not use them with pleasure. The best headphones will suit connoisseurs of classics, chamber genres, progressive rock and metal. Sensitivity to the quality of the record, I would have rated 10 points out of 10.

Traditionally, several tracks in the role of example

11 Overview

The Gentle Storm - Heart of Amsterdam ( Storm Version) Arjen Lucassen, perhaps, can be considered the most monumental creator of heavy metal. Periodic albums Ayreon pleases both the composer's work and the size of the stars collected for recording. Not so long ago, the maestro decided to try himself in a slightly different person and with Anneke van Gersbergen formed a project named The Gentle Storm, which released the album The Diary last year. Anneke, known for a variety of projects, beginning with The Gathering and ending with a duet with Fernando Ribeiro for Scorpion Flower, added Lukashen's creativity to the necessary lyricism and he decided to go on an unusual experiment. The same songs were recorded in two styles, an easy-lyric "gentle" based on folk and heavier, though melodic, "storm". An unusual, but very cool solution that allowed you to look at the story from different angles and get a double pleasure from one album. Traditionally for the creation of the maestro there are: an interesting concept and storyline, an epic chorus and a lot of unexpected instruments. Sorry, this description was too long, but I just really want to convince everyone who is not stranger to metal to get acquainted with this work. One of the hits of the album is Heart of Amsterdam, I recommend to take a look at the video on it, it's very successful he came out. A magnificent combination of eurofalk and heavy metal, seasoned with soprano Anneke - this is a real feast for the ear of the music lover. Jupiter perfectly cope with the transfer of this multi-faceted melody, playing back and background games of wind and heavy guitar riffs.

Wayne Shorter Quartet - Footprints Of course, Wayne, who is often called the greatest living jazz musician, is better known to the wide audience as part of the brilliant Weather Report. About the level of talent of this musician says that John Coltrane himself, leaving the group Miles Davis, offered Shorter to his place. In 2000, Shorter collected a quartet, which is still touring around the world. It included: pianist Danilo Perez, bassist John Patitucci and drummer Brian Blade. Footprints in their performance - a vivid example of modern non-commercialized jazz. This is not the "background music" and "drives from Starbucks", to which everyone is accustomed, is a complex but melodic jazz, amazing both by the level of improvisation and teamwork. The earphones that have become the heroes of today's review are ideally suited for such music, because a little bit of what genre so needs the depth of an imaginary scene like jazz.

12 Stylish shot

Susan Wong - Torn Good pop music exists, and Susan Wong proves this undeniably. Susan has long groped for her niche and is a regular at various "audiophile" discs, because her vocals not only sound nice, but also rich in intonational nuances. On the album of 2014, she decided to record cover versions of famous female performers, and the song of Natalie Imbruglia became one of the pearls of the disc. A softer and more lyrical performance allowed the composition to open from an unexpected side and sparkle. Of course, the high quality of this track is underlined by Jupiter, and advanced vocal adds a track of volume.

conclusions

Campfire Audio made outstanding headphones. Yes, of course, they are expensive, and not all will suit. But it's like a Swiss watch, a thing for those who clearly understand why they need it and has a suitable wardrobe, car and status in society. So is Jupiter, this is the solution for those who want to hear the slightest nuances without embellishment, but do not want to prepare a one-driver model.

The article is based on materials https://hi-news.ru/audio/obzor-naushnikov-campfire-audio-jupiter-vysshaya-liga.html.

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