Campfire Audio Clara Review: Most Advanced of All
Among the many flagship IEM releases of recent years, the Campfire Audio Clara stood as one of those products that didn’t need to shout to be heard. Based in Portland, USA, Campfire Audio is one of the most popular brands in the audiophile industry for producing creative products with different identities. This time, Campfire Audio took a different route with the Clara by teaming up with Alessandro Cortini, the Italian musician/producer known for his work with Nine Inch Nails.
While artist collaborations serve more as endorsements than actual influence, Cortini’s involvement in tuning Clara was quite hands-on; he road-tested each prototype during live performances to dial in the sound. The result of that 12-month back-and-forth between Cortini and Ken Ball is named the product after Ken’s own daughter, Clara. Priced at $1,999, Clara features a 1DD+4BA driver setup with proprietary techs. Let’s now get into it, see how it sounds, and compares with the rest of the Campfire Audio family.
Packaging / Accessories
Campfire Audio has always treated packaging as an extension of the product itself, and with Clara, they’ve arguably outdone themselves. Clara doesn’t arrive in Campfire’s traditional origami-style box. Instead, the packaging inclusions have now become more diverse and practical. Apart from the Clara IEMs, the packaging includes a Pelican-style touring case, 2 mesh Breezy Bags, a Leather IEM Wallet, and a variety of tools and eartips.
Cable
Clara comes with two stock cables, a 3.5mm and a 4.4mm Time Stream Duet. Both share the same flat, ribbon-style shape that Campfire has been using for recent products. Its thin, flat, and lightweight nature makes it naturally easy to handle, tangle-free, and very low in microphonics. The included Pilot II dongle allows for a USB-C connection, so those three options cover practically every source scenario.
Full details of the included accessories are as follows:
- Clara premium hybrid-design IEM
- Time Stream Duet Cables – 3.5mm single-ended & 4.4mm balanced
- Pilot USB-C DAC – 32 bit 384 kHz
- Hardshell Road Case
- Small Leather IEM Wallet
- Breezy Bag Micro two-pocket mesh bag
- Foam Eartips (S, M, L)
- Silicone Eartips (S, M, L)
- IEM Cleaning Tool
- Microfiber Cleaning Tool
Arguably the Most Ergonomic Earpieces
Clara adopts a 3D-printed, custom-IEM inspired shells that are similar to the Chromatic series (Bonneville, etc.) Campfire Audio states this specific shape was developed based on taking thousands of ear impressions as references. It’s made of transparent, dark navy resin and topped with lightweight metal faceplates. The metal faceplate has a slit that serves as an air vent for the dynamic driver. The IEMs are detachable and use the Campfire Audio MMCX connectors, which are compatible with standard MMCX connectors but ensure a stronger, more reliable connection.
Fit is one of Clara’s standout traits. The CIEM-inspired shell provides a snug, stable hold that is very comfortable and reliable to wear. Isolation is also above average for a universal IEM with air vents. It’s an easy, comfortable wear for extended sessions, which is appropriate for an IEM that’s designed to be listened to for long stretches.
The Techs Inside Clara…
For the technical aspect, Clara’s approach is ‘less is more’. With a relatively modest but carefully selected drivers and techs, Clara sports a 1DD+4BA hybrid setup: a single Dual-Magnet dynamic driver woofer, Knowles 2BA mid-drivers, and 2BA super-tweeters. The dynamic driver carries an updated bio-cellulose diaphragm with BA drivers topped with a dual-diaphragm design. Campfire also developed the Clear Wave tuning chamber specifically for Clara’s midrange section, an acoustic enclosure designed to optimize phase coherence and frequency balance for more natural-sounding vocals.
For the highs, the two super-tweeter BAs are paired with Campfire’s long-standing T.A.E.C. (Tuned Acoustic Expansion Chamber) technology, which is a spoutless, tube-free tweeter design. Removing resonance-causing tubes from the tweeter path results in cleaner extension and more natural high-frequency staging, and T.A.E.C. has been a signature tech that made beloved Campfire IEMs.
Next Page: How does Clara sound? / In-depth Impressions