Plug in. Turn on. Listen.
A Classic HiFi Experience
Seven drivers, no crossovers, and our 3D Printed Solid-Body acoustic design all in a machined Titanium shell – nicely done!
Ara’s sound has just the right touch of warmth and richness to recall the best in classic HiFi. It reminds you why listening to earphones can be so much fun!
Frequency Response
Listening: Rock, Psych Rock, Indie, Alternative, Jazz, Classical, Pop, Blues, RnB/Soul, Funk, Indie, Metal, Ambient/Experimental, Opera, Synthwave, Country, Neo-Soul, Prog Rock
Production: Monitoring, Keys, Guitar, Vocals, Drums
Unencumbered Performance
Less is very much more
Ara is a seven-driver design; two high (+T.A.E.C.), one mid, four low. It does not use typical passive electronic components to crossover the drivers. Instead, we shape the driver’s performance by articulating the acoustic properties of our Solid-Body internal chamber design – an approach we first created during the development of our custom in-ear monitors.
At first glance, four bass drivers would suggest a signature with prominent bass. However, the solid sonic grounding of the well-controlled bass drivers provides ample space for the mid and high drivers to shine brightly. Ara is an in-ear monitor well suited for the audiophile and reference listener and is an invaluable tool for studio and live musicians.
Unencumbered Performance
Less is very much more
Ara is a seven-driver design; two high (+T.A.E.C.), one mid, four low. It does not use typical passive electronic components to crossover the drivers. Instead, we shape the driver’s performance by articulating the acoustic properties of our Solid-Body internal chamber design – an approach we first created during the development of our custom in-ear monitors.
At first glance, four bass drivers would suggest a signature with prominent bass. However, the solid sonic grounding of the well-controlled bass drivers provides ample space for the mid and high drivers to shine brightly. Ara is an in-ear monitor well suited for the audiophile and reference listener as well as an invaluable tool for live and studio musicians.
Built to Last
The Future of Classic HiFi
Machined from Grade 2 Titanium billet, the Campfire Audio Ara has a shell that is immediately appealing. Leaving the machined titanium raw lets the natural beauty of the material shine.
Over the life of the earphone, owners will enjoy a changing finish that will only get more interesting with time. Rest assured, your earphone drivers are safe in this finely crafted body.
Built to Last
The Future of Classic HiFi
Machined from Grade 2 Titanium billet, Ara’s shell is immediately appealing. Leaving the machined titanium raw lets the natural beauty of the material shine.
Over the life of the earphone, owners will enjoy a changing finish that will only get more interesting with time. Rest assured, your earphone drivers are safe in this finely crafted body.
The Case for Cork
Environmentally Friendly Sustainable Material
Our premium cork protective zipper case is an environmentally friendly update. Sustainably harvested Cork surrounds a substantial and protective rubber barrier that ensures that your earphones will remain safe while in transit. The interior is a thick faux wool lining that preserves the finish of your earphones. Each case is made in Portugal by a small team of skilled craftspeople that share our commitment to quality.
The cork used for the cases is the outer bark of the Cork Oak Tree (Cork Suberus L), and its extraction is harmless to the tree. The harvest occurs every nine years during the expectable lifetime of the tree (around 150 years). Harvesting the cork of the tree is fundamental for the sustainability of the cork oak forests. A naturally durable material that feels good to hold in your hand.
T.A.E.C.
Tuned Acoustic Expansion Chamber
Our tuned acoustic expansion chamber technology lets us deliver extended high frequencies without sibilance or fatigue. We optimize our driver performance by adjusting the volume of space available in front of the driver. This is superior to the typical “Tube+Dampener” system because it provides a direct passage from the driver to your ear, which results in unsurpassed clarity and extension.
Solid-Body Design
Patent Pending from Campfire Audio
Our new solid-body design provides optimized acoustic performance by incorporating the tuning chambers of the earphone directly into the final earphone print.
3D Printed Interior
Carefully Designed for Optimum Sonic Performance
Close attention to detail is critical to delivering you a superior musical experience from our earphones. The Campfire Audio Ara features an acoustically optimized interior model that allows each driver to provide the very best sound quality. When heard together, the drivers offer a seamless musical experience due to this process.
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Neil Plenn (verified owner) –
The IEMs are excellent. Very comfortable, fairly light weight and well finished. The sound is perhaps slightly bright, but they are still burning in. They are extremely revealing as well — I like them a lot. The only shortcoming (literally) is the cable. Though very well made, it is very short and ends in a right angle 3.5mm. Obviously designed for portable use (though even too short for that) I can’t imagine using $1300 IEMs for portable use. Given that the connections are MMCX, cables upgrades are hard to find, and Campfire hasn’t been responsive, so I thing I’m forced to use a 3.5mm extension cable — not my first choice. Would have rated these 5 star if the accessories were commensurate with the price.
Gabe F (verified owner) –
Fantastic IEMs. I’ve owned them for about 6 months and they are really the best IEMs I’ve tried. Resolution is excellent, soundstage is quite wide for an IEM, and I’m a big fan of the neutral sound signature because I listen to a lot of rock. Highly recommended if you are in the market for a TOTL reference IEM.
ssponte (verified owner) –
I’ve only had these Ara IEMs for a few days but that’s long enough to know these do exactly what I want from an IEM. They are very well made, the sound is excellent, wide soundstage, great resolution, a full-bodied but neutral sound. The frequency response seems pretty flat and accurate. The comfort level is high, the cable, despite what others may have said, is plenty long and sounds pretty decent. I will upgrade only because I have another MCXX cable that is of better quality, but otherwise I would be quite happy with the cable provided. I prefer MCXX over the two pin connectors because they last much longer. Two-pin connectors, if you change cables from time to time, tend to film MCXX connectors are more robust. I have the Campfire Holocenes and they are very good but these Aras are markedly better. With these, I’m done shopping for IEMs. These are the best I’ve heard.
Jason Chan –
Excellent perfection, Ara!!!!!
I want to purchase Andromeda Special Edition: Gold “Titanium Series”. When can it be available to buy as soon as earliest?
Chris Halasz –
Hi! Great to hear that you’re enjoying Ara! Unfortunately, we don’t have plans to do another run of Andromeda Gold Titanium at this time.
Natan –
Top tier refference iem that manages sidestepping the pitfalls of refference iem – having a “no fun” or “no body”…
every note has totaly natural body and texture
perfect realistic reproduction to my ears.
top tier technicalities as well, all of them.
NICELY DONE !
…is an understatement ;)
Jack KC Leung –
Bought them two weeks ago, a great pair of iem and worked just fine until I wanted to change to tips one day. I pushed the base of the eartips, then gently twisted it to get it out and the whole nozzle just came out. Not the build quality I expected at this price point. Sent it back to my local distributor, they’ll either replace it or have it repaired which will take at least 2 months, no refund option. Very disappointed by the whole experience.
Chris H. –
Hi! Very sorry to hear this. We hope the dealer was able to remedy this for you. If not, we’re happy to help. Please feel free to contact us at [email protected]
David Laswell –
Bought the ara iem and added a 2.55mm balanced cable and Astell & Kern Cube screams. These are Klipschorns for your ears. If you like a big full bodied sounds these should be your choice.
alexvii –
4 years ago, I have orion before. It gave me an so so impression on CFA. However, ARA is really amazing. The sound is so clear. The bass is solid but will not boost to your ear. It is 100% perfect to listen Female Voice. I now using 3.5MM with my old AK240. I will plan to upgrade to KANN MAX and hope the 4.4MM will give me more fun.
Mike M (verified owner) –
Great IEM. I’ve had the Jupiters, Solaris, Atlas, etc…..And these stand on their own two feet with a unique sound. Lot’s of texture, great imaging and separation. Not as ‘full sounding’ as the Solaris, but I prefer the Ara’s highs that feel like they have real presence, texture, and better layering. Highly recommended.
Micah Davis –
I’ve been using Campfire Ara intensively for almost 3 weeks and concluded several points.
Pros:
– Very high resolution – even slightly better than newer 1000-1500$ IEMs launched in 2021-2022
– Not too bright, but managed to achieve so much detail & good separation (without relying on the treble boost)
– Massive soundstage, I feel like Ara’s soundstage is around 70-80% of IER Z1R – the biggest soundstage IEM I’ve ever heard
– Comfortable, better build quality than most of its price, low-key design but still very elegant
– Low bass quantity but one of the highest resolution bass I’ve ever heard (thanks to its 4 BA driver)
– Very scalable with cable or source upgrade
Cons:
– Even though the cable preserves the highly detailed sound quality, it feels cheap (and definitely feels cheaper than most of 1000-1500$ IEM stock cable out there)
– Small uneven dip in 2khz, giving unevenness to some female vocal voices. The problem only exists in several songs, especially K-Pop or J-Pop
– Some competition over better overall package, balance, and versatility, while Ara tonality can only be accepted by its own niche
Naveen Srivatsav (verified owner) –
If you’re thinking of getting these, part of you must be, like me, skeptical of reviews from owners of the Ara. Who would spend 1000+ on an IEM and give it bad reviews. If that’s you right now, I’m writing my review for you. I have a number of modestly decent sound equipments around the house – from B&W sound bars, Sennheiser headphones, Bose ANCs, Tin T3s, Moondrop Aria+Variations, and now this Campfire Ara. I’m going to compare to the Variations mainly – an IEM that received great reviews because of its tasteful tweaks to the Harman curve while staying mostly faithful to that tuning.
Variations has a very V-shaped signature with an elevated rich-bodied bass shelf, helped by the fact that it has a dynamic driver for the bass frequencies. In comparison the mid-range, while clear and immersive in its own right, still feel a bit outmatched by the bass response. But the treble extension is nice and airy and gives sound space to breathe. So overall, it’s a good enough package for sound, just a tad bit on the clinical rather than musical side.
I find the Ara to be clinical and precise in its technicalities through and through, but not at all in danger of sounding sterile. While I can immediately recognise the lack of the dynamic driver’s “sonic booms” in my ear canals, Ara compensates with rich bass-textures that you can actually clearly pick out without getting distracted. So it’s different, but certainly not inferior. It’s a tradeoff between quantity and quality, so the Ara picks quality, and I am a-okay with that.
I don’t understand why neutral tuning gets a disclaimer sometimes as un-musical and only for true audiophiles. I find the rawness and authentic uncolored presentation quite appealing actually. Compared to “typical” V-shaped or bassy tunings, neutral tunings allow me to focus on voices themselves as instruments in their own right. The calrity with which mids and highs are presented, without becoming “shouty” or “tinny” is amazing in the Ara.
I still havent heard enough songs to find the ones where, as other reviewers have pointed out, voices in the midrange sound more/less engaging depending on which side of the unusual mid range undulations in the frequency response. I’m sure they exist, but I listen to pretty wide-ranging genres of music and havent found egregious disappointments yet. So it is a thing, but it is like nitpicking , not a deal-breaker.
Loving the titanium construction after breaking the 3D-printed mold of my Variations :'( – it feels solid and I have the confidence that it will stand the test of time. Yeah cable is perfectly adequate, even better than 80th percentile, but I’ve been spoiled by aftermarket alternatives like DUNU and ThieAudio so I’ll probably pick one of those up.
Oh, the IEMs are really sensitive though so I could hear the noise floor plugging in directly to an audio jack on some sources – even faintly on a MBP (Apple Silicon). With dedicated dongles, the noise is better controlled when nothing is playing. In either case, once music is playing, this is a non-issue.
Love these IEMs Campfire. Nicely Done. :)
peter.shutt.97 –
I was a steadfast classic Andromeda user for more than 5 years prior to taking a chance on Ara, and I’m very glad I finally did- I only regret I didn’t try them sooner. My Andromeda was loved for its sparkle, amazing imaging, satisfying resolution, rich mids, and palpable but unobtrusive bass that seemed to bring out the best in all of my music, and Ara somehow pulls off the same feat while also having noticeably better dynamics and clarity that makes a sound that’s a level or 2 above Andromeda in terms of overall realism and separation of sound. Ara seems to reveal every little detail in a recording and never struggles to uncover hidden information underneath louder layers of sound no matter how complex or compressed it gets, where if it can’t be heard, it is felt, which is a very cool phenomenon I first got a taste of through Andromeda, but Ara much more obviously presents these subtle details yet does so without it sounding artificially forward, bright, or hot. While Ara is not warm or dark enough to totally de-ess sibilance in poorly handled and compressed/boosted recordings, it never adds harshness or sibilance that isn’t there, and I found with smooth, low OI sources and deeper placement of ear tips for a snug fit similar to Andromeda, sibilance is controlled ideally where there is great presence and definition, but it doesn’t obscure more subdued details in the low to low/mid frequencies. While uncontrolled peaks can still sound a little sharp on the worst recordings, it is never grating or glaring at normal to moderately loud volumes, making Ara a fairly easy and satisfying listen for something that reveals so much detail and hidden subtleties you usually expect in extremely sharp and bright monitors. In fact, while it is hard to deny Ara is squarely in the camp of analytical monitors and is absolutely not a basshead IEM, it does not have the thinness of stereotypically analytical signatures, with surprising slam and weight in subbass when the recording calls for it. If your main listening material is generally well handled and recorded, Ara is an absolute joy with its largely neutral yet evenly smooth and thick tuning, natural tonality, realistic timbre, big three dimensional stage, flawless separation of sounds, and huge yet controlled dynamics that have the ability to both explode and soothe when needed. However, if you are especially sensitive to sibilance and/or mostly listen to a lot of music that already has vocal definition super boosted, Ara may be too much. It is not what I would describe as relaxed or warm, it is still an overall analytical sound signature that is very transparent and revealing, but at the same time, it does possess a warm, rich flavor and extreme dynamic range that brings enjoyment and engagement to everything, both bad and good, which is what makes me feel it is so special, because it hits a super sweet spot right in the middle ground between a neutral/analytical and sweetened/warm signature, which is just about perfect for my taste where I want to hear every detail a recording has to offer, but still have the ability to fully enjoy my music, both of which Ara does in stride. So if you’re looking for a neutral/analytical IEM with extreme resolution and impressive realism, but don’t want to totally sacrifice the boom and richness of “fun” monitors, look no further than Ara.