The newest flagship from Campfire Audio, the Clara is a heart project from CFA’s own Ken Ball and musician and Nine Inch Nails member Allesandro Cortini. Braving new ground the Clara is Campfire’s best IEM ever, a wonderfully fun and musical set that is sure to engage and delight your ears and senses in a warm embrace.
Pros
- Superbly comfortable shell
- Very balanced sound
- Great Bass
- Smooth all day listening
- Perfect all-rounder
- Very musical, while remaining technical enough
- Quite affordable for such performance
- Unheard of variety of quality accessories included
CONS
- Can get slightly muddy with busy and thick tracks
- mmcx is not my personal choice
- some may find it not technical enough
- Warm and smooth tuning (if you prefer a more technical and transparent sound
Welcome dear friends to my newest review, the Campfire Audio Clara! My very first “audiophile” IEM was the CFA Solaris- original version- something that totally blew my mind and thrust me rather face first into the swirling world of IEMs and Head-Fi in general. Fast forward a few years and I’ve solidly lost my mind in this, having owned and reviewed dozens of extremely high end IEMs and other gear, and so to return to the CFA family for the Clara, my first CFA product review actually, is something special. There’s something else special about this one too; it was designed by CFA’s Ken Ball and my good friend Alessandro Cortini, our very own @slumberman, or (from solo career and Nine Inch Nails fame) a sweet collab that has brought us, in my opinion, the most refined, balanced and enjoyable IEM CFA has ever made.
In order to understand the Clara, one should keep a few things in mind. It was designed in part to be a stage monitor, used by Alessandro himself on tour. With some extra bass girth, it’s still quite balanced, staying rather true without being at all clinical or dry as some stage monitors are. It’s nicely warm and inviting instead. If you know Alessandro’s music, or his tastes, you’ll know from the first moment this is his baby, and is perfectly suited to stage monitor his style of music. It’s also not designed to be a technical powerhouse either, erring more so on the side of musicality, romance, and smooth all day listening. Alessandro has a great affinity for Sony DAPs, and I find Clara’s style, effortless and almost whimsical portrayal of music to be very much in that vein. While that is surely an oversimplification, as the Clara is much more than that, I think if you love the Sony house sound, you’re gonna fall in love with the Clara. If you like a great sounding IEM to wear all day, and night, and enjoy every minute of it, you may fall in love with Clara too. In fact, I think most people will fall in love, it’s lovable and given the current price trajectory of high end IEMs, the Clara may be the best price/performance IEM out there right now.
Before we go any further, my disclaimer and gear rundown begins now.
- I received the Clara in both Ti and Resin version as loaners, both belonging to Alessandro Cortini himself. They both go back to him upon completion of the review.
- I review because I love doing so, it’s a great source of joy for me. No-one pays me for reviews, ever. I take it very seriously, as I know people rely on reviews before they shell out cash for their gear, just like I do myself. For that reason I only review things that interest me, things I would maybe buy for myself. I pride myself on being very neutral and sharing my thoughts in a way that I hope will benefit the community. If I recommend something, it’s because I genuinely loved it, and I think you may too.
- For source I used my LP6 Ti AE, iBasso 320MAX and NiPO N2. I used my iFi GoPods on the go. (Review here: https://www.tonetexturesoul.com/post/ifi-audio-gopods-review)
- As I don’t own any mmcx cables, I only used the stock cables for all testing.
- I start out with a very varied playlist of testing tracks to form my initial thoughts, and then spend several weeks with the review item listening to whatever inspires me, like I normally would. I then come back to the testing tracks to solidify my impressions before sitting down to write the review. I also listen while I write, one of my favorite parts.
- **I love all kinds of music,** and to form an honest opinion for any piece of gear I think it absolutely necessary to test with lots of different kinds of music. If you’re taking a reviewer’s word about a piece of gear you want to spend your hard earned cash on, in my opinion, you absolutely should take into consideration how their musical tastes match or differ from your own.
*My ever evolving testing playlist for your discovery is available HERE.
So, there you have it, my process for testing and reviews. Now that it’s all out of the way, let’s get into the fun stuff.
Campfire Audio Intro
If you’ve never met Ken Ball he is a very inspired guy. He speaks with passion, and takes his designs and product extremely seriously. He’s always trying to push the limits somewhere, inventing new ways of using drivers and acoustic chambers. His product line and history in the business speaks for itself, no intro needed here I feel. I met him at the Munich High-End show and we spoke for a while about music in general, tunings, and of course his IEMs. I found him very open, generous with his time, and very forthcoming about his dreams of what his products should sound like. Having met Alessandro at a WaterCooler meetup in Amsterdam a few years ago, I felt an instant connection with him, for not only do we share a lot of the same tastes, we both come from musician backgrounds with lots of studio time, and we share a penchant for natural, correct, and well mixed music; the way the artist intended. He’s also one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. From Nine Inch Nails to his solo albums, one gets a pretty good idea of what Ale likes. He likes his bass for sure! His use and design of custom synths, the sense of organic quality his music contains, the throbbing and echoing timbres, all reminds me of my search for the perfect guitar tone. In this we share immensely, for we are tinkerers and explorers in the realms of sonic painting and color. So when he let a few of us at the Meet try a prototype for his upcoming design everyone was quite impressed and hungry for the final product.
I mention all of this because, to me, it is very clear that the Clara is a passion project, a heart song, an Ode to his daughter for which the Clara is named. It’s close to his heart, and, something that I know he uses everyday for his own work. Not some sponsorship marketing ploy, not a big name to a product, this is something he wanted for himself, and he and Ken made it happen for the benefit of audiophiles around the world. If you know their individual styles, their combined love for electronic music and great bass, the foundations of what the Clara is come into perspective Crystal clear;
A balanced and textured IEM with great bass, detailed and musical mids, a high end that is expressive and refined without being splashy or too bright, all wrapped up in a super smooth, warm and rather joyful package. Musicality over all else - this is not some summit technical monster. As comfortable accompanying as you perform on stage, in the studio to create and explore, or sitting back in your favorite chair, bus bench or airport seat, taking off to a sonic voyage wherever your life takes you.
Let’s take a look at what CFA has to say about the Clara:
*SONIC SIGNATURE*
*Clara showcases Campfire’s latest hybrid IEM design, blending clarity, balance, and musicality for versatile use as a monitor or daily listening device. A Dual Magnet Dynamic driver delivers a powerful yet refined low-end, while mids are enriched by a dual-diaphragm Balanced Armature driver. High frequencies are precisely rendered by dual super-tweeters. Clara’s tuning reflects a meticulous balance, though technical attributes like soundstage and imaging extend beyond what frequency curves can typically capture, enhancing its immersive and detailed audio performance.*
*T.A.E.C. SONIC EXPANSION*
*Clara's x2 high-frequency super tweeters are paired with Campfire's famous Tuned Acoustic Expansion Chamber. This classic tuning element coupled with the speed and precision of the dual super-tweeter creates an expansive soundstage, heightened imaging, and tunes the high end to be crisp and detailed while remaining smooth and listenable for extended sessions.*
*SPECIFICATIONS*
*Dual Neo Magnet 10mm dynamic*
*(1x) Knowles BA*
*(1x) Knowles tweeter*
*Frequency Response: 5Hz-20kHz*
*THD: < 0.3%*
*Impedance: @1K 13.30Ω*
*SPL: 94dB @ 1kHz 9.95mVrms*
Based on the specs this isn’t the most complicated driver setup , nor is it some maximizing hybrid beast attempting to pull every last drop of resolution out of your music. The Clara is unapologetically musical, warm, lush and effortless. It’s meant to be so, and that’s what makes it so special. As someone who normally craves maximum detail and insane levels of quality, (like my current favs the STORM & Trailli Ti) the Clara simply doesn’t attempt to be in that crowd, instead offering up something different. It’s a ton of fun, it’s light and easy to wear, has more than enough resolution for most people, powers easily from any source, and slams and rocks out in any way you could ask for. I don’t mean to preface my opinion with such a caveat each time, but I think one’s pretext going in could shape your experience of Clara. If you favor an exciting and fun, immersive, soulful and joyful musical presentation this is your spot. If you’re looking for a detail machine that focuses with laser precision and micro textures flying from across the room, boundless staging and near impossible acoustic stunts, this isn’t your jam here. This is a soul machine, a musical reprieve from the summit flagships and their infernally hyper boosted prices and driver counts. The Clara is different.
BUILD & DESIGN
As I mentioned above, the Clara is one of the best fitting and designed smaller shelled IEMs I’ve had the pleasure to use. It’s semi custom back side and shallow shape make for a wonderfully comfortable and low pressure fit. For someone with smaller ears and canals, the Clara fits me like a glove. The faceplate is vented if you look carefully, allowing the DD to release its pressure outwards. Featuring the famous matte black CFA faceplate design from their more custom based models, and a flush fitting mmcx connector up top, the Clara is an understated and visually beautiful looking piece of kit.
The Clara is available in a lovely dark blue resin shell, as well as a Ti version - which is unfortunately for the rest of us, is already sold out. I had both versions to demo for this review and I can tell you they certainly differ in sonics. While being identical in build except for the shell material, the Ti sounds the more mature of the two, more planted and solid. I’ll get more into the sonic differences later on, but trust me that if anyone wasn’t a believer, listening to these two back to back results in a telling tale of shell materials creating a noticeable difference in sound quality. The Ti weighs more, and feels a bit more weighty in the ears, though it is still quite light for an all metal shell. They both ooze quality, feel well built and solid. The resin is very beautiful - that blue is a classy choice! - but doesn’t quite give off the same feel of heft and class to me. Given Ti’s natural jewelry like qualities, especially the matte brushed finish being my personal favorite design, perhaps I’m being biased here. I know many actually prefer the more colorful blue resin, and I can see why.
The resin sells for a very “reasonable” $2k, while the Ti premium materials will cost you $1K more which could be seen as quite the pill to swallow. If not for the upgraded sonics- even if the difference of the two isn’t night and day, for Any Joe I’d say get the resin. It’s peeerdy. However, if it was for me, or anyone with ultra high end standards, I would personally prefer owning the Ti if given the chance. It ***is*** better, more solid, and its special qualities shine through with zeal and finesse. This is a taste thing, and Joe will surely be thrilled with his blue pearl.
(Maybe somehow Ken will be able to make a couple more Ti, in which case I would certainly beg for one. Me likey!)
PACKAGING
The Clara has the most generous and varied set of included accessories I’ve ever seen for an audio product. Not only is there a ton of case candy, it’s all very useful stuff too. There’s a nice flight case with a foamed interior which can hold both Claras in case you were wondering. A super soft leather wallet style carrying case too. Two wire Smoky Jacket Time Stream Duet cables, in 3.5mm and 4.4mm terminations. I also had the Time Stream: Ultra 8 wire cable that comes with the Ti version, which is very supple and soft, and comes with my personal favorite ‘no-ear-hooks’ design. A varied assembly of tips, as well as a CFA pin and a few other little trinkets. There’s even an ALO Audio Pilot USB-C dongle for an extra dose of value.
All of that stuff, including the dongle, I ended up using on a daily basis during my time with the Clara. I preferred the 8w cable (no surprise for anyone that knows me), but the included flat lie 4w and 2w Duets are quite nice as well. I used the Pilot DAC on a long flight to India and it was amazing to watch some Russo Brothers’ action on my iPad at 35,000 feet with that super rumbly bass.
And this all comes with the Resin “base model” not only the Ti. Very generous of CFA, what a nice package, I surely appreciated all the extras.
A word about the stock cable(s)
Clara resin comes with two flat lie Duet cables, one terminated in 3.5mm and the other a balanced 4.4mm. It's interesting CFA chose to give two cables instead of some kind of modular plug, take that as you will. I for one never used the 3.5mm as I prefer to use balanced only. The Ti version comes with the 8W Time Stream Ultra which is on a totally different level in my opinion. I used it primarily for my testing, with both versions of Clara.
The Duet is a nice sounding, and looking cable. While I understand the idea of having a "flat-lie" cable - meaning the wires sit flat instead of some kind of braid - in theory it should be nice. In reality I found the cable to never sit flat at all, instead getting more or less tangled and very frustration inducing. It sounds good enough, though it sports a more plastic molded type of split and strain relief over the solid metal of the Ultra. It's a stock cable, it's fine.
The Ultra is a different thing, it looks and feels like a premium cable. Nice braiding, super soft and very supple. nice solid metal connectors, and most importantly - for me at least - the complete lack of ear hooks. Hooray! I prefer this, as the cable just drapes softly on your ears and you don't have to bend anything, or fuss with anything, it just sits nicely. Sonically it's a big step up too; bigger stage with more space, more details, deeper bass response and more open highs. It's a touch brighter and clearer, as is the case with 8Ws usually, in the case of Clara this is a nice extra benefit. The only critique of the Ultra I have is the complete absence of any chin cinch, a strange omission. I used a small zip tie nicely trimmed and it works just fine, problem solved - though not as elegant as a custom piece.
I would have loved to try some other cables but alas, I don't own anything terminated in mmcx. Perhaps I'll get some of my cables ConX'd or Versa'd so I can try different flavors next time!
After a short break to catch our breath, and maybe grab a snack..... let’s get into the sound. After all that’s what you’re all here for anyway.
- BASS -
Clara has amazingly good bass. It’s most certainly a DD type of sound, rich and textured. It oozes quality and slam, with a fairly even presentation from sub to upper. The dual magnet design makes a tight and precise sound possible, with plenty of punch and clarity down low. Decay is on the longer side, but remains taught and controlled. Quantity is a bit over neutral, bass lovers will adore for sure. But, it’s not a canon either. One *could* call it a bassy IEM, but I wouldn’t. It’s definitely not bass light, it’s just right for that toe tapping immersive feeling that gets you all riled up and grooving. There is no bleed into the lower mids per se, but the thicker bottom end gives the impression of some girth there, which on some heavier tracks, or busy stuff, there was some muddiness. I was using the warmer LP6 at the time, and its midbass thump surely had something to do with this.
While the Clara was designed as a monitor, it’s not a mixing reference set, and the bass’ presence and feeling is well felt, though not overwhelming to me. I have extraordinarily varied tastes and I never got the feeling I was pigeon holed with a bass heavy IEM at all. If you like a bit of extra kick you’ll love this - but if you’re a bass freak that needs their innards shaken to a pudding like state, you’ll need to look elsewhere.
The Ti version has a bit less subbass focus bringing in a touch more balance and keeping the presentation more even overall. The bass is tighter, punchier, and more tactile. I hear a bit more midbass thump making the bass feel more full, and less sub-bass leaning only. The resin version feels just a touch more scooped out, focusing on the sub bass and leaving a leaner midbass.
- MIDS -
Keeping the natural and musical moniker, Clara mids are wonderful. They are natural, nicely detailed and well weighted. I hear a very balanced signature, with the mids being placed just a touch further back which highlights the bass and treble for me. Interestingly enough, the Ti pushes the mids forward and sounds overall more pleasant to my ears, as I really enjoy my mids being more forward. This is actually one of the biggest differences between the two models, the Ti sounds thicker, more dense, and with more control and solidity to the mids. Edges are more defined, while remaining smooth, resolution appears higher to my ears. Both models feature a nicely detailed sound, with that smoother edge, over a supremely clinical and razor sharp edge like many other IEMs go for. The Clara twins are lush but not gooey, detailed but not sharp, and an overall sense of warmth that leaves your ears feeling silky and romantic (if ears can indeed feel romantic). The notes are naturally weighted, more so on the fuller side which ticks my boxes. There is, as mentioned previously, some extra weight to the lower mids which could be a plus or negative depending on your tastes There is no audible peaks or valleys, not upper mid shouty-ness either. It’s really a very refined, superbly mature mid presentation that is sure to satisfy.
While I won’t get too deeply into it, I’ve found that many CFA models tend to feature a somewhat forward lower treble spike that doesn’t always agree with me. It’s not aggressive, but it’s also noticeable enough to be somewhat of a brand trademark from my research. The Clara does away with this completely, which for my tastes is a wonderful decision and allows me to simply melt into my music as opposed to be bothered by a bit of extra sizzle where I don’t want it. This isn’t a dig at CFA, just mentioning Clara’s somewhat stark departure from other previous models.
I found the Ti to have more control, and a more balanced and solid sound. While the resin version isn’t scooped out, coming directly from Ti, the mids feel a touch recessed if only by comparison. There is a very nicely forward and full sound from the Ti, the resin version has more focus on the bass and treble which does sound a little bit leaner and less organic per se. This is really subjective, and hugely dependent on tastes, but also mood, ear fatigue, genre, etc etc.
Something similar happens with the Traillii. The JP original has wonderful lush mids, and they are positioned further away, part of what contributes to the insanely spacious stage to which the OG is famous for. There are very detailed too, but simply sit further back, making for a more emotional and relaxed presentation. The Ti Traillii brings the mids closer, they appear more detailed and solid, and more weighted as well. Perhaps a bit less emotional and more “correct”, again to use such a word here is probably not right, but I struggle to find something better. The Clara has a very similar effect. Pick your poison here, I know many people prefer the original Traillii, and those might very well be happier with the resin Clara as well. For those of us like me, who enjoy forward mids and a touch more resolution and punch, the Ti delivers.
- TREBLE -
The Clara has some of the most agreeable treble I’ve heard in an IEM - you can take that whatever way you want to. It’s anything but zingy, nicely detailed (more so than the mids I feel) with good extension and natural body. These are BA treble traits, not the weightless and silky EST drivers that most flagships are going for. I think for the Clara, this was the right choice. Clara sounds “correct” , “natural” and clean, without divulging into Head-Fi tunings that focus on extension that borders on atmospheric, something that is surely fun and wow, but wholly unrealistic. That means that your music sounds great, isn’t stretched out and overly weightless in the treble region, something I do enjoy. I don’t mean that EST drivers can’t sound realistic, not at all, but I do think that the modern tunings of some of today’s mega flagships do slide to the side of weightless for sake of air.
And so, Clara has a very nice, realistically weighted top end that extends very well, but isn’t endless or weightless either. It’s not sparkle city by any stretch, and if you prefer a lot of treble energy you should look elsewhere. This is a smooth top end, something you can listen to all day, and while there isn’t any ceiling or roll-off it is closer to a vintage sound over something modern and spikey. I really enjoy this style, and for what the Clara is going for, it’s perfect.
STAGE
Keeping in the vein of middle ground, the Clara stage is on the side of intimate, though it doesn’t feel small either. Not to harp on the term natural but that keeps coming to my mind when trying to describe or quantify Clara’s qualities. There is plenty of room for all instruments, with nice space between layers and well defined placements in the space around you. I hear some holography on well mastered tracks, nice panned guitars and spacious top end too, it’s got all that in spades. It’s just not the focus, allowing you forget about paying attention to all that stuff, stop tracking details in real time - and sit back and let the whole experience consume you.
If you’ll permit a paraphrase here, knowing what the Clara sets out to do is paramount. A modern IEM, with modern tech, with a vintage twist. Tuned to appeal to everyone with a lovely warm and emotional style that is rich but detailed, big yet delicate, powerful when called upon and almost whisper quiet if the track calls for it. It’s technical enough, but it’s not a Ragnar or STORM, either. It’s something else, and I truly feel in my heart that in what Ken and Alessandro set out to make, it’s a massive success.
COMPARISONS
This is going to be a bit of a struggle for me, as I don’t have a huge history with CFA monitors to compare these with. I’m sure many are anxious for such comparisons, I’m just not the guy for that. I also don’t have tons of experience in the ~$2k range, after my foray with the Solaris I jumped to the Traillii and Co, steeping myself in heavy summit brew the last years, focusing on the detail monsters I’ve been mentioning in the last few pages. Please keep in mind that these comparisons are the closest I could find that exemplify Clara’ traits, while not losing focus of what CFA set out to do here.
- Forte Ears Macbeth -
As I received the EU tour unit of MacBeth at the same time the Claras arrived, they did occupy a good deal of shared ear time over the first few days. While they are totally different, literally polar opposite tunings, I think it’s interesting to put them side by side anyway.
The MB is sharp, fast, near excruciatingly detailed and rather bright in some cases. It forges forward with razor sharp transients, extremely controlled bass (that will certainly give you a double take to check for DDs) leaner more articulate mids and what I can only call an energetic sparkling top end with wondrous extension. The MacBeth is a technical marvel, and for Classical music aficionados it’s best in world at the moment. Clara is comes at you from the opposite direction - it’s warm and inviting, lush even, with a carefree and gentle way about it. Edges are smoother, treble is nicely detailed but lacking the zing and modern-ish vibes the MB strives for. While not quite as punchy and outrageous as the MB’s BCD aided bass is, Clara clearly wins over with texture, and true to life DD tonality. With less sharp edges and resolving mids, Clara instead stays more weighted and warm, albeit with less resolution and energy. Treble is very different, MacBeth reaches for the stars, Clara stays more grounded, and less bright. This comes down to pure tastes, but overall I prefer the Clara’s inviting nature, as the MB made my ears ring a bit from the intensity and brightness up top. That being said, the Clara forgoes an ultra resolving quality I do love, and adding in some of the amazing resolution that MB has in the mids could be very interesting for Clara - even if it would ultimately upset the natural balance that makes Clara, Clara.
- Canpur 622B -
This one is from memory, but I did think of it a lot while I was typing this out, and it occurred to me as a good comparison. The 622B is a great reference monitor, sometimes referred as a poor man’s STORM. While I understand what they mean, it’s not really close to STORM’s outrageous technical abilities and power, and the CP is more warm, relaxed, and less relentlessly detailed as the Big Boy. Like the Clara, it’s less intense and has a listen all night kind of thing going on. Clara’s bass is better and more textured, can’t win over that DD, even if CP managed a very impressive BA setup. CP has a very sub bass led presentation, Clara is more evenly paced. Mids wise the CP has the edge for my tastes, they are more technical and resolving over the smoother Clara. With its BCD the details and positioning is on another level, CP is more of a technical monitor than Clara was ever trying to be. Treble from my memory was similar, both are nicely resolving while staying smooth enough to listen all day and night - the CP again erring on the technical side and the Clara being more smooth.
Again, I wouldn’t mix with either of these, but the CP is the more reference tuned, the Clara is the more softer of the two. CP is faster and tactile, Clara is warmer and less intense. They’re both great, and I could easily imagine owning them both.
- 64 Audio 18t -
For some time this was my reference model, I always came back to it as way to refresh my ears and focus on what the artist was trying to convey. You can’t really mix on the 18t, but it’s close enough to get an idea for some editing work. To say the Clara has replaced this use case would be understatement. Not only do I prefer it overall, but in the case of my travel GoPod use, where the 18t was still clinging to life, Clara is so comfortable it’s knocked it clear off the table.
While they don’t sound similar really, there is some crossover. They are both natural and musical, both focusing on different takes of portrayal. The 18t is more edgy and trying harder to be detailed, and comes off a bit metallic to my ears in the treble. Clara takes a more relaxed approach, while still keeping up detail wise, though with a very different goal. Clara’s bass is infinitely better, very DD and rich while 18t’s is definitively BA and out of its league. They both have a bit more than neutral which makes them a bit more fun, Clara’s haft is on another level over what 64A was going for in a “reference set”. Mid wise they are both forward, weighted and clear, with the 18t again taking a more sharp edge even if the Clara has better definition (it is much newer). Treble is fairly similar, again, the 18t harnesses a touch more lower treble sizzle, they’re both open but not explosively so. Both have nice stages that are on the intimate side, with good placement and staging.
Both are natural and realistic enough to do some basic mixing, and easy enough to rock out for hours and hours too. The 18t is a bit long in the tooth now, and is no longer competitive in the high end market, Clara isn’t going for massive details but it’s clearer and more refined to my ears even so.
- Elysian Annihalator -
Anni has a great warm bottom end, Clara has it as well, though it is more defined, punchy and controlled. While I really enjoy the Anni bottom end, especially how it works with the rest of the spectrum, Clara’s bass is just better. It’s punchier, deeper, more textured and solid. They both go for the same thing, Clara simply does it better. Mids are somewhat similar, in that they are both warmer and thicker, though again the Anni has more tactile and defined edges, and details are more present and pronounced over the Clara’s. Anni is more weighted, even more analog sounding in some way, so Clara has a bit more of a reference sound here even if the details feel a bit more refined in the Anni’s mids. Treble wise they are completely different- polar opposites as I mentioned earlier on.
Clara goes for a very natural and more weighted treble, with notes having more weight, more body and texture, at the sacrifice (surely a choice by CFA) of the unreal air and space that Elysian managed to coax out of the Anni’s top end. Anni is weightless, silky and unbelievably extended, it’s unreal. Some call it the best treble available, and I will say it’s indeed amazing, though I wouldn’t say it’s realistic. That doesn’t mean **not real**, I mean in the context of live music, crashes and pads, reverbs and airy space, they all have weight to them. (yes even the airy space) What Elysian does, and what many try to copy, is that Head-Fi sound everyone likes - something out if this world - which for many is what they want. The Clara keeps it “real” forgoing the wild weightless top end in exchange for one that sounds more realistic. I don’t mean Clara’s treble is better, most would say the opposite, but it is more “real” if not less resolving and wow.
To each their own. Either you like that BA sound, or the feather light touch. Overall they’re both super cool monitors and I like both for different reasons. The Clara is cheaper, and has a much smaller and ergonomic shell - it also requires much less power to shine. Anni is a much bigger shell, uses pentaconn connectors, and needs some serious juice to come out of its shell.
- Campfire Audio Solaris -
My very first top end IEM, but it was years ago. Loved it, sold it for the first SE version with the now standard much smaller shell design. Loved that one too, replaced it with my 64A 18t Customs if I remember correctly. I’ve since tried a few more like the Bonneville and Trifecta, both of whom didn’t quite gel with me. I know the CFA house sound only so much, and therefore I’m not really in a good position to compare other models to the Clara. What I can say is Clara is by far my favorite model thus far. It is the most refined, mature, natural and forgiving they’ve yet to release.
The Solaris was amazing, but it had some peakiness and a bit too much energy in the lower treble. Bonneville was warm and inviting, if only a bit too much so. Trifecta is a very polarizing IEM in the community, so I won’t say more than it just didn’t work for me at all. Clara is the perfect mix and match for me, taking the best of all the others and mixing them together with a bit of magic pixie dust, analog mastering goodness and gold ol’ fashioned DD grunt.
SOURCES + CABLES
I found the Clara to be easy to drive and sounding great from basically everything. Of course the sound changed a bit based on the DAP I was using, but unlike other IEMs it kept its character and remained true to form regardless of how it was powered. In the intro I said Clara reminded me of the sound of Sony WM DAPs. I know both Ken and Alessandro are big fans, and if you know either the 1Z or 1ZM2 then you get a good idea of what I’m talking about. I would put the Clara closer to the OG 1Z, though it shares a lot with the M2 as well.
I really enjoyed the Clara with all my DAPs, and even with the GoPods for fun and travel. My personal favorite was my LP6 Ti AE, which naturally makes anything and everything sound amazing - I did find the pairing to be phenomenal. Feeding the Clara this kind of power gave a bigger stage, more bass kick, and lush and more enveloping mids in the way only LP6’s can offer. The iBasso 320MAX Ti I have is modded, but still it was more modern and technical sounding than the LP6. I really enjoyed that combo as well, offering a less warm and more modern take. The NiPO N2 is a hugely powerful DAP, and also erring on the warmer side, with a subtle sub bass boost. This benefitted the Clara with extra headroom, more sub bass, warmer but still technically agile mids, and more top end extension over the LP6. Placing it somewhere in between the LP6 and MAX, this an ultimate travel setup with tons of power and great battery life too.
Unfortunately I don’t own any other mmcx cables, I would have enjoyed doing some cable rolling, seeing where I could push the limits. That’s not to say the stock or beefier 8W cable isn’t good, it sounds great. Things can always be opened up and improved using upgrade cables, of course their cost is often higher than the cost of the Clara itself, so perhaps to keep things fair it’s best I was forced to stay with stock. Based on my extensive background in high end cables, I could make some predictions on what would serve the Clara well, though I can’t confirm in reality.
- Astral Audio Silver Reference -
This is the first thing I put on a new IEM for testing as it’s very linear and uncolored. Super resolving and “cheap” at only $700. The world’s bargain cable and matching “price/performance IEM of the year” surely would be a match in heaven.
- PWAudio 1950's (or Shielding) -
Would be great, it always is. Cleaning things up, tightened and refined edges, more detail while staying Copper. Used one with Versa/Conx would be a great place to start the upgrade train.
- PWAudio First Times (or Shielding) -
Similar to 50S with more extension, warmer mids and more sub bass. Better definition/resolution too.
- Ode To Laura or 5th Ode -
A very cool combo - could benefit the Clara if you wanted to do so. More modern sounding and the bass would be tight and crazy good. Sonnet of Adam would keep it more analog and lush, with lots more resolution, perhaps the best combo I could imagine in hindsight.
CONCLUSION
After all that, I feel I’m back to where I started in the first few lines. The Clara is a super fun, exceptionally well tuned IEM, and is sure to provide its owner with hours and hours of daily enjoyment. It’s got amazing bass, lovely mids and a treble that is smooth and realistic. It comes with a ton of cool free stuff, and for the money is about the best deal for price/performance you can get at this moment. It’s not the most technical or expensive, yes. It is unapologetically warm, slightly bassy and on the emotional side. For sure. But those are good things too, the world needs some warm and inviting nowadays. If you can find a Ti version it’s worth the extra cash, and I’m still holding out hope that one will somehow appear in space for me.
For those that absolutely need a technical powerhouse, or require that ultra modern top end head-Fi sound, perhaps this isn’t the IEM for you. *Or*, perhaps you need to give it a chance, you may well fall in love with it, as I have.
The Clara deserves my full recommendation, it’s awesome. Winning the HF WaterCooler Performance IEM of the year 2024 is quite something, I’ll give it my TTS Awesome-IEM-of-the-year ribbon as well, absolutely.(Have to start making those!) For $2k there is nothing that can touch it. And it is sure to touch you deeply, and bring you back to the music. Listen to Allesandro’s NATI INFINITI or Depeche Mode’s Violator on these and perhaps you’ll see the light yourself, and know why he uses these for all his shows. His heart is in these, 100%.
Well done CFA, you’ve got a home run here.
Thanks for reading! :)
To get one for yourself I always recommend going to MusicTeck - Andrew is a gentleman, he carries everything, and he goes more than out of his way to help you. You can find the Clara here
You can also get one directly from CFA here
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