Most audiophiles have a reference point from early in their audio journey that becomes a subconscious comparison point for just about everything else they listen to. For me, it’s the original Campfire Audio Solaris – a 4-driver hybrid that seemed to be the perfect balance of warmth, musicality, and technical capabilities for much of my favorite music.
While in the years since the original Solaris came out in 2018, there has been much innovation in the industry, there’s still something special about the simplicity and natural character of the OG Solaris that even Campfire themselves has had a hard time capturing in follow-ups like the Solaris Stellar Horizon. Clara, Campfire Audio’s latest release, a collaboration with musician Alessandro Cortini, is not a Solaris by name, but within a few minutes after I started listening to Clara, I could feel some of the same magic of the original Solaris. Is Clara a spiritual successor to Solaris? Or is it something more?
Build and Design
If there’s one thing that Campfire Audio consistently nails, it’s the packaging and aesthetics. Clara comes with an incredible package featuring multiple transportation and storage options, with nylon, leather, and hard plastic cases included. There are two Time Stream Duet cables (3.5mm and 4.4mm) included in the package, and the Titanium launch edition includes an additional upgraded cable which is quite possibly the best cable I’ve seen produced by Campfire/ALO.
The IEM itself takes on a similar form to the recent custom-inspired Chromatic Series IEMs, but with a much more high-class look and feel. After having recently reviewed the Thieaudio Valhalla and Ice Lab Spectrumica, the fit on Clara felt much easier and more comfortable. With only 4 drivers inside – 1 dual-diapragm dynamic driver, and 3 balanced armatures – there’s a bit more room to prioritize ergonomics in the design.
While the standard version is made from a typical resin material, there’s a limited edition variant with a titanium shell that feels even more premium, but you lose the ability to see the inner workings through the clear shell of the standard edition. Inner workings aside, it’s the output that’s the most important thing, so how does it sound?
Sound
Clara has a highly natural, well-balanced sound that offers a touch of extra warmth and low-end impact, with some of the best upper midrange and treble that Campfire Audio has ever put into an IEM. The low-end performance makes it a strong pick for rock, pop, and similar genres, while the midrange and treble provide broad versatility with the clarity and resolution they provide.
The bass delivers strong fundamentals, along with good texture and speed, with great low extension, and strong physical impact. Don’t expect bone conduction type subbass, but there’s plenty of rumble and general physicality to the bass.
The midrange is where Clara really separates itself from the Solaris, as there’s both fullness and balance to it. The detail is excellent and vocals are positioned “just right” in the mix, along with that there’s rich layering and an overall lifelike presentation. The timbre is exceedingly natural, providing an impressive realism to pianos and acoustic guitars.
The treble feels perfectly in line with the bass and mids, offering clean, clear highs and a crisp presentation of cymbals, and a good helping of the microdetails in the upper reaches of vocals and stringed instruments. Clara gives you that extra bit of breath in the vocals and the tension of the strings, but in moderation with a hint of smoothness at the very top.
One of the defining characteristics of Clara’s imaging presentation is its holographic three-dimensional soundfield. It combines the sort of natural imaging presentation you’d expect from high-end headphones with that extra bit of instrumental separation and articulation that multi-driver IEMs excel in. The vocal imaging is particularly strong.
Sleep Token’s “Atlantic” is the perfect showcase for Clara. The piano is the opening has the natural resonance of a grand piano on stage, with a delicate ringing and echo. You can almost see the spotlight on the vocals and you can hear the small vocal catches and breaths in between words. When the backing vocals and band enters, there’s a sudden sense of width and spaciousness to the sound, and the bass, guitar, and drums hit like a ton of bricks bringing the full force of the song down in a way that sounds like an arena in your ears.
With Maria Duenas’s performance of Paganini’s “24 Caprices” Clara offers incredible articulation, clarity, and insight into Duenas’s blistering violin playing. There’s a richness in the violin timbre and incredible microdynamics as each note carries the details and texture of the violin string and bow. Clara’s air and extension ensure that you can hear – and feel – every note played through the full range of the violin, but the touch of warmth and smoothness let you hear it all without feeling the cringe from the piercing highs of its upper reaches.
Clara’s stereo imaging prowess is immediately apparent on “Go Your Own Way” by Fleetwood Mac. The band is spread across the stage and the lead vocals are just slightly off axis to make room for the full array of backing vocals on the chorus, which combine to perfectly fill the center space in front of the listener. You’ll need multiple listens to catch the details in the layered guitars flanking the listener, along with the bass and drums that hit dead ahead. There’s a brilliant sense of depth as well, with vocals, bass, and drums all hitting in the center of the space without feeling crowded or like they’re overlapping.
Comparison: Campfire Audio Solaris Stellar Horizon
Campfire Audio’s most recent official take on the Solaris is the Stellar Horizon, a IEM that takes the technical prowess and ergonomics of the original a step forward with an impressive look and sound. How does Clara, with its Solaris-like characteristics compare?
In terms of the build and design, Stellar Horizon has the edge in terms of aesthetics, but Clara is a step up in fit and comfort. Clara’s standard version has a great look to it, and the titanium version steps that up even further, but I’m partial to the smooth, elegant design of Stellar Horizon. However, Clara offers a much more stable fit, and is more comfortable for longer listening sessions.
In terms of sound, both IEMs bend the classic warm/neutral sound of the original Solaris just slightly, with Stellar Horizon going for more clarity, detail, and resolution, while Clara bends the sound slightly more v-shaped, with more extended low bass, and a little more air than the original. Both recapture the wide soundstage and strong imaging of the original, but Clara has a little more weight to the sound, while Stellar Horizon presents stronger separation and definition in the sound.
Overall, if you listened to the original Solaris, and found it to be a little too warm, Stellar Horizon is probably the pick for you, while if you believe the solution to most of life’s problems is “more bass,” then Clara has the answers you’re looking for.
The Bottom Line
While there have been some misses along the way, Campfire Audio continues to innovate in blending the past and future, with Clara being one of the best examples yet of building – and improving upon – a part idea. If you’ve been waiting for a follow-up for the Solaris that builds on the existing foundation with new ideas, Clara is quite possibly the best sequel to Solaris we’ve seen.
