CAMPFIRE AUDIO ARA

Campfire Audio is a boutique earphone manufacturer established by Ken Ball of Audio Line Out and ALO Audio. As with ALO products, all Campfire Audio earphones are designed by Ball, and assembled by hand by a small team in Ball’s own workshop in Portland, Oregon.

Ball’s newest pair of in-ears, called the ‘Ara’ is now available and is particularly unusual because although it uses seven balanced armature drivers—four for bass, one for the midrange, and two for the high frequencies, there is no crossover network. “We instead use an approach we first created with during our development of our custom-fit earphones,” says Ball, “where we shape each driver’s performance by articulating the acoustic properties of our solid-body internal chamber design.”

The Ara’s two high-frequency drivers deliver their sound via a tuned acoustic expansion chamber (T.A.E.C.) that controls the level by using the volume of space available in front of the driver. Campfire Audio says that because this technology provides a direct passage from the driver to your ear, which isn’t the case with the tube/ damper systems that are usually employed, the result is superior clarity and high-frequency extension.

According to Jesse Ross, of Addicted to Audio, which distributes Campfire Audio in Australia, not having crossover components in the signal path makes a huge difference to the sound quality. “Incorporating a ‘crossover-less’ driver design with a solid-body acoustic design in a Titanium shell makes for an excellent earphone. Ara has a speed and accuracy to its musical delivery that is exceptional,” he said. “Its sound has just the right touch of warmth and richness to recall the best in classic hi-fi. It reminds you why listening to earphones can be so much fun.”

The Campfire Audio Ara’s body is machined from Grade 2 Titanium billet that, after machining, is not finished or coated, but instead left raw so its surface will slowly corrode. Ball says that 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,” he told Australian Hi-Fi Magazine. “But rest assured, your earphone drivers are safe in this finely crafted body.”

Campfire Audio specs the new Ara with a frequency response of 10Hz–28kHz and a sensitivity of 93dB SPL/ mW. The nominal impedance at 1kHz is 8.5 . Available now, the Campfire Audio Ara retails for $2,299 and comes with a blue zipper case made in Portugal from sustainable cork, a Campfire Audio Litz cable with silver-plated copper conductors, a set of Final Audio Tips (xs/s/m/l/ xl), a set of Campfire Audio Earphone Tips(s/m/l) a set of Silicone earphone tips (s/m/l), a Campfire Audio lapel pin and a cleaning tool.

For more information, contact Addicted to Audio on (03) 9810 2999 or at www.addictedtoaudio.com.au