The Diamond Among the Cobbles – A Review of the Campfire Audio Jupiter

My primary audio player is the Opus#2 by Audio-Opus/theBit. It’s a great source for revealing the full potential of a transducer. The soundstage is enormous, and it renders everything down to micro details like a champion. Opus is neutral-warm, impeccably smooth and natural-sounding, with dynamics and extension for days. On this DAP, Jupiter shows you just how resolving it is, casting light on every detail, reaching a level of transparency any reasonable person could live happily ever after with. Of course, Audiophiles are not known as a community of reasonable folk.

The Cayin i5>Jupiter is a pairing I adore. All that meaty warmth and slamming bass kicks these IEMs into unrestrained, orgasmic musicality. Everything is so visceral, so passionate. You lose some detailing and transparency, the soundstage is not as big, but you don’t f**king care because the music overwhelms you. How can you be critical of something so seductive? It’s not easy. The i5 often makes Jupiter utterly irresistible.

If you’re looking for the highest resolution, clearest, most detailed sound without spending upwards of a grand, the Opus#1 is what I recommend the most. It’s the best sort of neutral, where you’re bombarded with energy and dynamism, and hear nothing dry or boring in the presentation. The combo with Jupiter is one of the finest semi-affordable systems you can get for detail and clarity, without sacrificing that scrumptious warmth many of us love so.

With iFi’s iDSD Black Label, you must turn iMatch up to Ultra Sensitive, or you won’t get much precision out of the volume wheel. Bass Boost is not needed, but 3D is a must. Without it, the stage gets flat, overly warm, and ultimately boring. With 3D flipped to the “On” position, the DAC sounds more like my Opus#2: Spacious, airy, and capable of superb layering and separation. I don’t understand why it’s even an option. The Black Label benefits too much from it. This pairing is quite smooth, with a splendid analogue quality. It’s also highly dynamic, packing serious energy in the bass and treble.

I hope you gather how much I like the Campfire Audio Jupiter. It may not be the best I’ve heard, or my favorite. That is still the 64Audio U12, which I didn’t include in the comparisons section because they are so different I saw no point. Yet even with “better” options on hand, Jupiter more than holds its own. It’s a top competitor in the mid-fi category. I shall have the Noble Sage and Empire Ears Spartan soon, and I can’t wait to see how they handle a beast like this. Jupiter is one impressive animal.

-~::Pinky_Powers::~-

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ABOUT AUTHOR

Pinky Powers

Pinky Powers

Pinky is an artsy twat. Illustration, graphic design, writing. Yet music escapes him, and always has. He builds his own cables, and likes to explore the craftsmanship of others. He's a stabby one, also. At the first hint of annoyance, out comes the blade. I say he's compensating for something... in a big bad way. If we all try really hard as a collective, maybe we can have him put down.

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6 Responses

  1. Are you seriously trying to say that “burn in” does not exist for dynamic drivers? Because, that’s what the author was referencing.

    Owning CA hardware myself… I, too, experienced a difference in sound quality, via tone separation and sound stage, over the course of 150hrs of burn in.

    Your comment reeks of immaturity. Please take your temper tantrums elsewhere.

  2. These reviews are a narrative of my experience with a piece of gear. In the case of Dorado, I heard clearer vocals after so many of hours of burn-in. So I shared that. I will not censor my experience to keep in line with your expectations.

  3. Burn-in?
    When will you so-called educated audiophiles stop believing in nonsense?
    It has been proved not to exist.
    Apart from that, your review is barely acceptable, tending to praise the Noble (overrated as it is..) more than discuss the (also overrated and overpriced) piece of Campfire Audio.
    Pinkypoofter can do better.

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