Technical Performance & Synergy
The Black Star delivers a good soundstage, offering nice width and depth within its price range. Despite its inherently warm and full sound signature, the Black Star manages to create an expansive sonic environment—an impressive feat which is not common.
In terms of resolution, the Black Star delivers a commendable performance. While it may not rival higher-end IEMs in this regard, within its price bracket, its transparency and imaging prowess are noteworthy. The soundstage performance provides additional richness and depth, unveiling details and instrument placement that works well with this warm and dark signature.
One notable characteristic of the Black Star is its capacity to provide a good sense of ‘naturalness’. By musically replicating the timbres and tonality of instruments and vocals, it creates a nice sense of realism. Its inherent warmth and richness lend a nice authenticity to the music, allowing for a smooth and easy listening experience.
Regarding source matching, I recommend picking neutral and flat-sounding gear to appreciate Black Star. The IEM is already quite warm and dark, so picking a neutral and flat-sounding source should create a better setup. Also make sure that you have capable ones, that can extract the necessary amount of performance. One example is the HIBY R6 Pro II, which is a great DAP in its price range. Another option would be the Shanling M7, and the FiiO M15S.
Comparisons
The Bonneville is a very capable IEM from Campfire, which offers a similar unboxing experience, a more popping-out design (purple), and a better fit overall. However, it costs 400$ more so you may wonder if it’s worth it.
It’s worth pointing out that the Bonneville has more bass quantity, especially in the sub-bass region, in which it is very strong and deep with better overall bass texture. The mid-bass congestion is also there with the Bonneville, but with lesser effect, so it has more clarity in that region. The treble range also has better clarity in the Bonneville. They’re not dramatically far apart, but the Bonneville has better resolution, bass performance, clarity, and detail.
The Custom Art FIBAE 5 is a fun yet technically strong IEM at the mid-fi level, offering great fit, ergonomics and overall sound quality. It has similarly lean but effective packaging, but the build quality is much better with the Campfire offering.
The F5 is a full-bodied IEM, just like the Black Star, but it differentiates itself with its more prominent sub-bass and better-controlled mid-bass. It has similar success in sound stage and tonality, which is very natural in tone just like the Campfire. The biggest difference lies in the treble, where the F5 performs incredibly well in terms of definition, clarity, detail and extension. Custom Art has expertise to utilize planar drivers to reproduce a great treble, so that shows here.
Conclusion
Campfire Audio Black Star is a viable candidate for a new Campfire fan favourite. The smooth, flowing, easygoing nature of the Black Star is certainly appealing. It’s a music-lover’s IEM, with exceptionally good timbre performance for the price. It’s an IEM that would be listened to for many hours straight, without any fatigue.
The Black Star seamlessly combines solid bass response, smooth midrange with pleasing timbre, and extended, articulated treble that avoids fatigue. Its technical performance is commendable overall, with particularly well-executed staging capabilities.
No matter the genre, the Black Star consistently delivers an enjoyable listening experience. Its performance is not only enjoyable but also technically proficient, showcasing its versatility across various genres.
Pros:
- Creative packaging
- Fantastic build
- Pro design
- Mid-range timbre
- Treble transparency
- Cohesiveness
Cons:
- The lower mid-range is a bit veiled
- Mid-bass is too prominent
- Sub-bass isn’t strong
- Fitting can take some time
Page 1: About, Packaging, Design & Build, Fit
Page 2: Sound Quality
