Campfire Audio Lyra

Many thanks to d marc0 and Campfire for arranging this tour unit.
 
So it looks like the Lyra is no longer available in its current guise and is due for a reboot at some stage, let's hope CA can maintain the exceptional build quality and improve on the already good sound, here's my brief thoughts...
 
The Lyra is physically smaller then the Orion and is a much better fit for anyone with less than average size ears like me, I still had problems due to the wide bore and shallow fit and could only really use the included small silicon tips, which was a shame as the foams seem to sound slightly better to me. I also had an annoying fit issue with the left, where I had to get it just right for a decent sound. I do hope Campfire will consider those with smaller than regular lugs in the future!
 
The build quality is outstanding and the high gloss ceramic looks even better in real life. I really like the modern angular design of the rest of Campfire's lineup but if I had to make a choice it would probably be the understated classy elegance of the Lyra.
 
Overall, the Lyra has a relaxing, warm smooth sound that is not overly bassy but has a bass sheen that is ever present. Technically, it might not have the speed, separation or clarity as some but this is an iem where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts and if you can submit to its charms will reward you with an engaging enjoyable 'musical' listen. 
 
I tried it with a few sources including iPhone, Ipods, HM801 and Mojo, all were decent but surprisingly (for me) I found the synergy with the Mojo to be really good, I would have expected the smooth nature of both to be too much but this was not the case, maybe the Lyra likes power or the Mojo’s forward and Lyra’s slightly restrained mids make a good match.
 
It’s not all roses for me though, as well as the fiddly fit, after a few days of listening each time, I did find myself wanting a bit more bite, clarity and bass speed/texture,  these will suit some people more than others, personally I prefer to listen to something that suits my general tastes over a longer period rather than changing all the time.  
 
This is a high quality premium package and is recommended if the signature suits or if you just fancy a change of pace every now and again.

Disclaimer
 
I got this unit as part of Australia/New Zealand tour arranged by @d marc0, thank you very much for including me in this tour
 
Introduction
 
I am just another music fans in this world, I love listening to music, and that made me stumble into head-fi around 8 years ago when looking for the best way to listen to my music. I am not in anyway an audiophile, heck not even close, so please forgive any lack of details in my review. Most importantly this is my personal impression on the unit, most likely i heard things differently than you, my 
ears, my preferences, my brain
 
As the last member of the tour I am lucky enough to listen to Lyra for quite a long time, and it has been a great pleasure. I mostly use them with LG V10 direct without any amp. The source will be either Spotify premium or my own mp3/flac.
 
Build Quality and Design
 
The build quality is pretty much on par with Orion if not better, it's made to last a long time, very sturdy and solid. The design is a bit different though, the Lyra have round corner while Orion has edges, that makes the Lyra a bit more comfortable compare to Orion.
 
Sound Quality
 
Ok the most important part for me, sound quality, so how do they sound? For me they sounded warm and relaxing, very smooth and enjoyable. When I listen for them the first time, I was bit overwhelmed with how warm they were, but in time I got used to it and enjoy them a lot. 
 
This warmness, is pretty much the signature sound for Lyra, it really brings the music alive, providing beats and atmosphere as needed. Listening to instrumental guitar brings a lot of joy as the mid-bass provide a body to the string sound that made them sound full and rich. It works pretty well with Classical music too as the mid-bass just provide those necessary atmosphere to bring the orchestra to it's full glory. At times however this mid-bass can sounds a bit too much, depending on the type of music and how they were engineered, but this happens like in 1 out of 20 songs that i tried, and those particular song wasn't mastered really well in my opinion.
 
One thing that I noticed as well is Lyra has a lot of details, it might not be so apparent because the sound signature of Lyra is not bright, but having said that the treble is definitely there and well extended, and it's just about the right amount. I usually prefer a bright sounding headphones/IEM but the treble tuning on the Lyra works very well for me.  
 
Comparison
 
Now this is a bit hard to me, because I don't own any IEM on the same price leve as the Lyra, so I am going to compare them with what I have.
 
Lyra vs Phonak PFE 012
Well this is not even a comparison, Lyra definitely outclassed my Phonak. Resolution, details, imaging, they're just far above the Phonak, the only thing the Phonak won is the comfort, but that's about it.
 
Lyra vs Fostex TH-600
Ok this is obviously not a fair comparison, for me TH-600 outclassed Lyra, but not as bad as how the Lyra outclassed the Phonak. One thing for certain is the big difference in sound signature. The Lyra is warm sounding while Fostex is more U shaped kind of sound signature. Other than the sound signature difference, i feel that the Fostex bring out more details, resolution and soundstage. Yes yes i know it's not a fair comparison, but Lyra shows a a good fight here.
 
Right, so to summ it up, if we draw a line between Phonak and Fostex (in term of sound quality), the Lyra is probably three quarter toward the Fostex, and for me that's is quite good for IEM.
 
Summary 
 
I have always prefer full size headphones compare to IEM, until i tried Noble Savant. Campfire Audio Lyra is the 2nd IEM I've heard that i think can equal or surpassed full size headphones, and in my book that saying a lot.
 
They are beautifully built and solid, have sound signature that will definitely please a lot of sound (but not everyone), provide enough details and resolutions but stays musical at the same times, and comes with good leather case, cable and accessories....they got the whole package, at a price.
 
I suppose my only gripe is the price, I don't have any similarly priced IEM, and they do deliver, but somehow I kind of expecting more from them, maybe it's just my sound signature preferences, or maybe I haven't heard enough IEM to appreciate them more, but it is what it is and the price + the sound signature cut 1 star from the rating for me.
 
But if you got the money and like your music warm, look no further, Campfire Audio Lyra won't disappoint.