Campfire Audio’s Chimera Flagship IEM Boasts 9 Drivers

Campfire Audio’s latest flagship IEM is typically ambitious for the brand. Dubbed Chimera, this hand-built Oregon-made design combines four distinct driver technologies inside a single chassis. We’re told the goal was to serve up not just resolution and refinement, but the kind of physical low-end presence normally reserved for much larger transducers.

Chimera will make its first public appearance at CanJam Singapore on 16–17 May, with global pre-sales opening on 16 May ahead of June 2026 shipping. Founder Ken Ball is calling it Campfire Audio’s most advanced IEM yet, describing the model as “a new horizon” for the company’s portable audio engineering.

At the heart of Chimera is a nine-driver arrangement spread across four driver types. Low and low-mid duties are handled by a newly developed 10mm True-Glass dynamic driver, while midrange detail comes from a dual-diaphragm balanced armature. A further pair of high-frequency balanced armatures handles clarity and articulation, while four electrostatic super-tweeters extend the top end, adding extra air and precision.

Perhaps the headline addition, however, is the inclusion of a bone-conduction driver - a first for a Campfire Audio IEM. Integrated directly into the CNC-machined magnesium shell, it is intended to let bass register not just acoustically, but physically too, adding a greater sense of weight and slam alongside the conventional driver array.

Pulling all this together is a suite of internal acoustic measures, including an embedded pressure valve behind the dynamic driver and a final-stage “Master Track” tuning damper built into the nozzle. Combined with Campfire’s own acoustic routing and spatial tuning approach, these elements are designed to keep the presentation balanced and cohesive despite the complexity of the driver configuration.

On the outside, Chimera sports a shell machined from billet magnesium and finished in a durable PVD coating, in a choice of gold and black finishes. Campfire says the material was selected not only for its low weight and strength, but also for the way it complements the performance of the integrated bone-conduction driver.

The faceplate uses a carbon fibre and brass Damascus construction, with layers of brass folded into carbon fibre before being CNC-machined into the finished pattern. The result is a distinctive surface treatment with subtle variation from one pair to the next, giving each set a slightly individual look as it catches the light.

Other hardware details include a machined brass nozzle with integrated mesh protection, custom brass fasteners for reinforcement, and standard 2-pin connectivity.

Chimera also arrives with a generous accessories pack that includes an ALO Audio Valence-6 cable, which also marks the return of the ALO Audio brand. The cable uses four high-purity copper conductors alongside two 50/50 copper-silver-plated conductors, with a black anodised aluminium termination housing, Y-split, and chin slider.

Also included are a black leather zipper case with built-in display, Campfire’s Breezy Bag Micro two-pocket mesh pouch, a microfibre cleaning cloth, an IEM cleaning tool, and a selection of ear tips in High & Clear traction silicone, standard silicone and foam, each supplied in small, medium and large sizes.

Campfire Audio says Chimera will begin shipping in June 2026. Pre-sales open on 16 May 2026, with limited initial quantities available worldwide at a suggested retail price of £6,999 | US$7,500.

For more information visit Campfire Audio