Compared to Campfire Black Star (Review link)
In general, Black Star desires a more W-shaped, vibrant, and resolving sound towards the upper-ends. The treble is sharper (speaking relevant to Prismatica; it doesn’t actually pierce your ears) and the vocals have a cooler tone. The bass performance is pretty much on the same tier, yet Prismatica has a bolder, and thicker groove line and slightly more sub-bass quantity.
As for the vocals, both IEMs share the same idea for keeping things smooth and neutral, yet Prismatica has a bit more moisturized, smoother, and warmer timbre, whereas Black Star does the vocals slightly more resolving, airy, and texture-revealing. I’m enjoying more density and fullness from Prismatica but as much as that, I’m also enjoying Black Star’s clearer texture grains and more open-ended field for the mids.
However, when it comes to the “completeness” of the mid-range, Prismatica takes a higher ground – the major reason is the consistency of timbre and texture. Black Star does an awesome job, yet the vocals do sound a tad hollow compared to Prismatica, though more importantly, Black Star slips in a slight metallic tone and texture on the upper vocals, very occasionally, around the sibilance area. It’s quite minimal and barely causes fatigue.
Prismatica takes a clear win when it comes to the vocals’ stability, though when we start discussing preferring resolving and airier mid-highs, Black Star may have to step in instead. FYI, this minor metallic/sibilant nature of Black Star is solved when using Campfire’s stock Marshmellow foam tips.
Compared to Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020 (Review link)
These two IEMs share the same driver specs and the overall sound signature is fairly similar if only looking at the big picture. However, soon after listening to each IEM, it becomes obvious that Prismatica holds a higher ground. The ultra-low extension and clarity are better on Pristmatica, as well as the agility and density of the bass. The bass shows quicker strike and decay, with a more solid bass that gives a stronger thud for the drums. Vocals are similar in timbre and temperature. However, the resolution, cleanliness, purity, dynamics, and upper-mid airiness are noticeably better on Prismatica.
The biggest difference is the soundstage – the “360-degree headroom” that Ice Lab mentioned. While Andromeda 2020 does show great soundstage, the realistic and spatial soundstage of Prismatica is simply incomparable. The music sounds more immersive and occasionally some musical details feel like they are heard from behind, which I rarely experienced from any IEMs, regardless of pricing.
Verdicts: The “Storm” that Deceives Your Ears
Prismatica is an IEM that fooled my ears to completely miss out on its driver specs and retail price. I thought this would definitely be a DD+BA+EST tribrid, and perhaps an IEM that would range around $1800-$2200. Yet, of course, none of them were right, and this was a refreshing shock to me. While I believe full-BA is still going strong as any other flashy-new drivers and formats, I thought I’d already seen all of what 5BA configurations could do, and how far it could reach.
Prismatica completely broke that perception, or perhaps the arrogance of mine. If I let most people listen to Prismatica, or if you’ve listened to Prismatica without knowing the specs or retail price, I’m sure you’ll have a similar experience as I did – it’ll likely deceive your ears.
The overall sound signature, and its specs, give me a simple nickname for wrapping up the sound of Prismatica – “The Mini Subtonic Storm”. If you’ve enjoyed the “Storm”, or would simply like to have an all-rounder, well-tuned IEM that is guaranteed to punch way above its price, a possible endgame, Prismatica is a must for you to consider. I sure do mean it, give this one a try.
