Short answer: the Campfire Audio Chimera on measured sound quality, the Softears Edge on price. The Campfire Audio Chimera ranks #1042 of 1369 in-ear headphones, rated 3.1/5, at $7,500. The Softears Edge ranks #1098, rated 2.9/5, at $499, $7,001 cheaper.
What the Campfire Audio Chimera does well: A published AutoEQ preset corrects its response toward the Harman target, so a few minutes of EQ setup closes most of the gap. Watch for: An uneven response, 2.7 dB standard deviation from target.
The case for the Softears Edge: Bass is lifted about 4.5 dB with extension to 20 Hz, giving kick drums and bass lines extra weight. Watch for: The 4.5 dB bass lift can sound boomy and mask midrange detail.
Buy the Campfire Audio Chimera when sound quality outweighs the price for you, and the Softears Edge when the price outweighs sound quality instead.
Still deciding? The full Headphones rankings cover every ranked option.
A published AutoEQ preset corrects its response toward the Harman target, so a few minutes of EQ setup closes most of the gap.
Campfire Audio $7,500.00 eBay
Bass is lifted about 4.5 dB with extension to 20 Hz, giving kick drums and bass lines extra weight.
Amazon $499.00 eBayPrices on this page were last checked October 17, 2026 at 6:04 PM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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Specifications Side By Side
| Campfire Audio Chimera | Softears Edge | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $7,500.00 | $499.00 |
| Ranked | #1042 of 1369 in In-Ear Headphones | #1098 of 1369 in In-Ear Headphones |
| Form Factor | In-ear | In-ear |
| Back | Closed | Closed |
| Harman Preference Score | 63 (median of 3 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) | 60 (median of 14 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) |
| Deviation From Target | 2.67 dB standard deviation | 2.69 dB standard deviation |
| Tonal Tilt | -0.62 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) | -1.23 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) |
| Sub-bass Extension | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (+3.0 dB at 30 Hz) | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (+3.5 dB at 30 Hz) |
| Connection | Wired | Wired |
| Driver Type | Quadbrid | Dynamic |
| Drivers | 1 x 10mm bone conductor + 1 x 10mm True Glass dynamic + 3 x balanced armature + 4 x electrostatic supertweeter | 1 x 11mm dynamic |
| Impedance | 5.5 ohms | 16 ohms |
| Sensitivity | 94 dB @ 1kHz (14.6 mVrms) | 128 dB/Vrms |
| Frequency Response | 5Hz - 20kHz | 15Hz - 40kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
Frequency Response Compared
Both headphones’ measurements overlaid on the Harman target. Above the target sounds louder in that range, below it quieter. Each curve is the median of several independent measurements, shifted so its 500 Hz to 2 kHz average sits at 0 dB, so only the tuning is compared.
Measurement data: the Campfire Audio Chimera from aden, bloomaudio and superreview; the Softears Edge from aden, aftersound, animagus, atechreviews, audioamigo, dchpgall, elrics, hbb, lumerion, precog, superreview, takeitslow7, theaudiostore and tonedeafmonk, all via squig.link.
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