The Campfire Audio Chimera is 5.5Ω at 108.1 dB/mW; the Campfire Audio Clara is 13.3Ω at 115.3 dB/mW. This page covers what they ask of an amplifier, not how they sound.
The Chimera needs 7.2 dB more than the Clara to reach the same loudness — 0.15 mW against 0.03 mW.
| Specification | Chimera | Clara |
|---|---|---|
| Impedance | 5.5 Ω | 13.3 Ω |
| Sensitivity | 108.1 dB/mW | 115.3 dB/mW |
| Sensitivity (voltage) | 130.7 dB/V | 134.1 dB/V |
| Power for 100 dB | 0.15 mW | 0.03 mW |
| Voltage for 100 dB | 29 mV | 20 mV |
| Current for 100 dB | 5.3 mA | 1.5 mA |
| Highest source impedance that leaves them alone (one-eighth rule) | 0.69 Ω | 1.66 Ω |
| Sources that reach 100 dB out of 280 | 280 | 280 |
Every source in the database that drives one of them drives the other. On power, the choice between these two changes nothing about what amplifier you need.
49 sources are low enough in output impedance for the Clara under the one-eighth rule but not for the Chimera (FiiO SnowSky Tiny B, FiiO KA11, JDS Labs Atom+ (2nd gen), 46 more).
19 sources stay below the audible-hiss threshold with the Chimera but cross it with the Clara (FiiO KA13, JDS Labs Atom+ (2nd gen), FiiO BTR15, 16 more).
280 of the 280 sources here reach 100 dB on both.
The Chimera is more demanding than 3% of the 567 non-electrostatic models in this database; the Clara than 1%.
| dB SPL | Chimera power | Chimera voltage | Clara power | Clara voltage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80 | 1.5 µW | 3 mV | 0.3 µW | 2 mV |
| 85 | 4.9 µW | 5 mV | 0.9 µW | 4 mV |
| 90 | 0.02 mW | 9 mV | 3.0 µW | 6 mV |
| 95 | 0.05 mW | 16 mV | 9.3 µW | 11 mV |
| 100 | 0.15 mW | 29 mV | 0.03 mW | 20 mV |
| 105 | 0.49 mW | 52 mV | 0.09 mW | 35 mV |
| Source | Price | Headroom, Chimera | Headroom, Clara | Output impedance | Noise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JadeAudio JA11 | $20 | 15.2 dB | 26.3 dB | 0.5 Ω | 1.7 µV |
| FiiO BTR13 | $59 | 24.3 dB | 35.3 dB | 0.6 Ω | 1.0 µV |
| iBasso DC03 Pro | $69 | 20.4 dB | 31.4 dB | 0.12 Ω | 0.9 µV |
Of the 280 sources here, 280 reach 100 dB on both. 18 of them also publish an output impedance low enough for both under the one-eighth rule and a noise figure that stays below the audible-hiss threshold with both.
The cheapest of the 18 is the JadeAudio JA11, at $20. It leaves 15.2 dB of headroom on the Chimera and 26.3 dB on the Clara, its output impedance is 0.5 Ω against a one-eighth limit of 0.69 Ω and 1.66 Ω, and its noise figure puts the hiss floor 5 dB and 1 dB below the 20 dB SPL this site treats as the point where a quiet room stops hiding it.
| Model | As printed | Tolerance | Standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chimera | 5-20 kHz | not printed | not printed |
| Clara | 5-20 kHz | not printed | not printed |
Campfire Audio prints the same thing for both the Chimera and the Clara: 5-20 kHz.
Neither range has a tolerance printed beside it, so the matching numbers say little.
Not a measurement; maker by maker.
Both have a page of their own. In full: Campfire Audio Chimera and Campfire Audio Clara. Every figure on this page comes from what Campfire Audio published, or is derived from it — what that maker publishes, counted.