Campfire Audio 2021 Earphone Buyer's Guide

Campfire Audio is constantly evolving their lineup with a selection of earphones designed to fit into almost any budget or sound signature preference. Campfire's designs have become iconic in the audiophile world, and they have a reputation for creating earphones with top notch build quality and selling them with a total package to match.

As their lineup shifts from year to year, it can be tough to keep up with the latest models, and where they fit in with different genres, price points, and listening preferences, so we'll take a look at the full selection as of mid-2021 to help you find the right one.

What Makes Campfire Audio Special?

Campfire Audio has some qualities that help them stand out not just for the earphones that they make, but also for the way they create and package them. Like many other brands, Campfire has a set of proprietary technologies that they use in their earphone designs. These include:

• T.A.E.C. – Campfire Audio's "Tuned Acoustic Expansion Chamber" provides space for resonance for balanced armature drivers to create a larger soundstage and a better sense of space. This tech is used across the whole Campfire Audio lineup for balanced armature drivers.
• Polarity Tuned Chamber – The Polarity Tuned Chamber is the equivalent of the T.A.E.C. but for dynamic drivers instead of balanced armature. This tech is used across the whole Campfire Audio lineup for dynamic drivers.
• A.D.L.C. Dynamic Drivers – Amorphous Diamond-Like Carbon is used as a coating for Campfire Audio's top end of dynamic driver and hybrid IEMs ranging from the Vega through the Solaris. ADLC creates a surface with flexibility and durability that's perfect for dynamic drivers.
• Solid Body Design – Starting with their custom models, and then expanding to models like the Solaris and Andromeda, Campfire Audio's Solid Body Design fashions the internal acoustic chambers and external shells into one solid piece, improving the sonic resonance and durability of the designs.

Campfire Audio's earphones don't just come down to tech, but also to the care and attention put into each pair. All of Campfire Audio's earphones are hand assembled in Portland, Oregon, and Campfire Audio takes extra steps to use reusable and recyclable materials for everything. Even some of their cases are handmade in Portugal using recycled materials.

Satsuma - $199

Satsuma is one of Campfire Audio's latest creations, and one of its most budget friendly. To both provide a warm, fun aesthetic and help keep the price down, Satsuma uses ABS plastic for its bright orange shells instead of stainless steel or aluminum. While it might not have the same premium build as Campfire Audio's more expensive models, it has a unique look and a lightweight, comfortable feel.

Inside it has a single balanced armature driver which provides a balanced sound with a surprisingly natural timbre that's great for music that's more focused on vocals or acoustic instrument performance than bass or big dynamics. Read the full review.

Honeydew - $249

Honeydew was launched alongside Satsuma, and features a plastic shell with a similar look and feel. Honeydew's orangey-yellow color gives a similar dose of fun as Satsuma. Honeydew has a single dynamic driver tuned to provide a lot of low-end punch and depth. Honeydew's sound is definitely warm and bassy, with a fun, but still natural sound that's perfect for hard rock, hip-hop, EDM, and other genres where bass is king. Read the full review.

Mammoth - $549

Mammoth gets its name from the mammoth low-end response that this earphone creates. Mammoth uses a three driver hybrid setup to deliver deep, powerful bass, but without compromising the technical performance. The combination creates a truly massive sound. The design features Campfire Audio’s classic look with an aluminum shell featuring glow-in-the-dark accents on both the IEM and the cable. Read the full review.

Holocene - $649

Holocene was launched alongside Mammoth, and features the same basic exterior design – including the glow in the dark accents – but in brown instead of blue. While Mammoth goes for the big bassy sound, Holocene presents a more balanced sound that straddles the line between neutral and fun. Holocene is characterized by a crisp, clean sound and a wide soundstage. Read the full review.

Vega - $899

Vega uses a 10mm ADLC dynamic driver to provide a sound that's big and bassy, but also somewhat more technically refined than Honeydew. Vega maintains a natural, organic sound despite the powerful bass. If you want that big brash bassy sound, but want it balanced out with more detail, stronger definition, and a top notch overall performance, Vega provides all that.

Vega packs all that power into a small, comfortable shell. It shares its basic looks with the Dorado, boasting a ceramic shell with a glossy white finish. Read the full review.

Dorado - $1099

Dorado takes Vega’s dynamic ADLC driver design and powerful low end, and adds a balanced armature driver for the treble range. The additional driver allows Dorado to deliver more detail and improves the soundstage and imaging over the Vega. There's a heightened sense of air and definition from the added driver as well.

In terms of genres, Dorado takes things even further, providing excellent response across any number of electronic genres, as well as rock, pop, and providing a heightened sense of intimacy with vocals and music driven by acoustic instruments. Read the full review.

Andromeda - $1099

Andromeda uses five balanced armature drivers to create a neutral, transparent sound with tight bass and excellent detail. It also provides a good sized soundstage and legendary holographic imaging. Andromeda's design has made it somewhat of an icon with it's tight, angular lines, and aluminum shells.

While it provides a smooth, deep bass response, the balanced armature drivers don't have the same level of impact as dynamic drivers in the Vega, Dorado, or Solaris. But listeners across almost any genre, from hip-hop to classical can appreciate its strong technical performance, and balanced, addictive tuning.  Read the full review.

Ara - $1299

Ara takes everything the Andromeda does, and turns it up a notch – sporting seven drivers instead of five, and a titanium shell with Andromeda's iconic lines. The only thing it turns down is the bass, which doesn't have the same power as the Andromeda.

Ara provides a massive soundstage, lifelike imaging, and a detailed and analytical tuning. While Ara’s bass response makes it less ideal for pop and EDM, it’s incredible sense of space, detail, and resolution make it excel in symphonic and classical music. Read the full review.

Solaris - $1499

Solaris is Campfire Audio’s flagship model. It takes characteristics like the deep bass of the Vega and the detail and soundstage of the Andromeda, refines them and puts them all together into one incredible earphone.

Solaris uses one dynamic driver and four balanced armature drivers to create a balanced, neutral sound signature with warm, round bass, and natural, lifelike delivery. The Solaris is great across all genres and has a mix of strong detail and powerful low-end impact that makes it work with everything from classical, to rock, to jazz, to EDM. Read the full review.

Custom Earphones

In addition to their lineup of universal IEMs, Campfire Audio offers two custom models, the Solstice and Equinox, which use similar designs to their standard lineup. The Solstice uses the same five driver balanced armature setup as the Andromeda, and the Equinox uses a 10mm ADLC dynamic driver like Vega. The Solstice and Equinox both feature higher levels of detail and refinement than their universal counterparts and are available with options that make them either perfect for at home listening or more suitable for stage or pro-audio use. You can check out our Custom IEMs Guide for more information on getting custom IEMs made for you.

Which Campfire Audio Earphone is Right for Me?

There are a lot of considerations for picking earphones ranging from the sound signature to price to comfort. As an example, while all of Campfire Audio's earphones provide a generally comfortable fit, listeners with smaller ears might find Honeydew, Satsuma, Vega, and Dorado to be more comfortable due to their smaller shell size, while others might find that the slightly larger Andromeda or Solaris have a more secure fit.

Typically it comes down to price and tuning preference. At the lowest price point, Satsuma and Honeydew provide a clear contrast. If you prefer big heaping mounds of bass to stronger clarity and definition, then you'll want Honeydew, but if you want the detail and definition, Satsuma is the way to go. Similarly, at a couple hundred dollars more, Mammoth provides a more technical take on the “all bass all the time” style of Honeydew, while Holocene has a more balanced, versatile sound.

Once you get up to the Vega and the rest of the lineup that comes in over $1000, it's really a matter of exactly what you're looking for. A bass-boosted, but still natural and organic sound? Vega. The same sound, but with a bigger soundstage and stronger definition? Dorado. A neutral, but still “fun” sound with a good helping of detail too? Andromeda. A massive soundstage and an incredibly detailed analytical sound? Ara. A balance between the bass, fun, neutral tuning, and detail? Solaris.

The Bottom Line

Campfire Audio provides a lot of options, with different design and technology that are going to appeal to different sorts of music lovers. From the bassy Honeydew and focused, intimate Satsuma up to the intricately detailed Ara and impeccably balanced Solaris, Campfire Audio provides a wide variety of looks, sounds, and price points that enable you to find the perfect IEM for you.