Campfire Audio Orbit TWS IEM Review
Campfire Audio Orbit TWS IEM Review
Campfire Audio is a US based company located in Portland – Oregon, which is specialized in the development and production of portable audio equipment’s such like In-Ear Monitors, cables and headphones. The Campfire Audio’s is now introducing their first ever true wireless In-Ear Monitor called the Orbit.
The Orbit features a Campfire Audio newly developed custom full range 10mm dynamic drivers, with a Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP) film diaphragm. Orbit also comes packed with the latest Bluetooth 5.2 protocol that provides a stable connection with AAC and AptX Adaptive codec support, handling 24bit/48KHz audio.
Disclaimer:
I would like to thank Campfire Audio for providing the Orbit TWS Earphone as review sample. I am not affiliated with Campfire Audio or any third person beyond this review and all these words reflect my true, unaltered opinions about the product.
Price & Availability:
The MSRP price for the Campfire Audio Orbit is 249.00 US$. More information’s can be found under the link below;
Package & Accessories:
The Campfire Audio Orbit came inside a pretty small square shaped box with a unique design same. The main box is wrapped with a cardboard that is of USA made “French Paper Company” paper which has a green label on the top that features the illustration of the Orbit and some brandings.
The main box is made from the same cardboard material and has a nice blue color that has the Campfire Audio logo on the top in gold color, set in a scene between a sky full of stars and a mountain surrounded by trees that could represent the nature of Oregon where the company is located.
Inside the box are the following items;
- 1x pair of Campfire Audio Orbit TEW Monitors
- 1x Short profile USB Type-C Cable
- 3x pairs of CA Silicon Ear Tips (small, medium, large “one came pre-installed”)
- 3x pairs of Foam Ear Tips (small, medium, large)
- 1x Campfire Audio Pin
- 1x Print Material
Design & Build Quality:
The monitor shells of the Campfire Audio Orbit do have a two-tone cavity with a matte finish while the company keeps some design elements such like the robust stainless-steel sound nozzle and grille that we know from previous In-Ear Monitors such like the Andromeda, Solaris, Holocene, etc. The faceplate of the monitors sports the Campfire Audio brand logo in gold color that looks pretty esthetic on the ABS plastic surface.
This area is equipped with a touch sensitive area and is features high-quality microphones for a better voice transmission during voice calls.
At the rear part of the monitor shells are the left & right markings, the charging connectors and the sound nozzle.
The sound nozzle is made from “Stainless Steal” material and reflects the DNA of previous CFA IEM models like the Andromeda, IO, etc.
The outer housing of Orbit’s charging case is made from the same Dual Tone ABS material like the monitors that has a pretty nice matte finish. The charging case is very small and fits easily in to your pocket. Moreover it offers a decent grip when hold in your hands.
When you open the charging case, you will see the fancy looking green inner surface that sports, four LED status indicators, a multi functional button for pairing & reset and the seats where the monitors are placed.
The seats do feature a magnetic surface and the charging connectors.
On the front of the charging case is the Campfire Audio branding.
The rear surface features the hinge mechanism and some Industrial Standards & Certifications printed on the surface.
At the bottom of the charging case is the USB Type-C charging interface and a small LED indicator that gives information about the charging status of the case.
The overall craftsmanship is excellent same like all Campfire Audio products that I have reviewed before.
Battery Life & Wireless Charging:
The built-in batteries inside each Campfire Audio Orbit do offer a playtime of up to 8.5 hours with a single charge. The stylish looking charging small charging case on the other hand gives you an additional 30 hours of reserve playtime.
The Charging case of the Orbit is also equipped with a USB Type-C port and support Qi-Wireless charging. There is also a battery level indicator so you can easily see how much playtime is left.
Comfort & Isolation:
The Campfire Audio Orbit has a very small and lightweight design that offers a pretty ergonomic shape and comfortable fit for my average sized ear concha’s. The Orbit doesn’t support Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), while the passive isolation is quite good for the use in relative noisy environments like a bus or train.
Technical Specifications:
- Driver Configuration : 10mm Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP) Diaphragm Dynamic Driver
- Frequency Response : 5Hz-20 KHz
- Bluetooth Protocol : BT 5.2
- Supported Codec’s : SBC, AAC, AptX Adaptive
- Battery (Earphones) : 8.5 hours
- Battery (Case) : 30 hours total playtime reserve
- Charging Method : USB Type-C & Qi Wireless Charging
Campfire Audio Control APP:
The Campfire Audio APP allows you to customize the Orbit’s touch control functionality, as well as find the right sound setting with its built-in 7-band EQ and presets. You can also install future firmware updates, which are some nice additions.
Pairing, Navigation, Signal Strength, Latency & Call Quality:
The pairing of Campfire Audio Orbit is quite simple, just follows the steps below;
- Remove both earphones from the case
- Remove the sticker tabs from each earphone
- Return both earphones to the case and
- Close the lid (Earphones and case are now synced)
- Open the lid
You don’t need to re-pair the earphone after the first pairing process; just simply put out the earpieces from the charging case and your phone will automatically recognized and connect them.
The navigation performance of the touch sensitive control surface is pretty good, after a short period.
The Bluetooth connection of the Campfire Audio Orbit is quite solid within a distance of approx 10 meters. The lip-sync latency performance was also fairly good when I have watched to YouTube, Netflix or similar videos over my Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra.
The built-in microphones of the Campfire Orbit do offer a efficient performance in terms of voice transmission during voice calls, when paired with the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra.
Equipment’s used for this review:
- In Ear Monitors : Campfire Audio Orbit
- Sources (DAP/DAC) : FiiO M11 Plus ESS, Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, iPAd Air2
Albums & tracks used for this review:
- Edith Piaf – Non Je Ne Regrette Rien
- Diana Krall – So Wonderful
- Aretha Franklin – I Say a Little Prayer
- Hayley Westenra – Odyssey Album
- Dionne Warwick – Walk On By
- Sarah McLachlan – Angel
- Sting – Englishman in New York
- Barry White – Just The Way You Are
- Isaac Hayes – Walk On
- Elton John – Rocket Man
- Eric Clapton – Wonderful Tonight
- Sting – Englishman in New York
- Casey Abrams – Robot Lovers
- Fazıl Say – Nazım Oratoryosu (Live)
- Chopin – Nocturn No. 20 In C-Sharp Minor
- Vivaldi – Le QuarttroStagioni “The Four Seasons”
- Otto Liebert & Luna Negra – The River
- Gogo Penguin – Raven
- Lorde – Royal Massive Attack – Angel
- Toutant – Rebirth
- Daft Punk – Doin’ it Right
- Really Slow Motion – Deadwood
- Massive Attack – Angel
- Muse – The Handler
- Twerl – Lishu
- U2 – Sunday Bloody Sunday
- Lunatic Soul – The Passage
- Metallica – Sad but True
- Megadeth – Sweating Bullets
- Rush’s – Leave That Thing Alone
- Slayer – Angel of Death
- Liquid Tension Experiment 2 – Acid Rain
The Sound:
The Campfire Audio Orbit comes with a very entertaining sound profile with focal point on the low. It has a full bodied presentation and a mildly warm tonality that never gets harsh or ear piecing, while it offers an efficient performance in terms of upper midrange and treble resolution for a TWS earphone.
Bass / Midrange / Treble / Soundstage & Imaging:
The Campfire Audio Orbit is a pretty exiting TWS Earphone/IEM when it comes to its bass response. The lower frequency region offers a decent sense of fullness and deep that creates a very entertaining atmosphere, especially while listen to genres like Electronic music, EDM, Dance or Dubstep.
The subbass region is produced with a decent level of depth and extension, especially for a TWS earphone. The depth, intensity and rumble of the subbass area in songs like Massive Attack’s “Angle”, Lorde’s “Royals” or Daft Punk’s “Doin’ it Right” was quite exciting. The midbass region on the other hand sounds in general fairly controlled, clean and impactful. Instruments like a bass guitar, cross drum or contrabass are reproduced with a decent grade of body, while percussions are shown with a good level of speed and intensity.
The Campfire Audio Orbit has a pretty warm and smooth midrange character, while the sense of transparency, airiness and resolution is on an efficient level. The lower midrange shows an additional coloration when I do listen to male voices or to instruments like a viola or acoustic guitar that is not overdone. Male vocals such like Barry White, Sting and Elton John are reproduced in a fairly musical and emotional manner.
The Orbit has a moderately highlighted upper midrange tuning that offers a good grade of authority and smoothness. The resolution and clarity of this area is on a fairly efficient level, while listen to female vocals such like Adel, Aretha Franklin or Sertap Erener or to instruments like a violin, side flute or piano. The general presentation of the midrange is fairly transparent, without to show any remarkable negative conditions such like sibilance or harshness.
The treble range of the Campfire Audio Orbit can be described as smooth and highly controlled. There are some mildly peaks here and there in order to add a fairly sufficient sense of presence and brilliance to the lower treble and upper treble regions. This treble tuning and the energy created in this area do make the Orbit pretty enjoyable with genres like pop, rock and or electronic music.
The level of airiness and sparkle that is created by the 10mm LCP Diaphragm Dynamic Driver is on a moderate level, while the treble extension meets my expectations from a TWS earphone at this price level. It doesn’t show any uncomfortable sharpness or over-brightness when I do listen to treble intensive instruments and genres.
Another highlight of the Campfire Audio Orbit is its soundstage performance. The capability of those TWS earphone in terms of layering and imaging was a quite positive surprise. The level of separation of instruments and vocals is decent. The depth and wideness of the stage meets my expectations from a TWS product at this price rage.
Conclusion:
The Campfire Audio Orbit is a fancy looking, small, lightweight and comfortable TWS earphone that offers a very entertaining sound profile with focal point on the lows. It has a nicely adjusted, full bodied overall presentation that never gets harsh or ear piecing, while it offers also an efficient performance in the upper midrange and treble area when it comes to the clarity and resolution. Moreover, it comes with some usable features such like the Campfire Audio Control APP, Qi-Wireless Charging and a pretty responsive Touch Sensitive Control interface.
Pros & Cons:
- + Entertaining Sound Profile
- + Solid Bass Response
- + Smooth & Controlled Upper Midrange & Treble Tuning
- + Decent Soundstage Performance for a TWS Earphone/IEM
- + Small & Lightweight = Decent Comfort
- + Campfire Audio Control APP
- + Good Battery Life & Qi-Wireless Charging Capability
- – Not for those who are looking for a reference type of sound profile
- – Campfire Audio Control APP needs some minor improvements
- – No Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) or Ambient Mode
Thank you for the Read!
