Campfire Audio Moon Rover

Introduction to the Campfire Audio Moon Rover Review

Campfire Audio is certainly a company that needs no introduction. They are one of the leading IEMs manufacturers in the world, with their biggest name by far being the legendary Andromeda.

Over the past few years, Campfire Audio has been experimenting with different drivers, including planar-magnetic. We had a chance to review their planar IEMs Supermoon some time ago, and you can read that review here.

Now, they released a new planar IEM called the Campfire Audio Moon Rover. It’s a limited-edition product with 888 available units. Instead of following the path they started with the Supermoon, however, they went for a more traditional chassis shape, reminiscent of their most legendary model, the Andromeda.

Considering how good of a product was the Supermoon, Campfire Audio raised the bar for themselves, and the Moon Rover has a lot to prove. Let’s dive in together and see, what the guys from Oregon have cooked this time.

Packaging

The packaging of the reviewed Campfire Audio Moon Rover is extra cool, even for companys standards. First of all, it’s quite big and bold, fusing a cosmic theme with colors and a lot of text.

It’s definitely one of the best-looking packaging I’ve ever seen in this hobby, being a fantastic decoration for any shelf. After opening the box, you’re greeted by quite a statement: “Congratulations, you have excellent taste in earphones”. I absolutely love the boldness here!

Apart from that, there’s a QR code to see more details about the tested Campfire Audio Moon Rover, as well as technical specifications and a tutorial on how to get the best fit possible. 

Campfire Audio plays in a league of their own when it comes to creative and fun packagings, and it’s something I’ve always admired a lot when it comes to this company. 

Inside, you’ll find the reviewed CFA Moon Rover IEMs themselves, together with some ear tips, a cleaning cloth, and a high-quality leather case. The case itself smells amazing and it’s definitely a premium product. Watch out for your wife trying to steal it though, it’ll make a great mini-handbag.

Overall, the unboxing experience of the reviewed Campfire Audio Moon Rover is nothing short of extraordinary. It’s fun, premium-feeling and you get a feeling that someone actually has put some thought into it. Brilliant stuff.

Design, Build Quality and Comfort

Now we’re getting into the IEMs themselves. They use a shell design known from their classic line (Andromeda (pre-ES), Ara, Polaris), which I’ve always enjoyed. It’s that immortal “sharp” edges design that looks and feels industrial and super raw. Since then, Campfire Audio went for a more smooth-oriented casing with their new Andromeda Emerald Sea, but I’ve never had issues with the old shell design personally.

What’s even more interesting is the design and choice of color. The Moon Rover doesn’t really have any color code to it, like most of CFA’s IEMs, but here’s where things get really cool. 

These IEMs use titanium shells that have been individually flame-treated. They look absolutely spectacular and have that unique aspect to them. There are no two identical pairs, as it’s all done by hand, ensuring that every pair will be one of a kind. Because of that, you’re getting that beautiful gradient between yellow, blue, and purple, that shimmers differently, depending on lighting conditions. Campfire Audio has always been all about creativity and cool ideas, but this one is probably their best yet.

Apart from the looks, using aircraft-grade titanium gives you an insanely high-quality shell to begin with. Even though this material is known for its extreme durability and rigidness, it’s also very lightweight, ensuring a high comfort level. It’s where design language and creativity meet quality. Gold-plated screws finish it all up, creating one of the most unique and simply best-looking IEMs that Campfire Audio has ever created. If you’re into bespoke, unique, and personalized products, this will check all your boxes, and then some.

A good IEM also has to be comfortable, as you’re surely going to have them in your ear canals for quite some time. Since the Moon Rover uses the classic shell design, I’m pretty sure most of you already know what you’re dealing with. For me personally, the old design has always been highly comfortable, as I used to have like three different pairs of the OG Andromeda alone. If you had no issues with those, the reviewed Campfire Audio Moon Rover will be basically the same when it comes to comfort. 

Watch out for the sharp edges though, as it’s been problematic for some people in the past. A minority for sure, but still worth noting nonetheless. However, when we’re talking about my subjective take, the Moon Rover is very comfortable for me, as I’m easily able to spend hours listening to it. 

Overall, the Moon Rover could have easily been priced higher than they actually are. They come with high-quality and fun packaging, the quality of the IEMs themselves is simply put perfect and luxurious, and the design language and the fact that it’s been customized by hand also boost their quality and uniqueness to another level. For the level of quality and how custom it is, the price looks like a steal to me.

Tech

Now, let’s dive into the tech that sits inside those beautiful shells. Most importantly, reviewed Campfire Audio Moon Rover uses 12mm Planar-Magnetic drivers. It’s a full-range driver, so you can expect a very coherent and natural sound. 

Planar drivers are known for their unique timbre, as well as for being incredibly fast. Also, compared to traditional, dynamic drivers, the diaphragms of the Planar-Magnetic drivers don’t have any hot spots or dead spots, which is meant to create a more neutral, reference-like precision and timbre characteristics. Another difference is the weight of the diaphragm itself, which is considerably lighter than the traditional, dynamic drivers. This further enhances on speed and clarity of the sound reproduction.

If you’re into full-sized headphones, you already know that Planar-Magnetic headphones have absolutely dominated the market for years now. It’s proof that this technology is nothing short of extraordinary, and I’m happy to see more and more IEMs manufacturers going for those drivers.

However, because of the characteristics of this driver type, you have to be well aware of the type of sound you’re going for. Planar Magnetic drivers are best known for their neutral, fast, and accurate sound, as it’s way easier to achieve than a full-bodied, rich timbre for example. This might give us some insight into how the Moon Rover is likely to sound like. While we’re at it…

Sound of the reviewed Campfire Audio Moon Rover

As with every single audio product, the Moon Rover has to offer a good sound quality to prove its worth. The unboxing experience, tech, and fantastic build would all have been for nothing if the sound didn’t live up to the same quality.

Speaking about the sound, Campfire Audio describes the sonic characteristics of the Moon Rover as neutral, reference-like, and speed and detail-oriented. This description is consistent with what we should be getting, based on the driver that sits inside.

I’m happy to inform you that CFA’s description of the sound is on point here. It’s not just marketing and good story-telling, but an accurate representation of what to expect, with no added fairytales and big words that are impossible to achieve.

If you’ve been observing Campfire Audio for the past few years, you’ll know that their lineup is somewhat divided into two categories. One is their classic category of IEMs that are meant to sound in a specific way, offering a tasty and unique combination of technical capabilities and timbre that is tuned towards enjoyment.

The other however is more of their “reference” like tuned products, such as the Supermoon and Solaris Stellar Horizon to some extent. The Moon Rover definitely fits more into this category, promising a technically superior and neutrally-tuned sound. 

While not everybody will be into a specific type of sound that the new Andromeda Emerald Sea offers for example, a vast portion of IEM audiophiles will be more than happy about a neutral, highly technical sound that is said to be offered with the Moon Rover. This gives the company a lot more potential customers, which is always welcomed by manufacturers. 

At the same time, the IEMs market has been aiming towards neutrality for years now, so it’s a very conscious decision to go with this route by Campfire Audio. Let’s dive in and see if the Moon Rover delivers on their promise.

Starting with the bass, it’s all about speed and clarity. It’s definitely not made for bassheads, so don’t expect the deepest and most powerful rumble here. However, if you value texture, speed, and control, the Moon Rover excels in those. While I could wish for more body and an overall more boosted bass response, there’s nothing to wish for more when it comes to the quality here. 

The Planar Magnetic drivers are known for their rich and pronounced textures, and the reviewed Moon Rover makes use of those characteristics brilliantly. Low frequencies are just very insightful and very texturized, and it further improves on that technical, detailed presentation. It’s definitely not a bass that is meant for ultimate fun, blasting heavy notes left and right and giving you that rumble some of all crave for. 

However, it’s a technically capable and quite fun-sounding bass that will deliver what it’s meant to – a sound that is insightful, consistent, and neutral. The quantity of bass is subjective, but its sheer quality is objective, and Campfire Audio definitely went with the latter.

The midrange continues what the bass has started. It’s all about the texture, neutral and technical approach that is not meant to give you unique sound characteristics, but rather a highly technical, reference-like experience. 

Whether you’ll like it or not depends on your preferences. Some people like to have a bit more meat to the bone in the mids, for the sound to be slightly seasoned and unique so to speak. Others enjoy the sound that is as accurate and uncolored as possible. Once again, the Moon Rover definitely falls into the latter category, which might be a great thing for many.

On the other hand, the midrange here has that ever so slight richness to it, a smoothness that is barely there, but it definitely is present. Because of that, it doesn’t get harsh or boring when it comes to midrange presentation. It’s like a little touch of salt and pepper that adds to the depth of the whole experience, while not overpowering it one bit. 

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not as rich as the Solaris 2020 or the Fathom. It’s aimed more toward neutrality and texture, however, that slight richness enhances the overall listening experience. It just gives you that sparkle, a sense of mystery with every track you’re going to listen to. Something to keep you interested and involved. 

The treble is the star of the show here, no doubt about it. It’s super crispy, bold, and very detailed, but it’s not overdone, which is not easily avoided. It takes skill to create a treble that is super technical and bright-tilted and doesn’t get too analytical and tiring, and CFA definitely succeeded here. 

On the other hand, that way of reproducing the treble further improves the overall technical performance, giving you loads of details and resolution. The sound here gets lightning-fast, with fantastic decays and textures. If you’re into a technically capable treble reproduction, you’ll absolutely love this one.

It does well with electronic music, strings of an acoustic guitar, and female vocals, but for some metal, it’s a little bit too revealing. This music genre is often butchered during the mastering process, and the Moon Rover definitely will give you that on a silver plate. No lies, no bending the reality. If it’s meant to sound dirty, bright, and harsh, it’s definitely going to. It’s not the IEMs fault though, they’ll just give you the truth, which is something that a lot of audiophiles are looking for.

The soundstage is a continuation of the whole frequency response of the Moon Rover. It’s vast, airy and offers a superb separation between the instruments. At the same time, it stays true to the material, not doing fake interpretations of what the specific soundstage “should” sound like. 

It just gives you exactly what you’re meant to be given. At the same time, it behaves more like a blueprint of what’s there in the material. If it’s meant to be super spacious with a lot of air, it’ll give you just that. However, if a certain album is meant to give you more of an intimate, “jazz club vibe” sort of experience, it won’t try to convince you the other way. 

Either way, you’ll get what you might expect. A proper reproduction of the soundstage that has all the air and separation there is in the material, not adding anything extra. At the same time, the sheer quality of being accurate with it is spectacular here. No added spice, just the truth.

Pairings

FiiO M23

Let’s get into pairing, starting with one that is just perfect in my opinion.

The FiiO M23 is a match made in heaven for the Moon Rover. Is neutral with a touch of warmth, yet super detailed and clean sounding. When paired with the hero of today’s review, you’re getting a sound that is packed with details and resolution, neutral but just ever so slightly colored towards warmth.

This helps with making the Moon Rover a bit more forgiving, not that it’s super unforgiving in the first place. However, this setup focuses on technical bliss while also making sure it’s not overdone. 

It’s one of those setups that just work and work beautifully. The M23 by FiiO is a wonderful DAP for the Moon Rover and I highly recommend trying it if you already own the IEMs.

Cayin N3Ultra

The second pairing goes in a completely other side. The N3Ultra is all about richness, warmth, and pure enjoyment. However, this pairing is also extremely good since the Moon Rover boosts the technical capabilities that the N3Ultra is not focusing on.

This gives you a sound that is both rich and technical. Two products complement each other in great harmony to achieve the best of both worlds. 

Using the N3Ultra lets you keep the fantastic technical abilities of the Moon Rover, but make it more rich and colorful at the same time. That’s what I love the most about this fantastic DAP – it gives you those fantastic features while not sacrificing the quality itself.

This is my favorite pairing for the Moon Rover. While this setup doesn’t give you as much detail and resolution as the M23 by FiiO, it adds so much warmth and lushness to the sound that just makes me want to listen to music for hours. Absolutely spectacular.

Campfire Audio Moon Rover review – Summary

The Campfire Moon Rover is definitely one of the best IEMs that Campfire Audio has ever released. It’s highly technical and neutral while also not being too extreme or too bright.

It’s quite a safe bet for people striving for a technical sound that they’ll be able to enjoy for many hours a day. Technicality meets maturity when it comes to the timbre. 

The unboxing experience, build quality and design are all top-notch regardless of the price, which combined with the sound quality makes me think of it as an absolutely fantastic IEM. It’s mature yet super capable.

I honestly think Campfire Audio has made something that is going to be one of their legendary models.

Highly recommended!