Campfire Audio Astrolith Review – Putting the Awe in Awesome

Comparisons –

Campfire Audio Emerald Sea ($1399): The Emerald Sea and Astrolith both have a similar style of tuning though undoubtedly, the Astrolith is one step more balanced in all regards. This starts in the bass where the Atrolith delivers a bit more sub-bass presence and depth but also a cleaner mid and upper bass. The Emerald Sea lacks the same slam and rumble but has more mid-bass punch and richness. It is quicker decaying, so separation is similar but overall, the Astrolith is notably more dynamic, textured and authentic with less tubbiness. This yields most benefit within the midrange. The Astrolith has a bit more presence and a cleaner tone and body. While it shares a light warm tone and full-bodied expression, the Astrolith lacks the same chestiness as the Emerald Sea.

The Andro does have a more articulate top-end but overall, its midrange does lack transparency by comparison. At the same time, both are well matched for resolving power, the Astrolith doing so with an improved voicing. When it comes to the top-end, both are on the brighter side. The Emerald Sea has notably more lower-treble presence in addition to a smaller mid treble presence. In turn, it’s a bit more incisive with a sharper note attack and greater crispness. It has slightly better fine detail retrieval in the foreground.

By comparison, the Astrolith has a bit more note body and texture. It has better background and micro detail retrieval, extending similarly well into the top octave meaning you get a lovely sparkle on top. The Emerald Sea matches its extension but doesn’t have quite the same resolving power at the very top. Soundstage wise, the Emerald Sea stretches a bit wider while the Astrolith is more rounded with greater depth. The Astrolith chiefly has better separation, and it layers a bit better, the Emerald Sea being no slouch, that said.

Fir E12 ($1799): The E12 has a V-shaped and engaging sound profile but has been executed differently. Firstly, the E12 has a bit more bass with a bigger sub-bass especially and a similar sharp fall off through the mid and upper bass. Both earphones are thick, weighted and structured. The E12 sounds a bit more dynamic, it hits harder and is slightly tighter and more aggressive. By comparison, the Astrolith is a bit more natural and balanced, it has a quicker decaying mid-bass, producing a slightly quicker and more defined low end. The midrange is slightly more present on the E12, but both are laid-back overall.

The E12 sounds tonally cleaner but also thinner and cooler due to its sharper midrange peak. By comparison, the Astrolith is a bit more organic. It has greater note body and is more forgiving but also sacrifices some separation in so doing.  Both earphones are quite articulate, the E12 slightly more so, the Astrolith being slightly more even metered. When it comes to treble, the E12 has a more incisive bite in the lower-treble. Percussion and the leading edge of notes are more defined and highlighted to the listener.

The Astrolith provides a slightly smoother foreground and sacrifices an iota of fine detail in so doing. However, above, it does yield notably superior background and micro detail, bringing out the small nuances better in the top octaves. The Astrolith delivers a larger stage with more separation between vocals and instruments. The E12 has higher coherence but also less defined layering so it isn’t quite as immersive overall. Otherwise, the E12 offers superior separation which aids detail retrieval and perception.

Lime Ears Pneuma (1800 EUR): ThePneuma is another IEM that has a very intriguing driver setup with both DD and BA woofers. It has an adjustable bass boost and is a closer competitor to the Astrolith with this activated – which I will use for the following comparisons. With bass boost activated, the Pneuma becomes an L shaped IEM that puts bass slightly at the forefront with mids and highs just behind. The Astrolith even then is slightly bassier. The tuning on both is similar with the Pneuma being a tad warmer in the mid-bass and slightly less sub-bass biased as a result. Its note timbre is a bit more natural and the Pneuma is a bit faster and tighter overall. The Astrolith meanwhile, is more textured and visceral. It has notably higher dynamics and isn’t far behind detail wise.

The midrange is more balanced on the Pneuma and more even in its tuning. This gives it a cleaner tone and greater presence. There is improved balanced between male and female vocals. The Astrolith is a bit more forgiving being fuller, more laid-back and a bit more colourful and vibrant. The Astrolith is a bit more articulate and has better upper-midrange extension giving it a more engaging presentation. The Penuma while cleaner and more natural also isn’t quite as resolving.

The Astrolith has a brighter and more energetic top-end while the Pneuma once again for a more even-handed approach. Both have a small lower-treble bump. The Astrolith overall is more resolving through the top-end. Not only due to its greater brightness in the mid-treble but also generally higher note definition. The Pneuma isn’t too far behind but lacks the same extension and sparkle, thereby missing some micro details at the very top. The Astrolith also has a notably larger stage. The Pneuma has great separation and very tight, sharp imaging but the Astrolith is more immersive and holographic due to its technical ability and tuning.

Verdict –

Campfire Audio has been on a crusade to create IEMs encapsulating the fun, subjective side of the hobby. In transparency, they’ve done so with mixed success but the beauty in failure is that it necessitates improvement and innovation. The Astrolith feels like the epitome of that principle. Campfire Audio has toyed with bassy dynamic driver and hybrid IEMs before, but the dual planar setup finally offers the capability to rein in and control a big, meaty bass. This means you get immensely satisfying dynamics whilst still retaining nuance, texture and tightness. Though the midrange is laid-back, it is much cleaner and more naturally voiced than previous bassy CFA IEMs. Still, this won’t be the IEM of choice for mid and vocal lovers due to its coloured nature and V-shaped tonality. Up top, the Astrolith is energetic and a touch too vibrant at times but also incredibly resolving of the minutiae. This contributes to a spacious and holographic soundstage that rounds off an overall highly engaging listening experience. Once again, Campfire Audio demonstrates that you don’t have to be a purist to enjoy the hobby and their IEMs don’t have to be textbook perfect to kick serious butt. The Astrolith isn’t perfectly versatile, offering nothing but a fun, engaging listen with technical ability on the highest level.

The Astrolith is available from Campfire Audio (International) for $2199 USD at the time of writing. I am not affiliated with CFA and receive no earnings from purchases made through these links.

Track List – 

Billie Eilish – dont smile at me

Bob Seger – Night Moves

Courtney Barnett – Rae Street

Cream – Wheels of Fire

Dire Straits – Communique

Dirty Loops – Next To You

Eagles – Hotel California

Elton John – Honky Chateau

Fleetwood Mac – Rumours

H.E.R – I Used To Know Her

Jasen – BYE

John Mayer – Continuum

Kanye West – Ye

Missy Higgins – The Sound of White

Radiohead – OK Computer

TALA – ain’t leavin` without you

The Beatles – Abbey Road

The weeknd – After Hours

Vampire Weekend – Father of the Bride