Introduction

Campfire Audio has been busy lately having brought out its first ever TWS set, the Orbit. While the set had its share of issues in my testing, which isn't too surprising given the US-based audio brand is primarily known for its wired IEMs, it did enough to interest many fans of the brand. But that still paled in comparison to the general audiophile response to the new flagship Trifecta which launched late last year. It kickstarted a new series of IEM releases that continued in February with a new colorway Trifecta termed Astral Plane in addition to complete redesigns of two extremely popular Campfire Audio products in the form of the Andromeda and Solaris. Campfire Audio was kind enough to provide a review sample of the new Solaris Stellaris Horizon to TechPowerUp and needless to say I was excited to see how the more premium offerings from the brand sounded after having reviewed its more affordable sets already.


If you are new to IEMs and Campfire Audio's lineup, then let me mention right away that the Solaris, as well as the Andromeda, have had a few different revisions since the original set was launched a few years ago. Those would be best described as evolutions to the same formula, but the new Solaris Stellar Horizon aims to be a revolution in that nearly everything has been designed from scratch. I have not had the pleasure of listening to any of the previous versions admittedly so I will be treated this as a brand new set as usual. This is a premium set that clearly looks the part looking at the teaser photos above with the shiny gold inlay and the dark black background in addition to a different shell design than the other Campfire Audio IEMs I've used to date. It no doubt uses knowledge gained during the development of the PATHFINDER collab set and has a hybrid driver configuration with some novel driver technologies inside. I've also heard about an unboxing experience unlike any other so let's not waste more time and begin this review with a look at the product specifications in the table below.

Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

Every single Campfire Audio (CFA) product I have reviewed so far has come in a square box that opens up like a present. Imagine my surprise when the Solaris Stellar Horizon showed up in a large, heavy rectangular box with a volcanic eruption scene depicted on the front. The company logo and product name are also seen in addition to renders of the IEMs themselves but suffice to say this is quite a start already. The scene continues on the back and sides where we get contact info for Campfire Audio and salient features and contents listed. The starry night makes a return here to tie this in with the rest of the brand's product boxes as we realize it was a wrap placed over a wooden box. A hand-built, laser cut wooden product box is quite premium if I say so myself. There's a short illustration showing how this comes together as a display box, as we will see on the next page, and the CFA logo is laser etched on the side. Lift up the lid to reveal the same artwork from earlier now risograph printed on the underside and allowing us access to the multi-layered unboxing experience inside.


Going from bottom to top, we have a documentation folder containing paperwork in the form of a reference guide (online copy here), a certificate of ownership in fancy font that has the serial number of the unit and the signature of the person who assembled everything, a postcard for the Solaris Stellar Horizon, and some lore if you were inclined to read. The middle layer has two small boxes, one of which contains a 3D printed display hand that fits into an opening in the backstop as seen above. Interestingly, this display hand appears to be different in color/design compared to those included with the Campfire Audio Trifecta and Andromeda Emerald Sea.


The other box has a cleaning brush tool, a Campfire Audio lacquer lapel pin, and the ear tips that ship with the Solaris Stellar Horizon. We get two sets of silicone and marshmallow (foam) tips in sizes S/M/L and I did take the liberty of removing the pre-installed size M foam tips from the IEMs to include in the photos above. I would have liked to see more tip options given the premium nature of the set but also acknowledge that customers of this product are more likely to already have their own preferred aftermarket IEM ear tips they use anyway.


The middle layer also has what Campfire Audio calls a Ripstop cable pouch, which is a soft but durable fabric pouch with magnets to help open/close it. This is black in color for the Solaris Stellar Horizon and has the truncated CFA logo stitched on the front. In fact, the pouch is stitched all around neatly and on the inside to result in two separate pockets that contain the two spare cables which ship with the Solaris Stellaris Horizon—more on this later.


Rounding off the impressive accessories selection is a second case which CFA calls a "dimensional leather folding case in dark matter black." This is a fancy leather case that looks like a purse from a fashion brand, down to the use of an embossed logo and a gold carabiner on the side. Magnets are used here too to keep it closed and inside we see two pockets again. The IEMs come pre-installed with one of the cables and ear tips, thus making it ready to go right away. The shells are placed inside a Campfire Audio-branded mesh IEM bag. There is plenty of room in this case to house the other cables, ear tips, or even a portable DAC/amp, if not even a DAP.


Before we get to a closer examination of the IEMs and the cables separately, I had to first separate the IEMs from the pre-installed 3.5 mm cable. A quick look here reveals the use of Campfire Audio's excellent custom beryllium/copper MMCX connectors rather than the usual softer and potentially less durable brass. Carefully dislodge the connectors by holding one of the IEM shells in one hand and applying outward pressure on the cable connector with the other without wiggling things sideways or up/down. Repeat this with the other side and you are good to go!