Introduction

Campfire Audio is a relatively new company in the IEM world, having come out as an offspring of ALO (Audio Line Out) Audio which itself started in 2009. The company prides itself on experimenting with different materials and techniques for the production of earphones, all of which are individually assembled by hand in Portland, OR (USA). The brand has been known for more premium offerings to date, so it was all the more surprising to hear of not one, but two new releases that are much more budget-friendly than the norm from the company. We take a look at the Satsuma today, and thanks to Campfire Audio for providing TechPowerUp a review sample!


The Satsuma is one of two new releases, with the other the Campfire Audio Honeydew that will be reviewed separately. The two might as well be twins in that the conceptualization for both had a common base—a back to basics ideology with a focus on such features as "customized acoustic chambers, full-range balanced armature drivers, and quality cabling over convenient add-ons, such as voice command and wireless capabilities" in the company's own words. The two are tuned quite differently, so treating them more like fraternal twins would be apt. Let's find out more about the Campfire Audio Satsuma in this review that begins with a look at the specifications in the table below.

Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

Whenever a brand is known for 4-figure IEMs more than anything else, I worry about what shortcuts are taken when it aims to hit a lower budget. So when these arrived, I was not surprised that the actual packaging was on the smaller side. I went in expecting a more barebones unboxing too, but was certainly surprised! Packaging for the Campfire Audio Satsuma begins with a plastic seal over the box, which has a very colorful front with a render of the earphones underneath an equally colorful logo, all placed like a badge over a mint-color base that has gold speckles all over. There is contact information alongside some marketing features on the side, and we see a seal on the back over what we now find out was more of a gift-box style wrapper which unfurls to reveal the actual product box.


The box is a similar orange in color as the earphone buds themselves, with the Campfire Audio logo in a shiny gold lettering with what looks to be a depiction of a starry night over a mountain and trees, perhaps to depict the Portland area native to the brand. More of the gold speckles are seen all over the box, which you need to see in person to better appreciate. That will hold your attention for just long enough to realize you need to now go ahead and open the box, which congratulates you on a job nicely done. Everything relevant to the user experience is packed inside two containers, which makes for highly space-efficient packaging.


Well, that was a white lie. There is some paperwork seen underneath, which includes a user manual going over the do's and don'ts of the Satsuma as it pertains to using the cable with the MMCX connectors and fitting them in your ears. There is also a customer service card for you to jot down the serial number for any warranty-related issues, and both have the same design on the outer surface as with the wrapper from before. The accessory box is made out of cardboard similar to the product box and uses the same color and design scheme, just with a truncated logo over it. It opens up to reveal two drawstring fabric pouches, each of which has two separate compartments, a cleaning tool, and a note about one of the ear tip sets being from final audio, which we have separately seen elsewhere.


I have to voice my displeasure at these pouches, however. One contains a set of silicone ear tips in sizes S/M/L and memory foam ear tips in sizes S/L, so M is presumably pre-installed on the IEMs, and the other contains a set of final audio Type-E silicone ear tips as well as a metal pin using the truncated Campfire Audio logo. Getting these things out of those tiny compartments is harder than it needs to be, and I don't even have large hands to begin with. There are going to be fabric shavings all over your desk, or wherever else you do the unboxing, and any static electricity in the area will multiply by a few orders of magnitude once these are on your hands. Sure, it looks cute, but is quite impractical to where I would rather have everything in plastic bags similar to the one the pin comes in.

The actual contents are quite nice, though. Campfire Audio throws in a plethora of its own silicone ear tips in various sizes to go with memory foam tips, which are nice to see, but ups the ante further with the final Type-E tips that rest on the entrance of the ear tips for a more comfortable, albeit potentially less secure and isolating fit. The pin is nice to look at once before putting it back into the box, at least in my opinion, and the tool is only useful as a brush despite the multiple potential applications with the wire clip and magnetic point.


No such complaints about the carry case, though. It is a new size and design for the Campfire Audio brand, a leafy green-colored canvas case from Portugal with quite a durable finish all around, and the canvas provides good protection in use. Stitching is nicely done, and there is a good-sized zipper that goes around the top to open the case, which we also see has the logo in black on the front. Inside is a third of those drawstring bags, removing which we see a soft lining all around the inner surface of the case. This bag holds the IEM buds and cable, which are connected out of the box with the cable held on the outside using the same hook-and-loop connectors that keep the cable tidied up.