Campfire Audio goes wireless with Orbit, its first true wireless earbuds

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Campfire Audio goes wireless with Orbit, its first true wireless earbuds

Note: This article was first published on 13 March 2023.

The Campfire Audio Orbit (Image source: Campfire Audio)

Most audiophiles view true wireless earbuds with disdain. Yes, they are very convenient but why would anyone sacrifice audio fidelity by listening to music over a compromised medium of transmission?

Well, it's because the convenience they offer outweighs whatever perceived gains in audio quality that a wired setup might offer. Campfire Audio is well aware of this and has just launched the Orbit, its very first true wireless earbuds.

While many brands these days are chasing features like active noise cancellation and various transparency and listening modes, Campfire Audio is taking a different approach to their earbuds by focusing on sound. After all, it is the way that their IEMs sound that made the company so famous and well-loved by audiophiles.

The Orbit has stainless steel spouts. (Image source: Campfire Audio)

So if you are looking for active noise cancellation, this isn't the earbud for you. Instead, the Orbit is banking on its 10mm liquid crystalline polymer (LCP) dynamic driver to deliver the goods.

Fans of Campfire Audio will immediately recognise the Orbit for the way that it sounds. The overall tonality is similar to other Campfire Audio products.

The overall sound is dark and smooth, but with a bit of spice in the treble. The bass is clearly elevated – it's punchy and powerful, but still clean. The mids are present and there's a bit of sparkle and air in the treble for a bit of bite. It's not a sound signature that anyone would call neutral but I find it entertaining and very easy to get into.

Battery life is good. It's rated at 8.5 hours on a single charge with an extra 30 hours in the case. I could easily get through an entire day and week before I had to charge the case. It charges over USB-C and the case supports wireless charging.

Connection is via Bluetooth 5.2 with support for AAC, aptX, and SBC codecs. The Orbit are also IPX5 water-resistant so you can exercise with them.

The app gets the job done but is a little unpolished at this point.

Like most true wireless earbuds these days, the Orbit has an app. It's called the Campfire Audio app and it shows you the battery levels and lets you customise the earbuds' touch control functionality and sound via equaliser settings.

However, the app is a bit unpolished at this point. For example, there are seven preset equaliser settings to choose from but they are only listed in numbers and there's no telling what is being adjusted. I'm told they correspond to settings like "Rock", "Pop", and "Metal," and that these labels will be added in a future update.

I think fans of Campfire Audio's sound signature will be very happy with the Orbit. Now they can enjoy the convenience of true wireless earbuds without giving up on the unique audio signature of Campfire Audio's IEMs.

Would we see a more advanced version with more bells and whistles like active noise cancellation? Only time will tell.