Closer Examination

Campfire Audio introduced a new "Smoky Lite" cable that came with the budget-friendly (for the brand) Honeydew and Satsuma, and this time, the Holocene (and Mammoth) get the standard Smoky Litz cable. Except with a few changes. I teased glow-in-the-dark elements with the Campfire Audio Holocene (and Mammoth), which the company justifies this time with the glowing lights and beams your average UFO in science fiction is characterized by, in addition to stars in the night sky. I think it's just a cool gimmick to have no matter the justification, and do think it is funny that the company came up with two just reasons for the same items used on the Mammoth and Holocene. So here too we see the use of overmolds on the connector housing, beginning with the L-shaped 3.5 mm TRS connector. It's a slightly softer housing which then leads to the conductor itself that is a four-strand silver-plated copper Litz cable. The wires are quite similar to the one on the Campfire Audio Smoky Lite cables, but slightly heavier and less prone to tangling, thankfully. This cable has one of the thinnest profile of any I have used all said and done, without much memory retention to allow for easier cable management in use, too. The "smoky" in the name simply refers to the color of the insulation, and the overall resistance as measured from end to end was ~1.9 Ω. There is a low-profile cable splitter and cinch which can be combined cohesively as well, following which two braided strands go to each of the channel connectors, where we also see transparent plastic sheathing before the wires head in. Campfire Audio uses the same hybrid beryllium and copper MMCX connector on each end, rated for increased longevity and durability to connects/disconnects. We see a blue or red dot on these ends, which are somewhat easy to get removed from the new overmolds. Good thing then that subtle L/R markings on the body indicate which ear bud each end goes to.


My first two experiences with Campfire Audio IEMs were the brand's first-ever 3D-printed ABS shells with the Honeydew and Satsuma. Those things were smooth, light, and glued together over the acoustic chamber itself. With the Holocene, as with the Mammoth, the company goes back to machined aluminium as with most of its product portfolio. The shells have a deliberate design that appears hand-finished for the various beveled edges, which then gets anodized in the respective color. You get a smooth finish to the metal coating here, which is uniformly done but still appears to be easier to scratch than I'd like, although scratches aren't as obvious as with the Mammoth shells. As suspected, the IEM buds come with the Size M memory foam tips pre-installed.


The two pieces of the shell are screwed together using three small, black, triangular head screws which I unfortunately do not have the matching bits for to take a closer look inside. The design itself is based on knowledge gained from all the custom-fit IEMs the company has made, which is then tuned further and has the interior acoustic chamber assembly 3D-printed inside these aluminium shells, based on the experience gained from the Satsuma/Honeydew combo. This acoustic chamber dictates the frequency response of the hardware inside, which is all the more important when distinguishing offerings from the myriad of others in an increasingly competitive market. There is still a clear ergonomic design in place, even with the multiple sides and edges on the machined aluminium shells. The truncated company logo is printed on the bottom of the outer surface for branding purposes, once again with a glow-in-the-dark coating for it to shine when it gets darker after being exposed to light. We see the MMCX connector poke through the housing surrounding it on the side. There is a single vent on the outer surface, which should help keep things cool, but not at the expense of isolation. L/R markings are etched into the aluminium on the side going into and touching the concha itself, which helps if not sure which side is which. Campfire Audio's signature steel spout nozzle makes a return, and with a PVD coating to be black for aesthetics and durability alike. The holes cut into the nozzle are larger than I'd like, but will do the job of keeping most, if not all, contaminants from entering the acoustic chamber, such as ear wax, while also shaping the sound signature released into the ear canals.


Fitting the other tips is trivial since there is a notch on the spout to hold them in place. Seen above are the final Type-E silicone tip (left) and Campfire Audio silicone tip (right), and we see the Type-E tips with the smaller bore are tighter over the spout than the wider bore, softer flange Campfire Audio silicone tips. The Type-E tips also sit closer to the acoustic chamber, which can certainly affect the seal as well as the sound signature depending on the fit. Regardless of which of the three types of tips you go with, the next step is to re-connect the cable by carefully pushing the MMCX connector back in place. The right-angled TRS connector then goes to your source. I know there are many who prefer to use IEMs throughout, but I like to use over-ear headphones when sitting down and IEMs/TWS earbuds on the go. I've paired the Holocene with all the tested portable DAC/amps thus and personally liked the cleaner profile + handy EQ options with the Qudelix-5K as the source, in turn paired to my phone and laptop.


I've learned from my experience photographing the CFA Mammoth with its glow-in-the-dark accents, and you can now see how the Holocene glows in darkness after being exposed to some light right before. This includes the case badge and zipper tab, all of which glow green similar to the old-school lume used for years on other products. It's fine in a pinch, but not very effective if it was inside a larger bag in that the lume won't really help you find these. I would have liked a longer-lasting and brighter lume, such as Super-LumiNova that is put to good effect in some watches today.