Fit and Comfort

Seen above are the three types of ear tips that come with the Campfire Audio Honeydew, in size M, installed on the right ear bud and inserted into an artificial ear mold. I have an averagely sized ears, and the ear mold seen above about perfectly represents my own experiences. Size M silicone tips are my go-to for testing since foam tips are not included by some, and I personally think the standard silicone tips work best here as well. These are relatively tiny IEMs too, having a lot of space around them when in the ear. There is no outward pressure to worry about, or any fatigue as these are just over 6 g each. The only thing to consider is the MMCX connector with its 360° rotation, so you may have to fiddle around slightly to make sure the cable is oriented to go over the back of the ear. The lighter weight and smaller footprint all contribute to making these one of the most comfortable IEMs I have ever tested.

Audio Performance

Audio Hardware

This section is easy enough to talk about because the back-to-basics approach is a nice way of saying there is not much going on inside—more so than on the Satsuma that has a single balanced armature driver. The Campfire Audio Honeydew, on the other hand, uses a single full-range liquid crystalline polymer (LCP) diaphragm dynamic driver that promises more bass boost. Everything else to meet the target frequency response is done with the acoustic chamber in mind, which is where the 3D printing comes into play again. Driving the hardware is quite easy with a rated impedance of just 17.44 Ω at 1 kHz, no aftermarket amps are required. DACs will always go a decent way in the audio experience, however, and a portable DAC/amp might well be part of your collection if you are considering IEMs and other audio solutions in the $150+ price range. Also, the lack of a 3.5 mm audio jack for most phones these days is another reason to consider a DAC/amp that takes digital input and provides a 3.5 mm jack since you will otherwise have to use an adapter anyway, or even a dedicated DAP. If not on the go, space is less of an issue, but the relatively shorter cable might be a potential handicap if connecting to a PC as the audio source. Campfire Audio also rates the signal sensitivity at 94 dB and an interesting frequency response of 5 Hz to 18 kHz, but good luck making use of that range!

Frequency Measurement and Listening

Before we proceed, I will mention that I have a general preference for a V-shaped sound signature emphasizing elevated bass and treble with recessed mids. I also generally prefer instrumental music over vocals, which complements the V-shaped profile.


Our reproducible testing methodology begins with an IEC711 audio coupler/artificial ear that ear buds can feed into enough to where you have decent isolation similar to real ears. The audio coupler feeds into a USB sound card, which in turn goes to a laptop that has ARTA and REW running and the earphones connected to the laptop through the sound card. I begin with an impulse measurement to test for signal fidelity, calibrate the sound card and channel output, account for floor noise, and finally test the frequency response of each channel separately. Octave smoothing is at the 1/6th setting, which nets a good balance of detail and noise not being identified as useful data. Also, the default tuning was used for testing, and no app-based settings were chosen unless specifically mentioned. Each sample of interest is tested thrice with separate mounts to account for any fit issues, and an average is taken of the three individual measurements for statistical accuracy. For IEMs, I am also using the ear mold that fits to the audio coupler for a separate test to compare how the IEMs fare when installed in an ear geometry and not just the audio coupler by itself. The raw data is then exported from REW and plotted in OriginPro for easier comparison.


Now, after calibrating the sound card and accounting for the base floor noise levels, I am a touch more confident about the SPL label, but there is likely still a significant offset across the board owing to the overall resistance and impedance in the system. I should really also normalize the curves to a set frequency, but the IEC711 is such that you can't really compare these results with most other test setups, just within our own library of measurements. What is really useful information is how the left and right channels work across the rated frequency response in the Campfire Audio Honeydew earphones, or at least the useful part of it. The left earbud was separately tested from the right one, and colored differently for contrast. I did my best to ensure an identical fit for both inside the IEC711 orifice, so note how the two are pretty much spot on identical! This is the the second-highest consistency in two channels I have seen to date, bested only by the Campfire Audio Satsuma, and no doubt the use of a simpler driver system paired with a deliberate, individually 3D printed acoustic chamber contributes to this. I will also mention that there was no discernible break-in period or effect, so full marks for reproducibility and consistency since the average response for each channel is also basically the same across the three repeated tests for each.

But what about the actual frequency response? I knew going in that things were going to be tuned differently from the Satsuma, if only because there is the traditional 10 mm flagship-style dynamic driver instead of the balanced armature driver with the Satsuma. This means you get a much more defined bass response, all the way from a skull-shaking sub-bass heavy metal and EDM fans will relish. This elevated lows response continues all the way to ~120 Hz, followed by a smooth transition down to the mids, to where you would be tempted to say this is compliant with a V-shaped profile, though it is not exactly. Let's just say it comes close enough to tickle my fancy personally, though. R&B, rap, and hip hop where you have deeper vocals mixed in with lower frequency tunes are still extremely energetic in the lower mids, and I think this is the strongest case to be made for the Campfire Audio Honeydew, too.

Things get slightly muddy as you progress forward, with female vocals still retaining clarity, but not the expansiveness from before. It gets progressively less impressive the more you get into the highs—gone is the high standard for tonal separation set thus far. To its credit, the company claims no more than having "the lower frequencies covered," and the tuning has clearly met intended goals. The custom LCP dynamic driver also extends further than I originally gave it credit for.


With the artificial ear mold of the test setup, I used a different color to clarify that it is still the right channel, but not directly fitted in the audio coupler (which remains there as a control). Campfire Audio continues to impress with its consistency here, so much so that I will say there is basically no difference between the more ideal scenario of direct insertion into the coupler and to the ear, which in turn better reflects your own listening experience. This is especially the case in the lows and mids, which is the strong suit of the Honeydew. Things get naturally separated further in the highs, but this is also an artifact of my audio coupler and its sensitivity past 10 kHz. I will say that the soundstage is also quite nice and wide. The tuning combined with the acoustic chamber and that driver do a far better job in this regard than we saw on the Satsuma.

Comparison to other IEMs

Speaking of which, here's the obvious comparison to make based on first impressions. We know after the two detailed reviews that both the Campfire Audio Honeydew and Satsuma are tuned quite differently and also target different audiences. The Satsuma is more appropriate for pop, blues, and jazz, with some female vocals being especially strong courtesy a different driver system. This is the reason I am reviewing them separately rather than in a single article. The honeydew is much more energetic and has a punchier bass response at the expense of detail in the highs.

There is another IEM I've tested recently which was also a bass monster, and the Ikko OH10 arguably does that part better. Isolation is better with the Ikko OH10, too, but it is far heavier and larger to where you are not going to listen with the Ikko too long, but will be tempted to leave these on for long periods of time even though it is not healthy to do so. I would describe the Ikko OH10 as more of a brute force, whereas the Campfire Audio Honeydew is more refined with that consistency coming back to push it over the finish line in this comparison.

The other IEM I would compare this directly to is the identically priced Thieaudio Legacy 5, which is technically superior with active crossover involving a total of five drivers, and I personally think it does a better job in appealing to those who prefer the popular V-shaped profile, too. Unfortunately, all those crossovers mean transitions between lows, mids, and highs are not as smooth, and the highs in particular could benefit from a more laid-back approach. There is another similarly priced IEM (FiiO FH5s) that is being tested right now, but it is a whole other beast of its own that requires far more testing before I am comfortable talking about it. Oh, it might be needless to say, but no TWS/wireless earphones tested to date comes close to offering a similar listening experience as the Campfire Audio Honeydew. Given this was part of the company's goals in cutting down app support and wireless connectivity, going with the wired approach paid off where it counts.