Closer Examination

We saw before that the Campfire Audio Satsuma ships ready to go with the cable already attached to the ear buds, and the company is using MMCX for the actuation connection. This is a locking connector you need to be careful with when installing and removing, and certainly don't tug on the cable to remove it lest you rip the wiring off the connector. I like the use of the 90° angled housing for the 3.5 mm TRS plug, which will play better with some portable audio sources or combinations. The included cable is effectively a streamlined version of the Campfire Audio Smoky Litz cable, so much so that the company calls this the "Smoky Lite" in that it has a smoky gray jacket over the actual wiring inside, which in turn consists of four individual silver-plated copper conductors braided together. The four cables split into two midway and then go to molded ear-hooks at the end rather than using memory wire as most brands. There is also a hybrid beryllium and copper MMCX connector on each end that is rated for increased longevity and durability to connects/disconnects, and we see blue/red dots on the ends, along with L/R markings to again indicate which ear bud each cable goes to.


Removing the cable involves using either your nails between the male and female ends of the MMCX connectors or carefully pulling on the housing of the connector on the cable while keeping the ear buds parallel to avoid rotary forces. It would have been nice to see a tool included to remove the connector, which that multi-tool from before doesn't really do. I've had hands on a fair few IEMs recently, which are all designed with portability in mind to where they have to be lightweight throughout. Some, such as the Ikko OH10, buck the trend somewhat in going with a heavy copper shell. Others aim to cut down on the weight by adopting a smaller form factor or going with lighter materials, such as resin and aluminium. With the Satsuma, Campfire Audio combines both factors in having not only a lighter cable than average, but also a smaller footprint for the ear buds, which in turn have an ABS plastic construction. Indeed, at ~6 g each and really testing my weighing balance, these are probably the lightest IEMs I've tested to date. We also see that these indeed ship with the size M memory foam tips pre-installed.


The Campfire Audio Satsuma is named after the fruit, which explains the orange color for the 3D printed ABS plastic shell. The design itself is based on knowledge gained from all the custom-fit IEMs made by the company, which then gets tuned further into what it calls the Tuned Acoustic Expansion Chamber™ (T.A.E.C.). This acoustic chamber, which is effectively the shell here, dictates the frequency response of the hardware inside, all the more important given there is a single balanced armature driver. The 3D print quality is plenty fine and smooth, but there remain telltale signs of where the print job began and ended in order to accommodate the items inside two sections of the chamber.

We get more rounded corners than actual curves too, which ultimately gives the Satsuma a different enough look from the average IEM. There is still a clear ergonomic design in place, just not as obvious as some others. For branding purposes, the truncated company logo is printed on the bottom of the outer surface area, and we see the MMCX connector poking through the ABS housing around it. There are actually no vents in place here at all, which is a bold move since there will be isolation galore, but these might also get hot after a while. Campfire Audio's signature steel spout nozzle makes a return, but is again reduced in size all the way to where smaller ears should not have any issues, either. The holes cut into the nozzle are larger than I'd like, but will do the job in blocking out most, if not all, contaminants from entering the acoustic chamber.


Fitting the other tips is trivial since there is a notch on the spout to hold them in place. Seen above are the Campfire Audio silicone tip (top right) and final Type-E silicone tip, both in size M (bottom left). The Type-E tip sits closer to the acoustic chamber and thus also has the nozzle of the spout peeking through the tip core more so than with the usual style of silicone tips, including the unbranded ones Campfire Audio includes. Depending on 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. As such, in the absence of other options at this time, I chose to use them primarily with my trusty FiiO E17.