Packaging and Accessories

Every single Campfire Audio (CFA) product I have reviewed so far has come in a square box that opens up like a present. Imagine my surprise when the Solaris Stellar Horizon showed up in a large, heavy rectangular box with a volcanic eruption scene depicted on the front. The company logo and product name are also seen in addition to renders of the IEMs themselves but suffice to say this is quite a start already. The scene continues on the back and sides where we get contact info for Campfire Audio and salient features and contents listed. The starry night makes a return here to tie this in with the rest of the brand's product boxes as we realize it was a wrap placed over a wooden box. A hand-built, laser cut wooden product box is quite premium if I say so myself. There's a short illustration showing how this comes together as a display box, as we will see on the next page, and the CFA logo is laser etched on the side. Lift up the lid to reveal the same artwork from earlier now risograph printed on the underside and allowing us access to the multi-layered unboxing experience inside.


Going from bottom to top, we have a documentation folder containing paperwork in the form of a reference guide (online copy here), a certificate of ownership in fancy font that has the serial number of the unit and the signature of the person who assembled everything, a postcard for the Solaris Stellar Horizon, and some lore if you were inclined to read. The middle layer has two small boxes, one of which contains a 3D printed display hand that fits into an opening in the backstop as seen above. Interestingly, this display hand appears to be different in color/design compared to those included with the Campfire Audio Trifecta and Andromeda Emerald Sea.


The other box has a cleaning brush tool, a Campfire Audio lacquer lapel pin, and the ear tips that ship with the Solaris Stellar Horizon. We get two sets of silicone and marshmallow (foam) tips in sizes S/M/L and I did take the liberty of removing the pre-installed size M foam tips from the IEMs to include in the photos above. I would have liked to see more tip options given the premium nature of the set but also acknowledge that customers of this product are more likely to already have their own preferred aftermarket IEM ear tips they use anyway.


The middle layer also has what Campfire Audio calls a Ripstop cable pouch, which is a soft but durable fabric pouch with magnets to help open/close it. This is black in color for the Solaris Stellar Horizon and has the truncated CFA logo stitched on the front. In fact, the pouch is stitched all around neatly and on the inside to result in two separate pockets that contain the two spare cables which ship with the Solaris Stellaris Horizon—more on this later.


Rounding off the impressive accessories selection is a second case which CFA calls a "dimensional leather folding case in dark matter black." This is a fancy leather case that looks like a purse from a fashion brand, down to the use of an embossed logo and a gold carabiner on the side. Magnets are used here too to keep it closed and inside we see two pockets again. The IEMs come pre-installed with one of the cables and ear tips, thus making it ready to go right away. The shells are placed inside a Campfire Audio-branded mesh IEM bag. There is plenty of room in this case to house the other cables, ear tips, or even a portable DAC/amp, if not even a DAP.


Before we get to a closer examination of the IEMs and the cables separately, I had to first separate the IEMs from the pre-installed 3.5 mm cable. A quick look here reveals the use of Campfire Audio's excellent custom beryllium/copper MMCX connectors rather than the usual softer and potentially less durable brass. Carefully dislodge the connectors by holding one of the IEM shells in one hand and applying outward pressure on the cable connector with the other without wiggling things sideways or up/down. Repeat this with the other side and you are good to go!