Compared to Campfire Audio Moon Rover (Product link)
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration if I say Astrolith is Moon Rover’s “perfection”. Or at least how Moon Rover would sound after going through an absolute flagship-tier driver upgrade and tuning polishing. Moon Rover shares the same DNA with Astrolith in terms of tonal balance, and overall characteristics – such as sound signature, nuance, texture feel, etc. However, as anyone would expect, Astrolith makes a big leap from Moon Rover in every aspect of sound performance.
I’d say the biggest differences come from the vocals and soundstage. Moon Rover’s vocals are also incredibly well-tuned and stable throughout the range, yet it still quite doesn’t get close to achieving the vocal scale, density, and full-bodiedness that Astrolith has. While still prominent in presentation, Moon Rover’s vocals are also slightly more recessed compared to Astrolith.
However, I need to stress that this comparison between Astrolith and Moon Rover was made as their traits were very similar, and because Moon Rover would be a relatable comparison. This comparison is not meant to turn down Moon Rover as this is a wonderfully-tuned IEM as it is. We need to consider the significant price gap – Moon Rover is priced at $1199, making almost only half of what Astrolith goes for ($2199).
Moreover, while the performance still persists, the deep nuanced, groovy yet linear bass, as well as the incredibly refined and silky treble characteristics, are extremely similar if not nearly identical to Astrolith. So if you want to experience Campfire Audio’s next chapter and CA’s stellar planar tuning ability, Moon Rover would be a much affordable purchase. Similarly, if you loved the sound of Astrolith but placed out of your budget, Moon Rover won’t disappoint you as it would deliver most of the stuff you loved from Astrolith.
Compared to Nostalgia Audio Durandal (Review Coming Soon!)
The Durandal is Nostalgia Audio’s most recent release, featuring a tribrid (DD+BC+BA) 7-driver system, and goes for $2419 which is similar to Astrolith. Despite the obvious differences in driver usage and counts, these two are interestingly similar to each other in both sound signature and performance, but with noticeable differences. Durandal has a slightly lesser sub-bass quantity, which contributes to the vocals being relatively linear (yet still neutral-thickness to give a full-bodied mid-range).
Furthermore, on the vocals, Astrolith’s vocals have better density and thickness, whereas Durandal’s vocals introduce more air and cleaner aftertaste, and a gentle sense of “emptiness” for the vocals to make their gentle decay and airflow. Astrolith’s overall timbre is thick, warm, and luke-dark. Astrolith’s sound is ideal for those who seek deep depth, seriousness, and that in-depth feeling that pulls you into the music.
On the other hand, Durandal’s pulls you into the music in a different way – while Astrolith feels more like it pulls you down to the music world, Durandal is more like it introduces you to the music world – creating a neutral and natural atmosphere that is immersive, with the center-point of the sound placed exactly in the middle.
As for the trebles, Astrolith’s trebles have more “meat” and density, yet more smoothened out in texture grains. Durandal has less density but is more refined and silky. The treble performances and quantities for these IEMs are also in the same league. Speaking of the center point, the scaling of the soundstage of these two earphones is similar but with a difference in that Astrolith sets its center point (or its basis of the sound) on the lower side, focusing more on the depth and stability driven by the low-end, whereas Durandal expands at the center evenly and three-dimensionally.
While both IEMs have excellent dynamics and overall balance, if choosing between them, Durandal would be an ideal choice for those who seek a cleaner, more reference-like tuning that has more brilliance and upper-end airiness. Astrolith, on the other hand, would be ideal for those who want extra full low-mid, thicker density, and more in-depth vocals.
Perhaps the most perfectly-tuned IEM to this date, and not only limited to Campfire IEMs
As a flagship IEM of Campfire Audio, although Astrolith is no cheap product, once listening its technical performance and meticulous tuning make you feel like they’re worth every penny – while the high price tag, makes it feel like a cost-effective IEM punches far up towards the even more expensive summit-fi IEMs.
Astrolith is an IEM that symbolizes the advancement that Campfire has made once again, achieving intensive performance and tuning by using only two planar drivers, which sounds better than many other multi-driver IEMs incorporating all sorts of tribrid or quadbrid drivers. I highly buy Campfire Audio’s perseverance towards striving for their own path rather than simply following the general trend – and I’d say so far the most successful result of their spirit is the Astrolith.