Campfire Audio Bonneville Review: Soothing Clarity
The beloved American brand Campfire Audio once again came back with a new wave of IEM series, the Chromatic Series. Campfire Audio has been refreshing their line-up with different concepts yet this one feels extra special due to several reasons. First, the Chromatic Series is available in CIEM versions and uses resin shells which both are the first for Campfire Audio. This new series is available in four different models: Cascara, Ponderosa, Supermoon, and Bonneville. Today we’ll be reviewing Bonneville – the flagship of the Chromatic Series.
Generous Packaging
The redesigned Campfire packaging has a colorful and vintage look. Each Chromatic Series model is designed with their own color theme and vintage design patterns, and the theme color of Bonneville is dark pink. There are two packaging options available for Bonneville – Deluxe Edition and Essential Edition.
The Deluxe Edition ($1599) comes with a premium leather case, three Time Stream cables (2.5/3.5/4.4mm), a cushioned cable bag, a mesh bag, a cleaning tool, an exclusive pin, 3 pairs of silicone tips, and 3 pairs of foam tips. The Essential version ($1399) is excluded with only comes with a 3.5mm cable along with a mesh bag, a Breezy Bag Standard, a cleaning tool, and the same 6 pairs of eartips. Each accessory is available in either black or pink and can be chosen individually according to your preference.
Earpieces: Full Resin & Ergonomic
For the acoustic drivers, Bonneville uses Campfire’s beloved 3BA+1DD hybrid setup but with everything revamped to meet the new standard and sound signature. The new dual-magnetic dynamic driver handles the bass with greater efficiency and accuracy than the older generation woofers. The balanced armatures sport Knowles’ new dual-diaphragm transducers, assigning one of them for the mids and the other two for the highs.
The Chromatic Series is Campfire Audio’s first customizable, acrylic IEMs. Bonneville is available in either CIEM or UIEM and also in pink or black. The CIEM fitting option ($400) also comes with two different fitting options – Audiophile fit or Artist first which differs in the depth of insertion. These new acrylic earpieces are light and well-built with the surface polished and cured flawlessly.
As for the UIEM, the fit is incredibly comfortable and provides a tight seal, already offering a comfort level that gets close to using a CIEM. To continue Campfire Audio’s history of using metal shells, the faceplate is topped with an extruded metal component that also sports the MMCX cable connectors. These metal component designs differ among the Chromatic Series which makes it easier to tell them apart.
Three Time Stream Cables
Campfire has also introduced a new stock cable called the Time Stream(s). Bonneville comes with three Time Stream cables, which are all MMCX terminated but with different audio plugs – 2.5mm, 3.5mm, and 4.4mm. The silver-plated copper wires are insulated individually which gives a flat look like some old electric cables we’ve seen back then. However, Time Stream cables are softer than most other stock cables and don’t cause microphonics.
It’s truly commendable that Campfire has included three identical cables with different cable terminations. Some may say “Why not just use a modular plug?” From a technical aspect, avoiding modular plugs and sticking with the classic one-termination cable is better for audio quality. From a realistic standpoint, it could’ve been that it’s easier to offer cables in every single termination than designing a modular plug that is reliable and convenient. Anyhow, from a user’s perspective, I’m happier with three cables than one. Kudos to Campfire Audio for not abandoning the 2.5mm termination.
Next Page: Sound Impressions / Comparisons