Campfire Audio hasn’t garnered plaudits from audiophiles for its IEM-style wired buds, but the dedicated earphone specialist is now finally moving into the realm of cable-free audio, with the new Orbit wireless.
As much a luxury lifestyle brand as it is a high-end headphone maker, Orbit maintains the Portland firm’s habit of outdoorsy design. The two-tone buds feature a slightly unconventional, geometric shape that the company claims helps comfort as well as heighten their solid sense of heft.
The cans house 10mm dynamic drivers with a Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP) film diaphragm, which Campfire says provides a “dynamic listening” with plenty of low-end power, while their LCP diaphragms provide clarity, space and power for a “sharing, rhythmic listen”. .
Orbit is compatible with Bluetooth 5.2 and can support wireless streams up to 24-bit/48kHz thanks to AAC and aptX Adaptive codec support.
There’s a fairly standard battery life of 8.5 hours from a single charge, while the charging case provides another 30 hours of playback via USB-C or Qi wireless charging.
You won’t find any physical buttons on the buds, as all playback and volume are managed via touch controls on the cases instead. In the box, you get a selection of silicone and foam ear tips in various sizes for a perfect fit, as well as a USB-C to USB-C charging cable and a Campfire Audio pin badge.
There’s no noise cancellation, but there are dedicated apps for Android and iOS that let you adjust a seven-band EQ, create and recall presets as well as update firmware.
Campfire Audio Orbit is now available directly from the Campfire website (Opens in a new tab) For $249 / £249 (about AU$450).
Analysis: Wireless buds are long overdue from Campfire — but where’s the ANC?
Ever since Campfire Audio’s ultra-luxury wired Trifecta monitors blew our minds earlier this year (now officially available, for $3,375 / £3,399) (Opens in a new tab)), we hoped that one day the brand would branch out into the world of true wireless Bluetooth models.
That day has finally come with the launch of the Orbit—and it packs a surprisingly affordable mid-range price tag to boot.
The MSRP seems less impressive when you notice that active noise cancellation is conspicuous by its absence within Campfire audio, ahem, Orbit. It’s a feature we’ve come to expect at this price point, especially when it’s a major selling point for the likes of the Sony WF-1000XM4 Wireless Earbuds—our current pick for the best noise-canceling headphones on the market.
However, Campfire Audio’s reputation for performance goes before that, and we’re eager to see how the Orbit lines up sonically with those on our best in-ear headphones of 2022 list.