SPL: 94 dB @ 1 kHz: 66.37 mVrms
Impedance: 22.5Ω @ 1 kHz
THD: Less than 1%
Fİnal Score
Introduction
Greetings from the last days of July. I’m here with a review of Campfire Audio’s latest planar-driven iem, the Moon Rover.
With its astonishing capabilities, its need for a lot of power and its transparent mid-range, let’s see what Moon Rover has in store for us.
I got my own product with the intention of writing an independent review. After spending about 300 hours, I started writing this review.
Design & Build
Like every Campfire product, Moon Rover welcomes us with a great box and presentation. Here’s exactly what comes out of the box:
- Super Smoky Litz – Classic, premium, upgrade cable, with eight, silver-plated copper conductors with thicker wire gauge for increased resolution and technicalities.
- Select Case; Handmade Leather ‘Dimensional Folding’ Case in pebbled gray.
- Earphone Tips: Marshmallow and Silicon – Various Sizes
- IEM Cleaning Tool – Keep your earphones performing their best with a gentle cleaning
- Breezy Bag Micro Two-Pocket Mesh – Keep your earphones protected and separated with cushioned individual pockets
- Campfire Premium Microfiber Cloth – Earphones, glasses, computer screens, all smudge free!
The accessories that come with it are very high quality and premium, they remind me of Astrolith.
Shells
Classic Campfire design combined with an exquisite color. Fit and insulation are good. The shells cosmetically resemble a rare meteorite. These shells, which I wonder how scratch resistant they are, contain a 12mm planar driver and yet they are small enough in size.
Synergy
Campfire Audio Moon Rover With Shanling M9Plus
As with many of my iems, I listened to Moon Rover with the Shanling M9plus to see its full potential. The result is really fantastic. First of all, Moon Rover needs a lot of power. And when you give him this power, it is not unrequited. I find this pairing complementary in terms of timbre. In addition, the M9plus reveals all the technical performance of the Moon Rover. A very successful mid-range, a tonality with great balance for a planar. I can say that the M9plus is especially good for the lower frequencies in Moon Rover. In the treble, I found the amount of extension a bit too much. This is due to the Moon Rover, but the Moon Rover makes up for it with its speed.
Campfire Audio Moon Rover With iBasso D16 Taipan
Good match good sound. That’s what synergy is all about. When Moon Rover D16 is combined with Taipan, the resulting synergy takes away some things and adds others. In a nutshell, the iBasoo D16 Taipan reins in more of the Moon Rover’s upper treble, while maintaining the timbre, resulting in a more pleasing top end. On the other hand, it adds more midbass and body to the already midbass-oriented Moon Rover, which has a tiny peak around 2khz. The result is still very good because you still have mid-push. From these two different pairings two different sounds emerge: open-bright-micentric and full-bodied-warm-midcentric. I leave it to you to choose, let’s meet in the comments.
Campfire Audio Moon Rover vs Noble Kadence
I used the Shanling M9plus for this comparison. The Noble cadence was comfortable with 20/100 at H gain, while the campfire Moon rover wanted as much as 36/100 at H gain. Moon Rover is a much more difficult to drive iem. While the Noble Kadence has a tonality that adds extra mid above the reference curve, the Campfire Audio Moon Rover is warmer and U-shaped. In the lower frequencies the Moon Rover has more extension and intensity, while the Noble Kadence offers a much softer bass response in this area. The Moon Rover offers a bigger bass with better sub extension. The Moon Rover has a pronounced upper bass-lower mid peak compared to the Kadence. The bass guitar is more prominent on the Moon Rover. When it comes to the mids, the Noble Kadence takes the wheel. Violins and woodwinds are clearer and more separated on the Kadence. When it comes to guitars, both are good and equal, but Kadence puts the guitar in the forefront. Female vocals are positioned closer to the surface on Kadence. Moon Rover’s upper trebles are more prominent, but Kadence’s trebles extend better. At this point, however, Moon Rover is more capable of capturing fast cymbals. More air frequencies are more prominent on the Moon Rover.
Technically, both perform close, but Kadence is slightly more homogeneous. Kadence has a deeper soundstage while Moon Rover has a longer soundstage. In terms of timbre, Kadence is more successful. Both offer similar detail retrieval and texture. The bottom line is that the Campfire Audio Moon Rover puts up a good fight despite being $400 cheaper, but Kadence wins this matchup by a nose.
Sound
Let’s get to my favorite and I think the most important part. Overall pure sound. Of course, a planar in-ear headphone is not for every genre, but if you want to listen to instruments, the Campfire Moon Rover is surprisingly impressive.
Bass
Campfire Audio Moon Rover has a character in the lower frequencies that adds warmth and body to the sound. Due to the nature of the planar driver, midbass is more prominent in this area. The sub-bass extension is not that much. But it doesn’t lag behind the music. Instrumentally, there is enough texture and warmth here. The note weight is adequate and it has a structure that gets closer and dissipates as you go deeper. Other than that, the bass is fast and close to the neutral range.
Mid
The mid-range is by far Moon Rover’s strongest part. Generally transparent and detailed. Male vocals are bodied and female vocals are emotional. Instrument textures are generally well rendered. Breathing spaces are adequate. All the instruments sound just right with Moon Rover, without any loss and with the right timbre. A little bit warm and a little bit analytical, it starts to shine as you get closer to the top. The mids are like a U-shape with plenty of space.
Treble
Campfire Audio Moon Rover has bright and bold lower trebles. There is a lot of extension in the upper treble. Overall, Moon Rover is generous with the treble. Air frequencies are quite detailed. The upper range is generally bright but not harsh. If I were judging it on its own, I might make negative comments, but I find this treble structure in harmony with the overall sound. It’s natural and consistent enough. The upper treble is analytical and colorful in character. As a personal preference, it can be paired with warmer sources or cables.
Technique
Very clear, high resolution. Campfire Audio Moon Rover is capable of reproducing good detail. It works particularly well in the mid-range. The soundstage has a good width and average depth. The separation is well, the layering is average and the positioning skill is above average.
I find the technique of this iem to be good. It has a very isobaric frequency response and a great reaction to powerful sources. The only point I would criticize is homogeneity. I also observed this in the Ara model, one of the legends of 2020. The resolution is average at the low end and increases as you go up. The tops are crystal clear. There is no major homogeneity problem, but I also felt this effect slightly on Moon Rover.
Last Words
Campfire Audio Moon Rover is a good planar-driver iem with superior mid-range and accurate timbre. If you are an instrumental music listener you might want to consider this iem.
