Campfire Audio Bonneville

I have been in this hobby for more than 25 years and I have owned tons of headphones and IEMs always hoping to find the holy grail.
According to my wife I hold the record Guiness for the amount of items either re-sold or returned.
From Ultimate Ears to JH Audio, Shure, Sennheiser, Beyer Dynamic, UM, Sony, IBasso, Westone....
After spending countless hours watching YouTubers and reading "expert" reviews on Headfi, I concluded that you do not necessarily re-train your ears to enjoy something that you don't. In my experience, you might get away with it for some time, but eventually, you will realize that either something is missing or something does not sound right.
Yes, IEMs can be EQed, and I do have the Quidelix, however, I just do not like playing with parametric IQs.
Fastforward the tape to 2024. I had the fortune to spend almost three weeks in Japan. Our first stop was Tokyo and learned that the biggest headphone store in the world ( E-Earphone) was located there in the Akihabara area.
It was like a dream come true, 4 or 5 floors of glory. All, I mean, every IEM and headphone could be tested. I spent 5 hours the first day and 1 hour the second day. All I can say, is that after trying them ALL, I would always come back to the Bonneville's, regardless the price. The next day I returned, and same thing, my faith had been sealed, at last.
A very efficient set, regardless the specs, they even play louder at the same volume that the Xelentos 2 that are way more efficient on paper. The sound signature is very musical, great punchy bass that does not bleed into the mids, miss are good, male and female vocals sound great without being shouty. And the treble.... it is sweet and sparkly without being harsh.
Currently my sources are and iPhone 15 Pro Max, IBasso DC pro 07, Hiby FC3, Quidelix. I recently tried them with the Apple USB C dongle and they sound terrific as well. My favorite dongle is the IBasso, great match.
My favorite genres are classic and progressive Metal and Jazz, from classic to Nordic.
They all sound amazingly rich and detailed with body , even at moderate volume.
The cable is thick and uncomfortable. My current cable is the Linum SuperBax. In regards the tips Sony Hybrid tips RULE.
Highly recommended.

(When done this line will be removed. I do this to not lose my work.)



This is an interesting iem. It’s got a lot of praise from people. So I’m happy to review it today. A few things. My opinion doesn’t matter, and doesn’t take away from your enjoyment of any product. Please keep that in mind.

This is a set from the watercooler thread. It’s a nice product as most iem are nice products. But do I personally enjoy it, that’s the question.






Let me share what music that I listen to:

Song Choice: Tidal list here:
I listen to a wide variety of music. I pick the songs because of various reasons. But I picture myself locked away like Andy Dufresne from Shawshank blasting music and shut off from the world. It’s a blissful image.
The Marriage of Figaro -The opera song from Shawshank Redemption, terrible recording but fun and gets me in the mood to listen to music.
O mio Babino caro -This is a modern less operatic version but a song with great female vocals.
Video Rigoletto - “La donna e mobile” Sung by one of the three Tenors, great song for high-performing male vocals. Pavarotti is the greatest classic singer maybe ever. Fight me!
Iron man - The sound at the beginning is hard to make sound great, great drums, and cymbals, and if done right it feels like an old-school band.
I Will Survive (1981 recording, I like her voice, and the old vocals, the drums, and various natural instruments really make this a favorite for me.
There is a light That never goes out - Smiths ( A classic, I just love it. It’s mellow, and I can tell a lot of the tuning if this song is done right.)
Jump (I like how the sound effects are in this!)
Star Child Someone recommended this song to me, and I like how funky it sounds and has nice vocals and a mix of music and things going on.
Dicke Titten Ramstein The beginning is amazing and the bass hits hard. Great song. I love rock and metal. The German language fascinates me
Master of Puppets: Very fast song. Helps me determine if the driver can keep up.


This is a newer version of my 10 favorite songs that also work for audiofile music.

This is a copy of a bunch of good audiofile music. Some are on my favorites, but all are great to test headphone tracks. (70+)

This is my favorite overall music. 300+ songs (needs to be edited a bit)




Bass (20-60 Sub Bass, 60-250 Hz Mid Bass)

The Bass of the Campfire Bonneville is the best part. It’s impactful fun, and a good sense around it. Is it world class? No but its very fun and enjoyable.



Midrange (250 HZ to 800 HZ Low Mids, 600-200 Hz Mids, 2000-5000Hz Upper Mids)

The midrange is off to me on this set, it has some minor issues in the lower mids, but in the upper mids is to me an absolute disaster and a bit too much for me. Vocals sound off.

Even like simple Podcasts sound completely off to me. It comes across as unnatural and off.



Treble (5000- 10000 Trebble/Highs, 10000 ++ HZ Upper Trebble & Air)

The upper treble is a bit off and too exaggerated to my ears. Something feels a bit off to me.



Shell -
The shell is pretty, it fits great and I find it an exceptional fit. I’m not a huge fan of metallic shells but this iem feels great in ear. It feels pretty great in ear. I had some minor concerns over the shell of the iem, and I was pleasantly surprised.



Case- The case isn’t something that I prefere but I like the texture of it to help protect the iem when needed.


Cable- The cable comes in 3.5 and it is mmcx. I don’t really like mmcx cables as they are difficult to cable swap. The cable feels nice in hand, but it isn’t my preferred cable.


Graph:


Sound - Final Impressions

While this iem is very good, and almost perfect especially at it’s price it doesn’t fall into the category of “BLIND BUY THIS NAO!!!”, but more of yeah it’s pretty good, enjoyable, but not an Annilator. I welcome the day an iem takes or beats the 2023 Elysian Annilator for me, but this aint it. It’s a super good iem, that I would feel is competitive with it’s peers and either class leading or better. I recently review the hype 4 and loved it. I think the Pilgrim is on par with the Hype 4, and maybe better sonically. I think both of these 400ish dollar iems are better than MANY 1000+ sets that I’ve listened to. But again, all my opinions are based on my ears and your mileage might vary.

Recommended EQ: I use Peace APO to EQ on the PC. This EQ is done to my preference. I recently set up a preference curve on My Squig. So for at least iems, I can use my own graphs now. Please feel free to use the measurements as you want.. Jaytiss.squig.link
Overall this is an amazing iem that could easily be a game for most. The goal for me with an iem is to have an that doesn’t need EQ. This iem, does sound better to me with this eq, more neutral and less colored. This iem for me needs eq or it is pretty much unlistenable.

Preamp: -9.6 dB
Filter 1: ON PK Fc 25 Hz Gain 2.7 dB Q 0.600
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 160 Hz Gain -4.4 dB Q 0.600
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 690 Hz Gain 2.1 dB Q 1.200
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 1000 Hz Gain 1.6 dB Q 2.000
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 1400 Hz Gain -4.9 dB Q 2.000
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 2100 Hz Gain 1.6 dB Q 2.000
Filter 7: ON PK Fc 2600 Hz Gain 9.2 dB Q 1.400
Filter 8: ON PK Fc 5300 Hz Gain 2.6 dB Q 1.800
Filter 9: ON PK Fc 6700 Hz Gain -6.2 dB Q 2.000
Filter 10: ON PK Fc 11000 Hz Gain -6.0 dB Q 2.000




Gifting/who is it for: I think this is a nice hifi iem to gift to someone, it is an expensive iem but overall it’s a solid package that sounds fantastic. It’s a handsome shell, good looking cable, but it is a little too pink for me. I’m not sure who this is for, bassheads who want stage and no mids? I think this is a demo first not a blind buy kind of iem.


Pairing: I used a Quidelix 5k for mobile, my dongle Dac iBasso DC04 for my laptop, and my JDS labs Element III MK2 Boosted for my Desktop PC. I also tried the iem briefly on the Apple dongle as well. This iem had no issues being driven. Typically I only find overears to really have a hard time being driven and maybe some planar iems. (I personally am not a huge mmcx or planar fan.)

Summary-

I’m not a huge fan, but you might be. Demo it if it’s something that you like. I’m glad that I didn’t buy it and just got to experience it.

Quick youtube video if interested:

thaslaya's star rating system:
☆☆☆☆☆ - Fantastic!
☆☆☆☆ - Recommended
☆☆☆ - There are buyers but not for me
☆☆ - Can't see the appeal
☆ - Product is a failure

Disclaimer:
This set was provided for a trial period through the Watercooler tour. Shoutout to Bloom Audio for providing the Bonneville and to @Rockwell75 for coordinating the tours.

Gear used:
●LG v30+
●Samsung Galaxy s22 Ultra
●Samsung dongle
●iFi GO bar Kensei
●Kiwi Ears Allegro
●Hiby FC4

Source:
●Listening was done through Amazon Music HD or Ultra HD.

Introduction:
Campfire Audio (CFA) is a US company based out of Portland, OR that has garnered a reputation for uniquely tuned iems that mostly veer away from the standard targets. Their arguably most popular and well renowned set is the Andromeda but they manufacture many other cult favorites (Trifecta, Supermoon, and Solaris to name a few) and even full sized headphones. The Bonneville debuted in 2023 as part of the Chromatic series which also features the Cascara, Ponderosa, and an updated Supermoon. It sports a hybrid configuration featuring a 10mm dynamic driver and 3 custom balanced armatures, 1 for mids and 2 for highs. They are currently available on the Campfire Audio website for $1399.99. That's definitely no chump change and there are no shortage of amazing options at that price and below. Let's see if the sound and overall value warrant the asking price.

Build, fit, ergonomics:
Keep in mind that this particular set was provided as part of a tour and did not include the retail box or tips but everything else is stock. The Bonneville comes packaged with a 3.5mm cable and 2 mesh storage bags, 1 large and 1 small. The shells are available in classic black or a vibrant pink. The tour set provided is the pink variety and I have to admit it is quite fetching. It's not a color I would normally choose for myself but it's a fun and unique look that fits well with CFA's Chromatic theme. The shells have a semi-custom contour and shape and are constructed of resin with a stainless steel faceplate and nozzle. They are a bit bulky in profile but have a nice sturdy build quality and a great weight balance. The nozzle length is adequate but I would have liked it to be slightly longer for a deeper insertion. The included mesh bags are a pretty mediocre storage option at this price point. The small one has seperate pockets for each iem which offers a little protection but the large one is just a catch-all zipper pouch. I would honestly expect to see a hard case of some kind. Since I didn't have access to the stock tips, I went with my trusty Penon Liqueurs and was able to get a comfortable fit and good seal. The noise isolation is very good and I could hear little of the goings-on around me even with no music playing. Like all of CFA's iems, the Bonneville utilizes MMCX connections. I personally much prefer the standard 2 pin connection but YMMV. The stock cable is CFA's own Time Stream Chromatic cable that retails seperately for $79.99. It's not the standard braided style that I like but the flat, side-by-side wires is a unique look. The housing on the connectors and the chin slider are plastic, the cable itself feels very cheap and low quality, and the bundled cable is only available in 3.5mm termination. Well that's not entirely true; for an additional $200 you can add the "Deluxe" accessory package to your purchase (that's now a $1599.99 price tag). That includes a leather carrying case and 2 additional Time Stream cables in 4.4mm and 2.5mm terminations. The quality of the stock cable is completely juxtaposed to the quality of the iems themselves; it's like selling a luxury car with hubcabs. I have purchased many ChiFi cables at half the price of CFA's Time Stream cable that have vastly better build quality. For an iem retailing at $1399, I would expect metal housing on the connectors and modular terminations at the absolute minimum. Honestly, I'd expect to see the stock cable paired with a >$100 iem and even then I'd swap it out for something better. To be perfectly blunt, the stock cable and overall accessories included with the Bonneville is insulting. I understand that those looking to shell out $1400 for iems probably have other cables they can swap out or even prefer; however, including cheap and inferior accessories based on that assumption is not good business practice and undermines the quality of the product as a whole.



Sound impressions:
The closest profile to my ears is a u-shape with a healthy bass shelf. There is obviously a ton of low end here but it can approach overbearing and border on gimmicky at times. Pair that with a harsh, grating treble and the product of the tuning is just so strange. Theres a lot of warmth in the low end and even in the recessed midrange but the treble has thin note weight leading to an unnatural presentation. For me It's almost an incoherent tuning that doesn't work at all. I commend Campfire Audio on trying something outside of the box and experimenting with tuning but this is a big miss in my book. If the treble was warmer and less harsh then I think the overall tuning would be more coherent. Yes that tuning might be considered too warm for some, but I think it'd at least be more consistent in presentation across the entire frequency spectrum. The soundstage has good depth but just average width and comes across as intimate on some tracks. Detail retrieval is good but not the most resolving set. It doesn't really aim to be though as it's focused more towards musical enjoyment than critical listening. To my ears it plays very few genres well, most notably orchestra/classical and live performances. But it can be adequate with some R&B, rock, and pop too depending on the listener's level of treble sensitivity. String instruments ranging from stand up bass all the way to violin sound fantastic and have a natural timbre. To their credit, they a very easy set to drive and do not require amplification to get to loud levels so a simple dongle will suffice.

●Lows - Bass is definitely the focal point of the tuning and there's a large bass shelf. The punch and dynamics are good and it feels vivacious and powerful. It's very big and bold but often times I found it to be too thick and syrupy, bleeding into the lower mids quite a bit. For orchestral music the bass reverberates and adds to the weight of the notes but is not overwhelming. Bass strings, brass instruments, and percussion feel heavy and visceral mimicking a live performance. With pop music the elevated bass shelf can present as bloated and intrusive. It has a bit better presentation with rock music where guitars provide a better balance with such a large bass. It's fairly quick and keeps up well in complicated tracks but the decay lingers too long leading to a heavy-handed presentation. In short, it's big and dirty which some listeners might enjoy.

●Mid - Vocals are clear but definitely won't blow anyone away with their presentation on the Bonneville. This is not a vocal forward set. They aren't necessarily recessed but they can sure feel that way when the bass is overpowering. They never come off shouty which is a plus but I do prefer a more vocal forward presentation without mid bass intrusion. Female vocals do a better job of setting themselves apart than their male counterparts. Guitars have a realistic timbre as do piano, violin, and other instruments.

●Highs - The treble is elevated to contrast the large bass shelf. I personally prefer a warmer overall presentation but I understand why CFA wanted to increase the highs so as to balance against the boosted bass and not lose out entirely on upper end detail. Due to this increase though, there is a sharpness and harshness to certain notes, particularly the edges of "s", "sh", and "t" present sibilant at times. Snares, claps, high hats and cymbals can be piercing and splashy too. The timbre can often sound unnatural due to the boosted treble. The note weight is on the thinner side and comes off a bit cold which is a striking contrast from the very thick weighted bass. It's quite an incoherency to my ears. I personally enjoy my music at a farily high volume which may be why I can hear more of a harshness in the treble than some I have talked to about the Bonneville. When I lower the volume, the treble presentation does sound much more even, smoothing out troubled areas. However, I have never been nor will I ever be a low-medium volume listener and I don't want to have to change the way I prefer my music to gel with any headphone or iem.

Summary:
Ultimately, I give the Bonneville 3 stars which on my rating chart means "there are buyers, but not for me". So who is this set for? Bassheads? Well, yes and no. In terms of shear amount, it's one of the biggest basses I've heard in an iem but it's also not the cleanest presentation. Is it for vocal purists? The mids arent forward enough to set themselves apart from the bass at times and there's some harshness and sibilance at higher volume levels. How about trebleheads? I don't think any treblehead worth their salt would want that bass shelf. So who will get the most from them? For someone who's library caters to what the Bonneville does best and who enjoys a lower listening volume, I think they might be able to find a lot of enjoyment here. But even then, their price to performance ratio is too low and I can't recommend them outright. The superb build quality of the shells is self-evident but the pitiful stock cable and lack of a hard case undermine the overall value and are abysmal at the $1400 asking price. Seriously, there are sets retailing for a tenth of that cost touting better accessories. Personally I was very underwhelmed and disappointed auditioning my first CFA iem. For anyone that enjoys them, I'm glad you found something that works for you. I'm not here to dissuade anyone from making a purchase and can only write about how my ears interpret the sound. The thing I love most about this hobby is how everyone hears things differently. In the end the Bonneville is just not a set that resonates with me nor do I feel like they hold much value at their current price.