When it comes to wireless earbuds, the market has been getting more and more saturated and it can be hard to figure out which direction to take your audio journey.
Campfire Audio has been making a name for itself by building some impressive drivers and met with great reviews, but now they’ve brought that quality to a truly wireless form factor and I’ve spent over a month with them.
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What I liked about Campfire Audio’s Orbit:
The first thing you’re gonna notice when you get these little guys out of the packaging is the matte beige color scheme, which I think will be the most polarizing thing about this product. The case is made of plastic with a quality feel, the same as the buds themselves (besides the stainless steel drivers). Inside the case is a striking lime green. I personally don’t mind the look. I think it makes them earthy and modern which fits Campfire Audio’s Pacific Northwest aesthetic, but I understand this is subjective.
The first test I did with these earbuds was to pop them in and go for a jog. I’m happy to say they stayed in my ear extremely well and I didn’t reach up to re-adjust or fiddle with them at all. They’re a light enough construction and shape to fit in my ears quite nicely (they even stayed in my ears for a couple of mildly hard snowboard wipeouts). I’m also located in the Pacific Northwest, so naturally, it was raining. This didn’t pose a problem considering the Orbit’s IXP5 water resistance rating, but I haven’t tested that feature too extensively.
Campfire Audio is known for its high-quality audio and Orbit’s are no different. The sound profile out of the box seems to be tuned in a light V curve with an emphasis on a punchier bass, which is where this shine. It should also be noted that the EQ can be adjusted. Any electronic-based music hits hard, but the mids are excellent as well. I listen to a lot of live acoustic sets and these are perfect for that. Overall the sound quality is fantastic with a natural, open feel in almost any genre of music.
They also do well with podcasts and audiobooks. The only complaint I have with sound quality is that sometimes vocals can get a little bit overpowered by the low and mid-range.
You won’t find any active noise canceling here, which might surprise some of you considering the $250 price point, but the passive noise canceling does work surprisingly well so I’m not bothered by it. I think this was a conscious choice by Campfire Audio to put audio quality above all else.
I found battery life to be just as good as advertised and maybe even a little better. I took this snowboarding and used them for 8 hours plus without putting them back in the case with no problems. The case is said to give you an extra 30 hours which I found to be true as well.
What I didn’t like about Campfire Audio’s Orbit:
One of the most frustrating parts of the Orbit is its touch controls. You get used to them and they’re serviceable, but I found that in order to get them to do what I wanted, I had to be extremely deliberate with my input touches. It can get frustrating when using these during activity (working out, hands full, bumpy bus ride, etc.). I often tried to skip a song only to have accidentally paused it and waited for 10 seconds to see if the next intro of the song was just quiet. Or try to adjust the buds only to pause or skip a track.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t come back to the color scheme. While I don’t mind it, I don’t love it and many people don’t care for it. I did get a couple of double takes while wearing them in public. I even had someone ask if I was wearing a hearing aid.
I understand not wanting to go white, black, or gray, but I think there are a lot of other color schemes that would fit the aesthetic they wanted without being so polarizing. Campfire Audio, if you’re listening I think keeping the light beige, but replacing the dark beige with an olive drab green and that gold-plated logo would’ve been pure class.
Finally, I should mention that every so often I will get a slight crackle or loss of connection. It’s not a problem I can replicate intentionally and seems to be a bit random. Not a deal breaker, but worth mentioning.
Conclusion:
Overall, I really like what Campfire Audio produced with the Orbit. You can tell they put sound quality above all else which is something I appreciate in an industry where every competitor is trying to win over a niche in the market with a new gimmick. While they are a bit pricey, I think you get what you pay for.
I wouldn’t buy these if noise canceling is really important to you, but if you put audio quality first, I think you’d be hard-pressed to find a better true wireless earbud audio experience.
Learn More About These Headphones And Snag Your Pair Here
