Whereas famously identified for in-ear screens, American firm Campfire Audio can also be proficient in making some audio equipment. Their cables and up to date launch of an eartip package deal are nice for any IEM, and now they’ve launched a DAC/Amp combo to assist elevate your sound. The Campfire Audio Relay is a transportable DAC/Amp that may connect with any IEM or headphone and provide you with a lift in your listening. For $229, it competes with the likes of FiiO and iFi as an choice for upgrading your transportable setup.
WHAT COMES IN THE BOX
Contained in the field, you get just a few equipment to go along with the Campfire Relay. Whereas Campfire usually provides you a number of equipment of their earphones, they maintain issues comparatively easy with the DAC/Amp.
- Relay DAC/Amp
- USB-C to USB-C Cable
- RipStop Cushioned Accent bag
- Microfiber Cleansing Fabric
DESIGN & BUILD QUALITY
The Campfire Audio Relay packs a whole lot of energy right into a small package deal. The Relay is small and compact, becoming simply into the palm of your hand. You possibly can slip this into your pocket and join it to your machine by way of a small USB-C cable and be prepared for top definition sound wherever you’re. It’s light-weight and lays flat on its again, so you possibly can relaxation it on a desk and have entry to the button controls on both facet. The highest is ridged and has an uneven aircraft, which is accented by a glowing Campfire Audio “CA” brand to indicate you when the machine is powered on.
On the bottom, you possibly can see the AKM SEQ DAC chip contained in the Relay. It is a cool design selection to indicate the small however of the within. It isn’t one thing you will notice whereas utilizing the machine, however it’s nonetheless a enjoyable design selection.
FEATURES & FUNCTIONALITY
This machine is easy and to the purpose. You aren’t getting a whole lot of added options within the Relay: solely what you want. You could have three buttons for management, which play/pause music, management quantity, and skip tracks. You can even set the excessive acquire vs. low acquire modes by holding down the play/pause button. Moreover, there are 6 totally different filters you possibly can cycle by means of for very best sound. Campfire recommends you employ filter 5 for optimum outcomes, so I used that filter for almost all of my testing.
Since there isn’t any display on the Relay, it was a bit laborious to determine which filter I used to be on or the excessive acquire vs. low acquire modes. You needed to decide it by sound, which was a bit tough for the filters. Fortunately, there was a visible indicator on the emblem to indicate once you hit the sixth filter, so you may rely to which you needed. Having the startup information to assist navigate these controls made the performance straightforward.
In comparison with FiiO or iFi, the Campfire Relay reveals that it values sound high quality over comfort. This machine solely works when wired to a tool, and doesn’t have Bluetooth compatibility. On this means, units just like the FiiO BTR17 or the iFi GOBlu have the sting on the Relay. Nonetheless, this as a substitute places Campfire within the likes of units just like the Astell & Kern HC4 or the brand new FiiO QX13.
RELAY PHOTO GALLERY
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
- AKM SEQ 4493 DAC chip
- Two ultra-low noise, high-output drivers
- USB 2.0 Sort C Enter
- 3.5mm single-ended / 4.4mm balanced outputs
-
Excessive / Low Achieve Modes:
-
Low Achieve:
- 1.35 Vrms (single-ended)
- 2.70 Vrms (balanced)
-
Excessive Achieve:
- 2.00 Vrms (single-ended)
- 4.00 Vrms (balanced)
-
Low Achieve:
- 60-step built-in quantity controls
- DSD and PCM Playback
- Home windows 7*/8*/10/11, Mac OS, Android, iOS
- Home windows 7/8 require ASIO driver obtain right here
- 16 / 24 / 32 Bit
- 44.1 / 48 / 88.2 / 96 / 176.4 / 192 / 352.8 / 384 / 705.6 / 768kHz
- Product Dimensions: Approx 57mm x 23mm x 10mm
LISTENING REVIEW
When listening to the Campfire Relay, I used to be utilizing a bunch of various earphones and headphones to check the sound signatures, energy output, and optimum use case. For my testing, I used the next:
- Campfire Audio Grand Luna
- Campfire Audio Alien Mind
- Meze Audio Meze 105 AER
- Sennheiser HD 550
- Noble Audio Knight
The Campfire Relay was in a position to present ample energy to all these units with ease. Even the more durable to drive Sennheiser HD 550 was given a whole lot of juice and shone with each new monitor that got here its means. The Relay gave a whole lot of energy to these over-ear fashions and was a pleasant addition to assist intensify these immersive sound signature.
The Relay was glorious at maintaining the sound signature trustworthy, which was each a rose and thorn for the machine. With IEMs just like the Alien Mind or the Noble Knight, the Relay accentuated all of the dynamics of the sound signature to present you balanced, enjoyable sound. Nonetheless, when paired to one thing darker just like the Grand Luna, it took the IEMs down an excellent deeper and heftier path to grow to be virtually an excessive amount of low finish. Nonetheless, I discovered no concern to find loads of IEMs and headphones that had nice synergy.
EARPHONES/HEADPHONES USED FOR TESTING
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Campfire Audio Relay is a superb addition to the world of transportable DAC/Amps. Between the sleek sound throughout the frequency vary and dynamic highlights, the Relay confirmed that it was a fantastic match for a bunch of various IEMs and headphones. When you had been searching for one thing was excessive adaptability, the Relay could fall quick; nevertheless, it makes up for the dearth of options with ample energy and simple performance. For $229, that is a straightforward addition to assist enhance your setup with out having to purchase an entire new set of earphones.
The Campfire Audio Relay is obtainable at present at Audio46.
CAMPFIRE RELAY QUICK SUMMARY
Compact, pocket-sized DAC/Amp with USB-C connection.
Simple controls: play/pause, quantity, monitor skip, acquire swap.
Lacks display and Bluetooth; wired-only performance.
Prioritizes sound high quality over further options.
Retains sound trustworthy—nice with balanced IEMs, heavier with darker tunings.
