Campfire Moon Rover VS Symphonium Crimson

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Campfire’s Moon Rover pairs a 12 mm planar with a compact titanium shell and a premium—but slightly quirky—accessory spread: a real-leather wallet-style case, a thin yet memory-prone cable (MMCX), and tidy branding extras. The heat-treated, rainbow finish reads more like pre-distressed denim than authentic patina, but fit and comfort are excellent despite sharp-looking edges, especially with shallow tips (e.g., Spring Tips). Measurements showed visible channel mismatch on the graph, though not audible in practice.

Sonically it’s a warm-neutral midrange with recessed upper-mids and an elevated treble that can verge on bright or splashy if the seal isn’t right, trading absolute smoothness for micro-contrast, crisp imaging, and a subtly “sandy” texture that gives an almost ASMR quality. Bass stays taut rather than big. Versus Campfire’s Ara/Andromeda-era shell mates, Moon Rover sounds more natural and less colored; against 64 Audio’s Solo planar it’s less bass-forward but more distinctive. At $1,200 there’s fiercer technical value elsewhere, yet this is the most compelling Campfire IEM in years—4/5 stars for a unique, textured listen that rewards good fit and treble tolerance.

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Symphonium Crimson lands with a bang: a four–BA, four-way crossover design that somehow delivers epic energy without a dynamic driver. Tonality reads neutral-bright with thunderous sub-bass—not a basshead hump, but a slab of solid, deep extension that stays clean. Mids stay clear for vocals and strings, treble rises for sparkle and excitement, and the presentation spreads out like pulled-apart audio “shreds” across a big canvas. The effect is clarity, detail, and slam that feel bigger than the driver count suggests, making music and film scores straight-up addictive.

Technical notes matter here. Nominal impedance is a weirdly low ~6Ω, so source pairing can swing results; the set scales and sounds happiest on robust gear that can keep low-impedance loads stable. Despite the armature array, coherency stays intact, dynamics hit harder than expected, and volume headroom invites goosebumps. It’s not a “bass monster,” yet the sub-bass authority and lively treble make it exciting rather than polite, with imaging that feels wide and tactile.

Ergonomics are the gripe list: the short nozzle can challenge seal and the premium cable lacks a formed ear hook, encouraging twist and loosening—tip rolling (even reversed-orientation tricks) helps. Build is flashy—carbon-fiber shell, red inlays, metal case that’s too hefty for travel. Pricing sits around $1,500 (or $1,700 with 8-wire cable); for sheer fun, impact, and best-in-brand performance, the value argument holds. For all-day softness, something like Twilight stays comfier; for movies, big scores, and “wow” sessions, Crimson feels like a must-grab and arguably the best Symphonium to date.