Campfire’s two new IEMs the Honeydew and the Satsuma have deceivingly similar looks. While their citrusy colors may imply some shared characteristics—the Satsuma's tangerine coat and the Honeydew's lemony shell—comparing the sounds of these IEMs is closer to apples and oranges. Let’s dive into the peculiar contrast between these two new editions from this beloved audiophile brand, and see which might be more up your alley. 

Soundstage:

These have comparable sound stages, though the width may feel more immediately apparent on the the Satsuma due to its brighter sound, which we’ll talk about more in depth later. The Honeydew’s soundstage is a bit more tied down by its intense bass, while the Satsuma has more room to breathe with its much lighter low end response. Both have a solid Z-axis, though the Honeydew’s subdued mids may make its depth feel more noticeable. 

Lows

These are basically opposites on the low end. While the Satsuma’s low end is much more focused on the “upper bass” areas, the Honeydew is a sub monster. They do have some overlap in their percussive abilities, able to create a fast attack, highly dynamic sound. But the weight of the bass on the Honeydew is multitudes above the Satsuma. If you want a more balanced, contained bass response, the Satsuma may be more your cup of tea. On the other hand, If you want rumbling, booming, huge lows, the Honeydew has you covered. 

Mids

Similar to the low end, these are also near opposites on their mid range. Whereas the Satsuma has an extenuated, slightly saturated high mid range, the Honeydew has the inverse response, highly subduing this area. While we get a lot of added snap and crispness in the mid range of the Satsuma, we get an extremely rounded, warm response from the Honeydew. The choice on the mid range on these is pretty clear: If you want a mid-boosting sound, go for the Satsuma, and if you want mid-cutting sound, go for the Honeydew. 

Highs

The high end may be where these have slightly more similarity, though they are still notably different. Both have darkened highs, but to very different extents. Both cut the 8-16kHz range, but the Honeydew takes out a significantly larger slice than the Satsuma does, giving it a much darker sound overall when paired with its equally subdued mids. Both IEMs are aiming for warm, smooth highs, but the Honeydew takes that dampness to a much further extent than the Satsuma does. 

Overall

You could almost argue these have opposite sound signatures, albeit a few exceptions. There are certainly listeners out there with versatile enough taste or a wide enough variety of applications that either of these could be good options, but many will have a hard set preference towards one or the other. If you’re considering the two of these, think about what sound signature you like, and what things tend to rub you the wrong way before making your decision, as these both make distinct, individual sonic statements.  

You can purchase Campfire Audio's Honeydew and Satsuma at Audio46