Ready, Set, Go! Campfire Audio Relay Portable DAC/Amp Review

by Delaney Czernikowski
Aug 28, 2025
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While famously known for in-ear monitors, American company Campfire Audio is also proficient in making some audio accessories. Their cables and recent release of an eartip package are great for any IEM, and now they've released a DAC/Amp combo to help elevate your sound. The Campfire Audio Relay is a portable DAC/Amp that can connect to any IEM or headphone and give you a boost in your listening. For $229, it competes with the likes of FiiO and iFi as an option for upgrading your portable setup.

Table of Contents

WHAT COMES IN THE BOX DESIGN & BUILD QUALITY FEATURES & FUNCTIONALITY RELAY PHOTO GALLERY TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS LISTENING REVIEW EARPHONES/HEADPHONES USED FOR TESTING FINAL THOUGHTS SUMMARY

WHAT COMES IN THE BOX

Inside the box, you get a few accessories to go with the Campfire Relay. While Campfire typically gives you lots of accessories in their earphones, they keep things relatively simple with the DAC/Amp.

Relay DAC/Amp
USB-C to USB-C Cable
RipStop Cushioned Accessory bag
Microfiber Cleaning Cloth

DESIGN & BUILD QUALITY

The Campfire Audio Relay packs a lot of power into a small package. The Relay is small and compact, fitting easily into the palm of your hand. You can slip this into your pocket and connect it to your device via a small USB-C cable and be ready for high definition sound wherever you are. It is lightweight and lays flat on its back, so you can rest it on a desk and have access to the button controls on either side. The top is ridged and has an uneven plane, which is accented by a glowing Campfire Audio "CA" logo to show you when the device is powered on.

On the backside, you can see the AKM SEQ DAC chip inside the Relay. It's a cool design choice to show the small but of the inside. It's not something you will see while using the device, but it is still a fun design choice.

FEATURES & FUNCTIONALITY

This device is straightforward and to the point. You don't get a lot of added features in the Relay: only what you need. You have three buttons for control, which play/pause music, control volume, and skip tracks. You can also set the high gain vs. low gain modes by holding down the play/pause button. Additionally, there are 6 different filters you can cycle through for ideal sound. Campfire recommends you use filter 5 for optimal results, so I used that filter for the majority of my testing.

Since there is no screen on the Relay, it was a bit hard to figure out which filter I was on or the high gain vs. low gain modes. You had to determine it by sound, which was a little difficult for the filters. Luckily, there was a visual indicator on the logo to show when you hit the 6th filter, so you could count to which you wanted. Having the startup guide to help navigate those controls made the functionality easy.

Compared to FiiO or iFi, the Campfire Relay shows that it values sound quality over convenience. This device only works when wired to a device, and does not have Bluetooth compatibility. In this way, devices like the FiiO BTR17 or the iFi GOBlu have the edge on the Relay. However, this instead puts Campfire in the likes of devices like the Astell & Kern HC4 or the new FiiO QX13.

Compare to Other Portable DAC/Amps

RELAY PHOTO GALLERY

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

AKM SEQ 4493 DAC chip
Two ultra-low noise, high-output drivers
USB 2.0 Type C Input
3.5mm single-ended / 4.4mm balanced outputs
High / Low Gain Modes:
- Low Gain:
  - 1.35 Vrms (single-ended)
  - 2.70 Vrms (balanced)
- High Gain:
  - 2.00 Vrms (single-ended)
  - 4.00 Vrms (balanced)
60-step built-in volume controls
DSD and PCM Playback
Windows 7*/8*/10/11, Mac OS, Android, iOS
- Windows 7/8 require ASIO driver download 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 was using a host of different earphones and headphones to test the sound signatures, power output, and optimal use case. For my testing, I used the following:

Campfire Audio Grand Luna
Campfire Audio Alien Brain
Meze Audio Meze 105 AER
Sennheiser HD 550
Noble Audio Knight

The Campfire Relay was able to provide ample power to all these devices with ease. Even the tougher to drive Sennheiser HD 550 was given a lot of juice and shone with every new track that came its way. The Relay gave a lot of power to those over-ear models and was a nice addition to help accentuate those immersive sound signature.

The Relay was excellent at keeping the sound signature honest, which was both a rose and thorn for the device. With IEMs like the Alien Brain or the Noble Knight, the Relay accentuated all the dynamics of the sound signature to give you balanced, fun sound. However, when paired to something darker like the Grand Luna, it took the IEMs down an even deeper and heftier path to become almost too much low end. Still, I found no issue in finding plenty of IEMs and headphones that had great synergy.

EARPHONES/HEADPHONES USED FOR TESTING

FINAL THOUGHTS

The Campfire Audio Relay is a great addition to the world of portable DAC/Amps. Between the smooth sound across the frequency range and dynamic highlights, the Relay showed that it was a great match for a host of different IEMs and headphones. If you were looking for something was extreme adaptability, the Relay may fall short; however, it makes up for the lack of features with ample power and easy functionality. For $229, this is an easy addition to help improve your setup without having to buy a whole new set of earphones.

The Campfire Audio Relay is available today at Audio46.