At $249, Campfire Audio’s Honeydew in-ear monitors (IEMs) represent something of an entry-level product in the IEM realm, as well as in the company’s general lineup. They deliver excellent audio performance—as long as what you’re after is something with a little more bass depth to it—and can double as everyday wired earphones. While the warm sound signature isn’t quite accurate, it also doesn’t feel unnatural. Ultimately, these are solid in-ear monitors for bass players, drummers, DJs, or anyone seeking to hear a little bit more of the depth their instruments can create.
Eye-Catching IEMs
Most IEMs don’t look particularly interesting—they’re often meant to blend in, not stand out. But the Honeydew monitors have an angular 3D-printed housing with geometric facets, giving them a unique, eye-catching exterior. Internally, 10mm full range-dynamic drivers with bio cellulose diaphragms deliver a frequency range of 5Hz to 18 kHz. The audio is delivered through 4.8mm diameter stainless steel spouts that the eartips fit onto. The detachable cable features beryllium/copper MMCX connections.
To be clear, these in-ear monitors might resemble a custom-modeled in-canal pair, but they’re standard in-canal earphones. They ship with Final Audio eartips (five pairs in various sizes), Campfire Audio eartips (three pairs), standard silicone eartips (three pairs), and an earwax cleaning tool. That’s a generous array of eartips (along with various padded mesh drawstring bags to house them), so you shouldn’t have trouble finding the right fit.
The included zip-up pouch for the earphones is sturdy, with a fleece-like interior and a canvas exterior, materials reminiscent of a winter coat for camping trips. There’s also a lapel pin included, but what is sorely lacking is a quarter-inch headphone jack adapter for pro and stereo gear. It would also be useful to see an adapter for mobile devices that lack standard 3.5mm headphone jacks, but this would require a different adapter for different models. As is, the 3.5mm connection will at least connect to most computers.
If we look at these as a pair of onstage in-ear monitors only, then most of these complaints vanish, but they’re marketed as both onstage IEMs and a pair of earphones for personal music listening. If they’re meant to be both, we’d like to see a longer cable—or a second, longer cable—as well as the aforementioned adapters. As is typical with most IEMs, the cabling doesn’t have an inline mic or remote. Regardless, the included cable is handsome and of high quality, with silver-plated wiring coated in braided PVC.
Campfire Audio Honeydew Performance
We primarily tested the Honeydew connected to a 2019 iMac’s headphone jack. On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” the earphones deliver accurate low-frequency response paired with detailed highs. This track has some serious thump to it, which was conveyed well through the drivers. At top, unwise listening levels, the lows didn’t distort.
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Bill Callahan’s “Drover,” a track with far less deep bass in the mix, gives us a better sense of the Honeydew’s general sound signature. The drums here get some serious additional bass heft—the lows don’t sound unnaturally thunderous, but they have some added depth that is undeniable. Callahan’s baritone vocals, too, seem to have some added low-mid richness. For IEMs, this will be welcome to some, and unacceptable to others. The high-mids and highs are nicely defined, but they aren’t quite able to match the rich, robust lows the drivers pump out. Thus, anyone trying to hear more of the bass in the mix, be it onstage or at home, will welcome the Honeydew’s approach. But this is nowhere near a flat response sound signature, so anyone looking for accuracy, or perhaps a focus on high-mids and highs for vocals, will want to explore other options. Things aren’t at all muddy through the Honeydew, but there’s definitely bias toward the lows.
On Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “No Church in the Wild,” the kick drum loop receives less high-mid presence than we’re used to hearing for this track—the attack is therefore less defined in the high-mids, and packs more of a low-end thump than a high-mid punch. The sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the beats are delivered with a robust depth without going overboard—you get all of their ominous low-end without overwhelming the mix. The vocals are delivered cleanly and clearly, without any added sibilance, but some would arguably be welcome. The bass is pushed forward enough that on tracks like this, some added high-frequency presence would still favor the bass, but allow for a bit more definition.
Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene from John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary, sound full-bodied, and the higher-register strings and vocals are relatively crisp, but there’s still an obvious added bass presence here. So audiophiles seeking a pure, flat response should look elsewhere, but listeners in search of a warm sound signature that has less high-mid and high-frequency presence will be pleased.
Bass-Forward In-Ear Monitors
Campfire Audio’s Honeydew earphones are bass-forward in-ear monitors with a snazzy design and plenty of in-ear fit accessories. We’d love to see an additional, longer cable, or cable adapters for use with mobile devices that lack headphones jacks, but these omissions aren’t deal breakers. Most of the IEMs we test are far more expensive, and custom-molded by an audiologist, so it’s not really fair to compare the Honeydew to these models. However, if your budget allows, the $1,500 JH Audio Roxanne and the $500 Ultimate Ears UE 5 Pro both deliver accurate bass depth and crisp highs. Etymotic’s $179 ER3-XR earphones, meanwhile, aren’t designed for onstage use, but can easily be used in a studio setting, and even their “bass-forward” mode is tame by any bass-lover’s standards. For the price, we think the Honeydew IEMs are a strong value, but they’re best suited for those looking for more bass out of their audio feed.
