Introduction

The Korea-based premium audio brand Astell&Kern made its debut on TechPowerUp with its own developed set of in-ear monitors called the AK ZERO1—a tribrid set using a combination of planar, dynamic, and balanced armature drivers that worked well for some specific use cases and offered a taste of what the company is capable of. I mentioned in that review how Astell&Kern typically collaborates with other audio brands that are more established in the IEM world and the AK ZERO1 was an exception to the norm. Today we cover another collab set of IEMs although it’s not between an audio brand and an influencer as has been the norm lately. Instead, this one is between Astell&Kern and Campfire Audio—another brand that we have examined on multiple occasions. It’s called the PATHFINDER, and thanks to Astell&Kern for loaning a review sample to TechPowerUp!

At first glance, I can certainly see the shared design language between the AK ZERO1 and the Pathfinder to where I was left wondering if Astell&Kern deliberately went this route. It doesn’t immediately remind me of the Campfire Audio IEMs but then all those facets on the face plate do seem familiar enough. The Astell&Kern x Campfire Audio PATHFINDER, which I shall also refer to simply as PATHFINDER for convenience, is a hybrid set of IEMs that follows up from the previous collaboration between these two brands in the form of the Solaris X and the PATHFINDER builds upon it by incorporating newer driver and acoustic chamber technologies, including an innovative dual-diaphragm balanced armature driver that I haven’t seen used elsewhere. We’ll put the PATHFINDER to the test in our review today which begins with a look at the product specifications in the table below.

Specifications