Campfire Audio Andromeda Review: Holy Cow, This is a Dream, Awesomesauce!

Interesting - I find using the Iematch that Ultra (1.5 ohm) sounds thin and High (2.5 ohm) sounds uncolored. This is using GO2A SE and the balanced tinsel cable out of balanced output on the GO2A as 'reference' and then adding the Iematch in to see the difference. My original intent was just squashing the hiss.

The conventional wisdom is that the lower the OI, the bassier it gets, so there must be other factors at play here, in the Iematch itself. I don't get a thinning out on the Chord Mojo which is even lower OI than GO2A, either.

Not sure this is the same as the brightness @Hands experienced, but I'd be curious to see what you get listening for it, @jexby.

 

I actually was in the middle of writing an answer when @k.e. tried to end this discussion here. Kudos for his peaceful words, so for the sake of this thread let's leave it at that.

@Marvey: I will happily join the discussion again, if you link an appropriate thread for this kind of topic.

But for now I will post a picture instead. Isn't she beautiful?

 

Wonderful. It'll be my first universal since like 6 years. Let's see if I get used to the fit

 

Lol wow. HD600 too bright? That's a special taste I guess

 

I haven't watched it, but would this be the video to which you refer?


Taken from this thread:
https://www.superbestaudiofriends.o...on-loudspeakers-and-rooms-floyd-e-toole.3925/

 

Campfire Audio “Andromeda” w/ Fiio X5iii, Sony WM1Z, Apple Lightning Adapter, Pro iCAN:

I’ve made a number of attempts at getting my hands, or ears, on the Andromeda. I’m very bad at doing back-orders (I intensely dislike paying for things before they ship), and trying to find a used set was unsuccessful (for various reasons*). So, in the end, it was @aufmerksam that kindly, and generously, sent me his set to audition. I’m grateful to him for the time I’ve spent listening to them – it’s been both fun as well as useful. It’s another point of calibration given all that’s been written about them here, and they’re really rather nice just to listen to.

Note that this will be the first of two posts in which I talk about the Andromeda in any detail. This post is more focused on general impressions and pairing with some specific sources. The second will be an all-up, technically-indepth, comparison between the Andromeda and various other, mostly more expensive, IEMs. In the interests of not being massively redundant, details will get split between these posts … so it’s entirely possible the bits some are interested in will be in “the other” post!

Listening Setup:

I listened to the Andromeda using four different chains. The first, which has been requested a number of times, was with the FiiO X5iii. The second was via the Sony WM1Z. In both of these cases I tested with and without the use of an iFi Audio iEMatch device, and using both the balanced and single-ended outputs from the two DAPs.

Additionally, I used my main headphone rig via the iFi Audio Pro iCAN (both singled-ended and balanced), which, it is probably worth noting, has a built-in iEMatch implementation, rather than my normal WA5-LE, thus that chain was as follows:

Roon -> Auralic Aries -> Schiit Yggdrasil -> iFi Pro iCAN​

Finally, since I could, I gave them a whirl with my iPhone 7S and the Apple Lighting to 3.5mm adapter.

Fit - Seal & Comfort:

Finding tips that would give me a proper seal was not a problem. However, getting a proper seal while also maintaining listening comfort proved to be a far more significant challenge. The nozzles/bores on the Andromeda are the largest I’ve come across and, when combined with tips that I could get to seal properly, they’re sufficiently large that they rapidly became uncomfortable.

I don’t have particularly big ear-holes (nor are they particularly even) – and this no doubt exacerbates the fit issues with this larger bore size. With other IEMs I tend to run with the small “Comfort” style Comply tips, the medium “Isolation” style Complys or the medium size “Spin Fit” models. Trying Spiral Dot tips didn’t help here and, in fact, none of my varied collection of other, somewhat random, tips was able to fix this issue either**.

For the purposes of actual auditioning I obviously went with tips that gave me a proper seal and just listened in shorter sessions to avoid the discomfort. And that meant using the medium size Spin Fit tips and the small Comply “Comfort” ones. There is a definite, audible, difference between these tips although, fortunately, unlike with the EE Zeus R the Comply tips didn’t totally screw up the sound***!

Listening:

Hiss:

This is my first experience with the Andromeda and I was expecting them to be very hiss-prone based on the reading I'd done. They're not much different in that respect to the SE846 nor the Zeus R, but at the same time, they're not any less hissy either. Directly out of the X5iii's SE output, hiss is immediately noticeable when the output stage engages. It's not intrusive, but you'll hear it in silent passages, between tracks and in longer, very soft, sections of music. It won't intrude over any tape hiss or other recording noise in this case, but it's not an absolute void.

Switch to using the BAL output directly and hiss might become intrusive for you. I'm quite sensitive to it (not in the sense that it bothers me, but I hear it at very low levels which tends to emphasized how "much" of it I hear), and in this case I'd be wavering on whether it was too much. With all-electronics stuff, or where there is no recording noise, it is hard to miss in quiet passages, and is audible over the natural noise floor of the piece in some cases. I'm not sure I'd want to run the Andromeda in this mode with quite a few genres that I enjoy.

If we add the iEMatch, then hiss is completely gone, even on the "High" sensitivity setting (no need for "Ultra") when coming off the SE output. It's barely audible in BAL mode ... and if you engage the "Ultra" sensitivity setting then they become completely silent there too.

Switching to the Sony WM1Z, hiss is still apparent, both in SE and balanced output modes, but it is at a usefully lower level than with the X5iii and it really only becomes apparent in passages that are actually silent – the noise is lost if there is music audible at all. Adding the iEMatch unit here results in total silence, but isn’t necessary and actually does more harm than good in other areas.

Via the Pro iCAN the Andromeda are completely silent out of both SE and BAL connections.

Finally, the little Apple dongle … also completely silent here. In other tests it has exhibited the same inky-black delivery, but I thought it was worth confirming that with the Andromeda.

Sound:

FiiO X5iii:

The first impression I got with the X5iii/Andromeda pairing (via the SE output) was of a bass-tilted presentation. Further listening in this configuration changed my perception a little … retaining the bass-emphasis but overlaying it on a slightly U-shaped signature. Some of this bass-centric delivery is, no doubt, down to the decidedly “Velvet Sound” tuning of the AKM 4490 DACs at the heart of the X5iii. This, probably combined with the low output impedance in this mode, yields more warmth and bloom than I really like and has a tendency to muddy up the lower registers.

I wouldn’t say this makes the Andromeda a bass-head IEM by any means, even in this combination, but it’s more so than I’d personally want to have as my daily-driver. And I was able to drop the low-end output to perfectly agreeable levels using the built-in EQ function on the X5iii, but this can cause other issues, including lowering overall volume (not really an issue with the Andromeda), at least of firmware v1.1.5. And using the “Viper Effect” option(s) doesn’t really do the unit any favors either.

The mid-range, while perhaps taking a slight step back from the low and high-end in terms of overall presence, is actually really good. It’s clear, lucid, articulate, detailed, exhibits good dynamics (both macro and micro), and is characteristically not dissimilar to the Focal Utopia. And within this band things are quite even handed and balanced. Music flows very nicely and I find the meat of the delivery to be extremely engaging.

I do find a little heat in the mid/upper treble region. I wouldn’t describe this as brightness as such, it’s much more that some notes have a bit of a “zing” to them and carry a bit more energy than I think is strictly neutral. The first word that came to mind was “hot” when hearing this. This was most noticeable using the Spin Fit tips. Switching to the “Comfort” configuration Comply foam tips almost completely removed this sense of extra upper-end energy and resulted in a more even overall tonality and a smoother, less peaky, presentation.

Overall resolution and texture are very good, and the delivery is more natural and balanced than, say, the Shure SE846 which, no matter what I do with them, always seem to draw attention to their bottom-end and never quite manage the sense of air, space or sparkle that seems to come very naturally to the Andromeda.

Anyway, after switching from the Spin Fit tips (which are generally my go-to tip) and to the Comply’s I stayed with the foamies for the rest of my auditioning (only swapping them out occasionally to see if I was missing anything … something prompted by the extreme negative impact they had when I used Comply tips with the Zeus R).

Generally, the presentation is nicely cohesive and while perhaps not as seamless as the AAW W900 (little is), is still at a very high level. If I wasn’t specifically listening for coherency issues after my initial time with the tia Fourté then there’s nothing here that would have called attention to itself. And even then matching and blending seems to have been done with a very sensitive ear and an expert touch. Very impressive.

Switching to the balanced output on the X5iii did, as I mentioned, elevated the hiss quite a bit. More than I’d be comfortable with in most cases. This is true with other sensitive IEMs as well and is definitiely noticeable with the SE846 and Zeus R as well. In fact “noticeable” is the wrong way to describe it … as it’s impossible not to notice.

On the upside, the balanced output on the X5iii delivers a more neutral presentation than the single-ended one. Yes, there’s still a hint of U-shapedness to the sound, and the bass is a bit moister with a little bloom … but that’s apparent with other IEMs paired with the X5iii as well. If it was not for the increased hiss (something I am unusually sensitive to), this would be how I would choose to listen to the X5iii/Andromeda combination.

Throwing iEMatch back into the mix, in either SE or BAL modes, well ... it fixes the hiss, as mentioned, but it also results in an obviously leaner presentation and while that suits bass-heavy stuff quite well, it's less successful with "normal" recordings. In other words, it swings things a bit too far the other way and winds up robbing the music of some of its body.

So, the pairing is not perfect as-is. Very good, and musically very enjoyable for sure. But the need to trade-off tonality against hiss is going to be more problematic for some than others. In my case, additional time with the unit did not result in my adjusting to this and I ultimately opted to run the X5iii/Andromeda pairing via the SE output and EQ-down the low-end a little.

I found that strategy to work better, overall, than using the iEMatch unit and dialing up the bottom end. The sound was more coherent in SE w/ bass-de-emphasis and you avoid the additional dongle on your cable.

Sony WM1Z:

I will say a lot less here as there is less that needs to be said. The Andromeda combined with the WM1Z was a very agreeable listen. Tonality was less skewed and while there’s still a certain degree of “excitement” to the Andromeda’s presentation here, it’s less emphatic than with the X5iii. Bass is more natural and exhibits better texture and the slam isn’t softened by bloom the way it is with the FiiO unit.

I did still notice some heat to the higher regions, but this was mostly controlled by switch to the Comply tips. I mention this mostly to indicate that it isn’t’ a unique thing to the X5iii pairing. If you listened to an entire “Heart” or “Erasure” album, you’d probably get a bit sensitive to this, but otherwise I just found it to just make things a little more lively than would be the case with something a bit more restrained.

For portable use, if it was my choice, I’d run the Andromeda out of the WM1Z via it’s balanced output, no need for iEMatch (or adapters), but that says as much about my player preference as it does about how the Andromeda work here. And, while I don’t have it anymore, the WM1A/Andromeda pairing would, I think, be very close to my ideal signature. It might not hit the high-points on all the technicalities compared to some other things I’ve heard recently, but without hearing those it’s a rather impressive result.

Pro iCAN:

This was very close to the presentation of the Sony WM1Z tonally, but does serve to help demonstrate the level of scalability the Andromeda exhibits. Every time they were paired with a more capable chain, they let the strengths of that chain come forward. And, with this overall setup, it was surprising just how close to my TOTL full-size cans the Andromeda were able to get.

Now, we’re still talking about balanced armatures here and, for whatever reason, they never sound quite as “right” as good dynamic transducers or, in most areas, more competent planar designs, particularly texturally and in terms of coherence (no doubt due to the tendency for BA-designs to be multi-driver), but in other, technical, areas they gave a very impressive performance.

iPhone 7S/Apple Lighting to 3.5mm Adapter:

As mentioned, this resulted in a silent background. The slightly U-shaped presentation, with some bass-emphasis, is present here though. Not to the same extent as with the X5iii – nominally I’m sure that’s due to the less-warm signature of the DAC in this dongle, but this is a bassier presentation than with everything else.

I don’t find it “over done”, it’s quite fun for the most part, but it strays further away from neutral than the WM1Z or Pro iCAN. If I wanted a super-simple with-me-always solution this would be something I wouldn’t have any trouble listening to. Though it would not be my first choice for critical listening (more down to the Apple dongle than the Andromeda).

Summary:

I really enjoyed listening to the Andromeda … issues with ear-pain from the fit notwithstanding (and that’s going to be a very specific, personal, thing). They are musically engaging, capable of a fully emotive delivery (“Carmen” was particularly intoxicating), exhibit excellent technicalities (and at no point did I find myself hankering to switch to something else) and were thoroughly enjoyable.

It’s nice to listen to something that has received a great deal of praise and find that it is easily justified. In the current environment of rapidly escalating IEM pricing, and an apparent driver-count arms-race, it’s refreshing to see innovation in other directions while delivering what, in the grand scheme of things, is a very good value product.

Yes, it feels a bit odd to me to be thinking about an $1,100 IEM as “good value” … I still remember buying the SE846 when it was released and that was, I think $1,299 officially (most people paid $999 in the end I believe), which was the most expensive non-custom IEM by some margin. And compared to the SE846, I think the Andromeda is a much better bet unless you really just want a very prominent bottom-end and some modest tuneability.

Anyway, here I feel that you’re looking at genuinely close-to-top-of-the-line levels of performance for, what in today’s world, is a comparatively reasonable price point.

As a pairing with the Fiio X5iii, at $1,498, the levels of performance available are extremely impressive, and that would make a very capable and enjoyable, combination with the caveat that you'll need to be sure the trade-off in terms of bass-emphasis/tonal balance and hiss is something that will work for you. For me, as mentioned, it requires a modest bass-cut via EQ so that I can use the more bass-emphatic presentation from the SE output to avoid the extra hiss from BALANCED output (which you can't EQ away).

Am I going to buy a set of Andromeda?

Well ... no ...

But the only reason I’m not adding a pair of Andromeda to my collection is down to the comfort/seal issue. Otherwise they’d be worth it for take-everywhere use and as a solid, well-known, reference for comparing other IEMs against.

--

*The cosmetic wear issues on the Andromeda seem pronounced, and consistent, enough that used copies are, at best, in “B-stock” condition. And, purchase-wise, that means that I’m looking at an $849 IEM not an $1049 one. So, used prices would be based on that $849 initial figure, not $1049. This made it impossible to find a sensibly (for me) priced used copy.

**I keep full sets of Comply “Comfort” and “Isolation”, Spin Fit and Spiral Dots in all available sizes on hand, even though generally the small Comfort Comply and medium Spin Fit tips are where I wind up with most IEMs.

***Using Comply tips with my Empire Ears Zeus R totally screws up the signature for me. They become significantly recessed in the treble and even the upper-mids get attenuated in ways that I don’t like. It makes them sound dull, lifeless and almost broken. The same tips on the SE846, Andromeda, Vega, U12, U18 etc. cause me no such issues.

 

Okay, quick report.

I haven't used my HD580 for a while. It was just Andromeda + AK120 + Spiral Dots (stock spiral dots, it's not like I mod everything ).

Then I got my modded HD580 out today and plugged them into Geek Out 2 Aluminum.

Difference: Andro has like 1-2dB more bass (so more in line with HD650) and maybe a bit extra sharpness (1-2dB more 4-6KHz, more in line with HD600?) in everything. If a track is sibilant with Andro, it's just a tiny bit less annoying with HD580. Everything else is about the same.

Yeah, Andro is a bit V-shaped, but seriously, it's *that* close to my HD580 with AK120. So I'm a happy camper. Tried various mods to reduce the peakiness and this is where I am at: I got these over the big nozzles now instead of filling them up with foam pieces:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001DX9EE6/

To echo Ken when I asked him about V2: "what is there to improve upon?"

 

They really are remarkable transducers. One for the ages, I'd say.

 

So considering that Andro would change its sound characteristic with every 0.5 ohm difference in OI, I was curious to see if the same changes would apply to cables.

So I got ALO's Reference 8 cable just because.

Well, to my pleasant surprise, the cable does make quite a difference.

In a nutshell, out of my AK120:

Ref 8 cable (4 pure copper + 4 SPC conductors) = bassier, calmer upper mid/lower treble, slight loss of "air" compared to stock Litz cable, now Andro properly sounds like its FR would suggest: downward curved with quite a bit of bass extension. No need to block biggest nozzle with filter or foam anymore. Since mid is a bit recessed and upper mid now sounds almost on par, it makes me feel like the bass is tilted up a bit much. It's weird that now Andro needs dynamat to tighten up the sound. I'm guessing this means this cable has lower impedance. I'd bet that on ZX2, Andro should now sound perfectly neutral. I actually really really like this configuration. No mods, no EQ. Much easier to listen to.

Stock Litz cable (8 SPC conductors?) = still bassy, but quite a bit thinner, slightly hot upper mid/lower treble (some tracks are super painful to listen to, though), somewhat V-shaped, almost like Utopia, but to a lesser extent. Biggest nozzle needs filter/foam or my ears get torn off. No need for dynamat at all. I'm guessing this means this cable has slightly higher impedance. I honestly like/dislike this configuration. It's somewhat like HD600, but the emphasis is a bit more BA-like, so it's harder to listen to for long without mods or EQ (I actually do both when I use this cable). It's somewhat like Utopia to me. Love/hate all over again.

So there, choose your weapon. Ref 8 is a bit expensive ($299 on ALO's website?), but IMO, if you're planning for Andro to be your end-game, it's worth the investment.

Other notes: Litz cable is softer and more comfy to wear. Ref 8 has slight amount of memory (maybe it's the pure copper?) so it may get stuck in a certain shape after a while. The cable conformed to the shape of my head after 24 hours.

 

Ref 8 is 0.8 ohm according to Westone (according to Ken).

https://www.head-fi.org/f/threads/new-ref-8-iem-cable-by-alo.823613/page-2#post-13057144

 

Thanks! That makes me wonder how much Litz is... because the difference between the two is quite stark to my ears.

 

"around 1.2 ohm" he told me at a show, and iirc, the tinsel cable is twice that.

the HK distributor is giving away hand polished brass and polished aluminium versions of andro in a contest... they look rather smexy

https://m.facebook.com/ECTHK/photos...2/1491805270869575/?type=3&source=48&__tn__=E

 

Yeah, I was about to say... I got curious and found my multimeter. Took like hours to charge the batteries for it, though.

ALO Litz = 1.16 ohm
ALO Reference 8 = 0.85 ohm

So there's that. Looks like the values quoted above are quite accurate, and now I know the effect of 0.3 ohm on Andro's sound. Damn, even 0.3 ohm of difference makes this much of a... difference.

I guess if you are having issues with the treble, it may be worth it to get a cable that's lower in impedance and see if that helps. To me, the 0.85 ohm of the Ref 8 cable really does help a lot with the upper mid "zing" thing. It's still there, but it's so muted now that I don't even notice it anymore unless a track has it inherently (meaning the same sibilance would appear on my HD580).

And by the way, those look sexy indeed! I tried asking Campfire if they could give me Andro in a different color (I would have paid them extra for it as well), but they couldn't. Ah well, green doesn't look all that bad.

 

Where do you put the Dynamat? Do you just scrape some of the tar off and dab it onto the bits around the nozzles? Seems like it would be easy to get some onto the tips and make a huge mess.

 

Yeah, I scrape almost all of the goo off and leave just barely enough of it to attach the aluminum film thing onto the nozzle. Just one small piece wrapped around 1/2 of the nozzle. I didn't want to go overboard.

Also, I'm using these Noble tips now:
https://nobleaudio.com/en/shop/accessories/

The red-sleeve tips are not spinfit. They are something else. I find that those are okay with Andro and do not need perforation (see the mod thread for perforation), but you may want to cover the nozzle with the Shure filter guard to reduce upper mids.

The tips with the line (---) across them are interesting, and are personally what I'm using because they seem to reduce the upper mid zing/peak even further.
_____________________________________________________

So to recap on my tip rolling experience, in case anyone is curious:

Stock foam tips: actually among the most okay and tonally correct tips out of everything else. But the small ones are too small and the big ones are too big, also they are too stiff and my ears hurt after a while. Sound is good, comfort is not. Upper mid zing is somewhat reduced but still there. Need foam piece stuck in biggest nozzle if using stock Litz cable. If using Ref 8, then no need for the foam piece.

Stock silicone tips: V-shaped, big boomy bass and super sharp sound. Also somewhat dark. Not recommended. It's even worse with Ref 8. Perforation helps with darkness and bass boom but the sharpness remains. Good comfort tho.

Spinfit: what the fuh...? I hope this doesn't offend anyone but seriously, WTF???? These sound so off to my ears that I wouldn't recommend it. Good comfort tho.

Comply foam tips without screen guard: a bit shouty, but overall good for the upper mid zing, too. I think all foam tips do well in this regard. But this is still tonally a bit off to my ears (too shouty?). Better comfort than stock foam tips, though.

Comply foam tips with screen guard: too dark. But better with regards to shoutiness. But still too dark. Almost like Noble X. Just as comfy as the other comply tips.

Dekoni foam tips: sounds kinda like comply foam. More uncomfy. Their ear pads are good but I think their ear tips need work. Bad comfort, too, though better than stock foam tips.

Spiral Dot M: gets closer to my ears -> less shouty/sharp than plain jane silicone tips. I'd just perforate four holes in the sleeve with this and be done with it. Overall pretty good balance. Foam or Shure screen (need only one of them, so choose whichever) can help with upper mid zing and bring this to a fairly balanced sound. Ref 8 also helps, and the combination brings Andro pretty close to HD650 sound, I think. Highly recommended because it's more comfy (to me) than stock foam tips.

Spiral Dot ML: bit further from my ears -> more shouty/sharp and less bass compared to M. This is why there are separate sections for them. Need foam + Shure screen guard (both at the same time) in order to not rip my ears off. Still kinda too sharp, though, unless taken with Ref 8, then it's somewhat more balanced/neutral than M size but still a bit sharp/zingy. If you can live with EQ, this is not so bad. Conditionally recommended because it's still more comfy than stock foam tips. Plus I think... just maybe... that if you use an even lower impedance cable (lower than the 0.8 ohm of Ref 8) with Andro that you'll want these tips. They're just a wee bit too bright with Ref 8 for me.

Double-flange tips: good-ish, but weird fit for me. Sounds a bit too mid-centric, and there is a pretty apparent collapse of soundstage, plus loss of air. But it doesn't really do anything bad. Maybe it's Ref 8 causing all of that. I need to try these with Litz again and update this post. I guess they're conditionally recommended if fit is not an issue for you. When fit is achieved (which it rarely does for me), comfort is pretty decent, too.

Noble red-sleeved dark silicone tips: about the same size as Spiral Dot M. A bit brighter than Spiral Dot M but less bright than Spiral Dot ML. Combined with Shure screen guard or foam and Ref 8, it gives a very good balanced sound overall. Need much less extreme EQ than Spiral Dot ML to my ears, and may actually be almost perfectly neutral. Highly recommended for comfort and sound. No need to mod anything further.

Noble (---) tips: darker than Spiral Dot M, but does magic with sibilance and upper mid zing. Need 4 perforations in the rear to bring bass down and make it less dark. I find this + Shure guard + dynamat piece (I'd only apply dynamat with these tips, by the way) + Ref 8 = perfectly neutral for me. Conditionally recommended if you can do all of the other mods. Now Andro sounds like HD650 to me.

TL;DR, I think these tips are good for Andro:
1. Stock foam tips (if comfort is not an issue)
2. Spiral Dot M (need foam/Shure screen guard)
3. Spiral Dot ML (need both foam and Shure screen guard)
4. Double-flange (need to test more?)
5. Noble red-sleeved dark silicone tips (use with Ref 8 and Shure screen guard)
6. Noble (---) tips (need extensive mods but best results for me)

Edit: caveats I failed to mention. Sorry!!

1. I use AK120 or my iPhone 6+ as sources for my Andro. Interchangeably. More AK120, much less iPhone 6+ although the iPhone is good for sibilance testing (for good reasons). Quick descriptions: AK120 = warm, a bit gooey, and best described as being slightly hazy/smoky. iPhone 6+ = supernova bright with Andro even with foam tips, need a lot of foam + Shure guard + foam tips for me to even want to try the combo.

2. Andro changes its sound even with the cable. Most of the testing was done with the Ref 8 cable, unless I noted the stock Litz cable in there somewhere.

3. I generally prefer a softer sound, akin to HD650 with less bass and a bit less upper mid, so please read my impressions with that in mind and calibrate accordingly. I'm almost like Hands, though my tolerance for brightness is a bit higher.