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

I'm wondering if the nozzle finish changes might affect condensation

Probably not, but I don't know enough about materials

 

pure conjecture because those pics make it hard to tell if its a material or coating change, but based on the photos it looks like the nozzles have switched from Al to stainless steel based on the tooling marks and brilliance/color. SS has a low thermal conductivity, while Al has a high k. so, Al would likely be less sensitive to condensation (faster temperature change).

 

*The condensation occurs when the cooler tip (ambient room temperature) is inserted into the warmer and moist ear canal (body temperature). It will slow or stop when the tip has been warmed up by the shell sitting in the concha. Since the Andro shell is aluminum, it warms up pretty fast and conducts the heat to the tip. If the new tips are stainless steel, then they would warm up more slowly than aluminum ones, increasing the amount of time that there is a temperature difference between the air in the ear canal and the tips, and theoretically increasing the amount of condensation. But I doubt that this will make a significant difference in the amount condensation. One could also try to factor the different heat capacities of aluminum and stainless, but I think this is also not going to make a significant difference.

Solution (as previously discussed): warm them up in your hands before inserting them into your ear.

*I could also just be talking out of my ass.

 

*(sorry, couldn't resist)

 

I posted some subjective impressions of the Andromeda vs the Tia Fourte in the Fourte thread if anyone is curious. My first review of sorts. https://superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/64-audios-tia-iems-a18-u18-fourte.4548/

 

Oh, I was thinking along the lines of them choosing a new coating/material to mitigate existing condensation, but I guess not

 

I'm hearing a lot of electrical noise through the Andromeda when my V10 is charging. I've switched micro USB cables and chargers but no luck yet. Any suggestions for how I can eliminate this?

Andro cable the problem?

Anyone else had this problem?

 

It could be a ground loop through the USB cable?

You could try using a USB cable with the grounding pin covered/removed* and see if that gets rid of the noise, or see if the noise happens when charging using a portable battery. Probably the first thing to do to try to narrow down the issue.

(*standard "this could lead to a bad outcome" warnings with removing electrical grounding apply)

 

Gave these a go this morning at my local headphone shop.

Great technicalities. Very seal dependant. I only tried it with one pair of tips. I need more time with these, but they sounded very promising. No sibilance that I could notice, and I turned it up loud. Just enough bass for me, and I’m a bit of a basshead!

 

Did you compared them with Vega?

 

Very different signatures. Reminds me of a comparison I read of two turntables (Townsend Rock vs. Well Tempered Amadeus).

Vega (and Townsend) gives a bottom-up presentation. Everything is grounded in the bass (though thankfully the Vega bass doesn't bleed into other freqs and the Vega also has more treble than other bassy IEMs like the Shure 846s). I'd guess this would still be the case even if the bass FR was EQed down. The impact of a DD also plays a role here.

Andro (and Amadeus) gives a top-down presentation. The highs, the soundstage and the air of the Andros are exceptional. There's a reason that the word "special" is used so frequently with these. Everything else exists in this illuminated space that the Andro treble provides. Bass is not lacking but certainly there is less than the Vega, and it lacks the DD impact. Instead you get clean, fast BA bass.

Hopefully this analogy helps. As you may suspect from the above, the Vega and Anfros complement each other very well.

 

I didn't have enough time. I will go back in about a week, try both and report back!

 

As good as an excuse as any to go hang out more at headphonebar

 

So... just reporting in on my Black Friday acquisition.

Unlike most folks, I didn't go for the discounted white Andro, but instead went for the SXC 8 cable.

Prelim reports are follow:

Stock Litz (SPC) impedance ~ 1.2-1.3 ohm
SXC 8 (SPC) impedance ~ 0.5-0.6 ohm
(please note that my DMM may be inaccurate so these numbers should only be viewed relative to each other)

SXC 8 is like 3-4 times the thickness of Litz. It's a very substantial/heavy cable in person. It's also kinda hard/stiff in comparison to stock Litz or, say... whatever I remember of No.5, so there's that. This is not a cable I'd use while running around the city, trying to get on bus, etc... It's ergonomically a bit of a step down from Litz, and still pretty far from No.5. Better than Ref 8, though... if for nothing but maybe that the thicker profile makes it a bit harder to bend.

Sound-wise, this is the other extreme of Litz. A sheer 0.7-0.8 ohm shave in impedance causes there to be an unholy amount of bass to come out. But being SPC, it's not completely goo, and it still retains good transient and speed. In fact, it kinda sounds a bit cleaner/more immediate even.

But... oh my bass. Like, seriously, even for me, this is just a tad too much bass impact. It's not dark but the effect of having so much bass and this much clarity/detail is really crazy. I've always thought of Andro as sounding U-shaped, but this takes it to a completely new extreme. The bass peak is now pushed even lower from what I can hear, and the effect is really crazy.

So... very much not recommended for non-basshead. But recommended for those who want a more technical cable that works with an iPhone (it balances out the iPhone's lack of bass and slight warmth + treble peak nicely). For those with tastes like mine, I think it'll range either from "wow, this is exactly what I've been waiting for" to "wow, this is a bit too far" depending on the track. I'm personally loving my EDMs and jazz tracks but... in some songs, sheer bass impact is overpowering most everything else, even when there's enough clarity and layering.

Maybe this is just revealing that the bass drivers of Andro could be toned down a tad? I dunno. Still guilty pleasure for me though.

Edit: pics or it didn't happen:

 

audio history geeks, get your google translate ready...

@KenBall and Caleb discuss with a Japanese audio blog on why Andro is green, why there's no CK green andros, future projects and the meaning of 42.

https://www.phileweb.com/sp/interview/article/201712/08/514.html

 

I've had the Andro's back for a few days now. Conclusions so far are the same: silicone tips to my ears sound the best. When they are sealed, they really seal. Excellent treble, imaging, bass layering, and mids at the perfect level. The foam tips shift the balance to the left too much for me, and don't sound as natural in the treble.

The problem with the silicone tips is (just like last time I owned the Andros) they make my eustachian tubes go f'ing ballistic. Guess I'll be giving the spinfits a try

 

Out of all the tips I tried the Spin Fits gave the most consistent seal and best sound for me. Spiral Dots are too aggressive in the upper mids lower treble and stock foams actually were hard to seal for me so they were bright sounding.

 

Love the Symbio tips. I also found that they get more comfortable with time. Not sure if they or my ears are adjusting...

 

The thing I like about the silicone tips is they give guitar actual bite, which the foams tend to smooth away

Where do the silicone tips fall between spin fits and spiral dots?

I actually have a pretty good fit with the stock foams right now, but I don't have to wear my glassses at the moment, which is a big fit-fighter

 

I really can't tell you as all of the tips had fit issues for my screwy left ear canal. It will push out 99% of the tips I try.