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

Discussion in 'IEMs and Portable Gear' started by purr1n, May 13, 2016.

  1. Ice-man

    Ice-man Friend

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    I tried to talk myself out of it. I must try the Andro S. :rolleyes:
     
  2. jexby

    jexby Posole Prince

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    ah gotcha. sometimes temptation wins.

    gonna try and hear Andro S myself at RMAF, but am not expecting major sonic pixie altering differences.
     
  3. bFlat

    bFlat New

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    Very sad - ended returning the Andromeda S. Too much mid bass hump and too little upper treble for my tastes. However, that seems to be more to do with my WM1z so I'm sure there are better pairings. I'm still bummed because the Andro S is really a stunning IEM visually.
     
  4. drgumbybrain

    drgumbybrain Science Nut

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    Nevertheless many friends do like that pairing, I’m having a hardttime with regular andromeda and Sony 1z. To dark for my tastes. I got a linum cable with 1.5 ohm and it did improved some aspects and resolved that problem, but in another manner I feel it’s not the best cable for andromeda.
     
    Last edited: Oct 3, 2018
  5. penguins

    penguins Friend, formerly known as fp627

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    Is there anywhere in Southern CA where I can try these?* On their website I only see a US dealer in OR and NY. Or, has anyone on this board tried at their listed dealers in Taipei, HK, or Singapore (I am assuming the international version will not differ from US version).

    *Tried searching the thread and online but didn't find anything. If this has already been answered, apologies, please direct to post.
     
  6. Ice-man

    Ice-man Friend

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    Question...I picked up a questyle qp2r hoping that I could have something to power hd6x0 as well as the Andro from one device. While the qp2r is brilliant with the Senn, it's far to hissy and bassy with the Andro. Would an iematch fix both issues with the Andro out of the Questyle?
     
  7. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

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    No specific experience the Questyle, but IEMatch has worked wonderfully on everything I've plugged it into between Andros and amp.
     
  8. likearake

    likearake Acquaintance

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    Beaten while typing my message, but I was going to say something similar.

    Not sure how it will sound with the Questyle in particular but the IEMatch in general does help with both those issues, yes.

    As has been covered in this thread (I think), using an IEMatch does seem to cost you in terms of air / microdetail, so I mostly use it to fix an otherwise irredeemable source rather than as a main setup.

    It is a good tool to have handy as an Andro owner anyway though.
     
  9. bFlat

    bFlat New

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    If you just buy them from Campfire Audio, they offer a 15-day return guarantee. As long as they are in like new condition, you get a full refund. You just pay for your own shipping back. I can confirm they stand behind their guarantee.
     
  10. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

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    Agreed - IEMatch doesn't turn anything i've listened to into voodoo-plankton-magiks, but it fixes problems.
     
    Last edited: Oct 9, 2018
  11. AvijitS25

    AvijitS25 Acquaintance

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    I was wondering if someone could explain the differences between the S and Originals a bit more, I'm planning on moving on from my Orions which I have a had for ~20mo. I love the mid-centric nature of the Orions. The vocals overall are what have kept me from upgrading. They may not be the best by any measure but I have enjoyed the Orions a lot. I have heard the Green before but I personally wanted the mids to be a bit more forward. I plan on doing a direct comparison during the Toronto Audio Fest, between the Orion, Andromeda G and S. But wanted to get some more insight beforehand.

    I don't know if it is important to mention I do most of my listening from a Zx300, I still need to get a 4.4 cable, I was planning on dropping by the fiio room and picking one up if they had them available.

    The Headphonebar is also doing a show special on them including a give away for the greens, he wouldn't mention how much the discount would be but said it would be good to wait to wait for the show until buying either. It will probably be the same 100usd off Ken was offering at RMAF or no tax.
     
  12. penguins

    penguins Friend, formerly known as fp627

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    OK, so I got lucky and got to try most of the Campfire lineup during some travels. I really liked the sound of the Andromeda, but they did not fit my ears well with any of the tips I tried them with except for one. Was wondering if SBAF could provide recommendations for the tips so the Andromedas "can work".

    Specifically, I have long-ish and narrow canals that are (supposedly) relatively unusually shaped. A lot of universal earphones and tips do not stay in or fit my ears well. Out of 5 times my ears have been molded in the last 6 years (3 diff audiologists and 2 custom ear plug mfg), 3/5 required one or both ears to be redone because of the "tricky shape". Out of all the silicone tips I tried at the Campfire dealer, none would fit well or stay in my ear except 1 that marginally fit and it sounded horrible to me (and after saying so, the dealer smiled and said he expected this). Was told after examining my CIEM that due to the short + large opening on the Andromeda, there weren't any tips the dealer knew of that would fit both the product and my ears well. I was (only) able to get great sound with 2 of the tips when I held them there perfectly aligned with my hands. Off by a tiny bit they didn't have any seal and/or didn't sound good at all.

    Universals that fit well include most shells shaped similar to UE and Unique Melody with a longer canal exit. When using comply foam tips the P series fit best. On my old Westone2 most tips except for the "default" tips and long comply tips didn't fit either. When switching to the Atlas or Comet, they fit well with most tips but their sound wasn't for me.

    Will provide preferred sound if needed, but it seems like finding anything that even fits is hard enough for now.
     
  13. Returnity

    Returnity Acquaintance

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    Did you try any double or triple flange tips? If they fit into your ear canals, they might be the solution for your andromedalessness :)

    I agree that the thought of sticking those things into your ears is not a pleasant one, but I had pretty good experiences with them in the past after getting used to them.
     
  14. deafdoorknob

    deafdoorknob Almost "Made"

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    when i'm otg, i would sometimes use the mee audio triple flange tips, it's bassier than other tips but for out and aboot, it's perfectly servicable.
     
  15. ncristia

    ncristia New

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    I've had some success with RHA dual density, others have with their dual flange.
    https://www.rha-audio.com/us/accessories
     
  16. penguins

    penguins Friend, formerly known as fp627

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    Thanks all for suggestions!
     
  17. Ice-man

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    Is there a desktop amp that works perfectly with the Andromeda? No hiss and no impedance adapter needed? First hand experience is appreciated
     
  18. M3NTAL

    M3NTAL Friend

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    Benchmark HPA4 works for sure. I tried a "desktop" version of the XRKAudio Pocket Class A amp and it sounded good also, but it had a touch too much gain for me personally. Had about "1-2 hours" of usable volume range.
     
  19. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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    Any of the iFi products with built in iEMatch will work. YVMV re sound quality.
     
  20. scapeinator1

    scapeinator1 Once You Go Black You'll Never Go Back

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    The Jot hasn't been giving me much background hiss. Though the level of hiss you are willing to tolerate may be different.
     

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