Campfire Audio Andromeda in-ear Headphones - Official Thread

I can use foam longer, i.e. they are more comfortable. But for some reason they don’t last long with how I use them…I always tear them or they get all nasty too fast…to be fair…I mostly used foam tips for my workout IEMs… :laughing:

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I must just be lucky I guess. Mine seem to last quite a while but then I am very, very careful at how I remove them. I don’t seem to produce ear wax either at least I’ve never had a problem it. I hardly ever clean inside my ears as there’s never anything there. I must be odd. The rest of my family, wife and kids are just earwax factories.:grin:

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the larger foam was actually a great idea! It seems to stay in my ears better than the small ones! tysm for the suggestion!

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That’s great news. I am glad that you were able to find a solution.

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Campfire Audio has updated the accessories of the Andromeda for shipping in May of 2019. It now comes with a new case and their “Smoky Litz” cable that uses a formed ear-hook in lieu of memory wire. Check out the OP for full details.

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Campfire Andromeda Mini Review

The popular Campfire Audio Andromeda has been around for a few years now and I only recently had a chance to listen to the original green model. I had previously listened the Stainless Steel “S” model for a short period of time at a coffee shop, but they have slightly different sound signatures.

The Andromeda has also seen an overhaul of accessories lately, packaged with a new, easier to use cable, new carrying case similar to the IO I recently reviewed, and new box and paper packaging. The preview unit I received from The Headphone Community, was the older version of the Andromeda, as I got it just before the release of the 2019 refresh.

This review will be kept pretty short since this is an already popular IEM with plenty of discussion and reviews on the internet. What I do want to touch on are my own personal feelings towards this model.

The Build-Up

First off, I find the shallow nozzles to be a little annoying to fit. I ended up having to use longer tips to make up for the shallow depth, and it ends up being alright. The sharp edges of the shell make this IEM stand out however it occasionally does hit up against my ear and while not terrible, some people may find it discomforting.

Other than that, the build quality is excellent, despite seeing many photos of the color getting scratched and scuffed and fading away. It does add some natural beauty to it though, or at least I assume it would. The ones I borrowed are in perfect shape as they were brand new when I received it.

The Listens

Well, I must say, I came in to this with huge expectations, and at first, I was quite disappointed. The Andromeda wasn’t exactly what I was looking for. I happened to demo it the same time as Campfire’s Vega and Solaris, and I fell in love with Solaris’s balanced holographic sound with good fast and detailed bass.

The Andromeda has bass quantity and its quality isn’t bad either, but it doesn’t quite live up to the Solaris. The Andromeda is also super finicky with sources. Measuring it on a near zero output impedance source and one that is about 2.5 ohm creates two completely different soundscapes. One is quite bassy and even a tad muddy, while the other is more balanced but a little dull at the same time.

I guess my major points of contention for me are that the Andromeda has a very laid back tuning compared to what I generally prefer, with not a lot of upper mid presence and energy, but it makes up for it with a very controlled and steady sound that is both technical, decently wide, and detailed. The upper end treble is quite good, with just the right amount of glimmer and air that makes the IEM easy to listen to but addicting.

Wrap-Up

To me, I find the Andromeda to be in the same type of category as the Sennheiser HD6X0 series, where it’s steady, done well and rock solid, but it’s not quite what I was looking for at this time, but still - I can totally understand why it is enjoyable because it checks the box on so many levels. It doesn’t do a lot to truly excite me though, and that’s why I ended up choosing the Solaris over it. Nothing wrong with Andromeda though.

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For those that aren’t in the know on the Campfire news, there were rumblings about a limited edition Andromeda at CanJam London and looks like the rumours were true.

https://campfireaudio.com/shop/andromeda-special-edition-gold/

From Campfire:

  • Expanding a signature sound with dramatic flourish.
  • 7 Balanced Armatures + Crossover-less Design
  • Designed and hand assembled in Portland, Oregon USA.
  • Numbered Limited Edition of 1000 Pairs
  • Starts Shipping August 20th

It’s interesting as the Andromeda is the one headphone in their line-up that is pretty much universally loved so I wonder what the reaction will be like if the sound signature is changed in a dramatic way.

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That’s a surprising configuration given the strengths of the normal Andromeda - which, out of a 1.5-2.0 Ω source was, for me, a near unbeatable product at its price point (even if I can’t use it due to fit/comfort issues).

I’m clearly in a cynical mood this week … because my first two thoughts on reading this were not super positive. The first being that it is really a different IEM piggybacking on the very well regarded “Andromeda” name. And the second was I want to call this the: Andromeda “Raided the Left Over Parts Bin” Edition

Nozzles off the Polaris … screws from the IO … no room for a cross-over so we can squeeze in a couple of extra BA drivers for more bass …

Now, Ken is a professional at this stuff, and I’m not. I only go by what I hear (and/or measure), and I have, of course, NOT, heard these. So they could be magnificent. Though I still think they’re different enough that they warrant a distinct product name.

My concerns are several, though …

The standard Andromeda gets too bassy for me from sources with under about 2 Ω OI. Which is most DAPs, it seems. I know the trend with IEMs has been seemingly towards ever higher levels of bass (and I do like a bit more bass with an IEM than like with normal headphones). Thus I am concerned that this takes things too far in that regard.

I have only had one good experience with BA drivers that are allowed to run full-range (implied by the lack of a crossover*). That’s the Etymotic ER-4 (original and current). And I only think that gets away with it because a) the bass isn’t too potent b) the treble rolls off early, and c) it’s a single driver unit.

7 BAs with no crossover, all running full-range, at a minimum it’s a bold approach. There are obvious impacts to crossovers, from phase/coherence issues to loss of resolution etc. But there are benefits too … such as not pushing drivers into regions they don’t operate well/minimizing the range that a given driver has to cover.

The different nozzles are welcome … oddly they fit me much better than the standard Andromeda nozzles.

Time will tell, and it’ll be interesting to hear them, but it’s hard to understand why these are “Andromedas” when they differ so much in execution.


*There are other ways to mix and blend the output of multiple drivers, which CA and other manufactures have used. But, unless there are per-driver-group filters, without a crossover we’re doing that in the mechanical/acoustic domain … which means the driver is still being asked to operate at full-range and will be outputting as such.

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So in my mind there is an advantage to doing this given the substantial variation and source dependency of the Andros. The Andromeda isn’t perfect in its frequency response either, but with the right source, and the right tips, it’s really quite good - and I think this extra driver addition may allow for a bit more source flexibility, or potentially even a more practical application. I often find myself wishing my Andromeda had better bass extension, detail and control that’s identifiable in less than ideal environments. Right now if I go outside onto a noisy bus, I lose a lot of that definition down low.

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I thought the same thing.

I thought the last thing Andromeda needed was MORE bass. It needs more mids!

That said, the change of nozzle to the Solaris/IO/Polaris v2 style is a welcome change if it behaves how the IO did when I wore it. It was very comfortable compared to the Andromeda’s shallow fit.

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Hmm. I’m on the other end of the spectrum here - I’ll grant the Solaris does some neat things with staging but I find the Andromeda easier to fit and less fatiguing to listen to. I’ve spent way more time with my Trio than either, though.

I’m curious enough that I ordered a pair to try.

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Some great comments in this thread. Upon seeing this revised Andromeda my first thought is why? Personally I don’t care for constant updating of products. This is of course unless it’s a major upgrade. Which this could be of course. But I am in the camp that says this will adversely affect the stock Andromeda sound. I can’t see how they could keep the basic Andromeda FR with adding extra drivers surely this will skew it. Though I am no expert just an interested party.

if anoynone is interested in the limited black/gold edition…

Jude has measurements and impressions of the Andromeda Gold on Head-Fi.

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the “original” green Andromeda with the golden screws would look awesome

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forgot to add - output impedance <1.4Ω (32Ω loaded)

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I’m looking to get my first pair of good in-ears. I did a bit of research and the Andromeda’s (or Vegas) seem to be good fit. I’ve read that output impedance of your source is a topic of debate. Would you think, that they would be a good match for my Fiio Q5?

The sweet spot is said to be around 2 Ohms. Eq can also help. Below 2 Ohms it’s lower end becomes more pronounced and above 2 Ohms it gets brighter. It’s down to preference really.

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Thanks, that sounds like it could match. I like a neutral sound reproduction with the possibility to have good bass extension when I’m in the mood for certain tracks.

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Just spent 4 1/2 hours with the Andromeda in my ear holes… my ears are not happy with me (physical pain wise, damned sensitive ears) :cry: But these are still the only IEMs I’ve come across that I can stand for more than 30min to an hour without my ears starting to ache. Well the BGVP DMG, is another one that I can run with for a bit, also I had decent length of use with the T2/T3s. But none so far as long as I can stand the Andromeda which is odd, because the shape of it doesn’t scream comfort lol.

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