Great advice! I can certainly apply lessons from my other hobbies, too. I will need to wait till Christmas to explore the Polaris. I don’t expect them to become my default headphone but I will keep an open mind.
Yeah! If I kept the Polaris, that’s what they would be too re: not being my main unit.
I’d say the Polaris is perfect if you’re looking for more of an intimate, warm, and smooth listening session ~ it’s perfect for artists around the Jazz, low-fi, and house realm. Especially enjoyed listening to FINNEAS on it.
I forgot or missed that you have the Cobalt, in which case the Lotoo’s probably redundant.
I’m content with the 2020 and like it enough not to go to the hassle of replacing it. But if I were to get the original Andromeda it would be primarily for cymbals!
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I have kept my OG Andromeda’s and won’t let them go from my collection. The great sparkle in the treble has the instant wow factor that’s addictive. I don’t think they did anyone any favours in changing the sound. Just my opinion of course. Whichever iteration of Andromeda’s one may own though they are great iem’s.
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Agree 100% mate…OG Andro’s and iFi Micros have a great synergy, the Burr brown chips add a tad of warmth and if you need it you’ve got the X-Bass toggle…
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What a collection indeed!
Nice descriptions of the Andromedas you got there.
I’ve gone through OG Andromeda, the 2020, the Andromeda S, and have finally landed upon the gold myself as well.
Only unicorn I have not tried is the MW10, which I dearly hope to one day even if it’s as a personal loaner.
Thanks for all the iFi love ~ I personally truly enjoy our Signature run through 4.4. on my end as well.
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5 posts were merged into an existing topic: iFi Audio - Official Brand Thread
MW10 is here!
Edit: I’ve decided to sell my MW10 and other IEMs as I’m getting into the wristwatch hobby. Please DM me if you want it!
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I upvoted that photo! Such beautiful shot with the background.
Looking forward to your impressions 
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This is a beautiful picture. I couldn’t even begin to get anywhere near it quality. Great stuff.
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Campfire Andromeda 2020 - Revisited
So, this was just supposed to be a brief post, but it quickly turned into a 900+ word essay. Yes, I know, I’m incredibly verbose. That out of the way…if you’ve read my review on this IEM, then you’ll know that I was very impressed when I first heard it. I’ve likewise played around with the idea of purchasing my own pair for some time. Admittedly, a part of me was worried. It’s been over six months since I last heard it, my tastes have matured, and I just don’t find myself particularly happy with a lot of the stuff I hear nowadays. Cue a few days ago when a deal presented itself that I couldn’t resist, and I pulled the trigger. Well, as it turns out, I needn’t have been worried: The Andro 2020’s just as good as I remember it, and I spent the entirety of yesterday evening (and today’s very early morning) in auditory bliss. Let’s talk about what makes the Andro 2020 tick and why this is my favorite kilobuck IEM.
First, the tonality of the Andro 2020 - I’d say it’s pretty close to hitting my preferences. More pronounced, 3kHz, Harman ear compensations and aggressive upper-midranges seem to be all the rage these days when it comes to tuning. While I recognize this tuning direction as being more tonally accurate (at least relative to how I hear neutral), I adore the Andro 2020’s more relaxed, 2kHz ear compensation and the subsequent dip to the upper-midrange. Why the dip, you ask? There are a couple reasons. Done appropriately, I find it takes a lot of the edginess off of female vocalists that Harman-oriented tunings exhibit. Of course, you’ve also got stuff like the B2: Dusk (and theoretically, the Hidition Viento) that toe the line very closely but don’t quite result in this edginess. What these IEMs lack, however, is center image diffusal - something I’ll delve into later.
The main tuning issue, which I’ve cited before, is the contrast between said upper-midrange dip and the more weighty, thick lower-midrange. This lends to slight tonal disconnect on stuff that tokens both; take for example Trace Adkin’s “Watch the World End” where Colbie Callait sounds noticeably recessed and Adkin’s gruffer voice dominates more than it does on, say, the U12t. This blobby-ness is even more noticeable on stuff like Joe Nichol’s “Sunny and 75”. Treble on the Andro 2020 also isn’t as smooth as I remember, but I don’t think its a big deal. It seems to be a tad mid-treble emphasized; nonetheless, I find it much preferable to something like the Viento with its crazy resonance in the decay. Along these lines, extension is ample on the Andro 2020, flying upwards of even something like the Moondrop S8 (although with less sheer quantity in those air frequencies). Suffice it to say that Campfire Audio knows how to do their treble.
Let’s talk intangibles; we might as well get the Andro 2020’s biggest pitfall out of the way: dynamics. It really doesn’t do dynamics - of any sort - particularly well. I’m sure you’ve already read less-than-favorable comments about the Andro 2020’s bass, and yep, it’s pretty textureless with next to zero decay, so let’s move on. I’ve critiqued the Andro 2020’s macrodynamic ability in the past; I have to say, though, I don’t think it’s as bad as I made it out to be. Sheer contrast isn’t bad, it’s the weight and intensity - or rather, lack there of - of dynamic swings on the Andro 2020 that leaves desiring. It was, however, good to confirm what I’ve long suspected about the Andro 2020’s microdynamic ability: It’s pretty poor. Transient attack in the bass and midrange sounds static, dry, and upwards compressed; the shift in the snare drum hit at 0:36 on Sawano’s “Cage” is nigh-indistinguishable from its peers, Taeyeon sounds too flat at times. I’d posit microdynamics go hand-in-hand with noise floor to a certain extent, so I ran the Andro 2020 off of the iDSD Micro BL with IEMatch to confirm. Most listening was done with my DX160 which I found to have the lowest noise floor otherwise (still just the slightest of hissing; I don’t really notice it playing music).
As usual, there’s plenty of issues I can point out. Nonetheless, I’m inclined to make concessions here because the Andro 2020’s imaging is, simply put, amazing . This is where that upper-midrange dip comes into play; there is ample center-image diffusal, the likes of which I’ve only heard on stuff like my U12t and the tia Fourte. I’m not going to slam you with bold claims of the Andro 2020 playing ball with headphones for imaging (at least not in totality), but admittedly, I don’t get very much center image diffusal even on something like the HD800S. And for me, center image diffusal - that is, depth - is essential to keeping my engagement; I find myself glued to the Andro 2020 like so. More generally, the Andro 2020’s imaging is what I’d qualify as holographic, although it’s not exhibiting the same level of image distinction, solidity, that something like its older brother the Solaris 2020 or tia Fourte displays. Perhaps soundstage height is where it stumble a tad. Nonetheless, layering on the Andro 2020 also plays with the best, no question. I’ve made this example before, but the way it sieves through Taeyeon’s “Fine” and the vocal overdubs scattered throughout the center image at varying heights, depths, and widths, as she enters the chorus is nothing short of breathtaking. Make no mistake that the Andro 2020 has that wow factor in spades. It’s the IEM you hand, by default, to someone who has no idea of what good sound is because you want to knock their socks off.
Ultimately, I’ll still be the first to admit that the Andro 2020 is not the best kilobuck IEM on paper. The IER-M9 runs circles around it in the bass and timbre departments. The Moondrop S8 is tuned better and offers comparable technicalities for significantly less cost. The Viento’s cheaper with far more engaging microdynamics. And jeez, stack on all the sensitivity issues you have to deal with on the Andro 2020! But, honestly, I just don’t find myself caring. I’ve said this before, but once you start hitting around the kilobuck price point, so much comes down to preference. The Andro 2020’s warm, not-quite-neutral tuning speaks to me on a more fundamental level; the way it balances said tuning with its unique, stellar technical chops has me charmed, making it my kilobuck IEM of choice.
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Excellent review @Precogvision.
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Andro family!!! Nice review as always bud.
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Lovely review, great insight into the tradeoffs of these, as well as explaining one way to think about higher end audio choices.
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The pre-2020 version of the Andromeda, now called the “Classic” is on sale from Drop for $899. This earlier version has been on sale through Campfire Audio directly and through its ALO Deals site for a while now but the price on Drop is excellent.
This is one of the best deals in the world of IEMs. It’s worth remembering that the Andros were $200 more expensive just one year ago.
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Yep! Also already available on alo deals: Andromeda by Campfire Audio – ALO audio Deals
Yes, but for $100 more (a-stock) or the same price as b-stock
My work travel started picking up in May so after a bunch of hemming/hawing I decided on a pair of Andromeda 2020’s as my travel IEMs. Currently I’m running them through a AQ Cobalt, and after about 8 trips they still sound fantastic to me. The problem I’m having is with the fit. For whatever reason there is one “point” on the outside of case that seems to hit the cartilage in my ear. I can manage for an hour or two but after a while - even though it seems like an insignificant amount of contact - they become pretty uncomfortable.
- Has anyone else had (or heard of) this issue? 2) Are there any other IEMs that come to mind that have a similar sound quality that aren’t so “geometric”? I love the way they look, and love the color, but if I can’t wear them for a long trip I need to find something else.
I know I can always go the custom route, but for now I’d like to stick with universals until I find one that’s “so good” it justifies going custom since that’s pretty much a one-way ticket.
Yes, I’ve heard of people finding them uncomfortable in much the same way as you. The trick is that IEM fit is highly idiosyncratic - sometimes to the point where some folks don’t get along with universal IEMs at all and opt for CIEMs. Campfire Audio offers the Solstice, which is a CIEM based on the earlier version of the Andromeda (i.e. with a bit more treble sparkle).
There are plenty that have similarly high sound quality but, unfortunately, few have the same kind of tuning as the Andro 2020, which is dark (i.e. downward sloping in its frequency response). Few, also, have the same remarkably open and spacious soundstage.
Crinacle’s IEM rankings list has a column for sound signature, and his comments might help you identify possible alternatives. Depending on your budget, you might like to check out the Vision Ears VE8 or some of the 64 Audio offerings.
You might also like to take a look at the Oriolus Isabellae, which is much more affordable than the Andromeda 2020. @jrockwell has spoken very highly of it over on his thread on head-fi. He has also said that it offers some of the same qualities of the Andro 2020 even though it has a single DD driver and not BA ones.
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