Congratulations! I look forward to seeing what you think.
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Just took the leap, and got a pair of used Andromeda 2020ās on Black Friday with the extra discount, Must say I love them so far. Up there with the Monarch MkIIās in terms of separating from other IEMs Iāve heard and want to keep listening to.
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The 100 step hardware volume button and 3 gain levels on Ibasso DC03 Pro is a godsend when you have supersensitive IEMs. Finally have lots of range in volume adjustment on Andromedas. The trick was to have the IEMs plugged in to the Ibasso before connecting it to the Android phone to get full dynamic output, otherwise phone vs dongle volume seemed to get confused and sound was lacking to my ears. Ibasso UAC app installed. Output impedance <0.12 means the frequency response hopefully isnāt affected. My Campfire Andromedas 2019 are 112,8dB/12,8ohm.
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An oldie but goodie! I was very much blown away by my Andromedas when I first got them in 2016. Both better sounding and cheaper than the FitEar TG334s I replaced with them.
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Night and day difference versus the TG334, thatās for sure - enjoy!
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Hey folks! Does anyone have recommendations for lower end source gear for the Andromeda that has a totally black and silent background?
This is the scenario! Iāve had my Andromeda 2020s for a couple years now and adore them. Up until this point Iāve run them off my Fiio M11 Plus (my Fiio M11 Pro before that) with an ifi iem-match to silence the hiss.
The problem is, Iāve just gotten sick of the extra dangly bit I have to use even with my chunky DAP. I know, odd hill to die on given the weighty DAP, but thatās proven to be my annoyance point. I also always bought the marketing that the iem-match wasnāt altering the sound, at least meaningfully. Now seeing measurements in this thread and other places on the internet that show the shift down in the bass you get on the Andromeda when using an impedance matching device is the final straw (matched a growing suspicion I had after noticing more bass on runs where I was running them right off the apple dongle).
A quick cautionary aside, as much as I love and have loved my M11s as music streaming hubs, for the great feature set, for using my big headphones around the apartment and beyond, itās been a sore spot for me over the years that the noise floor isnāt low enough for sensitive IEMs. I read reviews posted in various places that said their was no audible hiss w/ Andros or listed the Andromeda as a testing set and didnāt mention any hiss, both when I bought the Andromeda to use with the M11 Pro and when I upgraded to the Plus for Apple Music and the hope that there wouldnāt be a hiss. (there was and is)
A handful of lessons in there probably. Some Fiio brand loyalty leading me astray, should have stuck to reviewers I was more familiar with, and really figured out exactly what spec I needed to ensure a silent background rather than relying on otherās to report it. Had I thought thereād be a hiss I would have maybe not gotten the andros to begin with and definitely should have upgraded to a DAP that didnāt hiss. Alas live and learn!
Anyways, budget wise Iām content to spend anywhere under 500 bucks, but am happiest in the 200-300 range. Since my M11 still fills the majority of its DAP duties with flying colors I donāt think Iām looking for a DAP to replace it even at a lower price. Iāll probably ball out on a high-end Astell and Kern DAP to replace it and become my go to IEM source in the next decade or so, but for the time being I think Iām looking for a dongle or pocket portable dad/amp to be my dedicated Andromeda and sensitive IEM buddy.
I know the Andromeda runs off an apple dongle, but at least with my ears on my iPhone 13 mini I hear an audible hiss. Iām also certainly a slightly neurotic audiophile that loves his source gear. Iām happy and excited to get something great to pair with my andromedas even if Iām only actually gaining a very small bit of SQ and some little audiophile bells and whistles. Despite the long battle with hiss, I do love listening to music on them.
Taking any tip rolling suggestion too! Always been too daunted by the number of options!
Thank you all!!!
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The Qudelix-5K is one of the few things that does not cause my CFA Ara (94 dB SPL @ 1kHz: 7.094 mVrms, 8.5 Ohms @ 1kHz Impedance) to hiss. Your Andromeda 2020s, which are less sensitive, should be fine.
Regards,
Vic
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First of all, welcome to the forum 
I agree with Vic - Have a look at the Qudelix 5K.
I am using the Qudelix 5K with my Andromeda 2020, and have absolutely no issues with hissing.
Another huge plus is the portability. The device is tiny, so you can put it in the pocket or on the waist / belt and not notice it.
On top of that you will get a lot of options for adjustments and EQ - either via the Qudelix app or via the browser plugin, if you have the unit connected to your computer.
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These guys beat me to itā¦.another +1 for the Qudelix 5k!
Been using the 5k since my M11 became a paperweight. I had nothing but problems with mine and then it stopped charging. So I picked up the 5k until I decided which Dap I wanted to get next. After using it I found I donāt really need a dap. Might get one eventually but it isnāt a priority now ā¦the 5k is pretty great!
I donāt have Andros but it works with my dozen or so IEMs from Thieaudio, Etymotic, Tin, Jvc , 7htz, etc to my Mest Mkii.
Downside of course is not having your music library downloaded but the BT works great. I use mine with Roon Arc from my phone. 0 issues.
If nothing else itās an inexpensive *temporary * fix that, like me, may just replace your dap altogether.
Like @Brose said, itās tinyā¦.
So itās really convenient/easy to carry around.
6 Likes
Thanks for the replies folks, the Q5K is the clear runaway winner!
I hadnāt heard of it and was pretty blown away once I started to read up on reviews. I was worried that to get a squeaky clean noise floor for my Andromedas Iād have to compromise on features and still pay a decent chunk. Wrong on both counts! Wild this thingās only a hundred bucks.
Prime one day shipping, arrived on Sunday, and Iām one happy camper. Itās the perfect companion for my Andromedas. A tiny portable package and zero hiss exactly like @Audiophool ,@Brose, and @xiaoyaoyou advised. Iām really stoked on the sound. A properly matched source has had an even bigger impact than I expected. Enough so that the Andromedaās are definitely going to see more use at home where theyāre in competition with my desktop rig. Thanks again all, the Q5Kās a winner!
I hear you on the DAP front, @Audiophool. A lot of the value prop is ease, functionality, and experience. When there are issues (or it breaks) its just maddening given what they cost. I do really like my M11 plus these days, but kind of despised my M11 pro at times looking back. Not a solution Iād recommend unless youāre really going to use every part of the buffalo.
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Glad to hear the Qudelix is working for you! - Itās a great match for the Andromedas 
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So you are lazy, but not meta-lazy. 