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

Managed to borrow a pair of Andromedas from a friend and have been listening to it for about an hour, so far my favourite tip on it is UE TF10's silicone tips. Using it out of a Geek Pulse, pretty good.

 

Took the plunge and bought a pair. Before I whipped out the credit card, I tried various combinations of iEMatch on my micro iDSD as well as the prototype iFi attenuators I have (-12dB and -24dB) to make sure I could get the bass response I like. In the store they sounded most neutral (to me) with iEMatch set to High (or Off with the -12dB attenuator, which I think is fairly equivalent impedance-wise), but it's pretty tough to get past 9:30 on the pot at my normal listening level. Even on Ultra I'm barely past the channel imbalance so some digital volume reduction will be necessary.

The sound was as "magical" as when I first heard them (I'm crap at describing what I hear so I won't bother since many impressions have already been given by those with much better ears and more eloquent words). But just as a sanity check before I bought my most expensive piece of audio equipment yet, I listened to the Kaiser 10Us for comparison. The highs sounded plasticky and the bass was vague in comparison. The acoustic instruments in Amber Rubarth's Don't You and Hotel California HFO sound much more natural through the Andros and the attacks and decays were better. The stage and imaging on Don't You through the Andros was so good that I wanted to compare it with the HD800S just for laughs. The store is in a high-tech mall and was getting a bit noisy which didn't do the Senns any favours, but I don't think the Andros lose out that much. The 800Ss had a deeper stage in all directions and the distance of instruments was more expanded. Tightness of imaging was fairly similar to my ears (f**k, I just imagined Jude making the disclaimer "to my ears" in one of his videos). In any case, sanity was confirmed and credit card presented.

Now that I'm at home playing around again with iEMatch, I'm finding that Ultra, while boosting the bass, also seems to balance out the mids and highs to reduce the brightness a touch. It's really amazing that with a flick of a switch you get two significantly different tunings. I'm wondering if they might end up sounding best with iEMatch Off and just using digital gain reduction.

I wanted to check the sound directly out of my Note 3 but it was charging so I grabbed my old S3 for a quick listen. The hiss was intolerable, cycling on and off when I paused and restarted playback. Zero hiss with my ER4Ps. I hadn't noticed any hiss out of my Note 3 at the headphone festival or in the store, but in the quiet of my home there's just a little that goes away as soon as music is playing. Really strange about the S3.

I'm listening to them as I write this and it's been really hard to concentrate, in a good way. I guess that says it all.

Edit: Oh yeah, just using the stock black silicone tips for now. Will have too look into some Complys. The website doesn't list Andromedas but I assume they're the 400s, same as the Jupiters? Are people using the Isolation or Comfort?

 

isolation 400 or 500 are fine ...

 

Have you tried the Ultra setting on the iematch? High has an OI of 2.5ohms, Ultra has only 1ohm. I agree the High setting is brighter, cleaner, and less engaging, but the Ultra setting seems to warm things up while retaining a majority of the clarity and detail. I really like it actually. Sounds to me like the perfect middle ground between a musical bass and an accurate midrange+treble.


Oh yeah btw, I just got an Andromeda a couple days ago. It met all my expectations and more, but I don't think I can say anything else that hasn't been said about them! It's actually eerie how well they image despite being an IEM.

 

I tried both settings....it still robs some air which changes the soundstage(mainly making it sound flatter and shrinking it) and makes the sound drier compared to the source without it. On the go v2+ infinity I prefer the se without iematch. On balanced I have no choice because of the hiss

 

I see what you mean now. Even though the SE of the GOV2+ (I've got the regular version, not infinity) hisses slightly, there is noticeably more space. With IEMatch in ultra, even though the background is cleaner and the tonal balance is pleasant, it is a bit flatter and more boring. The right tracks really expose it. Still, even with the IEMatch, the stage is still pretty good so I guess it's a tradeoff I'm willing to deal with for a blacker background.

 

anyone try pairing andromeda with ak300 vs opus#2 yet ?
compare compo andro + zx2/wm1a

 

I tried the ak320 with the andros. Very smooth velvety sound from the AKM chips....many say its not a realistic tonality, but it was clean, full sound. No Hiss from the AK player. Compared to the QP1R's thin sound, I think the AK320 was more to my liking. Many say the difference between the AK300 to 320 is minimal but I haven't heard the 300.

That beaing said the ZX2 is a much better pairing with the Andros.......though to maximize performance you have to get a 3.5 TRRS cable...follow instructions on disabling sound adjustments, and at the end of the day....deal with hiss. I try to ignore hiss, but it really hisses enough to distract you when you listen to any classical music.

I haven't heard the WM1A, but I heard the pairing is better than ZX2, though I am not sure. It is said to have a more neutral sound, better bass control, and slightly more detailed. Heard many reports that there is no hiss. To get the best out of the player though, you'll have to get a 4.4m Balanced cable(expensive and even 4.4m to 2.5m ultrashort adapter is $80) for the andros. I haven't heard it, aside from the extra power output, I don't know how much of an improvement it is.

For me I would recommend to find a ZX2 used for around 600ish or if you need a new one, get the japanese version that is $884 on amazon. If you want the WM1A, it'll be hard to find and will cost $1200 + cable(try to get from jaben my, kimber cable there costs far less than getting it anywhere else for over $200). If you have any friends in australia, you can get it easily for $975, though i don't know how much it'll be to ship it to you.

 

So you've got the iFi prototype attenuators that I linked to above? Based on my comparisons with iEMatch on my iDSD, they should give you roughly the same results as the final version but single-ended only, obviously.

 

zx2 has hiss. how can not be hiss. my location VN. zx2 used arround 600$.

 

I really like the feel and handling of the Litz cable that came with the Andro. I may be getting a GOV2 soon and the only balanced 3.5mm cable on the CA site is the Tinsel. I assume this TRRS pinout is compatible with GOV2. https://www.campfireaudio.com/shop/tinsel-cable-trrs/

Does anyone know of any other "reasonably priced" balanced 3.5mm cables that have good ergonomics? I was originally thinking to chop the end off the SE Litz, reterminate, and turn the end into a pigtail, but it's only just long enough to reach into my pocket so I don't want to make it any shorter.

Found this one on eBay but it's 2.5mm with a 3.5mm pigtail. Not ideal if I'm only going to use the 3.5mm end.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/FIDUE-A83-2...anced-Audiophile-Earphone-Cable-/182153892005

Thanks, and Happy New Year!

 

UHH @gixxerwimp if you know Chinese, great! Otherwise someone near you should know Chinese.

Taobao has a metric load of stuff you can try.
https://world.taobao.com/item/530389262077.htm?fromSite=main&ali_refid=a3_430620_1006:1108970708:N:mmcx线:09e649048291c6eb99613c0f673e18ac&ali_trackid=1_09e649048291c6eb99613c0f673e18ac

^ The above even has Sony 4.4mm TRRRS termination.

 

@Grahad Thanks for the tip. Hadn't thought of taobao. I'm functionally illiterate but can muddle my way through some Chinese sites with the help of Google translate.

That particular cable is too "special" for my tastes (monocrystalline silver/copper), but I'll have a look around.

 

you could also ask ken directly, they make their own cables afterall

Orb clearforce (japanese) is also avaliable in 2.5mm / mmcx and it's a very well built yet pliable cable.

also these guys from singapore are quite inexpensive http://store.treoo.com/brands/nocturnal-audio

 

Thanks to @Grahad and @deafdoorknob's suggestions, I've found these two 3.5 TRRS cables.

http://store.treoo.com/nocturnal-audio-calyx-4-conductor-copper-custom-cable.html
SGD 59.90 (+20 for TRRS termiination) = USD 55 (before shipping)
This is the most basic cable offered. 4 week lead time unless you pay extra for rush service. Lots of fancier cables available. The Nocturnal About Us page is pretty over-the-top, but the cables are hand braided and look like they'd have good ergonomics.

https://world.taobao.com/item/540610427058.htm?spm=a312a.7700714.0.0.T4XA8v
RMB 260 (copper) = USD 37, RMB 280 (copper/silver) = USD 40, RMB 300 (silver) = USD 43 (before shipping)
Doesn't look like it's as nice a cable, but it's ready-made and shipping from China is cheap/fast for me. Seller seems to be reputable. I might go for this one.

 

another cheap singaporean 2.5mm cable https://www.null-audio.com/collecti...roducts/brevity-5n-cgocc-a-spc-earphone-cable

despite living in Hong Kong and ethnically chinese. I have a severe lack of faith towards taobao lol.

 

Wasn't sure whether to post here or in the Geek Out thread, but since my question is specifically related to the Andromeda I'll ask here.

I'm on the fence about buying a GOV2+ Infinity, mainly for use with the Andromedas. I've been using them with my micro iDSD quite happily so far, trying various combinations of built-in iEMatch and the prototype pigtails I have since last week. Would the GOV2+ be a significant upgrade over the iDSD? My iEMatch protos are SE so I wouldn't be able to use them with the GO's balanced out, so straight out balanced there should be some tolerable hiss from what I've read. Considering SE only, would the GOV2+ be a significant improvement over the iDSD? I realize there might not be anyone here who has heard the Andros with both, but no harm in asking.

The practical advantage of the GOV2+ Infinity is that it's more stackable than the iDSD, though I don't think I'd take it mobile all that much. They sound pretty good out straight of my Note 3.

The GOV2(+) is spoken of very highly here, but I'm debating whether I should just save my money for something else desktop down desktop the road, like a Modi Multibit/Vali2 stack, rather than adding another portable DAC/amp to my gear collection.