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

I use the Andro with a TRRS cable on my ZX2, but mostly because my TRRS cable has better ergonomics than the Andro stock cable. I cannot say I hear significant differences between TRS and TRRS on the ZX2, but I don’t have golden ears either.

 

Is this because the grass on the other side is always "greener" (ironically), or this looks really really good?

 

It's almost annoying they didn't cerakote the original green one cause the paint keeps coming off, then the white edition that's only in HK/China/JP does (for higher cost).

 

The bead blasted ones (left, early 2017?-now) are already more durable comestically than the earlier batch of andros (right).



it often sucks being early adopters...

 

The Snow White version does come with an extra 2.5m cable, for what's that worth though.

 

The white looks really, really good!

 

Lucky me then, I got mine from a guy who just bought it last week. Anyone notice a somewhat significant change in sound after "burn-in"?

 

No need to be that harsh. I get the camera example but it's a different story with an IEM. Just because yours pair is more scratched up doesnt mean that you "use it like a pro".
Besides, these things aren't cheap. People have the right to complaint (if) there is a problem with build quality.

 

Oh dear...

10 PRINT "Stop whining like bitches"
20 GOTO 10

 

...very tempted to post photo of beat-up Andromeda and Leica camera just to prove a point.

...but nah, I'll just stop at saying: I'm probably one of those nut jobs that actually enjoy the occasional nicks and scratches on their gears. It's character, if nothing else.

Scratching and beating up something is kinda... inevitable if you own something and use it a lot.

I've never owned any device, no matter how expensive, that doesn't wear down from normal use in one way or another. If that happens, it might as well look cool.

I'd bet anything that an Andromeda after years of use... with most of the paint flaking away by that point... and some nicks... with a body that's mostly silver and only a hint of green, will look better on a guy than this white ceramic thing.

Then again, I'd totally get the white ceramic Andromeda for my girlfriend. It seems like something she may like.

 

I got the SYMBIO W Wide Bore Silicone+Memory Foam tips in last night. Took 10 days from Hungary to Taipei using standard free shipping. Spinfits' longer stem keeps the shells from pressing againt my concha, so I thought the shorter SYMBIOs might not work with Andro. But maybe the slightly wider diameter (M) keeps them in roughly the same position as the Spinfits. Compressing the memory foam and holding them in place for about 10 seconds is much more convenient than using Complys. And it's possible to just shove them into place, though they won't sit as comfortably in your ear canal. Once in, they're much more secure than Spinfits.



Sound-wise, bass seems slightly enhanced and treble maybe a bit smoother, but these differences could be due to using the used ZX2 I just bought in Hong Kong. Haven't have a chance to compare directly with my usual micro iDSD.

@zerodeefex you might want to try these with your wireless necklace setup so you can bail on the earhooks.

Edit: Forgot to mention isolation is much better than with Spinfits. My wife was yelling at me and I couldn't hear her.

 

Now that's a more ear-pleasing way of presenting the point to me. Some of Marvey's wording did come off quite off-putting to me personally. Not saying he has malicious intention though, these are words on screen so sometimes "lost in translation" is unavoidable.

But anyway, back to the main topic. I recently got my ZX2 & Andro combo this evening (per @Bill-P 's recommendation, who probably got it of another members). Great combo indeed so thank you guys for sharing. One of my few "issues" with it (personal taste of course) is that sometimes it sounds too sharp when I want it to be smoother and rounder (drum for example) and too mellow when I want it to be aggressive (electric guitar). Did anyone else have similar experiences? For what it's worth, both the ZX2 and Andro that I bought are from owners who havent put that much hours yet on them so that might be a factor too.

 

I just got my SYMBIO hybrid tips this past week too.

I'll second the notion that they're worth a try. For me they're both less and more fussy than Comply's in terms of fit. Comply's take less initial fiddling and more ongoing fiddling to maintain a good fit, while the SYMBIOs take more initial fiddling to get depth and fit producing the right sound, and less ongoing fiddling to stay comfortable and in the right spot in my ears. They seem more prone to microphonics than the Complys.

The SYMBIOs pop right onto the barrel of the Andros with ease. I'd agree with @gixxerwimp 's characterization of how they change the sound and add that compared to Comply's they seem to tone down the upper mids just a bit (prelim impressions here).

 

I did have that turned off indeed.