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

Switching from spiral dots to complys significantly helped the comfort level, thank goodness.

 

I know Pono has OI 5ohms but I thought GO2A OI was very low like the old generation (0,47) but it seems I'm wrong... can you confirm? Thanks

 

@Merrick I'd be interested in your comparisons between the Andromedas and Spartan.

 

I'm not sure what the OI is on the GO2a, but the Andros sound snappier with it than with the Joti.

I was talking to @FlySweep about this last night, because we both own Spartans and have now both heard the Andromeda. I think the easiest way to elucidate the differences would be to say that Andromedas sound like great home speakers and Spartans more like studio monitors. The Andromedas have a very full sound, it feels like it envelops you. The Spartans have a thinner, more linear sound. In terms of raw resolution they're about equal, but the Andros have a wider soundstage. Depending on the recording, sometimes the Andros brought small details more to the forefront, and other times the Spartans did, so I'd call it mostly a wash in that department.

I personally prefer the sound of the Andros. They feel like speakers, which to me is a great compliment. They made me more engaged with the music, made me want to listen to just...one...more...song. The Spartans sounded very good but didn't engage me the same way.

Now I'm curious about hearing the Orions to see if they can capture some of the same magic. I remember hearing something on the lower end from CA at Canjam and didn't like it, but I don't remember if that was the Orion. Either way my tastes and knowledge have grown since then so it would nice to hear them again with fresh ears.

The other thing I would say is I prefer the Spartan shells over the Andros. With the Spartans I can roll any tip I like and it remains comfortable, with the CA shells I can really only use the foam ones because anything stouter like the spiral dots make me dig the IEM into my ear and it hurts. It does seem like the sound quality on the Andros is less tip dependent than the Spartan though, I hear a big difference in sound between the spiral dots and complys with the Spartan, much less so with the Andro.

 

Any consensus on the best USB DAC/amp for these? I'm not loving my Geekout 450 with them - they don't benefit from the power and it just sounds little digital and dead coming from the ZX2. A little hissy too.

 

Ill take that ZX2 off your hands..

 

I like the Campfire IEMs with the iFi Micro iDSD, no hissing with the IEMatch. $350 used on forums all the time.

 

Nah I'm keeping it, but I do like to explore new music on youtube and other sites and for that my laptop is better than the ZX2. I suppose given the quality of the files I should fret too much about my DAC/Amp...

 

Are you sure the Sound Enhancement process on your ZX2 is disabled and not just checked off? Digital and lifeless is the opposite of how I would describe the ZX2+Andro pairing.

 

Just catching up... This is a great thread for the Andromedas. Really appreciate this in comparison to HF.

As an aside, it seems OI is very influential to the sound of the Andros. Personally, I was quite happy that they sounded nice with the iPhone 6. I didn't encounter any deal breaking treble, and found them to be quite satisfying.

Thanks to everyone who's contributed with their personal impressions as well.

 

It's the GO 450 that sounds that way compared to the ZX2.

 

Hmm, maybe should try complys again. I've never been a fan of any foam and I worry about fitting it with such wide-barreled IEMs, but I think that could help the small problem I have with them.

 

I also found that Complys with the wax guard on are perfect for me.

I have tried spinfits, the included CA foam tips and silicon tips. The Complys seem to tame the treble just right compared to spinfits. Could this be the wax guard that acts as a filter? Comply website states that it does not affect sound. It would be interesting to compare tips with and without the waxguard.

Spinfits have surprisingly good isolation (not as good as Complys) but the treble is sharper and less pleasing. It might be the reverse horn effect these impart on the music.

The CA foam tips feel a bit muddled with less bass clarity. The included silicon tips have less bass and of course barely any isolation. I will need to check spiral dots but it looks like medium Complys are the best sounding to my ears.

It's a shame that these start to break up so easily after 2 or 3 weeks of use. I also remove wax from tips with the supplied cleaning tool. I avoid contact with water as Complys then lose the ability to keep the deformed shape prior to insertion.

 

T-400s?

 

Comply Tx-400 isolation plus with wax guard.
I use medium tips as these fit just right into my ear canals. The small size tips resulted in anaemic sound. Large size tips imparted a muffled sound to my ears.

That said according to the company 95% of users use medium size. The Andros should have Complys of different sizes as supplied accessories BTW.

 

I just received my GO V2+ and plugged in an iFi iEMatch between it and my Andromedas, and I think it's exactly what I was looking for!

It's too bassy/warm going from V2+ > Andromedas just like the Mojo was, and there was a noticeable hiss. The FR is much more like my iPhone 6+ with the iEMatch between them on High sensitivity (<2.5 ohm OI) and there is no more hiss. I also like the fact that I can switch sensitivity to Ultra (<1 ohm) if I want something a bit more bassy/warm for certain songs or albums.