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

Discussion in 'IEMs and Portable Gear' started by purr1n, May 13, 2016.

  1. TheBarnard

    TheBarnard Friend

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    Bumping up from medium stock foam tips to large was the change I needed. My left ear fits snug to the connector, while in my right ear, the mmcx connector is roughly a centimeter or slightly less forward. This stays sealed for the longest time. I couldn't get the stock silicon tip in my right ear, but the left fit well

    I decided to give the included silicon tips another try, and actually got a really good seal with them. I'm really surprised at the amount of subbass detail that was getting lost before with the foam tips. I've always found silicon tips anemic compared to foam in general, but I'm not really finding that to be the case here, in a quiet library at the moment.
     
    Last edited: Apr 28, 2017
  2. rayhe19

    rayhe19 New

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    Posted in wrong topic

    Edit:2 I got helped so I'll bring up my old message.
    Hey guys. I'm currently trying to decide between this or the Jupiter. I've tried looking for a comparison between the two but everything I've read says the Jupiter has significantly less pronounced vocals and less bass extension - which makes the Jupiter sound like its a really bad iem. I really like my LCD2s but I would like more soundstage.

    I'm trying to decide whether I should get a B-stock Jupiter or go straight for the andromedas.

    My source will be my iphone.
     
    Last edited: May 13, 2017
  3. k4rstar

    k4rstar Britney fan club president

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    I've owned the Andromeda, Orion and have been able to compare with a friends Jupiter pretty extensively. I can easily say the Jupiter was my least favorite of the three, and I haven't met many people whose preferences would point them to a Jupiter over the Andromeda.

    It's far from a bad IEM, it's more like the tuning is fairly specific whereas the Andromeda is a much better all-rounder. The Jupiter's driver configuration is 2 low 2 high and it shows in the FR with a fairly large presence region dip that hurts vocal presentation and guitar overtones.

    Here are measurements for the Andromeda (purple), Jupiter (green) and UERM for reference (grey).

    [​IMG]
     
  4. rayhe19

    rayhe19 New

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    Yeah I've seen that graph as well as the ones on inearspace. I figured since the LCD2s also have a drop off around the 1k, the dip might not bother me much.

    However, since an all rounder is what I'm looking for, I'll probably go for the Andromedas.
     
  5. k4rstar

    k4rstar Britney fan club president

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    It's a bigger deal with IEMs since they bypass the pinnae of the ear which are responsible for natural amplification of the presence region. Dips in this region with IEMs will be even more apparent than they will with full-size headphones. Just something to keep in mind. The Andromeda is not unlike the LCD2 in the upper mids.
     
  6. sheepdog2112

    sheepdog2112 New

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    Hi. The Jupiter is not a bad sounding IEM. It's being compared to the more capable Andromeda. As such, it will lose all the time and every time. If soundstage is what you're after, it's the Andro hands-down. To maximize your Jupiter or Andromeda (more so if you get the Andromeda), you should get an external amp/DAC if you will be using your iPhone as a source.
     
  7. PoochZag

    PoochZag The Shadow knows - Friend

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    I've owned both Jupiter and Andro, concurrently even. Then chose to keep Jupiter, then a few months later sold Jupiter to buy another Andro. I think the measurement graph linked above does a real good job of simplifying it. Andro has a lot more bite in things like guitars and female vocals because of the upper midrange/lower treble area being emphasized. IMO that's the biggest difference, and the remainder of the midrange sounds nearly identical, as can the bass, although Andro has a little bit more quantity and texture, at least out of lower OI sources.

    Andro is prone to more to hiss, but really for me it comes down to that upper mid/lower treble area, but if you want a more laid back presentation with still a pretty quick and clear sound, Jupiter is a great IEM at a much more reasonable price these days.
     
  8. rayhe19

    rayhe19 New

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    Thanks for the insight. It sounds like it comes down to how much I value the upper mids. I'll keep looking at the buy/sell forums I guess, too bad they don't come often since everyone seem to want to keep their own Andromedas :D
     
  9. aufmerksam

    aufmerksam Friend

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    You should also follow the b-stock sales at ALO, Andromeda will periodically show up at a decent discount.
     
  10. PoochZag

    PoochZag The Shadow knows - Friend

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    This is true. I was on the prowl for the last couple months and asked ALO straight up, unfortunately they told me there won't be any more additions "for several months" may still be worth a check periodically though.

    Between here, Head-fi, and reddit's AVexchange (yes, really) I saw one or so pop up each week over the last couple months, didn't take too long for me to find one sub $800.

    Jupiters I consistently see both as B-stock, and around the $500 mark in the same places
     
  11. rawrster

    rawrster New

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    Someone on HF asked Ken from Campfire Audio recently and they don't plan on having any B stock available. The most recent one was around 2 months ago and there were only a couple of them for sale (it lasted a day or less before they were sold out). I was in the same situation a few months ago before I got lucky and found the B stock. If that didn't happen I probably would have gone for the B stock Jupiter since that seems to be consistently in stock. I've never seen the Jupiter out of stock like the Andromeda.

    It's more likely to find one in the for sale section of various audio related websites.
     
  12. TheBarnard

    TheBarnard Friend

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    While the Andromeda may be relaxed in the upper mids, it doesnt drop off below audibility the way some LCD2/3s can.
     
  13. TheBarnard

    TheBarnard Friend

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    I'd personally go for the Andromeda. I haven't heard the Jupiter, but I sold my LCD3 after owning the Andromeda for 2 months. It was tonally an upgrade for me, while still retaining engaging sound from 20hz-1khz that Audeze really excellent at. I was hearing things that weren't really there on the LCD3, which seems crazy. That's how I realized Andro was the real deal.

    Lower mids on Andro are less pronounced than Audeze (but upper mids are more pronounced) so you might not want to aim for the more V-shaped Jupiter

    Great all-rounder like k4r said is exactly right.
     
  14. TRex

    TRex Almost "Made"

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    One cent: before commiting to Andro (or any $$$ IEM), give a listen first. Andro has superb frequency response and very good all-rounder, but you won't like it if you're not a fan of BA sound.
     
  15. k.e.

    k.e. Winning combo: narcissistic and stupid

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    There are days I can enjoy the Andromeda, but there are also some when I find them fatiguing. In my opinion, Andro's bass is quite strong and the treble can be piercing. The midrange is a little dull. Recently many IEMs have managed to reproduce a much flatter treble.

    Nonetheless, I can understand their appeal; a lively v-shape that is well executed. They're nothing somebody will enjoy if he is expecting a neutral monitor. Many (!) reviews at first were very misleading, including the first post in this thread.

    I think a lot of their popularity has to do with them being one of the most sensitive IEMs I know. The Andromeda do not like high output impedance and they definitely do not like hiss from the source. They function well as a benchmark for devices. Ironically, that is something I do not want to have in a product that costs so much. It will sound bad from an iPhone and even from very pricey DAPs. Finding the right synergy is stupidly challenging. iFi should partner up with Campfire and release a bilious green edition included with every Andro.
     
  16. k4rstar

    k4rstar Britney fan club president

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    Get a better source. If you find the mids on these dull I would love to hear what you think is engaging.
    A lot less misleading than the shitty reviews I have the misfortune of reading on headfonics.
    The popularity has more to do with the fact that they are supremely balanced and have such good technicalities you almost forget you're listening to a BA IEM. All this at a price point that embarrasses the majority of the competition and puts shill review sites like headfonics in hot water since your readership wants every new kilobuck IEM you review to be compared to the Andromeda.
    No, it won't.
    Shitty overpriced Chi-fi and K-fi DAPs that appeal to the FOTM portable market, sure. Since when is being forgiving of poorly designed gear a desirable trait from high-end transducers?
     
  17. cocolinho

    cocolinho Acquaintance

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    Headfonics gave Andromeda a 9.5 in tonality , which is , I believe, the max ever gave to IEMs...
     
  18. k.e.

    k.e. Winning combo: narcissistic and stupid

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    Yes, Marcus loves the Andromeda. Personally, I would not have rated them that high, even though I just said the balanced v-shape is well executed.

    That is why I added another opinion. For people coming from a neutral reference, the Andromeda will not match the expectation. As was the case in my personal experience.

    But luckily k4rstar already informed me that second opinions are not accepted.
     
  19. rawrster

    rawrster New

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    @k.e. Do you have an example of a midrange that is not dull? I had an Etymotic ER4SR and a q jays v2 and both are close to a neutral signature. I had no issues with enjoying the Andromeda.

    I do admit that the midrange does take a slight step back hence the slight v shape but it doesn't detract anything for me. If there was something that had the Andromeda sound with the midrange being filled in I would definitely be interested in that.
     
  20. philipmorgan

    philipmorgan Member of the month

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    Wut? People are dropping a kilobuck on the Andromedas largely because of their high sensitivity?
     

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