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

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

  1. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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    We live in similar warm/humid climes, but it's our winter so the temperatures are lower than yours. I'm not getting any noticeable condensation on mine, but maybr your ears are MOISTer than mine :D

    I've been using my ER4Ps for working out (hot and sweaty) for several months and haven't noticed any change in sound.

    Not sure how the bare aluminum nozzle section is attached to the green shell, but it looks ruggedly constructed enough that I'd highly doubt that being a problem, unless you were to go at them with pliers or something.
     
  2. Grahad2

    Grahad2 Red eyes from too much anime

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    Humidity's always near saturation on the equator though.

    And the only 2 seasons I get is "effing hot" or "effing wet", or both.

    The nozzles becoming unglued was a short saga on head-fi.
     
  3. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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    Last edited: Feb 4, 2017
  4. Stuff Jones

    Stuff Jones Friend

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    I get that too. Ken advised to store with those silca drying packages you get in vitamins and other places.
     
  5. James633

    James633 New

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    I have the Etymotic ER4SR and ER4XR and wonder what I would gain going to the andromeda.

    Anyone owned or heard both the Etymotic and Andromeda?

    I am pretty sensitive to tonal balance and think most IEMs are way too bassy. I skipped the andromeda the last time due t thinking it would be too bassy for me ( I like neutral stuff) but I see there is a pretty solid love fest here so I figured I would maybe give them a try.
     
  6. Daveheart

    Daveheart Friend

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    What's the source you'd be using with the Andromeda, and do you know the output impedance?
     
  7. James633

    James633 New

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    I would be using an iPhone 7 and mojo from time to time.
     
  8. Daveheart

    Daveheart Friend

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    Hmmm, I haven't personally used the Andromeda with something with a 75 mΩ output z like the Mojo. Reportedly output z closer to 0 (and .075Ω would qualify) results in elevated/boomier bass.

    Also, isn't the iPhone 7 the one without a headphone jack? Do you have a lightning to headphone jack converter?
     
  9. James633

    James633 New

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    Yes I phone 7 has no headphone jack and uses a dongle. I also have an old iPhone 5 kicking around and it sounds the same for what it is worth.
     
  10. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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    I haven't heard the new SR/XR but have the ER-4P with red filters and +2dB bass shelf as my reference. The Etys are like 70mm wide screen and the Andromedas are IMAX 3D. The Andros have far better treble and bass extension, soundstage is much wider, deeper and more layered, and imaging is much more precise. They're also much more engaging to listen to. The bass will be extended regardless of source, but the amount of bass will vary greatly. You say your iPhone 5 and 7 sound the same, but the Andros could have very different tonal signatures depending on the z-out of the 5's jack and that of the 7's dongle. According to some info that Tyll found, the dongle has a z-out of 0.37 ohms. Z-out of the iPhone 5 seems to be around 3-5 ohms.
    http://goldenears.net/board/index.php?mid=GR_Mobile&document_srl=2456504
    http://www.kenrockwell.com/apple/iphone-5/audio-quality.htm

    Many use the iEMatch or other buffers to tune the bass by adjusting z-out. I use it set on High with my near zero z-out amps and have to shelf the bass [edit: up] on my Galaxy A8 which I measured to have a z-out of around 6 ohms. I would guess that if you like the bass levels of the ER4SR, you might like the Andros straight out of your iPhone 5, but I'm just pulling this out of my ass.

    You can try the SBAF Mega Awesome Search Tool to look for impressions specific to various iPhones.
     
    Last edited: Feb 6, 2017
  11. Grahad2

    Grahad2 Red eyes from too much anime

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    The Andromedas have a tonality that ranges with impedance, but I do quite like it with a good 5 OI amp, but even OI can't exactly tell you how it sounds. Any retailer/fellow enthusiast near you where you can give it a try?
     
  12. James633

    James633 New

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    Ok thanks. Reading up on it the iPhone 7 and mojo might be a deal breaker for me. I don't want to change sources and two dongles (iphone + iEMatch) is getting pretty silly. God knows I don't want another bloomy boomy IEM.


    Too bad the impedance is so low on the Andromeda. Phones have plenty of power these days...
     
  13. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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    I wouldn't ever call Andro bass bloomy/boomy. Just moar out of low z-out sources. Definitely worth a demo of you get the chance.
     
  14. james444

    james444 Mad IEM modding wizard level 99

    Pyrate Flathead IEMW
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    You might want to consider the Prophile-8. They're technically on par with the Andros, but closer to an Ety neutral sound signature.
     
  15. FlySweep

    FlySweep Friend

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    [​IMG]
     
  16. James633

    James633 New

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    Ok I will check them out. A quick google search did not turn up a US dealer but they look interesting.

    But yes I am looking for
    refined Etymotic.
     
  17. sunnygsm

    sunnygsm New

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  18. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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    Has anyone else found that the Andromedas are really making all their other phones obsolete (not the Schiit definition)? I have to wait until Q3 to buy the Mobi/Vali2/Jot stack I've decided on, but I'm wondering how much I'll actually use it with my HD650s since I haven't had the urge to pull them out since I got the Andros. The Blackwoods I usually use at work are pretty much just sitting there as well. I just bring the Andros back and forth from home.

    Using @Bill-P's rev. 1 foam mod, I don't need to EQ down the upper-mids/highs. Here's his reply to my question re damping the different size ports.
    http://www.superbestaudiofriends.or...pfire-audio-andromeda.3849/page-2#post-118334
     
  19. Grahad2

    Grahad2 Red eyes from too much anime

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    Not really. My MG6pros still have the viscerality, immersion, and fun factor the Andromeda's don't have. They sound and evoke different feelings, and that's enough for me to keep going between the two.

    (The more constant tonality and non-fussiness of the MG6pro with different gear also helps.)
     
  20. jowls

    jowls Never shitposts (please) - Friend

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    Yes. Although the next challenge is finding the optimal way to get some schiit MB goodness into your Andromeda...
     

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