>>I am brazilian and I speak portuguese, so forgive my english, I’ll use translator tools to help<<
INTRO:
Firstly, I would like to thank my friend Raphael Lopes for lending me the Andromeda for review, if it weren’t for him, this evaluation wouldn’t be possible. I am very grateful to him for this generosity. So, to my friend Rapha, a big thank you! Hugs my friend! PS: It was also Rapha who recommended the album “Metronomy – The English Riviera” already posted here on the website.
Secondly, I must say that this Andromeda unit that I will review is the one that can be purchased through AliExpress. I must say that I have never listened to the Andromeda from the USA, so I won’t comment on whether it is the same or different. Other friends in the hobby have listened to the both and said they are exactly the same.
This edition of Andromeda that I will evaluate is from 2018. In 2019, Campfire made some modifications to the shell but the sound remained the same as the 2018 edition, thus generating the Andromeda 2019 edition. Finally, Andromeda 2019 received another new edition only with an update in the tuning, also known by the name of Andromeda 2020.
I will leave the link to the store that sells the product in case anyone is interested (not affiliated). PS: The store is always low on stock, it may not be available at the time I publish this review.
Andromeda AliExpress Price: ~$600 USD
Colors: Green
Cable: Without Mic
Store link:
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DDJ4crD
SPECIFICATIONS:
Full BA: (5) Balanced Armature (2 Treble, 1 Mids, 2 Bass)
– Frequency range: 10Hz – 28kHz
– Sensitivity: 115 dB SPL/mW
– Impedance: 12.8 Ohms @ 1kHz
– Termination Plug: 3.5mm (L design)
– Connectors: MMCX
– Cable size: 1.2m (detachable)
– Cable: silver plated copper
– Shell: aluminum
– Earphone weight: 5.9g (one side)(without eartips)
– Total weight (iems + cable): 220g
PHYSICAL ASPECTS:
Before starting, I must say that this will be a slightly different review from the standard that I have been following. Here, I won’t detail all the stuff that come with the product as I usually do with other products that I receive from the companies. Since this IEM were loaned, I told to Rapha that in this case, I would only need the IEM and the cable. What I really wanted here was to get to know the well spoken about Andromeda, to have my personal experience with the IEM, but still, nothing prevents me from trying to share this experience I had with Andromeda to other people, right? And I also think it’s a great IEM to have in the portfolio’s reviews here on the website, it’s an IEM that I consider to have a very high price and it’s not every day that I have the opportunity to test IEMs in this price range.
Eartips. As explained in the paragraph above, I didn’t pick up the kit of eartips that comes with the product. My friend Rapha sent the IEM with a pair of Final E eartips, and I found the combination very interesting, they will be the eartips that I used to evaluate Andromeda.
– The review was made with the Final E eartips in size S.
Cable. Here I believe is the saddest part of Andromeda. This cable was one of the most difficult that I evaluate till today. The problem isn’t actually the whole cable itself, but rather the part that goes from the end of the earhooks to the splitter (Y-split), this part is really tense… was my intention to take a picture and leaving something very strange in the image just so you could see that the cable has its own life.
There is no way to say different, this part of the cable is rigid, it picks up quite a bit of “memory” (wavys), it’s difficult to roll up to storage, it’s not easy to handle, it tangles, it generates microphonics, etc. In short, this part left a very negative impression on Andromeda’s cable.
The problem is that other parts of the cable aren’t so bad, there are still some qualities that we can highlight, such as being light, having a good braid, being beautiful (in my opinion). Unfortunately an IEM that costs this price came with this annoying detail, so I agree that owners may seek an upgrade for this cable. Okay this is subjective, but here is my observation: The IEM has a high price and maybe you still need to spend a little more to change the cable. It comes with a chin slider, and the piece it brings efficiency for what it was intended to do.
Earhooks. I always say in my reviews that the best design for an earhook is when it is tubular in style (without undulations). This earhook from Andromeda has such undulations, but let’s see, in this case here it didn’t imply any problem, the comfort was great. The curvature was also great, the earhooks are very light and thin which resulted in very good comfort, the IEM even “disappears” from your ear. It was really a pity what happened as mentioned in the previous paragraph. It really depends on the owner of the IEM if they want to change cables or continue with original.
Andromeda’s connectors are MMCX type and as everyone already knows, I prefer 2-pin connectors. The question with MMCX for me is that I don’t like when it spins loosely as if it were slack. Here in Andromeda’s case this detail doesn’t happen, they has the ability to move but doesn’t become “loose”. As long as it stays in its place it’s great just like what happens with my FiiO FH3.
The fit. This is a detail that generates a lot of doubt in the people, whether the IEM will present any problem due to the fact that it has this more “flattened” design at the ends. This part of the evaluation has no way out, it’s very subjective, I am reporting my experience with the IEM, for another person it may be exactly the opposite. We saw what happened with Tin HiFi C2, for many people the IEM were good/comfortable, and for others the IEM caused discomfort. Of course they are different products, so you cannot take one example as absolute truth. The C2 was very good for me and Andromeda was great for me. The IEM were very stable in my ears and also very discreet, without protruding parts, the shell is flat (straight), so the IEMs are well hidden in my ears. I found the insertion to be average and the isolation to be average/Ok.
In terms of comfort, Andromeda was great for me, I was surprised when I started testing it. It has a horizontal design but in my ears it was diagonal so I had no pressure points. The IEMs are made of metal (aluminum) and are very light, only not lighter than plastic/resin IEMs. I had the great happiness that the IEM didn’t touch the back of my shells, so there is that feeling that I am not wearing IEMs, it’s what we call “disappeared in the ears”. I really had no problem with these “corners” of the Andromeda, even because everything is well polished, there are no sharp edges. I think it will really depend on each person’s ear anatomy, if the ear is very small, maybe the IEM can touch some point and cause some discomfort. I do consider Andromeda a great IEM to spend a good time listening without worrying about discomfort.
SOUND ASPECTS:
I understood the sound of the Campfire Audio Andromeda as Warm – U-Shape. The IEM really impresses by having a very pleasant tonality and at the same time having technicalities that stand out. I found the Andromeda excellent for this reason, it manages to be very versatile, if you are going to listen to a genre that seeks to show the nuances of the instruments, like Jazz, the IEM will deliver technical performance, or if the person is going to listen to a more relaxed genre, the IEM can also adapt and deliver an engaging sound.
The Andromeda manages to be an IEM with a lot of resolution and detail without having to force towards the analytical, bright sound, just as it also has a certain dose of fun but without overdoing it in the amount of bass. The interesting thing about this IEM is that – from my perspective – an adjective that would fit very well to describe the Andromeda would be: comfortable. If I give this earphone to a more experienced person in the hobby or to a more beginner, I believe that their response would certainly be that they felt good listening to this IEM, and that they didn’t notice anything “wrong” in the sound (e.g. too much bass, too much treble, etc). Obviously taste makes each of us want different things, which is more than normal.
The quantity of bass in Andromeda. I think the level of bass is between moderate and moderate to high. Certainly, the eartips and/or amplification can generate a result for more or less, as it is also for a good portion of the IEMs. Here, for my taste, I prefer when the IEM have a little more intensity in the sub-bass than in the mid-bass – a balance between the regions is also interesting. In Andromeda, I felt that the IEM have a little more focus on the mid-bass, although here the mid-bass isn’t so highlighted, so the sound is more “linear”, without “bloating”. But the IEM do have sub-bass present, it’s just that for electronic music (EDM) I think the Andromeda wouldn’t be the best option, because I understand that this genre needs a greater emphasis on the lower areas of sound, to try to extract more vibration (in my opinion). I didn’t feel any roll-off in the bass, the extension is good. If someone asked me if I would recommend the Andromeda to Bassheads, I would say no, but I think if they listened to the IEM they wouldn’t feel frustrated either.
In qualitative terms, the bass of Andromeda is controlled, clean, defined, has body, has warmth. Physicality isn’t very much in the bass here, I think it will depend a little on the recording in this regard. The impact is perhaps one of the most prominent characteristics of Andromeda’s bass, not due to excess, but rather because it’s audible in an exact way, the kick in a drum or the beat in other percussion instruments is very consistent with reality. Andromeda’s bass isn’t boomy, not muddy, not bloated, not muffled, and doesn’t bleed into the mids. This earphone’s bass works very well with genres that are more acoustic, that have acoustic guitar, mandolin, etc., but of course it will also play well electric instruments such as guitar, bass guitar, and etc, but the question is to extract more nuances from acoustic instruments because of the great resolution that the IEM brings.
The mids. Andromeda can be considered an IEM with more recessed mids, and with a softer pinna gain (especially if we look at the frequency response graph), but in practice, this region – for me – doesn’t sound so recessed, because the resolution that the IEM presents here in the mids is really something very good, few IEMs that I have heard bring such a good cut as what Campfire did here with Andromeda. They are mids with a lot of detail, transparency, and information, so even though the IEM doesn’t have a more “forward” characteristic here in this region, it’s possible to hear everything very clearly. So I think that at the same time that it’s something sweet, it also doesn’t lack technical performance, and this combination for me was what made Andromeda’s mids not sound distant or dark. Snare drums do have more smoothing in the sound, but without losing the ability to show the definition of the beats. Flutes, saxophones, trumpets have euphonic sonority and at the same time with a lot of information and detail.
The voices. Here we have something very interesting, something that reminded me of what I heard when I tested the Audiosense DT300. At the time, and here now, the feeling is as if the vocals were removed from the recording and then inserted to play exclusively by a driver (BA), so it gives the feeling of a perfect cut of the voice, and also of the location of the vocalist. In terms of timbre, for me, it played well both types of voices – male/low or female/high. Now, it’s kind of known that the IEM having this lower pinna gain will make higher timbres smoothed in the presentation. On the other hand, for lower timbre voices, Andromeda can get a nice texture. It’s also very good to hear more whispering voices here with this IEM, the resolution and airy makes this type of voice gain a very seductive sensation.
The treble of Andromeda in terms of quantity. For me, they have a satisfactory presence and I think they are at the moderate level. Here again, the eartips can make a slight difference in the sound, for example, if the person uses a n eartip with a more wide bore, then the treble may flirt towards to a brighter side, but for me, the Final E eartips worked well at first, the treble was at a pleasant point without losing vitality. Here something similar to what I said in the bass section will apply, if it is not an IEM that I would recommend for Bassheads, I would also not recommend it for Trebleheads, but I think they would not be displeased with Andromeda’s treble. I like to listen to classic Jazz with a bright sonority and I was satisfied with Andromeda’s treble, I think partly because of the qualitative aspect of the treble. I didn’t feel any roll-off sensation, I thought the extension was good.
In qualitative terms, the treble of Andromeda has resolution, speed, clarity, liveliness, no peaks, and no coloration. The details of the treble is very good, at the micro-detailing level. The airy is also very good. The sparkle is presented in a very well-done way, without sounding crystalline. Andromeda’s treble isn’t strident, isn’t sharp, isn’t harsh, isn’t fatiguing, and didn’t present sibilance at any time. Technical performance more than expected here with Andromeda’s treble. Sounds of harp, triangle, chime are all very clean and detailed, and without sounding thin or artificial. Violins are presented with mastery and very consistent timbre. Higher notes of pianos have a lot of definition and speed, as in the music “Chopin: grande valse brillante in E-flat major, Op. 18” where around the time of 0.46 seconds you can hear all the speed of the piano keys and the sound. PS: this music is on the playlist to test the genres of the website.
Soundstage. The soundstage sensation of Andromeda is excellent. I have always heard people talking about the spaciousness that Andromeda brings, and now I can confirm it. Yes, this IEM has very good spaciousness, the sound is wide in depth, height, and width. Campfire uses a system called Tuned Acoustic Expansion Chamber™ (T.A.E.C.) which in theory makes the IEM’s sound not be compressed, it’s possible that this is one of the reasons why the sound is more open. And also, since the IEM doesn’t have such a “forward” pinna gain, this ends up reducing the sensation of the sound being very close to the eardrum. I must confess that I liked Andromeda’s soundstage a lot but I was not so surprised because when I heard the Audiosense AQ4 I also had a feeling of a lot of spaciousness in the sound, which perhaps is equal or even greater than that the Andromeda. It’s a pity I don’t have the AQ4 here anymore to be able to make this side-by-side comparison, so this report will remain only as a memory.
Imaging. The instrumental separation of Andromeda is excellent. The stereo image of the IEM is great, and the spaces between the instruments (and voice) are also great, a very positive point for these IEMs. Everything is very well located and defined, the sound doesn’t get congested at any time, not even with music with a lot of instrumentation, such as samba, or classical music (remembering that separation can also vary according to the recording and other processes during musical production). I always comment that I think hybrids or Full BA IEMs have superior technical performance than Single DD IEMs – in my opinion – but of course I also know that this is not a rule, it’s just an individual perception of what I experienced on my journey, I may change my opinion in the future.
Driver Flex Test. The Andromeda is a balanced armature IEM only, so this paragraph can be ignored, as BAs don’t produce driver flex noise.
Amplification. I used the FiiO KA5 connected to my notebook for this review. The configuration I set was as follows: 3.5mm output, dongle in 120 steps (max vol.), high gain, and 15% volume on Windows. I had started listening to Andromeda on low gain and with 20% volume, but halfway through I made the modification I mentioned before. For me, the result with high gain and lowering the volume was perfect, clean and dynamic sound. Andromeda is a very sensitive IEM and doesn’t need a very powerful source to play correctly. However, it’s important to note that not every source you plug the Andromeda on will sound so clean, I tested it directly from my notebook’s audio card (Realtek) and the noise floor was quite audible, the sound wasn’t good, so I think maybe it would be good for the person to look for at least one equipment that generates as less hiss as possible in the sound.
Music is subjective, so below is the list of some musical genres that I personally think that was better with this IEM. Remember that were only few genres and few artists tested. If I describe that one genre was better and the other don’t, it doesn’t mean that you can’t listen to your favorite music genre with this IEM and love it. So, here goes:
Better:
Classical
Reggae
Jazz
POP
Rock
Blues
Metal
MPB*
Bossa Nova*
Samba*
*Brazilian musical genres.
Not so much:
Hip Hop
EDM
PLAYLIST LINK:
Graphs by MUSICAFÉ:
Thank you so much for being here!
Consider follow us on Facebook and Instagram to get all the news!