Campfire Audio Andromeda

General Information

Five balanced armature drivers and tubeless resonator in a machined aluminum enclosure.

Designed and hand built in Portland, Oregon USA.

Specifications

Frequency Range: 10Hz-28kHz
Sensitivity: 115 DB SPL/MW
Impedance: 12.8 Ohm @1kHz
Cable: Silver Litz cable, MMCX connection

Accessories

1x Pair Andromeda earphones
1x Silver Litz cable with exclusive MMCX connectors and memory wire
1x Leather carrying case
3x Pair Comply Foam tips (S, M, L)
3x Pair memory foam tips (S, M, L)
3x Pair silicone wide bore tips (S, M, L)
1x Owner’s manual

Latest reviews

Esser97

New Head-Fier
Addictive green gems
Pros: Gigantic Soundstage
Natural sound signature
Fast, punch and clean bass
Lush mids
Layering
Cons: Source dependent
Cable dependent
Recessed pinna
Can sound bloated to some
In 2017 campfire launched one of the most beloved, hyped, and hated iems of all time, the good old Andromeda, i just had the opportunity to test it in 2023, and among more than 200 iems I tested, Andromeda became my favorite one! Let's review it!

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Specs:
Drivers: 5 custom balanced armatures.
Impedance: 12.8 Ohm
FR : 10Hz-28kHz
Sensibility: 115 DB SPL/MW


.Bear in mind that my unit was used, I did not receive all the accessories so I won't be able to cover the full experience for you guys.
Some things are important to note while using this iem, first of all, the cable, imo using the silver litz is a must! Without it, it can sound bloated and without dynamics! You gotta check the source too, so these things are needed to properly use this iem: The cable, a good source, and good eartips.


Construction:


For $1000 we got a nice construction but with one major problem, the shells... Actually the paint of it, it can and will fall off with the years, and for na iem of this price range I find this unacceptable.
But at the same time, the shells are one of the things I love most about Andromeda, the color is just, amazing... and the fit is superb, it is a design that will never be out of fashion.
The cable is a good one, but with some memory, the thing is that it has an impedance that matches the iem, so using it is a must.
I won't be able to cover the rest of the accessories I won't be able to cover, since I didn't receive my Andromeda with case, eartips, and box.

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Sources:

Andromeda's low impedance and high sensibility are points of concern that need to be noted, you need a clean source with low gain, my best matches were:

.Fiio k5 pro (Low gain): Clean output, superb dynamics.
.LG V60: Clean output, calmer and smoother sound.


Sound:
The overall signature is natural, full-bodied, and rich, with good dynamics, and a gigantic soundstage.
The sub-bass and pinna gain is not as forward as the new Harman iems, this can be such a shock for new listeners, but also a revelation.

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Bass: Fast, punch, well controlled, with more focus on mid-bass slam than sub-bass rumble, the extension is good, but it can sound lacking deep for the Harman target folks, and bloated for the anti-mid-bass guys, one of the things that I love the most on this bass is how clean and punch it can sound, some might prefer a DD response, or even a planar, but I gotta say, I love a good BA bass when well implemented, and andromeda is one good example of it. Note that this region can be VERY affected if you don't match a good source or cable with Andromeda, the general sound can go from a clean, fast state, to a pretty bloated one.

Mids: Thick, lush, natural, and tame, two things are the pillars of andromedas mids:
1. The mid-bass warmth transition to the mids, giving body, and thickness to it.

2. Polite pinna gain: Calmer and recessed if compared with newer iems gives a more soothing and lush vibe to the mids.

At first, the mids can be shocking, sounding like a wall of mass in this region, or even bloated, but with time it shows a very natural timber that can handle any genre. These more recessed vocals will benefit the soundstage giving space to instruments.


Treble: Airy, detailed, and with good bite, can sound too crisp to some, but very forgiving to others.
In my case the treble never goes to a point of sibilance or too much glare, it sounds very cohesive with a lot of air in the presentation, and a crispness in metallics instruments that can show a lot of micro detail and layering, talking about layering...

Soundstage: One of the best that I heard, large, profound, tall, and with a lot of layering, with the lush warm mids, and punch bass, it gives the magic that Andromeda has on me, a very immersive sound signature.

Detail retrieval: Not the best for $1000, at least not anymore, it has a lot of micro detail at the treble, and a very fast, and resolving bass, but it is no match for newer iems with a focus on treble performance (Mest mk2, fiio fx15, letshuoer ej07m, etc).

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Conclusion: I just love it, the fit, the looks, the different signature, and the massive soundstage, but it is an old iem, and in some instances, it can show it.
There is also the opposite signature if compared to Harman iems, this signature can push off a lot of newer listeners, but nevertheless, Andromeda still is my beloved one💚.
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SlipScope

New Head-Fier
Pros: Built well
Cons: It’s just built well, works best as a paperweight.
worst iem I’ve ever heard in my life, on par with free airplane headphones. Needs desperately to be equilised.

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NickleCo

Previously known as DatDudeNic
An overdue review of an aging yet still popular iem + differences on the Andromeda iterations
Pros: Design (which put campfire in the market), Build, fit, stock cable, accessories, COLOR (YES! I love how vibrant it is), Used to be my grail iems
Cons: Sound signature, Odd dips in the treble, Separation, Not clean sounding, Finish is easily (so very easily) chipped, So many confusing reiterations
For any Andromeda reviews going forward I think it is very important to specify which version you'll be reviewing. The v1.5 Andromeda will be what I'll be referencing for this write up. (I'll go into the specifics for the telltale signs of each of the different Andro's).

So, a few months ago, a friend of mine (who've already moved on with the hobby) asked me if I wanted a near mint v1 which I later found out it was a v1.5 Andro. I've had previous Andro's (v2, v3 and 2020) before and each one of them I hated and barely lasted a month with me. This will just be a very brief review on them.

Design:
One of the best and most iconic designed iems out there. They are beautiful and jewelry-like. The sharp angled edges with the vibrant green just screams luxury. The contrast between the green and the shiny stainless-steel screws is to die for!!

Build:
Outstanding! the whole body is made of aluminum making it durable and lightweight (unlike the atlas...). My only gripe would be the nozzle which is prone to condensation. I won't hold it against CFA as it's already been amended with the later versions. Add to that the finish which very easily chips off. Though I can see the appeal of how it would add some sort of patina to the overall look.

Cable:
It's thin neigh-weightless and sounds great. What's not to like? Kidding's aside I have 2 glaring issues with this version's cable. 1) The ear hooks are clunky and gets in the way. 2) They oxidize from the clear sheath to the translucent 3.5mm molded jack. I've also had an issue with my late CFA Nova cable's mmcx housing cracking, but willbe regarding it as an isolated issue as I've never encountered it on any of the other CFA iems I've owned.

Sound (1-3):
Generally, they have what I would consider a w-shaped signature some may consider them neutral, but they have too much of a midbass and subbass focus. (Pardon my lack of input in this area but I find it hard to describe a signature on its own, I feel much more confident and more talkative when I compare them to one another).

My listening rigs for this are:
-Apple dongle + Tidal
-Cayin N8 (Low gain, Solid state, P STD, Super Slow PCM Filter)
-Sony A105

1) Treble - Is odd. I'm frankly not a fan how the treble is on these (nor any of the versions I've had). It is quite extended in the upper regions giving rise to sibilance and harshness. There is a dip in the lower treble regions which results to a somewhat disjointed distinction between the treble vs the rest of the spectrum. Out of the 4 Andro versions I've owned these are by far the best sounding.

2) Midrange - is linearexcept for the added thickness due to midbass quantity. Regardless, there's barely any complaints from me. No particular spikes/dips. It is smooth and pleasing, I can perceive a bit of BA timbre but nothing too glaring.

3) Bass - It has quite the midbass amount and it gives the signature a lot of warmth making the whole thing sound musical yet barely any bloom/bleed. On to subbass, for an all BA iem it is surprising how much air it can move. It can't compete against DD bass but there's a lot of body here, albeit it doesn't dig deep.

Resolution:
It's hazy at times but for the most part, it's adequate. If it wasn't for the midbass quantity it would've been better and cleaner. I'll give more examples of how good/bad it can get in the comparisons. I always find describing resolution best portrayed through comparisons, describing something by itself would by default make it good.

Soundstage:
I feel it's bottlenecked by the midbass. I wish it was more expansive. Still, it never fails to deliver a holographic experience. It has satisfactory width, depth and height.

Imaging:
Despite sounding hazy, it is excellent! Summer Friends by Chance the Rapper is so immersive! But I find them source dependent. Imaging is nonexistent on some sources while others are exemplary.

Comparisons:
Just note that my iem's are very much tailored to my preferences. Some are very obscure and old (I still enjoy audio, but I don't care much for newly released iems).

~ I'll put out more comparisons once I get back to listening to my other stuff. ~

FlipEars Aim v4 ($500) + Effect Audio Cadmus ($230)
The Aim v4 is a warm mid-centric sounding iem with a more forward upper midrange and a boost in the lower mids. It's cleaner and smoother sounding in the treble region with no particularly glaring dips. Both have good midrange but Aim has the more euphonic and much more pleasing (though less realistic). In the Bass section, Aim has more midbass and subbass but Andro gives a more textured experience (in terms of preference I would lean towards aim's execution). Technicalities is where Andromeda trumps Aim in all areas. Resolution is unmistakably Andromeda's dub. Going from Andro to aim makes aim sound quite veiled. Andro also ends victorious in both soundstage and imaging due to aim sounding very in your head while Andro sounds exponentially out of your head.

Unique Melody 3DD-Ti ($1099) + Effect Audio Thor II ($400)
I'm a bit cheating here because i have the thor 2 in balanced format but regardless I have to include my favorite sounding iem! It is close to impossible to describe the 3DD-Ti's sound signature. Its treble is basically 3 spikes with dips in-between. It sounds unlike anything else. And i love it! But I'll stop gushing over my love for these.
To start, Andro has a more extended treble and significantly more linear. In terms of peaks, I much prefer 3DD-Ti's mainly because it avoids sounding harsh and sibilant. It does have a bit of nasality to it but is a non-issue after a while. On to midrange. Andromeda has a thicker more natural and upfront midrange. 3DD-Ti is considerably more recessed due to the lack of midbass, and the incredibly contrasting treble spikes and dips. For Bass, it's 3DD-Ti's win as it has body, physicality, even more texture, and way better decay. Resolution is way better on the 3DD and i have no clue why... Andromeda for imaging since 3DD-Ti's midrange is noticeably more recessed making instruments and vocals sound odd. Soundstage would be a tie for me. Regardless, 3DD-Ti has my heart <3

Campfire Atlas ($1299)
We all know at this point Ken Ball's favorite child the atlas. It is bassy, fun, and very very vibrant (and unforgivingly heavy on the ears sonically and physically). The atlas will always have a special place in my heart due to it reigniting my passion for audio. I sold a couple kilo buck iems for cheap for the reason of wanting a pair as soon as possible and have never looked back. I would give atlas the treble as it sounds the more linear of the 2, it still has the tendency to sound harsh and sibilant but this time the dip is gone making it more natural. Midrange i would say is Andro's win mainly due to atlas's tendency to smooth out/mask detail because of the amount of midbass. As if it's angry for midbass. Atlas's midbass bleeds and bloom and it confidently flaunts it. Subbass is a no competition for Atlas. Resolution I would reluctantly give to Andromeda because of Atlas smoothing out detail. For soundstage, it's a clear win for Andromeda due to (again) Atlas's amount of midbass making everything sound in your face (don't get me wrong, it is still very much technically proficient just not as much as Andromeda). As for imaging, there are times where Atlas sounded incredibly life like, but they were few and far between, so by default it's yet another win for Andromeda. In short Atlas is Andromeda if you crank the bass dial to max. It is just so vibrant that it drowns the competition.

Empire Ears Merlin ($2000) + Effect Audio Cadmus ($230)
These are a special edition Empire Ears Spartan IV with upgraded internals + Effect Audio Rowan cable (which i don't have anymore). These stay true to the Spartan's lean, neutral, and somewhat analytical signature. I'll start with treble. I would say both are sufficiently extended but merlin having a more linear no sibilance/harshness gets my pick. Midrange, both are very good, but I prefer merlin's due to it having no added note thickness. For bass, Merlin is definitely leaner sounding, but have the same physicality and punch with having a proper decay yet again gets me pick. Resolution goes to Merlin, the lack of midbass makes Merlin very technically adept. But Andromeda wins in terms of soundstage and imaging because of how effortless it can paint and immerse you.

VS the previous Andromeda's I've owned:
(I will be lifting my impressions off my post on the Andro thread here)
"As for my previous andros, I'll start with v2 which was the oddest sounding to me. It was very very warm, and bass barely had any slam, it was bloaty beyond belief enough so that my $550 iem (flipears aim v4) had better slam. Now off to v3, I liked how the smoky Litz looked and felt when worn but now the issue with it was that there's not much dynamics to it. It, at times, would sound monotonous and somewhat dead sounding. As for 2020, it was what I thought to be the best out of the bunch just from reviews alone, but I found it too warm sounding for my liking."

As for the different Andromeda iterations:
V1 - Aluminum nozzle. The edges are sharp with no beveling but the most telltale sign is the use of a torx screw (looks like the Montblanc logo).
V1.5 - introduced the newer tri-wing screw heads. Has beveling around the edges improving the comfort (can attest to the comfort since my nova v1 had no beveling and i would always end with sore ears with that one). also, more beveled nozzle (I can't quite remember this)
V2 - First to use the stainless-steel nozzle.
V3 - smoothed out finish, no more milling lines, first to come with the smoky Litz cable.
V4/2020 - New nozzle design with the horizontal lines instead of the 3 bores (fixes the condensation build up issue). More rounded housing

Drivability:
These are notorious in the community for being such a sensitive iem. They can and will sound different on different sources. I wish I had more sources with me, but I've since been inactive in the hobby ever since I bought my grail Fourte's.

+ Apple Dongle (Tidal) - with the current trends in the hobby and a particular person saying that apple dongle is enough of a source, I went ahead and bought one and as much of a DAP purist that I am I have to admit it's not that bad an experience. Sure, the SQ won't blow you away nor are there any hint of technicalities but for an ultra-mobile solution its good. Now onto the sound, it is very warm sounding. The treble sounds quite tame here, more probably to do with the midbass being more aggressive than what I am normally used to with DAP's. Midrange sounds about the same as with my experience with other daps but subbass sounds way more rounded, it doesn't dig that deep but there's considerably more. Also, shockingly, there is zero hiss here!

+ Sony A105 (Tidal)
(My preferred combo) Compared to with the Apple Dongle, the a105 is more resolving with better midbass control and avoids sounding monotonous. Compared to with the N8, the treble is smoother and less piercing. The dip is still present but more subtle this time. Midrange sounds more neutral here with no added note thickness, Midbass isn't as forward this time, as if it's in the back adding warmth to the whole signature. Subbass, like the midbass took a back step and is now lesser in quantity but with the caveat of losing body, punch and even texture. It doesn't really get holographic with this combo. There is a bit of hiss here...

+ Cayin N8 (Flac - DSD)
Very good end to end extension to the point where it's too much. There's too much treble here and bass region outright makes it sound somewhat like a DD everything sounds very nuanced and textured. This is where it sounds holographic the most, to the point where i have more expensive iems that pales in comparison. Another con i would like to raise is the dips. Because everything sounds very spacious the dips are becoming more and more apparent. timbre at times sound very wonky. It tends to sound disjointed as if there's 2 separate areas, upper treble (TAEC driver) and the rest of the spectrum (regular BA drivers). Sad to say there is also hiss here.

Conclusion:
What else can I say? The Andromeda is what truly put CFA in the market, some purists will say it's the Jupiter, but CFA never again captured lighting in the bottle as with the Andromeda, they literally hit the jackpot with it. Just by looking at the sheer number of iterations/special editions is enough to warrant such a claim. I remember my first time hearing a v1 Andromeda back in 2017 when I met up with a friend. At the time I was sporting a nova and wanted to know how much of a difference they had and man I was shocked to hear something so airy, dynamic, pleasant, etc. It was then and there that I understood what audio can do lol. After all these years, they still do sound good just not really what I would say competitive to more recent releases. Regardless of what I have said, I think every enthusiast should at least once, try the Andromeda. Whether it be positive or negative these iems are nothing short of legendary.
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gatesgt
gatesgt
Hello - Have you ever considered output impedance of your sources when testing with the Andromeda? Linum cables make a 1.5 ohm cable that has leveled the playing field for me with sources that have very low OI when used with any version of the Andromeda.
R
RAINING-BLOOD
I didn't knew Andromeda had so many iterations.

Comments

cheeseeater

100+ Head-Fier
Hi everybody. I'm looking into maybe getting the andromeda. I've narrowed it down to andromeda and the warbler prelude. Almost 2 years ago the was discussion on this thread about custom sleeves. I need customs because I need the isolation. I'm leaning forward the warbler but I'd more strongly consider the andromeda if there were a good custom sleeve option. Maybe someone here has recent experience with custom sleeves on the andromeda. I know Snugs does one but I haven't found any recent information. Anyone here using them
 

Erfan Elahi

500+ Head-Fier
Andromeda users, can any one suggest me key points to identify counterfeit Andromeda? I am buying a second hand. Will be using for the first time.
 

tlcocks

500+ Head-Fier
Hi everybody. I'm looking into maybe getting the andromeda. I've narrowed it down to andromeda and the warbler prelude. Almost 2 years ago the was discussion on this thread about custom sleeves. I need customs because I need the isolation. I'm leaning forward the warbler but I'd more strongly consider the andromeda if there were a good custom sleeve option. Maybe someone here has recent experience with custom sleeves on the andromeda. I know Snugs does one but I haven't found any recent information. Anyone here using them
Guys. I just picked these up last week. I’ve listened to every genre. From Diana krall to Def Leppard Pyromania. These phones are completely addictive sublime unbelievable. Nothing out there short of CIEM’s touches them. And yes, that includes Shure 846’s. Andromeda TRASHES them. They sound like junk in comparison.
 
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