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My full review of text and photos at 
http://headpie.blogspot.jp/2016/05/campfire-audio-andromeda-review.html
Also reviews for the NOVA and JUPITER can be found.
 
here are the highlights.....
 
Campfire Audio Andromeda Review - Expatinjapan (originally published May 2016)
 

 
 
https://campfireaudio.com/andromeda/
Campfire Audio is the IEM sibling of ALO Audio.
 

 

Build
The build of the Campfire Audio Andromeda is exquisite. Seemingly a classic in the making in its overall look and design. The quality of the machining is beautiful to look at, each unit is piece of art in itself.
It casts an illusion of hardness and weight, yet the converse is true. The Andromeda is lightweight and solid, yet fits within the ears with a softness If you will.
Five balanced armature drivers with a tubeless resonator box into a machined aluminum enclosure.
 
Each part is precision machined out of aluminum with one large bore hole and two smaller bore holes. The two halves of the housing being connected by bolts. Seamless.
 

 
Using MMCX connectors with reinforcement makes for a safe and sturdy cable where it counts the most. The ability to swap out the 3.5mm cable for a 2.5mm balanced cable (not included) is also a plus.
 

 
 
The new Litz wire cable makes its entrance into the Campfire audio range and will eventually be the standard cable for all the CA range. No need for any cable upgrades with this beauty.
 
Packaging
The Campfire audio Andromeda comes in a simple box like its predecessors, yet with one important difference in detail. Now one can easily open the box once the plastic shrink wrap is removed without having to cut into it. It was a painful procedure to go through when I received The Jupiter. Now as you can see in the photos it opens easily like a flower in bloom.
 

 
The Andromeda comes with a beautiful case like its other IEM siblings in the Campfire Audio range. This time the color is a rich chocolate brown leather case with a wool lining. Well made and strong. Attractive and stylish to look upon.
 

 
 
 
 
The Andromeda, like the other IEMs in the Campfire Audio range comes with the same accessories to get you started on your way to aural bliss. Three packs of tips, a cleaning brush and a delicate CA pin for those special occasions. The tips are Comply, stock foam and silicone and come in three sizes of S, M and L.
 

 
 
Fit
Coming from the Jupiter all my past concerns about fit have passed, perhaps the Campfire range is not for all ears, but for me the look is false and the fit is true.
They are comfortable for lengthy periods of time, the nozzles is angled just so, perfect to slip easily into the ear canal. The memory wire that graces the upper ear locks everything in place.
As usual one has to do some tip rolling to find which tip achieves the best fit, isolation and comfort.
If the supplied tips don`t fit your fancy there are many quality aftermarket tips out there to buy and try. I would hazard a guess that most people purchasing a TOTL IEM like the Andromeda would already have a healthy collection of various tips to choose from.
 
The Campfire Audio IEMs do look like sharp edged heavy beasts, but really they anything but that.
Light, well designed to fit within the inner ear and with a delicately angled nozzle assist to achieve a decent seal to aid one along the path to musical happiness.
 

 

Chin slider to assist in maintaining a secure fit.
 

 

Sound
The Campfire Audio Andromeda IEM is a wonder of design, vision and engineering.
It ticks all the right boxes for me and what I have read so far from others early impressions it also rings their bells.
The Andromeda for now sits at the top of the Campfire Audio range of IEMs, will there be a further development in the future? I hope so, even though with the advent of the Andromeda I am curious If it can be done better.
 

My first impressions of the Andromeda were positive.
*My impressions are short and possibly not wholly accurate due to my short time listening to the Andromeda at the Fujiya Avic Headphone Show in Tokyo, Japan. April 2016.
The sound was fuller than the Jupiter, or it could be the lush and sweet mid range now coming through.
My Jupiter is smooth, articulate and airy. A nice low end and highs. A soft small u shape.
The Andromeda seems to pack more power, it seems flatter in a reference sense, same low and high ends but it has more in the middle. Not warm either. Musical yet tending towards reference.
Clear, clarity, detailed, also articulate.
Excellent instrument separation, width, height, speed, layering etc are wonderful. The main word that springs to mind is soundstage. It has a great extension from the low to the high end. 
It has a very balanced sound across the board, yet also musical.
 
I did most of my listening to the Andromeda with the Centrance Hifi-Skyn, ipod 6G 128GB using Flacplayer app by Dan Leehr. I started the review after a burn time of 100 hours.
The Campfire Audio Andromeda IEM is a work of wonder. It is without a doubt one of the best IEMs I have had the good fortune to listen to. Whereas many earphones and headphones are built for a particular type of music or a persons sonic preferences the Andromeda seems to pull a magical trick where it is all things for all people.
One might say it goes against the saying `a jack of all trades` by changing the final conclusion to `a master of them all`.
I try to avoid new toy joy and hype city by placing my new items into a merry go round of burn in for a good number of days which allows for my initial excitement to die down somewhat, so I might approach the review with a sense of objectiveness. 
I have tried to plumb the depths of the Andromeda for its many weaknesses and can uncover no glaring faults.
It truly is a work of wonder in this saturated market of multi driver IEMs and TOTL Daps.
 
The Andromedas soundstage is the main thing most first time listeners will notice, it extends beautifully and fully to both ends of the spectrum. One head-fier even described it as `holographic`, one could even add 3D-ish but that sounds cheaper so lets run with holographic.
It is controlled well at the high and low ends, the bass being powerful, fast and clear and not shy to pack a punch. The treble is clear and sparkly and extends well into the distance without any hint of sibilance or harshness. It has a mid range that is lush, open and even one could say sweet.
The sub bass stays in its place well enough as does the bass, mid range and treble, there does not appear to be any bleed through inappropriately through the layers.
The Andromeda walks a tightrope being both well balanced and even reference sounding to a degree, yet also musical but without the usual accompanying coloring that other IEMs offer.
It has great resolution, layering and has fantastic micro detailing with the right Dap.
They are smooth, even organic to a degree, detailed and have a fast response overall. I find I am able to listen to the Andromeda for lengthy periods of time without fatigue.
 
 

 
Campfire Audio Andromeda frequency chart, courtesy of CA.
 

Value
The Andromeda ranges from US$999 to US$1,099 depending on whether you jumped quickly onto the pre-order bandwagon. Whether that is still live at the time of this article being published is worth a quick look.
https://campfireaudio.com/andromeda/
Value is a fickle thing. It varies in life from experience, to objects, people and so on.
In the audio world it is often harder to gauge.
Does the Andromeda tick all the right boxes, I would have to say yes.
Build, yes. Packaging, small and simple. Yes. Fit, well for me thats a yes.
Sound, definitely a yes.
It a TOTL IEM at a TOTL price point, and justifiably so as it delivers on the promise of high end audio.
 

 
 
Overall
The Campfire Andromeda is one of the best IEMs ever to grace my ears. It shines in all areas of performance, admittedly I fear I may have missed its faults but I did my darned best to uncover them.
 
One might call the Andromeda `Jupiter perfected`, the missing mids in the Jupiters soft lower case u sound shape were gorgeously present with the arrival of the Andromeda.
One Head-fier (Hisoundfi) described the sound of the Andromeda as `holographic` and thats a term that I keep returning to as it echoes in my memory.
I have tried it with various sources: ipod touch 6G, Centrance Hifi-Skyn, Centrance Mini-M8, Shozy Alien Gold, Fiio M3, Seiun player.... and to my ears it seems to be constant in its performance.
 
The build of the three Campfire Audio IEMs I have is impeccable. They are solid and robust.
Made from one block of precision machined aluminum and held together by bolts. They certainly are sturdy. They appear heavy to the eye but in fact are quite lightweight.
Whilst they may look sharp at first glance, they are well designed and fit into my ears without any uncomfortable rubbing, the cable has a memory wire which also helps to lock them in place although they seem to sit there quite well by themselves.

 They have a lot of straight lines and not so many curves as most IEMs have, but rest assured it is comfortable fit.
The nozzles are angled in such a way as to enter the ear canal easily, and are long enough to get a good seal and isolation.
 
The cable is strong and well made. The braided cable gives a sense of strength and beauty and it is reinforced at the MMCX connector.`
 
In summary the Campfire Audio Andromeda takes a seat at the table of the TOTL IEMs and rightfully so, no doubt as more of the Andromeda units find their way into other reviewers hands many will echo my findings, not through any malicious plagiarism but simply the Andromeda is coherent and consistent in its performance.
Perhaps some other reviewer can find a glaring fault, I could not.
 
The Andromeda...smooth, resolving, huge soundstage, detailed, beautifully designed and made.....
 

 
 
 
 
Thank you to Campfire Audio for sending Head pie the Andromeda
-expatinjapan
 
 
 

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I would like to Thank Campfire Audio for providing Andromeda review sample in exchange for my honest opinion.
 
Manufacturer product website: https://www.campfireaudio.com/andromeda/
 
* click on images to expand

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Just the other night I had a very clear and detailed dream about sitting next to the campfire in the wide open green pasture while sipping on a smooth rum cocktail from a solid aluminum jug, bejeweled in silver and copper, under the skies with five fairly balanced stars of a flagship constellation calling me with its divine sound of mysterious galaxy.  What a bizarre dream!  What a strange combination of random objects and events!  But was it really random or do they all connect together like stars of a bright constellation?  Yes, they do!  Welcome to the galaxy of Andromeda – a constellation of coherency and harmony!
 
Whenever I review a product from a manufacturer I haven’t covered in the past, I like to start with a little intro about the company.  Here, I found a few associated companies with one name in common – Ken Ball, who is 100% behind all the audio engineering, the sound tuning, and the design.  Since I don’t get a chance to attend Head-fi meets, CanJam events, and other audio shows where Ken is very well known, my communication with him was limited to PM exchanges where I quickly realized how much passion and pride he has for his products and how much energy he puts into his work, regardless if it’s headphones, amplifiers, cables, or just a professional audio gear modding which he has been doing for well over a decade.  But two things really stood out.  One is how much he enjoys listening to music and finds it very important to the quality of his life.  The other is how Ken takes his accumulated knowledge of a traditional headphones design and uses it in conjunction with his outside-of-the-box thinking to approach everything from a totally different angle.
 
Some might question why am I starting the review with all these praises?  In the last few years I tested and reviewed multiple dozens of headphones and many other pieces of audio gear with quite a few which I consider to be my favorites, but nothing have stopped me in my tracks like the first time I listened to Campfire Audio (CFA) Andromeda – Ken’s latest flagship creation.  Prior to this review, I didn’t know too much about ALO (another Ken's company) or CFA or how many veteran sound engineers or hearing aid professionals slaved behind the design and the sound tuning of this product.  So imagine my surprise when I learned it was a vision and a hard work of one person, along with a big contribution of Caleb Rosenau (the vice president of CFA), from a company that got into IEM design less than 3 years ago while hand building them in their lab (Portland, OR).  Shocking, indeed!  But I shouldn’t be surprised after realizing the driving force behind it.  Now, let’s proceed to the review.
 
Unboxing.
 
Arrived in a compact sturdy carton packaging, there was something about this box that felt rather crafty.  I’m not talking about rough edges or sloppy construction, but something different that stands out from a traditional glossy packaging with flashy images and spec bullets - just a modest picture of Andromeda with a green swirly background and a printed name with a basic description, and a hand drawn theme of stars in the sky.  I assume all CFA models will come in a similar box with the only difference being the picture and the color background which reflects the theme of that particular model.  It also worth mentioning that entire CFA lineup (Andromeda, Jupiter, Lyra, Nova, and Orion) is named around constellations, stars, and planets – something you would naturally enjoy by the campfire at night looking at the starry skies!
 
With the box cover lifted up, you’ll find a custom dark leather zippered case hosting earphones and a cable.  I initially assumed that all accessories will be inside of the case as well, but instead the bottom of the packaging box comes out with the rest of the accessories hidden underneath.  One peculiar thing was the writing under the cover flap with “Nicely Done” message which could have different interpretations.  Nicely done – toward consumer for making a purchase, or nicely done – toward manufacturer for delivering the goods.  Either way, it shows that CFA cares to make unboxing experience more personal.
 
 
 
 
 
Accessories.
 
Even so the leather case is the highlight of the accessories, more goodies were included.  You get 3 sets of eartips with genuine Comply TX400 tips (S/M/L), generic foam tips (S/M/L), and a set of soft cap shallow silicone tips (S/M/L).  Definitely plenty of tips, but I would have loved to see at least one more set of silicone tips with a longer core stem to enhance fit comfort, though it’s purely subjective.  Also included were a cleaning tool with a magnetic tip (pretty cool to attach it to your desktop components or somewhere where it’s easy to find it), and a custom pin with Campfire Audio emblem/initials (didn't expect this one, but cool nevertheless).
 
When it comes to the leather case, it’s definitely unique, premium quality, and lined with a soft fleece material on the inside.  The case has a hard shell to protect your investment during transportation, and once you unzip it – opens up like a coin wallet with protected sides so nothing falls out.  Some might find it an overkill, but considering the anodized finish of aluminum shells you don’t want to scratch them while these bang and slide inside of the case.  Thus, a fleece lining is not just for the looks but also to protect the alloy shell finish.
 
 
 
 
 
The cable.
 
For those familiar with ALO Audio, another Ken’s company which is a parent of Campfire Audio, you probably aware that in addition to amplifiers he also makes custom cables.  Though a few of his earlier CFA releases featured tinsel wire cables, Andromeda comes with all new 3.5mm Litz SPC (silver plated copper) cable.
 
I usually look into replacement cable for sonic improvement rather than the looks, but in this case both goals were met.  Starting with a translucent 90-deg gold plated jack, you can actually take a glimpse inside to see how wires are soldered, and the rubbery housing has a nice grip with a decent strain relief.  The 4 twisted wire conductors have silver finish with a medical grade pvc jacket, and the cable still feels soft and pliable.  Four separate wires also means that the ground of each earpiece side is isolated until the connector, which is just asking for a balanced cable jack.  Hopefully it will be available soon as a separate accessory from ALO.
 
The y-splitter is slim and aluminum, like a silver bullet, and it has a clear plastic chin slider which retracts from the splitter.  The wires going to each earpiece after the splitter are twisted, and closer to mmcx connector housing you will find a memory wire section.  Here you a have a traditional stiff piece of a memory wire wrapped around in a soft clear tube which you can shape for over-the-ear fit.  The mmcx connector itself uses a high quality beryllium copper material, and the housing of the connector has red/blue dots corresponding to Right/Left sides.
 
The same matching mmcx beryllium copper alloy connector is used in the shell of Andromeda, and you get a snappy and a secure joint.  Mmcx connectors have a bad rep due to intermittent contact issues or accumulated specks of dust or just premature wear off.  Here, an extra attention was paid to choose components with a premium quality material.  The only thing I’m not too crazy about is combination of memory wire hook spinning around the connector as you trying to put these monitors in your ears.  Could be a matter of personal preference, but I like to put earpieces in first and then put the cable over my ears without distraction of moving ear hook.  I would suggest an alternative cable version without memory wire piece, especially for those who wear glasses.  Also, those who are into DIY, be careful if you decide to remove wire by yourself because you can damage the connector housing since the memory wire is jammed tight inside.
 
 
 

 
In most of my IEM/CIEM reviews I typically suggest to replace the stock ofc cable with premium aftermarket alternatives.  I do hear a difference in sound when switching between cheap stock ofc cable and spc or pure silver or old plated silver wires.  But in case of Andromeda we are not dealing with a cheap generic cable, but rather a premium Litz silver plated copper which ALO sells alone for $149 (https://www.campfireaudio.com/product/litz-cable/).
 
But regardless of that I still went ahead with a swap, going through collection of my replacement cables, and made a full circle back to a stock Litz SPC.  Something like Linum BaX, which is also a Litz cable, affected the extension of lows where sub-bass got attenuated and I felt the sound lost a bit of sparkle.  Going with pure silver TWag v3 yielded a bit of sub-bass roll off as well and made the upper frequencies a bit too hot.  The only cable I found surprisingly close in performance was Fidue A83 replacement balanced cable, here.  It maintained a similar tonality of mids and treble, but sub-bass was still a bit rolled off in comparison.  Due to stiff memory wire in that Fidue cable, I actually did a little DIY mod by removing the shrink wrap cover and pulling the wire out.  While waiting for ALO Litz SPC balanced cable to become available and if you don’t mind modding (to remove memory wire), this could be a possible alternative.
 
 
 
Design.
 
With an exception of Lyra which uses a ceramic shell, all other CFA models have shell machined from a solid block of aluminum with a hand anodized finish in a distinct color.  In case of Andromeda, the color was selected to be green since the name refers not only to constellation and the galaxy within it but also to an evergreen shrub.  But aside from a color variation, Andromeda, Jupiter, Nova, and Orion CFA models have the same exterior design with an identical shell held together by 3 torx screws and a short aluminum nozzle.  It definitely has a really cool looking industrial design.
 
While it looks very original with its angled facet corners and sides, due to a short nozzle the fit might not be everyone's cup of tea using stock eartips.  We all have a different ear anatomy so this is subjective, but it's still very important to go through various eartips not only for seal/isolation purpose but also to find the one which going to provide enough spacing to prevent the shell from rubbing against your concha area.  Eartips vary not only in material but also in length of the inner stem where even a few mm can make a difference depending on the depth of your inner ear canal.
 

 
I just don't want the people to be discouraged if they are having a fit issue with Andromeda or any other CFA model because a wrong eartip selection will not only leave you with a poor seal and reduced isolation, which affects the low end performance, but can also cause a few sore spots if the shell rubs against your ear.  A few things I might suggest to CFA, in addition to another set of longer silicone eartips also maybe look into smoothing out the corners and using torx screws with a rounded head.
 
As far as the internal design, it’s unique to every model and depends on a driver config.  With Andromeda being a flagship featuring 5 Balanced Armature drivers, they are partitioned in groups of dual lows, single mid, and dual highs with each individual group going to one of the 3 bores machined into a nozzle tip.  But Ken/CFA decided to take it one step further besides a simple passive crossover which is still utilized in here.  Andromeda features a Patented design of an optimized acoustic resonator assembly which is machined into the aluminum enclosure.  It actually replaces the traditional tube and dampener system commonly used in other IEMs.  As confirmed, this acoustic resonator device is only applicable to the dual high frequency drivers, and happens to be a part of the CFA Patent.
 
As far as the actual spec goes, stated by manufacturer, the frequency response is extended from 10Hz to 28kHz, and we are also looking at higher sensitivity of 115 dB with a low impedance of 12.8 ohm.  I will talk more about the pair up in my sound analysis section of the review, but basically this means that you should expect a moderate level of hissing depending on your source selection.  You can choose to mitigate the hissing problem with an impedance adapter, and I actually confirmed it with 75 ohm adapter to quite it down, but in addition to cutting the noise the low end impact got reduced noticeably as well.  I’m sure fans of SE846 can relate to this (the same story of higher sensitivity and low impedance).
 
Overall, as far as the design concerned, there are no showstoppers but definitely a room for improvement, especially when it comes to a personal preference with the fit.  Other than that, I see a very solid build, a very unique industrial look, and a patented sound shaping technique inside of the shell.  All this is not just words on a paper, it actually reflects in a rather impressive sound quality which I’m going to talk about in the next section of the review.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The fit.
 

 
Sound analysis.
 
Everybody has their own personal sound preference, and after a while I almost gave up on being able to find one pair of in-ear monitors that going to come close to balancing out a warm natural sound and a more revealing reference sound.  I always separate headphones into these two groups and analyze which one comes closer to my target preference signature.  Here, Andromeda was able to close the gap with a nearly perfect yin-yang balance of revealing detailed sound wrapped in a blanket of smoothness and coherency.
 
After a few weeks of continuous listening and going between PAW Gold and Opus#1 as my two primary sources, I found Andromeda to have a balanced revealing signature, with a slight hint of being mid-forward, and a very smooth natural tonal characteristic.  The signature is actually a good example of W-shaped balanced sound where lows, mids, and highs stand out and equally grab your attention.  You can easily shift your focus and effortlessly zoom in to distinct parts of the spectrum.  But as I mentioned already, the most important characteristics of Andromeda sound quality is being able to successfully bridge the gap between warm smooth and revealing detailed tonalities, resulting in a perfection of a smooth organic transparent sound with an impressive clarity and retrieval of details.
 
Starting with a bass, you hear a bottomless low end extension with a visceral sub-bass rumble that has a warm textured quality.  Here, the tuning doesn't shy away from a slightly enhanced quantity, but surprisingly it doesn't overpower the mid-bass or turns Andromeda into L-shaped basshead monitor.  I hear a deep analog sub-bass layered underneath of a fast tight punchy mid-bass.  Bass is well controlled with an excellent separation from the mids.  In some cases, I found other multi-BA headphones with lows tuned like analog dynamic driver, while here it's a combination of what sounds like a warm lush dynamic driver sub-bass with a fast balanced armature driver mid-bass - coherent and in unison.
 
Mids are another star of the tuning where lower mids have a natural organic body, not too lean but with a little bit of thickness and absolute zero muddiness.  That was another pleasant surprise because in a number of other IEMs I tested in the past, bass enhancement with a little thicker lower mids can take away from sound clarity by introducing some muddiness.  Here, it was carefully tuned without affecting sound clarity.  And speaking of clarity, the details of upper mids are very impressive.  It wasn’t exactly on a crunchy micro-detail level, but very close minus the crunchy part - very smooth and organic retrieval of details without a hint of harshness.  I especially enjoyed the vocal performance, both male and female, which had such a natural and realistic tonality.
 
Treble is bright and clear, with an excellent definition, zero sibilance or graininess, not too crunchy or super airy, but it still extends nicely and has just a perfect amount of airiness to lighten up the upper frequencies.  If you are a fan, for example, of extended crash cymbals, you are not going to hear the full extension of the decay.  I guess something gotta give, and I'm perfectly fine with it, though Andromeda treble performance is still ahead of many other smooth signature IEMs I've tested.  Again, as I stated before, I'm very impressed with clarity and transparency of these IEMs considering now smooth they sound.
 
The soundstage expansion is definitely on a whole other level with a real holographic 3D imaging where the width/depth/height parameters are way above the average performance.  It results in a relatively accurate placement of instruments and vocals in space, but at the same time in a few of the tracks with extreme panning of sounds it felt even a bit overwhelming.  Andromeda is great not just for listening to music but also for watching movies or playing video games with surround effects.  It picks up every little nuance of the random noise, places it perfectly in space, and gives it a new dimension.  Even so separation of instruments and vocals was really good, the layering was just Ok.  But I still found the sound to be very dynamic and transparent.
 

 
Comparison.
 
Andromeda vs 64 Audio U12 - U12 soundstage width is a little narrower, while depth/height is the same.  U12 has a bit less sub-bass quantity with B1 filter which actually gets closer to with S1 filter, mid-bass punch is very similar though Andromeda has a little more speed.  Lower mids are very similar, while Andromeda upper mids are brighter and more detailed where U12 is warmer, and not as forward as Andromeda.  Andromeda treble is a little brighter, with a slightly better definition and more airiness.  One of the biggest differences here is Andromeda being more transparent, faster, and with a little better retrieval of details while U12 is smoother, more organic, more laid back, and warmer in comparison.
 
Andromeda vs Noble K10UA - soundstage is similar in depth/height, but Andromeda is noticeably wider.  Andromeda has more sub-bass, while K10 has a faster mid-bass, both have a well controlled low end.  K10 lower mids are leaner, while Andromeda upper mids are smoother and more organic in comparison to K10 which can get a bit harsher and brighter.  K10 treble is brighter and has more crunch, and with a bit more airiness.  Andromeda sounds more natural smoother, while K10 is more revealing.
 
Andromeda vs UM Maestro - Maestro width is a lot narrower, while depth/height are very close.  Maestro sub-bass is more rolled off, while mid-bass punch is as fast but less aggressive.  Lower mids are a little leaner, but not by a lot, upper mids in Maestro are brighter and little harsher in comparison.  Treble in Maestro has better extension and also brighter and with more crunch and airiness, which could even feel a bit grainy in comparison.  Both have a detailed clear sound, but Andromeda is a lot smoother (not warmer, but smoother) and has a more natural tonality without any graininess or harshness.
 
Andromeda vs Noble Savant - Savant soundstage width is a little narrower, while depth/height is the same.  Savant sub-bass feels more attenuated and mid-bass punch is a lot less aggressive.  Lower mids in Savant are just a touch leaner while upper mids are very similar, being detailed a little more forward, but also a little brighter in comparison. Treble has a similar definition and airiness, but Savant has a little more crunch.  Overall Andromeda has definitive upper hand in bass, and sounds smoother and a little more organic in comparison.
 
Andromeda vs Westone ES60 - ES width is very close, but not 100% as wide, the height is the same but with a little less depth.  Sub-bass and mid-bass in ES are more neutral in quantity and don't extend as deep or punch as fast or have the same impact.  ES lower mids are a bit leaner, but not by a lot, upper mids are very similar, maybe with Andromeda being a touch smoother and a bit more organic.  Treble is also very similar, clear and well defined without too much airiness.  Both have great transparency, but ES is more reference quality with a slight advantage in retrieval of details.  Andromeda is more balanced and a little smoother, with a more lifted low end.
 
Andromeda vs Westone W60 - soundstage is similar in comparison but W60 is a bit narrower, while depth/height is the same. W60 bass is slower and looser with a bit of spillage into lower mids, and thicker lower mids and smoother/warmer upper mids, also less sparkle in treble.  Andromeda is smooth, but faster, tighter, and with a more articulate bass and better control/separation from mids, leaner lower mids, more revealing detailed upper mids, and more sparkle/airiness in treble.
 
Andromeda vs Inear SD-4 - SD4 soundstage is narrower, while depth/height is the same.  Due to a more mid-forward sig, it feels like SD4 sub-/mid-bass are lower in quantity, but it could be just the case of sound signature difference.  With that in consideration, SD4 sub-bass is a little rolled off and mid-bass is not as fast.  Lower mids are very similar, while upper mids are brighter, a little more revealing, though a bit harsher in comparison.  SD4 treble is brighter, crispier, with a better extension and more airiness, but at the same time a little harsher, in some tracks even pushing closer to sibilance threshold.  In general, Andromeda is more balanced, smoother, with a deeper low end impact, while SD4 is brighter and more analytical and with a more enhanced top end.
 
Pair up.
 
As I was going through a pair-up with different sources, the main focus of this test was to compare hissing level, overall soundstage expansion, general sound quality, and the quality of low end impact.  I didn’t focus on more detailed aspects of the sound analysis, and instead chose what I found to vary the most between different sources.
 
LPG (Lotoo PAW Gold) – low hissing; the sound is very spacious, detailed, transparent, fast/punchy, with a natural tonality. I hear a strong mid-bass and textured sub-bass.
Micro iDSD (dac/amp) – no hissing due to a highly configurable gain setting (Micro rocks in this regard!); the sound is very spacious and detailed, has natural organic tonality, and excellent low end extension.  Reminded me a lot of LPG performance, maybe even better.
 
Samsung Note 4 – some hissing; good soundstage, detailed, smooth, fast sound with surprisingly great natural tonality though a bit warmer in comparison to other sources, and the bass is not as articulate.  Still, a good pair up on the go with a smartphone.
 
L&P L5Pro - some hissing; good soundstage, detailed punchy smooth sound, a bit bright and with rolled off sub-bass.  Actually, I wasn't too crazy about this pair up, kind of caught me by surprise.
 
theBit Opus#1 - low hissing; very spacious, detailed, highly resolving organic sound quality, beautifully textured bass with a nice mid-bass punch.  Definitely among my favorite pair ups in this group.
 
iBasso DX80 - some hissing; good soundstage expansion, sound is warm, smooth, detailed, but not super resolving, more on a warmer analog side.  I’m on a fence with this pair up, it was a bit too smooth for my taste.
 
A&K AK120ii - no hissing; very nice soundstage expansion, detailed, fast/punchy sound, slightly rolled off sub-bass, a bit more mid-forward signature.  Zero-hiss sound in comparison to all of my other DAP sources, and I expect the same with other AK models.
 
FiiO X7 w/AM2 - faint hissing; not bad soundstage, very detailed balanced sound, smooth tonality, nice punchy mid-bass and good sub-bass extension.
 
Cayin N5 – hissing is high; good soundstage expansion, very balanced detailed sound, excellent low end performance, actually I found both sub-bass and mid-bass quantity/quality to be on a level of LPG, very punchy detailed sound.  With an exception of hissing, this pair up was actually good.
 
FiiO X5ii - faint hissing; good soundstage, excellent low end performance (sub-bass and mid-bass quality is really good), excellent punchy sound.  Definitely a pleasant surprise, X5ii pulled through with a really good pair up.
 
ThinkPad T430s laptop – pretty bad hissing; sound was too thin and bright with poor low end performance.  I didn’t expect a miracle and only tested it because my laptop was paired up with Micro iDSD already.  Straight from HO of my laptop, which has a generic sound chip, I found the pair up to be rather underwhelming.
Also, for the test purpose, I tried driving E12A and Q1 portable amps from LO and HO of LPG, and found E12A to be dead silent while Q1 yielded some hissing.
 
Conclusion.
 
I learned my lesson not to label any IEM/CIEM as the endgame headphones, because every time I think I found one - another review pair gets into my hands/ears and I have to eat my own words.  One thing for sure, CFA Andromeda was the biggest surprise for me so far in 2016, and it will be a tough act to follow.  With its warm, smooth, revealing tonality and a perfectly balanced sound signature, including the holographic soundstage expansion, Andromeda didn't just get a checkmark next to all of my personal sound preferences, it quickly got to the top of my favorite in-ear monitors list.  As a mentioned before, nothing is 100% perfect and there is some room for improvement, but it's related to a combination of the fit and my personal ear anatomy.  Once I found a pair of eartips that slightly extended the nozzle insertion, it resolved all the previous issues I had with a comfort of the fit.  Now, I'm really curious what Ken is going to come up with next.  If it took him less than 3 years to build flagship Andromeda and other CFA models, how can you top that?  Hopefully will find out in a near future.

Ken Ball from ALO Audio is a big fan of the outdoors. If you see an image of nature on the ALO Audio, and now Campfire Audio web site, it will have been one he took himself. So for his new venture into in-ear monitors it was only appropriate that they be named after features of the night sky. 
 
While I did have a listen to his first three models of IEM at a previous Tokyo headphone festival, I wasn't so enamoured by the brightness of the Jupiters, which seemed too strong for my tastes. It wasn't until this year, when I heard the Andromedas for the first time, that I was really moved by the sound. I was moved not so much because of any particular feature of the sound, but because their seeming lack of anything in the sound that reminded me I was listening with IEMs. The cohesion of the overall presentation had the IEMs immediately disappearing, leaving just the music. 
 
Ken didn't hold back on the design in any way, shape or form with the Andromedas, exemplified by the fact that the pair I have for review are actually factory rejects. It would take a careful eye to see why, but he doesn't deny his intent to be perfectionist and send customers only a perfect product. As well, since I receive my pair, the design has been changed ever so slightly to add a couple of facets to area opposite the nozzle facing your ear, which may be better for people for whom the design is a bit of a tighter fit.  I didn't have any discomfort from the metal, but I have very average ears.
 
Unusually, for a manufacturer, he started off building cables by hand, then working with others to make amps and DACs, and now headphones, rather in reverse of many other companies that started with headphones first. That has, however, given him an advantage with his range of IEMs, as he has the experience to design a good cable. As much as one may dislike the idea of the importance of a good cable, I can attest to the difference they can make. On my pair of JH13s, if I use the stock cable, the sound is harsh and unlistenable. A change to a well-made Litz-wire cable from a third party transforms the sound. Time and time again I've had good headphones that I felt were simply held back by the stock cable. Where the manufacturer has included a good cable, this hasn't been an issue. 
 
 
Irrespective of opinion on the matter, the cable itself is the same thickness and flexibility of a regular IEM cable, excepting the metal splitter and neatly-fitting transparent plastic choker. The MMCX plugs are a custom beryllium copper plug that has a tighter grip than a stock MMCX connector, the ring having a larger bend. Removal requires quite a firm pull, which the instruction manual advises be done straight and not at an angle. The downside is that this type of connector turns endlessly, which can be annoying if you're like me and line up your IEMs for insertion by the direction of the cable. I'm also sure some people will prefer a non-memory-wire version of the cable. 
 

Accessories

 
The Andromedas come with a good selection of ear tips: Silicon, foam and Comply TX-400; and a cleaning tool. The Complys are difficult to install, having a narrowish tube, the good side of that being that they stay on very tightly. With a bit of foam in the tube, they are good for keeping earwax out of the canals.
 
The included leather clamshell zip case has faux sheepskin lining, giving it a classy, old-school appearance suggesting a product intended to be used for a long time. 
 
 
 
To the IEMs themselves, they consist of 5 balanced armature drivers -- 2 for the bass, 1 for the mids, and 2 for the highs. These are housed in a CNC aluminium enclosure with a uniquely shaped design. For my ears, that edgy shape could be felt a bit on insertion, but it didn't end up bothering me at all. I'm more sensitive to the discomfort of having anything in my ear canals to really notice. However Ken has acknowledged concerns and will be smoothing the design slightly in future production runs.
 
Ear canal discomfort may be an issue for some, as the three-port aluminium nozzle is big, and requires similar tips that DITA Audio's The Answer, RHA, and FitEar's universal series do. Since that permits tips with a variety of sizes, some tuning is readily possible as it is with the DITAs. Select tips with a narrower nozzle and the highs are tamed a bit, the bass being brought out more. If I select Spinfits for comfort then this is exactly what happens, making the Andromedas warmer with stronger bass, but not as pleasant overall as with the stock tips.
 
After an initial listen, I ran the Andromedas in for a couple of days using pink noise, with periods of listening in between. Most of the time I ran them out of an ALO Audio Rx or Pico Power connected to my Schiit Yggdrasil. Sometimes I used a Chord Mojo. DAP pairings I shall address separately. For most of the comparison I used the stock silicon tips. 
 
 
If you have experience with many full-sized headphones, I can simplify things and say that the Andromedas are much like a pair of MrSpeakers Ethers in overall tone when used out of a good DAP or amp. From the very present, but sweet highs down to the moderately strong mid-bass, with a few exceptions both have a similar character. This made acoustic recordings a joy, enough to make one forget that you are listening with IEMs. Using my iPhone or Soundaware's M1, both of which have a <0 Ohm output impedance, the bass drops back a bit, which I find pleasant when the music is already very bass-strong.  While mostly mid-bass prominent, it does extend well down to the deep bass if you have a good seal. 
 
Generally speaking, foam tips will reduce the treble and narrower-bore tips will increase the bass. At one extreme, if I used the Andromedas out of the Mojo or similar, which brought out the most bass, and had the included Comply foam tips on, they sounded at their darkest, similar to what I had experienced often with the Laylas. This was sometimes too dark for me. Spinfits and DITA medium-bore tips seemed to cause the mid-range to take a back seat to a degree, so at the recommendation of other members I tried JVC's Sprital Dot tips.
 
Spiral Dot tips use a spiral of indents in the bore to reduce turbulence. Since some JVC IEMs have a similar bore shape as the Andromedas, they fitted perfectly. Also, given the wide bore of the tips, the treble could come out well. This increased the overall coherency of the sound, leaving me to balance up the amount of bass via the choice of amp or DAP.  The only downside is that the very wide bore can make the highest treble a bit bright, which was fine with most acoustic music, but other music, if treble-strong, can be a bit unpleasant.
 
 
Random tracks from putting my three-stars and better playlist on random. It should be noted that I listen at a moderate volume level.
 
Let the Sunshine In sung by Julie Driscoll, being an old pop number with less than perfect recording quality and lacking in bass was rather thin-sounding as a consequence. I wish someone would re-master this.
 
Let there be Light - Justice. This band plays best with headphones and IEMs that really give a good bass kick. The Andromedas are possibly a touch too light-sounding, but when I switched over to the DITAs to compare how a dynamic sounded with bass, with the "reference" tips they had even less bass. That leaves me feeling the Andromedas will be good for someone who likes their bass kick, but without there being too much, even with this kind of music.
 
Englishman in New York - Sting. One of the best features of the Andromedas is their ability to render a sense of space in the recording, despite being IEMs and this recording was a good example of that. The level of detail, down to the decay of notes echoing across the recording space emphasised this.
 
Dazzling Blue (Album) - Alexis Cole. This Chesky binaural album has become my reference for headphone listening. If anything the bass lines can be a bit strong. It's here that I feel more like I'm listening with IEMs, as the bass crowds a bit into the rest of the sound space, if it is rendered very well. 
 
Spanish Grease (Dorfmeister Con Madrid De Los Austrias Muga Reserva Mix) - Willie Bobo - Verve Remixed.
This is music that, along with the other tracks and similar albums I lump into the category of “club music” which is brighter with a stronger beat. Due to the mastering being somewhat bass-light, with these tracks I preferred more bass-strong/treble-light IEMs for preference, even when I rotated tips on that moved the sound signature of the Andromedas in this direction. 
 
What was apparent throughout listening was the sense of space that live recordings are presented with.  What is more, the clean-sounding treble wasn't bothersome, even when modern, brightly-recorded (but not compressed) recordings were being listened to. The presentation is very much a "This is how the recording is, for better or for worse" one. 
 
That presentation works fantastically with acoustic recordings, from vocals through to jazz and classical, but are also capable all-rounders, quite able to deliver music with strong bass.
 

Devices

 
My usual portable go-to is the Chord Mojo. The Andromedas have a tiny amount of hiss audible when plugged in without music playing. Being a close to 0 Ohm output device, the bass is quite prominent, yet quite clean-sounding, the sense of spaciousness still very pleasant. 
 
ALO Rx (2015 version) -- Even less hiss than the Mojo. Brings out the treble and spaciousness a tiny bit more.
 
Headamp Pico Power -- low gain setting. No hiss at all and a minute amount on medium gain. Plenty on high gain, but no worse than the Mojo. Very smooth and neutral "nothing but the facts" but less spacious-sounding than the Rx or Mojo direct. 
 
Sound Potion Monolith -- My favourite pick, combining the smoothness of the Pico Power with the spaciousness of the Rx and only has a tiny bit of hiss on low gain.
 
 

Comparisons

 
Shozy Zero 
 
While it may seem an odd comparison, these considerably more bass-strong IEMs were useful for providing a contrast to the presentation of the Andromedas. Where bass thump and a well-smoothed treble was more important than ultimate detail, such as with “club” music, the Shozys were strongest, whereas the Andromedas win with acoustic music where space, soundstage and separation are most important. 
 
Ultimate Ears Reference Monitors
 
Compared to the Andromedas, they are tuned to a more neutral frequency response and are less sensitive. The Andromedas picked up hiss from ALO Audio's new Continental V5 (CV5) whereas the UERMs didn't. The Andromedas also have more mid-bass emphasis, the treble varying depending on the tips used. 
 
JH Audio Layla Universals (original version)
 
I was expecting the Andromedas to sound brighter, as I've always found the Laylas to be a bit dull-sounding, but surprisingly, with the bass turned down, they are more similar than not. The Laylas have the advantage that they can be CIEMs, and the multiple drivers give them more headroom for louder listening, something not so important to me. The main issue for me with the universal Laylas was getting a good fit and adjusting them to sound the best, something I didn't have as many issues with when using the Andromedas. I reckon the Laylas would work best as a CIEM.
 
DITA Audio The Answer (Truth Edition)
 
(Going to add this shortly.)
 

Conclusion

 
Very often discussion of new, high-end products centres around how they can be improved. The Andromedas are one of those products that is great right out of the box sonically, especially if you your tastes are more towards well-mastered acoustic music, with a spacious and detailed sound. With more modern, brighter-mastered music they are a not quite so suited, at least without some tip rolling. Most pleasing is how much care Ken has put into designing and making them.  The only cautions are that the design and cable ergonomics wont be suitable for everyone.
 
Thanks to Ken Ball for proving the Andromedas for review.
 

Unboxing and Video Review

 

Disclaimer:
I received this Campfire Jupiter as part of the Australian/New Zealand tour that ALO Audio/Ken Bell arranged. This is my honest opinion of the Campfire Andromeda, and I am in no way affiliated with or work for ALO Audio. Thanks to @d marc0 for organising this and letting me join in a little late.
 
In addition, this review will not focus on technical aspects of the equipment. Rather I will focus on their representation of music to me. My enjoyment or boredom, bliss or disappointment with the equipment. Think of it as an emotional review.
 
Introduction:
 
OK, so I told myself last year – “just get back to Head-Fi, find a suitable setup, and leave…” I’m still here, after realising that the community had matured so much since last decade, yep 2009! The ability to now take part in tours and auditions opened up a whole new world of experiences. Now I was able to test out some great equipment, without the commitment, it’s like Friends with Benefits.
 
Thus far I have been given the opportunity to review the Aune X1S, Jays q-Jays, the Campfire Orions and Campfire Jupiters. This time round, I was given the opportunity to take some more IEMs for a spin – introducing Campfire Audio’s Top-of-the-Line IEMs, the Andromeda in-earphones
 
Official product page: https://www.campfireaudio.com/andromeda/
 

 
Hardware:
 
WHAT’S IN THE BOX?
Like the Orions & Jupiters, the Campfire box carries its signature “lost in space” box, and the Jupiter’s sitting cosy in the fur-lined carry case.
 

 

 
 
The contents of the box included:

1. Campfire Andromeda IEM ear pieces
2. MMCX terminated, silver-plated IEM Cable (1.35m) with gold-plated 3.5mm L-plug (2x)
3. Tips:
   1. 3 pairs of Comply TX 400 tips (S, M, L)
   2. 3 pairs of foam tips (S, M, L)
   3. 3 pairs of silicon tips (S, M, L)
4. Cleaning tool
5. Carry case
6. Campfire Audio logo pin
7. User guide

 
RRP: $1099  USD (~$1,475 AUD)
 
 
BUILD & DESIGN
There’s not much more I can add from my write-up of the Jupiter’s & Orion’s build and design. There is a distinct craftsman ship that Campfire Audio have now defined. Again, in their words “FIVE balanced armature drivers and tubeless resonator in a machined aluminium enclosure”. These things are solid, I am pretty sure you could easily drive over them (not that I did…!)
 

 

 
 
TECH SPECS
Driver: Four Balanced Armature Drivers
Impedance: 12.8 OHM @ 1 KHZ
Sensitivity:  115 DB SPL/MW
Frequency Response: 10 HZ – 28K HZ
  
About Me:
 
As with any tour or review, these are my opinions and observations with the Campfire Orion and my hardware. For the purpose of this audition, I used the following equipment –
Source: iPod Classic/iPhone 6S using a mixture of Apple Lossless and MP3 files
Amplifier/DAC: HeadAmp Pico Portable Amp/DAC
Headphones: 1964Ears V3
 
My taste in music is quite peculiar and focuses heavily on heavy metal – in all forms (from death to Viking, from prog to heavy, from Pagan to Mongolian!). A majority of my listening was with bands such as Iron Maiden, Fallujah, and Caligula’s Horse & Ne Obliviscaris. However, I still enjoy a variety of genres, so also included Jazz, Blues, Rock, and Classical.
 
 
The Listening Experience:
 
Music listened to for this review:
Idina Menzel (female vocal)
Delta Goodrem (female vocal)
Opeth (progressive metal)
Fallujah (atmospheric technical death metal)
Ne Obliviscaris (progressive black metal)
Gojira (technical death metal)
Caligula’s Horse (progressive rock)
Hans Zimmer (soundtrack)
 
My initial impressions were:
Bass: tight, deep, controlled
Highs: beautiful and lush
Comments: I thought the Jupiter’s were the best IEMs I had ever heard, and I was pretty sure nothing could top them, I was (kind of) wrong.
 
I really wish I could test the Andromeda’s and Jupiter’s side-by-side, as I found that based on my memory both seemed to sound very similar.
 
The Andromeda’s pack a punch, fantastic full-bodied sound that was quite difficult to fault.
 
They improve upon the Jupiter’s when it came to female vocals, especially the issue with sibilance. The Andromeda’s present female vocals in a smooth lush manner, that’s not harsh or overly high. Listening to Delta and Idina was an absolute treat with the Andromeda’s, being able to really hear the subtleties in their voices, and being able to truly appreciate their vocal ranges.
 
As for Metal and the various metal genres, the Andromeda’s are fantastic. Although lack the attack with the quicker songs. Listening to music such as Fallujah (Atmospheric Death Metal) was fantastic as usually most earphones tend to turn the technical drumming/riffs into mud. That is to say, most of the time it’s muddy. The Andromeda’s strengths with soundstage and instrument separation meant the music was not out of balance. It was synergetic!
 
The soundstage/instrument separation however far surpasses the Jupiter’s. The Andromeda feel like everything is nicely balanced, separated and placed out to give you a sense of being in the music.
 
As stated with the Jupiters:
In terms of the IEMs themselves – fit/isolation was fantastic, although they are dependent on the tips. I had a couple of issues with fit at the start, but after trying a few variations I managed to settle on the large foam. The cables were also quite microphonic, every time I moved around or adjusted my glasses I could hear noise. However, none of these totally hampered my listening experience.
 
This was a difficult review to write as in my opinion the Jupiters and Andromedas are very close in sound-quality. Both, compared to my V3s, are phenomenal. Trying to compare Jupiter/Andromeda with my other IEMs was not a task I attempted as they are different beasts, and considering the Jupiters/Andromedas are TOTL IEMs.
 

 

 
 
Value & Conclusion:
Look, when it comes to the Jupiters and Andromedas, the differences are subtle, and basically for me it came down to price. If I could choose, I would easily pick the Jupiter’s and save myself a few hundred dollars. Both IEMs are outstanding, however I couldn’t really find any astronomical reasons to pick the Andromedas over the Jupiters. That being said, with more time, and the ability to put these side-by-side might yield a better outcome.
 
Thanks again to ALO, Ken and Mark for the opportunity to take these for a spin!

Holy hell, these are great. Nicest stock cable I’ve used, very flexible and the silver looks fantastic. Build quality for the IEMs are very good, but the aluminum has a bit of nicks from use, no big deal. Comfort is actually extremely good, despite the abundance of hard edges. With the right tips, these just disappear in the ear. I’m using JVC Spiral Dots/Ortofon L tips which have been working great.

These can be summed up by having a very slight U-shaped sound signature, with very good coherence. Coming from FitEar ToGO 334!, these have much more treble presence, which helps to add that “sparkle” to music. Mids are similar in quality but less emphasized so it doesn’t have as much richness. Bass quantity is a bit less, but the quality can be considered better, as the Andromedas are a bit faster than the TG334s which makes the low end sound more defined. I’d say imaging and soundstage are at the same level between the two, but the Andromedas are more “out of head”. The increased treble is the biggest differentiator I find in favour of the Andromedas. They have a very “hi-fi” sound, even straight from my Samsung S7 Edge.

In terms of source requirements, these are very sensitive so they are quite easy to drive. Bit of hissing with both of my sources, but apparently an impedance adapter helps to clear that up. Sounds great out of S7 Edge and iPad, so DAC/Amp definitely not necessary.

Summary: Very great pair of IEMs. Slightly better than the TG334 I had, while being cheaper, which makes them my best yet. Definitely worth looking at.

INTRODUCTION

Firstly I'd like to acknowledge Head-fier d marc0 (Mark) and also Ken Ball from ALO/Campfire for making this review possible. The opportunity to hear and review an IEM which may not have been available otherwise to me is very much appreciated.

So far I've heard Campfire's Lyra, Orion, Jupiter (I chose not to review the Jupiter as I had issues with it's sonic signature and my own particular physiology / bias / sensitivity – which would have made any review overly skewed), and Nova. The one which intrigued me the most in the Campfire line-up thought was the Andromeda (their flagship). I'd heard prototypes of the Andromeda, and hoped to hear and review a final version at some stage. That time has now come, and I'm very grateful for the opportunity.

Unfortunately for this review – I've only been able to use these for a little over a week – so please take this into account. These are shorter term impressions.

ABOUT CAMPFIRE AUDIO
Campfire Audio is a partner company or off-shoot to ALO Audio, and is run by ALO's CEO and founder Ken Ball, and a small team of like-minded enthusiasts and engineers. Ken of course is the CEO and founder of ALO Audio (2006) and ALO is very well known for creating high quality audio components – including cables, amplifiers and all manner of other audio equipment. Ken founded Campfire Audio in 2015 – with a vision of creating extremely high quality earphones with excellence in design, materials and of course sound quality.

DISCLAIMER
The Campfire Audio Andromeda was provided to me for review as part of a tour. I get to use it for about 7-10 days then it goes to the next tour recipient. I am not affiliated to Campfire or ALO Audio in any way, and this is my subjective opinion of the Andromeda.

The Campfire Audio Andromeda can be sourced directly from Campfire Audio for USD 1099

PREAMBLE - 'ABOUT ME'.
Over the last week I’ve used the Andromeda paired with most of the sources I have at my disposal – from my iPhone to the L3 and X7. But for the review I’ve used mainly my X3ii + E17K, and also the X7 and L3. In the time I’ve been using the Andromeda, I haven’t noticed any sonic change. And although I used the Andromeda coupled with several different amplifiers, they are easily driven, and will pair nicely with most sources straight from the headphone out (some may want to use an amp though for sensitivity/impedance corrections).

This is a purely subjective review - my gear, my ears, and my experience. Please take it all with a grain of salt - especially if it does not match your own experience.

THE REVIEW

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES

The Andromeda's arrived to me in their distinctive 122 x 83 x55 mm hinged lid retail printed cardboard box. The background is a silver on dark blue “night sky” illustration, with a distinctive green sticker on the top and front face. The sticker has the characteristic CA swirl, the model (Andromeda), picture of the monitors and some information on Campfire Audio,a nd the primary features of the Andromeda (“high fidelity in ear monitors / five drivers + machined alumnium housing).

Opening the lid reveals the Campfire Audio carry case – which this time is real leather, is very sturdy, but more “jacket or bag pocketable” than trousers. It measures approx. 75 x 115 x 45 mm. The case is zipped on 3 sides, and when opened reveals a soft wool interior which will definitely protect and preserve your IEMs. With the outside being genuine leather, it is quite strong, and also pretty rigid.


Under the case will be a hidden compartment which reveals the accessories. These include:

1. S/M/L silicone tips
2. S/M/L generic foam tips (Crystal foam type)
3. S/M/L genuine Comply T400 tips
4. A cleaning brush / wax remover
5. A Campfire Audio logo clothing button / pin
6. Campfire’s foldout user manual (incl care instructions and warranty info)

You really won’t need any more than what is included, as the cinch on the cable negates the need for a shirt clip. And while I note the omission of an airline adapter or 3.5-6.3 mm adapter, really speaking – how many of us actually use these (plus they are easy to pick up for a very small outlay).

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
I’ve listed below the main specifications for the Campfire Andromeda.



FREQUENCY GRAPH
The graphs below are generated using the Vibro Veritas coupler and ARTA software. Ken had graciously provided me with measurement data for the same set of CA Novas in a previous review, and I used this to recalibrate my Veritas so that it mimics an IEC 711 measurement standard (Ken uses two separate BK ear simulators in a configuration I can only dream about and envy him for). I do not claim that this data is 100% accurate, but it is very consistent, and is as close as I can get to the 711 standard on my budget. Ken's own reference measurements on far better equipment will be a lot more accurate than mine – but because I use my own kit in later comparisons, I will use my own.


MY GRAPH


KENS GRAPH

What I’m hearing (subjective).

1. Linear bass response with a very natural sounding slight rise, excellent bass extension, and more importantly no bleed into mid-range
   
2. Very clean and coherent mid-range with a relatively small dip in the fundamental range (around the 1 kHz), and then subsequent rise in the presence area (from 1-2 kHz with a very small peak in the 2 kHz range) – which gives female vocals a lift in the presence or overtone area, yet sounds very natural.
   
3. Well extended and detailed lower treble which does not exhibit excessive sibilance (for me) and remains extremely detailed with great extension and more than sufficient air for clarity.
   
4. Overall I’d say that the Andromeda is one of the most well well balanced monitors I've tried. Vocals are in perfect harmony with bass and treble, and Campfire have achieved an exceptional mix of natural tonality and clarity.
   
   

The channel matching on this pair of Andromedas is exceptional (and some of the differences shown in my measurements are likely to be minor differences in seating each ear piece). They are practically identical. When Ken says his team hand-pick and match the drivers, it isn’t just “marketing speak”.

BUILD & DESIGN
External


I really enjoy a simple, clean design. The Andromedas share a very similar design to similar earphones in the Campfire range – especially the likes of the Orion and Nova. Campfire uses a fully machined aluminium enclosure. Each shell is taken from a solid block of aircraft grade aluminium and then each small batch is CNC machined and finished – with the process talking around 9 hours. After that they are zirconium blasted to achieve a very smooth finish, which also helps to more effectively hold the colour during anodisation.


Physically each shell measures approximately 21mm in length, 16 mm in height and has a depth of approx. 19mm (including the nozzle). The nozzle itself is angled slightly forward and slightly up, extends approx. 6-7mm from the main body, and has an external diameter of 6mm. The nozzle has three distinctive bores. The main body shape is very ergonomic, and the Andromeda is designed to be used with the cable over ear. The IEM shell is 3 pieces in total – nozzle, shell and back plate – with the plate secured by 3 small torx screws. There are L/R marking on the inside of both ear pieces and the Campfire logo is also discretely engraved on the outer face. The finish is what I would call a forest or emerald green, the entire shell is precision cut – and these look quite simply very beautiful and very fresh (they appeal to my subjective tastes anyway).


At the top of the shell is a beryllium coated MMCX connector, and when used with the supplied silver plated copper ALO Litz cable, the connection is made with a reassuring click. The cables do rotate in their sockets, but the connection itself seems to be very robust. Unfortunately this is one of those things that only time can be the judge of – but the craftsmanship and material used seem to indicate longevity (to me anyway).


As I mentioned, the cable is ALO’s new “Litz”. It utilises individually enameled strands of high purity sliver-plated copper wire, which are then combined into 4 separate conductors, which are in turn encased in a durable medical grade PVC outer jacket. The cable is extremely flexible and light-weight, has stunningly low microphonics (practically non-existent), and virtually no annoying memory issues. The male MMCX connector is again beryllium coated, fits very snugly, and has either a blue or red dot on the connector to indicate L/R. There is a 80mm length of memory wire for over-ear wear, and I’ve found this very malleable, but also holds its shape very well. The cable is approximately 1.2m long, and consists of two twisted pairs above the Y split which continue as a twisted quad right through to the jack. The Y split is small and light and houses an in-built cinch which works really well (easy to move yet holds its position well when cinched). The jack is 3.5mm, right angled, and has clear rubber housing. Strain relief is excellent. The jack will also fit my iPhone 5S with case in place, although YMMV as the diameter of the rubber base is around 6mm. I like this cable so much, I am genuinely tempted to purchase it separately for some of my other MMCX based IEMs.

Internal
Internally the Andromeda uses a new and unique approach to its tuning, and which Ken regards as being the secret behind the lower and upper treble extension. For a starter the Andromeda uses a combination of 5 BAs to achieve its overall signature, and these are arranged with a dual BA for the lows, single BA for the mids and dual BA for the highs. Rather than using a traditional acoustic tube and damper solution for the high frequency drives, Campfire have implemented a Tuned Acoustic Expansion Chamber (or TAEC system). The 3-D printed chamber allows internal acoustic tuning without the compression associated with dampers – which Ken says results in high frequencies which are very open sounding and extended. My own hearing tops out at around 14 kHz nowadays so I'm probably a poor judge of the upper frequencies, but I can confirm that the Andromedas do sound quite open open and have great upper end clarity.

FIT / COMFORT / ISOLATION
Fit
Fit for me is fantastic – the shells are very ergonomic in shape, and this includes the angle of the nozzles and also the placement of the cable exits. The shells (when fitted) do not extend outside my outer ear (they are more flat or in-line with it), and I have no issues lying down with the Andromeda. The memory wire is also really well implemented here so that snugging the wires properly is easy. The fit is relatively shallow, so for me I need to resort to my larger tips. If it was possible to extend the nozzle length by a couple of mm, it would really help the overall fit I think.

Comfort

This leads me to comfort and just as with the Nova I'm in two minds about this. I was mildly critical of the internally angled design utilised in Campfire's Orion, Jupiter, and Nova. My ears are soft, smooth, and have a lot of curved surfaces. I’d bet yours do to. The interior of the Andromeda shell has a series of angular edges. I first noted this with the Jupiter, and it continued with the Orion and now the Nova. The Lyra lacked these edges and was extremely comfortable for me. I'm not sure with the Andromeda whether it's me getting used to the fit, or maybe its the Zirconium blasting procedure, but the Andromeda is definitely more comfortable for me this time, and although it doesn't quite “disappear" during wearing like some of my other monitors – it seems to be an improvement over earlier models to the point it has become more of a non-issue.

Isolation

As far as isolation goes, it will be tip dependent. For me, using large Shure Olives tips, the isolation is excellent – at least as good as using my q-Jays (deep insertion and wonderful isolaters), and I would use the Andromeda without question on long haul air travel.

Tip Choices
Those who’ve read my reviews will know that I have one ear canal slightly different to the other one (my right is very slightly smaller) - so I tend to find that usually single silicon flanges don't fit overly well. This is often even more of an issue with shallow fitting IEMs. I tried my usual selection of silicones and found varying degrees of success. Tip matching will always be personal preference – but here are some of the tips which fit pretty well.

1. Sony Isolation / Trinity Kombi tips – great isolation and seal and probably my second choice behind the Shures
2. Crystal foams / Comply foams – great isolation and seal.
3. Spin-fits – extra length allowed me to use a looser fit while maintaining seal, but isolation was not as good as other options.
4. Ostry tuning tips – good seal and isolation.
5. Spiral Dots -very good seal, and did help to provide a little more upper end emphasis.
6. Large Shure Olives. You need to stretch the core to get them on, but they are perfect for me for shallow fitting IEMs. Perfect isolation, longevity with continual use, comfort and allowance of a looser fit in ear all adds up to a perfect tip choice. YMMV.

SOUND QUALITY
The following is what I hear from the Campfire Audio Andromeda. YMMV – and probably will – as my tastes are likely different to yours (read the preamble I gave earlier for a baseline). Most of the testing at this point (unless otherwise stated) was done with my FiiO X3ii and E17K and large Shure Olive tips. For the record – on most tracks, the volume level on the E17K was around 11-13/60 on low gain which was giving me an average SPL of around 70 dB (mostly 65-75 dB) and peaks at around 75-80dB (A weighted measurements from my SPL meter).

Tracks used were across a variety of genres – and can be viewed in this list http://www.head-fi.org/a/brookos-test-tracks.

First Impressions
Unlike many of my reviews (where I try to avoid preconceptions by not reading anyone else's work), I'd already seen many other opinions on the Andromeda before I tried them, and I have to admit I was reasonably sceptical with some of the superlatives being written about them. I know how products tend to be hyped beyond reality, and to be honest, I was expecting a slightly different signature to what I first heard. For me, from the very first listen it wasn't a wow!, but rather an appreciation of how well tuned they were. The balance is really good. That appreciation has slowly grown over the last week and for me personally, that usually signifies that long-term (for my tastes) these would become exceptional monitors. Usually if I get a wow from the start, this fades eventually and I am left with a sound sig which I quickly tire of. The Andromeda is one of those IEMs which (for me anyway) I could happily ditch most of the other IEMs I have, and become more of an audio monogamist. It just does practically everything right. The more I listen, the more my appreciation grows.

Relativities

1. Sub-bass – very well extended and there is a decent amount of rumble there (which shows the impressive extension), but bass is not the overall star of the show. Bass is beautifully balanced with the mid-range (bass might be slightly elevated in comparison), and sub-bass is essentially flat compared to mid-bass
   
2. Mid-bass – very slightly elevated compared to mid-range, but generally reasonably flat (frequency wise). No noticeable bleed into the mid-range, and definitely enough impact to sound natural. A beautifully balanced mix of warmth and speed which is rare in a BA set-up. Very good sense of texture too.
   
3. Lower mid-range – very slightly recessed compared to mid-bass, but sounds completely natural with this tuning. The last thing you would call the Andromeda is U or V shaped. There is wonderful texture with deeper male vocals (Pearl Jam is wonderful – Eddie's vocals stunning), and the clarity on the mid-range overall is exceptional.
   
4. Upper mid-range – elevated compared to lower mid-range, but it is a slow rise from lower mid-range to the first small peak at about 2 kHz. The result is an incredibly clean and clear vocal range, with enough presence to lend a sense of euphony to female vocals – but without over-doing it and making the entire signature too lean or dry. The upper mid-range on the Andromeda is (for me) one of the best qualities of this IEM and strikes a wonderful balance between sweetness and air and remaining natural (uncoloured).
   
5. Lower treble – there is a definite peak at around 7 kHz, so if you're sensitive to this area, it might pay to be cautious with the Andromeda. I'm not – so this tuning is very good for me. Ken's more accurate graphs show a similar peak at 9 kHz. There is some roll-off immediately after this peak, so you have a lot of clarity and definition without any real harshness or brittleness. One of my tests for lower treble is to listen to the natural decay of cymbal hits and see if it is overly truncated. highlighted or sounds natural. For me the treble decay with the Andromeda just sounds unbelievably natural – it extends and tapers off exactly the way a cymbal does in real life. Magical! There is some sibilance in tracks like “Let It Rain” (Amanda Marshall), but the sibilance is in the recording and the Andromeda is merely revealing what is in the recording, neither enhancing or masking it. The treble tuning for me is one of the best parts of the Andromeda – and especially when you combine it with the mid-range
   

Resolution / Detail / Clarity

1. Excellent with micro detail, and able to resolve finer details well without spotlighting or over-emphasising.
   
2. Cymbal hits and decay on cymbals have excellent presence, and decay is very naturally portrayed
   
3. An extremely clean and clear monitor with good resolution portrayed very naturally.
   

Sound-stage, Imaging

1. Extremely good directional queues, and just outside the periphery of my head space with binaural tracks – so above average width and depth
   
2. Spherically presented stage – without uneven emphasis on width or depth. One of the better portrayals of sound-stage I've heard with an IEM
   
3. Compelling sense of immersion both with applause section of “Dante's Prayer”, and also “Let it Rain”. A genuine sense of space was apparent with both.
   
4. I had read about the Andromeda's stage being “massive”, and “cavernous”. I want to make it clear that in my testing neither statement is true. The Andromeda portrays a stage to me that is better than most IEM's I've heard (64Audio's Adel series is an obvious exception). The sense of space is impressive in that it is expansive for an IEM, but I would suggest any claims of rivalling full sized headphones in this regards may be a little overstated (at least for the open headphones I have).
   

Strengths

1. Balance, balance, balance – this is how a reference monitor should sound. KB nailed it.
   
2. Clarity without being overly bright
   
3. Excellent with both male and female vocals
   
4. Fantastic with dynamic music – and able to show very good contrast between bass and upper mid-range (eg Cello and Violin)
   
5. Fantastic with acoustic music and gives strings good sense of realism and tone when plucked, and nice edge to electric guitar when strummed.
   
6. Very good with female vocals, lending enough euphony and sweetness to be a real joy to listen to – but without over doing it. Sarah Jarosz (my latest “obsession”) sounded incredible. A sonic signature I could listen to for hours.
   
7. Genre master for lovers of a balanced signature – I enjoyed it with all genres tested – from classical, jazz and blues to electronic, grunge and pop.
   

Weaknesses

1. I have to confess that sonically I can't find a weakness so far. The Andromeda is one of the best tuned monitors I've ever heard
   

Summary
It was while I was listening to the Andromeda this afternoon and putting the finishing touches to the review that I twigged what it reminded me of sonically. It has the same type of balance as the HD800S – just without the very expansive sound stage, and without the extreme clarity the HD800S somehow provides. But the sense of overall balance and tonality is very similar. And that small statement there should be an indicator of how I feel about the signature of the Andromeda.

AMPLIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
As I alluded to earlier, the Andromeda is easily driven out of a smartphone or DAP, and on my iPhone 5S I’m sitting around 20% for my normal listening level (65-75 dB).

I also volume matched and compared X3ii vs X3ii + E17K, and there was no discernible audible difference in dynamic presentation – so I think it is pretty safe to say that extra amping won’t be necessary. Based on the specs alone (12.8 ohm and 115dB SPL), straight out of the headphone-out of most sources should be more than enough. My favourite source was probably L&P's L3 – there is a somehow effortless presentation with it which I find absolutely captivating. And this may have something to do with overall sensitivity and hiss.

Because of the high sensitivity of the Andromeda I thought it best to also test for hiss or noise. With my tinnitus, I can't hear any hiss (it is essentially masked by my tinnitus) so I employed the super sensitive hearing of my 13 year old daughter. Emma was able to hear hiss on practically every device I tested – depending on volume. It was louder on the X3ii and even on the E17K (which surprised me), but much quieter (still present) on the X5ii, X7 (AM3) and L3. On all of these DAPs when music was playing (at Emma's normal very quiet listening level – which is about 55-60 dB), the hissing disappeared (masked by the music). She agreed with me that she thought the L3 (and for her also the X7) was her pick for pairings.


And one thing while we're talking about pairings - I very much enjoyed the Andromedas paired wire-lessly with my iPhone 5S using Trinity's new Bluetooth adaptor. Simple to use, sounded fantastic, very portable. It really was a breath of fresh air.

RESPONSE TO EQ?
Sorry – I didn't go there. There is simply no need. The Andromeda does not need tinkering with, and anything I did with EQ would be spoiling the default signature.

COMPARISONS
Andromeda is a top tier monitor, and fortunately for this exercise I had what I consider to be other top tier BA based (or hybrid) monitors available which are in similar price range. So for this exercise I chose to compare the 5 driver Campfire Andromeda ($1099) with the Fidue Sirius 5 driver hybrid ($899), 64Audio U6 6 driver BA ($899), and the 64Audio U10 10 driver BA ($1399).

As always, the IEMs were compared after volume matching (SPL meter and test tones), but the comparisons are completely subjective. For these tests I again used the X3ii and E17K – simply because it is easier to volume match with this combo (and because for me, any possible hiss issue inaudible/inconsequential anyway).

For anyone who may look at past reviews of the IEMs I'm comparing here, and notice the graphs are different – this is simply because of the use of the new IEC 711 compensation.

Andromeda $1099 vs Fidue Sirius $899

Both IEMs are 5 driver – with the Andromeda being all BA and the Sirius a 5 driver hybrid. Both have extremely good build quality – metal parts, quality cables, and good accessories. For me personally, the Andromeda wins slightly on fit and comfort. The Sirius has sharp edges on top, and I have big ears so the shells sit inside my outer airs. I can get both Andromeda and Sirius fitting with reasonable comfort, but both require adjustment to get right

Sonically they are very different with the Andromeda being very balanced across the frequency spectrum, and the Sirius having more of a V shape. You'll note on the graph that Sirius has two lines, but I think the truth lies somewhere in between – this is because the Sirius has an internal bass port, so bass response could differ depending one ear anatomy and fit. The Sirius is also very upper mid-centric, and has quite recessed lower mid-range, so whilst female vocals in particular sound quite ethereal, male vocals can tend to be a little unnaturally thin and distant. Andromeda has better lower treble extension and this hows particularly in cymbal decay. My preference would be Andromeda for the more natural sonic signature and better overall tonality – but both are very good earphones.

Andromeda $1099 vs 64Audio U6 $899

This time it is an all BA match-up. The 5 driver Andromeda vs the 6 driver U6 with Adel modules. For this comparison I've used the U6 with the B1 Adel module, and shown graphs with and without an impedance adaptor. You will note the overall similarity of the graphs. But lets start first with build etc. The Andromeda slips ahead with build and also quality of the cable. Both are similar on the accessory front – the U6's custom case is brilliant, especially for protection and storage of accessories (including modules). With the U6 you also get the Adel system (read my review) which has had a profoundly positive effect on my listening experience + it is also tunable. Comfort goes to the U6 – with its rounded internal edges.

Sonically the two are extremely similar. Both have brilliant balance throughout the spectrum, both have very similar overall bass response and the biggest difference isn't actually in the frequency response or tonality – but in the sound stage. With the Adel modules, the projection of space is simply larger (at the cost of some isolation). I'm afraid this is one where (for me) the U6 pulls ahead. And it is simply the Adel modules vs the TAEC system. If I didn't already have the U6, and someone offered me the Andromeda instead (as my only IEM) I certainly wouldn't be disappointed. Both are simply exceptional IEMs.

Andromeda $1099 vs 64Audio U10.

Finally the Andromeda is up against the much more expensive U10 (10 driver BA), and as with the U6, the Andromeda wins on overall build quality, whilst the U10 nudges ahead on fit and comfort.

Again the U10 has the Adel modules, and again it has advantage in staging and tuning options – but the one thing the U10 can't quite get with the Adel modules (although it is closer with the M20 and the inclusion of an impedance adaptor), is the overall balance that the Andromeda has. And it's the cohesion in the mid-range coupled with the extension and tonality in the treble. The Andromeda is just better tuned to my ears – and I know this is personal preference – but it simply sounds better. The U10 might win with slightly better instrument separation – but overall I'd take the the Andromeda and spend the difference on music

CAMPFIRE AUDIO ANDROMEDA – SUMMARY

I went into this review somewhat sceptical about the high praises – perhaps knowing it was a well tuned IEM, but expecting that there may have been some hype as well. I leave a week later, grateful for the experience with the Andromeda, and now fully appreciating what a wonderful IEM this is.

The Andromeda is an incredibly well built 5 x BA IEM, with a very good ergonomic fit, and also one of the best quality cables I've come across. The cable retails on ALO’s site for $149 if sold separately – so you're getting some very good value there too.

The comfort with the Andromeda is better than with previous Campfire IEMs – perhaps due to the zirconium blasting/smoothing process, and maybe because I now use tips which also help my own anatomy better. Anyway – the comfort isn't perfect (nnd I know you can improve this further Ken), but it is much better for me now, and I thank you for the changes made.

Sonically the Andromeda is simply incredibly balanced and strikes a wonderful mix of naturalness and linearity, clarity and smoothness, detail and musicality. The bass is nicely extended, and beautifully balanced with the mid-range. The mid-range has enough lower-mid recession to maintain distance and sense of space but without losing the richness and fullness of vocal fundamentals, and the upper mid-range is brilliantly cohesive without being over done. The extension on the treble is the crowning jewel of the Andromeda though. And how Ken has managed to deliver the detail while maintaining realism is simply an example of masterful tuning.

At a current RRP of USD 1099, the Andromeda is not cheap, but the overall package is worth it simply because it is true flagship quality.

Again I should make mention of the dedication and service of the Campfire Audio team. In my dealing to date, I have been very impressed by their willingness to take critique on board, and above all to constructively engage with their market audience, and ultimately improve the final product.

So would I buy these, and would I recommend them to others? I absolutely recommend them – but I ultimately won't be getting a pair. I already have most of what the Andromeda delivers in my U6, and the one thing it has made me appreciate more is the sonic ability of both IEMs. The Andromeda (for my tastes) is almost perfect.

Once again I’d like to thank Ken and Mark for making this opportunity available. I owe you gentlemen a debt of gratitude – and especially Ken for his generous help with my measurement set-up.

Campfire Audio have been churning out some beautifully designed and crafted IEMs lately - machined aluminium in gorgeous industrial, but somehow ergonomic shapes, unique resonators in place of the more common sound tubes, beautiful and high quality cables with MMCX connectors and sound tuning that is equal parts varied and consistently enjoyable. Admittedly, their dynamic driver-based Lyra model didn't wow me, but the balanced armature-based Jupiter and Orion models were both great.
 
I was excited to see what magic Campfire Audio wove into the Andromedas to build on their already excellent range and, on first listen, the Andromeda showed all the signs of being the perfect amalgamation of the outstanding performance and tuning demonstrated in the earlier models.
 

 

Design & Accessories

Like all of the Campfire Audio range of IEMs, the Andromedas are a combination of impeccable design and luxurious appointment. The Andromedas come with a beautiful, dark leather carry case lined with wool (or synthetic wool - I'm not sure), a high-quality braided cable, a broad selection of silicone and foam ear tips, and a cleaning tool. All-in-all it's an outstanding range of accessories that makes the Andromedas feel every bit as high-end as their price tag suggests.
 

Aesthetics & Ergonomics

 
Beyond the accessories, the design of the Andromedas is equally high-end. The housings are machined from aluminium and finished in a rich, anodised green that's reminiscent of British Racing Green as used on some classic, vintage sports cars. It's not a colour you normally see in the audio world, but it's a great looking colour and grants the Andromedas a truly unique aesthetic. As well as the aesthetics, the choice of aluminium housings means you know that they are rigid and not creating mechanical distortion in the sound reaching your ears.
 
Ergonomically, the Andromedas are more comfortable than they look. At first glance the Campfire IEMs look to be all angles, but the Orion and Jupiter models proved to me convincingly that the angles and curves are in all the right places to produce a comfortable wearing experience. The silver-coloured nozzle is quite chunky, but it's still small enough in diameter to fit into my slightly troublesome ears although I wouldn't want to wear these while exercising because the nozzle prevents a truly secure fit in my ears. That said, they fit well enough to seal the ear canal and reproduce their optimal sound without any hint of discomfort.
 

 

Driver Configuration

 
The Andromedas are a 5-driver design which means that each earpiece contains 5 balanced-armature drivers. That's not particularly unique in the earphone world, but the Andromedas share the unique technology pioneered by their older siblings - a tubeless resonator design. I can't say exactly what that means (because I don't know, not because I'm sworn to secrecy), but the essence of it is that the traditional tube system to carry sounds from the drivers to tip of the nozzle in most IEMs is replaced by this unique approach in the new Campfire Audio IEMs. Looking closely at the nozzles on the Andromedas, it appears as though each driver or set of drivers (e.g. bass, mid and/or treble groupings) deliver sounds into chambers which are controlled for resonance with damping or similar techniques. The sounds then exit the chambers via the openings in the nozzle without the potential turbulence or resonance that plastic tubes could make.
 
There are many amazing IEMs on the market that manage to sound exquisite while using the traditional nozzle approach (and may actually benefit from them by extending the lengths of the nozzles to adjust for timing variations between frequencies) so it's not fair to say that this technology instantly raises the Campfire Audio products above their competition, but the tubeless resonator technology certainly doesn't seem to harm the sound and therefore may conceivably be improving it.
 

Sound

 
The sound from the Andromedas is effortless in that annoying way that some people can be athletic. What I mean is that there's no sense of strain or effort, but equally there is no sense of flaw or laziness.
 

Treble

 
Campfire Audio market the Andromedas with the claim that "this system's high frequency extension is unattainable using conventional techniques", referring to the tubeless resonator system discussed above and I can definitely confirm that there is no lack of extension to the treble from the Andromedas and the treble they deliver is super smooth with no hint of sibilance and no sense of any "peakiness" despite a slight emphasis in the treble.
 
Compared to the Jupiters, the Andromedas have a better overall treble balance, but don't lose any overall sense of treble energy or detail - they just balance all the treble frequencies out more evenly without any spikes. The Jupiters had good treble, but the Andromedas have great treble. That said, the amount of treble may not be perfect for listeners with tastes similar to me. Very importantly here I want to clarify that the following remarks are about the amount of treble, not the quality of the treble - the quality of the treble is marvellous. Where the problem lies for me is that I find the treble to be slightly too prominent in the overall sound signature. As good as the treble is, I don't want it to be the star of the show at the expense of sonic balance and the Andromedas definitely have a slight tilt towards a V-shaped signature. My listening tastes align neatly with the Noble Kaiser 10 and AudioQuest NightHawk - two products that are supremely organic and musical. To my ears, the Andromedas are leaning a bit more towards Hi-Fi rather than organic musicality. That's not a criticism because they sound spectacular at what they do with treble, but the signature is just not my preference. However, for those that like the increase in perceived resolution, increased sense of space and the sparkle of great treble, the Andromedas are absolutely worth an audition.
 

Mids

 
As I already alluded to above, the mids on the Andromedas are slightly less prominent than the treble and that's a shame because the mids are glorious. They are full, well-weighted and immensely enjoyable. If Campfire Audio were to pull back the treble emphasis these might have been my favourite ever IEMs, but as it is they are sitting pretty in second place I think. Whether reproducing female vocals, male vocals or instrumentals there is a wonderfully engaging presence and focus to the mid-range from the Andromedas. Everything is crystal clear and sharply focussed, but rendered with a warmth that keeps everything completely realistic and natural - I just wish the treble didn't occasionally demand attention away from the mids.
 
When compared to my favourite IEMs, the Noble Kaiser 10s, the Andromedas not only hold their own, but are actually even more engaging in many ways. I still prefer the slightly tamed treble from the K10s, but the laser-sharp focus and natural rendering of the vocals and instrumentals from the Andromedas might be impossible to beat. In fact, the Andromedas' mids remind me of the insane mid-range quality from the FitEar ToGo! 334.
 

Bass

 
The bass quality and quantity from the Andromedas is really impressive! The other IEMs I've reviewed in the Campfire Audio range (Jupiter, Orion and Lyra) all had nice bass presentations in their own ways, but the Andromedas stepped it up. The Andromedas have impressive punch and weight in their bass presentation. In fact, I wonder if Campfire Audio have employed one of those huge, bass-specific BA drivers like those used by Noble Audio in the K10 and Noble 5 (now the Dulce Bass I believe). There is also very good extension to the bass - something that BA IEMs have gotten better and better at over recent years and the Andromedas are definitely keeping pace with excellent weight and presence right down to the lowest audible bass registers.
 
There's a nice lift to the bass from the Andromedas, but it's been executed in a very considered and balanced way. The result is wonderful punch, weight and depth while never straying from a neutral and accurate overall sound signature. The bass is quick and controlled, but never seems to lack body and presence - a masterful piece of tuning indeed! The Andromedas are equally as adept with acoustic, classical, electronic or rock (or anything else I threw at them) because the bass is so accurate and never over steps the mark.
 
I decided to put the Andromedas up against the Kaiser 10s again and used the thumping kick bass of Everlasting Light [Live] by The Black Keys to see how well they both performed. The Andromedas delivered visceral thump and rapid decay so everything sounded solid and full, but agile and clean. Moving to the K10s brought some extra weight to the bass without losing the speed. On bass presentation alone (discounting the Andromedas' exceptional mid-range), the Nobles had a slight edge so I tried Elijah Rock from Harry Connick Jr.'s Oh, My Nola album. This is a much cleaner recording of a really thumpy kick drum and bass. Once again the competition was super close and once again I'd give the bass edge to the Nobles. Interestingly, on this recording (which is excellent) I would also give an overall edge to the Nobles because the treble energy from the Andromedas creates a very slightly unnatural presentation of the overall performance.
 

 

Staging & Imaging

 
One of the benefits of treble emphasis (even only slight emphasis) is the potential to massively increase the perceived soundstage size and also the accuracy of the image. When done right, as it is with the Andromedas, the resulting presentation is nothing short of astounding and that is completely true here. The Andromedas produce the best soundstage I have ever experienced in a headphone or an earphone. Being a sealed in-ear design, the Andromedas can't compete with a fully open headphone for sheer soundstage size, but they are far more accurate with imaging and sound placement. The resulting balance of size and imaging accuracy is beguiling and has me seriously considering a purchase even though I already own one of the best IEMs on the market.
 

Conclusion

 
The Andromedas are easily one of the best earphone or headphone products I have ever had the pleasure to audition or own. They easily hold their own against the very best flagship IEMs on the market and are a spectacular blend of technical expertise and masterful tuning. Although they pack a little more treble energy than I personally like, most people will absolutely love the presentation as it's right in line with the preferred signatures around the Head-Fi world. What sets the Andromedas apart though is the perfection with which they execute this common sound-signature. The tubeless resonators must be doing something good because the Andromedas offer the best quality treble and mids I have ever heard and they are no slouch in the bass - being bested (barely) by the Noble K10s holds no shame!
 
If I were in the market for a pair of universal IEMs, the Andromedas would be top of the list right next to the Noble K10s and I would probably choose the Andromedas based on the difference in price. In my experience there is really no universal worth looking at beyond the Andromedas. If they were made as a custom I would be in very big trouble!

Introduction:
Campfire Audio Andromeda have always been my dream IEMs, so I finally decided to get a pre-owned unit for myself from a friend of mine and luckily I got a good deal on them. All the thoughts that I am going to share are based on my personal preferences and experience.


Design and comfort:
Build quality is fantastic as you would expect from an IEM at this price. Shells are made of aluminium, and built like a tank yet very light in weight. They fit so perfectly in my ears that I can wear them all day long without any discomfort.

Sound:
From the moment I got my dream IEMs in my hands, I was exhilarated to put them on.
So I plugged them in Shanling m5s but all my expectations were shattered. Though it is a really capable dap and I was using 'bgvp dm7' and 'audio-technica ATH im03' as my primary IEMs but Andros were muddy and blurry. Furthermore, mid rage was overly smooth for my taste. Overall it was a bad experience with m5s.

Poco f3 gt:
I gave it a try with poco, and the sound was nice, wide and clear but nothing like a grand buck IEM. Also I was hearing a clear "hiss" all along, which was bothering me too much.

Shanling m0:
Again, this pairing is a lot better than m5s but still nothing special to brag about.

Iphone 7 plus : It sounded exactly similar to poco but without that "hiss".

Till this point, both 'bgvp dm7' and 'im03' were sounding far superior than Andromeda to me but then.....

From a long time, I was planning to purchase 'tfiio m11 pro' and thank heavens! I bought it on the right time.

Fiio m11pro:
Now that was the turning point!!
I was totally stunned by the performance!! Stage was out of my head and imaging was outstanding as well. Mids had some energy, bass was good but it had a BA timbre.
According to me, bass wasn't bad at all, but it lacks DD timbre. Talking about Treble, It was terrific and well extended. It didn't sound sibilant and yet was very detailed and resolving.

Conclusion:
Andromeda is a remarkable pair. It is quite versatile and as one of my good friend told me that it's just like water, for how it changes its characteristics with different sources, tips and cables. It is a highly source dependent IEM which makes it a hit or miss.

Disclaimer: I have a preference for an open, lush/smooth/warm sound with some definition, texture and soundstage — none to excess. I am not into an analytical or clinical sound. Keep this in mind when reading this review.


For as long as I can remember, Campfire Audio (CA) has been synonymous with their Andromeda IEM and vice-versa. This remains true to this day even though the Andromeda lost its flagship status in Campfire Audio’s line.

Now, I never tried the original Andromedas. Every review I read about them had me look the other way although they often concluded with an award. Cons listed usually were some comfort/fit issues due to the shell’s design, a lack of bass and highs which could sound harsh to some. In all honesty, I also wasn’t ready to spend such an amount of money for a pair of IEMs — original or special edition, these are expensive — although I quickly ended-up spending their price in other portable Hi-Fi devices… something worth reflecting on.

With that being said, when I saw the announcement for the Andromeda Special Edition: Gold (Andromeda Gold from here onwards) I took the plunge and bought my first pair of high-end IEMs and I was in for a lesson I won’t forget anytime soon.


Believe it or not, these are the lines which sold me on the Andromeda Gold. From a technical standpoint, the fact that the design was cross-over-less also appealed to me. The previous — and most expensive — pair of IEMs I owned were the Empire Ear’s Bravado featuring a hybrid design with one balanced armature, one dynamic driver and a 4-way crossover which sounded so much in your face that it was downright annoying. So how do the Andromeda Gold sound?


SOUND

The Andromeda Gold sound engaging and musical, without being in your face. Small details and audio cues can be heard here and there without any annoyance that details can sometimes bring. Their soundstage is excellent and just right. The lows are there in the sense that one can feel them though not at the expense of the mids or highs which truly shine with no coloration impacting one or the other. I also (re)discovered that instruments and music have texture. In summary they are open, transparent and have the warmth which I believe music should have — unless you are into analytical/clinical sound.


COMFORT, TIPS AND SEAL

In terms of overall comfort, they’re good. The shell’s design wasn’t an issue for me but I can see it being one for some. These are tiny IEMs though, I didn’t expect them to be so small. Three sets of tips come with the Andromeda Gold:

• Final Audio tips (xs/s/m/l/xl)
• Silicon earphone tips (s/m/l)
• Campfire Audio Earphone (foam) tips (s/m/l)

I use the medium silicone tips as they provide me with the best sound signature (particularly in terms of low-end), seal as well as comfort. The medium Final Audio tips provided a similar sound signature with a bit less rumble on the low-end and a little less comfort. However, note that these tips make the IEMs stick out of your ears a bit more due to their design. Last but not least, the medium Campfire Audio earphone (foam) tips almost made the low-end disappear to my ears so, if you only tolerate foam tips and are expecting low-ends such as the ones described above, beware.


CONCLUSION

In summary, the Andromeda Gold put a smile on my face. They are so well-rounded that I struggle to find some flaws, as you surely noticed. Since I bought them, they have been my daily pair of IEMs which I bring pretty much everywhere and use with any source. Until another pair knocks them down, they will be my point of reference for high-end IEMs.



SOURCE

Sony NW-ZX300 / Uncapped – Firmware: 2.02 – Audio effects: none enable and direct mode disabled – Official site


CABLE & TIPS

Campfire Audio Smoky Litz Cable, 3.5mm, Single-ended (stock cable)


SONGS

• Fleetwood Mac, Rumours, Never Going Back Again
  Quality: 24-Bit 192.0 kHz – Stereo, FLAC
• Joni Mitchell, Blue, California
  Quality: 24-Bit 192.0 kHz – Stereo, FLAC
• Nina Simone, Pastel Blues, Sinnerman (Live In New York/1965)
  Quality: 24-Bit 192.0 kHz – Stereo, FLAC
• Pink Floyd, Wish You Were Here, Wish You Were Here
  Quality: DSD / SACD
• Plüm, You’re the one, You’re the one
  Quality: 16 bit 44.1 kHz – Stereo, FLAC
• Simon & Garfunkel, Sounds Of Silence, Anji
  Quality: 24-Bit 192.0 kHz – Stereo, FLAC
• Stevie Wonder, Talking Book, Superstition (Album Version)
  Quality: 24-Bit 192.0 kHz – Stereo, FLAC
• Various Artists, Atlantic Jazz: Soul, Comin’ Home Baby (LP Version)
  Quality: 16 bit 44.1 kHz – Stereo, FLAC

BURN-IN

None

IEM Relationship Status: It's complicated.

I've been dailying (as if that’s a word) these IEMs, the OG Andromeda, on a daily basis for quite some time now. Trying to reach a definitive conclusion about them hasn't been easy. It's a love-hate dynamic, but the love part seems to be winning.

Those around me who have experienced them either adore them or outright despise them. There's no middle ground, and I can see why.

These are all balanced armature (BA) IEMs, with five on each side, resulting in a distinctive BA tonality. The bass is satisfactory, the mids are brilliant, and let's talk about the treble. I've had some trouble adjusting to it. It's not excessively bright, and the treble is well-executed, but when I listen to metal and rock, it can become fatiguing.

Then I discovered the Asla Sedna Xelastec tips, which made the treble much more enjoyable for me. The same positive effect happened when I tried the Letshouer S12. What's great about these tips is that they don't compromise the mids, and they give a slight boost to the mid-bass region, which I really appreciate.

And then there's the Cayin RU6 with Xelastec tips, which made me fall head over heels for the Andromeda. It provided the warmth I desired without sacrificing the details. With all the other sigma delta-based DACs and the Mojo that I use, I love listening to the Andromeda for a couple of hours, and then I find myself considering switching to my dynamic driver IEMs. However, with the RU6 and Xelastec, it's easy to stay in love with the Andromeda.

Regarding fit and comfort, they are simply the best for me. And that super-light stock cable! I sometimes forget they're even there on my ears.

The soundstage is decent, and the mids feel intimate, just the way I like them. Instrument separation is about a 7 out of 10 (Not that I own or have auditioned many a great IEMs to judge). As for detail retrieval, it's nothing short of fantastic.

These IEMs truly shine when paired with the right source. The source needs to have a dark background because they are highly sensitive. VERY SENSITIVE.

Now, here's where the complicated part of the relationship comes in. The RU6 drains the battery on my phone like a leech. I hesitate to use the RU6 unless I know I'll be near a charger, and that's not always the case when I'm on the go. So, if I want to use the Andromeda, I have to ensure I'm around a charger (it's like a butterfly effect).

This is one of the reasons why I've been eyeing the Hiby RS2 R2R, but unfortunately, I can't justify buying it solely for listening to the Andromeda. If I ever own another IEM like the Andromeda, I'll definitely invest in a battery powered R2R DAC/DAP. (I can already imagine my wife rolling her eyes if she hears this).

Nevertheless, I genuinely like the Andromeda.

On a side note, I also use them to test the noise floor of any equipment I come across. It serves a dual purpose: I get to enjoy music and assess the noise floor at the same time.

Preface​

These are the 2019 version of the Andromeda. I’m not gonna go about the other tangibles as it’s been already covered more than enough times by multiple reviews you’ve read online. As such, I’ll go straight to my sound evaluation.

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Sound​

Similar to the Polaris V2, these are very sensitive IEMs. Scratch that, they are even more sensitive than the Polaris V2. At 112.8 dB SPL/mW sensitivity and 12.8 Ohms @ 1kHz, these are definitely on the sensitive side and get easily loud out of any source I have. There have been numerous advises that these should be paired with a source that’s under 1 Ohm to not affect their frequency response. I would agree with this, but I’ll still evaluate these with my most used sources - which are the JDS Element and iFi Micro BL (and sometimes an iPad Pro or MacBook Pro headphone out). The JDS Element has 1 Ohm and the iFi Micro BL has about 0.9 Ohms, so I would suppose they should be decently compatible with the Andromeda in this case.

So my word of advice for these, choose a good source with less than 1 ohm impedance.

Reference graph that I think best fits how I hear it is Crinacle’s 2nd or 4th graph of the Andromeda found here (https://crinacle.com/graphs/iems/campfire-andromeda/)

The tips I’m using on them were the wide-bored ones. Not a fan of foam type that decompresses and such so your impressions may vary with a different tip used on these.

Tonality / Overall Signature​

Upon very first listen, I thought they sounded somewhat W-shaped given that there’s some treble sparkle with a somewhat forward midrange and some noticeable bass slam (not to the same level as the Polaris V2 though). As I listened further, I found my initial impressions weren’t quite correct and they’re actually more warm-neutral with a treble emphasis around the 7kHz - 8kHz region. Seems my tonality description is somewhat similar to the likes of Crin and Precog’s, but the 2020 Andromeda seems to follow a more U-shaped signature.

The linearity of the FR seems to extend to the lower-midrange a bit, giving them that warm character, then added some treble emphasis to balance out the whole signature. This type of tuning to me, is on the easy to listen type where the music doesn’t demand attention. This can be either good or bad depending on how you usually listen to music.

Breaking down each region:

Bass

• Extension is not great, sub-bass is not as noticeable
• Decent impact, with very nimble texture from sub-bass to mid-bass
• During busy passages, the sub-bass becomes less noticeable and mid-bass notes sometimes turns into a one-note type of presentation

Midrange

• The FR shows that the midrange dip starts around 300Hz, so there’s this warm texture that’s noticeable on every track. Not an offensive type of warmth, but something that’s done nicely to make these easy to listen to
• Male vocals have good body and texture, same goes for acoustic guitars and lower piano tones
• Female vocals in the lower region also have good note weight
• Upper regions where higher pitched female vocals tend to have this rough texture in them

Treble

• The treble hills in the 7kHz to 8kHz region is noticeable by the slight grain quality which this region presents when a bit overdone against the balance of the whole FR
• Extension isn’t that great, there seems to be a lack of ‘air’ space in the whole presentation
• The lack of extension also presents with the attack of percussive instruments - meaning cymbal hits and hi-hats aren’t as ‘sharp’ sounding compared to how I hear them live
• Given the slight peak mixed with the lowered treble extension - it makes the treble for the most part smooth sounding
• No sibilance nor edginess that I can detect, even on the tracks I know that exhibit them

The treble texture of the Andromeda 2019 to my ears is similar to the HD6X0 series. There’s this sort of grain quality when consonant ranges are pronounced mixed with percussive instruments lacking snappiness and bite, but I would still give the treble quality of the Andromeda as better than the HD6X0 lineup overall.

Bass, while having decent impact, has this texture that feels lacking. I’m not sure if this is what others would distinguish as the BA type of bass, but it feels lacking when compared against the Polaris V2. It sounds in a way similar to the IM02 bass quality, but the IM02 hits harder.

Overall tonality is agreeable to me. I can listen to them without needing to EQ and that is a great point in my books for being versatile in my source.

Detail Retrieval (Resolution) and Dynamics​

Detail retrieval is just ok I think for the price. The warm tonality seems to get in the way of being able to hear the finer details in busy tracks. This might be controversial, but I think it’s about on the same level as my EQ’d Polaris V2.
Dynamics is also another area where I think the Andromeda 2019 is lacklustre. What I mean by this is that there’s very little dynamic range when going from the lowest leveled to the highest leveled instrument in a track. Further, dynamic impact feels blunted, unlike the Polaris v2 where at least it has strong bass dynamics and decent treble impact when EQ’d for better balance.

Head Stage and Imaging​

Another area that I don’t pay much attention to. Although, head stage is similar to the Polaris v2, meaning it’s the widest I’ve heard in an IEM. It’s impressive how an IEM can have this much width, above average to my scale. The only point against them is that the presentation still seems the majority in front of me, or like 180 degrees in front of me. Imaging is also pretty good overall to go along with the stage. I don’t detect any weird flaws with imaging.

Timbre​

Not exactly as correct to how I hear speakers, but it’s not too coloured to call it “unnatural sounding”. My only comment is that the pitch of vocals, especially female, seems to me to sometimes sound like a half note lower - which the overall tonality I think comes into play here. Since I mentioned it being warm, the bass extends a bit to the lower midrange, mixed with the treble above 8kHz not seeming to have enough decibel level, may contribute to this impression.

Overall, not bad and not something I’d take a lot of points off.

---

EQ​

For all the things I like about the stock tonality, I didn’t find the need to EQ these, and that is a plus for the Andromeda 2019. If I don’t find the need to EQ, then it’s a strong performer in my books.

Comparison​

Polaris v2​

I think this is a decent comparison. To get straight to the point, the Andromeda 2019 has the better stock tonality and performance, no question about it. The Andros are the better all arounder, better technical performing between the two. Once you put EQ in the mix, it’s a bit of a level playing field in my books. An EQ’d Polaris v2 seems to go toe-to-toe with the Andro 2019 in technicalities, and has the slight upper hand in bass texture. Although, to get there, you need to really play around with EQ and your preferred tonality, but given their cost difference, I would go with the Polaris (because I also like the Polaris shade of color better than the Andro).

However, I would still recommend the Andromeda between the two for the majority of people. If you were someone who uses EQ on most sources, I would say give the Polaris v2 a try. It has some hidden potential beneath all that bass bleed.

Audio Technica IM02​

This IEM I’ve had for about a year, and I think it’s an overall good sounding IEM. It is overall neutral with a hint of warm tonality. I just think the Andromeda is the better performing overall between the two, in terms of technicalities. However, the ace that the IM02 has over the Andro 2019 is the bass impact is higher, but the texture is similar, and it may be due to both using balanced armature for bass reproduction.

---

Conclusion​

I like the Andromeda, and I can understand their popularity. They have a great tonality, despite not having outstanding technicalities for the asking price. I think the technicalities of the Andros are passable. These I think don’t need EQ to sound agreeable for the majority, and it shows in their popularity.

Yeah, they’re good. Are they worth their asking price? That’s up to you. I personally don’t like spending over $1k for audio gear, so my opinion already has its price bias. I’m just another random member that likes to understand hype and controversies.

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.

Premable:
Bought these with my own money, this review is not sponsored or indorsed in anyway

Comparetors:
Sony IER Z1R
Empire Ears Legend X

Source:
HIby R5
Ipad Pro
Macbook pro
Iphone X w/dongle

Test Tracks:
Bass response: Drake MIA, Ed Sheeran South of Boarder
Mid response: Ed Sheeran South of the boarder, Toto Africa, Sam smith How do you sleep
Treble response: sam smith How do you sleep, Dj snake You know you like it

Packaging
Decent, nothing spectacular but the inclusions are nice.
Good selection of tips (this is important for the Andro's sound)
It would've been good if in the V2, a mesh pouch was included as the paint on the andro chips easily
Sony's easily beat here, but at 1.5x the price

Build
Really like the build.
Lean Green Great sounding machines
I have always been fond of the CA house design on their BA IEMs
I would say the IER is a side grade in terms fo build (as they scrach even easier)

Fit
Good, as long as you find the right *Silicone* tips you will be fine
Not as good as the legend X, but substantially better than the Z1R

Tip selection
Campfire in house marshmellow tips and Final Audio E tips are included
Don't use the foam. They dampen the sound and the airy sound sig vanishes

Sound

• Bass: Given it is a BA, it's not bad. Interestingly, the lower the impedence of the output device, the better the sub bass response. However, it isn't the star of the show for the Andros. Far from it. The Z1R comes in next - with the best sub bass. But the Legend X beats both out.
• Mids: Incredible. I really liked the mids on the Andros. Substantially better than the LX and Z1R. There is a good fullness to the texture and vocals sound great.
• Treble: Very clear and detailed. I found at times (very rarely) it could sound harsh (but i think, in retrospect, this was down the genre choice). Not silibant. On par with the LX and both beat the Z1R.
• Stage: Very very very very good. Once you get the right tips on these sound very airy and detailed. As if each instrument has a corner of your head. Well done. Beats out both the Z1R and LX inthis aspect.
• Instrument seperation: Very close between the Z1R and Andros here. The seperation on both is excellent, and the best i've heard so far. Both easily beat out the LX.
• Reproduction accuracy: Good. But, the Z1R easily wins here.

Summary
This is my first set of IEM's which didn't have a focus on bass and sub bass. And to be honest, i really enjoyed them. Sure, the visceral, palpatation inducing bass was missing, but i cannot complain about that as i don't think that's the intended purpose of these. THe sound signature is a fun take on a reference FR. I think these are suited to someone who enjoys music which is mid and treble centric, as to date, i am yet to listen to a pair of IEMs which beat them in terms of their mids. Another highlight is the clarity and sounstage. It has a palpable airiness to it, which neither the LX or Z1R has (Z1R does kind of have it, but it's silibant).

Overall, a great set of IEM's. given the lackluster bass, i think it's fair to give these a 4.5.

Thanks for reading

EDIT: Just listened to the Sony IER M9 which is substantially better in every aspect. The only pitfall being the Highs aren't as airy.

Link to my review and measurement index thread where one can also find a full review overview, more information about myself as well as my general-ish audio and review manifesto: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/956208/

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I only give full stars. My ranking/scoring system does not necessarily follow the norm and is about as follows:


5 stars: The product is very good and received the "highly recommended" award from me.

4 stars: The product is very good and received the "recommended" award from me.

3 stars: The product is good/very good, but not outstanding/special enough to get any of my two awards. ["Thumbs Up"]

2 stars: The product is only about average or even somewhat below that and somewhat flawed/flawed in some areas. [neither "Thumbs Up" nor "Thumbs Down"]

1 star: The product is bad/severely flawed to outright bad. ["Thumbs Down"]

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Campfire Audio Andromeda


Source:

Personal unit.


Miscellaneous:

The cardboard box they arrive in is simple but nicely designed. Small (only enough space for the carrying case that contains everything else) and probably not fancy enough for the price, but at least no space is wasted and it’s also better than wasting environmental resources.
Quite decent amount of accessories (carrying case, cleaning brush tool, silicone tips, foam tips, SpinFit tips, Campfire Audio Pin); at least all one needs. I especially like the small Campfire Audio pin, and I am absolutely serious when I state that besides the shell design and colour, it was my main deciding factor to buy the in-ears.

The carrying case looks nice and is softly padded on the inside, but I don't like it at all and am using a case I built myself. Except for that the soft material inside is highly likely to release micro dust particles, the walls collapse to the inside when the case is closed, which obviously limits interior space, so that the shells will rub against each other and ultimately scratch and damage the green coating.

The green colour is by the way darker than expected, it's more like a shade of "forest/fir green".
The shell design is unique and beautiful. Along with the green colour, it was the reason why I bought the Andromeda for my collection. Build quality is good as well. I would have preferred recessed 2-pin sockets instead of MMCX, though.

The cable is of high quality and nice, but visually and haptically not the best cable I've seen or used on an in-ear (for example, I definitely prefer my UERMs’ cable over the one from my Andromeda, which is also true for most of iBasso’s cables (all related to haptics and looks)).

The Andromeda has undergone some mild changes over time (known are a change of the nozzle length (it's slightly longer now), nozzle material (or at least finish; they're polished instead of matte now), different screws, and last but not least shell design (another bevel was added for less edgy, more comfortable shells)).

What's not so nice about the (supposedly stainless steel) nozzles is the formation of condensation water.

Five BA drivers per side, triple-bore design.




Sound:

Largest included silicone ear tips.

Tonality:

Warm, full sounding v-shape with bright upper treble peak.

To my ears, the bass is elevated by around 8 dB north of diffuse-field neutrality; it starts to rise around 700 Hz and reaches its climax around 100 Hz, although 200 Hz are already almost just as present. Ultimately it's a bass elevation that concentrates more on the mid- than the sub-bass that is however almost as present as the midbass (so no roll-off here), but due to the full fundamental range, there is a good bit of warmth and bloom in the lower mids.

The lower mids are clearly on the fuller side, but not exaggerated to an overly unnatural level.
The warm trend continues in the rest of the midrange as the upper mids and presence range are audibly recessed, wherefore bright vocals also lack some of their naturally present shimmer but sound somewhat muted instead.

The middle highs, just like the lower highs, take on a relaxed approach, just to return with a bright peak in the upper highs. And this very peak can be borderline sharp, borderline peaky, borderline unpleasant at times.
For a more realistic treble response, I wish that the peak were positioned a bit further above, and/or less narrow and/or less present. That said, I tolerate my Ultimate Ears Triple.Fi 10s’, Audio Technica ATH-IM03s’ or Pai Audio MR3s’ as well as the UPQ Q-music QE80s’ treble elevations definitely better than that of my Campfire Audio Andromeda.
While definitely leading to a sharp upper treble attack and being clearly more on the plasticky than realistic side, the treble elevation, on the other hand, is also responsible for a good bit of perceived “clarity” and “air”.

In terms of tonality, the NocturnaL Audio Atlantis have a quite comparable tuning in the lows and lower mids, but the more neutral midrange in comparison (their upper mids/presence range and central mids are more like that of my UERM) and are more linear, milder in the highs, without the Andromedas’ added borderline sharp brightness.

The Brainwavz B200 (the "old" original ones with black shells, not the much inferior and differently tuned v2 with clear shells and removable cables) are quite similarly tuned in the lows as well, but a good bit darker in the highs in comparison.

My Audio Technica ATH-IM03 are also somewhat comparable in terms of tuning in the lows, although somewhat less warm/full sounding in the lower mids in comparison. The Andromeda are more relaxed in the middle and lower highs (whereas the IM03 are closer to my UERM and the Atlantis in terms of tuning here, although ultimately a bit more relaxed in the middle highs) whereas the Audio Technica are more reserved, less sharp in the upper treble, while still somewhat elevated (so they have got the more realistic v-shaped signature in comparison – still fun and exciting, but not as gimmicky).

Frequency Response:


ER-4S-Compensation

Except for the peak past 10 kHz that isn’t present to my ears and except for that the upper treble peak is at somewhat lower frequencies, this matches my perception quite well.


ProPhile 8-Compensation

Resolution:

The resolution is generally very good, though.

In terms of details, the Andromeda are definitely among the more capable in-ears on the market. I'd place them somewhat above my Ultimate Ears Reference Monitors and Audio Technica ATH-IM03 in terms of resolution, and also slightly above the NocturnaL Audio Atlantis in some areas. They are about in the performance range of my InEar ProPhile 8, although undeniably with a much different approach to tonality.
All of those other in-ears are of course tuned (more or less clearly) differently, and all resolve very well, with some having slight advantages in some areas over the others and vice versa.

The only area that seems to lack a bit behind, although still resolving on its own, is the midrange, but that's mainly due to the relaxed upper midrange/presence range.

While the tuning definitely contributes to this perception, the highs are very resolving (even when reduced via software equalisation), so the sharpness and lack of ultimate treble realism is forgivable, although just to some degree, as it’s still borderline sharp at times. Note separation is excellent. With clean transients.

The Balanced Armature bass takes on a more dynamic driver-like approach with more body, rumble and softness (and longer decay lingering) compared to many other BA woofer implementations, however with still very good control.
While this visceral, dynamic, rumbling bass character coupled with the high bass details are undeniably fun and pleasant, one cannot deny that the softer character leads to a somewhat reduced perception of separation and cleanness in the lows compared to tighter, more technical BA woofer implementations, wherefore the Andromedas’ lows can start to struggle somewhat if the track gets too demanding in the lows.

Soundstage:

Largely due to their tuning with the recessed upper mids and peaking upper highs, but not solely because of that, the Andromeda present a very large, open and three-dimensional, out-of-the-head experience soundstage that is definitely spectacular and effortlessly pleasing.
Ultimately it is somewhat more oval than round, but this doesn’t stop it from extending very deep, combined with lots of spatial width, wherefore it appears very large and open, three-dimensional sounding.

When it comes to imaging, the Andromeda are fortunately no slouch either and feature precise layering and clean instrument separation with good rendering of “empty” space between tonal elements, although when the track becomes too demanding in the bass, the somewhat softer, more rumbling lows’ character leads to spatial cues becoming somewhat blurrier.




Conclusion:

The Andromeda feature a rumbling bass presentation that, while not the most technical, is still clean enough most of the time and can be quite addictively fun as such, combined with their very large, open, three-dimensional sounding soundstage and generally high resolution.
However, their shortfall is the tuning, or, better phrased, their lack of timbral realism in trade for a clearly more gimmicky, clarity-brightness-sharpness oriented approach to a v-shaped sound signature that can be borderline sharp at times; solely as for the tuning, there are other v-shaped in-ears that execute this tuning in a more realistic, gentler, less plasticky way.


Photos: