Campfire Audio - Introducing 2 new models Hello Andromeda and Nova

[beowulf]

Anyone wants to share more comments on the Shure SE846 vs Andromeda?
 
I've read a lot about the Andromeda having a nice holographic soundstage, but am wondering if it would be a significant improvement over the SE846. The HD800S of IEMs would be nice.
I have the 846 but somehow am not 100% happy. Perhaps it is the treble, or needing a bit more air.

 

[goldendarko]

I've owned both and never found the SE846 to be all that special. The andromeda is otherworldly though.

 

[gearofwar]

  Anyone wants to share more comments on the Shure SE846 vs Andromeda?
 
I've read a lot about the Andromeda having a nice holographic soundstage, but am wondering if it would be a significant improvement over the SE846. The HD800S of IEMs would be nice.
I have the 846 but somehow am not 100% happy. Perhaps it is the treble, or needing a bit more air.

Shure SE846 is near the  bottom of Tier 2 while Andromeda is close to middle of Tier 1 which comes close to my Hum Pristine v2. I would rank it (Andromeda) (94,95 out of 100 which is my Pristine V2 based on SQ alone, the edgy universal fit might not be comfortable for some people compared to SE846 and I much prefer isolation and custom fit of my Pristine over any of those universal ) . The top of Tier 1 would be the Zeus R  FYI . 

 

[beowulf]

I've owned both and never found the SE846 to be all that special. The andromeda is otherworldly though.

That's a considerable claim. How would you describe the main advantage of the 846/Andromeda?

 

[pfurey89]

846 is a massively disappointing to me. Not cohesive at all, and like negative soundstage. Haven't heard andro though but I'd bet you it's better. They're almost polar opposite sound signature wise though.

 

[goldendarko]

That's a considerable claim. How would you describe the main advantage of the 846/Andromeda?

I remember reading how great the SE846 was in terms of bass performance but always found it to be muddy sounding. The Andromedas, while lighter on bass, get it right and do treble better than any IEM I've heard. I'll preach the Andromedas til the day I die, they're that good. And I'm picky when it comes to my gear but the Andromedas are literally the best IEMs I've ever heard, truly a delight any chance I get to listen to them.

 

[kino lau]

I remember reading how great the SE846 was in terms of bass performance but always found it to be muddy sounding. The Andromedas, while lighter on bass, get it right and do treble better than any IEM I've heard. I'll preach the Andromedas til the day I die, they're that good. And I'm picky when it comes to my gear but the Andromedas are literally the best IEMs I've ever heard, truly a delight any chance I get to listen to them.

Agreed. My 846's have less than 2 hours on them since getting my replacements from Shure several months ago.

 

[gearofwar]

That's a considerable claim. How would you describe the main advantage of the 846/Andromeda?

Wider stage, better bass impass,better resolution, It's a colored perhap fun sounding iem (Andromeda). However, Aether is richer, bassier and having the same resolution, I would pick Aether over if you are looking for rich sounding iem.

 

[willowbrook]

Anyone wants to share more comments on the Shure SE846 vs Andromeda?

I've read a lot about the Andromeda having a nice holographic soundstage, but am wondering if it would be a significant improvement over the SE846. The HD800S of IEMs would be nice.
I have the 846 but somehow am not 100% happy. Perhaps it is the treble, or needing a bit more air.

I heard the white filter makes a huge difference and the measurements show that it does. Have you tried the white filter?

 

[willowbrook]

Oh man! The andros have arrived and they are so preciousllllly beautiful! Stunning design. Packaging is just so exquisite. Now off to how these sound~

 

[beowulf]

  Wider stage, better bass impass,better resolution, It's a colored perhap fun sounding iem (Andromeda). However, Aether is richer, bassier and having the same resolution, I would pick Aether over if you are looking for rich sounding iem.

 
I did the [very] uncommon for me and ordered the CA Andromeda yesterday. Uncommon in several ways:
1) I don't listen to IEMs much (only at work/office but not the ~8h) so never considered buying one this pricey
2) I definitely never considered buying one this pricey WITHOUT being able to listen to it first...
3) ...and without being able to return it.
 
Decided to take the leap of faith based on what I've been reading tho. I have one month left with the Shure SE846 before I have to return them for money back (or keep them), so it would be nice to compare the two... then again, if I won't like the Andro, I'll be stuck with them, so will probably have to put them on the sales forum.
The SE846 are quite good but I've noticed that I never had the wow factor from the beginning.Build quality is nice (although the cable guides suck) and they're pretty to look at, but there's something missing in terms of fun. Or, should I say, the fun is there ,but it's not justifying what they cost me.
 
No idea when the Andros will arrive. The website said "In stock" but it's one of those shady shops that seems to source stuff from HK and usually takes ages to deliver (In Europe at least).

 

[Dingding123]

  Anyone wants to share more comments on the Shure SE846 vs Andromeda?
 
I've read a lot about the Andromeda having a nice holographic soundstage, but am wondering if it would be a significant improvement over the SE846. The HD800S of IEMs would be nice.
I have the 846 but somehow am not 100% happy. Perhaps it is the treble, or needing a bit more air.

I owned the 846, used it with the white filter and Linum Bax cables. The resultant sound signature was quite a W shaped one - elevated on both ends with lush and intimate sounding mids. Despite the 846 being very sensitive IEMs, I didn't notice any hiss when I plug them into my Samsung Galaxy S7 smartphone or Onkyo dp-x1's unbalanced output. And I loved the sound signature of the 846 until I tried the Andromeda.
Granted, the Andromeda's soundstage is wide. The sparkling treble vastly expands the horizontal soundstage. I was delighted, but not surprised, as a wider soundstage on a IEM with treble is like 6 pecs on a skinny guy - it's almost a given (in IEMs at this price point at least). However, to me, the X factor of the Andromeda lies in its resolving power that is synergistic with the acoustic properties of its shell material. They sound a lot more airy than the 846 and have higher resolution. In fact, the Andromeda is so sensitive that there is noticeable hissing when I used it with onkyo dp-x1. The hissing becomes unnoticeable during music playback tho.
The overall signature with its stock cable sounded similar to 846 white filter with Linum BaX. Although the bass on the Andromeda is not as impactful, it extends lower, and sounds more controlled.
On the other hand, the LE Aether is as resolving as the Andromeda, but the fit on the universal model (I guess that's what you might consider) might not be for everyone. The switch adds some fun to the listening experience and makes the rhythm of your music more prominent if you use them to listen on commute. Another worthy consideration is the Noble Kaiser. They are slightly more expensive, slightly less resolving and less transparent but they have an equally wide soundstage, more intimate vocals and harder hitting bass.
I see that now you have already ordered the Andromeda. It's relatively small form factor and resolving sound is hard to beat, especially if you use it with the ALO Reference 8 cables. I wish you receive the IEMs soon and relish the eargasm it brings.

 

[beowulf]

  I owned the 846, used it with the white filter and Linum Bax cables. The resultant sound signature was quite a W shaped one - elevated on both ends with lush and intimate sounding mids. Despite the 846 being very sensitive IEMs, I didn't notice any hiss when I plug them into my Samsung Galaxy S7 smartphone or Onkyo dp-x1's unbalanced output. And I loved the sound signature of the 846 until I tried the Andromeda.
Granted, the Andromeda's soundstage is wide. The sparkling treble vastly expands the horizontal soundstage. I was delighted, but not surprised, as a wider soundstage on a IEM with treble is like 6 pecs on a skinny guy - it's almost a given (in IEMs at this price point at least). However, to me, the X factor of the Andromeda lies in its resolving power that is synergistic with the acoustic properties of its shell material. They sound a lot more airy than the 846 and have higher resolution. In fact, the Andromeda is so sensitive that there is noticeable hissing when I used it with onkyo dp-x1. The hissing becomes unnoticeable during music playback tho.
The overall signature with its stock cable sounded similar to 846 white filter with Linum BaX. Although the bass on the Andromeda is not as impactful, it extends lower, and sounds more controlled.

 
Very interesting description. I have an S7 Edge by the way (Exynos chipset version), but found the SE846 to drive easily out of almost any sources I tried. No hiss. Treble detail and soundstage are something I'm really wanting.
 
Looking at the SE846 right here next to me, going to listen while working. Very curious to see how the Andromeda compare. No idea when they will be delivered.
 
 

 The switch adds some fun to the listening experience and makes the rhythm of your music more prominent if you use them to listen on commute. Another worthy consideration is the Noble Kaiser. They are slightly more expensive, slightly less resolving and less transparent but they have an equally wide soundstage, more intimate vocals and harder hitting bass. I see that now you have already ordered the Andromeda. It's relatively small form factor and resolving sound is hard to beat, especially if you use it with the ALO Reference 8 cables. I wish you receive the IEMs soon and relish the eargasm it brings.

 
I'm already stretching the budget on the Andromeda. I could go higher, but don't want to because I don't feel IEMs justify it in my case. Something overpriced like an Utopia would be easier to digest because I always listen to full size cans and they tend to last many more years without having failures. I have closed cans that have 20 years are still going. IEMs tho..easy to damage, to lose, to have stolen, etc.
 
Also won't be using them for commuting or outdoors in general. I have 1 single use case for IEMs - at work (full time office work/desk). Out of work, they go in the pouch and don't see the light of day.
 
Btw, any notes on CA regarding reliability / customer service? The brand isn't very well known (or easy to find for demo) in Europe.... or at least, if it is, it was not known to me. But then again, I'm definitely not an IEM guy...

 

[Dingding123]

I've never dealt with the aftersales directly, so I can't comment on that. So far I've heard a general positive opinion among my friends regarding Andromeda's build quality. At least, they look quite sturdy.

 

[willowbrook]

These are definitely sensitive...I don't think I can handle the hiss if I were to try bal with gov2+ inf. The hiss on SE output is pretty noticeable already. Very captivating sound though. Airy without sounding sibilant with excellent resolution across the board, slightly forward mids presented beautifully, and excellent treble & bass extension is what comes to mind upon the first few hours of listening. It is strangely comfortable, I thought my small ears couldn't handle the housing. Weird...

 The JVC Spiral Dot tips are a very nice match with these. The stock tips are also excellent, but it just doesn't have that hint of air that spiral dot tips provide. The lows are a boosted a bit too much with the spiral dot tips though.