Campfire Audio - Introducing 2 new models Hello Andromeda and Nova

[beowulf]

One thing about the andromeda, they vary hugely with output impedance. Something like computers usually have a higher output impedance of close to 10 ohms? Which makes the andros sound bright. Not just quite bright but bright.

With a Low impedance (<1 ohms) source, they're actly slightly mellow.

Still evaluating mine. As a use case for them is occasional listening at work, where I might use the laptop, it would make sense to try a source that adds some smoothness and avoids hiss.

What are you guys using in this scenario? Something Dragonfly-like would be perfect in simplicity and form, but perhaps a small dac/amp combo will do better.

 

[goldendarko]

just an iphone for me, prefer it to the dragonfly red for this particular pairing actually, somewhat smoother and more laid back, the dragonfly red was a bit too detail oriented itself and made for a poor pairing

 

[odevans]

iBasso DX200. Staggeringly good combo.

 

[beowulf]

just an iphone for me, prefer it to the dragonfly red for this particular pairing actually, somewhat smoother and more laid back, the dragonfly red was a bit too detail oriented itself and made for a poor pairing

Seems like a good choice. But I need some option to when I can use only the laptop. Doesn't have to be a Dragonfly, but at maximum a small integrated dac/amp. Or putting it in other way, not really looking for a DAP.

 

[goldendarko]

I really liked the iFi iDSD Black Label with the Andromeda. It pairs really well since it's a little on the darker side and it proved very versatile even powerful enough for my high end planars.

 

[beowulf]

I guess the SE846 vs Andromeda dilemma I'm having is more common than I thought.
 
Got a lot of questions. So to everyone who asked me about "I'm deciding between these too also! Which should I get?" here or Reddit PMs...
 
I'm starting to feel silly saying the same thing over and over again, so I'll just write a quick review comparing these two, which IMHO are great examples of some of the most interesting IEMs you can get at the moment if you take cost/value into account.
 
But there are some flaws and traps along with the good aspects, no point in ignoring those.
 
So I'll drop some notes this weekend. Quick and to the point, no sponsoring, unbiased and mostly subjective but with some facts that can't be denied, from initial presentation to value or the fact that the Andromeda are green and the 846 have a cable guide stiffness that would pair Elear's intercontinental submarine cable just right. Anyway, I'll post those 846/Andromeda notes this weekend.
 
Bit sad there's no Vega to compare... I have the feeling that would be an interesting middle ground between these two. But one thing at a time. Let's get the BAs out of the way first. All combined it's 18. That's a lot of BAs in a single post!
 

 

[xinghui0711]

I guess the SE846 vs Andromeda dilemma I'm having is more common than I thought.

Got a lot of questions. So to everyone who asked me about "I'm deciding between these too also! Which should I get?" here or Reddit PMs...

I'm starting to feel silly saying the same thing over and over again, so I'll just write a quick review comparing these two, which IMHO are great examples of some of the most interesting IEMs you can get at the moment if you take cost/value into account.

But there are some flaws and traps along with the good aspects, no point in ignoring those.

So I'll drop some notes this weekend. Quick and to the point, no sponsoring, unbiased and mostly subjective but with some facts that can't be denied, from initial presentation to value or the fact that the Andromeda are green and the 846 have a cable guide stiffness that would pair Elear's intercontinental submarine cable just right. Anyway, I'll post those 846/Andromeda notes this weekend.

Bit sad there's no Vega to compare... I have the feeling that would be an interesting middle ground between these two. But one thing at a time. Let's get the BAs out of the way first. All combined it's 18. That's a lot of BAs in a single post!

Elear's submarine cable..
I'm using D7200's cable right now which is a heaven compared to the dreadly thick, heavy stock cable.
Never heard the SE846 but had demo'ed both the Andro and Vega at the show. Andro sounded better to my ears compared to the warmer Vega. Keep in mind that the source used was just my iPhone6 without amp. I did not hear any hiss(probably due to ambient noises) but will check it out once I receive them. Cheers

 

[beowulf]

Elear's submarine cable..
I'm using D7200's cable right now which is a heaven compared to the dreadly thick, heavy stock cable.
Never heard the SE846 but had demo'ed both the Andro and Vega at the show. Andro sounded better to my ears compared to the warmer Vega. Keep in mind that the source used was just my iPhone6 without amp. I did not hear any hiss(probably due to ambient noises) but will check it out once I receive them. Cheers

Just parked my SE846 and will get them boxed for return on Monday. A couple of albums tonight just made it too obvious how the Andromeda are better with separation and positioning, that extra air is great and I have to say I became addicted to the extra resolution and much more revealing high frequencies. The 5kHz+ detail isn't as sharp on the 846 with the blue filters (or even full afterburner)

With some tracks there was a considerable difference between the two, with the 846 sounding a bit more crowded and with different tonalities bundled together instead of clearly separated and positioning. "Cobra" by Acoustic Affaire has an opening that is totally different in the two sets because of this, with considerable advantage to the Andros.
Having to escape hissy sources is an inconvenience, but appears to be worth it.
Listening to Keb' Mo' "Slow Down" (recommended btw, great album even if you don't care for blues, very captivating recording quality) something just clicked in my noodle, the Andromeda were just more enjoyable, the bass was still tight and impacting enough, the extra clarity was hard to ignore, and they still have a lot of body despite sounding wider.

Nothing particularly bad with the 846 and the fuller, lush mids are great sometimes, but I don't use IEMs often enough to justify both and it will be easier to tone down the Andros brightness when needed than make the 846 less veiled on the high frequencies (EQ helps but affects tonality too much for my taste).

Really liked the resolution and detail on that album. Lots of air, very good separation and positioning. Bass was still enough and somehow the timbre of instruments felt more natural on the Andromeda.

Also have some XBA-Z5 ordered, which might scratch the occasional bassy fun itch with a warmer, meatier hybrid signature.
So Andromeda it is. Wondering how the Vega would perform. I can see it being an interesting alternative with a thicker, more intimate midrange and less treble spark, but since I can't do returns in this case, it is too risky to order them.

 

[beowulf]

I really liked the iFi iDSD Black Label with the Andromeda. It pairs really well since it's a little on the darker side and it proved very versatile even powerful enough for my high end planars.

Could be alternative. Any hiss?

 

[goldendarko]

Could be alternative. Any hiss?

 
Nope, none that I experienced on the IEM setting. On the lowest setting they can pretty much drive even the most sensitive IEM's. Glad to hear you liked them, knew those SE846's would be getting shipped out soon after you heard the Andy's!

 

[kino lau]

I really liked the iFi iDSD Black Label with the Andromeda. It pairs really well since it's a little on the darker side and it proved very versatile even powerful enough for my high end planars.

I had looked at going this route just for the sake of buying something new. But found that the Black Label isn't really "portable" per say. So are you suggesting this downstream from a laptop? I'd still like to buy something, but I think that the BL might actually be larger than my DAP.

 

[goldendarko]

I had looked at going this route just for the sake of buying something new. But found that the Black Label isn't really "portable" per say. So are you suggesting this downstream from a laptop? I'd still like to buy something, but I think that the BL might actually be larger than my DAP.

 


Yeah not really portable, perfect for use with a laptop though which is what Beowulf was asking about if im not mistaken

 

[beowulf]

Could be alternative. Any hiss?

 
Nope, none that I experienced on the IEM setting. On the lowest setting they can pretty much drive even the most sensitive IEM's

Might be worth looking into. They're a strange model. Too big for portable, too small for desktop.
But that might be just about right for casual use with the laptop at work, having the bonus of being able to use it portable. Could have a lower price tho.

Glad to hear you liked them, knew those SE846's would be getting shipped out soon after you heard the Andy's!

It's a very interesting model. Detail on the high mids and highs is fantastic.

The airy, holographic sound and the leaner low frequencies remind me a bit of some sort of HD800 in IEM form. They might miss some fullness with some tracks but I haven't experienced it often.

The 846 offer that and can be really fun with some types of music, but I've always had the feeling that there was a light veil over the treble. Missed some grain and clarity. Got all that in the Andromeda.

I was a bit worried after hearing them so bright with a few sources but they paired very decently with the phone. No doubt there's room to scale nicely with better sources.

Not crazy about the stock foam tips but the Comply TX400 arriving next week might solve that. The waxguard mesh might even make them slightly warmer.

 

[goldendarko]

yeah i went with the Comply's too, good choice there.

And yes the iDSD BL is an odd size but it is actually small enough to use portably if needed, though not really meant for it. It's ideal use IMO would be with a laptop. With a proper desktop setup i think there's even more options but it's not like these need much juice. Even with my iPhone i cant go past 50% on the volume.

 

[xinghui0711]

Just parked my SE846 and will get them boxed for return on Monday. A couple of albums tonight just made it too obvious how the Andromeda are better with separation and positioning, that extra air is great and I have to say I became addicted to the extra resolution and much more revealing high frequencies. The 5kHz+ detail isn't as sharp on the 846 with the blue filters (or even full afterburner)

With some tracks there was a considerable difference between the two, with the 846 sounding a bit more crowded and with different tonalities bundled together instead of clearly separated and positioning. "Cobra" by Acoustic Affaire has an opening that is totally different in the two sets because of this, with considerable advantage to the Andros.
Having to escape hissy sources is an inconvenience, but appears to be worth it.
Listening to Keb' Mo' "Slow Down" (recommended btw, great album even if you don't care for blues, very captivating recording quality) something just clicked in my noodle, the Andromeda were just more enjoyable, the bass was still tight and impacting enough, the extra clarity was hard to ignore, and they still have a lot of body despite sounding wider.

Nothing particularly bad with the 846 and the fuller, lush mids are great sometimes, but I don't use IEMs often enough to justify both and it will be easier to tone down the Andros brightness when needed than make the 846 less veiled on the high frequencies (EQ helps but affects tonality too much for my taste).

Really liked the resolution and detail on that album. Lots of air, very good separation and positioning. Bass was still enough and somehow the timbre of instruments felt more natural on the Andromeda.

Also have some XBA-Z5 ordered, which might scratch the occasional bassy fun itch with a warmer, meatier hybrid signature.
So Andromeda it is. Wondering how the Vega would perform. I can see it being an interesting alternative with a thicker, more intimate midrange and less treble spark, but since I can't do returns in this case, it is too risky to order them.

I was talking to an audiophile friend today who also heard both Andro and vega. He said that Vega is very difficult to drive and sounded mediocre/bad un-amped. But once it's fed with good amount of power, vega can go at least toe to toe against Andromeda if not better. Andro was his pick at the end because it does not require extra amplification.