[audio123]

Not sure it makes sense but I'll give it a shot: having the Andromeda Gold, I'm wondering how "Grado-esque" are the Ara, particularly the mids… ?

If you have the Andromeda SE: Gold already, the Ara is an excellent complement with a more balanced presentation. The midrange is fuller with better focus. Not sure if the Ara is "Grado-esque" though.

 

[musiclvr]

What's on the right, next to the Ara ???

I haven’t opened it up yet (believe it or not) hahaha I opened the box but am waiting to take a listen tonight after work when my kids are sleeping. They wanted to see what daddy got too! Lol

 

[musiclvr]

Not sure it makes sense but I'll give it a shot: having the Andromeda Gold, I'm wondering how "Grado-esque" are the Ara, particularly the mids… ?

I will be paying attention to the mids especially. I love all my forward sounding headphones such as my Grado Alessandro Pro’s, Grado RS1i, and my Audeze LCD-X. I love the way the the Orion’s voiced the mids in a delicate way too though.

Ultimately I am searching for that well extended and flat bass with scalpel accuracy in the mids without being strident in the treble but maintaining plenty of air. I hope that is what the Ara is. I am fully expecting to be floored like I was when I first listened to the Andromeda’s, if not, more so!

Having briefly owned the JH Audio Angie’s I felt they were a mid-centric iem that lacked sparkle but still annoyingly had a spike somewhere between 5-7khz. They did have a gripping organic texture to them overall that kept me coming back. It was then that I learned that although the Angie’s had more BA’s then the Andromeda’s it didn’t necessarily translate into better sound, just different. Again, I can’t wait to have a proper listening session with the Ara’s.

 

[NewEve]

I will be paying attention to the mids especially. I love all my forward sounding headphones such as my Grado Alessandro Pro’s, Grado RS1i, and my Audeze LCD-X. I love the way the the Orion’s voiced the mids in a delicate way too though.

Ultimately I am searching for that well extended and flat bass with scalpel accuracy in the mids without being strident in the treble but maintaining plenty of air. I hope that is what the Ara is. I am fully expecting to be floored like I was when I first listened to the Andromeda’s, if not, more so!

Having briefly owned the JH Audio Angie’s I felt they were a mid-centric iem that lacked sparkle but still annoyingly had a spike somewhere between 5-7khz. They did have a gripping organic texture to them overall that kept me coming back. It was then that I learned that although the Angie’s had more BA’s then the Andromeda’s it didn’t necessarily translate into better sound, just different. Again, I can’t wait to have a proper listening session with the Ara’s.

Will be reading you when I wake up I guess — thanks!

 

[pstefan98]

Gave it a try, there's a slight hiss, not obnoxious but noticeable, depends on what volume you listen at. I listen around volume 20/120 and it didn't bother me much, but again, noticeable under scrutiny. In terms of OI, I didn't find the effect to be huge compared to the Shanling M2X (same price, output impedance <1ohm single-ended). There definitely wasn't as much warmth in the low-end, delivering a slightly brighter sound than the Shanling. Again, the difference was not huge, as I used an in-line splitter, it was more apparent to me than would be under normal conditions. You will get pleasing results with the M9 but maybe 10% more balance out of a 1-ohm source (this is very subjective).

And just wanted to share my latest photoshoot haha, going against my usual work here, I try to match colour with monochrome, monochrome with colour, but I've just hulked out on this one. Whether you like the sound or not, we can all agree these are some iconic designs

Thanks for the response!!

I’ve decided I might go with the A&K SR15 as it supports Tidal with MQA. It’s my main streaming app of choice and I’ve heard nothing but good things it offers when paired with Andromeda’s.

 

[cr3ativ3]

Thanks for the response!!

I’ve decided I might go with the A&K SR15 as it supports Tidal with MQA. It’s my main streaming app of choice and I’ve heard nothing but good things it offers when paired with Andromeda’s.

i would consider the new Sr25 instead

 

[NewEve]

i would consider the new Sr25 instead

@pstefan98 Yes, you should

 

[audio123]

Campfire Andromeda V2, V3 & 2020!

 

[musiclvr]

The jury is still out for me on the Ara.... I spent an hour with them last night. I used my iPhone and then a Sony Discman D-33 line out feeding a CypherLabs Algorithm Picollo amplifier as sources. More time and different sources are definitely in order to fully realize Ara’s potential.

So far, to my ears (using the foam tips), the lower treble offers plenty of detail but seems to gradually fade in the upper most regions. The sub-bass is present, speedy, and articulate but it leaves me wanting a more defined leading edge. The mid bass is not at all pronounced but is absolutely linear with the sub-bass. Very nice touch there. Now the mids are definitely front and center stage here. Vocals are laden with detail and wetness. Plenty of space with a soft warmth. Overall (as of now; 1 hour in) I feel that the Ara is indeed a neutral sounding iem that has a touch warmth overall with an ever so slightly mid forward presentation.

What has become really intriguing to me thus far is how the Ara is honest to the music’s sample rate and the chain of gear being used. When changing songs, genres, and playback gear I found that I had to allow for a kind of brain sync if you will, to soak up the subtle changes in sound I was experiencing. Sometimes the observances were welcome and at other times left me scratching my head. So yes, much more time is required here....

 

[NewEve]

The jury is still out for me on the Ara.... I spent an hour with them last night. I used my iPhone and then a Sony Discman D-33 line out feeding a CypherLabs Algorithm Picollo amplifier as sources. More time and different sources are definitely in order to fully realize Ara’s potential.

So far, to my ears (using the foam tips), the lower treble offers plenty of detail but seems to gradually fade in the upper most regions. The sub-bass is present, speedy, and articulate but is leaves me wanting a more defined leading edge. The really nice experience is that the mid bass is not at all pronounced but is absolutely linear with the sub-bass. Very nice touch there. Now the mids are definitely front and center stage here. Vocals are laden with detail and wetness. Plenty of space with a soft warmth.

What has become really intriguing to me this far is how the Ara seems honest to the music’s sample rate and the chain of gear being used. When changing songs, genres, and playback gear I found that I had to allow for a kind of brain sync if you will, to soak up the subtle changes in sound I was experiencing. Sometimes the observances were welcome and at other times vexing. So yes, much more time is required here....

Did you try them with the silicone tips?

You should.

 

[musiclvr]

Did you try them with the silicone tips?

You should.

I really don’t use silicone tips due to being too finicky to deal with. I find that silicone tips apply unnecessary pressure to my tympanic membranes and are harder to create a proper seal with in most instances. Foam tips expand into the ear canal nicely and always create the perfect seal in my opinion. Maybe I do lose some detail along the way as a result, as silicone is more reflective, but a proper seal is paramount in this application. I do appreciate the advice though .

 

[NewEve]

I really don’t use silicone tips due to being too finicky to deal with. I find that silicone tips apply unnecessary pressure to my tympanic membranes and are harder to create a proper seal with in most instances. Foam tips expand into the ear canal nicely and always create the perfect seal in my opinion. Maybe I do lose some detail along the way as a result, as silicone is more reflective, but a proper seal is paramount in this application. I do appreciate the advice though .

Fair enough and thanks a lot for the details as I strongly believe that this is where sharing such information is paramount.
In my experience, tips make such a difference that I need to know what one uses before taking their experience into account.
E.g., foam tips, to my ears, make everything too thin and sibilant so everything I share is based on my experience with silicone tips.

 

[musiclvr]

Fair enough and thanks a lot for the details as I strongly believe that this is where sharing such information is paramount.
In my experience, tips make such a difference that I need to know what one uses before taking their experience into account.
E.g., foam tips, to my ears, make everything too thin and sibilant so everything I share is based on my experience with silicone tips.

I couldn’t agree more! I feel that when sharing such subjective experiences one must lay down the most recognizable landscape on which to paint their expressions.

Tonight the A’s are re-wiring my brain! I am beginning to appreciate the benefits in electing to not use any passive crossover components in the execution of the BA configuration. There seems to be a complete absence of any “one note” presentation in any frequency band and it is so easy for me to consciously change focus within the music. For example; while listening to ‘Wonderful Tonight’ by Eric Clapton, I could easily enjoy the melodic yet delicate cymbals absorb each tap, hear the back-up vocals share the stage, or just bask in the organs’ many nuances.

I was using my CEntrance DACPortable (in Lo gain) tethered to my iPhone tonight. I’ll probably start listening to som hi res stuff tomorrow using my Chord Mojo. This is getting more and more exciting!!

 

[ExpatinJapan]

Yes.
The Ara is the most mysterious of the three and hardest to pinpoint

 

[stephenkostas]

The jury is still out for me on the Ara.... I spent an hour with them last night. I used my iPhone and then a Sony Discman D-33 line out feeding a CypherLabs Algorithm Picollo amplifier as sources. More time and different sources are definitely in order to fully realize Ara’s potential.

So far, to my ears (using the foam tips), the lower treble offers plenty of detail but seems to gradually fade in the upper most regions. The sub-bass is present, speedy, and articulate but it leaves me wanting a more defined leading edge. The mid bass is not at all pronounced but is absolutely linear with the sub-bass. Very nice touch there. Now the mids are definitely front and center stage here. Vocals are laden with detail and wetness. Plenty of space with a soft warmth. Overall (as of now; 1 hour in) I feel that the Ara is indeed a neutral sounding iem that has a touch warmth overall with an ever so slightly mid forward presentation.

What has become really intriguing to me thus far is how the Ara is honest to the music’s sample rate and the chain of gear being used. When changing songs, genres, and playback gear I found that I had to allow for a kind of brain sync if you will, to soak up the subtle changes in sound I was experiencing. Sometimes the observances were welcome and at other times left me scratching my head. So yes, much more time is required here....

I used the A&K SA700 for most of my time with the Ara, and I found that it really excelled at music like post-rock or more ambient type genres where the joy in listening comes from picking out or appreciating the subtle changes in layers of sound or singer-songwriter type music where the detail and emotion in the vocals are the most important parts. I definitely agree that it's very sensitive to sources, as, after listening with the SA700, I plugged it into the DragonFly Cobalt (which I generally find to be a really solid DAC) it was like someone let the air out of my tires.