[Lookout57]

Quick impression of the Solaris 2020 vs the Andromeda Gold.

I didn't have a lot of time last night so I just sampled each of the tracks I previously used to see what stands out.

Andromeda Gold - Bigger soundstage and more details, but lacks the bass weight that you get from a DD like in the Solaris 2020. I also needed to turn the volume up to get bass like I hear in the Solaris. I will say they shine on vocals and acoustic instruments (strings and horns).

Solaris 2020 - Slightly smaller soundstage and not as much details in the low end. But the bass had more weight to it, making it warmer than the Andromeda Gold. So it would be much better for rock, EDM, etc.

In summary, if you like details, detail, details and looking to hear every individual note, then the Andromeda Gold or Ara is for you. But if you like a warm rich sound and want to get lost in the music, the Solaris 2020 or its brothers are for you.

As for me, I'll be keeping my Andromeda Gold to go with my Solaris SE on the WM1Z. Each has a place based on music and mood.

 

[NewEve]

Quick impression of the Solaris 2020 vs the Andromeda Gold.

I didn't have a lot of time last night so I just sampled each of the tracks I previously used to see what stands out.

Andromeda Gold - Bigger soundstage and more details, but lacks the bass weight that you get from a DD like in the Solaris 2020. I also needed to turn the volume up to get bass like I hear in the Solaris. I will say they shine on vocals and acoustic instruments (strings and horns).

Solaris 2020 - Slightly smaller soundstage and not as much details in the low end. But the bass had more weight to it, making it warmer than the Andromeda Gold. So it would be much better for rock, EDM, etc.

In summary, if you like details, detail, details and looking to hear every individual note, then the Andromeda Gold or Ara is for you. But if you like a warm rich sound and want to get lost in the music, the Solaris 2020 or its brothers are for you.

As for me, I'll be keeping my Andromeda Gold to go with my Solaris SE on the WM1Z. Each has a place based on music and mood.

That's plenty and helpful , thank you very much!

 

[DunkFealer]

Quick impression of the Solaris 2020 vs the Andromeda Gold.

I didn't have a lot of time last night so I just sampled each of the tracks I previously used to see what stands out.

Andromeda Gold - Bigger soundstage and more details, but lacks the bass weight that you get from a DD like in the Solaris 2020. I also needed to turn the volume up to get bass like I hear in the Solaris. I will say they shine on vocals and acoustic instruments (strings and horns).

Solaris 2020 - Slightly smaller soundstage and not as much details in the low end. But the bass had more weight to it, making it warmer than the Andromeda Gold. So it would be much better for rock, EDM, etc.

In summary, if you like details, detail, details and looking to hear every individual note, then the Andromeda Gold or Ara is for you. But if you like a warm rich sound and want to get lost in the music, the Solaris 2020 or its brothers are for you.

As for me, I'll be keeping my Andromeda Gold to go with my Solaris SE on the WM1Z. Each has a place based on music and mood.

That's interesting, I don't share the same opinion of the vocals and soundstage comparison. I thought the Solaris 2020 were better there (although admittedly not by a huge margin, so I can imagine others disagreeing). I may agree that the treble crispness of the AG may lend itself to more detail than Solaris though.

 

[Lookout57]

That's interesting, I don't share the same opinion of the vocals and soundstage comparison. I thought the Solaris 2020 were better there (although admittedly not by a huge margin, so I can imagine others disagreeing). I may agree that the treble crispness of the AG may lend itself to more detail than Solaris though.

In my comparison I used a DHC Clone Silver balanced cable for both. What cable(s) and player were you using?

 

[DunkFealer]

In my comparison I used a DHC Clone Silver balanced cable for both. What cable(s) and player were you using?

Pure silver litz 4.4 balanced for both, running out of a ZX300.

 

[Lookout57]

Pure silver litz 4.4 balanced for both, running out of a ZX300.

From what I remember when I was cable rolling I preferred the SXC-8 over it with the Andromeda Gold SE on the WM1A.

 

[pstefan98]

Forgot I had an old Samsung Galaxy Tab 8 8.0 (2019) laying around.

Tried out my Andromeda on it plugged directly into the 3.5 jack, there’s a slight (barely audible hiss) and its like a veil has been taken off compared to using my Apple dongle.

The soundstage now sounds very expansive. Everything sounds more balanced/brighter.

 

[NewEve]

Oh, and just to throw a bit of confusion into the mix, here's CA's "official" answer (e-mailed the support) to the following question:

Q: I've got the Andromeda Special Edition: Gold which I love to bits - how do the Solaris 2020 compare to them?

A: Ara will be much closer to the Andromeda Gold. Ara is a bit warmer with tighter bass response.

Me…

Also me…

​

Last question from my end and answer from CA support as a follow-up to above:

Q: Sorry, the Ara are warmer than which ones… the Gold or Solaris 2020?

A: Ara is a bit warmer than both to my ears.

Right, that’s it for me folks. No more from me on CA’s new lineup until I see a full-fledged review on the Ara.

 

[Colors]

Just wait for Crinacle or Tork.

 

[NewEve]

 

[MarkF786]

Just wait for Crinacle or Tork.

I'm looking forward to @crinacle getting the Ara to review and measure.

I suspect that prior criticism of CA prevents him from receiving pre-release samples, so we'll likely have to wait a while longer.

 

[iBo0m]

Quick impression of the Solaris 2020 vs the Andromeda Gold.

I didn't have a lot of time last night so I just sampled each of the tracks I previously used to see what stands out.

Andromeda Gold - Bigger soundstage and more details, but lacks the bass weight that you get from a DD like in the Solaris 2020. I also needed to turn the volume up to get bass like I hear in the Solaris. I will say they shine on vocals and acoustic instruments (strings and horns).

Solaris 2020 - Slightly smaller soundstage and not as much details in the low end. But the bass had more weight to it, making it warmer than the Andromeda Gold. So it would be much better for rock, EDM, etc.

In summary, if you like details, detail, details and looking to hear every individual note, then the Andromeda Gold or Ara is for you. But if you like a warm rich sound and want to get lost in the music, the Solaris 2020 or its brothers are for you.

As for me, I'll be keeping my Andromeda Gold to go with my Solaris SE on the WM1Z. Each has a place based on music and mood.

Have you also tried the Ara pre-release or are you just assuming it has very high level of details?

 

[ExpatinJapan]

I'm looking forward to @crinacle getting the Ara to review and measure.

I suspect that prior criticism of CA prevents him from receiving pre-release samples, so we'll likely have to wait a while longer.

Heres some screenshots from Judes video of his measurements.

-to keep you going in the meantime.

(I think most making graphs follow a similar calibration.?)










the video has been posted before- but i will link it again as its the source of the above measurements.



i think@ryanjsoo also did some measurements on his The Headphone List article?

Yes, he does(i just checked):
https://theheadphonelist.com/campfire-audio-2020-launch-impressions/
Ara is on page two.

- I think i will read the article properly now (over a morning coffee) as i have had some time to gather my own thoughts.

 

[Lookout57]

Have you also tried the Ara pre-release or are you just assuming it has very high level of details?

I based my comment on what CA had said that the Ara is similar, but different than the Andromeda Gold.

At this time I'm not planning on purchasing the Ara and I doubt that I would qualify to get a review copy.

 

[MarkF786]

I'm familiar with the other measurements posted to date, which gave me the impression of a big difference in bass levels between the Ara, Andromeda, and Solaris - but in the measurements from the unnamable forum, the bass levels actually look very similar. Thus, I'd like to see Crincle's measurements as another reference. And there's the added bonus of being able to use the graph comparison tool on his website.

Heres some screenshots from Judes video of his measurements.

-to keep you going in the meantime.

(I think most making graphs follow a similar calibration.?)