keanex
Keeper of The All-New Headphone Buyer's Guide
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- Feb 17, 2010
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Sources: iBasso DX80 (0.1ohm), Sansa Clip+ w/Rockbox (1ohm), Pixel XL (4.8ohm). Both sources were listened to with and without the Ultimate Ears Buffer Jack.
Cost: $1,099 at Campfire Audio
Introduction
I have spent a lot of time with the Andromeda with a variety of sources, and to be quite frank this has been the toughest review I’ve ever written. The Andromeda are, in my experience, highly sensitive to a sources input impedance. The difficulty in driving them isn’t a matter of volume, any of these sources get plenty loud, this is a matter of the sound signature and audio fidelity noticeably changing depending on the output impedance of the source. This makes for a wide range of comparisons which are quite time consuming with challenges that make direct source comparisons difficult. With that said, I am here to present my honest opinion and I hope that it’s helpful.
I want to thank Campfire Audio for the review sample and thank you for reading my review.
As always, reviews are just a personal opinion. Neither this review or anyone’s review should be considered authoritative when deciding what to buy. What I hear may not be your experience, and vice versa. Demoing headphones is the best way to ensure you’re going to enjoy them. This review should be looked at as a tool at most, and an experience shared at least. Thanks for reading!
Comfort
The Andromeda include three types of tips: three sizes of foam tips, three sizes of silicon tips, and three sizes of Spinfit tips. The foam tips offer good comfort, though they come at a cost of being the most expensive to replace, pickiest to insert correctly, and quickest to deteriorate. I have spent significant time with them, but they’re being replaced by the Spinfit. Between the silicon and Spinfit I preferred the fit of the Spinfit, though only slightly. They’re both fine tips without the issues that foam tips inherently have.
The cables have an over-ear memory wire which works well, though I would prefer a slightly longer memory portion, even if by a ¼’’, to ensure better staying power of the cable shape around the ear. There are no microphonics to note.
I have chosen the Spinfit tips for my review for their consistent fit and sound quality.
Build Quality
I’ve had the Andromeda for about 2 months so I can only speak of short-term usage, but they seem to be built well to my eyes and hands. The shell is made of aluminum which keeps the weight down despite the bulky look while being resistant to breakage. The bright looking silver cables are fitted with MMCX connectors which are quite common, making the cable easily replaced if you choose to do so. The cable looks and feels perfectly sufficient, though the rope chain style of the cable tends to get tangled rather easily, and the cable terminates in a 90* angle, so users might have a cable they prefer otherwise.
Sound Quality
iBasso DX80
Bass
The bass of the Andromeda is prominent, overly so for some by accounts I’ve read. I am inclined to agree that with a low output impedance the Andromeda has a strong low-end presence that could be off-putting for some.
As a whole the low-end is powerful with impressive control, speed, and clarity. A satisfying sense of sub-bass rumble is imitated when paired with a bass focused song such as James Blake’s Limit to Your Love. This is a favorite track of mine to test sub-bass as it demands authority and speed for satisfaction, the Andromeda handle it fantastically. Kick drums thump excitedly, giving energy to upbeat dance music, and bass guitars provide a pleasant warmth in rock songs.
If you have a preference for quality bass above all then the Andromeda will scratch that itch.
Despite my enjoyment of the low-end, I have read many accounts of users feeling that the bass is too heavy with a low impedance source. I can fully understand this issue, and I think that it primarily aligns with your preferred music selection. As someone primarily listening to the likes of Kanye West, Portishead, and Daft Punk lately, I’m enjoying the prominence of the bass. When I listen to the Counting Crows, Steely Dan, or Rage Against the Machine, the prominence of the bass can be a distraction through unnecessary warmth.
With that said, as someone with a preference for bass, the Andromeda with a low impedance source could certainly be a daily driver for me despite the sometimes overly prominent bass.
Mids and Treble
The midrange is clean and detailed with restrained sibilance and a fairly neutral tonality. I have only slight nitpicky qualms with the midrange that mostly centers on a slight dip that seems to restrain lower vocal ranges, such as Lana Del Rey. The more I listen to the Andromeda the more the midrange impresses for the accuracy as a whole.
The treble has a touch of softness to it, I wouldn’t call them airy, though they are extended well without any noticeable distortion to my ears. Much like the midrange the treble sounds clear, detailed, and accurate.
Soundstage
Width and depth are akin to a small enclosed music venue that has proper acoustics; that is to say that the sound is presented intimately though accented by fantastic imaging and instrument separation. I will take a headphone with proper imaging and instrument separation and a modest soundstage size over one with a large airy sound with inaccurate imaging and murky instrument separation any day.
Source Comparisons
DX80 with UE Buffer
Less bassy than without the buffer, though admittedly still warmer in the midbass than is faithful to the recording. The sub-bass loses some weight, the midrange and treble step forward slightly, and the midbass provides a mildly exaggerated warmth. This configuration works well with everything I’ve listened to as the warm low-end compliments the more forward midrange and treble very nicely. The sound is reminiscent of what one might call a “consumer focused” sound.
As a whole this is more balanced than without the buffer jack, though the buffer jack introduced a need for a roughly 30% volume increase to get similar volume levels.
Sansa Clip+
Unfortunately I have experienced too much noise without the buffer jack for this to be recommended. It will work in a pinch, though I advise against this pairing. Overall sound signature is quite nice, weighty lows that are more in line with the midrange, but the upper midrange and lower treble are too forward in this configuration for my liking. As an example, hip-hop snares on Kendrick Lamar’s Good Kid, M.A.A.D City are far too forward for me to enjoy this at preferred listening volumes.
Sansa Clip+ with UE Buffer
The noise is minimized, though there is noticeable noise heard with no music playing or during quiet passages. Overall sound is hard to compare without the jack, but the main difference I heard was a slight reduction in the upper midrange/lower treble peak that I experienced without the buffer jack. Still, not a set-up I’m fond of.
Pixel XL
Overall sound signature has noticeably strong bass still, but I find that the midrange and treble become the focus. Furthermore I notice a decrease in fidelity in totality, grainy and somewhat harsh come up a lot when I think about my overall experience with them plugged into the XL. The sound quality is perfectly acceptable, but I would not look towards buying Andromedas if the Pixel XL was your primary listening device.
Unfortunately I’m not sure if the added grain is due to the high output impedance or an issue inherent with the Pixel XL itself, but if I had to make a guess, I would think it’s more on the Pixel XL’s fault than the output impedance. I would like to try these with another higher impedance source down the road to come to a clear conclusion.
Pixel XL with UE Buffer
Overall sound comes off slightly cleaner with a slightly more balanced sound than without the buffer - much to my surprise. Even so, volume takes a steep hit and some users may not be satisfied with maximum output levels. This isn’t really a set-up I’d explore.
Preference
I prefer the DX80 with the UE Buffer Jack in most cases. I find this sound signature to be best suited when considering my preferences and the variety of music that I enjoy. If I’m listening to bass heavy genres then the Buffer Jack comes off to give me the most possible bass that I can coax out of the Andromeda.
Conclusion
The Andromeda are a fantastic IEM with the caveat that you’re pairing it with the correct source. What is the correct source? Well that’s going to be largely dependant on your preferences as the Andromeda can output an admirable amount of bass with a low impedance source while being more midrange and treble focused with higher impedance sources. My suggestion is to pair this with a low impedance source, something at 1 ohm or less, and pick up a UE Buffer Jack and you’ll have a fantastic portable set-up for a multitude of genres.
