For any Andromeda reviews going forward I think it is very important to specify which version you'll be reviewing. The v1.5 Andromeda will be what I'll be referencing for this write up. (I'll go into the specifics for the telltale signs of each of the different Andro's).
So, a few months ago, a friend of mine (who've already moved on with the hobby) asked me if I wanted a near mint v1 which I later found out it was a v1.5 Andro. I've had previous Andro's (v2, v3 and 2020) before and each one of them I hated and barely lasted a month with me. This will just be a very brief review on them.
Design:
One of the best and most iconic designed iems out there. They are beautiful and jewelry-like. The sharp angled edges with the vibrant green just screams luxury. The contrast between the green and the shiny stainless-steel screws is to die for!!
Build:
Outstanding! the whole body is made of aluminum making it durable and lightweight (unlike the atlas...). My only gripe would be the nozzle which is prone to condensation. I won't hold it against CFA as it's already been amended with the later versions. Add to that the finish which very easily chips off. Though I can see the appeal of how it would add some sort of patina to the overall look.
Cable:
It's thin neigh-weightless and sounds great. What's not to like? Kidding's aside I have 2 glaring issues with this version's cable. 1) The ear hooks are clunky and gets in the way. 2) They oxidize from the clear sheath to the translucent 3.5mm molded jack. I've also had an issue with my late CFA Nova cable's mmcx housing cracking, but willbe regarding it as an isolated issue as I've never encountered it on any of the other CFA iems I've owned.
Sound (1-3):
Generally, they have what I would consider a w-shaped signature some may consider them neutral, but they have too much of a midbass and subbass focus. (Pardon my lack of input in this area but I find it hard to describe a signature on its own, I feel much more confident and more talkative when I compare them to one another).
My listening rigs for this are:
-Apple dongle + Tidal
-Cayin N8 (Low gain, Solid state, P STD, Super Slow PCM Filter)
-Sony A105
1) Treble - Is odd. I'm frankly not a fan how the treble is on these (nor any of the versions I've had). It is quite extended in the upper regions giving rise to sibilance and harshness. There is a dip in the lower treble regions which results to a somewhat disjointed distinction between the treble vs the rest of the spectrum. Out of the 4 Andro versions I've owned these are by far the best sounding.
2) Midrange - is linearexcept for the added thickness due to midbass quantity. Regardless, there's barely any complaints from me. No particular spikes/dips. It is smooth and pleasing, I can perceive a bit of BA timbre but nothing too glaring.
3) Bass - It has quite the midbass amount and it gives the signature a lot of warmth making the whole thing sound musical yet barely any bloom/bleed. On to subbass, for an all BA iem it is surprising how much air it can move. It can't compete against DD bass but there's a lot of body here, albeit it doesn't dig deep.
Resolution:
It's hazy at times but for the most part, it's adequate. If it wasn't for the midbass quantity it would've been better and cleaner. I'll give more examples of how good/bad it can get in the comparisons. I always find describing resolution best portrayed through comparisons, describing something by itself would by default make it good.
Soundstage:
I feel it's bottlenecked by the midbass. I wish it was more expansive. Still, it never fails to deliver a holographic experience. It has satisfactory width, depth and height.
Imaging:
Despite sounding hazy, it is excellent! Summer Friends by Chance the Rapper is so immersive! But I find them source dependent. Imaging is nonexistent on some sources while others are exemplary.
Comparisons:
Just note that my iem's are very much tailored to my preferences. Some are very obscure and old (I still enjoy audio, but I don't care much for newly released iems).
~ I'll put out more comparisons once I get back to listening to my other stuff. ~
FlipEars Aim v4 ($500) + Effect Audio Cadmus ($230)
The Aim v4 is a warm mid-centric sounding iem with a more forward upper midrange and a boost in the lower mids. It's cleaner and smoother sounding in the treble region with no particularly glaring dips. Both have good midrange but Aim has the more euphonic and much more pleasing (though less realistic). In the Bass section, Aim has more midbass and subbass but Andro gives a more textured experience (in terms of preference I would lean towards aim's execution). Technicalities is where Andromeda trumps Aim in all areas. Resolution is unmistakably Andromeda's dub. Going from Andro to aim makes aim sound quite veiled. Andro also ends victorious in both soundstage and imaging due to aim sounding very in your head while Andro sounds exponentially out of your head.
Unique Melody 3DD-Ti ($1099) + Effect Audio Thor II ($400)
I'm a bit cheating here because i have the thor 2 in balanced format but regardless I have to include my favorite sounding iem! It is close to impossible to describe the 3DD-Ti's sound signature. Its treble is basically 3 spikes with dips in-between. It sounds unlike anything else. And i love it! But I'll stop gushing over my love for these.
To start, Andro has a more extended treble and significantly more linear. In terms of peaks, I much prefer 3DD-Ti's mainly because it avoids sounding harsh and sibilant. It does have a bit of nasality to it but is a non-issue after a while. On to midrange. Andromeda has a thicker more natural and upfront midrange. 3DD-Ti is considerably more recessed due to the lack of midbass, and the incredibly contrasting treble spikes and dips. For Bass, it's 3DD-Ti's win as it has body, physicality, even more texture, and way better decay. Resolution is way better on the 3DD and i have no clue why... Andromeda for imaging since 3DD-Ti's midrange is noticeably more recessed making instruments and vocals sound odd. Soundstage would be a tie for me. Regardless, 3DD-Ti has my heart <3
Campfire Atlas ($1299)
We all know at this point Ken Ball's favorite child the atlas. It is bassy, fun, and very very vibrant (and unforgivingly heavy on the ears sonically and physically). The atlas will always have a special place in my heart due to it reigniting my passion for audio. I sold a couple kilo buck iems for cheap for the reason of wanting a pair as soon as possible and have never looked back. I would give atlas the treble as it sounds the more linear of the 2, it still has the tendency to sound harsh and sibilant but this time the dip is gone making it more natural. Midrange i would say is Andro's win mainly due to atlas's tendency to smooth out/mask detail because of the amount of midbass. As if it's angry for midbass. Atlas's midbass bleeds and bloom and it confidently flaunts it. Subbass is a no competition for Atlas. Resolution I would reluctantly give to Andromeda because of Atlas smoothing out detail. For soundstage, it's a clear win for Andromeda due to (again) Atlas's amount of midbass making everything sound in your face (don't get me wrong, it is still very much technically proficient just not as much as Andromeda). As for imaging, there are times where Atlas sounded incredibly life like, but they were few and far between, so by default it's yet another win for Andromeda. In short Atlas is Andromeda if you crank the bass dial to max. It is just so vibrant that it drowns the competition.
Empire Ears Merlin ($2000) + Effect Audio Cadmus ($230)
These are a special edition Empire Ears Spartan IV with upgraded internals + Effect Audio Rowan cable (which i don't have anymore). These stay true to the Spartan's lean, neutral, and somewhat analytical signature. I'll start with treble. I would say both are sufficiently extended but merlin having a more linear no sibilance/harshness gets my pick. Midrange, both are very good, but I prefer merlin's due to it having no added note thickness. For bass, Merlin is definitely leaner sounding, but have the same physicality and punch with having a proper decay yet again gets me pick. Resolution goes to Merlin, the lack of midbass makes Merlin very technically adept. But Andromeda wins in terms of soundstage and imaging because of how effortless it can paint and immerse you.
VS the previous Andromeda's I've owned:
(I will be lifting my impressions off my post on the Andro thread here)
"As for my previous andros, I'll start with v2 which was the oddest sounding to me. It was very very warm, and bass barely had any slam, it was bloaty beyond belief enough so that my $550 iem (flipears aim v4) had better slam. Now off to v3, I liked how the smoky Litz looked and felt when worn but now the issue with it was that there's not much dynamics to it. It, at times, would sound monotonous and somewhat dead sounding. As for 2020, it was what I thought to be the best out of the bunch just from reviews alone, but I found it too warm sounding for my liking."
As for the different Andromeda iterations:
V1 - Aluminum nozzle. The edges are sharp with no beveling but the most telltale sign is the use of a torx screw (looks like the Montblanc logo).
V1.5 - introduced the newer tri-wing screw heads. Has beveling around the edges improving the comfort (can attest to the comfort since my nova v1 had no beveling and i would always end with sore ears with that one). also, more beveled nozzle (I can't quite remember this)
V2 - First to use the stainless-steel nozzle.
V3 - smoothed out finish, no more milling lines, first to come with the smoky Litz cable.
V4/2020 - New nozzle design with the horizontal lines instead of the 3 bores (fixes the condensation build up issue). More rounded housing
Drivability:
These are notorious in the community for being such a sensitive iem. They can and will sound different on different sources. I wish I had more sources with me, but I've since been inactive in the hobby ever since I bought my grail Fourte's.
+ Apple Dongle (Tidal) - with the current trends in the hobby and a particular person saying that apple dongle is enough of a source, I went ahead and bought one and as much of a DAP purist that I am I have to admit it's not that bad an experience. Sure, the SQ won't blow you away nor are there any hint of technicalities but for an ultra-mobile solution its good. Now onto the sound, it is very warm sounding. The treble sounds quite tame here, more probably to do with the midbass being more aggressive than what I am normally used to with DAP's. Midrange sounds about the same as with my experience with other daps but subbass sounds way more rounded, it doesn't dig that deep but there's considerably more. Also, shockingly, there is zero hiss here!
+ Sony A105 (Tidal)
(My preferred combo) Compared to with the Apple Dongle, the a105 is more resolving with better midbass control and avoids sounding monotonous. Compared to with the N8, the treble is smoother and less piercing. The dip is still present but more subtle this time. Midrange sounds more neutral here with no added note thickness, Midbass isn't as forward this time, as if it's in the back adding warmth to the whole signature. Subbass, like the midbass took a back step and is now lesser in quantity but with the caveat of losing body, punch and even texture. It doesn't really get holographic with this combo. There is a bit of hiss here...
+ Cayin N8 (Flac - DSD)
Very good end to end extension to the point where it's too much. There's too much treble here and bass region outright makes it sound somewhat like a DD everything sounds very nuanced and textured. This is where it sounds holographic the most, to the point where i have more expensive iems that pales in comparison. Another con i would like to raise is the dips. Because everything sounds very spacious the dips are becoming more and more apparent. timbre at times sound very wonky. It tends to sound disjointed as if there's 2 separate areas, upper treble (TAEC driver) and the rest of the spectrum (regular BA drivers). Sad to say there is also hiss here.
Conclusion:
What else can I say? The Andromeda is what truly put CFA in the market, some purists will say it's the Jupiter, but CFA never again captured lighting in the bottle as with the Andromeda, they literally hit the jackpot with it. Just by looking at the sheer number of iterations/special editions is enough to warrant such a claim. I remember my first time hearing a v1 Andromeda back in 2017 when I met up with a friend. At the time I was sporting a nova and wanted to know how much of a difference they had and man I was shocked to hear something so airy, dynamic, pleasant, etc. It was then and there that I understood what audio can do lol. After all these years, they still do sound good just not really what I would say competitive to more recent releases. Regardless of what I have said, I think every enthusiast should at least once, try the Andromeda. Whether it be positive or negative these iems are nothing short of legendary.
