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John
Andromeda — a Greek mythological character, a galaxy far far away, a TV show and one of Campfire Audio’s most lauded IEMs. From the floor of the Hong Kong AV Show 2019, Ken Ball and co. have announced a special edition Andromeda – Andromeda Gold – whose supply will be limited to 1000 pieces worldwide and will sell for US$1299.
Andromeda Gold sports a machined aluminium body, anodized black and sealed with 24K Gold screws. Sound is routed into the ear canal via a black PVD stainless steel spout. Protection comes from a supplied ‘premium’ black leather case.
A FOMO-driven cosmetic upgrade? Nope. Not by a long shot. To the Gold, Ball has added a pair of bass drivers to each side for a 7-driver design. The Andromeda Gold, loaded with four bass drivers per side, promise greater low-end muscle and better dynamics – plus a more V-shaped listening experience – than the original’s 5-driver implementation.
The changes don’t end there. Andromeda Gold is a crossover-free IEM with each driver allowed to roll off at its own limits. “The drivers are unaltered. They are run full bore and with no passive components applied,” says Ball via email from Hong Kong.
Tuning was reportedly executed by shaping each driver’s internal plumbing and output bore. Ball refers to this as “analogue acoustic shaping” and, in the Andromeda Gold, is implemented in addition to the high drivers’ Tuned Acoustic Expansion Chamber (TAEC).
The limited-edition model’s 8 Ohm (@ 1K) input impedance is lower than the original’s 16 Ohm specification and Ball reports THD as sitting at under 1%.
Ball again: “I chose drivers that play well together so that (for example) when the low end starts dropping off, the mid takes over but is manipulated via 3-D plumbing such that there are no suck outs or phase issues.”
Such engineering smarts further cement Campfire Audio’s reputation as an IEM manufacturer who spends considerable R&D (read: time and money) on optimising driver performance whilst pushing the envelope with materials and industrial design.
The Andromeda Gold will be available to purchase from 20th August.
Further information: Campfire Audio
