PROS: Andromeda ‘Emerald Sea’: Warm with good clarity and excellent imaging, very engaging, great build quality, excellent fit (for me), still at a reasonable price.
Solaris ‘Stellar Horizon’: Neutral, detailed oriented IEMs that do not forgo musicality, great build quality, good fit.
CONS: Price (Solaris).
Disclaimer
I would like to thank Ken Ball of Campfire Audio for providing Twister6 with the Campfire Audio Andromeda ‘Emerald Sea’ and Solaris ‘Stellar Horizon’, and Alex/Twister6 for letting me borrow them and the 2020 Andromeda and Solaris for this review. No incentive was given for a favorable review.
Andromeda ‘Emerald Sea’
- Drivers: Five Dual-Diaphragm Balanced Armatures (2x low, 1x mid, 2x high)
- Frequency Response: 5Hz – 20kHz
- Sensitivity: 11.84 mVrms to reach 94db
- Impedance: 6.375 Ohm at 1 kHz
- Shell: Anodized machined aluminum housing with Stainless steel accents
- Price: $1,399.00
Solaris ‘Stellar Horizon’
- Drivers: 10mm Dynamic Driver with Radial Venting and three Dual-Diaphragm Balanced Armatures (1x mid, 2x high)
- Frequency Response: 5Hz – 20kHz
- Sensitivity: 9.145 mVrms to reach 94db
- Impedance: 4.4 Ohm at 1 kHz
- Shell: Brushed Stainless Steel Shell with Custom Brass Inlay in Laser-Cut Acrylic
- Price: $2,599.00
Links:
https://www.facebook.com/campfireaudio/
Preamble.
And here they are lying on my desk. I can’t remember when I first heard about them, when I first saw them. Those machined aluminum shells with the three silver torx screws contrasting against the anodized green. All I remember is that I wanted those Andromeda in my life. It didn’t help that over the years the Andromeda reached an iconic status, while I never found the opportunity to hear them. Not even a brief demo. And here they are. Two sets in fact. The Andromeda 2020 and the latest version, the Andromeda ‘Emerald Sea’.
Now, when I review, I generally use a fixed routine where I write the preamble to my review last so that it fits with the rest of the review. But I can’t, I have to write and capture this moment. It is funny because I don’t really get excited anymore when I review. Reviewing is still fun and I am always interested in exploring new gear, but I rarely savour the moment these days. So, picture the setting: I just made myself a cup of ‘slow’ coffee, set up my MacBook, connected my Lotoo PAW Gold Touch, started up Tidal and plugged in the Emerald Sea… Oh please don’t be $h1t and crush my hopes and dreams.
And with that cliff hanger, let’s introduce the second lead character of this review: The Solaris ‘Stellar Horizon’, also accompanied by its 2020 sibling (thanks Alex!). Although I don’t have the same historical and emotional bond with the Solaris as with the Andromeda, they have most certainly piqued my curiosity ever since their original version was introduced back in 2018. There was a huge buzz around their release and I believe Alex even did his one and only ever post solely dedicated to unboxing a new release for the original Solaris. Much like the Andromeda, the Solaris have been a staple of Campfire Audio’s IEM offerings ever since, going through a gradual evolution along the way. The ‘Stellar Horizon’ is the latest iteration and it looks super sleek with its curvy brushed stainless-steel housing. Let’s see if the sound matches the gorgeous looks.
Unboxing.
When the Andromeda ‘Emerald Sea’ and Solaris ‘Stellar Horizon’ were initially released, both came with an elaborate wooden box where you could stand the lid upright and insert a hand that could be used to display the IEMs. It was certainly one of the most creative ideas I have seen over the years. It seems however that Campfire Audio no longer does this, as a disclaimer on their website reads: “Andromeda Emerald Sea has been updated with streamlined packaging and no longer comes in the wooden display box“. This disclaimer is not included with the ‘Stellar Horizon’, but neither does it mention the display box or the hand. To avoid any misunderstandings, I will therefore simply stick with listing what comes in the box as stated on the website.
In the box you will find:
- Black (Solaris), Dark Green (Andromeda) Leather Folding Case (Handmade in Portugal)
- Three Time Stream Cables (2.5mm, 3.5mm, 4.4mm)
- Black (Solaris), Dark Green (Andromeda) Two-Pocket Mesh IEM Bag
- Selection of Eartips (Foam and Silicone in S, M, L)
- IEM Cleaning Tool
- Campfire Lapel Pin
The included cables are of a premium quality and it is very considerate to include the various options for SE or balanced connections. I do think it would be better to use a plug that has an interchangeable connector. That way only one cable would be needed and the quality of interchangeable plugs can be pretty good (in my experience).
Build Quality and Fit.
As always, the build quality of Campfire Audio’s IEMs is superb. The main difference between these two IEMs is that the ‘Emerald Sea’ have a machined aluminum housing, while the ‘Stellar Horizon’ have their housing in brushed stainless steel. Both feel very solid and although they do have some weight to them, I did not find them heavy in use.
The fit between these two also differs somewhat. I had the best fit with the ‘Emerald Sea’ because they do not sit as deep as the ‘Stellar Horizon’. The latter sit deeper and I think I might have been able to achieve a better fit with different tips. I opted against that because I wanted to use the exact same tips for my comparisons and was already able to get a comfortable fit like this. If I would use them for longer, I would probably see if smaller tips would get the IEMs to sit flusher in my ears.
Twister6 Reviews 