So you’ve finally decided to take a leap and buy some high-end audiophile earphones. You’ve read the forums, you’ve watched the Youtube videos, and finally you’ve narrowed it down to two earphones: the Campfire Andromeda and the Campfire Vega. The Vega is $200 more expensive than the Andromeda, but from what you can tell, both are look and sound great. So how do you decide? Today I’ll try to help make the call a little easier with this Campfire Audio Andromeda vs Campfire Audio Vega comparison review.
Comparison Review of Campfire Audio Andromeda vs Campfire Audio Vega
Design
Both the Campfire Andromeda earphones and the Campfire Vega earphones have similarities in their designs. They are both graced with the super high-quality Litz cable. Additionally, they both benefit from Campfire Audio’s quality assurance system which ensures each individual earphone is tested and paired with another most like it.
Campfire Audio Vega
The biggest design difference between the Andromeda and Vega are their drivers. The Campfire Vega has one non-crystalline diamond-carbon driver. It is 8.5mm and these are the first earphones to implement this design.
Campfire Audio Andromeda
By contrast, the Campfire Andromeda has five balanced armature drivers: two for the low frequencies, one for the mid frequencies, and two more for the high frequencies. Additionally, the driver housing includes a small chamber called the TAEC (tuned acoustic expansion chamber) which delivers an extended frequency response in the low lows and high highs.
As a result of these differences between the two, the Campfire Vega has a smaller driver housing than the Campfire Andromeda. This may affect how they both fit, although their shapes are both kind to different sized ears. I usually struggle with the fit of various in-ears, but these were both pretty painless.
Sound
While both earphones have similarities in their sound signatures, the most noticable difference between the two lies in their midranges. The Campfire Vega has a more scooped mid range, despite a boost at 4.5kHz. As a result, the body of many vocals, but especially male vocals, is quieter in the mix than the the Campfire Andromeda. However, for brighter vocals, particularly in pop music, the vocals sound present and crispy. By contrast, the Andromeda has a thicker midrange which feels more intimate with many vocal performances to my ear. It is also better for genres that rely on midrange clarity and thickness like orchestra, punk, and metal music. Additionally, it reacts more musically to acoustic instruments like piano, horns, and acoustic guitars. On the other hand, the Campfire Vega sounds more interesting, spacious, and lively with synthesized instruments like you’d find in EDM, hip-hop, or pop music.
Both earphones have a boost around 10kHz and as a result, can sometimes feel sibilant with female vocals or jazzy saxophones and cymbals. The high frequencies are interesting to compare. The Andromeda feels more spacious up above–probably because of the TAEC. However, the Vega feels more spacious in the low-highs because of its midrange scoop.
While the Andromeda sounds louder and more in-your-face, don’t mistake this for harshness. This quality makes it a lot of fun to listen to heavier rock music, metal, and punk.
The Conclusion –Â Campfire Andromeda vs Campfire Vega Comparison Review
Overall, I prefer the Campfire Andromeda to the Campfire Vega. It is better for a wider array of genres that I personally listen to and has a thicker mid range. Both earphones, however, are extremely detailed but also wonderfully musical.
The Campfire Andromeda and the Campfire Vega are available for the best price here:
Campfire Andromeda (2nd Edition) at Audio46
Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020 at Audio46
Campfire Audio Vega 2020 at Audio46
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