Andromeda 10 vs Chimera: which needs more amplifier?

The Campfire Audio Andromeda 10 is 8.5Ω at 111.6 dB/mW; the Campfire Audio Chimera is 5.5Ω at 108.1 dB/mW. This page covers what they ask of an amplifier, not how they sound.

The Chimera needs 3.5 dB more than the Andromeda 10 to reach the same loudness — 0.15 mW against 0.07 mW.

The numbers that decide it

SpecificationAndromeda 10Chimera
Impedance8.5 Ω5.5 Ω
Sensitivity111.6 dB/mW108.1 dB/mW
Sensitivity (voltage)132.3 dB/V130.7 dB/V
Power for 100 dB0.07 mW0.15 mW
Voltage for 100 dB24 mV29 mV
Current for 100 dB2.9 mA5.3 mA
Highest source impedance
that leaves them alone (one-eighth rule)
1.06 Ω0.69 Ω
Sources that reach 100 dB
out of 280
280280

Where the two part company

Every source in the database that drives one of them drives the other. On power, the choice between these two changes nothing about what amplifier you need.

42 sources are low enough in output impedance for the Andromeda 10 under the one-eighth rule but not for the Chimera (FiiO SnowSky Tiny B, FiiO KA11, JDS Labs Atom+ (2nd gen), 39 more).

9 sources stay below the audible-hiss threshold with the Chimera but cross it with the Andromeda 10 (FiiO KA13, FiiO K11, Schiit Vali 3, 6 more).

280 of the 280 sources here reach 100 dB on both.

What each one needs from 80 to 105 dB

The Chimera is more demanding than 3% of the 567 non-electrostatic models in this database; the Andromeda 10 than 2%.

dB SPLAndromeda 10 powerAndromeda 10 voltageChimera powerChimera voltage
800.7 µW2 mV1.5 µW3 mV
852.2 µW4 mV4.9 µW5 mV
906.9 µW8 mV0.02 mW9 mV
950.02 mW14 mV0.05 mW16 mV
1000.07 mW24 mV0.15 mW29 mV
1050.22 mW43 mV0.49 mW52 mV

The cheapest source that satisfies both

SourcePriceHeadroom, Andromeda 10Headroom, ChimeraOutput impedanceNoise
JadeAudio JA11$2020.6 dB15.2 dB0.5 Ω1.7 µV
FiiO BTR13$5929.6 dB24.3 dB0.6 Ω1.0 µV
iBasso DC03 Pro$6925.8 dB20.4 dB0.12 Ω0.9 µV

Of the 280 sources here, 280 reach 100 dB on both. 21 of them also publish an output impedance low enough for both under the one-eighth rule and a noise figure that stays below the audible-hiss threshold with both.

The cheapest of the 21 is the JadeAudio JA11, at $20. It leaves 20.6 dB of headroom on the Andromeda 10 and 15.2 dB on the Chimera, its output impedance is 0.5 Ω against a one-eighth limit of 1.06 Ω and 0.69 Ω, and its noise figure puts the hiss floor 3 dB and 5 dB below the 20 dB SPL this site treats as the point where a quiet room stops hiding it.

Try any other source.

What each sheet prints, and what it is worth

ModelAs printedToleranceStandard
Andromeda 105-20 kHznot printednot printed
Chimera5-20 kHznot printednot printed

Campfire Audio prints the same thing for both the Andromeda 10 and the Chimera: 5-20 kHz.

Neither range has a tolerance printed beside it, so the matching numbers say little.

Not a measurement; maker by maker.

Both pages in full

Both have a page of their own. In full: Campfire Audio Andromeda 10 and Campfire Audio Chimera. Every figure on this page comes from what Campfire Audio published, or is derived from it — what that maker publishes, counted.

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