Campfire Audio’s Andromeda IEM is a true masterclass in audio craftsmanship, and now the brand is back with a newly designed version worth its weight in envy. The Andromeda Emerald Sea features five custom dual-diaphragm balanced armatures in an impressive array that provides increased output and fullness without inherent distortion Read More
It's Voltswagen Beetle vs Audi S6. Both will get you to a destination; the experience is quite different. As to the $1,000, that depends on how important that sum is to you. At $100 or less, I'm a fan of the 1More triple driver.
I don't have the Emerald Sea, but I do have the Andromeda 2020, as well as a slew of other items ranging from under $200 (7Hz Timeless) to over $500 (Moondrop Variations).
The Andromeda 2020 are the first IEMs that made me put my HD600s away; the first IEMs that I might choose to grab even at home or at my desk. They just simply disappear, and fill your skull cavity with clear, smooth, vibrant music like I have never heard in an IEM.
That said, they are VERY finicky about what DAC/AMP you use. Apple Dongle is actually good enough. Hip-Dac2 and just about anything plugged into a wall has audible noise (fixed by an iFi IEMatch, which I definitely recommend if you get the Andromedas). One of my absolute favorite pairings is a Cayin RU6 -> IEMatch -> Andromeda 2020.
Of note, I bought my Andromeda 2020s used for ~$600.
PS: I had the Andromeda 2020 (just traded them in for the new Fathom). From what I've read, the Emerald Sea version is tuned differently than its Andromeda predecessors; it's more V shaped than reference tuned. For my listening preferences, I wouldn't trade the 2020 for the Emerald Sea