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A Star is Born - VOLK Audio Étoile Part 2
After unboxing the new Volk Audio ÉTOILE Now it's time to get down to the nitty-gritty—the sound. A few days have passed, and I've been able to get a good first impression of the ÉTOILE's qualities.
As always, I use my incorruptible "workhorse", the Lotoo Mjolnir to eliminate any "coloration" or deficiencies from the source. The Mjölnir is neutrally tuned in the best sense of the word, consists of the highest quality components, and is simply a masterpiece in terms of sound and construction. So, definitely no limitations are to be expected from this side.
I also tested for a short time with the new Hiby R8II Aluminumto evaluate the ÉTOILE with a more "down-to-earth" mobile setup.
Reference?
Naturally, I wondered what the collaboration with a world-class audio engineer like Michael Graves actually achieved. Is this just a typical marketing stunt or a serious collaboration to achieve the most realistic and natural tuning possible?
I've known Jack Vang for a few years now and had no doubt that he would pull out all the stops with his debut album, Volk Audio.
The first bars of my favorite testing song "Long After You're Gone" from Chris Jones give me goosebumps. I've heard this piece hundreds of times and know every nuance of the title.
The acoustic guitar kicks in, then the bass, and the corners of my mouth rise toward my ears. When Chris starts singing, the hair on my arms stands on end and pleasant shivers run through my body.
Yes, I have heard the piece many times before, even at the highest level, but this time is different.
Reference!
This time, when sharing my listening impressions, I would like to simply limit myself to what I heard and felt, rather than going into detail about individual frequencies or characteristics, because what I hear here is realism and pure emotion!
It's neither an overly large stage nor a massive sub-bass, nor any other gimmicks that impress me.
The ÉTOILE IEMs don't exaggerate anything, nor do they omit anything. They simply deliver Coherence, realism, naturalness paired with an intensity of representation, which only a few headphones or in-ear monitors are capable of.
I am involuntarily reminded of the original Empire Ears Odin, which back then (almost 5 years ago) were the last word in reference tuning for many music lovers and to some extent still are today.
In fact, the ÉTOILE are closer to the original Odin than the new Odin MKII – at least to my ears. They simply opted for a new tuning that stands out tonally from its predecessor, and I absolutely appreciate that.
But back to the ÉTOILE.
You can hear that an incredible amount of work has gone into the tuning! With guitars, other plucked instruments, and strings, you can practically "taste" the strings. You can hear and feel the resonance, and within an ensemble, each individual instrument can be clearly distinguished—if you so desire.
The singers take center stage, and their voices sound natural and sonorous. There's no exaggeration here either. Everything seems coherent and seamless.
Live recordings in small clubs sound intimate, while recordings in large spaces, such as Mercedes Sosa's Misa Criolla, allow the space - in this case a large church - to emerge realistically in the listener's mind.Mercedes Sosa hurls her singing into the room with fervor, the choir in the background joins in and I have goosebumps again! I know this album inside and out, but it's still like I'm hearing it for the first time.
It's difficult for me not to simply sit and enjoy the music, but to judge the ÉTOILE and write down my thoughts. It's almost repugnant to me, because Right now I am more immersed in the music than ever before.
How long can goosebumps actually last? Minutes, hours? Whatever is happening to my body right now, it feels amazing!
Conclusion
With the ÉTOILE, Jack Vang has achieved something that is rarely achieved in this form:
"An in-ear monitor that lets you immerse yourself in the music and forget everything around you."
However, thanks to their reference tuning, the ÉTOILE are just as well suited to evaluating and analyzing recordings - as long as you manage to stay focused and not get lost in the depths of the music.
And that answers my initial question: The collaboration with Michael Graves was and is not a "marketing stunt." Jack and Michael have combined all their experience to create a product that is nothing short of amazing.
The ÉTOILE is a statement of what is possible when passion, experience, determination and cooperation come together.
The result is a pair of in-ear monitors that will satisfy both music lovers and professionals. I can hardly imagine a better debut for VOLK Audio, and I'm delighted for my friend Jack Vang and all customers who choose this special product!
Oh yes: I'm extremely excited to see what VOLK Audio has planned for the future; what "magical" products Jack can pull out of his hat.
The VOLK Audio ÉTOILE can now tested at home or in our showroom and of course can be ordered!
Other interesting blogs on the topic
A Star is born - Volk Audio ÉTOILE Part 1