avwatch | stella

PRESS COVERAGE | JANUARY 8, 2026

Renowned Japanese audio reviewer Yoshihiro Sasaki of AVWatch interviews VOLK Audio founder Jack Vang and shares his listening impressions of STELLA, the collaborative in-ear monitor developed with Astell&Kern.

The article covers STELLA’s development philosophy, its relationship to ÉTOILE, and AV Watch’s evaluation of its sound. The following is an English translation of the original Japanese article.

Translated from AV Watch:

Next was the AIUTO booth, which featured an unusually rich lineup of new products this year.

The first product that caught our attention was “STELLA,” an earphone jointly developed by Astell & Kern and the newly launched VOLK Audio (estimated price: ¥700,000; scheduled for release this winter).

VOLK Audio is a brand newly established by Jack Vang, who previously worked on development at the long-established Empire Ears. Its first release, “ÉTOILE,” has drawn significant attention for its high-quality sound, developed in collaboration with a renowned studio engineer based in Los Angeles.

The new model STELLA is equipped with a total of 12 drivers:

  • For low frequencies: a 9mm dynamic driver and dual BA (balanced armature) drivers

  • For mid frequencies: 3 BA drivers

  • For high frequencies: VOLK’s proprietary MP-2 dual planar drivers, along with four Sonion EST drivers

The housing is made of luxurious stainless steel, in keeping with Astell & Kern’s design language.

For reference, ETOILE is a 10-driver model, featuring:

  • A 10mm dynamic driver for low frequencies

  • Four BA drivers for mid frequencies

  • VOLK’s proprietary M8 planar magnetic driver and Sonion quad EST drivers for high frequencies

Incidentally, STELLA and ETOILE both mean “star,” in Italian and French respectively.

This time, developer Jack Vang visited Japan, giving us the opportunity to conduct an interview.

Founder: Jack Vang

When asked about the relationship between STELLA and ÉTOILE, Jack responded as follows:

“We felt we needed a partner who shared our high ideals, and Astell & Kern was the perfect fit. STELLA and ETOILE were developed in parallel during the same period, and they share a sibling relationship. Both were developed in collaboration with studio engineer Michael Graves, and we believe that ‘accuracy’ and ‘emotion’ are one and the same.”

Accurate, monitor-like sound and emotionally engaging, musical sound are often thought to be opposing qualities. However, the idea that they are actually the same is a compelling perspective, especially from an engineer striving to faithfully capture the performance of passionate musicians.

Jack then went on to explain the differences in driver configuration between STELLA and ETOILE:

“Although STELLA and ETOILE are siblings, they have distinct personalities. STELLA reflects Astell & Kern’s requirements, placing emphasis on brilliance in the high frequencies and speed in the low frequencies. That is why STELLA uses two MP-2 dual planar drivers for the highs and a hybrid configuration of dynamic and BA drivers for the lows.

ETOILE reflects my personal preferences more strongly, with greater emphasis on midrange and high-frequency texture. For that reason, ETOILE uses the M8 driver, which prioritizes texture in the upper frequencies.”

We then had the opportunity to listen to STELLA.

While it shares common traits with ETOILE—such as an expansive soundstage and extremely high resolution—its tuning clearly differs from its sibling. The treble is sharper and more brilliantly sparkling, while the low frequencies feel tighter and more incisive. Overall, STELLA presents a more glamorous character compared to ÉTOILE.

Although STELLA and ÉTOILE are sibling models with distinct sonic signatures, it was clear that they both share VOLK Audio’s core philosophy: that accuracy and emotion are fundamentally the same.

— Yoshihiro Sasaki, AV Watch