Volk Audio may be a new name in the IEM scene, but Volk founder Jack Vang has years of experience crafting flagship IEMs as part of Empire Ears. Volk aims to take the tuning and design expertise from projects like Empire Ears Raven and the Astell&Kern x Empire Ears NOVUS, and bring a whole new product line with a new perspective to the market. Volk’s first IEM, ETOILE (French for "star" - often used of the lead dancer in a ballet company), is a collaboration between Jack Vang and 5-time Grammy Winning sound engineer Michael Graves. While at first glance ETOILE bears many similarities to products like Raven, is there something new and different about ETOILE that will help it stand out in the increasingly crowded flagship market?
Build and Design
In terms of physical design, ETOILE takes a lot of notes from the Empire Ears Raven. The resin that makes up the majority of the shell as well as the general size and shape of ETOILE are very similar to Raven. The faceplate has a more unique character though, with a 24K gold-plated frame over a thin piece of Saffiano leather. The fit was slightly better than I expected and despite the size, I was able to get a good seal with a variety of tips.
The package is very luxurious, particularly the first run of the product: the limited Founder’s Edition. Included are a Saffiano leather case, the Limited Edition Arc Cable, and a selection of eartips, along with a personal thank you from Volk Audio founder, Jack Vang.
Internally, ETOILE is a 10-driver quadbrid, but it’s missing the bone conduction drivers typically associated with quadbrid designs. Instead you get a single dynamic driver, four balanced armatures, four electrostatic, and one magnetostatic driver. The proprietary M8 magnetostatic tweeter is probably the most immediately unique part of the internal design, as you typically expect dual-dynamic or bone conduction in this sort of form factor. Can ETOILE deliver the goods with this unexpected twist in the design?
Sound
ETOILE is not an IEM that you’re going to pick up for a demo and immediately have your socks blown off. Instead, ETOILE will hook you with holographic imaging, incredible clarity and detail, and then reel you in with incredible layering and one of the best overall midrange tunings I’ve ever heard in an IEM.
ETOILE’s bass is fast, clean, and features incredible texture and great subbass extension. The combination of speed, texture, and extension is especially impressive considering that there’s only one dynamic driver covering the whole range.
Where ETOILE shines most is in the midrange. ETOILE has a clear, natural, effortless midrange presentation that delivers clarity, detail, and layering that is impressive even at its $3999 price point. Vocals are very well placed in the mix, offering a personal, intimate performance that puts you in a room with the artist, when that’s what the recording delivers, or massive arena filling vocals on the other side.
The treble offers impressive resolution, air, and extension while avoiding harsh or fatiguing elements. For the amount of extension that ETOILE provides, it’s impressive how infrequently ETOILE sounds bright or strident.
ETOILE’s focus on midrange detail over massive bass or extreme treble energy is one way that it favors the slow burn of excellence over immediate “wow” factor, and another is in its imaging presentation. ETOILE has a very well-balanced soundstage that delivers depth and height in equal proportions to the width, meaning that the presentation is very three-dimensional and immersive, but it doesn’t feel as massive or wide as some of the competition. There’s a ton of weight and body to the imaging that gives ETOILE a genuinely holographic feeling and can really put you in the room with an artist on a good recording.
With acoustic guitars, energetic drums and bass, and a slightly nasally vocal delivery, “Breaking the Girl” by Red Hot Chili Peppers is a great of both the technical capability and musicality of your headphones. ETOILE presents the acoustic guitar with a natural, clean timbre, and crisp strums. The bass guitar has great texture and a good physical pluck, while the drums hit hard and fast, with crisp cymbal hits and great impact on the toms and kick. The vocals are front and center, but stay out of potentially fatiguing ranges, while the backing vocals present some surprisingly good imaging with a sort of ethereal placement above and around the band.
“Everybody” by Ingrid Michaelson offers a more intimate presentation. The small ensemble of acoustic instruments sound warm and natural, placed around Ingrid in the room. The lead vocal feels slightly bright and very personal. The drums have physical, palpable, smack and bunch. ETOILE’s imaging puts the listener in a front row seat to a living room concert, and by the end the clean, perfectly layered overdubbed vocals will have you completely surrounded.
While there’s no bone conduction in this set, ETOILE still does an amazing job with the ultra deep subbass rumbles on Hans Zimmer’s Blade Runner 2049 soundtrack. The slow impact at the start of “2049” feels immense and offers a strong physical sensation all the way down the frequency spectrum. The piano and accompanying ambient synthesizers feel like they’re floating above the listener until another massive wave hits, shaking your brain and providing the sensation of a skyline filled with sound. While many IEMs offer a wide soundstage, few can capture this sort of immense height and depth, but ETOILE delivers in an incredible way.
Comparison: Empire Ears Odin MK2, FATfreq Grand Maestro Anniversary
ETOILE is releasing in the middle of a wave of excellent flagship IEMs. Between Empire Ears Odin Mk2, FATfreq Grand Maestro Anniversary (GMA), and more upcoming releases this summer, there are a ton of options for IEM fans this summer. So how does ETOILE stack up compared to the competition?
In terms of build and design, all three use gold to create an impressive, luxurious look, but ETOILE stands out for me in its more understated use of gold and leather in the design. In terms of the fit, ETOILE’s lighter weight also makes it a strong pick, though Odin Mk2 and Grand Maestro Anniversary feel more impressive to hold, and are perhaps a step up in build quality, if not in fit or visuals.
GMA also has an ace up its sleeve that none of the competition can match: a module system that allows you to tune the IEM by adjusting the venting and airflow. The SuperStage module makes for an exceedingly impressive soundstage, while the Black module offers a good balance of bass control and powerful dynamics. Overall it’s an excellent feature that helps GMA stand out from the crowd.
In terms of the tuning and audio performance, while many aspects of the three are fairly close, there are a number of larger differences. In terms of soundstage, Grand Maestro Anniversary presents the largest, most expansive space, and Odin Mk2 comes in second. ETOILE isn’t as wide as the others, nor does it feel as big in general, but it’s stronger in some more specific elements of the imaging. In those imaging elements, ETOILE is the best separated and most holographic overall, with Odin Mk2 coming in second, while GMA can feel a little more diffuse and less weighty and holographic in the imaging presentation.
Overall, ETOILE sounds the most balanced of the three, with no specific range or element of the music being more highlighted than the rest. Odin Mk2 brings vocals more forward while also having some extra emphasis on clarity and separation as well. Grand Maestro Anniversary hits the hardest, and offers the strongest bass dynamics and subbass extension.
The Bottom Line
Volk Audio had a lot to prove with ETOILE, and they went above and beyond demonstrating not just their ability to craft an excellent IEM, but also to craft one that stands out from the crowd with unique characteristics, and a refreshing tuning that perfectly balances accuracy, timbre, and musicality. ETOILE absolutely deserves a place next to the best flagship IEMs out there.
