Astell&Kern x VISION EARS Aura IEM Earphones

Astell&Kern x VISION EARS Aura IEM Earphones

 

If you're looking for a premium listening experience with superior sound quality and design, the AURA in-ear monitor earphones by Vision Ears and Astell&Kern are perfect for you. Featuring a total of 11 drivers, the AURA's are designed with precision, allowing for perfect response and balance through the five-way crossover. The delicate shell and mesh structure made with high-quality materials, allows these IEMs to produce a rich and natural sound that will bring your music to life.

Handcrafted at Vision Ears’ headquarters in Cologne, Germany, the AURA is equipped with two precise 8mm low dynamic drivers and eight balanced armature drivers for a powerful, warm mid-range as well as a balanced armature super tweeter to deliver crisp yet delicate high notes.

 

Features

• Hybrid 11 Driver IEM, two precise 8mm low dynamic drivers and nine balanced armature drivers for breath-taking audio performance
• 2 x 8 mm Al-Mg Low Dynamic Drivers in Isobaric configuration for outstanding deep, dynamic and well-controlled bass
• A 1st grade five-way crossover with proprietary circuitry
• T6 heat treated Precision-Milled Aluminium Shell with acoustic chamber
• Open-structure design features a vacuum metal mesh circulating air from the dynamic driver to control the powerful resonating internal forces
• Effect Audio Custom Cable (4.4mm, 3.5mm)
• Leather Accessories
• Suede Cleaner
• 6 pairs of AZLA SE1500 Tips (SS / S / SM / M / ML / L)
• 4 pairs of Mesh Filters
• Handcrafted in Germany
• Made from Swiss 6061-T6 aluminium

 

Material Innovation and Craftsmanship

The AURA earphones are a beautiful piece of engineering excellence, featuring bold, yet unique designs that embody Astell&Kern and Vision Ears commitment to precision and innovation. The matte gun metal-colored shell exudes agility and modernity, while the warm bronze-coloured faceplate has a subtle sheen that adds sophistication. The front plate's CNC processing line is not only aesthetically-pleasing but also serves to optimise the internal components for superior sound quality. The curved grille is a subtle but striking detail. Crafted from sturdy Swiss 6061-T6 aluminum and with T6 heat treatment for extra strength, each part is individually milled to the highest precision. The AURA's are the perfect fusion of style and expertise.

 

The Micro Groove Design Faceplate

The Micro Groove Design is applied with surface treatment for milling process. Grooves are dug along the grain of the raw material to create a unique design, before the product is moved to a precision-tailored jig for laser engraving. This process is not just a standard laser process but a special laser process that eliminates parts of the raw material to engrave letters 0.5 mm deep while adding depth to the engravings. Next, the component is treated with oil to prevent oxidation, packaged, anodised, and given a custom dark bronze colour.

 

Precision-Milled Aluminum Shell

Unlike the faceplate, the shell is oil-sealed and then handed to the polishing master. The faceplate is engraved with an esthetic design element, and the surfaces of shells are polished through a special sand-blast refinement process. Otherwise, marks will be left from the tools used, so each shell is polished like mirror by hand. Then, after sand-blasting and anodising, the shell is ready to be given Vision Ears' custom warm gray color.
The AURA shell is the result of thousands of hours of work, including cutting diamonds out of rough rocks with carefully selected materials, precision processes, and specialised tools.

 

Internal Structure

 

 

 

	2 x 8mm AI-Mg Low Dynamic Drivers - (Sub-low & low) The 8-mm isobaric dynamic drivers offer powerful output and precision sound. Two 8-mm dynamic drivers handle the low and mid-low frequency ranges, offering tighter, more precise, and better tuned bass thanks to their exquisite design.
	Eight Drivers: Two Sets of Four Balanced Armature Drivers - (Mid-low) (Mid) (Mid-high) It comes with specially selected four mid-low balanced armature (BA) drivers and four mid and mid-high BA drivers with two pairs of dual BA drivers that combine to handle the mid and mid-high frequency range. The carefully selected eight BA drivers work together to create precision mid-range sound and produce warm and emotional male and female vocals.
	1 Balanced Armature Super Tweeter - (High & Super High) Balanced armature (BA) drivers designed with to maximize a sense of space and openness are utilized to create soft, delicate, yet expanded ultra-high-frequency sound that resonate richly in your ears.
	5-Way Crossover The AURA technical configuration is designed with a 1st grade crossover, meticulously manufactured in Germany. All components being well chosen for lowest tolerances possible on the market. AURA is using a 5-way crossover with a particular circuit solution that avoids an excessive load from the tweeter towards the source (amplifier), thus reducing distortion and extending the reproduction of high frequencies. Internal wiring is made with premium silver plated copper alloy wire for highest performance.
	Isobaric configuration with two dynamic drivers Two 8mm dynamic drivers are placed facing each other in an isobaric configuration. As two drivers are placed facing each other and the sound is output from exactly between them, the compositional interference is maximized, effectively doubling the output volume. This, in turn, removes any phasing issues that may raise from the length difference between the sound tubes, reducing THD. This design makes the low-frequency sound created by the dynamic drivers more accurate, solid, and vibrant.
	Chamber The "special chamber" have a precise internal volume that has been calculated to get the best compromise between driver speedness and musicality. The two DD Drivers are strictly matched to reduce any possible phase incoherence which could lead to inaccurate transient reproduction.
	Mesh AURA's open-structure design features a vacuum metal mesh that gleams elegantly on top. This special aluminum acoustic mesh circulates air from the dynamic driver to control the powerful resonating force, protecting internal components from external influences.

 

AZLA – SE1500 Eartips

100% medical-grade silicone helps the SE1500 to fit comfortably on your head and minimises the possibility of skin irritation. The straight internal structure is designed in a perfect line that guarantees that sound moves in a linear fashion, enhancing sound insulation performance and increasing the sense of space. A total of six eartips are included to offer you a comfortable fit and improved sound.

 

Leather Accessories

AURA's leather accessories are crafted with an unparalleled attention to detail. The calfskins are hand-selected and tanned by AURA's talented artisans to produce unique shades and textures of the highest quality and durability. Experience the timeless elegance of AURA leather accessories and make a lasting style statement. AURA's commitment to animal welfare is as important as the quality of their products, and their farms only use grasslands of the highest standards to ensure the best results. AURA master leather craftsmanship will produce beautiful, timeless leather accessories that will be the envy of others.

 

Effect Audio Custom Cable

The cables that come with AURA are custom-made cables from Effect Audio that are specifically designed to deliver the overwhelming sounds of AURA. The custom cables contain four wire components: two UP-OCC pure copper litz wires and two pure silver litz and pure copper litz hybrid wires to offer you the best sound performance. On top of that, Effect Audio's EPO (Ergonomic Performance Optimization) technology is applied to offer outstanding flexibility for a more comfortable fit without affecting audio quality.

 

Specification

• Model: AURA
• Driver:
  • 8mm Al-Mg Low Dynamic Drivers in a Isobaric configuration x2
  • Balanced Armature Drivers for the low mids x 4
  • Balanced Armature Drivers for the mid&mid highs x 4
  • Balanced Armature Driver for the super tweeter x 1
• Cable:
  • 0.78mm 2-pin
  • Effect Audio Custom Selected Premium UP-OCC Pure Silver Litz and Pure Copper Litz Hybrid (4.4mm, 3.5mm)
• Material: Aluminum
• Frequency response: 10 Hz - 24 kHz
• SPL: 115dB @ 1kHz, 1mW
• Impedance: 10.5Ω @ 1kHz
• Total Harmonic Distortion: 0.5% @ 1kHz
• Proprietary Dual Geometric Design
  • Multi-Sized Stranding - Selected Premium UP-OCC Pure Copper Litz - Septuplet Multi-sized Core Bundle - Selected Premium UP-OCC Pure Silver Litz and Pure Copper Litz Hybrid · EPO 24 AWG 4 Wires
• EA Ultra Flexi™ Insulation
• Rhodium Plated Brass Straight Type Plug

 

About Vision Ears

Since 2013 Vision Ears is set out to develop the world’s most perfect In-Ear systems. All their models are thoroughly crafted in Cologne, Germany. Blending outstanding performance with breathtaking design was always the driving force of Vision Ears.

The AURA is a perfect statement of this philosophy. The sophisticated yet elegant design was meticulously machined with highest level of precision and great attention to detail. A truly superior sound experience with luxury-like design.

 

About Astell&Kern

Astell&Kern is the ultimate digital music source that brings you Mastering Quality Sound or MQS. Astell means ‘Stars’ in Latin and Kern means ‘Center’ in German. We believe Astell&Kern is the center of music.

Today, original music performances can be captured in digital almost exactly as they were performed due to new, advanced recording technology currently available. However, these high quality recordings are mainly listened to through inferior sound formats, such as MP3 or through streaming services. With the debut of the MP3 format, music lovers sacrificed sound quality for the convenience of being able to carry their music collection wherever they went. Because the MP3 format heavily compresses files for the sake of convenience, the vocals and instruments you hear are only an inferior version of the original. The soundstage and the ambience of the original performance often disappears when listening to compressed MP3 music. After pondering these issues, Astell&Kern was our solution to poor sound quality for the sake of portability, and our way in reviving the original sound quality of music, MQS, for music artists, recording engineers, and professionals.

Astell&Kern's pursuit is to provide natural and original sound without distortion. It showcases the presence of the original recording with miniscule details you may not have noticed from other music systems, while playing back high-resolution music bit by bit, exactly as it was recorded. The ability to play back the exact recording of any live performance is what Astell&Kern is known for.

The power of true sound from Astell&Kern can now be experienced and has been part of many famous audio exhibitions around the world. Astell&Kern is now admired by music lovers from many countries, including the USA, China, Japan, UK, France, and many more around the world.