Short answer: the Aroma Audio Jewel. It ranks #954 of 1369 in-ear headphones by sound quality, rated 3.3/5, at $5,130. The VOLK AUDIO ETOILE ranks #1009, rated 3.2/5, at $3,599, $1,531 cheaper, a saving that is not big enough to make up the sound-quality gap.
Why pick the Aroma Audio Jewel: A published AutoEQ preset corrects its response toward the Harman target, so a few minutes of EQ setup closes most of the gap. The catch: Treble about 5 dB below target from 3 to 10 kHz, which can sound dull or veiled next to brighter headphones.
What the VOLK AUDIO ETOILE does well: A published AutoEQ preset corrects its response toward the Harman target, so a few minutes of EQ setup closes most of the gap. The tradeoff: Treble about 6 dB below target from 3 to 10 kHz, which can sound dull or veiled next to brighter headphones.
Buy the Aroma Audio Jewel. It is rated higher for sound quality, and saving $1,531 with the VOLK AUDIO ETOILE does not make up for the sound-quality gap.
Looking for alternatives? See the complete Headphones rankings.
A published AutoEQ preset corrects its response toward the Harman target, so a few minutes of EQ setup closes most of the gap.
MusicTeck $5,130 eBay
A published AutoEQ preset corrects its response toward the Harman target, so a few minutes of EQ setup closes most of the gap.
Bloom Audio $3,599.00 eBayPrices on this page were last checked October 17, 2026 at 6:04 PM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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Specifications Side By Side
| Aroma Audio Jewel | VOLK AUDIO ETOILE | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $5,130 | $3,599.00 |
| Ranked | #954 of 1369 in In-Ear Headphones | #1009 of 1369 in In-Ear Headphones |
| Form Factor | In-ear | In-ear |
| Back | Closed | Closed |
| Harman Preference Score | 65 (median of 3 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) | 64 (median of 5 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) |
| Deviation From Target | 2.76 dB standard deviation | 2.72 dB standard deviation |
| Tonal Tilt | -0.59 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) | -0.55 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) |
| Sub-bass Extension | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (-2.0 dB at 30 Hz) | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (-1.2 dB at 30 Hz) |
| Connection | Wired | Wired |
| Driver Type | Tribrid (Dynamic + Balanced Armature + Electrostatic) | Quadbrid |
| Drivers | 13 drivers per side (1 x 9.2mm DD + 6 BA + 6 EST) | 1 DD + 4 BA + 4 EST + 1 MS (1 x 10mm dynamic driver, 4 x Sonion balanced armatures, 4 x Sonion electrostatic drivers, 1 x 8mm magnetostatic tweeter) |
| Impedance | 22 ohms | 8.8 ohms |
| Sensitivity | 103 dB SPL/mW | 110.6 dB |
| Frequency Response | 10Hz - 22kHz | 10Hz - 50kHz |
| Weight | Not specified | - |
Frequency Response Compared
Both headphones’ measurements overlaid on the Harman target. Above the target sounds louder in that range, below it quieter. Each curve is the median of several independent measurements, shifted so its 500 Hz to 2 kHz average sits at 0 dB, so only the tuning is compared.
Measurement data: the Aroma Audio Jewel from aden, dchpgall, eliseaudio, fahryst, harutohiroki and hbb; the VOLK AUDIO ETOILE from aden, audioamigo, bloomaudio, jaytiss and joycesreview, all via squig.link.
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