Short answer: the Vision Ears Phonix. It ranks #929 of 1369 in-ear headphones by sound quality, rated 3.3/5, at $4,200. The VOLK AUDIO ETOILE ranks #1009, rated 3.2/5, at $3,599, $601 cheaper, a saving that is not big enough to make up the sound-quality gap.
Why pick the Vision Ears Phonix: Lower mids sit within about 0.6 dB of target, keeping voices and guitars natural. Watch for: Presence sits about 3.5 dB low with a 4.2 dB dip near 5.8 kHz, so vocals and instruments lose some bite.
Why pick the VOLK AUDIO ETOILE: 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 6 dB below target from 3 to 10 kHz, which can sound dull or veiled next to brighter headphones.
Buy the Vision Ears Phonix. It is rated higher for sound quality, and saving $601 with the VOLK AUDIO ETOILE does not make up for the sound-quality gap.
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Lower mids sit within about 0.6 dB of target, keeping voices and guitars natural.
Bloom Audio $4,200.00 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
| Vision Ears Phonix | VOLK AUDIO ETOILE | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4,200.00 | $3,599.00 |
| Ranked | #929 of 1369 in In-Ear Headphones | #1009 of 1369 in In-Ear Headphones |
| Form Factor | In-ear | In-ear |
| Connection | Wired | Wired |
| Driver Type | Balanced armature | Quadbrid |
| Drivers | 13 x balanced armature | 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 | 13 ohms | 8.8 ohms |
| Harman Preference Score | 65 (measured by HypetheSonics, via AutoEQ) | 64 (median of 5 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) |
| Deviation From Target | 2.56 dB standard deviation | 2.72 dB standard deviation |
| Tonal Tilt | -0.61 (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) |
| Back | - | Closed |
| Sensitivity | - | 110.6 dB |
| Frequency Response | - | 10Hz - 50kHz |
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 Vision Ears Phonix from aden, aftersound, bloomaudio, eliseaudio, hu-fi and tgx78; the VOLK AUDIO ETOILE from aden, audioamigo, bloomaudio, jaytiss and joycesreview, all via squig.link.
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