Short answer: the Vortex Reference. It ranks #898 of 1369 in-ear headphones by sound quality, rated 3.4/5, at $3,300; the VOLK AUDIO ETOILE ranks #1009, rated 3.2/5, and costs $3,599, so there is not much of a tradeoff to weigh.
Why pick the Vortex Reference: A broadly balanced tuning with a preference score of 66 against the Harman target. The catch: Treble about 2 dB below target from 3 to 10 kHz, which can sound dull or veiled next to brighter headphones.
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. Watch for: Treble about 6 dB below target from 3 to 10 kHz, which can sound dull or veiled next to brighter headphones.
Buy the Vortex Reference. It is rated higher for sound quality than the VOLK AUDIO ETOILE and costs less, so only choose the other one for a particular feature it does better.
Looking for alternatives? See the complete Headphones rankings.
A broadly balanced tuning with a preference score of 66 against the Harman target.
Bloom Audio $3,300.00 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
| Vortex Reference | VOLK AUDIO ETOILE | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3,300.00 | $3,599.00 |
| Ranked | #898 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 | 66 (median of 3 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) | 64 (median of 5 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) |
| Deviation From Target | 2.45 dB standard deviation | 2.72 dB standard deviation |
| Tonal Tilt | -0.75 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) | -0.55 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) |
| Sub-bass Extension | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (+0.3 dB at 30 Hz) | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (-1.2 dB at 30 Hz) |
| Connection | Wired | Wired |
| Driver Type | Hybrid (2 DD + 2 Passive MEMS) | Quadbrid |
| Drivers | 2 x dynamic drivers (including 8mm Al-Mg dome woofer) + 2 x passive MEMS tweeters | 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 | 23 ohms | 8.8 ohms |
| Sensitivity | 102 dB/mW | 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 Vortex Reference from bloomaudio, dchpgall and joycesreview; the VOLK AUDIO ETOILE from aden, audioamigo, bloomaudio, jaytiss and joycesreview, all via squig.link.
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