Astell&Kern has teamed with US headphones manufacturer Campfire Audio to create a reference grade pair of in-ear monitors for those who don't mind paying for the privilege.
The Astell&Kern AK Solaris X earphones are wired and based on Campfire's own Solaris model. The X variant is tuned especially for the audiophile brand, with a deep and rich yet natural sound signature.
They are hand-assembled with a custom balance armature driver with a dynamic driver hybrid system in each ear. Proprietary tuned acoustic expansion chamber tech is couped with a 3D printed acoustically optimised chamber.
Even the balanced 2.5mm cable is made using pure silver, with four 4N conductors for complete transparency and sound extension. The connectors are made from beryllium and copper.
The Astell&Kern AK Solaris X earphones will be available from mid-July, in Harrods and Selfridges in the UK, priced at £1,499.
They will retail for $1,500 and €1,799 in the US and mainland Europe respectively.
The company has also announced that an Urbanely Blue edition of its popular Kann Alpha Hi-Res digital audio player is now available.
It supports multiple formats and a sample rate of up to 384kHz (PCM). It's priced at £1,099.