Astell&Kern x Vision Ears – Aura

So I’ve treated myself to the AK x VE Aura’s. They arrived at the start of this week and, while I’m still gathering my thoughts, they combine what I loved about the VE Phonix with some amazing DD bass. Bliss.

My thoughts on the Phonix (from head-fi post):

The pairing of the EXT with the Phonix in a tour is an interesting one, they are two very different IEM’s! 

Fitting was much easier than the EXT, the shell is much more conventional and with M tips I had a perfect fit within seconds. 
So, straight into sound, what a smooth IEM! 

Bass, often an issue for an all BA IEM, sounded great. Being extremely nitpicky, you don’t quite have the physical feel of a DD, but unless you’re really looking for it it’s easily forgotten. What you do get in return is excellent bass texture, speed and detail. It’s not the key selling point of the Phonix, and is more of a traditional bass presentation, but it works so well with what the Phonix does that I think the way it’s presented here couldn’t be done any better for this package. 

Mids are near perfection as a presentation of music. It doesn’t give me the natural feel that I get from say my FIR Audio Kr5, but it does give me a near perfect screening of it. I found with the Phonix I get lost just listening to music, but I know that I’m listening to recorded music. With the Kr5 I get lost in the music, which makes me forget I’m listening to recorded music. Neither one is better than the other, it’s just two sides of a coin. Other than distinction, I have nothing more to say other than I think it’s easily one of the best mid range presentations I’ve ever heard. 

Treble is a similar story, near perfection. It has an overall smoothness that makes listening a pure joy. It’s not super detailed (in your face), but the details are there if you pay attention. 

Soundstage is not ultra-wide but again I’d say it’s right for the sound they are going for. I never wanted anything more than what it was delivering. 

I’ll get a review up for the Aura in due course, but for now the imaging and soundstage are a step up from from the Phonix, imaging is absolutely pinpoint and sounds moving from left to right sound as real as I’ve heard them. Fit was a little harder than normal, I’m using SpinFit CP145’s now and they have solved my problem, the included tips are very nice but I couldn’t get them to work on the Aura with my ears.