Twelve-driver quadbrid architecture developed with VOLK Audio
Astell&Kern Stella is a 12-driver IEM combining dynamic, balanced-armature, planar-magnetic and electrostatic transducers through a six-way crossover network.
The project was developed with VOLK Audio and is built around tightly defined frequency sections. A 9 mm M9-R dynamic driver and two balanced armatures form the low-frequency system, three further armatures handle the midrange, and two MP-2 planar drivers plus four electrostatic tweeters complete the upper section.
Key features
- 12 drivers per side in a quadbrid configuration.
- 1 VOLK M9-R 9 mm dynamic driver.
- 5 Sonion balanced-armature drivers.
- 2 VOLK MP-2 planar-magnetic drivers.
- Upper treble section based on 4 Sonion electrostatic tweeters.
- Proprietary six-way crossover.
- 10 Hz-45 kHz frequency response and 7.17-ohm impedance at 1 kHz.
- 4.4 mm cable using 5N copper, 4N silver and 24K gold conductors.
Two hybrid systems at opposite ends of the spectrum
In the low range, the LF-H system combines the M9-R dynamic unit with two armatures in a chamber designed to control pressure and phase. At the opposite end, HF-H joins two planar drivers with four electrostatics: the planars manage the upper transition while the EST array extends response to 45 kHz.
Aluminium, steel and sapphire crystal
The chassis is machined from 6061-T6 aluminium, with a 316 stainless-steel faceplate frame and a 9H sapphire-crystal panel. The vent and acoustic-path architecture is part of the tuning, intended to stabilise diaphragm behaviour while reducing internal pressure build-up and unwanted resonances.
Where it sits in the range
Compared with Novus, Stella omits bone conduction and uses a different transducer balance with greater emphasis on planar drivers. XIO reduces the driver count and introduces 64 Audio apex, tia and LID technologies, while Luna relies on a single planar unit. Stella suits listeners who want an elaborate multi-driver design with a distinctly different architecture from Novus. Its 103.8 dB sensitivity and 7.17-ohm impedance suit high-quality DAPs with low output impedance, without demanding unusually high voltage from the connected amplifier or player.
