Astell&Kern is best know for its personal music players, but it’s been making headway in recent times with its range of headphones and it’s latest is arguably its own version of a moonshot.
That’s because it’s latest in-earphone is called Luna, inspired by the moon and landing on planet Earth to deliver “exceptional sound” that could make it one of best in-earphones on the market.
Luna represents the third product in the Korean brand’s IEM series, coming after the AK Zero1 and Zero 2 models. However, this IEM wasn’t made in Korea, it was created in Japan and co-developed with MADOO, a Japanese earphone brand that was born in 2020.
Astell&Kern shoots for the moon
Luna features a single-driver, planar magnetic design called Katabiki that’s a change from the trene of recently announced IEMs that feature all manner of drive units. Encased in a titanium housing, the Luna has been crafted with durability and wearability in mind.
The Katabiki driver has been designed to deliver “outstanding response speed, exceptional resolution and natural resonance characteristics,” all in its attempt to faithfully reproduce the “most delicate details of music”.
To help in its pursuit of excellent sound, the Luna features a silver-coated OCC and Copper OCC cable to allow for “highly detailed and accurate and accurate sound reproduction”. The connector has been finished with aluminium which Astell&Kern says offers a touch of refinement to the design.
Frequency response covers 20Hz – 30kHz with impedance is 5ohms at 1kHz, and in terms of accessories there are three pairs of Baroque ear-tips (small to large), one pair of foam ear-tips, and three pairs of AET07 ear-tips (small to large). You also get an keep case made from alcantara to keep the earphones in.
The only other detail you likely need to know is how much it costs, and it should be no surprise that the Astell&Kern Luna does not come cheap. This in-earphone has suggested retail price of £2699 / $2700 / €3049.
