Astrotec Volans Review

Sound Signature

The Astrotec Volans have a warm, full-bodied presentation. The tonality is smooth and musical across the spectrum. It finds a way to present the recording in a very delicate and gentle way. It does not cherry-pick recordings and it feels coherent all around. This is great if you’re not looking for a clinical, analytic earphone and just want to enjoy the music, in a gentle and smooth way. It reminds me of the Sennheiser HD650. It is not the best when it comes to detail-retrieval but it offers a different, smoother flavour that would steal the hearts of many audiophiles. I especially liked the way it reproduces the vocals and I must say that I listened to artists like Melody Gardot and Diana Krall, extensively.

Low

The Astrotec Volans have a rounded not-so-agile low end. They reproduce the low region in a very clean and delicate way. The bass quantity is adequately tuned, not overwhelming but also not light. It is not flat by any means, it is a little more emphasized than that. The sub-bass quantity fares similarly, it provides essential harmonics without any issue and that is of course, nice. Don’t get me wrong though, if the track calls for it, Volans’ bass can get pretty impactful but they tend to stay gentle for most of the time. On another note, the whole signature never feels digital and manages to stay natural and organic. You do not feel anything left out here.

Midrange

The midrange of Astrotec Volans are special. It has a way of making you focus on the midrange while listening to it. As I said, it is smooth and that smoothness comes from the mids and the somewhat recessed upper treble area. Because the bass is tamed in a smooth way, the midrange feels a little forward at times. The midrange has good clarity, resolution, and detail-retrieval compared to the rest of the frequency spectrum. It feels fluid and coherent. The warm tonality and smooth presentation make it quite easy to listen to. Mids do have extra airiness compared to the rest of the spectrum and they are presented relaxedly. Upper mids carry extra energy and they provide a nice boost to overall clarity. They do not feel strident or edgy at all. Hi-hats and cymbals are never sharp. Overall this section is my favorite and if you like your midrange smooth and warm, Volans may be your cup of tea.

Treble

The Treble region follows the midrange from behind, in a polite way. They are not the star of the show, that is for sure, in my opinion, but they support the low and mid ranges very well, helping to create a coherent, warmer signature. The treble clarity is good, they are energetic enough to carry good detail and present the fundamental harmonics without anything left behind. The higher extension is limited but not dry by any means. This is brilliant for people with treble sensitivity.

Technical Performance

The Astrotec Volans have a very specific soundstage layout. It feels compact and intimate. It is not very wide but it is adequately deep. This intimacy does not make the instruments overlap, Astrotec tuned the IEMs well and instruments have adequate air between them. The separation is decent, you can easily track and focus on individual instruments. Vocals are present and forward, in the middle of the stage and they tend to stay there regardless of genre. This results in a neat, tidied layout. Everything feels coherent. Of course, due to the coherent nature of Volans, imaging is also good. In my opinion, the weakest link is the PRaT. The Volans are not the fastest monitor on the market. The attack decay is rather relaxed and lacks a certain bite. Don’t expect the dynamism and PRaT of a BA-config out of this earphone, as it will not give you that. Instead, it will offer you a very relaxed and smooth presentation.

The Dilemma of Tips

If you spent enough time with IEMs, you know that ear tips affect the sound quality. The cause of it may be linked to an isolation/seal issue or simply due to the fact that the material density of ear tips varies. Whatever the reason, I recommend you to at least try a few tips. This recommendation applies to all kinds of IEMs and not just to the Astrotec Volans. Frankly, with the Volans, I found out that the performance of the bass region varied and I didn’t like the sound with the included silicone tips. It had a linear bass where it didn’t make a lot of sense compared to the rest of the spectrum. After that, I switched to the foam tips and everything felt right. There was no odd roll-off or dips of any kind so I wanted to diversify my experiment. I tried a bunch of tips and I found out that the Ortofon and Earsonics tips sounded better, more coherent, provided the best seal, and improved the overall SQ. That is the reason why I recommend you do your own experiment and play with it for a little bit.

Last Words

Astrotec designed a unique IEM with unique properties. The Volans are musical, warm, and smooth while not neglecting the fundamental harmonics. That is not something easy to do and if you like listening to Vocals and you like warm IEMs, Volans can offer you a very pleasant ride. The coherency and delicacy of the signature let you enjoy the music without any harshness. It has a way of presenting the tracks in a more romantic way than your usual IEMs and I think that is why it is either love or hate with the Volans.

Apart from the sound, the IEMs come with good accessories and that should not be forgotten. Many IEMs in this price bracket still come with Plastics One cable, haha! The IEMs do not require a whole lot of power to drive and they don’t nit-pick sources so you can just enjoy them, even with a half-decent device. Additionally, I really liked the build quality of the IEMs and I think they won’t leave your side for a long time.

Page 1: Intro, Astrotec, Volans, Packaging, Accessories, Design, Fit

Page 2: Sound Signature, Low, Mid, High, Technical Performance, EarTips, Last Words