Astell&Kern shoots for the moon with its luxury Luna IEMs

Astell&Kern has launched Luna, a pair of super high-end, hand-made in-ear monitors.

These are the firm's third set in its IEM series, following in the footsteps of the acclaimed AK Zero 1 and AK Zero 2, and both the name and the exterior design are inspired by the moon.

They are the highest-spec IEMs in the range so far, promising more precise audio, enhanced spatial awareness and better tonal balance.

Where the Zero 2 use a "quad-brid" design, combining four different kinds of drivers, the Luna pair feature a single planar magnetic driver in each ear.

Planar drivers can deliver better sound quality than other driver types, but until recently they've been too large to fit into IEMs' small housings.

The exteriors are titanium and the cable blends high purity silver plating and copper, terminating in a 2-pin 4mm connector that's finished in aluminium.

Astell & Kern Luna: key features and pricing

The key feature here is the newly-developed 13mm Katabiki micro planar magnetic driver. Created in collaboration with Madoo, it has a unique unipolar magnetic circuit with a single magnet and a dual ring-shaped yoke to achieve what Astell&Kern says is "superlative control".

The diaphragm housing is CNC-machined aluminium for high rigidity with an ultra-thin, lightweight film and a printed aluminium pattern to dramatically reduce its weight.

Together, those elements promise "outstanding" response speed, high resolution and a natural and highly detailed presentation. Frequency response is 20Hz to 30kHz.

The Luna IEMs come in an attractive case, in this case an Alcantara one, and they come with seven different ear tips.

They are available now for £2,699 / $2,700 / €3,049 (about AU$5,612).