Astell & Kern and Campfire Audio AK Solaris X Earphone Debuts at $1500 as a Collaborative effort

Astell & Kern, famed for its five-star portable music players, has teamed up with Campfire Audio, a US manufacturer of premium earphones, to introduce the AK Solaris X in-ear monitor.
Based on Campfire Audio’s Solaris 2020, the new X model has been designed and tuned especially for Astell & Kern players.

Campfire Audio's high-end wired headphones are all hand-assembled in Portland, Oregon. The AK Solaris X is, the company says, a culmination of its acoustic technology and design.

Each earpiece comprises a specially designed single balanced armature driver, with Campfire Audio's Tuned Acoustic Expansion Chamber (TAEC) tech for the high frequencies, a single updated custom balanced armature for the mids, and a specially-tuned 10mm dynamic driver for the mids and lows.
That custom balanced armature driver within this hybrid system has been designed specifically for the AK Solaris X and is smaller in size than its predecessor.
The AK Solaris X comes with a balanced 2.5mm pure silver cable (a 3.5mm adapter is supplied). You also get beryllium/copper MMCX connectors, which promise more resilience against wear and tear compared to their regular brass counterparts.

Campfire Audio has also sourced the AK Solaris X's handmade cork case from a small boutique shop in Portugal that works side by side with people with physical disabilities.

The Astell & Kern AK Solaris X is priced £1499 ($1500, €1799) and will be available in the UK exclusively in-store at Harrods and Selfridges from mid-July.