The BGVP Astrum was kindly provided free of charge in exchange for an honest review. I didn’t receive monetary or any other kind of compensation and I don’t use affiliate links.
The price of the Astrum is $699 and you can buy it from BGVP’s website and AliExpress store.
BGVP HiFi
BGVP is by now an established earphones manufacturer with many well known models and great admiration from the Head-Fi community. For readers that are not familiar with BGVP HiFi, I have invited AI to write a brief introduction.
“BGVP is a Chinese audio brand known for producing high-value in-ear monitors (IEMs) that combine strong technical performance with refined tuning. Founded with a focus on audiophile-grade sound at accessible prices, BGVP has built a reputation for using quality drivers, premium materials, and meticulous craftsmanship. Some of their most well-known products include the BGVP DM6, a popular multi-BA IEM praised for its resolution and clarity, and the BGVP DM7, which offers a more refined tuning with improved technicalities. Models like the BGVP Zero and BGVP NS9 have also contributed to the brand’s recognition among enthusiasts seeking well-tuned, budget-friendly earphones.”
Instead of reading boring introductions, better click here to explore past BGVP reviews to get acquainted with the brand and their high quality products.
BGVP Astrum
The BGVP Astrum is the brand’s newest in-ear monitor, positioned just below their flagship Solomon. This hybrid IEM features a six-driver configuration on each side, combining multiple driver types for a refined and versatile sound performance.
More specifically, the Astrum features dual 8mm dynamic drivers that are arranged in a coaxial, horizontally opposed configuration. This setup is combined with dual Knowles balanced armature drivers, one for the mids and the other for the high frequencies, plus dual Sonion EST drivers for the ultra-high frequency band. All drivers are implemented with the aid of an electronic crossover that uses high quality components by VISHAY/AVX and is supported by four acoustic ducts.
Design and appearance
BGVP’s design concept behind the Astrum is cleverly thought out and sophisticated. The brand informs us that it has designed the Astrum’s exterior as a beautiful looking “vast nebula” while inside there is a moving “musical universe”. My sincere congratulations to the team that conceived and implemented this poetic idea.
The Astrum features handcrafted ear-shells made of high quality medical-grade resin compound that doesn’t irritate the skin. Each Astrum pair has its own unique colors and textures that resemble a starry nebula, especially when seen under direct sunlight where you get the illusion that the galaxy is moving inside the faceplates.
The BGVP Astrum are exceptionally well made and one of the most beautiful looking artisan earphones in the market. I wish I had better photography skills to capture their glowing beauty.
Wearing comfort
The ear-shells of the Astrum are a little bigger than average but not that bulky or oversized while they weigh only 6g each. Their inner surface is designed with anatomically shaped contours that lead to a medium length sound nozzle which sits firmly inside the ear but not too deep.
These are comfortable earphones that you can wear for hours without the need to take a break. They are lightweight and don’t protrude too much outside the ear, while they isolate outside noises very well.
The Unboxing experience
I seldomly write about earphone packages and their unboxing experience because I think of them as a vanity expense. I prefer to focus on sound quality alone, this is why we buy earphones and not for their flashy but sometimes useless accessories, like collectors cards, shiny badges and jewelry-like storage boxes.
However, the unboxing experience of the Astrum is really outstanding and deserves special mention, despite adding an extra cost to the final price of the Astrum.
The Astrum comes packed inside a high quality, oversized box with plush-leather covered exterior surfaces that are decorated with intriguing galaxy-looking patterns.
The big surprise comes when you open the lid which unveils the focus point of the presentation.
A windowed frame under the lid stuffed with glittering quicksand that gently glides downwards illuminated by two LED lights that also shed light to the earpieces. A glorious effect that is hard to describe and resembles the moving Milky Way.
A high quality, metallic storage box which is decorated with star-shaped moon patterns, adds the finishing touch to this astonishing unboxing experience.
Underneath there is an extra tray that holds four different sets of ear-tips in individually packed inside plastic boxes and a cleaning brush.
The stock cable
The cable is also like a piece of art with a unique design that matches the appearance of the earphones. Unlike most other cables, the splitter and the main plug are made of the same resin compound with the ear-shells, featuring identical galaxy inspired patterns and colors.
It is an eighth-strands, high quality cable made of high-purity graphene ACOOL copper, that is rather thick and heavy but also flexible and soft enough. It is built like a tank and terminated with standard 2-pin connectors and a fixed 4.4mm plug that limits its usability.
Efficiency
Its lowish 12Ω impedance with 111dB of sensitivity means that the Astrum is very easy to drive but also allergic to source noise. It doesn’t need special amplification but the source must be dead silent in order to enjoy a pitch black background.
During the listening tests it became obvious that the Astrum pairs better with neutral sources that don’t add warmth or sound coloration of their own. This is why I ended up using the iBasso DX180 and the Cayin N6iii with the C201 motherboard. Except for the stock cable, I have also used a Lavricables Ultimate pure silver cable to add transparency.
Listening impressions
The BGVP Astrum doesn’t follow the beaten track and is not just another earphone tuned after the same popular target curves. Instead it has its own unique sound identity, focused around music flow and the sentimental engagement of the listener, rather than offering ultimate technicalities and flashy tonalities.
The sound signature of the Astrum is mostly balanced and natural (not neutral) with a tasty emphasis on the lower bass, exceptionally present mids (real mids and not just upper-mids) and a treble that is smooth yet resolving and transparent enough. This is the kind of tuning that works really well with all kinds of music but it also has some minor caveats.
And namely the low-end that is mainly focused around the sub and lower bass, a technique that raises the fun factor and adds good foundations to the music but also adds a touch of artificial emphasis that leads to certain tonal inaccuracies.
We are talking about a gentle boost though, that aims to establish a solid sub-bass presence without dominating the rest of the frequencies. The downside is that it also affects the tonality of certain instruments, like the pipe organ and the double-bass, that sound a little bit exaggerated by reference standards.
Don’t read this wrong though, because this kind of tuning works beneficially for almost every other music style except classical and jazz. And even then, listening to symphonic music with deep bass or to the lowest octave of the piano, the sound that reaches the ears is not that out of tune. You can still enjoy it without the need to reach for other earphones but not with the same strict accuracy as you would do with some reference-neutrally tuned ones.
More listening impressions
Leaving the austere critical mode aside, the Astrum is extremely enjoyable with plenty of high quality bass that doesn’t dominate the upper frequencies or compromise the earphone’s general clarity and transparency.
From a technical point of view, the bass is weighty and visceral, yet impactful and exceptionally well defined. Fast, tight and controlled, with a little relaxed decay that makes it sound more natural and smooth than aggressive and dry.
The mid-range is the actual “moving musical universe” that lies hidden beneath the artistic exterior of the Astrum. Colorful and expressive, melodious and organic, it is really vast and awe inspiring like the starry nebula patterns on the faceplates.
The tuning is almost perfect, balanced and tonally correct without resorting to the usual tricks that are used to artificially enhance clarity and bring certain overtones to the foreground. The Astrum is one of the few earphones with real mids and not the commonly superficial upper mids or shy lower mids.
The timbre is realistic and lifelike, voices and instruments (yes the mid-range has plenty of them too and not only female voices as routinely stated ) are reproduced with confidence and the most correct pitch. No part of the mid-range is treated with extra or less presence and it is reproduced exactly as captured in the recording and not as the earphones dictate.
And some more…
The treble follows suit and is masterfully tuned to stay extended and resolving, luminous and lively, without becoming bright and unilaterally analytical. BGVP has decided against the flashy emphasis that is usually used to add artificial resolution and excessive brilliance but end fatiguing and unpleasant in the long run.
Knowles BA drivers seldomly sounded that refined and organic (both in the mids and the treble) as in the Astrum, however the surprises don’t end here. The EST drivers are also skilfully implemented, they are surprisingly smooth and polite to the point that someone could accuse them of sounding mute and blunt. Not quite, because they deliver the ultra-high frequencies with crystalline clarity and excellent definition, without ever becoming artificial or sharp.
The BGVP Astrum offers a cohesive and holistic listening experience that draws the listener deep into the music. The soundstage is wide and spacious enough with great layering and pinpoint imaging, no matter the size of the ensemble. The presentation is on the intimate side and not that diffused so the listener is positioned closer to the stage and not that far away.
(As per usual practice, with so many earphones reviewed, i prefer to leave sound comparisons to the readers. Click here to explore past earphones reviews and make up your mind)
In the end
The Astrum is one of BGVP’s best tuned earphones. It has a mature and sophisticated tuning that focuses on music flow and pure enjoyment, rather than mannered technicalities and popular target curves.
The BGVP Astrum is plug and forget about everything else, an earphone that you can use all day long with all kinds of music without feeling the need to switch. Just make sure to pair it with a neutral and high quality source.
Leaving its undisputable sonic qualities aside, the Astrum offers the most unique unboxing experience, it has an artisan design, it is comfortable to use, very well made and comes equipped with a lot of high quality accessories.
I think that the best way to close this review is to use BGVP’s own words: “The Astrum is a beautiful vast nebula that encapsulates a moving musical universe”. Get yourself the Astrum and set for a captivating musical voyage into the sonic outer space.
Copyright – Petros Laskis 2025.
+ Exceptionally musical and engaging tuning
+ Organic and natural timbre
+ Competitive technical performance
+ Solid and strong sub-bass foundation
+ Expressive mids and smooth yet lively treble
+ Excellent multi-driver integration
+ Immersive soundstage with sharp imaging
+ Easy to drive with good scaling potential
+ Astonishing unboxing experience
+ Handcrafted artisan design
+ Comfortable to wear with good isolation
+ High quality cable and jewelry storage box
+ Rightfully priced considering sound quality and bundle
- Not the most technical or analytical sounding earphones for those seeking these qualities
- Intimate soundstage presentation
- The bass is not reference neutral and can sound a bit out of tune
- Allergic to source noise
- The cable comes with a fixed 4.4mm plug
Leave a comment