Audeze Electrostatic headphones

Description: Product highlightsopen-back design offers spacious, transparent sound designed, built, and tested in Audeze's Southern California headquarters special carbon nanotube diaphragms developed alongside UCLA doctors for use in MRI scans electrostatic drivers offer exceptional resolution with low distortion clear sound across a wide frequency range tuned for accurate bass response without extra boosting An electrostatic headphone amplifier or energizer is required for these headphones. 120mm x 90mm unique carbon nanotube diaphragm moves swiftly within electrostatic field metal-free design for even, uniform movement enhanced dynamics and extended frequency response ultra-thin metal stators delivers over-sized soundstage with pinpoint stereo imaging deep, realistic bass response durable magnesium and carbon-fiber frame air-tight earcup design keeps drivers shielded from dust thick, memory-foam earpads lined with hand-stitched leather leather headband for easy fit sturdy headband sliders for proper adjustment precisely etched grill for controlled airflow machined aluminum headphone connector feels lighter than most electrostatic headphones detachable oxygen-free copper cable terminated by 5-pin 580-volt "pro bias" plug compatible with the iFi Audio Pro iESL energizer also compatible with Stax-pro amplifiers and energizers (sold elsewhere) includes premium aluminum carrying case frequency response: 20-40,000 Hz weight: 10.6 oz. warranty: 2 years What's in the boxOver-ear electrostatic headphone with attached 92" cable (5-pin pro bias plug) Pair of white cloth gloves Aluminum travel case 2 Keys Certificate of Authenticity Card with URLs for User Guide and Driver downloads About this itemWritten by Crutchfield's Jeff Miller You'll need a special electrostatic energizer to power the Audeze CRBN headphones. Audeze's cutting-edge take on electrostatic headphones As Crutchfield's "headphone guy," I'm calling it: this is one of the coolest products to hit our website this year. Audeze is a premium personal audio company from California who made their name on planar magnetic headphones — both with top-shelf audiophile models and rich-sounding gaming headsets. But the CRBN is their first foray into electrostatic headphones. And they've introduced some major innovations to the driver system. That includes some important medical breakthoughs developed alongside doctors at nearby UCLA. But before I get too deep into that, I should let you know you'll need a special type of headphone amp or separate "energizer" to use them. The CRBN headphones use a 5-pin, 580-volt "pro bias" connection — the standard for electrostatic 'phones. Companies like Stax make all-in-one solutions, and we offer the formidable iFi Pro iESL energizer, which requires a separate amp. Detailed, revealing sound with a natural, realistic presentation "Instead of sounding like music being conveyed by something, with great electrostats the sound just kind of exists." This is how Head-Fi founder Jude Mansilla astutely explained what makes electrostatic headphones so special. (He recently interviewed Audeze CEO Sankar Thiagasamudram to introduce the CRBN headphones.) The Audeze CRBN headphones deliver transparent, detailed sound with accurate bass. That overall sense of clarity, detail, and realism is why you'll find so many electrostats on the list of "best headphones ever" — including Sennheiser's $80,000 HE-1 Orpheus headphones and models from the Japanese company Stax. With the CRBN headphones, you can expect that rich, natural midrange that electrostats are known for. But Audeze also set out to deliver better, refined highs and purer bass for even more-lifelike sound. So that "absence of headphones" feeling is even more profound, giving you the impression that music has materialized effortlessly. How do electrostatic headphones work? Electrostatic headphones seem similar to planar magnetic headphones at first glance. Both technologies rely on a large yet ultra-light diaphragm moving quickly to create sound. But electrostats use an entirely different principle, in which the diaphragms are suspended between two metal stators. The diaphragms receive a fixed, high voltage, while each stator receives a varying audio signal to push and pull the diaphragm back and forth. This process requires consistent power, which is why you'll need the special amplifier (sometimes called an "energizer") that I mentioned earlier. The diaphragms start and stop quickly within the electromagnetic field to deliver that realistic, dynamic sound. Typical electrostatic drivers require a thin coating of conductive metal on the surface — but Audeze has gone a completely new route with their diaphragm design. Audeze's breakthrough carbon nanotube diaphragm (in blue) is sandwiched between two metal stators. Audeze's game-changing "carbon nanotube" diaphragm The Audeze engineers have created a brand-new type of diaphragm that uses high-grade carbon nanotube film without any metal coating. Carbon is a strong, stiff element that can stockpile energy on its own. And it's distributed in a way that helps the diaphragms move more efficiently — while avoiding some of the inherent problems with "standard" electrostatic diaphragms. Namely, that the thin metal coating can occasionally stick to the stators or even deteriorate over time. Audeze's new diaphragm consists of a large-diameter, yet super-slim sheet of polymer that is pockmarked by the tiny carbon nanotubes. Think of it like a sheet of bubble wrap, only it's just a fraction of the width of human hair — and the carbon nanotube "bubbles" are miniscule. They're placed in a dense and symmetrical pattern across the diaphragm, to ensure the electrical charge travels evenly and efficiently. All these design details allow the diaphragm to move, stop, and start in a quick, uniform way. That's how the sound remains so pure and true-to-life, delivering that heady electrostat transparency. The medical origins of Audeze's breakthrough 'phones Surprisingly, these breakthrough diaphragms got their start in the medical industry rather than in the hi-fi audio arena, as an improvement to MRI scanning systems. Here's a big problem with MRI scans: for doctors to get a good, accurate reading, the patient must stay still. Only, that's really hard to do! And it's especially hard for children and claustrophobic people, because the noise inside an MRI machine can go up to 120 dB. That's like standing right next to a chainsaw. The SMRT Image medical headphones use Audeze's metal-free drivers to make MRI scans more bearable. And even with all the advances in headphones and noise-canceling technology over the years, the MRI ear protection hasn't

Price: 3800 USD

Location: Charlottesville, Virginia

End Time: 2024-10-26T20:50:13.000Z

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