It's Best New Tracks-Friday and high-end audio brand Audeze has announced the CRBN2, the second iteration of its most advanced set of electrostatic headphones that builds on its predecessor while introducing of a brand new technology the brand calls SLAM.
The California-based brand, founded in 2008 with a mission to "adapt NASA technology to incredible high-resolution audio products", is known for making some of the most premium headphones available and its latest product is no different. With the CRBN2, Audeze has taken all of the elements that made its first model so well-regarded amongst audiophiles, and added to or improved them. It has introduced SLAM – or, Symmetric Linear Acoustic Modulator – for the very first time, a patent-pending technology it calls "revolutionary" and promises will deliver "unprecedented level of transparency and bass response." The new technology works together with the headphones' electrostatic drivers to produce an incredibly immersive sound that envelopes the listener, so much so Audeze describes it as "deeply tactile." It does so by isolating and enhancing some of the low frequencies for incredibly clean and clear bass, with Audeze's founder and CEO, Sankar Thiagasamudram, quoted as saying, "we’ve pushed the boundaries of electrostatic technology even further ... to deliver the most lifelike bass and transparency ever achieved in an electrostatic headphone."
So, what exactly are electrostatic headphones, and how do they both work and sound? In short, its all down to the drivers, the parts within headphones and speakers that actually produce the sound you hear. Drivers convert electric signals into sound waves and most headphones have drivers that use metal coils, magnets, or both. However, drivers found in electrostatic headphones are made with an incredibly thin film that is statically charged and sandwiched between perforated metal sheets that interact in a more responsive and efficient way compared to metal coils and magnets, resulting in audio that is clean, natural sounding, and free of distortion. In fact, it is a technology that was originally created for use in MRI machines and during the development of the first iteration of its headphones, CRBN, Audeze teamed up with the UCLA School of Medicine to make its drivers. With the CRBN2, not only has the Audeze introduced its new SLAM technology, it has also launched the second-generation of its ultra-thin carbon-nanotube electrostatic drivers that, it says, will deliver its "most accurate and immersive audio" yet.
In terms of technical specifications, the CRBN2 has a 10 Hz to 40 kHz frequency response, weighs approximately 480g (17 ounces), and – like all electrostatic headphones – requires a high-voltage (580V) amplifier to operate. The earpads are made with a supple, premium leather, while the headband is a mix of carbon fiber and the leather.
Although it was acquired by Sony in 2023, Audeze continues to operate independently and still makes "every single one" of its drivers in its Orange County, California, factory – a fact it states emphatically on its website. Indeed, the CRBN2 is assembled by hand then thoroughly tested in-house by Audeze's electrostatic specialists.
If you're interested in getting yourself a set, you can join the official wait list now via the brand's website. They are priced $5,995 USD.
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