24 Hours (and change):
I’ve had my CRBN for a bit over a day. In that time, I have spent more than 20 hours actually listening with them; the vasty majority of which has just been for pleasure. I have spent a couple of hours doing comparisons, but mostly on a gross-level - there’s lots more to do there. I’ll try and focus initial sound commentary on things that I feel are areas most electrostatic users will want to know first. And in subsequent posts I’ll try and bring things back to specific music as well.
All due caveats for potential “new toy syndrome” should be considered in play in these first impressions. I reserve the right to adjust my thoughts as I have more time with them.
At a very high level I will say the following:
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Audeze have, in my initial opinion, hit this one completely out of the park.
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The CRBN take most of the best of the individual traits of the other flagship cans I know, own and enjoy, package them together in a single headphone, and then turn some of those factors up to eleven.
Evaluation Chain:
Lossless Red Book and high-resolution source material, via a Chord Blu-Mk2 (as an M-Scaler) feeding a Chord DAVE, driving both a Headamp BHSE (herein “BHSE”) and Mjolnir Audio KGSSHV Carbon (herein “Carbon”).
Comfort, Build & Aesthetics
For comfort and build quality your best point of comparison is going to be to the Meze Empyrean and the Focal Utopia and Stellia. I’ve worn them for 8 hours straight, twice in a row, and for 20 or so hours total in a roughly 24 hour period, and I’ve gotten no heat build-up, no hot-spots, no physical fatigue. They are the lightest headphone I own, and the most comfortable of any circumaural I’ve tried.
Aesthetically they are understated but gorgeous. The depth of finish on the carbon-fibre cups says more “exotic hyper-car” than it does “headphone”. Think Bugatti Veyron vs. say the more Bentley Continental GT Speed -like finish of something like the Utopia or Empyrean.
Impact/Slam
While this is traditionally a weak (or at least weaker) point for electrostatics, that is not the case with the CRBN. They hit as hard as the LCD-4 or HE6 on punchy amplification and are not that far behind the AB-1266 Phi TC in this regard. This is one area where I found the SR-009S lacking a little, but the CRBN is entirely satisfying, even delightful in this regard. They’re more flagship planar like here than they are most historical electrostatics.
Bass
No lack of bass here, at all. It is properly extended all the way into the sub-bass - which immediately gives it a leg up over the SR-009S. The SR-007MK2 is a bloated mess in comparison to either, unless port-modded. The CRBN is linear, taut, fast, neutral, tuneful and perfectly balanced (for me).
The AB-1266 Phi TC has more bass (higher in level), and a more visceral bass delivery (especially if you run a light seal or no seal at all on the Abyss), but the CRBN has better control and articulation here. And those on a primary diet of EDM etc. may be better served with one of the better planar designs, but otherwise there’s nothing lacking here.
And this might just be the best bass quality I’ve heard, without giving up natural bass levels, this side of the HE-1.
Dynamics
Think SR1a (well amped), Utopia, AB-1266 Phi TC (though the Abyss are a little more visceral) for macro-dynamics, and SR-009S, SR1a and Susvara for micro dynamics. Unless we want to bring the HE90 and HE-1 into the discussion … this is top-of-the-tree stuff.
Speed
Really the only headphones in contention here are either other higher-tier electrostatics driven from high-quality energizers/amplifier, and the SR1a ribbons. AB-1266 Phi TC and HEDDphone would be on the next rung down, in my opinion.
Resolution/Detail
At least as good, and in most cases better, than the best of the rest I’ve heard. I can’t name any conventional headphone (planar or dynamic) that matches them here (though I’ve not heard the Meze Elite, DCA Stealth or LCD-5).
We’re in SR-009S, HE90, HE-1 and SR1a territory - which for me puts it above the Utopia, the MySphere 3.2, the Susvara and the Abyss.
Tone & Timbre
Neutral or very slight mid-forward presentation. Acoustic instruments sound entirely natural. Vocals are mesmerizing. Best headphone reproduction of my own piano (and the recordings I’ve made of it) I’ve ever heard. No overlay nor tainting with any other timbral coloration(s). The tonal balance is about perfect for me. There is more low-end than most electrostatics, but it doesn’t tilt things to being “warm”.
Layering Separation
Separation and layering are superlative. Play some of Mike Oldfield’s earlier works and this becomes blatantly apparent. Everything in its place, and a place for everything. Massed strings don’t lose their tonal density or swell, but at the same time you can still discern that there are multiple discrete instruments in play not just a tone or sound.
Stage/Imaging
Reasonably wide, very precise and stable imaging, with excellent lateral delineation. Relatively close and shallow projection; front-row sort of thing.
Not as intimately staged as the Utopia.
The SR1a, MySphere 3.2, HD800S and Abyss all project deeper stages, with varying degrees of depth-wise spatialization.
Power/Drive
I had originally thought these were supposed to be similarly sensitive to the SR-009S (which are meaningfully easier to drive than, say the SR-007MK2). That doesn’t seem to be the case. While my Carbon and BHSE have AMPLE power (and plenty of room left on the dial), I am turning both up a notch or two higher to get equal play back levels to the SR-009S.
I can easily imagine that these will be a good way less than optimal if driven off the lower-tier Stax energizers/amplifiers.
I tried them briefly off the HSA-1b feeding the iFi Pro iESL … and that’s really a no-go here. They sound nice in that regard, but they do not really sing. Dynamics and impact both suffer, as does playback level. And that’s accounting for equal-loudness contours.
Other Thoughts
If I had auditioned these side-by-side with the SR-009S, on the same chain, at the moment I would say I’d choose the CRBN over the Stax. At the same time, there is a hint of sweetness to the SR-009S delivery that is not apparent with the Audeze cans. It is a hint. It’s really coloration. But it is quite pleasant with the right music. But overall I think I prefer the purer CRBN delivery. At least at the moment.
As it is, I have no intention of letting the SR-009S go right now - that’ll have to wait to see how things compare with the SR-X9000. The SR-007MK2 are another matter … though perhaps they’ll stick around for variety/contrast.
Again, caveats that these are first impressions, there’s potential “new toy syndrome”. This is on my chain, with my ears and music (very broad genre listening)/signature preferences.
But so far, I’m extremely impressed and very happy with the CRBN. I don’t need more time with them to know that they are keepers. I may well order a second set … depending on how the SR-X9000 turn out.
The last time I was this impressed with a headphone I was talking about the SR1a.