Hope all you CRBN dudes get your headphones soon! Don’t forget to post impressions though @Torq lol.
It would be funny if people get their hands on the SR-X9000 before the CRBN.
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Congrats!
I hope you’re getting to spend some time listening with them!
And there’s no problem with anything you’ve posted. Any issues I might have are with Audeze, not their customers.
…
I did chat with Audeze’s CSO this afternoon, to try and get a proper idea of what’s happening. I can expect my set to ship today or tomorrow, with tomorrow being more likely.
It seems that when I chatted with sales last week, I was the first order in the system … or rather the “next” order in the system that was now at the top of the queue after other unit(s) had been shipped.
The only way I can account for that, given I know when I ordered, is that it was because I used PayPal* and other’s may not have - and that can result in odd delays in when an order “completes” and posts vs. more direct methods.
Had a good chat with Mark, seems like a good chap that knows his stuff.
…
*After selling off lots of gear, I’ve been spending down my PayPal balance as I have no desire to link that to bank account and just transfer it out. In future I’ll just use a credit card for “get in first/early” type orders.
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Stranger things have happened … 
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My set of CRBN arrived about 30 minutes ago.
I’ll post a couple of quick provenance-shots when I swap over from running them from my Mjolnir Audio KGSSHV Carbon to my BHSE; I was too eager to get to listening to fanny about with pictures/“What’s in the box?” stuff.
They look and feel fantastic; more Bugatti than Bentley, to use a car analogy.
All I can say about the sound at the moment is that they were well worth the wait. More about that coming in stream-of-consciousness type posts.
Proper pictures once I get some more time listening …
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Glad to see they finally arrived (: Excited to hear your thoughts
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Soooooo pretty. After listening to them at the show, every time I walked by them I had to stare a little. Like when you see a pretty lady, but you don’t want to get caught staring and seem like a creep. 
The great thing is they feel just as premium as they look.
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So happy to see they finally arrived! I look forward to your further impressions.
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I look forward to your further impressions.
The sound… The sound! Especially compared to the 009s.
Happy for you…
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.
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Great evaluation. As soon as mine arrived I went into a deal closing and have spent 4 hours with them total. I could tell they were very good on my BHSE just haven’t had time to sort out how good. As fate would have it the LCD 5 was just delivered to my door but caught in work for at least the next 36 hours. Sort of psychic torture.
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That would be torture!
The supposed similarity between the CRBN and LCD-5’s tonal profile (frequency response), and how far off my visual read of what was posted for them vs. how they sound, has me thinking it’s time for me to put in an order for the LCD-5 (to potentially replace my LCD-4 and RAD-0) now.
While the weight of the LCD-4 and RAD-0 doesn’t bother me, lighter wouldn’t be bad by any means.
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I really liked your impressions
Well, that sounds pretty awesome to me.
@Torq do you think the Mjolnir SRD-1 with my Boulder 866 would drive the CRBN in a satisfying way vs a solid state KGSSHV Carbon or something along those lines?
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" 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,"
Lol don’t forget to sleep!
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I would be surprised if it didn’t, but Birgir would be the best person to ask. It’ll be more down to the SRD-1 … as your 866 will have more than enough juice.
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I’ll certainly have to give this serious consideration. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, enjoy the next few days getting to know them 
Congrats on getting the crbn. When your able to, if you could elaborate on the differences between how the crbn sounded on the bhse vs carbon amps and which you might prefer for the crbn? Also what are your impressions of the 009S on the carbon amp?