I made the blind buy based on early impressions. Now for the long wait 
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At least on a blind-buy with Audeze, there’s the 30-day trial period to fall back on.
Though I’ve already been offered more than I paid for mine, so it’s pretty much risk-free from that perspective also.
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You mentioned liking the T2 earlier in the thread. Any chance you would mind talking about how it’s different than tge Carbon CC/BHSE with the CRBN (since IIRC you think those two are similar)? Tbh I’ve been waffling on commissioning a T2 for quite a while so im kinda looking for any impressions (from a source whos preferences i understand at least) I can find.
Also, did the hate thread ever get made? If so id apreciate a link from anyone that has it 
Sure, but it’ll be a while before I get around to it.
Nope.
I wound up traveling before I got around to going and taking the pictures I wanted, and only got back this last weekend. I’ll get to it at some point.
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I appreciate it! Ill look forward to both posts. Hope you had good travels.
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Order=placed. Thanks to the good dudes on the @headphones.com team @taronlissimore @andrew @netforce
Looking forward to trying these with the BHSE. Should be neat 
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I love the look of the BHSE. It was my top choice as well. But I have a Carbon CC that just showed up the night before last and am about 5 weeks (ordered Oct 31st) into my wait on the CRBN’s.
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One would imagine a carbon CC is beyond an excellent choice also. Hope you really enjoy it
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Just received notification a few hours ago that my CRBN’s are ready to ship. So, FWIW, that’s the current lead time (Oct 31st - Dec 11th).
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Received the CRBN’s today (after repeated failures by FedEx to meet their quoted delivery dates).
It took me about a week to a week and a half to really appreciate the LCD-5’s (I somewhat disliked them initially, and now I absolutely love them), and I hope that’ll be no different here. Plus, my amp is brand new as well, so I’m guessing it’ll appreciate getting some use.
The initial impression is that the bass is nowhere near what I’m getting out of the LCD-5’s. Even w/ a bump in EQ, the CRBN simply doesn’t have much to give. Based on what the reviews have had to say about the CRBN’s, you wouldn’t think this would be the case. So, this comes at a bit of a surprise…
I’ve also noticed that the upper mids can be extremely bright. It’s like they just come out of nowhere and become piercing. This has made it somewhat difficult to listen to a comfortable volume.
However, they’re incredibly detailed. I’m picking things out of tracks that I didn’t notice from the LCD-5’s. This isn’t to say it there on the LCD’s, and an A/B test will be done once another set of cables arrive this week (so I can get my switch fully connected).
Anyways, more to come once I spend more time with them.
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Mind if I ask what amps/chains you are using for both cans?
HSA-1b for the LCD-5’s.
Carbon CC for the CRBN’s.
Both were new in the last week or so. The Carbon CC was never powered on before Friday or Sat, and never had played anything through it before Sat.
I have a Holo May KTE on order (hoping I’ll get a shipping notice any day). I’m running (but currently testing options) Qobuz through Roon to HQPlayer. I found that the CRBN’s sound better today - more bass, and I have ZERO clue why. But, I know that I didn’t care for the LCD’s at first either… So weird if I’m being honest.
I did bypass HQP last night and preferred that for whatever reason (possibly a DSD issue I’m hearing that I didn’t w/ the other chain). And, the shouty/bright issues went away. I’ll turn that mode back on in a few days and see if it’s still there. However, I’m also testing some PCM Filters/Shapers in HQP and enjoying them as well. And, I also prefer the EQ used on the LCD-5s (similar to Resolves) as it provides the bass I think I’m more used to. I don’t know that I’ll keep it, but the bass was what I immediately identified as lacking. And, much of it seems to be back (or at least I think, and will confirm when the LCDs go back on).
Additionally, I’ll have another set of XLR’s here tomorrow (and a new NAA streamer I’m happy to test out that has nothing to do w/ this all lol), and will be doing some A/B testing as it’ll be easy to swap between amps/headphones. My hope was to get used to the CRBN’s after a week or so, then swap back and see if what I perceived was any different.
One other thing, I read a review a few days back that said the recommended breaking on the CRBNs are 125hrs or so. I think it said they’re used at the factory for 6hrs. So, no idea if this is true, or is playing any sort of role here. And, I don’t know if the amp just needs time or not either.
Or, I’m simply losing my mind. TBH, I HATE subjective feedback like I’m providing as I never like reading it myself. I’d prefer a double-blind (or independently measured) test.
That said, the more I listen to them, the more I like them.
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Tyvm for the rundown! Sounds like you got some excleent amps all around. I’m glad to see another hoby speed runner on these forums as well (my speed run has recently moved from max portable to desktop) 
As fot the changes in opinion, tbh, I give every can I get at least 20 hours of on ear time. I find that sometimes just tge change between sound sigs will make me hate something I later come to apreicaite (D8000 Pro from LCD-R was a great example. Found it shrill and nauseating. I now enjoy it more than susvara)
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Haha, yes, speedrunner is very fitting. If you look up my first post to this thread, it was sometime in Sept or Oct, and I was coming in 100% new (no amp, DAC, etc), hadn’t even heard of Audeze until about that time IIRC. But, I did exactly what I set out to (except spent far more than originally planned). However, I have no regrets. I’ve learned so much, and done it so so much faster than I ever could have by going slow and easing into it (which I know is not looked on in a positive light in some of these parts haha). And, much of this gear (the CRBNs or Holo May for example) could not have been demoed, nor enjoyed after what I’ve learned about the time I needed w/ the LCD-5’s (which I never would have walked out of a store with, but absolutely would now). BUT, this gear can be returned/resold the harder it is to get, so little risk IMO.
You make a good point about ear time. The craziest thing was the CRBN’s seemed completely anemic under 80hz on Sat and maybe a good part of yesterday. But today, that’s not the case. And, this doesn’t seem like a subjective thing. There was simply no bass in them, and now I’m either perceiving it differently, or it’s in fact there where it wasn’t, but it’s a far amount different from Sat. No idea what’s happening, but I’m with you on needing ear time.
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I’m running my CRBNs off a Woo Audio 3ES Elite, and the bass is definitely there. I can even hear sub-bass really well. I’m pretty surprised by the bass, as I assumed the CRBNs would be like the SR1as, where the bass doesn’t extend as low as planars or dynamics. The bass is pretty nice in my opinion.
On the first day of listening to the CRBNs, my brain couldn’t fully appreciate what they were doing. I thought they were a little bright and had a somewhat hazy soundstage with more complex albums. The following days changed my mind and the soundstage cleared up, along with the imaging. I’m still burning in the CRBNs and my 3ES, so things might change in the coming weeks.
That said, I was searching for a new “flavor” that sounded different than my planars, dynamics, and SR1a. The CRBN definitely fills that gap. I don’t know how to describe it in words, but the CRBNs reproduce sound in a different way. I’ll think on how to describe that, but I like it.
Anyway, I like the CRBNs a lot and will continue to listen to them. I don’t want to rate them at the moment, as I know my understanding of the CRBNs will change as I acclimate to them. Then I can better compare them to other TOTL cans
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I had the pleasure of listening to the CRBN today at Audeze. I was really blown away by how amazing these headphones are. I only listened for about 40 minutes.
They have a preemo setup with a Chord TT2/M scaler hooked up to a LTA z10e, so It felt a bit strange since I’m used to listening to a new pair of headphones on my setup and feeling that all I’m comparing is new to old headphones.
I’ve never listened to an electrostat headphone, but I’ve heard that they tend to be a bit this and often have weak bass. This was not the case at all with the CRBN, it has superb well extended and punchy bass. The quantity is less than the typical bass shelf of the Harmon target and I prefer it that way.
Overall I really loved the overall tonal balance. It felt really balanced and in stark contrast to the LCD-2 and LCD-3 (there treble in particular).
The detail, speed, separation, and soundstage were all excellent. It’s hard for me to evaluate these in such a short time, though I will say that they sounded effortless in achieving this technical excellence.
Outside of the music, these things are super light and comfy, again, in stark contrast to the LCD-2 and LCD-3. As far as the aesthetics, they are pretty simplistic and, although clearly well made, I do love the wood and metal build (though maybe not the weight) of the other Audeze headphones.
If I had the cash today, I’d buy the CRBN with the LTA Z10E in a heartbeat. Guess, I’ll have to start saving! We’ll see what the new year brings!
Huge thanks to Chris at Audeze for setting me up with a listening appointment and a great chat.
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Wait, is audeze listening room open? I litteraly pass their office on my way to work
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Not exactly, you need to make an appointment.
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Good to know. I’ll shoot them an email
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