[Audio Addict]

It's been a while since we heard from RS Audio. Hoping they don't ride off into the sunset soon like Cavalli Audio and Eddie Current but they do seem to have slowed production in recent years. Interested to hear how the emmeline b52 and apache pairs with my hp but they are rather hard to demo in recent years.

Ray is not creating new amps. He is still servicing all his amplifiers. He has time to go back and refine the full size amplifiers. First up he did the A-10. Prior to him doing this, the A-10 sounded like the other E-stat amps I heard at shows but after this it now really opens the SR-009 to it's full potential. He has done the same with the B-52 and the Apache as well as his XR-2 phonostage. The downside is when he is out of PCB or chassis, they are gone. He is out of Apaches. He had one A-10 left and I think 2 B-52s. They do have lifetime warranties, but that Ray's.

 

[eee1111]

I dunno how this would be a flop. If anything, the fact it's Audeze doing it would bring more attention to the Electrostatic market, and likely convert many audiophiles who hadn't thought to look into e-stats. Unlike Stax who are just rooted in Electrostatic market, you have Audeze now, along with DCA/HFM/Senn/Koss. The more and more the better known companies bring eyes towards estats, the more the market is likely to grow.

At least that's my belief.

It’s 4500 dollars and sounds *similar* to the 900s

Hifiman and DCA went the route of asking 3500-4000 and were largely dismissed with the shangri la jr and the Voce.

Both are good but very expensive

I think both are underrated but priced too high.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

It’s 4500 dollars and sounds *similar* to the 900s

Hifiman and DCA went the route of asking 3500-4000 and were largely dismissed with the shangri la jr and the Voce.

Both are good but very expensive

For me it's less about the price, and more just the intrigue of "ooh an estat with carbon nanotubes". Sure the general audiophile ain't gonna bother, but it's still gonna bring interest for people who never would've looked at estats to begin with.

Hell, if I was gonna buy a flagship, I'd be more inclined to try something different from the norm. This would be that type of product. Not that I could ever afford it.

Believe it or not, this product has people talking. People who had never even heard of estats.

 

[ThanatosVI]

I dunno how this would be a flop. If anything, the fact it's Audeze doing it would bring more attention to the Electrostatic market, and likely convert many audiophiles who hadn't thought to look into e-stats. Unlike Stax who are just rooted in Electrostatic market, you have Audeze now, along with DCA/HFM/Senn/Koss. The more and more the better known companies bring eyes towards estats, the more the market is likely to grow.

At least that's my belief.

I can only speak for myself, but this describes it quite well.

Until now I didn't have much interest in eStats, but I am a huge Fan of Audeze and really wonder what they can do with this.
After some initial reviews I might even get one of my own.

 

[KDS315]

I would echo prior comment recommending HeadAmp and Mjolnir Audio options. I'd also add the Corsonus Kodachi to the mix, which very much belongs in the discussion. Beautiful tonality, stunning looks, and a manageable size.

200Vss it does??? Are you joking...?

 

[DougD]

Believe it or not, this product has people talking. People who had never even heard of estats.

I only e-talk about headphones on forums, so I don't know about that. Within the headphone world, I think almost everyone except newbs knows OF e-stats, although many may never have had the chance to LISTEN to any.

One thing this Audeze launch does do however, IMO, is help show there's some diversity and energy in the high-end e-stat niche. So if you do have the financial ability to buy a $5000+ dedicated e-stats amp, you're not limited to just what the kinda-flakey Stax people might do in terms of future h/ps, you're likely to have some viable choices. That makes the expense of getting a top tier e-stats amp more palatable, and keeps the demand (and prices) for top tier used amps high.

 

[M3NTAL]

Have these started shipping from @Audeze HQ's or are they currently being individually built as orders come in? I assume the latter once they get some out and the orders slow down.

Can't wait for team Audeze to take their well-earned place on the summit. I've been lucky to hear everything from the original LCD-1 prototype to the LCD-R and can't wait to hear these.

 

[dukeskd]

I only e-talk about headphones on forums, so I don't know about that. Within the headphone world, I think almost everyone except newbs knows OF e-stats, although many may never have had the chance to LISTEN to any.

One thing this Audeze launch does do however, IMO, is help show there's some diversity and energy in the high-end e-stat niche. So if you do have the financial ability to buy a $5000+ dedicated e-stats amp, you're not limited to just what the kinda-flakey Stax people might do in terms of future h/ps, you're likely to have some viable choices. That makes the expense of getting a top tier e-stats amp more palatable, and keeps the demand (and prices) for top tier used amps high.

Agreed with this. Definitely makes the top end estat amps, such as the BHSE, etc, more usable versus just having those amps for a 009.

 

[eee1111]

For me it's less about the price, and more just the intrigue of "ooh an estat with carbon nanotubes". Sure the general audiophile ain't gonna bother, but it's still gonna bring interest for people who never would've looked at estats to begin with.

Hell, if I was gonna buy a flagship, I'd be more inclined to try something different from the norm. This would be that type of product. Not that I could ever afford it.

Believe it or not, this product has people talking. People who had never even heard of estats.

its a good thing
more is better
Maybe the prices on others come down now.

I do agree Audeze has the ability to bring people into electrostatic.

Im saving for the upcoming Stax response. lol who am I kidding ill probably buy these eventually.

 

[trellus]

Exactly. We heard the same thing with the introduction of the Voce. There was to be a renaissance of Electrostatic Headphones, except it never happened. perfectly said: "A niche within a niche".

Yeah, I really don't see there being an explosion of electrostatic headphones being sold, by any means -- so really I suppose the question is how much market penetration within the relatively small market of people willing to spend this much on headphones and related gear, Audeze gets with the CRBN -- will CRBN be more popular than the other electrostats or not? We will see. It's out of my price bracket, so I have no plans at this point to purchase a set, but I'm happy with my planars and my el cheapo Koss ESP/95X.

 

[04gto]

For me it's less about the price, and more just the intrigue of "ooh an estat with carbon nanotubes". Sure the general audiophile ain't gonna bother, but it's still gonna bring interest for people who never would've looked at estats to begin with.

Hell, if I was gonna buy a flagship, I'd be more inclined to try something different from the norm. This would be that type of product. Not that I could ever afford it.

Believe it or not, this product has people talking. People who had never even heard of estats.

This is similar to my own stance. I have heard two estats. Koss 95x (Yawn) and Stax 007 MK2 (good sounding, nothing special). I am not an audiophile, I am a technophile. I am way more intrigued by the aspect of the new tech here than by how they might sound. I am very much a function over form guy and I am certain the function (sound) will impress. However where these have really impressed me so far is the aesthetics. They look amazing. They weigh dramatically less than typical Audeze LCD etc, which never bothered me anyway as my average (carbon fiber) motorcycle helmet weighs double any Audeze and I wear those for hours without issue. So that weight savings should silence the fat shamers on here. Also being a SoCal native I am THRILLED to support a local company that makes great, innovative and forward thinking products like these. Instead of "why didn't they do it this way, nobody else does that?" or "It is not gonna be super popular and nobody can afford it, so why make it?". With that kind of BS we would never get anything awesome and new. So thank you @Audeze for thinking outside of the box and ignoring the 'gate keepers' (of nothing) and naysayers. The (audiophile) world does not revolve around a few negative old goats on an internet forum anyway.

 

[KMann]

are they currently being individually built as orders come in

They are being built to order.

Regarding predicting success/flop:
I wish I had a crystal ball to predict how exactly a product would do before it gets to the hands of customers, just by looking at the pictures. Electrostatic headphones make up for only a small fraction of headphones used by audio enthusiasts/audiophiles, the barrier of entry is also high, we realize that; so having realistic expectations is good.

We also realize that competing with the best electrostatic headphones is a huge mountain to climb. I can only hope (as someone who has been listening CRBN for several months now) that CRBN meets or exceeds expectations. Only time will tell, as more of you get to listen. For now, all we can hope for is less speculations; neither hyping nor dismissing a product unheard helps anybody. In the mean time we can try and answer questions the best we can.

(My personal opinion) Success, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder, it need not always be financial:

• I don't think many were aware of the need for better headphones inside MRI scanners (most use pneumatic headphones, a technology used in airplanes from 1960s). These sound horrible and distorted. Imagine trying to calm down a child who is claustrophobic and instructing them not to move inside a MRI machine so the scans are good.
• I don't think anyone (other than a handful) have heard a electrostatic headphone that uses carbon nanotubes instead of metal deposits and how that changes the presentation and timbre.
• What we learnt from building a headphone for use in a very hostile environment., motivates us to apply it elsewhere.
• Exploring and pushing boundaries is a good thing, it ultimately makes technology more affordable and reach a wider audience.

 

[project86]

200Vss it does??? Are you joking...?

Not sure what you mean. Are you talking about the bit on their site where they reference a distortion measurement at 200Vpp? I don't believe they are implying that's the maximum output, if that's your concern.

 

[ThanatosVI]

They are being built to order.

Regarding predicting success/flop:
I wish I had a crystal ball to predict how exactly a product would do before it gets to the hands of customers, just by looking at the pictures. Electrostatic headphones make up for only a small fraction of headphones used by audio enthusiasts/audiophiles, the barrier of entry is also high, we realize that; so having realistic expectations is good.

We also realize that competing with the best electrostatic headphones is a huge mountain to climb. I can only hope (as someone who has been listening CRBN for several months now) that CRBN meets or exceeds expectations. Only time will tell, as more of you get to listen. For now, all we can hope for is less speculations; neither hyping nor dismissing a product unheard helps anybody. In the mean time we can try and answer questions the best we can.

(My personal opinion) Success, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder, it need not always be financial:

• I don't think many were aware of the need for better headphones inside MRI scanners (most use pneumatic headphones, a technology used in airplanes from 1960s). These sound horrible and distorted. Imagine trying to calm down a child who is claustrophobic and instructing them not to move inside a MRI machine so the scans are good.
• I don't think anyone (other than a handful) have heard a electrostatic headphone that uses carbon nanotubes instead of metal deposits and how that changes the presentation and timbre.
• What we learnt from building a headphone for use in a very hostile environment., motivates us to apply it elsewhere.
• Exploring and pushing boundaries is a good thing, it ultimately makes technology more affordable and reach a wider audience.

I can say that aesthetically you Made a good job.
Just like the LCD series the CRBN looks really good.

As a Bass connosoir I'm naturally worried about the low end performance. However I'm eagerly awaiting reviews

 

[Audeze]

And for people who haven't heard how it sounds inside an MRI machine, here are some samples we recorded.