Introduction

Audeze's release late last year of its new flagship, the LCD-5, was the talk of everyone in the headphone community, irrespective of whether you were in the market for an end-game set or not. The eye-watering $4500 also meant very few could afford it but that did not stop a huge number of you from reading my review either. The interesting thing is the LCD-5 is actually a co-flagship set as far as Audeze is concerned, given the California-based audio brand had surprised everyone a month earlier with it's debut into the electrostatic headphone world with the aptly named CRBN. We covered the tech used in this cool new head-fi addition previously, and I was personally vested to at least listen to the CRBN at the earliest opportunity given my decade+ experience working with carbon nanotubes, that are also used in the CRBN's drivers. I also appreciated how the original motive behind Audeze's entry to e-stats was helping solve a major comfort issue in the MRI diagnosis world and the CRBN was a happy coincidence as a result of the technology trickling down to us consumers too.


If you are wondering what electrostatic headphones are, and how they differ from typical dynamic or even planar magnetic headphones, the main takeaway is they are driven using an electrostatic force as opposed to an electromagnetic force. The aforementioned primer on the CRBN discusses this more and the e-stat world is generally associated with one brand—STAX—that's been doing it so long that the currently-adopted bias voltage of 580 V for driving modern e-stat headphones is commonly referred to as STAX Pro bias. All this is a long way to say that typical headphone amplifiers are not capable of driving electrostats and you need specialized sources that, in a smaller market, tend to be either inexpensive but less-than-desirable or costly as in the case of the Headamp Blue Hawaii Special Edition pictured above with the CRBN. For those wondering, the BHSE starts at $6495 (before applicable taxes and shipping) and goes up to $7995 for the upgraded model.

Needless to say then that a combination of CRBN + BHSE, which easily crosses $10k, is not for everyone. I already expect to see people scoff at others who might be in the market for something, without giving regard to disposable income/hobby preferences alike. Indeed, when Audeze was enquiring about my own interest in reviewing a CRBN, it came with the unmentioned condition of being in possession of a good enough source to not hold the headphones back. CanJam London came to the rescue, as I attended this two-day event at the end of July this year and was able to listen privately to a few different e-stat headphones—including two different CRBN samples—as well as four different e-stat amplifiers that are also referred to as energizers. The BHSE was easily the best among these sources outside of the $30k HIFIMAN Shangri-La Sr. amplifier, and even here, I would argue the BHSE did better. Headamp then offered me a good deal on the show floor unit that I ended up purchasing with my own money and that led to a chain of events resulting in a few different e-stats in the house. Given the CRBN was why I even went down this rabbit hole, I simply had to start my electrostatic headphones/source coverage with it! Thanks to Audeze for arranging a review sample for TechPowerUp as we begin this review with a look at the product specifications in the table below.

Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

Audeze operates a web shop, and this sample shipped directly from the company. As such, we begin with the shipping packaging to better represent how paying customers would receive the CRBN. The shipping box is appropriately sized, although with Audeze-branded tape, and more branding stickers on multiple sides with one even mentioning the contents inside. I would rather see a stealthier approach, knowing these are extremely expensive headphones. Inside is the product case which comes in a shaped-to-fit bubble wrap supported by thick foam sheets around the sides, for further protection against overzealous couriers.


We saw previously that Audeze has a new standard travel case some of its more affordable headphones now ship in, and there is a more expensive premium travel case adopting a more rugged, overkill approach for the more expensive sets. With the CRBN and LCD-5 having pushed the upper boundary of Audeze headphone pricing to new levels, the company decided to upgrade the case to what it calls the aluminium travel case which costs $175 by itself. True to the name, this is a lightweight, sturdy all-aluminium case that can be mistaken for an office briefcase from afar. There is Audeze branding on the front now and the case measures 36 x 27 x 18.5 cm. While cool to the touch, this is fully weatherproof and has heavy-duty feet on two sides, to be set down horizontally or vertically. An oversized handle and two locking latches complete the case, and this may well just be the best-looking, feeling, and functioning headphone case I have seen to date.


To give more context on how this new case looks compared to the Audeze standard travel case—previously referred to as the economy travel case—I have above a photo of the two together. The new aluminium travel case is lighter, broader, narrower, and has a cleaner design, owing to the lack of reinforced corners since everything is made out of aluminium. I also appreciate the dual latches when compared to the single latch in earlier and lower end models, so this is a clear upgrade in my books. Note that this case can't be used with other Audeze headphones, owing simply to the size and shape of the headphones, and upon opening it we see custom-machined foam on the inner lining and main compartment, with cutouts to snugly fit the CRBN on the left, and an accessory compartment on the right.


A thin slit cut into the front hosts some paperwork in the form of a handwritten certificate of authenticity, with the serial number of the CRBN unit and assembly date. Audeze also provides a card that reminds you to see if there are any applicable downloads or user manuals on the Audeze website where you would find a handy video guide specific to the CRBN and a note on using Audeze's excellent Reveal+ plug-in we saw before—no support for the CRBN in there as of writing this review though! A set of included keys also lock the case for more security, and we see a pair of soft white-colored gloves to allow you to handle the CRBN without getting your grubby fingerprints all over it. These are uni-size gloves that stretch to fit most hands, and they came in handy for taking out the headphones from the plastic bag it comes placed inside. Unlike Audeze's planar magnetic headphones, there is no cylindrical foam piece between the ear cups to minimize the ear pads and drivers from hitting each other. The CRBN being an e-stat, you would not want to have anything there at all, so we instead find desiccant to remove residual moisture in addition to the plastic cover to keep dust out.