Today, Marcus reviews the Audeze CRBN2, a set of 2nd-generation open-back electrostatic headphones featuring the company’s new bass-enhancing SLAM technology.
They are priced at $5995.00 but just $995 for original CRBN owners who wish to send their units in to be upgraded.
Disclaimer: I received this sample in exchange for my honest opinion. Headfonics is an independent website with no affiliate links or services. I thank the team at Audeze for their support.
Click here to read more about the Audeze products we have previously reviewed on Headfonics.
Note that this review follows our current scoring guidelines, which you can read in more detail here.
The Audeze CRBN2 is a 'double-down' on the excellent promise of the original with one of the best low-end performances from an electrostatic headphone I have heard to date.
Combined with a smoother, beefier tonal character, improved headroom, and a comfier fit on the head, it's a worthy replacement for an already-worthy set of headphones.
Four years have passed since the release of Audeze’s debut electrostatic headphones, the CRBN. I rated this one highly for delivering a stylish set of headphones with a very ‘un-Stax’- like sound signature.
So much so that, along with the Shangri-La Jr from HIFIMAN, it was a Top Gear Best Open Headphones co-award winner that year.
The new CRBN2 therefore feels timely in the Audeze scheme of things. It retains a lot of what made the original a great headphone, from the design to the plush teardrop ear pad styling, improving substantially on some of the original’s early areas of concern such as the notorious “Stax Fart”.
More importantly, that fulsome low-end and gorgeous tonal quality that makes the Audeze interpretation so different in the electrostatic world has been impressively ‘stiffened’, creating an even deeper, almost tactile experience, from a driver type that is all too often described as ‘polite’.
If you have been put off buying an electrostatic headphone due to their lack of bass then the CRBN2 may well be the answer to that concern.
Of course, in the four years since the original, there are new options such as DCA’s CORINA that also break the ‘electrostatic sound’ mold. Has Audeze kept pace? I found out in my full review below.
Features
The Audeze CRBN2 is a set of pro-bias electrostatic open-back circumaural headphones. One might argue that this is an iterative development on the original rather than a complete break from the past.
To some extent that is true as much of the core technology from the CRBN remains, including, the 120x90mm electrostatic driver size and the innovative ultra-thin custom carbon nanotube technology for the diaphragm.
However, significant new features have been introduced that, in my opinion, substantially change some aspects of the CRBN2 tuning over the original, namely SLAM technology which is an acronym for ‘Symmetric Linear Acoustic Modulator’.
In short, SLAM gives the CRBN2 low-end response below 100Hz a significant boost without introducing distortion which can be very tricky with electrostatic diagrams without introducing a heavy slow excursion effect that can end up welded to the stator.
I have seen this crudely described as a ‘bass port’ but it is much more than that. If you notice in most of the pics there is a gold ring on the driver enclosure build that was not there on the original.
This ring houses several fine-tuned physical channels that act as a conduit between the pads and the driver to relieve pressure and acoustically modulate or boost the low-frequency response of the CRBN2 by up to 6 dB over the original without added distortion.
On top of that, the CRBN2’s carbon nanotube-embedded driver film has been fine-tuned with a focus on improving imaging and placement. I poked around with Audeze on how exactly but for now that information has been kept under wraps.
Design
The general form factor and high-level appearance of the CRBN2 are quite similar to the original version released in 2021. This is a good thing.
You get an eye-catching mix of premium materials including the LCD Series carbon fiber on top of those big and gorgeous, almost oversized, ovoid cup designs with lattice-type grill highlights and deep-set leather pads.
The materials used are a healthy mix of magnesium, machined aluminum for the connector, stainless steel for the rods, and carbon fiber for the headband system.
The cup enclosure follows the original CRBN’s design language which means a polymer acetate material finished in a blend of dark and light swirls, not unlike the Tortoiseshell effect of the LCD-5 only a bit more nuanced.
The obvious physical changes from the original are the additional ring in the cup enclosure for the SLAM technology to work and the central stabilizing column in the middle of the carbon fiber headband, a feature Audeze has been introducing on some of their other headphones such as the recently reviewed LCD-4z.
And speaking of the LCD-4z, the CRBN2 has been given a similar stylish set of visuals with a stronger bronze hue on the adjuster rods, leather pressure strap stitching, and the metal gauze behind the cup grills.
I am not a huge fan of colored stitching but I love the new color for the grills and rods. Combined with the similarly finished ring the CRBN2 has a darker more opulent vibe than the original CRBN.
Comfort
There is only a 10g difference between the CRBN2 and the CRBN so the additional weight is unlikely to be felt when comparing them on your head. This is still one of Audeze’s most comfortable and articulated headphones to wear.
However, here is where one of the less obvious differences between the old and new headphones is felt and that is the changed dimensions of the CRBN2 headband and pressure strap. This gives them a very different feel on my head compared to the older, albeit early-release edition of the CRBN.
I assume that Audeze has tightened the headband a little, reduced the slack, and shortened the drop to create what I consider to be an improved fitting.
My immediate impression is of a more secure fit from the CRBN with less of the ovoid cup and pad overshooting my jawline and brushing against my neck. The CRBN feels a little looser and settles further down onto my neck, thus feeling relatively less comfortable and secure.
The CRBN2 pressure dissipation is also superior. You might feel it a bit tighter around your head but the pads are so plush that it negates any discomfort and reduces unintended movement when using them.
And when you energize the CRBN2 s there is no ‘Stax fart’ or at least none during this review. My CRBN was one of the first production models and I admit I never sent them in to get redone as many have to reduce the crinkle and ‘fart’.
This seems to be a non-issue for most now but it’s nice to compare how far Audeze has come with the CRBN2 compared to the original in terms of minimizing these effects.
Stock Cable
Aside from the splitter Audeze logo branding switching to a matching copper color, the CRBN2 non-detachable pro-bias cable seems unchanged from the CRBN stock version.
This cable uses 2.5 m of OCC monocrystal copper wire housed in a rounded cloth jacket and terminated with a CNC-machined aluminum 5-pin Pro Bias connector.
That means the CRBN2 is a 580 VDC Stax Pro Bias-compatible headphone, which opens it up to a wide range of compatible energizers and dedicated amplifiers.
This is also a fairly lightweight cable and not as bulky as the VIVO on the CORINA though the DCA cable is finished to the same high standard IMHO. Certainly, it is superior in terms of durability and finish to the lightweight netted construct of HIFIMAN Shangri-la Jr cable.
Handling is smooth, with no stiffness in the cable, and any noticeable memory retention or microphonics seems absent. The 5-pin plug is constructed from lightweight machined aluminum and finished in a grippy molded plastic.
Packaging & Accessories
The CRBN2 packaging is also unchanged from the original CRBN which is fine by me as the case is quite sturdy and relatively compact without too much bulk.
This is a similar aluminum travel case used by the LCD-5. It is slightly different in design from the standard Economy LCD headphone series Travel Case, though the mechanics and internal foam lining follow a similar pattern.
The case also has an upscale, smoother-looking external finish compared to the Economy version, which comes with lower-range headphones such as the LCD-XC 2021. Like the smaller economy case, you get a set of small keys to lock it.
You also get a warranty card in a separate thin foam slot and a pair of white cotton gloves to avoid dirt transfer when handling the CRBN2 headphones. These also keep the fingerprints off the enclosures and cut down on any unwanted transfer of dirt and grease from your hands.
Click on page 2 below for my sound impressions and recommended pairings.
