CRYSTALCORE™

THE LIMITATION OF CONVENTIONAL DRIVERS

To move air, you must move mass and that mass determines everything. Heavy diaphragms deliver bass authority. Light diaphragms deliver speed and resolution. But mass and speed are in direct opposition, and no conventional architecture escapes it.

Dynamic drivers prioritize weight for punch and impact. Planar magnetics shed mass for control and detail. Electrostatics push speed to its limit, sacrificing bass weight entirely.

Each is a coherent philosophy. Each is still a compromise — because all three generate force the same way, through a field acting on a moving structure.

Changing it requires starting somewhere else entirely.

Driver mass vs speed plot — conventional limit XY scatter plot showing Dynamic, Planar Magnetic, and Electrostatic drivers along a conventional trade-off curve. The top-right corner — high mass, high speed — is visibly empty. conventional limit Diaphragm mass → Bass authority → Transient speed → Resolution → Low High Low High Electrostatic Ultra-low mass, ultra-fast Planar magnetic Low mass, fast Dynamic Heavy diaphragm, slower

A DIFFERENT FOUNDATION

CrystalCore™ does not optimize the trade-off. It eliminates its cause.

Conventional drivers generate force through electromagnetic or electrostatic fields acting on a moving structure. Inertia always pushes back. Speed and mass will always be in tension.

CrystalCore™ replaces this mechanism with a solid-state crystalline actuator that deforms directly in response to the signal. No coil. No field. No inertial penalty.

The result: a driver that is heavy and fast. The empty corner, filled.

Driver mass vs speed plot — with CrystalCore XY scatter plot showing Dynamic, Planar Magnetic, and Electrostatic drivers along a conventional trade-off curve, with CrystalCore sitting in the top-right corner — high mass and high speed. conventional limit Diaphragm mass → Bass authority → Transient speed → Resolution → Low High Low High Electrostatic Ultra-low mass, ultra-fast Planar magnetic Low mass, fast Dynamic Heavy diaphragm, slower CrystalCore™ Heavy diaphragm, still fast

FULL-RANGE SOLID-STATE TRANSDUCER.

CrystalCore™ is a patented, multi-layer composite transducer meticulously engineered from advanced piezoelectric crystal and carbon fiber. While conventional piezo designs struggle to reproduce frequencies below 400 Hz, CrystalCore™ breaks the mold. Highly optimized to deliver a seamless, full-range frequency response (20-50 kHz) from visceral sub-bass to pristine upper treble. It stands as the world’s first full-range, piezo-based transducer built specifically for audiophile headphones.

A NEW CLASS OF DRIVER

Most headphone drivers move sound by pushing air through a chain of mechanical parts. CrystalCore™ removes the chain entirely. Explore how each technology works — and why the difference matters.

Dynamic driver cross-section Permanent magnet Voice coil Sound Cone Coil Magnet Signal in
Dynamic
A voice coil in a magnetic field moves a cone diaphragm. The same principle as a loudspeaker.
Moving mass
Transient speed
Bass authority
Complexity
Force travels through a coil, a mechanical linkage, then the cone. Each step adds inertia and potential distortion.
Planar magnetic driver cross-section Membrane Sound Magnets Membrane Signal in
Planar magnetic
Conductive traces on a thin membrane between magnets. The whole surface moves at once — far less mass than a cone.
Moving mass
Transient speed
Bass authority
Complexity
Fast and detailed, but the ultra-light membrane can struggle with physical bass weight. Needs acoustic compensation.
Electrostatic driver cross-section + stator − membrane + stator Sound Signal in Bias voltage
Electrostatic
A charged membrane floats between two stator plates. Voltage difference pulls or pushes it — no magnets, no coil.
Moving mass
Transient speed
Bass authority
Complexity
Extraordinarily fast and resolved, but needs a dedicated energizer and sacrifices physical bass impact. The classic trade-off.
CrystalCore solid-state driver Crystalline piezo layer Honeycomb diaphragm Signal in Sound Diaphragm Direct bond Crystal Direct bond Carbon fiber
CrystalCore™
Solid-state. No moving mass. The crystal deforms directly in response to signal, carrying the bonded diaphragm with it.
Moving mass
Transient speed
Bass authority
Complexity
No coil. No gap. No magnet. No moving mass. The crystal is the actuator — signal becomes sound through material deformation alone.

BORROWED FROM BEYOND HEARING

CrystalCore™ uses crystalline actuator technology originally engineered for ultrasonic applications, from medical diagnostic scans to precision sensors, where materials must respond millions of times per second. Brought into audio, it eliminates the inertial delay that limits every conventional driver. No coil. No tensioned film. Just a crystal that moves the instant the signal arrives.

CrystalCore™ Electrostatic Planar magnetic Dynamic
CrystalCore rises and settles fastest with minimal ringing, followed by electrostatic, planar magnetic, and dynamic with the most overshoot and slowest decay.
Time (microseconds) — simulated impulse response to a step signal
Illustrative model based on known physical properties of each driver architecture. CrystalCore™ response derived from solid-state piezoelectric actuation characteristics as used in ultrasonic applications.

BASS AUTHORITY THROUGH MASS

Bass slam is a physical property. A heavier diaphragm stores more kinetic energy, moves more air, and hits harder delivering a visceral sub-bass weight and transient impact that no amount of EQ can replicate. While a typical dynamic driver’s moving assembly weighs less than 0.06 grams, the CrystalCore™ honeycomb diaphragm weighs 3.5 grams, a massive, deliberate increase in mass. In a conventional headphone, this weight would destroy transient speed. But CrystalCore’s solid-state actuator is indifferent to the load it drives. The full 3.5 grams slam on every single note, delivering the authority of a heavy, speaker-tier driver alongside the speed of an electrostatic.

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THE REWARD OF ZERO INERTIA

A dynamic driver coil overshoots. A planar magnetic film rings. Both leave mechanical artifacts at the edges of every note — smearing that accumulates across a complex mix into a loss of definition, air, and separation. CrystalCore™ has no coil to overshoot and no tensioned film to ring. The crystal moves exactly as far as the signal demands, then stops. What follows is the recording — not the driver.

CrystalCore technicality icons Micro-detail Fine texture retrieved Separation Instruments stay distinct Soundstage 3D image intact Air & Decay Tails resolve fully

ELECTRICAL CHARACTERISTICS

CrystalCore™ is a solid-state capacitive load — fundamentally different from the resistive loads of dynamic and planar magnetic drivers. Because the crystal layer stores and releases charge rather than dissipating it, CrystalCore™ draws almost no current. The energy goes into the crystal, not into resistance. What it needs instead is voltage.

Impedance in a capacitive driver is frequency-dependent:

Z = 1 / (2π × f × C)

At 1kHz, a 160nF CrystalCore™ driver presents approximately 1,000Ω — far higher than a typical dynamic driver, but requiring only a fraction of the current.

Amplifier pairing details are available on each headphone's product page.

CrystalCore impedance vs frequency curve A frequency vs impedance chart showing CrystalCore's capacitive impedance dropping from around 10,000 ohms at 100Hz to around 200 ohms at 50kHz, compared to a flat dynamic driver impedance of around 300 ohms. Z = 1 / (2π × f × C) C = 160 nF for CrystalCore™ Gen 1 50Ω 100Ω 300Ω 1kΩ 3kΩ 10kΩ 20 Hz 100 Hz 1 kHz 10 kHz 50 kHz Frequency → Impedance → CrystalCore™ capacitive — drops with frequency Dynamic driver resistive — flat impedance ~1,000Ω at 1kHz

The architecture is only half the story.

Hear what CrystalCore™ sounds like in Genesis One.

Explore Genesis One