Best Earphones with Electrostatic Drivers!!!

To enjoy good quality music a good audio chain is very important. But what’s the most important is the pair of in-ear monitors/headphones being used in the chain. If you don’t have a good pair of IEM/Headphones even the flagship DAP or DAC/AMP systems are useless. The audio industry is bringing new innovations in the IEM every day. We have seen moving iron(BA) driver IEM’s, moving coil(DD) IEM’s, then we had hybrid IEM’s having a combination of drivers in a single pair, and now the latest in IEM industry is the EST(Electrostatic) Drivers. Today we are going to discuss the EST drivers and then we will list the top EST driver IEM’s currently available in the market.

What are EST drivers?

EST stands for Electrostatic driver unit. This technology is being used in big speaker systems for a long time, but implementing this technology in small IEM took some time. EST drivers consist of an ultra-light moving membrane that gives an accurate transient response. An EST driver produces an unmatched sound output with crisp clarity and rich details. The EST Driver IEM’s provide outstanding details with a well-extended treble response. These drivers are really small and suit well in hybrid setup IEM’s. Sonion is a China-based brand that currently specializes in making the EST driver units.

Benefits of using EST drivers:-

Since there is no moving component in the driver unit, EST drivers produce completely distortion-free sound output. The drivers output a very sensitive and detailed sound output rich with crisp clarity. EST drivers produce natural timbre and tonality of the instruments with no coloration throughout the entire frequency range, the output is completely natural and rich. The EST drivers are very small and lightweight, they can be placed easily in hybrid setups inside small IEM’s.

Top EST Driver IEM’s:-

Now it is time to share the list of the top EST driver IEM’s currently available in the market.

Moondrop Solis:-

Driver Configuration:-

4BA+2EST.

Pros:-

Warm and natural sound tuning, Crisp Detailed Sound, Outstanding looks, Hand-made Shells, Comfortable Fit.

Cons:-

A bit pricey.

Moondrop is a brand that has gained a lot of popularity with its brilliantly tuned products. The Moondrop Solis is the flagship product from the brand featuring 4BA and 2 EST driver units. It was released late last year. It features handmade shells with glittery faceplate design. The pair comes with a traditional copper cable which is included in every premium earphone from the brand. It delivers an unmatched sound output with crisp details and rich sound quality. The pair produces a quick bass response with natural-sounding vocals and a well detailed treble section. The bass and treble sections are controlled well, they show great extensions. The earpieces are well built, they are actually completely hand made and look very beautiful. The pair is priced at 1099$, you can check more details here.

Technical Specifications:-

>Driver Configuration:- 4BA+2 Sonion EST.

>Impedance: 7.5Ω±15% (@1khz).

>Sensitivity: 120dB/Vrms(@1khz).

>Frequency response: 20Hz-45000 Hz (free field. 1/4 inch MIC).

>Effective frequency response: 20Hz-20000 Hz (IEC60318-4).

>Detachable cable interface: 0.78-2pin.

Shuoer EJ07:-

Driver Configuration:-

10mm Custom Dynamic Driver + Knowles Dual Mid BA+ One Sonion EST.

Pros:-

Quick Deep Bass, Crisp Details, Pure Single Crystal Copper Cable, Beautiful Looks.

Cons:-

Nothing as such.

Shuoer EJ07 is the flagship pair of IEM’s from Shuoer. The brand was highly acclaimed by audiophiles from all around the globe for its Budget pair of EST IEM, the Shuoer Tape. The Tape was an outstanding pair of IEM it provided amazing details, Now the brand has brought us a flagship IEM with a three-way hybrid driver setup. It has a 10mm custom-tuned dynamic driver to handle the mids section, dual Knowles BA drivers for mids, and One Sonion EST driver to provide crisp details in the high. The pair produces an unmatched sound quality with a quick and deep bass portion, natural lifelike vocals, and a crisp detailed treble section. The treble is well detailed and shows no signs of sibilance or harshness though it shows an early roll-off. The pair is well built, it has a sparkly design on the faceplate with a transparent inner housing. One can notice the neat and precise driver placements inside the ear shells through the transparent housing. It comes with a 6N OCC pure single crystal copper cable. The Shuoer EJ07 is priced at 869$, you can check more details over here.

Technical Specifications:-

>Driver Configuration: Three-way Hybrid 10mm Custom Dynamic Driver+Knowles Dual BA+EST.

>Impedance: 17 +/- 2dB.

>Sensitivity: 104 +/- 2dB.

>THD+N: <=1%.

Kinera Nanna:-

Driver Configuration:-

7mm Dynamic Driver+One Mids BA+Two EST Drivers.

Pros:-

Unmatched Sound Output, Detailed and Natural Sound, Premium Build and Design, Pure Single Crystal Copper Cable, Lot of Accessories.

Cons:-

A bit Power Hungry.

Kinera is a well-known name in the Audio Industry. They have their products in almost all price ranges starting from 100$ to the Kinera Nanna Flagship at 899$. Yeah, Kinera Nanna is the Flagship IEM from the brand, it is well built, lightweight provides a comfortable and firm fit. The Kinera Nanna has a three-way hybrid driver setup with a 7mm dynamic driver unit handling the lower end, a balanced armature driver unit to produce natural lifelike mids, and dual Sonion EST drivers to provide unmatched details and crisp clarity in the highs section. The sound output is rich with crisp details, the lower end has a full-body bass response with outstanding slams. The mids BA produces lifelike natural vocals, and the two EST drivers produce an articulated treble section rich with details. There is no harshness or sibilance of any kind throughout the frequency range. The Kinera Nanna is suited well with any genre of music with its neutral tuning and wide stage representation. The Kinera Nanna is priced at 899$, you can check more details here.

Technical Specifications:-

>Four Driver Hybrid Setup, including one 7mm Dynamic Driver, one Balanced Armature Driver, and two Electrostatic Drivers.

>Impedance:- 60 ohms.

>Sensitivity:- 110dB at 1mW.

>Frequency Response:- 5Hz-50kHz.

>2-Pin 0.78mm ConnectorSingle Crystal Copper Cable.

Astrotec Phoenix:-

Driver Configuration:-

Dual Sonion EST+One Custom DD.

Pros:-

Exquisite Built with Handcrafted Wooden Earpieces, Outstanding Sound with W-Shaped Sound Signature, Great Extensions at Lower and Higher ends, Detailed Sound Output with Brilliant Resolution and Imaging.

Cons:-

Power Hungry.

Astrotec has created some outstanding pairs of earbuds and IEM’s. The Phoenix is their flagship pair of IEM featuring dual EST drivers paired with a custom-tuned dynamic driver unit. Earpieces in Phoenix have an outstanding built quality with well-finished handcrafted rosewood ear shells. The pair has an unmatched sound quality with deep and snappy bass with full-body slams, natural vocals, and a well extended detailed treble section. The pair shows great extensions at the lower and higher end providing the user with a crisp and detailed sound output with utmost clarity. It has a 6N pure single crystal copper and silver-plated copper hybrid cable with MMCX connectors and 3.5mm termination plug. The Astrotec Phoenix is priced at 879$, you can check more details here.

Technical Specifications:-

>Hybrid  Driver Unit Featuring Two Sonion Electrostatic Drivers and One Customized Dynamic Driver Unit.

>Impedance: 32 ohms.

>Frequency Response Range: 5Hz-45kHz.

>Sensitivity: 85dB.

>Rated Power: 1mW.

>Maximum Power: 5mW.

>MMCX Connectors.

>6N Single Crystal Copper and silver plated hybrid Cable.

>Handcrafted Rosewood Shells.