A new company offers ribbon drives at mainstream prices
The SE-1 Wireless Headphones are the first product TechPowerUp has seen from Sineaptic, and they have an interesting feature. They use dual ribbon array drivers, which aren’t typically found on headphones priced under $1,000, but are available for about $200. Ribbon drivers are very light compared to coils, which allows them to vibrate more accurately, and by using arrays of them, the SE-1 has a larger vibrating area that can be engaged with magnets to produce sound. They’re much better at highs and mids than bass, and they require more power to drive than traditional drivers, but don’t require additional power.
Sineaptic opted to use the SE-1’s open back, which is relatively rare for wireless headphones, and includes a built-in EQ mode that switches between balanced and bass-boosted sound signatures. Impressions of the TPU are mostly positive, but come with a few caveats; they like that it’s a new audio solution at this price point, but they do think there’s room for improvement in a few areas. Check out their exact words in the full review.