One small step for headphones, one giant leap for audiophiles: why this super-tiny invention could make your next headphones sound a whole lot better

Knowles has found a way for headphones to use balanced armature drivers
This may allow future headphones to offer greatly improved sound qualities
Currently, no headphones offer this technology, only earbuds – but they will

While earphone manufacturers have been tripping over themselves to cram more and more drivers into their buds — Soundpeat’s H3 has three, and they cost less than the AirPods Pro 3 (which doesn’t have three), while the Status Between 3ANC, shown below, has dual balanced armature drivers and a 10mm dynamic driver — it’s another non-headphone race.

Hold the phone: it hair reached them now, thanks to Knowles’ new design. Best known for its Balanced Armature (BA) driver since Hugh Knowles invented it for the hearing aid market in 1955, the company believes it is finally ready to revolutionize the headphone game.

Knowles has unveiled a new hybrid headphone design that allows its small and lightweight BA drivers to sit alongside the much larger dynamic drivers typical of over-ear designs. While the dynamic driver would handle the same frequencies as always (typically lower than them), the BA driver would add a bit of high-end sparkle.

Knowing me, knowing you (ah haaa)

Status Between 3ANC earphones held on a colorful background

(Image credit: Future)

Traditionally, most headphone manufacturers have believed that multi-driver systems in headphones are a bad idea. It’s a shame, because in earphones each driver can focus on a different frequency range, rather than relying on one to do as much as possible. And when done well (see Campfire Audio’s lineup for more great examples) it can sound absolutely sublime.

For a combination of reasons such as phase avoidance, complications with spatial audio tuning, and ear positioning, most (but not all) headphones have a single driver. That’s because the drivers are farther away from your ears than in buds, where they’re up close and personal with your ear canal, complicating matters.

However, BA drivers are popular for being small and lightweight, so they add some much needed versatility within the acoustic architecture.

Knowles’ design for cans has one dynamic driver with two BA drivers that sit in front of the dynamic unit and point precisely at your ears.

According to Knowles, this is one of the main features: a hybrid design can be used “without significantly changing the industrial design, comfort or overall product dimensions”. So they won’t be heavier than your standard cans – if anything, they might be lighter.

But reading between the lines, it sounds like a precise fit will be even more important on over-ear headphones with this architecture. I imagine that rules out the technology being implemented in on-ears, which I’ve always found to fit quite loosely, and possibly exercise headphones too, due to the natural vibration of exercises.

Knowles has already fielded BA drivers from JBL, Status (pictured above this text), JLab, Edifier and Baseus, so these companies may well be the first to take Knowles up on their offer and release over-ears using the technology. But only time will really tell – so for now we wait.