There was a lot of cool tech unveiled at CES 2024 (check out our roundup of the 20 best gadgets of CES 2024 for a full rundown of the award-winning TVs, projectors, speakers, headphones, and more), and among the innovations revealed at the show was a Californian semiconductor company called xMEMS, which hosted demos for its solid-state speaker driver technology. This next-generation audio technology offers a wider sound spectrum and greater detail from smaller, lighter units than the classic dynamic drivers found in the vast majority of today’s headphones and earbuds.
I’ve been reporting on this new technology for a few months now, even going so far as to boldly predict that they will be the headphone tech you won’t stop hearing about in 2024, so I was eager to seek them out to not only back up my prediction (which was a bit of that, otherwise I wouldn’t be good at my job), but also to hear the new Cypress prototype that was announced in November last year.
At CES 2024, I was able to demo all of the headphones that currently use xMEMS solid-state drivers, though not all of them used the same prototype. Instead, there were several combinations of the three generations available, such as the Montara, Cowell (and Montara Plus), and Cypress, the latter of which is designed to be used with the greatest noise cancelling earphones. Mike Housholder, xMEMS’s vice president of marketing and business development, tells me that they even had earbud prototypes created by the company and constructed by a “third-party” manufacturer.
These didn’t stick out to me for clarity, but that could be down to the incredibly bad fit, as I couldn’t get the foam-made earbuds to sit correctly in my ears without slipping out every few seconds. Instead, the options from established headphone manufacturers really stole the show for me. The Creative Aurvance Ace and Aurvana Ace 2 were both present, and I had already had the opportunity to try them out at another demo in London.
There were also models created by Singularity Industries, Kiss Communications, and Noble Audio, the latter of which typically produces very high-end equipment. Sure enough, Noble Audio’s IXM1 in-ear monitors sounded the best of the options I tried, but they cost $599, so they’re clearly not a bargain, regardless of their quality. It’s exciting to hear what the sound quality can achieve, but one of xMEMS’ selling points is its cost, so we’re eager to see what it can do further down the line.
Opinion: The Creative Aurvana Ace 2 makes solid-state speakers more accessible
For manufacturers, it appears that the new drivers provide numerous benefits, the most important of which is that they are reasonably inexpensive and cost effective to make.
Headphone manufacturers have often complained about the exorbitant cost of dynamic drivers. In a 2014 interview with Audio Head, John Moulton, the creator of Noble Audio, stated that he was already dissatisfied by the dearth of high-quality drivers on the market. “In the IEM sector, I wouldn’t say quality is getting cheaper. The problem is that the drivers are expensive. There are essentially two manufacturers of balanced armature drivers, and I believe a lack of competition contributes to keep pricing high.
Out of all the headphones I tried, including Noble Audio’s IXM1 wired earbuds, Falcon Max TWS and Triumph TWS true wireless earbuds, Singularity Industries’ ONI IEMs, and the Kiss Communication prototype (which has yet to be announced), Creative’s Aurvana Ace promise to be the best way to try out xMEMS solid-state driver technology for yourself at home, in my opinion.
Not least because the Aurvana Ace costs $129 / £134 (about. AU$200), providing enthusiasts with a more accessible option to experience the latest innovation in headphone speaker technology in a second pair that does not necessary replace your primary pair. I would not recommend them to someone looking for all of the current features seen in the best Wireless earbuds, but to the fans out there, they represent a watershed point in headphone innovation.
The higher-end alternatives were remarkable, but it’s already feasible to acquire incredibly decent headphones for $600, including the best wired earbuds. The true revolution will occur at the lower end, and while the Creative Aurvana Ace and Ace 2 are not the final form of this – they actually integrate xMEMS technology with a regular driver – their audio capabilities at the price point indicate the path we’re most thrilled to see this technology take.
