Wireless ribbon headphones are a new endeavour for me, so let’s start with a little intro over what that means – as I’m sure there’s others who’d like an outline.

Created by Sineaptic, the SE-1 is quite the revolutionary in terms of technology and affordability. The ‘ribbon driver’ headphones usually sit in the high hundreds, and most definitely thousands, in terms of cost [USD or GBP]. Sineaptic have spent years using their research and development to create the first mass-produced ribbon driver, with a dual array design, which in essence should bring the listener unparalleled sound and a true-to-life music experience – exactly as the artist intended it to be and… it’s coming in at only $199/£165 as their opening gambit. 

As a first product release from the company, this is aiming for the big time, and as we’ve always covered and recommended that films and music to be seen in the best and biggest [and loudest when the moment fits] way possible, it certainly fits in with our ideals and so if you’re an early adopter of revolutionary audio practices, at a practical price, there’s every chance you’d be intrigued by the SE-1.

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Initial Impressions

I’ve used many ear and headphones over the years, across the brands and budgets, but I haven’t opened a product to discover the item seemingly floating as if presenting, quite like this. Sineaptic have chosen to use a larger box (which is only single layered) but within that the SE-1 are held in an AirGuard form, which means they’re suspended by bungee-like bands to each corner of the box and thus safe from courier companies crushing issues – see my video below for the welcome surprise.

They’re also protected by a reinforced, camera-like case with the headphones securely zipped inside – along with a 3.5 mm connection cable, a USB-C charging cable, and associated guide. Once you get them out of the box and into your hands, you’ll understand why they’ve gone to so much trouble really. They’re a large headphone on a first look but with a light setup, coming in at just over 400g and looking contemporary and stylish.

Don’t be put off by the bigger overall size, as they do feel quite huge to begin with, because there is room for all kinds of heads despite being personally unsure why there’s only a ‘one-size-fits-all’ option, but if you’re looking for a reasonably priced headphone of this calibre, then there’s some leniency of desire – so maybe that’s why it’s only got two cushion pads above the headphones to lightly sit the whole device on your head.

And the earpads? Oh the earpads themselves are so soft! Both of them are what it’d be like to have two marshmallow doughnuts on your head but in an electronic sense. In truth, they sit so lightly, there’s not a lot of pressure on the head, which does give an early indication of where you can use these (in terms of location) and where you can’t. But I’ll come back to that later.

The rest of the SE-1 is made of plastic, nevertheless it doesn’t look cheap and they feel robust – which is vital. Overall, these are different to your everyday headset of quality, but in a positive sense and they do suggest worth and give a decent first impression.

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Feel and sound first thoughts

So, these are exceptionally light on the head. Because of that, it feels like they’re more of a work desk or music area (in your home or studio) type of device, as although they’ve got a good enough weight to stay on your head, I don’t think you’d want to wear them out and about – and there are reasons for this both in the size of them, and also the way sound does bleed out.

This open-back does hold the sound in for the listener – and I’m very used to head/earphones with ANC – but it also allows you to hear everything around you, in an ambient sense. This is an unusual balance from my experiences, so if you’re hiding your Taylor Swift obsession then you won’t be able to do it with the SE-1 because everyone around you will definitely hear her world-class work as well – yes, I’m a fan.

It’s difficult not for me to focus a little on the sound bleed as I live in a small flat, and we share an open workspace but if you’ve got your own office setup (or even a gaming area) you could wear these for music, films, phone calls, games or anything else but anyone in the same area will definitely hear whatever you can hear as well. So, depending on volume, keep that in mind.

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Sound Quality and Connectivity

So, this is why the SE-1 was developed really, and without a powerful sense of sound we’d be disappointed, but I can’t fault the design or capability there. Clarity is crisp but without a pain of the volume, from an earphone or ANC-white-noise-esque, and I could hear every element of the likes of The National’s About Today (of course the live version), but also tried the lower-frequency Apples by Lily Allen and Taylor Swift/Bon Iver’s Evermore, to take in every little recording element, which sounds beautiful.

And if you’re into your music production, then these are constructed with that most definitely in mind. I revelled in the deeper realms of Kendrick Lemar’s N95 and Billie Eilish’s What Was I Made For? to delve into those nuances you get with the more complex music-creation setups. When you can equally pick out every element – and it is not a burden like smaller earphones or headphones that make your ears ache – then the SE-1 is a new animal. When you get a chance, I also recommend exploring Caroline Polachek’s Bunny is a Rider, before losing the best of time with Olivia Rodrigo’s bad idea right? and even Dua Lipa’s Houdini to embrace those environments. The other interesting discovery with these Headphones is I can hear the football (for example) on the TV in the background of the music, yet it doesn’t overwhelm or disturb what I’m listening to at all – therefore your own home ambience remains exactly that, rather than spoiling the experience.

I also found it simple to connect to the device via Bluetooth, if not instantaneous via Pairing to my Samsung phone, plus plugging it in via the 3.5mm audio cable, and slotting into any new Hi-fi or separate systems, was easy enough as I assessed it with the Majority Quadriga. This setup offers a good range of audio channels from DAB and FM radio, with pretty much every station you could want, plus an almost-hidden CD player for those long-term collections – and I enjoyed the rediscovery. Also, if you’ve got an older, or new, record player you’re also covered as you’d only need an adapter for that and you’re on your way.

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More on the ribbon aspect

Sineaptic’s SE-1’s has a patented array-based dual diaphragm ribbon speaker and built-in amplification, which interestingly does relate to my feeling of being like small ones but for your ears, and not deafening. The wireless ribbon approach is a rare one at that, especially at this price range.

Your usual ‘phone’ driver is a conical one, but instead of using a magnet, voice coil and diaphragm, the ribbon driver implements a smaller metal ribbon that’s held within a magnetic field – which might go to explain the bigger size of these overall. When they’re charged, or plugged in, the ribbon generates the sound but in a unique way to your classic setup and what Sineaptic are doing here is trying to make it accessible to more users and wirelessly.

The SE-1 also has up to 13+ hours of battery life, and even their own website recommends use in the home, which makes sense and is actually honest, but they’re still aiming to create that home soundscape but reinvent the listening experience directly on your own head, something that co-founder Gary Liu is aiming for with this release.

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Summary

Sineaptic’s SE-1 do appeal for all levels of users, and they come through in the sound quality – the most important advantage of all – and so audiophiles will be intrigued. I think you’d look to invest if you already had a separate music room and can enjoy the same levels of specific sound and the intricacies of an artist’s original recordings. It’ll enable you to listen via your everyday speakers, and later at night (or even in the day), followed by sliding these onto your head and immerse with the same levels you’d want from a ‘normal’ loudspeaker. These also do work well for phone calls, so if you’re working from home, that’s another benefit.  

Due to their lightness, the SE-1 are also wearable for longer periods of time, and with those soft ear pads, you can enjoy the experience without the classic earache that headphones can bring with extensive use. Affordable and comfortable, with a unique way to listen to your music or for gaming, think of these miniature top-quality speakers but effortlessly portable.

The SE-1 brings an incredible inventive and modern take on the technology, and we can certainly keep an ear out for what they produce next.

Pick up Sinaptic’s SE-1 in North America or the UK, here: https://sineaptic.com/products/sineaptic-se-1-wireless