At the heart of any in-ear monitor, it’s the smallest elements that make the biggest difference, especially in the small, confined space of the ear.
There are two common formats on the market. One is borrowed from the hearing aid industry, called the balanced armature driver approach. This technology consists of an electro-magnetic motor system packed with a multitude of components and drivers. Here, a combination of several balanced armature drivers, each only able to cover a specific frequency range, work together to cover the full hearing spectrum.
The interaction of the motor system, numerous drivers, crossover points and other passive components do not always work in a cohesive way. This results in phase issues and distortions at high volumes which impairs the overall listening experience.
![Person wearing Sennheiser IE 100 PRO in-ear monitors.](https://www.sennheiser.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1920,format=avif,quality=75/globalassets/digizuite/40210-en-ie_100_pro_clear_in_use_shot_2967.jpg/SennheiserFullWidth)