'We can tune the bass to get more output, pretty much for free': I asked
audio specialist Audeze about its patented SLAM system for headphones, and
the slam-dunks kept a-coming

Date:
Fri, 03 Jul 2026 21:00:00 +0000

Description:
Audeze's SLAM tech was a breakthrough for the brand but what exactly is it and how did it come to be? I asked the people who created it

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Audeze's own Symmetric Linear Acoustic Modulator (SLAM, for short) tech has been a game-changer for the premium head-fi brand.

It's seen a superb boost for all its most recent lines of headphones and gaming headsets that have seen an enhancement to bass, a reduction in distortion, and a mastering of the pressure equalization within a headphone's architecture. As Audeze describes it on its website, at its core, SLAM is a collection of "precisely engineered channels seamlessly integrated into the ring that connects the ear pads to the drivers." Latest Videos From Watch
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This physically manifests in headphones as a "structure that you put between the ear part and the transducer that resonates," according to Audeze's chief technical officer, Dragoslav Colich ('Dr C' for short).

These channels relieve air pressure buildup the air has somewhere to go and also help with low-frequency response, to the point where it enhances bass significantly. It's proved so good and transformational for the brand; it's one of the biggest upgrades on offer in the Audeze Maxwell 2 over the
original Maxwell, for example. You may like I visited elite head-fi brand Audeze and found out exactly why planar magnetic headphones are better for gaming audio than regular dynamic drivers A slam-dunk at High End Vienna: Audeze unveils pro mixing headphones with huge 90mm drivers (and yes, proprietary SLAM tech too) 'We definitely are also analog people': We interview WiiM's CEO about its approach to audio

I started this for one primary reason; to relieve the pressure on headphones so we're not breaking diaphragms that was the first objective" But how did
it come to be? Well, basically by accident, as I found out when speaking to
Dr C last month when I visited Audeze's HQ in California.

"Well, I started this for one primary reason [and that] was to relieve the pressure on headphones, so we're not breaking diaphragms that was the first objective," he began to tell me. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

This is the characteristic of the SLAM channels funneling air out of the headphone and thus relieving pressure within; imagine the feeling of pushing your palm down on a headphone's ear cup, was the comparison Dr C gave me during our chat.

"Then when we were playing with these things, we kind of found out that we
can tune these channels to resonate at low frequencies, and it was a really weird discovery." (Image credit: Future/Rob Dwiar) It was this accidental finding that then led to a further 'SLAM-dunk' after Audeze discovered what these channels could do when sculpted purposefully: "We didn't plan for it, but I just [discovered by] surprise that when we shape the channels correctly [in terms of] cross section and length, we can tune the headphone chamber ... to whatever we want." What to read next I heard a groundbreaking new
subwoofer driver that fits in a tiny box 6x smaller than a regular sub The more experienced listeners are, the less bass-heavy they want the sound: JBL is changing the way its flagship headphones sound, and I've heard the difference heres how I rate it No one Knowles it yet, but tiny new drivers could mean big things for your next over-ear headphones

As a result, an even bigger 'SLAM-dunk' was the one-two punch the discovery offered: fixing reliability while tangibly changing and improving the sound output of Audeze headphones.

"What that does [is] basically solve the problem with reliability; diaphragms are not breaking anymore, because when you push it, basically air goes
through these channels, there's no high pressure inside, but then we ended up having [a way] that we can tune the bass to get more output, pretty much for free and it's not just bass, it translates into mid-range and high frequencies, [as] it's all connected to each other," he said, adding, "So, kill a couple of things at the same time: get more reliability, and we're tuning the headphones correctly for low bass extension."

And so SLAM was born. What started out as a means to stop diaphragms breaking "actually turned out into something spectacular," says Dr C, and from my ongoing use with the Audeze Maxwell 2 gaming headset as my everyday driver, and a new set of Audeze MM-520 headphones kept within arm 's reach too, I'm inclined to agree. Today's best prices on a range of Audeze headphones and headsets Audeze LCD-S20 395 View See all prices Audeze Maxwell 2 289.99 View See all prices Audeze MM-520 1,699 View See all prices Low Stock Audeze
LCD-GX Gaming Headset 848 View See all prices Audeze LCD-2 849 View See all prices Audeze MM-100 369 View See all prices We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices Follow TechRadar on Google News and
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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/audio/we-can-tune-the-bass-to-get-more-output-pretty -much-for-free-i-asked-audio-specialist-audeze-about-its-patented-slam-system- for-headphones-and-the-slam-dunks-kept-a-coming


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