Gear & technology
Hybrid
Also called hybrid driver, tribrid
A hybrid in-ear monitor combines two or more driver types, most often a dynamic driver for bass and balanced armatures for the mids and treble. A tribrid adds a third type, usually electrostatic tweeters.
The idea is to give each driver the job it does best: a dynamic driver moves air for Sub-bass, balanced armatures handle detail, and Electrostatic or planar tweeters extend the top. A crossover inside the shell splits the signal.
Getting the drivers to blend at the crossover is the hard part, and poorly tuned hybrids can sound disjointed, with bass that seems to come from a different place than the mids. Well-tuned ones are widely recommended.
Products list these in several ways, such as "hybrid", "hybrid (BA + EST)" or "tribrid (DD + BA + EST)"; the catalog count below includes all of them.