High-end headphone brands have experienced several major events from before the pandemic to during it.
First, legendary Sennheiser designer Axel Grell left Sennheiser in 2019.
Axel Grell’s works include iconic Sennheiser products,
such as the Orpheus / HD650 / HD580 / HD800 series.
Soon after, Sennheiser’s consumer electronics division was sold to the Sonova Holding AG group in 2021.
Axel Grell later founded grell Audio and began developing his own new products.
His first truly independently developed flagship product is the headphone we’re unboxing today.
A collaboration between Axel Grell and the renowned US crowdfunding site DROP (formerly known as Massdrop).
DROP + grell OAE1
The packaging box looks like this.
Inside is a kraft paper box, and upon opening, there’s a factory QC inspection certificate + user manual.
As per usual strategy, DROP typically promotes new products as limited to XXX units.
Once pre-orders sell well and consumer acceptance is high, the product becomes unlimited XD.
I’ve been following this headphone for a while, and when pre-orders started, I couldn’t control my right hand.
The product number I received is within the first 150, which is a small achievement!?
Behind it is the user manual.
Opening it reveals a storage carry case for the headphones.
But this case... is really quite large.
Opening it shows the headphone body.
The headphones come with two types of cables: a 6.3mm single-ended input cable
and a 4.4mm balanced terminal input cable.
Here, we must mention the unique design of this headphone’s cable connections.
The headphone’s signal input design is similar to the Sennheiser HD 490 PRO, allowing cable connections on either the left or right ear.
This lets consumers decide the cable entry side based on their source amplifier placement.
However, the grell OAE1 Signature has a somewhat quirky design.
It not only allows balanced cables to be connected from the left or right ear, but also supports single-ended cables from both sides.
Of course, Axel Grell explains on the website that this is to provide maximum flexibility.
So, it can also support single-ended cable from one side or balanced cables from both sides.
However, this requires peripheral manufacturers to develop cables that meet the usage specifications.
The cable connection point on the headphone body has a slightly unique design.
Axel Grell explains that this is to minimize the impact of cable vibrations on the headphones.
But it also means the cable connector fully inserts, and removal requires pulling the external cable.
This design led to early international audiophiles receiving the headphones and not connecting the body and cable correctly,
causing misconceptions that the headphones were faulty or sounded poor.
Correctly inserting the signal cable should feel two stages of insertion or hear two clicks.
Of course, Axel Grell personally responded on the DROP website assuring that the cable is very durable and pull-resistant.
It absolutely won’t cause poor contact between the terminal and cable from excessive pulling—this will be proven over time.
The headphone cable connectors are Hirose’s TM2RNV-66-JJ(50) 6-pin modular jacks.
For the 4.4mm balanced cable, it uses Hirose’s TM2RNV-66-JJ(50) connectors.
The headphone’s appearance is quite unique, with a very industrial, utilitarian design.
It doesn’t pursue flashy aesthetics, focusing instead on a clean, functional look.
The ear cups are made of memory foam covered in velvet, providing good comfort.
However, in Taiwan’s climate, they can get quite hot.
The headband is adjustable with a sliding mechanism, but the padding is somewhat thin.
This might cause discomfort for users with larger heads.
The drivers are 38mm dynamic units, designed for open-air acoustics.
The open-back design allows for a natural soundstage but leaks sound.
The impedance is 38 ohms, making it easy to drive.
The frequency response is tuned for a balanced sound with enhanced bass.
Overall, the build quality is solid, with metal components for durability.
[Comfort]
In terms of comfort, my audiophile friends and I agree that this is a very engineering-focused headphone design.
It prioritizes appearance and mechanical rationality, with little consideration for ergonomics.
So, the headband is uncomfortable, super clamping and pressing for people with large heads, prompting DROP to officially announce a revised headband padding.
The ear cups are too small, easily pressing on large ears, and people with prominent ears may feel pinched.
Moreover, the memory foam with velvet in Taiwan’s weather is simply sweltering; the design completely ignores tropical and subtropical climates.
You need to wear it indoors with the AC on full blast.
My head shape is just right, so the issues aren’t uncomfortable for me.
[Listening Impressions] (Using 4.4mm Balanced Cable)
First, the conclusion: a headphone that faithfully reflects the front-end equipment; it’s unlistenable with poor gear.
At most, the soundstage envelopment is quite enjoyable for gaming.
In the first setup,
the initial impression is that the sound is unique; it’s hard to compare to traditional headphones.
First, the tuning: designed for the North American young market, it essentially boosts the bass.
In listening, the bass isn’t overpowering; it has good contours without blooming.
Mid-highs are decent, mids are sufficient without being overshadowed by bass.
Highs... my music library doesn’t have much of this genre.
The soundstage feels... comfortable and three-dimensional, larger than Sennheiser HD6XX but not HD800 level.
Overall, it feels worth the price, but... my amp setup might make experts gasp.
After all, it’s stacked with vacuum tubes for the optimal feel, so overall, I think it’s pretty good.
It fully expresses the characteristics of vacuum tube amplifiers.
It’s currently breaking in, hoping prolonged use resolves the somewhat muffled and odd issues.
In the second setup,
the first impression was super weird, like the sound was coming from behind the ears.
Although the Luxman P-750u headphone amp shows better control on low-impedance headphones than the WA22,
it felt inexplicably odd.
Until we finally discovered my friend had reversed the left and right channels on the amp connection.
Once corrected, it normalized immediately; the bass really doesn’t dominate in this setup.
Mids and highs are much better than expected; for a headphone in the low ten-thousands,
its performance can compete with Sennheiser HD600 and HD6XX.
In some aspects, it even shows characteristics of Sennheiser HD800, like the soundstage.
But the soundstage presentation is... unique; that’s the only word for it.
These are initial impressions after receiving the headphones for over a month.
We’ll discuss further in the future if there’s an opportunity.
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Originally published on Fox-saying.com
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