Grell OAE2

Introduction to the review of Grell OAE2 

Does the name “Axel Grell” ring a bell? If you are a headphone enthusiast, it most definitely should. Why? Because the most renowned Sennheiser headphone models, like the HD 600, HD 650, HD 800, and the Orpheus, all have one thing in common: the mastermind behind the project. Axel Grell is credited with designing each of those models, and many more. Looking at his resume, it’s hardly believable that the headphone models that shaped the hobby’s landscape for years to come all have a common designer. Nowadays, Axel does his own thing under Grell Audio, having released the OAE1 a few years back, and the all-new 599 USD OAE2.

I spoke to Axel once during High End Munich 2024. Given how much of a legend he is in the audio industry, it was great to see how down-to-earth and friendly he was. I hope I can speak to him again soon – maybe in Vienna? I remember enjoying the Grell OAE1 when demoing it in Munich, so you can imagine I was pretty excited for an opportunity to see how the reviewed Grell OAE2 fares. It’s a headphone designed to be compared to speaker systems and live music, not to other headphones, which is fair given how much emphasis is put on the front-oriented driver technology. To a large extent, it indeed delivers, making it all the more interesting.

Packaging

The unboxing experience was quite surprising – having unboxed numerous headphone models in the past, when I first saw the carton with the tested Grell OAE2 inside, I thought I received the wrong package. Everything is very flat and wide, perhaps as a solution meant to optimize space. The outer sleeve is quite nice, with a tasteful photo chosen as your first visual contact with the OAE2. Inside is a cardboard box with a flat, wide pouch inside, where your headphones and accessories are housed. The pouch itself is of decent quality, keeping the necessary stuff protected. 

I also got two sleeved cables, which are totally adequate. It’s not the crazy premium stuff you’d normally associate with audiophile products, but they do their job just fine and raise no concerns. Both are single-sided, meaning no separate L-R terminations. The included brochure mentions another cable with separate terminations, resulting in three available cables in total. One is terminated in 4.4 mm, the other in 3.5 mm with a screw-on 6.35 mm adapter included. The cables are quite elastic, and they don’t retain their shape, even when placed in awkward positions for a long time. Overall, the unboxing experience is more than appropriate for a headphone in this price range.

Build Quality, Design, and Comfort

The build quality of the reviewed Grell OAE2 is decent. It’s mainly plastic, but it feels sturdy and doesn’t bend easily. The top of the headband is made of leather, with the inside part of the headband and the pads made of a plush-like material. It’s quite soft and doesn’t attract as much dust as something like black velour, which is good news for anyone wanting to take pictures of the headphones.

The whole design is intended to be modular and serviceable to extend the life of the product. The head cushion and pads are user-replaceable. The pads click in place and are held quite securely, so don’t be afraid to use a bit of force to take them off. The design choice of having two headphone sockets, one per cup, but only requiring one to use the headphones, is interesting. It’s a comfortable solution – if your amplifier is on the left, just use the appropriate socket, and you gain some extra mobility in comparison to dual-connector cables.

The design language here is nearly identical to that of the OAE1 – it instantly becomes clear who the manufacturer is. The differences in design between the two are similar to the differences between the HD 800 and HD 800S – one’s got a bit more silver, one’s got more black. Preference-wise, I lean more towards the OAE2 with its abundance of silver, but both designs are interesting due to their utilitarian character – no frills, no off-the-wall accents or odd design choices. It instantly becomes clear that the OAE line of headphones is meant to impress with sound, not necessarily grab your attention with their looks.

Comfort is my biggest gripe with the Grell OAE2 – I have a big head, and the OAE2 barely fits. When fully extended, I have to do some extra wiggling to make sure the bottoms of the pads don’t pinch my ears. Because of that, the fit is quite tight overall, which in turn results in hotspots on top of my head. The perfect solution here would be to make the headband larger or the top cushion softer. Take it all with a grain of salt, because all heads and ears are different, but users with larger heads beware. Due to the comfort issues, listening sessions beyond 1 hour started becoming slightly uncomfortable, which is a bit of a shame.

Tech

In marketing materials provided by the manufacturer, the emphasis on the front-mounted drivers and their effects on the sound is evident. So much so that the team at Grell suggests not comparing the reviewed Grell OAE2 to other headphones, but to live recordings and speaker systems. I’ll delve deeper into it down the line, once we get to the soundstage aspect.

The OAE2 utilizes a 40mm dynamic driver made of biocellulose with stainless steel damping mesh present throughout the inside of the cup. The OAE2 has a nominal impedance of 38 ohms with a sensitivity of 100dB per 1 volt RMS. In practice, it means that the headphones are not demanding in terms of power, and any piece of audio equipment worth its salt will drive them adequately, mobile devices included.

Sound of the reviewed Grell OAE2

The grell OAE2 sounds natural and neutral, which is a widely appreciated characteristic nowadays. I appreciate that too – I wouldn’t classify the sound as analytical or dry. The overall sound signature is quite soft, with no excessive sharpness at all. I think the sound signature of the reviewed Grell OAE2 is quite relaxing without being overly loose and disheveled, which makes it perfect for casual listening as well as games, movies, et cetera. The sound is very dynamic, and the bass reproduction is also something that has been highlighted in the marketing materials for the OAE2 for a good reason. The headphones deliver on the staging aspect as advertised, too. Overall, I enjoy listening to the Grell OAE2 quite a lot, regardless of the genre.

BASS

If you read the brochures included with your audio gear, then you will most definitely notice that in the case of the OAE2, the bass response is dubbed as “powerful and precise”. I have to agree with this statement, but don’t expect very high sharpness or blistering speed here. The bass of the Grell OAE2 is highly present; it’s large and quite powerful indeed, but not enough for it to be considered a basshead’s delight. If you feel like certain tracks you enjoy need a strong and tactile bass response, you will surely find it with the OAE2. This is a case where a decent amount of balance is being upheld, because while there’s quite a lot of juice in the lower registries, the overall soft and mellow signature doesn’t get lost in translation; it keeps things engaging, but not overly so to the point of fatigue. 

This kind of reproduction of bass allows for other aspects of the sound to shine as well – there are plenty of things to enjoy about the OAE2’s sound, and thankfully, the bass is not the only one. I also like how it plays along with the staging aspect. I feel like it’s quite hard to have powerful bass and a decently wide stage at the same time, but somehow it’s been achieved by the team at Grell. Three decades of experience are clearly shown here! The prevailing softness of the bass leads to slightly less grainy or defined texture reproduction, but it more than makes up for it in the engagement factor – the OAE2 is meant to reproduce sound “as intended by the artist” (according to the brochure) but I wouldn’t use it as a tool to analyze the intricacies of the artist’s mix and mastering.

MIDRANGE

This is where the more laid-back nature shines the most, in my opinion. The tactility that I so enjoyed in the case of the bass is also present in lower-pitched instruments and vocals within the midrange. The presentation is very inviting; however, it doesn’t lean into warmth. The reproduction of textures and detail is at a higher level here than in the bass, which, for many genres, could be an advantage. Both upper and lower midrange are of similar power and prominence – it’s well balanced, with no one aspect dominating the other. Overall, it’s a well-refined way to reproduce the midrange.

Because of the softness of the presentation, there is also a certain thickness to it. The vocals and instruments feel weighty and dense, which is another example of the OAE2 shooting for a more lifelike presentation. Listening to “Face to Face” by Daft Punk is a great example of how the vocals seem forward and realistic without necessarily being out of line, maintaining the neutrality of the sound signature. The detail retrieval is another aspect that is quite notable in the midrange of the reviewed Grell OAE2, especially in the vocals. Overall, the midrange is the area that has grabbed my attention the most effectively, being a standout feature of the OAE2 together with the soundstage.

TREBLE

Smoothness is the most immediately apparent thing about the treble as reproduced by the Grell OAE2. Even in the most treble-intensive recordings, it feels like you’re safe from the harshness and displeasure of sibilance. To some, it may not be bright enough, but I feel like it fits perfectly into the neutral but natural and soft sound signature the headphone represents overall. Because of the dynamic nature of the bass and midrange, the most intricate of details in the treble may be slightly more difficult to catch, but to be fair, I’m nitpicking quite hard here. 

The treble is quite dynamic, especially for such a smooth signature. You can enjoy the power of cymbal crashes without the need to worry about hurting your ears, but if you’re looking for maximum sparkle, you may be left hungry for more. That said, the treble is free of any artifacts best described by materials science – it doesn’t get metallic or plasticky, even in poorly mixed recordings. If you’re a fan of niche music that doesn’t have a huge mastering budget, you may rest assured that the grell OAE2 is quite forgiving compared to other headphones in the price range, and you won’t be robbed of the fun of listening either.

SOUNDSTAGE

The OAE2’s reproduction of the sense of stage really boosts how natural the whole thing feels, and drives home the argument that this headphone should be compared to natural experiences and live music. While I don’t mind that kind of presentation, the way some headphones handle soundstage makes it very apparent that you’re listening with headphones, however natural their sound signature may be. One of the grell OAE2’s largest advantages is the fact that it’s different in that regard, putting more emphasis on natural presentation rather than raw performance, which sometimes seems to be the manufacturer’s main focus.

The OAE2’s soundstage doesn’t wrap around your head as much as it does stretch far out into the left and right in a straight line. Different instruments sometimes fade into each other a bit, but are reproduced faithfully without drowning each other out. Full separation, as seen on older recordings with left, right, front, and nothing in between, is quite annoying, and it’s one of the reasons why I appreciate the crossfeed switch on my Euforia Evo so much. Listening to tracks like “Oxygene pt. 6” by the legendary Jean Michel Jarre really sounds like being there, on a beach with the waves crashing, surrounded by the noises and sounds. It’s a good experience.

Comparisons

HEDDPHONE D1

The release of HEDDphone D1 was quite huge and loud, with the headphone gathering a ton of media attention, often with lots of praise included. And for a good reason – it cannot be denied that the D1 has characteristics that make it stand out in its price category, and I wouldn’t be surprised if more and more people choose it as their favorite. For me, it’s a benchmark of how a pair of headphones in the price range should perform, and comparing it to the OA2 was very interesting. Overall, the headphones trade blows in many important areas, but the OAE2 has one huge advantage – it is 100 USD cheaper, which is quite a solid argument in the sub-1000 USD range.

Apart from that, the sound signatures of those two models are quite different. The D1 feels clearer, with slightly more emphasis on the treble, which also results in a less weighty sound. It also does not feel as spacious as the OAE2, which has a smoother, but less detailed presentation. The OAE2 has a larger soundstage, though not by a huge margin, since the aim of the headphone was ultimate naturalness with no synthetic enhancements. The OAE2 also has a pleasant weight and density to the sound, which the D1 does not present as consistently. Accessory-wise, both are appropriate, with the D1 being slightly more refined in build, and personally, way better comfort. It’s a good idea to try both, but it’s also not a bad idea to keep both flavors in your collection.

Pairings

HIFIMAN SERENADE

I kept it simple with the pairings. I used the Serenade, my daily driver, to put the OAE2 through its paces. The manufacturer states that the maximum power output used with the OAE2 should equal 500 milliwatts, and I have clearly exceeded that here. Luckily, the headphones didn’t explode. Instead, I was met with a tactile and powerful sound signature perfect for casual listening.

Extra warmth will be welcome with the OAE2, so if you have a chance to try it out with some tubes, be sure to give it a go. For me, the Serenade was a perfect pairing, combining engagement with a high level of technical performance. It seems to be a fitting choice philosophy-wise as well – an easy-to-use all-in-one solution paired with a headphone with versatility and daily use in mind.

Grell OAE2 Review – Summary

Like the OAE1, Grell OAE2 is an interesting product backed by more experience than almost anything in the hobby. Axel Grell has an insane track record, and I’m sure the OAE2 will be highly appreciated as well, even though some of his other creations are impossible to beat in that regard.

Some areas could use extra refinement, like the comfort, to make the entire product feel more complete, but in many areas, it’s quite excellent. The standout aspects of the OAE2’s performance include the midrange and the soundstage.

Despite being placed in an extremely competitive segment of the headphone realm, with the sub-1000 USD price bracket filled with heavy hitters like the HEDDphone D1, Grell OAE2 delivers more than adequately.

The tuning is safe and forgiving for many recordings, making it a perfect choice for the treble-sensitive listeners. The presentation is immersive and inviting, punchy and musical, and it’s rare to see such a high level of focus on naturalness these days, so, to sum things up, if you have a chance to give these a shot, don’t hesitate.

Recommended!