AXEL GRELL HEADPHONE
- Thread starter SHAMuuu
- Start date
Yeah it’s fine, I only really use the dongle for in-bed listening which I use headphones to help relax me for a good sleep.
I think Sennheiser swapped around 2021 to the new pads (the new clear plastic vs old matte black mounting ring on the pads) on all 6xx series headphone I found they changed the sound on all the models somewhat. In the past I always found all the HD 650’s I tried in past a tad gritty to my ears some reason no matter the system but the 2022/23 pair I have with the new pads sounds quite liquid on every system I try it on. I tried an older pair with old pads not too long ago and found it a bit rough sounding like I recall my past pairs sounding. Only thing I could think of is the pads being different as I doubt the mold change did anything sonically.
I haven’t been keeping up with RTS games sadly lately, I played a ton during the Blizzard RTS heyday and the Age of Empires/Mythology days. Last RTS I put a good amount of time in was Starcraft 2. Lately gaming wise most of my time has been put into FFXIV but about to take a break soon to focus on other games before the expansion releases this summer. Plan on playing Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty first, after that not too sure. Last single player game I played was Baldur’s Gate 3. Problem with mmos is how time consuming they can be and I don’t have as much time as I used to.
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Any hint about the release date?
ThEvil0nE
Headphoneus Supremus
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Those look like new/different chunky pads
equalspeace
Headphoneus Supremus
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When is this headphone being released? And is the headband real leather?
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/axel-grell-headphone.967413/post-18075011
I don’t know the release date… but if this is a pre-production tooling with finalized sound, it’s probably not far off. First runs are almost always a small batch though, so there will probably be a series of runs with limited supply for each. First come, first served and all that.
I’ll try to find out what the headband external material is made of.
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Ok, apparently the PU leather headband is anti-allergic. I was concerned that it didn’t look replaceable, but Axel told me it is: “Take a guitar pick [I’m less cool, so I’d use a spudger] and press it into the seam between the upper and lower part of the headband and turn/move it until the lower part comes loose. Then unsnap it in a left right movement from the other snap hooks.”
I asked him if it’s the kind of attachment that only lasts for one or two disconnects, where you really only want to do it when you’re ready to replace the padding, but he said “No! It’s much better! Try it!” Folks, I want to, but I’m training at my new eyeglass job today so it’ll have to wait till later
I also told him that my balding head liked the little padding gap at the peak of the headband in some of his past headphones… usually padding in that spot causes soreness on my head right there, but I wasn’t feeling a hot spot this time. He told me that the padding is actually less dense at that spot. So, that means there’s actually different zones to the headband padding where it holds more aloft along the sides but it relieves pressure at the peak. But it still has that sleek uniform looking arched headband.
I asked him if it’s the kind of attachment that only lasts for one or two disconnects, where you really only want to do it when you’re ready to replace the padding, but he said “No! It’s much better! Try it!” Folks, I want to, but I’m training at my new eyeglass job today so it’ll have to wait till later
I also told him that my balding head liked the little padding gap at the peak of the headband in some of his past headphones… usually padding in that spot causes soreness on my head right there, but I wasn’t feeling a hot spot this time. He told me that the padding is actually less dense at that spot. So, that means there’s actually different zones to the headband padding where it holds more aloft along the sides but it relieves pressure at the peak. But it still has that sleek uniform looking arched headband.
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The reason I’m excited about Stormgate is that the dev team is made up of ex-StarCraft & Warcraft developers from Blizzard. Blizzard, Frost Giant… get it?
They have a lot of ambitions for co-op and multiplayer party modes, I think that will be a lot of fun alongside the competitive stuff (I was not particularly skilled enough to go beyond Gold in StarCraft II).Man, I wish more HP manufacturers would understand this simple fact. Sennheiser made the HD650 headband like that for a reason way back in 2003. Certain headshape types (me included) easily develop a hot-spot on the top of the head. Many HP makers seem ignorant of this fact.
Axel Grell does quite a few things simply but brilliantly.
He could also attach the pad with magnet.
I've built two headphones with this pad attachment (Zebrano-Lilly and Blue Moon).
He could also attach the pad with magnet.
I've built two headphones with this pad attachment (Zebrano-Lilly and Blue Moon).
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Yes! It’s something I always pay attention to. I used to have an AKG with a series of hard bumps in the headband strap, one centered right at that peak, but I was so much happier when I got another one later with the bumps arranged with a gap at the central peak. I also went to Toys “R” Us and picked up a seatbelt wrap made for babies, really helped a couple headphones
. Dekoni nuggets helped a few headphones too, I put them on to emulate the two HD 650 bumps.zilax002
100+ Head-Fier
I got to listen to the 800s unexpectedly today at a Japanese electronic store. (Japan! Where you can walk into any random electronic store and possibly find TOTL headphones ready to demo).
I was surprised by the bass. I know some aren't happy with it, but it sounded rather full and satisfying even driven from the Qudelix 5K. I'm trying to imagine how it sounds on a proper desktop amp!
Unfair question, I know, but @Evshrug how does the OAE1 compare. How's the soundstage?
Bass texture?
I was surprised by the bass. I know some aren't happy with it, but it sounded rather full and satisfying even driven from the Qudelix 5K. I'm trying to imagine how it sounds on a proper desktop amp!
Unfair question, I know, but @Evshrug how does the OAE1 compare. How's the soundstage?
Bass texture?
I would say I am more dissatisfied with the mids and highs of the 800s. It is rather unbalanced imo. Some recordings can sound great, but the V-Shape is super aggressive.
Ugh! My best friend is visiting Japan right now, with his family, until the end of April. I’m sooooo jealous!
What the HD 800 lacks in bass amplitude and wet warmth, it does have very tight and hard hitting bass texture. HD 800S too. And of course, it’s also a headphone that comes to people’s mind when they think of big soundstage, whether they like it or not. I have and like my HD 800, HD 820, and HD 8XX.
I have not listened to any other headphones yet since getting the OAE1, because I’ve been training in my new job as an eyeglass technician. Yesterday was a crazy 12.5 hour day because I stayed after work to help my regional lab manager replace the serpentine belt on his mini cooper
I know this is a side track, but hopefully it helps explain why I feel like there’s still more comparing to do 
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With that disclaimer out of the way, I do have years of experience listening to the HD 800 before. Also, keep in mind my earlier explanation that headphones need help from Spatial Audio processing or recording techniques to really have that holographic 3D feeling… but as far as headphone soundstage goes, the OAE1 also feels like it can break the barriers and feel like sounds can come from a distance beyond the earcup and do a good job with soundstage and imaging. As long as the DAC/amp doesn’t crush it, I’m easily able to separate instruments and detect layers of distance depth in recordings. Sometimes those layers can be close, like the vocals in the song “Liberty” from my grell OAE1 playlist, posted earlier, or they can be grandiose like “Unfinished Sympathy” and other “big” songs.
I want to talk about the bass too, maybe I’ll drop a note during my break but I have to leave now for work
zilax002
100+ Head-Fier
From my brief session, I think I could hear a bit of what you meant. The mids sounded a bit unusual, though I didn't find it unpleasant with what I was listening to.
Though it's funny to hear you describe it as V-shaped. I just read FC Construct's review where he compares it to the Arya and describes the Arya as more V-shaped, describing the 800s as more "neutral."
Which just goes to show how subjective conceptions of neutral and V-shaped are. Objectively (graph) speaking pretty much all headphones are V-shaped, but the ones beloved in audiophile communities are usually a far cry from the extreme V-shaped tuning of consumer headphones (Beats, Bose, etc.).
