[maegnificant]

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.).

To me, and that is of course highly subjective, the HD 600 series is Sennheisers neutral/balanced sound, while the 800 series goes for more of a V-Shape (and the IE900, too). But yes, this can be argued to death

 

[Evshrug]

I was surprised by the [HD 800S] 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!

I agree, the HD 800S bass is a complex subject. I think I mentioned a little about it earlier, but there’s so much stigma around it being a bright and airy headphone that I was shocked when I actually heard it for the first time (“Diamonds on the Souls of her Shoes” by Paul Simon), and felt the lower mids and bass were much better than I was led to believe. The sub bass wasn’t “felt” much though, so tracks like “Undisclosed Desires” by Muse didn’t quite have the emotional weight I was looking for: near the end of the song, there’s a call/response part where a low cello note is played and a deep subwoofer note responds, and the deep note was barely heard until I upgraded my setup a bit (and honestly I still would like a little more sub bass added to the HD 800S).

The OAE1 is fairly different. Where the HD 800S has a pretty defining peak at 6k (higher mids), making amp synergy the deciding factor between sparkling or piercing, the OAE1 is less aggressive that high but female vocals and more typical mids have more presence. I’m finding that the bass changes character more based on the quality of gear upstream (amp and DAC). I’m not saying it’s particularly picky (the apple dongle sounds airy, thinner, but the bass is still pretty tight… meanwhile my Liquid Spark sounds a bit looser, thicker, wetter in the bass but the increase in current power makes the headphone more thunderous and “full” sounding, I personally think it sounds really fun on the Spark, so I’m excited to try it on my Liquid Carbon), but it is revealing enough to reward higher quality gear and show what a good complete system can bring (xDuoo TA-22 sounded both crisp and full, punchy and rich).

But regardless of MOST amps, it does feel like the OAE1 brings both soundstage WITH more presence in the typical foundational notes range, and the bass extension just doesn’t seem to weaken off as the pitch goes lower, a bit louder and more “fun” than neutral. The OAE1 is the easier headphone to listen to for extended sessions.

 

[nephilim32]

I agree, the HD 800S bass is a complex subject. I think I mentioned a little about it earlier, but there’s so much stigma around it being a bright and airy headphone that I was shocked when I actually heard it for the first time (“Diamonds on the Souls of her Shoes” by Paul Simon), and felt the lower mids and bass were much better than I was led to believe. The sub bass wasn’t “felt” much though, so tracks like “Undisclosed Desires” by Muse didn’t quite have the emotional weight I was looking for: near the end of the song, there’s a call/response part where a low cello note is played and a deep subwoofer note responds, and the deep note was barely heard until I upgraded my setup a bit (and honestly I still would like a little more sub bass added to the HD 800S).

The OAE1 is fairly different. Where the HD 800S has a pretty defining peak at 6k (higher mids), making amp synergy the deciding factor between sparkling or piercing, the OAE1 is less aggressive that high but female vocals and more typical mids have more presence. I’m finding that the bass changes character more based on the quality of gear upstream (amp and DAC). I’m not saying it’s particularly picky (the apple dongle sounds airy, thinner, but the bass is still pretty tight… meanwhile my Liquid Spark sounds a bit looser, thicker, wetter in the bass but the increase in current power makes the headphone more thunderous and “full” sounding, I personally think it sounds really fun on the Spark, so I’m excited to try it on my Liquid Carbon), but it is revealing enough to reward higher quality gear and show what a good complete system can bring (xDuoo TA-22 sounded both crisp and full, punchy and rich).

But regardless of MOST amps, it does feel like the OAE1 brings both soundstage WITH more presence in the typical foundational notes range, and the bass extension just doesn’t seem to weaken off as the pitch goes lower, a bit louder and more “fun” than neutral. The OAE1 is the easier headphone to listen to for extended sessions.

You are making such a great case for the OAE-1. I definitely wanna try it. Thank you for your insights as always. Looks really comfortable and the pads you have on them also look terrific.

 

[zilax002]

You are making such a great case for the OAE-1. I definitely wanna try it. Thank you for your insights as always. Looks really comfortable and the pads you have on them also look terrific.

I very much agree! It's been tough getting such limited impressions (and very few if any detailed ones) out of CanJams. Each negative impression can seem like a killing blow, when it's really just one person's opinion based on very brief listening in a loud/distracting environment.

But this all sounds very, very promising and if it comes in at the price point expected ($500 ish), I think I'll have to order just to try it myself. Not much chance of hearing one otherwise, living in a CanJam less city and it being a Drop exclusive, so there's close to zero chance it'll be sold at the one or two audio stores in town (Minneapolis) that do actually carry high-end wired headphones.

 

[nephilim32]

I very much agree! It's been tough getting such limited impressions (and very few if any detailed ones) out of CanJams. Each negative impression can seem like a killing blow, when it's really just one person's opinion based on very brief listening in a loud/distracting environment.

But this all sounds very, very promising and if it comes in at the price point expected ($500 ish), I think I'll have to order just to try it myself. Not much chance of hearing one otherwise, living in a CanJam less city and it being a Drop exclusive, so there's close to zero chance it'll be sold at the one or two audio stores in town (Minneapolis) that do actually carry high-end wired headphones.

I remember that many prototypes and iterations of the headphone were done and even some of the non finalized versions made it to shows. I think that is so smart on Axel Grell’s part. Great research and response technique to gather data/feedback. He obviously listened. Seems the final version of OAE-1 maybe something incredibly special and unique. I’m definitely not gonna overlook this headphone.

 

[Evshrug]

I remember that many prototypes and iterations of the headphone were done and even some of the non finalized versions made it to shows. I think that is so smart on Axel Grell’s part. Great research and response technique to gather data/feedback. He obviously listened. Seems the final version of OAE-1 maybe something incredibly special and unique. I’m definitely not gonna overlook this headphone.

I don’t think any other amp in your collection sounds like it. Would be an awesome to hear it on your Woo Audio WA22!! Got a song request that I should test?

 

[Evshrug]

I very much agree! It's been tough getting such limited impressions (and very few if any detailed ones) out of CanJams. Each negative impression can seem like a killing blow, when it's really just one person's opinion based on very brief listening in a loud/distracting environment.

But this all sounds very, very promising and if it comes in at the price point expected ($500 ish), I think I'll have to order just to try it myself. Not much chance of hearing one otherwise, living in a CanJam less city and it being a Drop exclusive, so there's close to zero chance it'll be sold at the one or two audio stores in town (Minneapolis) that do actually carry high-end wired headphones.

I hear you… I didn’t get to go to any CanJams until I randomly decided I had enough money to fly from Pennsylvania to the Denver Colorado RMAF CanJam and share a hotel room with a friend. Before that, I had spent 7 years just lurking and talking on Head-Fi, but after that trip suddenly I had a new group of friends, I found out that other forum people had read my reviews and even recognized my username, and even some vendors recognized me. I met Jude, and he introduced me to vendors who wanted their stuff reviewed too. One dad even pointed me out to his daughter because he had liked my Oppo PM2 review . It was a turning point where suddenly I was DEEP in the hobby, haha!

 

[nephilim32]

I don’t think any other amp in your collection sounds like it. Would be an awesome to hear it on your Woo Audio WA22!! Got a song request that I should test?

To be honest my friend I’ve yet to hear a headphone that sucks on the WA22. Lol. It is a magnificent beast.
Ummm? Song request? Ok. Will keep it simple. Something really acoustic and airy that can hopefully capture the OAE-1 spatial uniqueness and effects. This is a great recording as well.

 

[Evshrug]

To be honest my friend I’ve yet to hear a headphone that sucks on the WA22. Lol. It is a magnificent beast.
Ummm? Song request? Ok. Will keep it simple. Something really acoustic and airy that can hopefully capture the OAE-1 spatial uniqueness and effects. This is a great recording as well.

Ok, stream of consciousness notes time, featuring Anaconda by Strunz & Farah.

First off, the YouTube compression is obvious. I know you shared it that way because I know from @Currawong ‘s server that you are the penultimate nice guy, and you wanted me and everyone else to be able to hear this great tune regardless of subscription to streaming service (or CD). And it’s not a BAD experience on the grell, but YouTube begs the metaphorical comparison to alcoholic drinks. Cheap drinks and YouTube AAC compression does give mostly the same experience and help the consumer to feel a pleasurable altered state of mind, but switching to HiRes Lossless Apple Music streaming is a top–shelf experience with a smoother, more palatable experience with more depth (literally it’s easier to feel the depth of the recording space and acoustic guitar reverb decay), and easier to listen to at higher volume. Going back to the YouTube version just feels much more in–my–face than the calmer and more sure HiRes version.

Note that I’m listening from my iPad super short USB-C to Micro-USB cable (wonder if Fasgear makes one of those?) Apogee Groove dongle DAC/amp, which notably uses current mode amplification similar to what Questyle, the Sennheiser HDV–820, and my Cavalli Liquid Carbon does.

Next, I’d like to note the attack on drum and cymbal impacts is crisp and in good perceptive focus. Also, the bass guitar strums have good texture to them and not a wet one–notey–ness, and the moments where the bass plays alone sounds like a particularly intimate treat. Other instruments played simultaneously have good separation, but when many instruments play simultaneously the bass is a little bit masked and doesn’t rise to prominence above the rest… that’s not a bad thing, that just means the bass is easy to hear among the other instruments but it’s frequency range isn’t dramatically raised above the rest. I also hear flute (or recorder? Two flute type things play from two spots, imitating birds), the full drum kit, an acoustic guitar duet (easy to hear the harmonizing guitar along with the melody guitar), some kind of metal cowbell-like instrument, hand drums that are switched out for piano and eventually synth piano. The guitar solo at 2:53 stands out in particularly for echolocating the size of the recording venue; it feels like we are mic’s right up on stage with the performers but the space around us is large. I think this headphone can do both the intimate and the grandiose (and it doesn’t feel like the mids are particularly scooped out relative to the lows and highs… though maybe there is a touch of upper mids increase to give just a bit of sparkle to the high fundamental notes). Sometimes the guitars strum very rapidly, but the headphone sound isn’t adding an overloaded busy blur, nor does the macro sense of the rhythmical gestalt suffer from a hyper-analytical dissection of individual notes.

Here’s a link that will show anyone the song I just listened to, with links to YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Qobuz, and most fine streaming services. The harmonizing guitar duet is great!
https://songwhip.com/strunzandfarah/anaconda

Btw, “Domination” (explicit) by Pantera rocks hard, but I turned up the volume a little more because the guitars are a bit more forward than the vocals on that track, but it was fun arena rock at that point

“Grew Up Fast” by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers sounds awesome, but it’s begging for a crossfeed

 

[nephilim32]

Ok, stream of consciousness notes time, featuring Anaconda by Strunz & Farah.

First off, the YouTube compression is obvious. I know you shared it that way because I know from @Currawong ‘s server that you are the penultimate nice guy, and you wanted me and everyone else to be able to hear this great tune regardless of subscription to streaming service (or CD). And it’s not a BAD experience on the grell, but YouTube begs the metaphorical comparison to alcoholic drinks. Cheap drinks and YouTube AAC compression does give mostly the same experience and help the consumer to feel a pleasurable altered state of mind, but switching to HiRes Lossless Apple Music streaming is a top–shelf experience with a smoother, more palatable experience with more depth (literally it’s easier to feel the depth of the recording space and acoustic guitar reverb decay), and easier to listen to at higher volume. Going back to the YouTube version just feels much more in–my–face than the calmer and more sure HiRes version.

Note that I’m listening from my iPad super short USB-C to Micro-USB cable (wonder if Fasgear makes one of those?) Apogee Groove dongle DAC/amp, which notably uses current mode amplification similar to what Questyle, the Sennheiser HDV–820, and my Cavalli Liquid Carbon does.

Next, I’d like to note the attack on drum and cymbal impacts is crisp and in good perceptive focus. Also, the bass guitar strums have good texture to them and not a wet one–notey–ness, and the moments where the bass plays alone sounds like a particularly intimate treat. Other instruments played simultaneously have good separation, but when many instruments play simultaneously the bass is a little bit masked and doesn’t rise to prominence above the rest… that’s not a bad thing, that just means the bass is easy to hear among the other instruments but it’s frequency range isn’t dramatically raised above the rest. I also hear flute (or recorder? Two flute type things play from two spots, imitating birds), the full drum kit, an acoustic guitar duet (easy to hear the harmonizing guitar along with the melody guitar), some kind of metal cowbell-like instrument, hand drums that are switched out for piano and eventually synth piano. The guitar solo at 2:53 stands out in particularly for echolocating the size of the recording venue; it feels like we are mic’s right up on stage with the performers but the space around us is large. I think this headphone can do both the intimate and the grandiose (and it doesn’t feel like the mids are particularly scooped out relative to the lows and highs… though maybe there is a touch of upper mids increase to give just a bit of sparkle to the high fundamental notes). Sometimes the guitars strum very rapidly, but the headphone sound isn’t adding an overloaded busy blur, nor does the macro sense of the rhythmical gestalt suffer from a hyper-analytical dissection of individual notes.

Here’s a link that will show anyone the song I just listened to, with links to YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Qobuz, and most fine streaming services. The harmonizing guitar duet is great!
https://songwhip.com/strunzandfarah/anaconda

Btw, “Domination” (explicit) by Pantera rocks hard, but I turned up the volume a little more because the guitars are a bit more forward than the vocals on that track, but it was fun arena rock at that point

“Grew Up Fast” by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers sounds awesome, but it’s begging for a crossfeed

Most importantly my dear friend is that you got a sense and appreciation for the recording itself. That makes me happy and you describe very well, some of the many things I myself certainly enjoy musically from the “Anaconda track” itself. Oh who am I kidding? The whole freaking album is absolutely terrific and to my ears, very well recorded.
You also highlight some very key points about streaming and source quality. This is why, for reference level listening, I still use a high quality CD player/Transport to play original CD recordings. Streaming is just not quite there yet. I know many people will argue that against me, but speaking from just my own personal experience physical media still reigns supreme with me, especially blu ray audio.
I know I’m kind in the minority when it comes down to music listening. I use an AC regenerator , a high end cd player and SACD/blu ray player hybrid. How many people do that really? So it is hard to talk about these kinds things, especially since streaming/ Roon software is more popular than ever. People may consider me old school or old fashioned in my approach to obtaining reference level listening.

In any case and to your point about the Grell. The OAE-1 really does sound like it does highlight the delights of what Strunz & Farah do so well on the “anaconda” track. The air and space is a big thing.
Do I encourage people to run out and buy the original recording of heat of the sun? If you can get it cheap enough. Yes.

 

[jwbrent]

I’m really interested in the new Grells but it seems to me they are going to be more than $300, so we’ll see …

I do hope the build quality is excellent.

I listen only with IEMs these days, but it would be nice to have one headphone that is designed to be very open sounding.

 

[Evshrug]

I’m really interested in the new Grells but it seems to me they are going to be more than $300, so we’ll see …

I do hope the build quality is excellent.

I listen only with IEMs these days, but it would be nice to have one headphone that is designed to be very open sounding.

Good thing is I can assure you it sounds drastically different from any IEM. I’m a fan of the build quality: they managed to do metal (aluminum or magnesium? ) in such a way that it’s still lightweight, but it looks sleek and doesn’t creak. I also appreciate the design touches for replacing the headband padding… I asked how to change the earpads, haven’t heard back yet.

I realized my responses are getting so long and involved, I should probably just concentrate on a full pre-release review. Hopefully I can start that after work today, as long as I’m not too wiped out

 

[InfiniteJester]

I’m really interested in the new Grells but it seems to me they are going to be more than $300, so we’ll see …

I do hope the build quality is excellent.

I listen only with IEMs these days, but it would be nice to have one headphone that is designed to be very open sounding.

IEMs have improved so much and are so comfortable that I almost never reach for my many headphones anymore.

 

[jwbrent]

IEMs have improved so much and are so comfortable that I almost never reach for my many headphones anymore.

Same here, I had several nice headphones in the past, but I moved on to IEMs.

 

[jwbrent]

Good thing is I can assure you it sounds drastically different from any IEM. I’m a fan of the build quality: they managed to do metal (aluminum or magnesium? ) in such a way that it’s still lightweight, but it looks sleek and doesn’t creak. I also appreciate the design touches for replacing the headband padding… I asked how to change the earpads, haven’t heard back yet.

I realized my responses are getting so long and involved, I should probably just concentrate on a full pre-release review. Hopefully I can start that after work today, as long as I’m not too wiped out

That would be great!