Grell OAE2 Headphones

Post · March 31, 2026 · HifiPig

GRELL OAE2 HEADPHONES REVIEW

For those of you into headphones, you’ll likely have heard of Grell Audio, as they were founded by the man behind the famous Sennheiser HD600/650, HD800, and many others. OScar Stewart tries out the OAE2 for HiFi PiG.

The OAE2 are the 2^nd model from Grell Audio, and have some unique features that are not often found in modern headphones. These are an open-back over the ear headphone costing £499, and aim to make headphone listening a more natural experience for listeners.

BUILD AND FEATURES OF THE GRELL OAE2

The Grell OAE2 are designed to be fully modular for future serviceability. This means you can replace all the parts on these with ease. They are built for longevity with a mostly metal construction, soft Alcantara earpads and headband, and an easily replaceable cable.

The cable uses a 2.5mm jack on the headphone side, and out of the box, they come with 2 x 1.8m silver-plated cables, one with a 3.5mm jack (with 6.35mm screw-on adapter), the other with a 4.4mm balanced jack. The cool thing with these is that the cable can be plugged into either the R or L earcup, depending on which side you prefer, and they are fully balanced throughout.

Design-wise, these look like a conventional over-ear headphone, yet look inside the cups, and you’ll see the driver is heavily angled from the front of the baffle towards your ear. There are a few headphones that use angled drivers; these take it to the extreme with their FSFM (Front-sided Field Modulation) design and aim to deliver a more natural sound compared to more conventional headphones. They aim to deliver a sound that is more akin to listening to a near-field speaker setup, as the sound interacts with your outer ear in a similar way to speakers, due to the front driver placement.

They have an open-back design for a wider soundstage, use innovative damping internally, and the driver uses a bio-cellulose membrane. Impedance is 38Ohms and sensitivity is 100dB/1VRMS – meaning they are pretty easy to drive.

Comfort is something Grell has worked on; these still have a slightly higher-than-average clamping force, and the narrow headband isn’t quite as good at distributing weight as some wider designs, yet I found these to be comfortable for 1-2 hours at a time without issue. After that, I did find myself needing a short break, and whilst I don’t have a particularly large head, I found myself nearing the limits of the headband adjustment (for comparison, I’m at about 2-3 notches from the smallest size on ZMF/HiFiMAN headphones) – so I do think these won’t fit those with larger heads all that well.

SETUP AND USE

I have been using these through my reference headphone system, which uses an S.M.S.L D6S DAC running balanced XLR into an iFi iCAN Phantom headphone amplifier. I opted to use the 4.4mm balanced cable running into the OAE2.

SOUND QUALITY

Grell has mentioned that these headphones take a bit of time to get used to, due to their design; luckily, I hadn’t really been listening to headphones for a while before reviewing these, so it didn’t take me long to get to grips with them.

First up was Fearless by President, a new band supposedly fronted by Charlie Simpson (Busted / Fightstar), and the first thing that you pick up on is excellent kick-drum presentation with great energy and body. This is something that tends to shine on a good dynamic-driver headphone, and these do it justice without sounding flat. These headphones do a great job at giving the sound a more natural presentation, trying to move away from the “in your head” sound some headphones give you. Vocals are well positioned, the OAE2 have a strong centre image, whilst L/R panning effects are easily trackable (the click in this track pans from left to right throughout and is great to track with these). There is good extension across the board, as mentioned, the bass has good impact and depth, the vocals come across naturally, and the treble is well placed and smooth, yet with enough sparkle to prevent them from sounding dull.

Next up, an acoustic track, The Places We’ll Go by Yellowcard feat. Dashboard Confessional (two of my favourite artists), and these deliver the song with excellent control and natural tonality. It’s an effortless presentation that once again has a strong centre image and plenty of space between the instruments. The violin in this track is excellent, with great presence, and I have noticed that these headphones lack any harshness or sharp edges to their sound. They have a well-balanced sound, and the soundstage doesn’t sound artificially wide, with accurate placement of instruments and accurate imaging. Drums kick in towards the end of this song, giving them a sense of fullness and body, without taking away focus from the vocals, guitars, and violin.

Franklin by Paramore came on, and this is possibly my favourite track by them, and I know it very well. Female vocals cut through with great clarity without sibilance, every instrument occupies its own space, and the layered vocals in the chorus have Josh’s vocals correctly panned to the right. These headphones do a great job of getting the sound out of that more “direct” sound delivery most headphones have, and there is a great sense of space within the soundstage. It is a very natural-sounding presentation.

What I have noticed, though, is that whilst they do deliver a natural and smooth sound that is fatigue-free and effortless, they are not a particularly engaging headphone. They don’t lack energy per se; they just seem to have a slightly subdued delivery, which has pros and cons.

Take more “polished” recordings, such as Circles by Passenger (Anniversary edition) feat. Gabrielle Aplin – a lovely acoustic track with duet vocals and strings in the background. This sounds wonderful, everything is well placed within the soundstage, and there’s a great sense of detail and accurate tonality. The tuning works exceptionally well here and delivers a very pleasing sound that is easy to enjoy.

The polar opposite is something like Big Wiggly Style by The Devil Wears Prada, a late 2000’s metalcore anthem that sounds a little odd with this diffuse field tuning. This is a song that demands a slightly more up-front delivery, and whilst the OAE2 don’t miss anything in the recording, it’s the airy presentation that doesn’t lend itself to this kind of music. So, whilst the instruments individually sound great, and the kick drums once again have great presence and delivery, the overall tuning just doesn’t engage me in the same way as some other headphones.

Lastly, I listened to Like a Shadow by Holding Absence. Lucas Woodland is a brilliant vocalist, and the midrange on these headphones is brilliant once again. The clarity is truly great, and the centre image once again is rock solid, whilst the deliberately panned harmonies are pushed further to the sides in a convincing way. This is a slightly softer, more alternative rock track, and it works well here, not quite requiring the same delivery as heavier metalcore. The drums are tight and snappy, the bass guitar line is articulate, and it’s all delivered in a punchy, yet controlled manner.

QUIBBLES

The diffuse field tuning won’t work for all tracks, and the comfort isn’t perfect for long listening sessions.

CONCLUSION

The OAE2 are certainly an interesting headphone, the design and tuning make them sound effortless, and very natural, with the right recordings. The diffuse field tuning makes them sound spacious, yet doesn’t quite deliver more direct and heavier recordings in a particularly engaging way.

These are a headphone to demo, as they may work well for your music of choice, and would complement a nice collection of conventional headphones. They would, however, not be my personal pick as an all-rounder in my collection.

On the plus side, the sound is well balanced, and nothing is jostling for your attention, everything is delivered in an even-handed way.

They are also built very well, and don’t need a particularly powerful headphone amp to drive them well, and they will please a lot of listeners out there with their slightly different setup and tuning.

AT A GLANCE

Build Quality And Features:

Solid build quality, modular design for easy replacement of parts

Interesting design and internal construction

Sound Quality:

Well balanced, spacious, with accurate imaging

Diffuse field tuning doesn’t suit every genre

Value For Money:

You get a well-built headphone, with a slightly different tuning, the price is fully justified if you enjoy the sound these deliver

We Loved:

The slightly different take on conventional headphones

Well balanced sound, excellent tonality, and superb imaging

We Didn’t Love So Much:

The tuning isn’t quite suited to more extreme genres, and the clamping force is a little too much at times

Elevator Pitch Review: If you are looking for a more “near field” sound from headphones, the OAE2 will certainly satisfy your needs. They succeed in delivering a more natural and spacious sound from headphones. This leads them to sound very effortless, and the well-balanced tuning lends itself to delivering softer tracks with pinpoint accuracy without sacrificing musicality. When things get a little heavier, though, they lack a bit of raw aggression and direct sound delivery that certain rock tracks need, so they are better suited to easier listening sessions.

Price: £499