[FritzS]

I was allowed to listen to the K1000 on loan for a few months.
Detto also Mysphere in various stages of development and with different pad versions.
In principle, headphones are and remain headphones and cannot provide the free sound field of a loudspeaker reproduction - nor can they provide the free sound field of a good live performance.
Sure, there were once attempts (I've forgotten the manufacturer's name) to artificially create a 3D sound field including the position sensor of the head, but they didn't catch on either.
But I like listening with good headphones. Currently Composer and DT1990. I would also like to listen to OAE1.
.
I had an aha effect with artificial head stereophony years ago. Headphones, 17 stereo dummy head LP, birdsong in the middle of the forest, eyes closed, I was in the middle of the forest, sound was coming from all around me. Until I opened my eyes and my brain recognised the deception. Since then, I can no longer repeat this 3D effect.

This proves once again - hearing takes place in the head and not in the ears. Ears are just a dumb microphone.

 

[Evshrug]

Not at all. I am very much intrigued on how the OAE1 presents it’s sound. Could it be a different presentation than a typical headphone that most that heard it at canjam NYC called it “whack”? Is that whack more related to FR tuning or how the sound is delivered and perceived? I want to know what this “whack” sound like. Hoping the phone will make an appearance at AXPONA this weekend.

I don’t know how many people reacted positively or negatively (seems some people had their mind already made up from the older prototypes, NYC was a new one, resolved a peak that was in the previous prototype), but yes it will definitely be a different presentation. I doubt the FR is all that weird, BUT as a super open-back headphone, it’s going to have its presentation affected more than a headphone with any amount of isolation. The HD 800 is less open than the grell OAE1, and I tried to listen to the former on an airplane just to kind of expose the “normie” world to HiFi they had probably never seen before… but even before we took off, the loud engine drone and general chat hubbub submerged the sound signature and basically made it sound thin and tinny.
But again, that’s just a theory, I didn’t make it to CanJam NYC.

Sure, there were once attempts (I've forgotten the manufacturer's name) to artificially create a 3D sound field including the position sensor of the head, but they didn't catch on either.
But I like listening with good headphones. Currently Composer and DT1990. I would also like to listen to OAE1.

Smyth was one prominent name (they made the A8 and A16, I own an A16 with two head trackers in case I listen with a friend), but there’s been many successful HRTF transformations available for decades, with and without head tracking. Good headphones definitely make a better base platform to make the effect more holographic and believable!!! If you’re curious to learn more, I have a more extensive “article” written on my Head-Fi blog, linked in my signature (“If I knew then what I know now”)!

 

[Evshrug]

I contracted for Drop until right before the Corsair acquisition, so I’ll reach out to some people I know there and see if I can borrow/review a sample.

 

[Rob80b]

I don’t know how many people reacted positively or negatively (seems some people had their mind already made up from the older prototypes, NYC was a new one, resolved a peak that was in the previous prototype), but yes it will definitely be a different presentation.

Question though, will the average headphone listener take the OAE1 as a novelty item or a potential "go to" for headphone listening.
For the last few months my headphones have all become monitoring tools and not for musical entertainment and I'm happy to grab what's ever is in reaching distance without prejudice to do the job.
So personally I'm patently waiting on the OAE1 to see if it offers something out of the ordinary.

 

[maegnificant]

The HD 800 is less open than the grell OAE1, and I tried to listen to the former on an airplane just to kind of expose the “normie” world to HiFi they had probably never seen before… but even before we took off, the loud engine drone and general chat hubbub submerged the sound signature and basically made it sound thin and tinny.

And most likely no one thought or cared about what kinds of headphones you used on your flight. I think your ego has gotten the better of you there.

 

[Evshrug]

And most likely no one thought or cared about what kinds of headphones you used on your flight. I think your ego has gotten the better of you there.

LOL definitely everyone else was wrapped up in their own thing, or at least nobody decided to chat, and yeah open backs are NOT able to perform close to normal in that situation . I put them back away in like 5-7 minutes, but at least I learned something, and maybe it’s good that people minded their own business? That’s what I told myself anyway! I enjoy chatting with people and sharing, plus that eye-widening moment when someone hears HiFi for the first time is very cool… but yeah it definitely wasn’t going to happen on that flight

Don’t worry, my ego isn’t that big; I know I was the unusual one in that situation, but I was just in a CanJam mood.

Question though, will the average headphone listener take the OAE1 as a novelty item or a potential "go to" for headphone listening.

To answer your question, we’ll have to wait and see. I don’t think they’ll beat AirPods for convenience, and the preferences of mainstream and HiFi consumers are different. I think we can all agree that Bose, Sennheiser HD 650, AirPods, and the Harmon Group’s HiFi headphones all sound wildly different from eachother, but all “successful” with their own fans. The grell OAE1 could be special enough to fill their own niche. The ambiance and extreme angled driver already assures that they offer something out of the ordinary, the remaining question is just if the designer of the HD 650/HD 800S/IE 800’s sound (and more) gave it the FR and timbre that will be appealing.

The best I can say is I got a response from Drop: they’re going to get back to me about a review sample, and they said that the vast majority of people who visited the NYC booth had a positive response, a better reception than the older SoCal prototype. Axel’s previous hit designs didn’t go to multiple CanJams before release, so there’s already been more feedback and adjustments made in the OAE1. In the Head-Fi CanJam NYC preview video, Jude said the first rough handmade prototype sounded good, then the next two prototypes were not as good, but the latest was better than the handmade prototype. I think it’s a good sign that it was received well at the NYC booth and that Jude (who isn’t really affected by the success or failure of OAE1 sales) felt like the pre-production prototype was able to surpass the handmade sample.

 

[ThEvil0nE]

@Evshrug the "sound whack" actually came from notable reviewers who was in attendance at NYC, even tagged it as worse at the show and that with the new tuning. Not sure if they were trolling or not tho and this is why I'm curious if it's more FR related or this is just a whole new sensation as perceived or it's just plain literal whack lol.

 

[kman1211]

@Evshrug the "sound whack" actually came from notable reviewers who was in attendance at NYC, even tagged it as worse at the show and that with the new tuning. Not sure if they were trolling or not tho and this is why I'm curious if it's more FR related or this is just a whole new sensation as perceived or it's just plain literal whack lol.

Oh I know the reviewers you are talking about, I think the complaints they had are related to the treble. I found I don't really agree with their opinions in many cases though, so I need to wait for more impressions personally.

 

[Vitaliy Belz]

As far as I understand, Grellaudio Consulting will be present at High End Munich 2024 in May?

 

[Evshrug]

Oh I know the reviewers you are talking about, I think the complaints they had are related to the treble. I found I don't really agree with their opinions in many cases though, so I need to wait for more impressions personally.

I saw in a video DMS say he loves Axel, but call out a treble spike? Which… the SoCal prototype DID have an exaggerated spike from people that I’ve asked, but it was normal treble/ not emphasized in the NYC preproduction model. So, I don’t know

Sennheiser trusted DMS enough to have him host a discussion about Sonova acquiring the consumer division while DMS was still Abyss’ rep in addition to being an influencer, but now he’s a headphones.com rep with a headphone collaboration or two of his own. I got to meet DMS years ago, I think he recognized that I was trying to do some creative stuff with Dekoni; I’d like to think he’d keep an open mind and will give the final tuning a fair chance. His cohost GoldenSound also built his reputation on honesty. I don’t always agree with their conclusions –and with different ears I think that’s okay – but I like them as reviewers and people.

Keeping in mind that the Head-Fi audience has different tastes and hearing, reviewers should have the integrity to not ever be 100% positive, which is easy, but I’d be just as concerned about a 100% negative take; critical thinking should practically always have a list of pros and cons.

 

[kman1211]

I saw in a video DMS say he loves Axel, but call out a treble spike? Which… the SoCal prototype DID have an exaggerated spike from people that I’ve asked, but it was normal treble/ not emphasized in the NYC preproduction model. So, I don’t know

Sennheiser trusted DMS enough to have him host a discussion about Sonova acquiring the consumer division while DMS was still Abyss’ rep in addition to being an influencer, but now he’s a headphones.com rep with a headphone collaboration or two of his own. I got to meet DMS years ago, I think he recognized that I was trying to do some creative stuff with Dekoni; I’d like to think he’d keep an open mind and will give the final tuning a fair chance. His cohost GoldenSound also built his reputation on honesty. I don’t always agree with their conclusions –and with different ears I think that’s okay – but I like them as reviewers and people.

Keeping in mind that the Head-Fi audience has different tastes and hearing, reviewers should have the integrity to not ever be 100% positive, which is easy, but I’d be just as concerned about a 100% negative take; critical thinking should practically always have a list of pros and cons.

Could be how the treble is presented they didn’t like or something like that. I have noticed they developed stronger opinions about treble over the years at least based on watching them.

I do like their reviews myself I just don’t personally agree with many. I just keep in mind I disagree or have different experiences/perspectives/opinions about many things. People definitely have different ears, sometimes it’s slightly different opinions and other times it’s dramatically different. It’s why it’s good to watch multiple reviewers with different perspectives and try to find some that have similar impressions; but different impressions is good too as it may help you evaluate things differently which can lead to new insights.

 

[Rob80b]

Could be how the treble is presented they didn’t like or something like that. I have noticed they developed stronger opinions about treble over the years at least based on watching them.

Also comes down to what the listener prefers....
In the ear....

...or at a distance.


I'm thinking the majority prefer the former, obviously depending on the recording headphones should do both but IMHO the HD600/650 just by their physical design catered more toward the intimate, and the reason I believe, besides their tonality, they are so cherished by many, the HD800 and also HD700 changed that perspective.

 

[kman1211]

Also comes down to what the listener prefers....
In the ear....

...or at a distance.


I'm thinking the majority prefer the former, obviously depending on the recording headphones should do both but IMHO the HD600/650 just by their physical design catered more toward the intimate, and the reason I believe, besides their tonality, they are so cherished by many, the HD800 and also HD700 changed that perspective.

That is definitely another factor. I like my HD 660S2 for a more intimate presentation, though it’s not quite as intimate as the HD 600/650. I personally tend to prefer Beyers presentation of often being more in-between an intimate and distant presentation for instance, it’s also one reason why I like the R70x so much, it has the stage and imaging presentation more like Beyers but tonality more like the HD 6xx line. The HD 700 and HD 800 indeed take a very different perspective, though I’m not that familiar with them and it’s been too long since I heard either.

The T1’s aren’t super wide (still fairly wide though) so still straddle the middle ground I like, but they have amazing spatial ability, I am getting the feeling the OAE1 does as well since they also share a steeply angled driver. I’m curious exactly where the OAE1 will end up in terms of staging, imaging, etc.

 

[ThEvil0nE]

HD800 never settled well with me, too unnatural or maybe I'm not head-fi enough lol

 

[Rob80b]

I personally tend to prefer Beyers presentation

Their Amiron Home have been on my head of late.

HD800 never settled well with me, too unnatural or maybe I'm not head-fi enough lol

I could never settle on the HD650, went through 4 pair (includes the HD6XX), always too intimate for my tastes but living with the HD800S since their inception.
So always different strokes for different folks, the OAE1 just may be the outlier.