[AlexGgg]

I really just can't understand how they failed so badly on the ergonomics. Sound to some extent is subjective (though there are good targets out there that manufacturers tend to use as guidance), but if something doesn't fit your head it just doesn't fit and that's a huge problem if a broad swath of the population just can't get these to fit comfortably. So did they only test this design on a handful of people with oddly shaped heads? I don't know how else they didn't catch the obvious problems

Ergonomics is very subjective as well then. I've spent a whole office day in them, and no complaints. They are not less comfortable to me than my TH-X00 or Aeolus. And I wouldn't say I have an unusual head shape, it's pretty basic (and pretty average size too, with my 176 cm height).
Have they made some adjustments to them pre-delivery perhaps? All the reviewers had early copies, as I understood.

Also, have you seen the explanation that they are not supposed to lean on the top of the head?
From the manual:
"The headphones should sit high and tight with the band barely touching the top of the head. The ear cups should fully surround the ear. Most of the force should be on the ear pads, not on the headband. Adjust the angle of the ear cups using the sliders to ensure the pressure is evenly distributed around the ear pad. To test the fit, rotate the cups back a bit and make sure the rear of the ear pad is sealed against the head, behind the ear.
The GQ™ headphones use a flexible spring steel band to provide the user’s desired “clamping force”. The spring steel can be flexed to provide the desired tension. If the headphones are too tight, flex the band out a bit. If they are too loose, twist the headphones in for a snug fit. The spring steel band will flex and flatten for wider heads, this keeps the force perpendicular to the head regardless of head size. The curved metal sliders should be extended to produce a comfortable angle of the ear cups to the head for your individual head size."

The written feedback seems to have more of a positive sentiment than the YouTube reviews. I don’t know what to make of it. It seems that these may be polarizing.

I also found interesting that comments for this negative review were mostly of two types:
1. From people who haven't tried them - Thank you for an honest review!
2. From people who have - Hmm, it seems that you tested a different headphone, I liked mine.

 

[HungryPanda]

I want mine so bad but this coronovirus seems to have put them on hold

 

[MRM22]

Innerfidelity with a very positive review. Feels they are unique with their sound.
https://www.innerfidelity.com/content/ora-sound-grapheneq-wireless-headphone-review

 

[d1337tion]

So, as far as mids, the HD600/6xx absolutely dominate, that is their claim to fame, I would not put the mids of this headphone in the same tier or even close to it. As far as the treble, Sennheiser has a classic veil on the treble, you'll notice that the hd600 lacks air and oomph when it gets past the mids, it just is a trademark of the HD580/600/650. I'm not a treble head, personally, and there's a couple peaks in the Ora that really hurt when they get hit. YMMV if it bothers you or not.

So after 50+ hours of burn in and actually getting time to compare it to my HD600's. I would have to agree about the mids... I probably do like a little more treble than you do, so that explains that.

I got my ORA'S for 200 USD, so I guess I'm not too disappointed, but seeing as how the 6XX are also 200... I'd definitely forego these if I could only have one.

The biggest caveat of my impression for these ORA's has to be that these are my first pair of closed back headphones, in over a decade...

 

[StacheKetchum]

I'm pretty unfamiliar as far as modifying headphones. Does anyone reckon there's some way of retuning them?

I got mine a few days ago, and I like them, but it seems to be very song-dependent.

In some songs everything seems very crisp and clear, like in Norah Jones' "Don't Know Why" or Radiohead's "Everything In Its Right Place", while in others the bass seems quiet and muddled.

For the most part I enjoy them more than my ATH M50-X and HD598s, though the Sennheisers are more comfortable.

One thing I've noticed is a little chittering sound when there's not much sound coming through, like when a song has ended or is fading out. This is specifically on Bluetooth.

I'll try and provide more info when I test them more.

If anyone is in Vancouver and would like to try them out, let me know, and maybe we can have a listening party. I'm sure I could learn a thing or two at the same time!

That said, I am disappointed by the lack of a case or adapters, as they were funded.

 

[SilverEars]

Innerfidelity with a very positive review. Feels they are unique with their sound.
https://www.innerfidelity.com/content/ora-sound-grapheneq-wireless-headphone-review

It's a fake review site now. No more Tyll.

 

[Slater]

Any new owners that just received their Oras?

I’ve had mine since last week. Still burning them in and putting them through their paces.

 

[DixieLandBlues]

It's a fake review site now. No more Tyll.

Is that because their reviews are now demonstrably inaccurate, dishonest or otherwise lacking? Or is it because Tyll was very respected and it's felt that with their departure the new reviewers do not engender the same level of trust?

 

[KingKrush]

It's a fake review site now. No more Tyll.

While I don't care much for InnerFidelity without Tyll Hertsens, I don't see anything that indicates it's now a shill site. What makes you say that?

Any new owners that just received their Oras?

I’ve had mine since last week. Still burning them in and putting them through their paces.

Received my pair this morning. I'm in South Africa and bought my pair quite late in the Indiegogo campaign. The DHL Express delivery was supernaturally fast. The pace of updates made no sense lol.

I'm no audiophile though and I'm only using an Asus U7 to drive them. Tbh there isn't much difference between the GrapheneQ and my M50x, for now at least. Maybe they'll get better after some time.

- They are definitely more comfortable. Rather love the fit - only needed a slight extension from fully collapsed. And no sore ears after a while like with the M50x.
- Bass is at least as good as the M50x without needing to increase the clamping pressure.
- Volume seems lower to me. Surprising considering that they're supposed to be so easy to drive. I'm thinking of ordering some Schiit Audio gear as they seem like good value for money.

I like to listen to classical music while working, so just the comfort factor makes me glad I purchased these. They sound good, but so does my M50x. I wouldn't say there's been a noticeable soundstage element introduced into my music listening, or that I suddenly feel like I'm sitting on stage with an orchestra.

Buying some Wicked Cushions for my M50x may have had the exact same effect as owning these. Who knows. I'll replace my fraying earpads sometime and compare them properly once I've had the GrapheneQ's for a while.

Edit: I've only used these plugged in btw. Don't care for the wireless functionality.

 

[Midgetguy]

Is that because their reviews are now demonstrably inaccurate, dishonest or otherwise lacking? Or is it because Tyll was very respected and it's felt that with their departure the new reviewers do not engender the same level of trust?

Personally, I consider it to be more of the latter. Tyll was incredibly thorough, not only in his measuring (which everyone can do), but considering a vast demographic of listeners for any particular headphone (which everyone could do, but not everyone necessarily does). He was clear-headed, never swayed by money or hype; he'll tell you the good and bad of any headphone he's tried, purely unfiltered. Tack that onto the fact that he's been a staple in headphone reviewing for over two decades, it's easy to trust just about anyone else less with the reviewing reigns than Tyll, even if they're good reviewers.

And I've got a tracking number now, so hopefully I'll be able to weigh in maybe a couple weeks from now. Depends on shipping speed and customs processing.

 

[KingKrush]

Okay, I've been listening for hours now and I have clearer thoughts about these.

Plugged into my Asus U7:

• They are much better than the M50x. My old headphones are pretty much unusable to me now.
• The bass is a lot less muddy than the M50x, but I wish the ORA had more oomph. EDM sounds particularly poor when switching back to compare. There's more of it but it's less clear.
• Comfort, for my head size and shape at least, is superb. Zero discomfort after all these hours.
• I always used the rock EQ preset in iTunes with the M50x - basically everything sounded better and more natural with it. Doing so is godawful with the ORAs. Bass booster works fine though, with everything else left flat.

Wireless:

• I know this sounds crazy, but I am absolutely convinced that these headphones sound better in wireless mode than plugged in.
• EQ is totally broken only when using these wirelessly. Sounds EQ'd anyway in wireless mode. Bass is noticeably better when flat than when plugged in and also flat.
• Slightly more volume when wireless. What.

I was a bit disappointed with these until testing out the wireless capabilities, given the level of investment. Now I'm pretty chuffed.

 

[xeizo]

Okay, I've been listening for hours now and I have clearer thoughts about these.

Plugged into my Asus U7:

• They are much better than the M50x. My old headphones are pretty much unusable to me now.
• The bass is a lot less muddy than the M50x, but I wish the ORA had more oomph. EDM sounds particularly poor when switching back to compare. There's more of it but it's less clear.
• Comfort, for my head size and shape at least, is superb. Zero discomfort after all these hours.
• I always used the rock EQ preset in iTunes with the M50x - basically everything sounded better and more natural with it. Doing so is godawful with the ORAs. Bass booster works fine though, with everything else left flat.

Wireless:

• I know this sounds crazy, but I am absolutely convinced that these headphones sound better in wireless mode than plugged in.
• EQ is totally broken only when using these wirelessly. Sounds EQ'd anyway in wireless mode. Bass is noticeably better when flat than when plugged in and also flat.
• Slightly more volume when wireless. What.

I was a bit disappointed with these until testing out the wireless capabilities, given the level of investment. Now I'm pretty chuffed.

I suppose the U7 is too weak to drive them properly, that's why wireless sounds better, you should try to find a more powerful amp to test with. Having to use rock preset for the M50X suggests those cans sounds pretty muddy ...

 

[KingKrush]

I suppose the U7 is too weak to drive them properly, that's why wireless sounds better, you should try to find a more powerful amp to test with. Having to use rock preset for the M50X suggests those cans sounds pretty muddy ...

I've been considering an upgrade for a while.

Schiit Audio seems like the best value for money. The Jotunheim looks like the sort of thing suited to my simple setup and non-audiophile music life. Do you know if it's worth paying the extra $100 for a "True Multibit DAC" over the AK4490 "Balanced DAC" in the standard $499 version?

There's also the Magni 3+ amp for $99, the Modi 3 DAC for $99 and the Modi Multibit DAC for $249 to consider. I don't want to spend more on the Jotunheim if it makes no appreciable difference to the rest of my setup.

 

[Audman71]

I got my ORA pair last Thursday. They sound amazing, but the frequency response isn't the main reason I love the sound. For me the most impressive thing about it is the sense of space the pair creates when listening to pretty much anything.

Side note: Quite frankly, I'm disappointed no one (that I know of) includes the experience of listening to dummy head ASMR\binarual recordings in their reviews of headphones in general, given the size of the ASMR community.



With that said, for those of you who both love binaural microhpones and have the ORAs, I highly recommend watching ASMR videos that use true binaural microphones, i.e. Neumann (or other brand) dummy head mics. Every other headphone I've tried watching these videos with, it's hard to tell where the sounds are coming from, whether it's in front of me or behind me. However, the ORAs, in my experience, actually gave a fairly realistic illusion of someone tapping on my head. I could easily tell exactly where the tapping was, as long as it was on an area with a lot of bone (such as forehead or cheek bone)



This is the best example I can give so far:

 

[xeizo]

I've been considering an upgrade for a while.

Schiit Audio seems like the best value for money. The Jotunheim looks like the sort of thing suited to my simple setup and non-audiophile music life. Do you know if it's worth paying the extra $100 for a "True Multibit DAC" over the AK4490 "Balanced DAC" in the standard $499 version?

There's also the Magni 3+ amp for $99, the Modi 3 DAC for $99 and the Modi Multibit DAC for $249 to consider. I don't want to spend more on the Jotunheim if it makes no appreciable difference to the rest of my setup.

I believe the weak link in your chain is the U7 integrated headamp, a Magni 3+ and keep using the U7 as a DAC would probably be enough to not handicap the Ora:s. The U7 actually has a very good DAC chip in the Cirrus CS4398 it just needs some amping.