[brams]

I used my car stereo to compare the stock ORA 3.5mm cable with the kabeldirekt 3.5mm cable I had already been using in my car, and I can confirm that I could hear less noise when I turned the silent radio up to max volume, indicating a good cable.

Whaich cable was your favorite?

Also I was at my local store the other day and tried the ORA on a Questyle amp, an A&K SP2000, the HeadAmp GSX2, and the Mytek Liberty DAC.

My favorite amp pairing with the ORA was the Mytek Liberty DAC personally

The Evergreen seemed to be slightly more open in the midrange than stock, but the effect was subtle to be sure. It seemed to me to be a good option to try at a relatively low price. After that prices increased significantly with slight changes that seemed to me to be more like subtle differences instead of actual improvements relative to stock.

Having said this, I thought the Angel offered a noticeable increase in upper end detail, but still remained slightly smoother than the others. Also, the bottom end seemed to be a bit more natural in the sense that it remained extended but I could not detect any emphasis in the upper bass. The best description I can provide is that the GQ's performance seemed to be unhurried when that cable was used. For example it was easier to follow reverb trails all the way to their end despite the starting of other notes. This is in contrast to the other cables where the same trails appeared to be truncated a bit by the start of other notes ... if that makes sense.

The Angel cable on hand was a 3.5mm to dual rca unit so a generic adapter had to be used on the headphone end in addition to the 1/4" adapter on the amp end. As a result, it is possible the cable performance was compromised. Moreover, I am certain there was some expectation bias on my part just due to the cost of the cable ... maybe I was just listening more intently. Regardless, I would never suggest using such an expensive cable on any headphone much less a headphone at 1/8th the price!

 

[Seazer]

The Evergreen seemed to be slightly more open in the midrange than stock, but the effect was subtle to be sure. It seemed to me to be a good option to try at a relatively low price. After that prices increased significantly with slight changes that seemed to me to be more like subtle differences instead of actual improvements relative to stock.

Having said this, I thought the Angel offered a noticeable increase in upper end detail, but still remained slightly smoother than the others. Also, the bottom end seemed to be a bit more natural in the sense that it remained extended but I could not detect any emphasis in the upper bass. The best description I can provide is that the GQ's performance seemed to be unhurried when that cable was used. For example it was easier to follow reverb trails all the way to their end despite the starting of other notes. This is in contrast to the other cables where the same trails appeared to be truncated a bit by the start of other notes ... if that makes sense.

The Angel cable on hand was a 3.5mm to dual rca unit so a generic adapter had to be used on the headphone end in addition to the 1/4" adapter on the amp end. As a result, it is possible the cable performance was compromised. Moreover, I am certain there was some expectation bias on my part just due to the cost of the cable ... maybe I was just listening more intently. Regardless, I would never suggest using such an expensive cable on any headphone much less a headphone at 1/8th the price!

Nice, how do the audioquest cables fit in the headphones? Do they stay inserted properly? Are they too stiff for headphone use? I'm considering maybe getting a Golden Gate for them. Otherwise maybe just the Tower. Did you try the Golden Gate on them?

 

[Seazer]

Amazing how my opinions on these have gone from slightly disappointed initially to one of my favorite sub $1k headphones, especially for a closed back. I wonder how they compare to the meze 99 classics and audioquest nightowl. The only other sub $1k headphone I'd probably take is the Elex (but I haven't heard it), or maybe the LCD-GX. Otherwise I'm looking at hifiman Arya, he1000se, zmf verite closed, abyss Diana phi, maybe another zmf (it's been so long since I've heard any), or Ether 2. I can also confirm that the Ananda Bluetooth sounds great, and better than the original Ananda somehow.

I'm also interested in the Aeon 2 Closed, that's another interesting sub $1k closed back.

Either way the ORA have amazing imaging capabilities, I find them extremely good for video games. You can pinpoint the location of sounds extremely easily. They also have absolutely no fatigue in the upper midrange or treble, which is honestly kind of rare, I could listen to them all day.

 

[brams]

Nice, how do the audioquest cables fit in the headphones? Do they stay inserted properly? Are they too stiff for headphone use? I'm considering maybe getting a Golden Gate for them. Otherwise maybe just the Tower. Did you try the Golden Gate on them?

There was no problem with fit; the connection at the headphone jack remained tight and secure despite the stiffer cable. However keep in mind that this was only over a short period of time. Long term, it is possible that movement with the stiffer cable attached could result in a looser connection.

All things considered I do not consider the cables too stiff for headphone use, but they were right on the edge. If most usage is sitting at a desk, then no problem. For portable use, however, my suggestion is to try before buying. It's not just that the cable is not as flexible, but that there is quite a bit of noise from the sheathing when it rubs against any object like clothing.

I did try with the Golden Gate and quite liked what I heard. It retained the slightly more open midrange of the Evergreen, but smoothed things over a bit in the sense that transients sounded cleaner and bass a bit more linear. This is from sonic memory and no detailed listening notes of a subtle effect so make of that what you will. It would be great to hear other users' impressions in that regard. Having said that I did end up using it for much of my listening with the Bartok so there must have been some preference for it over the Evergreen. It's just that at and beyond this point the cable price is starting to get up there relative to the headphone and a stock cable that is already quite good.

 

[bbfoto]

New update for backers that have not yet received their ORA GQ headphones...

https://www.kickstarter.com/project...orlds-first-graphene-headphones/posts/2786858

 

[Seazer]

New update for backers that have not yet received their ORA GQ headphones...

https://www.kickstarter.com/project...orlds-first-graphene-headphones/posts/2786858

I wonder, what percentage of backers have recieved them already? I expect this thread to become more popular once there are significantly more with them. I didn't realize I got them so early, I was in the second tier of purchases on the indiegogo, behind all the kickstarter ones

 

[Beagle]

I wonder, what percentage of backers have recieved them already? I expect this thread to become more popular once there are significantly more with them. I didn't realize I got them so early, I was in the second tier of purchases on the indiegogo, behind all the kickstarter ones

 

[Seazer]

I wonder if we will be able to order replacement pads form ORA once these pads wear out down the line. After long periods pleather tends to eventually flake off etc, and the pads might also lose some of their stiffness over time, which might make your ear touch the inner cup.

An eventual method of getting replacement pads would be awesome, because I'm really living the way these sound and plan on using them a lot. Knowing I can replace the pads would ease my mind. Unless of course there is a consensus on really good 3rd party pads for them.

Also I must reiterate gaming in these are so good, possibly the best 360 imaging for games I've heard. It's extremely easy to pinpoint the directions of sounds.

 

[robert-eric]

I wonder, what percentage of backers have recieved them already? I expect this thread to become more popular once there are significantly more with them. I didn't realize I got them so early, I was in the second tier of purchases on the indiegogo, behind all the kickstarter ones

Good Question! We have shipped ~1700 units so far. We are about to drop 1000 more. The remaining ~250 will be done very soon (but with COVID-19, everything is in “We’ll believe it when we see it” mode).

The shipping order has been a bit mangled due to the plethora of global incidents in the last few months - Looming US tariffs, Hong Kong riots, Australian fires, now coronavirus.

Ora considers ourselves extremely lucky that we made the decision to pull ~1100 units out of China before CNY and bring them to Montreal - If it hadn’t been for that, we would only have delivered about 600 headphones by now. For both budgetary and logistical reasons, we shipped from Montreal to Canada and US only. This is why some backers with high backer #s have received their headphones while others in other geographic regions have not. We realize this might cause some frustration for some early backers but I think most folks would agree that the last few months have seen some extenuating circumstances. The rest of the headphones will be delivered very soon!

Short answer: We’ve delivered about 2/3 of the headphones to date. After the run we just finished goes out, Ora will have delivered ~11/12. The remaining 1/12th should be done in ~1-2weeks.

 

[bbfoto]

Good Question! We have shipped ~1700 units so far. We are about to drop 1000 more. The remaining ~250 will be done very soon (but with COVID-19, everything is in “We’ll believe it when we see it” mode).

The shipping order has been a bit mangled due to the plethora of global incidents in the last few months - Looming US tariffs, Hong Kong riots, Australian fires, now coronavirus.

Ora considers ourselves extremely lucky that we made the decision to pull ~1100 units out of China before CNY and bring them to Montreal - If it hadn’t been for that, we would only have delivered about 600 headphones by now. For both budgetary and logistical reasons, we shipped from Montreal to Canada and US only. This is why some backers with high backer #s have received their headphones while others in other geographic regions have not. We realize this might cause some frustration for some early backers but I think most folks would agree that the last few months have seen some extenuating circumstances. The rest of the headphones will be delivered very soon!

Short answer: We’ve delivered about 2/3 of the headphones to date. After the run we just finished goes out, Ora will have delivered ~11/12. The remaining 1/12th should be done in ~1-2weeks.

@robert-eric

Any possibility to buy replacement ear pads for the GQ now???

If not, can you make a production run of extra earpads now while your manufacturer still has the patterns/molds/tooling in place???

I plan on using the GQ headphones A LOT, and have always had to replace the earpads on my other high-quality headphones at least once!

I backed/purchased multiple pairs, so I'd want at least 3 extra pairs of ear pads. The shape and mounting of the GQ's ear pads are a bit unique, so generic replacements wouldn't work very well IMO. AND, I'd like to ensure the longevity of the fairly significant investment I've made to ORA Sound.

It would go a long way to appease your backers since both the Case AND the 1/4" Cable Adapter were not included as per the Kickstarter & Indiegogo campaigns stated they would be. Honestly, how much do simple 3.5mm-to-6.3mm adapters cost when purchased in bulk??? Maybe $1.50 at most?

This was quite the disappointment, seeing that you and ORA Sound asked your backers to pretty much blindly pre-fund your project, and then to also have to wait through many significant delays spanning several years.

I understand that "things can happen along the way", but as they say, "a promise is a promise", especially when there is money involved, and it was doubly frustrating to learn of not just one, but of two bullet list items having been omitted, especially after the multiple-year delay.

You've created a phenomenal product, but I'd be lying if I said that I didn't feel a bit deceived and cheated by not receiving all that was promised for my money.

Also, when will the Hi-Res Downloads from Dudamel be available to GQ backers?

 

[AlwaysForward]

Ora with Senitek fabric (ie HM5 style pads):

Hey Slater, how do you like them aftermarket pads?

 

[brams]

@AlwaysForward

What effect do those Senitek pads have on the sound signature?

@robert-eric

Great job with these headphones! I'm never one to be overly exuberant about anything (although I do try to extract the best from any equipment I have tried), but I sent an email to your support email expressing my very positive experience with the performance of this unit. The performance/price ratio is quite high in my opinion ... especially commendable in these days of headphones priced at the level of a decent used car or top-tier hi-fi speakers. It's really impressive how well it scales up with top equipment.

 

[AlwaysForward]

@AlwaysForward

What effect do those Senitek pads have on the sound signature?

@robert-eric

Great job with these headphones! I'm never one to be overly exuberant about anything (although I do try to extract the best from any equipment I have tried), but I sent an email to your support email expressing my very positive experience with the performance of this unit. The performance/price ratio is quite high in my opinion ... especially commendable in these days of headphones priced at the level of a decent used car or top-tier hi-fi speakers. It's really impressive how well it scales up with top equipment.

I haven’t used anything but stock, was just asking since it was a relevant topic in the thread and Slater had been experimenting.

I’m looking forward to hearing these with bigger rigs and am glad to hear the impressions on their scalability.

One important consideration is that: if these do indeed scale up with totl amps, that’s very few other headphones which scale up can also scale down and be effectively powered by a phone, laptop or Bluetooth. Pretty neat.

 

[bbfoto]

...I’m looking forward to hearing these with bigger rigs and am glad to hear the impressions on their scalability.

One important consideration is that: if these do indeed scale up with totl amps, that’s very few other headphones which scale up can also scale down and be effectively powered by a phone, laptop or Bluetooth. Pretty neat.

I also believe that the GQ scale up well with better DAC/Amps. But I was genuinely surprised at just how good they sounded just from the HP output of my Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 Phablet (8" Int'l 3G/LTE cellular phone model # SM-T715Y) using UAPP.

It was another step up when connected to my OPPO HA-1 via USB source, and then again using the Mytek Brooklyn Bridge's HP output. (I'll go into more detail in my full review).

I've also sent a pair of the GQ's to a buddy that has the Utopia's and the HD650's, as well as one of the higher end 64Audio cIEMs. He's using one of the A&K DAPs (not sure which one) as his portable source, and the desktop Eddie Current Zana Deux at home. He said that initial impressions are "super".

Unfortunately, his local HP GTG for March was cancelled due to the coronavirus, but I trust his ears as well as my own so...

 

[zworykin]

I wonder, what percentage of backers have recieved them already? I expect this thread to become more popular once there are significantly more with them. I didn't realize I got them so early, I was in the second tier of purchases on the indiegogo, behind all the kickstarter ones

Yeah, definitely lucky. Some of us U.S. Kickstarter backers are still waiting