Grell Audio OAE2 Open Around-Ear Audiophile Headphones Review: The Headphone That Rethinks Where Sound Should Hit Your Ear
Read Time: Approx. 12 min.
TL:DR:
- Grell's Front-Sided Sound Field Modulation angles the driver forward instead of firing straight into the ear canal, projecting sound the way your ear's natural shape is designed to receive it.
- Designed by Axel Grell, the engineer behind the Sennheiser HD 600, HD 650, and HD 800 — decades of reference-grade headphone expertise built into his own brand.
- Deep, controlled bass and finely resolved highs without trade-off, natural uncolored mids, and a spacious, three-dimensional soundstage that makes music feel like it's happening in front of you.
- Lightweight at 378g with a memory-foam headband and open, breathable ear pads — plus the flexibility to choose single- or dual-entry cable routing on either ear cup.
- Premium, audiophile-grade performance and engineering for under $1,000, making the OAE2 a standout in its price class.
From the HD 800 to the OAE2: Alex Grell's Next Chapter
Most headphones fire sound straight into your ear canal from the side — cheap to manufacture, easy to build, and not at all how your ear actually hears. Your ear isn't a tube; it's a funnel, shaped to catch sound from an angle rather than take a direct hit. The Grell OAE2 is one of the few headphones built around that fact instead of around manufacturing convenience.
That's not a small claim to make, but it comes from someone with the credentials to back it up. Axel Grell is the engineer behind some of the most respected headphones ever made, including the Sennheiser HD 600, HD 650, and HD 800 — models that didn't just sell well, they earned cult status among audiophiles. After decades of designing legendary headphones and consulting for major audio brands, Grell founded his own company in 2020, built around a single obsession: engineering sound around the actual anatomy of the human ear.
The OAE2 Open Around-Ear Audiophile Headphone is Grell's second release under his own name, following the OAE1. It's the clearest expression yet of his approach — every material choice, every angle, every curve of the baffle exists to get sound to your eardrum the way your ears were designed to receive it. Here's how it holds up in design, sound, and everyday use.
PROS
- Incredible price point for the TOTL sound quality it delivers
- Natural, Lifelike sound
- Can use it with a single-entry cable or a dual-entry cable
CONS
- 2.5N clamping force feels extra tight during the first few uses
- Carrying case is a little large and cumbersome
Design
At 378g, the OAE2 feels incredibly lightweight the moment you pick it up. The headband is wrapped in soft, wide memory foam, and the ear pads are open and acoustically effective, which matches everything Grell is doing with their FSFM design.
The clamping force is rated at 2.5N, which on paper is considered the ideal balance of comfort and security, but on the head it can feel a bit tighter than that. These impressions come from a pair fresh out of the box, so they may loosen with wear over time — but it wasn't unbearable, and long listening sessions were no problem.
The headband system is efficient and easy to use, fitting a wide range of head shapes. It doesn't move or make micro-adjustments on its own — it stays securely in place. The ear cups sport an open stainless steel mesh that's aesthetic and contributes to the headphone's natural, transparent sound.
The overall design of these headphones is classic. It doesn't have a flashy logo pasted in the middle of the ear cup or some exotic material choice meant to impress you. It leaves that task up to the sound quality. One design choice worth calling out is the ability to choose whether you want to use a single-entry or dual-entry cable each time you listen, and which side it comes out of.
Despite having two headphone jacks, one on each ear cup, the OAE2 comes with a single-entry 2.5mm 4-pole connector cable that attaches to just one ear cup. It's up to you where the cable sits. That might sound minor, but it's the kind of detail that solves a real problem — for a desk setup with the amp on one side, being able to route the cable away from the keyboard and workspace is a small annoyance most other headphones never solve.
The OAE2 ships with two cables: a single-entry 2.5mm to 4.4mm cable and a 2.5mm to 3.5mm cable with a 1/4" screw-on adapter, plus a generously sized hardshell case. It's on the larger side as far as headphone cases go, but that's because it's built so the ear cups lay flat and flush inside it, protecting the design rather than just cramming it in.
Sound
The OAE2 was tested on both the iFi Audio Valkyrie and the iFi Audio GR 2 DAC Headphone Amplifier, and these headphones are easy to drive. There were no issues getting them to perform on either setup, which also means they'd pair beautifully with a DAP like the Astell&Kern SP4000T, or the smaller, more portable SP3000M.
Grell's own curated Qobuz playlist was the starting point before reaching for the usual go-to tracks, and it did not disappoint. Curating a playlist seems small compared to everything else that goes into engineering a headphone, but it's exactly the kind of small thing that separates a company that just makes a product from one that actually cares about the experience of listening to it. Grell didn't have to hand-pick tracks that show off what these headphones do best — they chose to.
Off that playlist, Chris Jones' track "No Sanctuary Here" was a standout. The opening acoustic guitar had real body and weight to it — the kind of detail you'd normally only catch up close at a live show. Jones' voice came through deep and full of emotion, and even the backup vocals added a rich, dynamic layer to the whole track.
Once you're actually listening, the bass is deep and controlled. It shows up when a track calls for it and disappears when it doesn't. The mids are natural and uncolored. Vocals and instruments come through as they were recorded, not artificially boosted to sound more exciting or robust.
The soundstage is where the open-back design and FSFM technology shine. Everything is spacious and three-dimensional while still feeling intimate. Listening to The Eagles' live recording of Hotel California conjures the feeling of being in the crowd at that concert, basking in the energy that consumed the space.
That's the essence of the OAE2's sound. It's not adding anything that wasn't there, and it's not hiding anything either. It's just letting the recording be exactly what it is. Anyone seeking the detailed, articulate sound quality of a premium headphone without that premium price tag would be remiss not to consider the OAE2. It's truly a hidden gem.
No Sanctuary Here
By Chris Jones
(Roadhouses & Automobiles)
Hotel California (Live 1977)
By Eagles
(Hotel California)
Cigarette Smoke
By Olivia Rodrigo
(You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So In Love)
Creatures In Heaven
By Glass Animals
(I Love You So F***ing Much)
Features
- Front-sided sound transducers work with your ear's natural geometry for lifelike detail
- Largest open baffle on the market for a transparent, unrestricted acoustic feel
- Bio-mimetic drivers tuned for deep, extended low-end response
- Fully modular design — every component is replaceable for long-term serviceability
- Angled transducers reproduce treble the way it's naturally perceived in real life
- Novel damping concept delivers tight, controlled bass without overpowering the mix
- Balanced midrange keeps vocals and instruments true to the original recording
- Open, spacious soundstage eliminates in-head sensation for a live-concert feel
To understand the importance of the technology in these headphones, you've got to understand the problem it solves. With almost every headphone you've ever worn, the driver sits flat against the side of your head, firing sound straight into your ear canal from the side. That might sound fine on paper, but it's not how your ears actually work.
In most settings, sound almost always reaches you from the front. Your ears, and more specifically the shape of your outer ear, the pinna, are built to process sound that arrives that way. When sound hits you from the side instead, it gets colored and distorted before it even reaches your eardrum — which is why you instinctively turn your head to face a sound straight on.
Grell's answer is called Front-Sided Sound Field Modulation, or FSFM.
FSFM Technology: Front-Sided Sound Field Modulation
Instead of mounting the driver flat against the ear, Grell angles it forward inside the ear cup, so the sound is projected as if it's coming from in front of you, not beside you. Your own ear geometry then shapes that sound the same way it would shape sound at a live show or in a real room, before it reaches your eardrum.
The transducer itself is doing a lot of work here too. It's a 40mm dynamic driver with a bio-cellulose dome, angled directly at the baffle — the acoustically open front section of the ear cup — instead of straight at your ear. The angle, combined with a large radiating surface and high excursion, is what lets the OAE2 hit with its deep, controlled bass and finely resolved highs at the same time. It doesn't force a trade-off between the two — you get the best of both worlds.
The result is that the music stops sounding like it's being pushed into your head from two speakers and starts sounding like it's actually happening in front of you.
Dragon Cables
[Bronze Dragon Premium Headphone Cable]
All of my sound impressions were from just the stock cable. Switching to a Dragon Cable — in this case the Bronze Dragon Premium Headphone Cable — takes an already great experience even further. The copper strands and Graphene in the Bronze Dragon add subtle musicality and additional dynamics to the OAE2's sound. If adding musicality isn't the goal, the Silver Dragon brings added detail and top-end resolution instead, and for warmth and low-end weight, the Black Dragon is the way to go. Connectors are available to fit the OAE2 across the Dragon Headphone Cable lineup.
Verdict
From that angled driver to the way it makes music feel like it's happening in front of you instead of beside you, and the small touches like letting you choose your own cable side, every piece of the Grell OAE2 Open Around-Ear Audiophile Headphones point back to the same idea: build around the listener's ears, not the factory line.
That's what Grell set out to do with the OAE2, and they've done it beautifully. This isn't a company chasing a trend. It's decades of proven expertise, perfected by the headphone master himself. And when you consider the performance and sound quality you're getting, all coming in at under $1,000, the OAE2 is practically a steal.
If you're serious about upgrading your sound quality, one of our Dragon Headphone Cables are the natural next step. Whether it's the Bronze Dragon for subtle warmth and musicality or the Silver Dragon for even greater resolution and detail, our cables pair naturally with the OAE2. Audiophiles seeking premium performance without the premium price tag will be delighted by the OAE2's effortless ability to perform.
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What's in the Box
- OAE2 Headphones
- 3.5 mm connector, 6.3 mm adapter
- Balanced 4.4 mm cable
Specifications
Frequency Response: 12-34,000 Hz (-3 dB), 6-46,000 Hz (-10dB)
Transducer Principle: Dynamic
Ear Coupling: Circum-aural
Sound Characteristic: Front-oriented loudness diffuse-field equalization
Adaption to Individual Hearing Curve: Front-sided Sound Field Modulation (FSFM)
Nominal Impedance: 38 ohms
Sound Pressure Level: 100 dB at 1kHz, 1 VRMS
Maximum Continuous Input Power: 500 mW (per IEC 60268-7)
Total Harmonic Distortion: 0.05% at 1kHz, 100dB
Weight Without Cable: 378 g
Headband Clamping Force: 2.5N
