The Article

OAE2 HEADPHONES FROM GRELL

15th June 2026

Can you hear the Sennheiser of old in these cans? Paul Rigby listens to Grell’s new headphones release, the OAE2

Grell Audio was founded in 2020 by renowned audio engineer Axel Grell, formerly a lead headphone designer for Sennheiser, the same man who spearheaded the design of legendary audiophile headphones like the HD 580, HD 650, HD 800 and the Orpheus.

And now he’s charging £450 for his new creation, the open-backed, 38 Ohm OAE2 headphones based on a largely plastic and metal combo construction. Using front-mounted, dynamic 40mm wideband drivers sitting behind a precision mesh that was created in Germany and apparently using a bio-cellulose membrane.

MODULAR DESIGN

Weighing in, without the cable, at 378g there are two cables included. A balanced 4.4mm Pentacon is joined by another terminating in a 3.5mm plug with a screw-on 6.35 mm adapter.

This is a modular design with replaceable ear pads and head cushion. The design is thoughtful. You get two headphone sockets but you only need one for the cable. Hence, you can plug your cable into the socket nearest to your headphone amplifier.

Comfort terms? I have a large head to, as you might expect, contain my massive intellect and, as you can also see, my enormous ego, but the Grells were just about ok for me. I didn’t have any real issues but I can imagine if my head was a tad larger then I would have struggled in fit terms because the headband feels a little hard. Tune in next week for a cranial update.

So how do they sound? Let’s take a listen.

SOUND QUALITY

In software terms, I used Stereolab’s Peng! on vinyl and, on CD the very wonderful electronica track, Fresno and Olaf by the Modified Toy Orchestra from the album Plastic Planet.

VS SENNHEISER HD650

Now as we’re talking about Axel Grell, then what better comparison to make than with his own design for Sennheiser, the HD650s, released originally in 2003 and priced these days, at around £229.

Compared to the Grells and using the single-ended cable, the HD650s have a warmth and a plummy bass. The OAE2 headphones provide a similarly punchy bass but that bass is offered with greater precision while mids and treble offer a leaner presentation with improved focus. Detail can also be better recognised via the Grells. The HD650s offer an almost nostalgic delivery while the OAE2s give you a satisfying balance.

VS SENNHEISER HD800

Next? Instead of the Grells being more expensive than my reference lets fly the scenario to another Axel Grell project, the HD800, originally released in 2009. The later ’S’ variant can currently be bought for around £1,200 but pre-owned originals like my reference, can be bought for around £700-£800.

Now sure, the high-priced bracket of the HD800s does tell in sound quality terms with more midrange insight, improved tonal realism and sprightly lower frequencies but, to my surprise, I did find that the OAE2 headphones offered a more neutral presentation. The HD800s were slightly forward in midrange terms, by comparison. The better balance from the Grells produced a more logical mix. That is, music sounded ‘right’, it had order and discipline whereas the HD800s sounded a little loose in the upper frequencies.

VS SENDY AIVA

Rather off piste now and the Sendy Aiva headphones, priced around £600 and released in 2019.

The Aivas scored with their open and airy soundstage, delicate midrange and fragile treble. Not to say that the Grells were bad in this area at all. They were actually excellent. Even so, the Aivas are upper frequency specialists. That also meant that, while bass was reasonable via the Aivas, the Grells offered a superior bass presentation and overall balance.

BALANCED SPEECH

I swapped the cable for the balanced Pentaconn and connected that to my Astell&Kern Kann Alpha and listened to speech via BBC Radio 4.

As you might expect from balanced, neutral headphones, the OAE2s are ideal for speech productions in that they captured all of the detail, all of the emotion and you’re never left wondering, “What was that? What did he just say?” Diction was paramount here.

CONCLUSION

If you’re looking for a pair of headphones that offer you great detail with a balanced, supremely neutral presentation, then check out the Grell OAE2 headphones. This Grell design is all about control.

These headphones are all about accuracy. They’re certainly the most well behaved headphones I’ve heard in many a year.

In short? If you have been concerned with the current direction of another famous German headphone manufacturer of late and you’re looking for a new home.