Headphone design gets a radical rethink with the Grell OAE2
Headphones as a hobby has been around for decades upon decades, but the core design features take forever to change. Axel Grell, designer of some of the most popular audiophile headphones the hobby has seen, has taken some pretty aggressive stabs at shaking up how we think about audio. Though the reception to the Grell OAE1 headphones was lukewarm, the idea of better meeting human physiology with speaker placement is a fascinating one. Now that the successor is available, is there anything to the idea
How has this article been updated?
This article was published on April 10, 2026, and this is the first version of the article. Updates will follow as the market changes.
What’s it like to use the Grell OAE2?
Weighing in at 378 grams without the cable, the Grell OAE2 is a set of hefty headphones to be sure. Though there is more than enough velour-clad padding to handle the pressure on your head, I did find that the band was an issue over long periods of time. Though I could listen comfortably for a couple hours, it would dig into my scalp given enough time. Should you need to replace the padding in the future, just remember that it takes a bit of force in the right spot to dislodge the pads, and you should be okay.
Like most open-backed headphones, the Grell OAE2 is not resistant to water or dust, so you should have a place where the headphones can be left without worry of either. The cans come with a transport case that can hold the headphones and cables, and you should stow them when you’re moving them, or just want to keep any foreign objects out of the headphones. That said, the build quality is excellent, so these headphones should last you a long time. Should you need to replace a part, please refer to this sheet for the correct part number.
See that fuzzy bit to the right? That’s the driver of the OAE2 covered with a protective cushion.
The story of the OAE2 is the same as that of the OAE1: the unconventionally angled drivers. Rather than put the speaker elements directly outside your ear, or perpendicular to your outer ear, the Grell OAE2 moves the drivers in front of your ears at a 30-degree angle. Headphones that lie perpendicular to your ears aren’t throwing sound at you from the same direction as well-positioned loudspeakers in a listening room, which has consequences for what hits your eardrum. These headphones aim to correct this.
That angle should sound familiar to anyone who has set up a home theater system before, as it recreates the “equilateral triangle” rule for loudspeakers in a room. Because of this, what reaches your eardrum is a bit different, and will probably cause collective harrumphing of measurement purists at first glance. You should instead try to listen to the headphones yourself first before passing any judgments — but that’s true of any headphones you spend a bunch of money on. By moving the drivers, the Grell OAE2 hopes to make its sound behave more like our hypothetical loudspeakers.
How does the Grell OAE2 connect?
The Grell OAE2 connects to sources via one of two cables included in the packaging:
- a 2.5mm to 3.5mm TRS cable, and an optional screw-on 6.3mm adapter.
- a 2.5mm to 4.4mm balanced cable.
Though you likely won’t need a DAC unless your source device adds a lot of noise, you may want an amplifier if you find that you can’t get an appropriate drive level (or you want to do some serious equalizing). That said, the headphones have a low impedance of 38Ω and it can reach 100dB at 1kHz with 1Vrms. A computer or even a consumer-level USB interface should be able to handle that kind of power output without any issues.
The tiny TRRS plug goes into the headphones at the protected jack opening.
Each cable can connect to the headphones by using the female plugs at the bottom of either ear cup. There’s little difficulty in doing this, as there’s no complicated alignment necessary — just plug and play. This is good for durability as well as replaceability — you should be able to find replacement cables online should something happen to yours. That way, you have less to replace should your cat chew through the cord, or you accidentally damage it.
How well do the Grell OAE2 block out noise?
As you can probably guess, the open-backed Grell OAE2 doesn’t even attempt to isolate you from your surrounding environment. If you’ve never listened to open-back headphones before, this is the main tradeoff.
As you can see, only the highest octave sees any appreciable attenuation, so you can assume that you should hear just about everything around you with these things on. Be sure to prevent noise from reaching your room if at all possible.
How does the Grell OAE2 sound?
To put it simply, the Grell OAE2 sounds a bit like you’re listening to well-tuned speakers in a room. It’s useful if you prefer to create music with your headphones, or if you like the sound of well-tuned and positioned speakers in front of you — but don’t want to bother the rest of the house.
Reviewer’s notes
Editor’s note: this review uses a hover-enabled glossary to describe sound quality based on a consensus vocabulary. You can read about it here.
Should you buy the Grell OAE2?
We need more “weird” headphones like the Grell OAE2. Progress in headphone design may be slow, but I like that manufacturers are still challenging assumptions and taking risks.
The Grell OAE2 may look conventional, but they’re anything but.
For the right person — namely, someone who prefers loudspeakers to most headphones on the market — the Grell OAE2 is an interesting buy. Though there’s definitely an appeal to content creators and studio professionals, it’s an interestingly different set of headphones; completely unfair to judge by a mass-market perspective. As I do with most high-end headphones, I strongly suggest you find a way to listen to the Grell OAE2 before you blow a wad of cash on it.
You may find that, even if you like the sound of the Grell OAE2, that the form is not a good fit for you. For me, listening to the headphones was hampered by their sheer mass and the band digging into my skull, so your experience may track with my own. If you’re particularly sensitive to weighty headphones, you’ll likely want to look for an alternative.
Grell OAE2 price history
